My June page for the Sal.  I did ribbon embroidery and applique.

The Garden Quilt I've been working on.  I've started adding the two rows of green borders.  The quilt is about 2/3's done.

Waking Up Is Hard To Do

These singers are all Anesthesiologists in Minnesota and they can really sing.
Here they sing "Waking up is hard to do"

Men are idiots....

and I have proof.  Remember me asking for good thoughts about my hubby and that he needed open heart surgery.  Well the surgeon recommended that we put it off for awhile .... that in his opinion it was not an emergency.  Well I just found out yesterday while we were visiting a different doctor of my DH and he happen to mention that he's been having chest pains.  Now I ask you.....what person in their right mind wouldn't say something when this is happening.  Needless to say I had some choice words to say to him and the doc we were seeing told me to get him to ER the next time this happens.  But I know the man I am married to.....he just won't tell me.  

Like the sign says.....All men are idiots.....I married their King.

Progress pictures

I thought I'd share my progress on two of my projects with you.  First is the hexagon quilt that I'm doing completely by hand.  This is by far my favorite project to work on right now.....as you can see from the pictures.   I have a few of the hexagons pinned (top left) that I have to stitch and then it's back to the cutting board.  I wanted a way that I could sew these together as I go but still use a variety of different fabrics.  I think I found it.  I'm starting in the center and working by rows out.  I've cut up 10 different fat quarters for the ones I've already stitched and to add different colors and patterns this way will give it a balanced look.  Then when I have all the flowered ones added I will go back and add two rows all the way around of greens to give it a border...somewhat.  Those hexagons will have the dark green in the center and medium green for the backing.  I love how this is turning out and I've decided on two names for it....My Mother's Garden or My Family's Garden.  I can't decide between the two....decisions, decisions.

Then there's the mandela using the Dinky Dye Oops bag.  I've used 4 colors so far and the rest was stitched in black silk.  This has also been fun to work on because I never know what color I will have to stitch next with.  They are in a paper bag and I just reach in and pick one.  No pre-planning at all except for the black. 

 I was looking around on Etsy the other day and came across this beautiful store that had all kinds of goodies.  One of them was this hand painted thread holder.  She offered them in two colors....pink or blue....and since I love pink there was no choice but to purchase one.  You can see her other goodies here.

Kay also included two of her little mug rugs hand stitched to look like kitties that are just adorable.  I highly recommend her shop which is located here in Florida.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and that you get some much needed stitching time.  We can't survive without a needle and fabric for too long.....let's not tempt faith. :o)

Blessings, Barbara

If you love quilting......

The above might look like an ordinary quilt but believe me, it's not.  The name of it is "Dear Prudence" and I cannot believe how this was made.  I'm a quilter and I enjoy doing different types of quilting but there's no way I'd tackle something like this.  Please click on this link and read how this stunning quilt was made.

I'm having startitis I think because just today I've started two new projects.  One is an embroidered pincushion and the other is a quilt.

First the pincushion.  I was looking at old Inspirations Magazines on the internet the other day and came across a free embroidered pincushion pattern.  You can see it here.  I've traced the pattern onto a piece of cream linen and I'm going to use 3 greens and the red from the wool I purchased the other day at my LNS.  This should be a fun project and one I can pick up and do a few stitches every day.

Next is the quilt.  I have Jenn to blame for this one.  She told me this morning about a quilt as you go hexagon quilt that she's starting.  Well this interested me so off I go to look at it.  You can see it here.  I had a look at the fabrics I have in my sewing room and it seems I have tons of florals.  They are all fat quarters which makes it easy to line them up and cut into my hexagon shapes.  With using only florals, I think it's going to give it a "scrappy" look which I love.  This will also be a good project to pick up and do a couple every day without overwhelming me.

I also decided and started the cross stitch project that will use the "Ooops Bag" from Dinky Dyes.  I have the pattern from Martina of her mini mandalas and I'm going to stitch one of them.  To balance it all out, I'm going to throw in some black which will give it a slight stain glass look.  Wish me luck!

Well that's all I have for now.  Looks like I'll be busy for quite some time and loving it.  Hope you are having fun with whatever you are stitching and having many finishes.

Blessings, Barbara

Happy Mother's Day

To all the Mom's out there..............Happy Mother's Day!

Along our walk

Last nite when Vallie and I took our evening stroll, I took along my camera and captured some beautiful plants in our neighborhood.

The above is a jasmine plant that has taken over a light post in their front yard.  This smells so good and on a breezy day you can smell the jasmine from about 4 houses away.  Vallie always has to stop and smell it....can't say I blame her.

I love this front yard!  The have everything from cactus to roses in their yard and it's always so pretty in the spring.

Yes the magnolia trees are in bloom and they add their perfume to the mix.

The above is a staghorn.  It is a potted plant that doesn't need soil and it loves banana peels.  I have a small one but this one is taller than a man.  It's huge!!!!

I love the plants they have in front of this house....they remind me of paintbrushes filled with red paint.

Well that's about it except for some miscellaneous flowers that are in bloom right now.  My hibiscus is blooming but I forgot to take a picture of it.  It's a stunning peachy/yellow color and my bougainnvilla is a deep rose color.

I'm having trouble deciding what design to use for the "Oops Bag".  I was thinking quaker but now I'm not too sure.  Quakers are an antique style of sampler and I don't think all these bright colors would be appropriate.  Any ideas?  Please let me know what you think would be a good suggestion for them.  Oh and I forgot to mention....when I'm done stitching with them, they will all be part of a giveaway so the sooner I stitch something, the sooner I have the giveaway. :o)

Blessings, Barbara

Eugenia is traveling again

Went up to my LNS this morning and came away with some wonderful goodies.  Eugenia from Just Another Button Co has been touring Europe and her last stop was Holland.  Here's what her postcard had to say:

"Hello from Holland - or more precisely - the Netherlands.  Red, purple, pink, orange and yellow - the tulips are glorious.  I've rented a bike to see the sights, but I'm getting a lot of funny looks.  Maybe I should take off the wooden shoes.  Fondly, Eugenia Tuffet

And in celebration of her being there, JABCo came out with a little Eugenia on wooden spools.  She was alot of fun to make but I must admit - I'm absolutely terrible at lazy daisy stitches.  If anyone has a remedy for my lousy stitching, please let me know.  Mine always turn out straight as sticks and don't have any shape at all.  Eugenia also sent along a tulip pin but I forgot to take a pic of it.

My LNS is always great about fibers and this one is no exception.  It's called Bella Lusso and it's distributed by Fleur de Paris.  It's 100% fine Merino wool and it's made in Italy.  This has got to be the softest wool I have ever felt and I can't wait to stitch something with it.  It comes in some stunning colors - it was hard to make a choice.

Then the fun started.  Debbie was at a show this past weekend and Dinky Dyes was there.  They had what they called "Oops Bags".  You can't see what is in them and the cost was only $15.00.  The bag I bought had all the above silks in it!!!  I'm thinking of doing a quaker or a row sampler and using every one of these colors in it.  I love all of them.

Well that's all for today.  I hope you are having a beautiful day weather wise like we are here in Florida.  Vallie and I just got back from our walk and it is soooo pretty out.  Tomorrow night I'll take some pics of the beautiful flowers that are blooming.  It smells so good outside!!!

Blessings, Barbara

An idea from Jenn

My daughter is very good at coming up with ideas and then most of the time, I'm left wondering how to do this and make it work.  She called me the other day to tell me about this little bag that she saw on a knitting blog somewhere and that I should try to do it.  Well it took all day for the planning, sewing and putting it all together but I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  Somehow I remembered these two pieces of fabric that I had bought about a year ago and thought this might work.  Well then I had to come up with a name and Jenn took care of that.  What you see here is a "Truffle Tuffet".  

This is the outside with the tuffet closed.  It has two draw strings that pull the tuffet closed.  As you can see, the fabric is a chocolate delight.

When the tuffet is opened, it has 8 pockets to put your goodies and has a pincushion in the center.  I lined it with duponi silk and the pincushion is made of that also.

Closeup of pincushion.

And on the bottom is a label that helps the tuffet lay flat and sit better.

When this is opened, it's about 20 inches across and when closed, stands about 8 inches tall.

This was fun to make and you can find it in my store.

Blessings, Barbara

Dancing Feet

I was wandering around the internet this afternoon and came across a poem on a blog.  This poem reminds me of myself, our daughter and every other female I have ever known.  It is written by a 19 year old who only calls herself Jessica.   As you read this, remember when you were 19 or a little younger and I hope you do this with a smile.

Dancing Feet by Jessica S.

I wish I had the balance

To walk through life unscathed,

To walk high on my tippy toes,

And never be afraid.

I wish that I were graceful

So I could dance with ease.

Through trials and tribulations

And never skin my knees.

I wish that I were elegant

And flexible, and strong.

If I were things like that

Then nothing could ever go wrong.

But I’m no ballerina

I’m just your average klutz.

I trip over flat surfaces

My knees are scarred with cuts.

I wish that I had someone

To help me walk with grace.

Who’d never let go of my hand

Or throw me off my pace.

To help me keep my balance

And kiss away the pain.

We’d dance through life together

Through the sun or through the rain.

And with a dancing partner

I know life would be so sweet

Oh how I wish I had another pair

Of dancing feet.

Queen Bee Bag and a new start

Remember me saying I purchased really cute coordinating fabrics at Sewing Studio.....well here it is.  The squares with the sweet ladies in them came from a panel which I cut out and attached to the main background.  The bee in the wreath machine embroidery design announces that the holder of this bag is The Queen Bee and then to set it off as very feminine I added a fabric rose made from the lining fabric and a white fabric with bees on it.  This was a fun stitch and it will be in my store.

I've also started something new.  I'm following Eugenia on her travels with Just Another Button Company and this month she's sent out a cross stitch design.  She will be sending more of it as the year goes on with it finishing up in December.  I'm very anxious to see what the design turns out to look like.

I've picked out my linen ..... 28ct. White Chocolate but instead of stitching it with hand dyed threads, I'm going to use Anchor floss.  I have so much of that and it's time to start using it up.  There are lots of buttons to attach as you are stitching and I know this is going to be fun.  I'm thinking that when it's framed, putting it in a shadow box and including the Eugenia pincushion sheep.  We'll see....just food for thought.

I just want to say Hello to all of my followers and any new ones.  I hope you all have a fantastic week coming up and get lots of stitchie time.  I know by now you're tired of seeing my bags and I apologize for that.....but I'm having such a good time.  I'll try to keep it to a minimum.

Blessings, Barbara

What I've been working on

I think I'm finally getting back into my stitching and am enjoying it.  I had started this design last year but realized I would never finish it before the holiday so I picked it back up.  I think I should have it finished before Halloween.....at least I hope so.  :o)  It's a Jardin Prive design and I have always loved it.

The fabric I'm stitching it on is a hand dyed but I've since lost the label so now it's a mystery linen.  I'm using DMC to do the black stitching but the others:  white, orange and lime green will be done in silks.

I've also been very busy making some more of my bags.  All the others sold and I'm thrilled with that. So here's the new ones:

This first one is my first attempt at wool applique and I am very pleased with how it turned out.  The fabric is a tan on cream pillow ticking and it's lined with a homespun.  The wool I used for the applique is from Weeks Dye Works.

This one is an unusual choice of fabric for a bag.  I fell in love with this pale blue ultrasuede at the store and knew I had to do something with it.  The stitching is called "Shadow Lace" and it's done in an indigo color which matches the lining perfectly which is an indigo batik.

The celebration of our country's birth is coming up so I had to do a 4th bag.  I decided on a pinwheel in the machine embroidery with Happy Fourth above and below it.  I couldn't decide which fabric to use for the bag so I decided to use both.  Problem solved!

I love peacocks!!!  This one is done using a beautiful teal, olive green, dark brown stripe for the bag and it's accented with peacock feather fabric to set off the design.  It's lined with a stunning olive green heather.

And this is my favorite.  Who doesn't like sunflowers and blackbirds???  I've had this fabric for several months and just couldn't decide what to do with it.  When I saw this embroidery design I knew it was perfect.

All of these bags you can find in my store under the tab at the top "Items for Sale".

Well it's been a rainy week here in Florida and we needed it but unfortunately rain makes the grass grow.  This morning I made a visit to the Sewing Studio....can't wait to show you that fabric grouping....and then came home and did some much needed yard work.  It looks like it's going to rain again so I'm glad we did it this morning.  Our backyard was starting to look like a jungle.  LOL

Well that's about all in my neck of the woods and I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Blessings, Barbara