I saw this, loved it and had to share it.

Keeper of the Pins

I feel for you guys that are still getting snow.  I really wish I could get some down here just for a day or two.  We are having temps anywhere's between 75 and 89 and I hate it already.

I have finished Keeper of the Pins and Joanne at 123 was sweet to send me the correct WDW wool that I needed to finish it.  I loved doing every stitch in this beautiful design.  I really like the little strawberry pins that just set off the design.

I started the pinwheel from Threadwork Primitives yesterday and I've gotten a few stitches in it.  I'm stitching this with the required threads but on a mystery hand dyed 32ct linen that has a yellow/green cast to it.  I think the colors will go very nicely on it.

By the way my neighbor two doors down now has a new roof and we are still waiting.  I called the company and they said that our supplies should be delivered by the end of the month.  I didn't like how she said "should be".  

Enjoy your week,
Blessings Barbara

An Apology

I want to apologize for my last post and how I raved about the Amish having puppy mills.  I'm sure not all of them do and I should not lump the bad ones in with the good ones.  A lot of that is happening in our country today and I don't want to be one of those who do it.

With that being said I'd like to show you what I've been working on this week.  I was lucky enough to get the 2018 LHN Nashville Show Kit and I'm really enjoying it.

I feel like I'm building that house brick by brick it's so tall but I'm hoping to finish that up tonite.  It came with the overdyed flosses and you stitch it on 32ct. Lambswool Jobelan which I am doing.  I ordered the WDW Wool that I need for the finishing from 123 but she sent me the wrong thing.  I think I'm going to keep the one she sent me (it's just plain cream) and use a herringbone wool that I have here that matches the dark greys.  In case you haven't seen this, here's what it will look like when finished (except for the wool over to the side).

I also have on a frame the fabric to stitch this sweet little pinkeep (ornament) from Threadwork Primitives.  I promised myself I would finish Keeper of the Pins before starting this.

Isn't it adorable????

I also fell in love with La D Da's B is for Bunny pattern and I have that on a stretcher also.  It looks like there is some serious stitching in this one.  Although it's just stitched with DMC so it shouldn't take as long.  Does that make sense?

I hope everyone has gotten the last snow of the season and that Spring finally makes an appearance.  I know several people who are just down right depressed about it and I can't blame them.

Here's a good one for you.  Hurricane Irma hit us last September 9th and we still haven't gotten our new roof installed.  They say it will be the middle of this month and I'm crossing everything that I have to cross.  The rainy season starts soon and I don't want to be caught without a new roof.  I'm not the only ones though...our neighbor 2 doors down, his roof is worse than ours and he hasn't gotten one yet either.  I understand that there is a shortage of roofing supplies.   Our luck!

Everyone please have a safe week and don't forget to give your loved ones hugs....just for the fun of it.

Blessings, Barbara

A Giveaway that will end on a happy note

You might remember when my family and I took a vacation a few years ago back home to Pennsylvania.  While there we visited an Amish sale and I was able to purchase an Amish handmade comforter.  Since then I have found out that the Pennsylvania Amish are one of the biggest producers and handlers of puppy mills.  I am totally disgusted with what I have found out.  Because of this I have decided to giveaway this comforter to anyone who wants it here in the U.S.  All I ask is that you pay for shipping because it is quite heavy.  I can't give you a shipping price but I'm estimating between $20 and $40.  Please leave a comment on this post and include your email address so I can get in touch with you.  I will let this run until Easter Sunday at 9:00 EST and then randomly  pick a number.  Here is a picture of said comforter.  I didn't take definite measurements because it's a bugger to get off the quilt rack but I know it will cover the top of a full size bed.

I think in all good conscience not one of you good ladies would want this comforter so a lady on facebook gave me the perfect solution.  I am going to cut this up into doggie size blankets and donate them to a shelter.  I think the puppies that these bring comfort to will appreciate them very much.  

Barbara

Spring Has Sprung?

What is going on this year with the snow?  Friends and relatives in Pa. received about 9 inches of snow and we are having mornings down here in Florida in the 40's.  That's just not right!  We always called the last snow of the season the onion snow......that's a lot of onions!

I have two finishes to share with you.  The first one is Wooleminia by Plum Street Samplers.  When I first pulled the colors I was not thrilled with them.  I love peaches but I'm not a peachie color person.  I was sooooo wrong.  I don't think I could of chosen any better colors than they did.  The fabric that it's lying on is what I'm going to use for the finishing.....I just have to make up my mind how to finish it.  I have a round frame but the opening is too large so I thought of making a mat using the fabric.  We'll let it stew for a few days then decide.

The next one is called Daffodils by Jeannette Douglas but as you can see I changed them.  I really don't like yellow so they are now lilacs.  It will be made into a little pincushion using the fabric it's lying on.  This pattern is in my store if your interested.

Now for the question of the day.  I've always thought that the linen Primitive Hare dyes with the words very interesting so when my LNS picked up some at the Nashville Market I just couldn't resist.  But my problem now is "What Do I Stitch On It?"  The patterns that she has done on it really aren't my style so now I have a quandary as to what to stitch on them.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them with me.  I purchased a fat quarter so I have enough for a large design.

Tomorrow we get the results of my hubbies Ct Scan and I'm very anxious to hear what they say.  I've got this funny feeling that they are not going to be able to do anything and they have now destroyed his eyesight about the same way as his hearing....by just ignoring it.  I don't know if I told the story about how he lost his hearing but it was quite simple.  He was in the hospital for other reasons and he kept telling them that he was having a lot of trouble hearing and that it was getting worse.  Not one doctor did a dang thing and now here he is 13 years later totally deaf.  I think his eyesight will probably go the same way.  We'll complain and no doctor will do anything.  Do you hate doctors as much as I do?  I have found only 1 doctor who really cares about my hubby and his problems and that is Dr. Henry Levin, Gastrologist.  He is the only one that takes the time to talk to him and even though DH is deaf, Dr. Levin makes sure he understands what he is saying to him.  The rest just talk to me and mostly ignore DH.  But they sure to talk when it's time to be paid, don't they!

I had a nice surprise last week.  My dear Grand daughter, Grand Son In Law,  Hubby and the two little rascals took me out to dinner for my birthday.  I prefer to call them Anniversaries of my birth.  Sounds better doesn't it?  Then yesterday they surprised me with a Tiffany hanging lamp for our dining room.  I've always wanted one but just never seemed to get around it.  They found a vintage one and John will rewire it before it gets hung over our dining room table.  They are such good kids and I'm very proud of them.  I will post a picture once it is hung.

Well that's about all for this week.  They just seemed to go faster and faster the older I get and I don't like it.  Whatever troubles you are having I hope leave you alone this week.

Blessings, Barbara

Good Monday Morning

In between loads of laundry I thought I'd tell you what's been going on in our little corner of the world.  Well hubby had his CT Scan this past friday but we probably won't get results until we go back to see doctor on the 26th.  Meanwhile, he still has double vision which comes and goes and I'm still taking him to and from work everyday.  It gets boring but you do what you have to do.

I have a finish to share with you.  It's the Jeannette Douglas one I started last week and it worked up really fast.  I'm not sure how I'm going to finish it but I'm thinking a box lid but I don't need anymore boxes so I'm just going to hold onto it.  

I also started "Woolemina" by Plum Street Samplers and she's turning out quite beautiful.  I decided not to use the CC colors they wanted and just went with DMC and I still like it.  I have a round frame that she will be put in when finished.

I hope everyone has a really great week with no troubles knocking at your door.

Blessings, Barbara

Two finishes....YEA!!!!!

Good weekend ladies.  I hope everything is great in your little corner of the world.  Not so hot here but I'll tell you about that later.  I have two finishes to show you.  The first is a freebie from CEC and I just loved doing this little owl.  He's stitched on a mystery blue linen using DMC and I finished him into an ornament.  I attached some little bells at the bottom and inside there is a music box that plays Jingle Bells.  All in all....I love him.

Next up is another freebie but this one is from Ink Circles.  It is stitched on a pink hand dyed linen (lost the color name tag) with a new thread from DMC called Coloris.  I love stitching with this cotton thread and the only place I have been able to find it is HERE at Embroidery.com.  It's $1.54 a skein and it comes in many colors and there is even a matching chart that shows you what DMC colors are used in the making of the hand dyed Coloris.  The one I used on the pincushion is Hydrangea 4504 and it's just beautiful on this pink linen.  I was lucky enough to find lace and a button at the Sewing Studio that match really well so I'm pleased with the finished product.

Don't know if you've seen the new sheep scissors but I just couldn't resist them when I saw them at my LNS.  She had them in a basket and I bought 2 pairs of them and one has been sent to a dear friend.  She hasn't posted about them yet so I'll keep quiet.

My next project is from Jeannette Douglas called "Spring Wool Pincushion".  I love her designs but sometimes her colors just don't thrill me and that's how it was with this one.  The pattern comes with the hand dyed wool to use but I changed them to silks in colors that I do like.  

Now for the bad news.  I said that DH was having cataract surgery and it went well and he ended up with 20/30 vision in that eye.  Last Sunday morning he gets up and is seeing double.  It's not the normal kind where you see them side by side....his is one on top of the other horizontally.  I called the doctor's office immediately and they said to come in first thing Monday morning.  Did and the doctor (not the one who did the surgery) said everything looks good.  That maybe sometimes nerves have a hard time adjusting to the new vision in the eye operated on.  He also made a comment about a mini stroke that I did not care for.  He saw his regular doctor the next day and he also said the eyes look fine and he ordered a CT scan of his brain.  Now this coming Monday he is scheduled to have the surgery on the other eye and I'm scared spitless.  What if this surgery makes his vision worse?  I drove him to work and back for 3 days this past week because he can't see right to drive.  He could cover one eye (then he doesn't see double) but then he has no depth perception and that's not good for driving either.  I just don't know what to do except Pray.  When he had his lung surgery he made the comment that he was never having any type of surgery again because something always goes wrong.  Well this proved him right and he's not a happy man.

Well that's all for now.  I hope your days are filled with lots of stitching time and good memories are made with your loved ones.

Blessings, Barbara

Some Updates

It's beginning to look like Spring down here in Florida and I hope where you live, it arrives soon also.  Our azaleas are in bloom and I'm getting ready to purchase some Plumbego to plant in our front yard.

Monday DH had his cataract surgery and everything went great.  Before the surgery he could hardly make out the large E at the top of the chart.  Today he has 20/30 vision in that eye.  He's thrilled with the results.

I have two finishes to share with you.  First is a Shepherd's Bush tiny design called appropriately "Spring".  I found a cute little frame at Michael's and I like the looks of it.

The second finish is the BBD I had been working on last post.  I loved stitching this one except the lettering which was stitched over 1 thread.  I'm not the greatest at that but I did my best.  Sorry for the creases....haven't gotten around to pressing it yet.

I also want to mention that I am very saddened by the death of Rev. Billy Graham.  I thought he was a terrific man and that the world just lost a great soul.  

Blessings, Barbara

I forgot to add that I've added about 23 Australian Inspiration Embroidery Magazines to my Patterns for Sale area.  These not only have embroidery patterns but also a lot of them have cross stitch also.

Days go so fast....

I don't know about the rest of you but I feel my days are going by so fast.  I saw something on Facebook this morning that really made me feel old.  It's the 30th anniversary of the movie "Dirty Dancing".  Wow!  I remember like it was yesterday when that movie came out and my friend, Elaine went to see if about 50 times.  I had great fun teasing her about her crush on Patrick Swayze and now that sweet man is gone.  I just don't like how time seems to fly faster the older we get.  Okay so now that I've brought everybody down, let me show you what I've been up to this past week.

One I did finish the BBD design I've been working on.  I love the colors and just at the end I noticed a mistake.  Did I rip it out.....heck NO!  

Then I started another BBD and finished that one up really quick.  It's a fun stitch but I decided to stitch this with DMC and I'm not real thrilled with the colors that they chose.  By the time I  noticed how dark the one was, I was already half finished and I wasn't changing all of it.  You can tell by looking at the house and seeing how hard it is to see the windows and door.  I didn't finish it into a pillow like they suggested because that is one thing I stink at.  My pillow making isn't the best and a heart shape turns out looking wonky every time.  So I just made a stand up.

I then started another BBD (I think I've become obsessed with BBD) called "Fond Hearts" and I love the colors in it.  I'm stitching it on cream 28ct lugana with some of the recommended colors.  It only calls for 4 colors and I had 2 of them so I improvised on the 2 pinks.

I was wondering how many were going to stitch the new series by LHN ..... Farmhouse Christmas.  I got my fabric and first pattern the other day and I've decided to stitch it with DMC and not the overdyed threads.  I know mine will look a little different but that's okay with me.  Also, did everyone see the border that they came out with for when you stitch them all on one fabric?  It's HERE and scroll down to see the PDF download.  This is how I'm going to do mine and I'm hoping to start it this week.  I want to try and keep up with the monthly patterns....wish me luck.

Well that's about all I've been up to this week.  I wanted so badly to cast on the stitches for my shoulder warmer but just ran out of time.  To all of you, thank you for stopping by and I hope your week is just chocked full of surprises....good ones that is.

Blessings, Barbara