Catching Up!

I can't believe it's been nearly two months since my last post!  There's a lot to share with you, including, finally, the *finish* of the CEO Club project #2, this log cabin quilt for a very dear friend of mine.  She celebrated a big milestone birthday earlier this year, and I wanted to honor it, and our friendship, with something a little extra special.  I'm really thrilled with how it turned out, and my accomplishment is due, in large part, to the lovely ladies at my LQS, Quilting Adventures.  Joyce, the owner, and her staff are always willing and interested in exploring every option for success.

This was also my second project with batiks, which I'm really starting to love for sewing.  Here's a close-up of the block so that you can see the various patterns in the different fabrics.

Over the weekend, I spent a LOT of time pulling weeds - the biomass of material removed from the flower beds and gardens makes me wonder how anything (but weeds) was still alive in the yard!!  In amongst weeds, though, I did manage a small finish on a needlework project for the PALS stitching retreat later this fall (sorry I didn't iron before snapping a photo!).  I do need to get a button to sew in the space at the bottom, but the needlework is all finished.

Celebration: Autumn by Heart in Hand

32-ct dirty Belfast linen; called for WDW and GAST

Last for my post this evening is a special "thank you" to Nancy at the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe.  I won one of her charts in a give-away.  Nancy not only provided the chart; she also included the cute charm and her wonderful hand-dyed thread.  I can't wait to stitch it up!!!

So much to do!  Loving the extra hours of sunlight to enjoy nature's wonders in the outdoors.  Looking forward to sharing some more finishes with you this weekend.

'Til next time, though, let's take up our needles and sew!
Becky

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe: Enter to win a gift certificate at The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe: Enter to win a gift certificate at The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe

Pumpkins in April?

I'm excited to share with you another finish - between basketball and late-night Oliver Twist on PBS, I was able to wrap up the JBW Designs piece I showed you last weekend.  Even though it's pretty simple, I really like this design and the floss I used; just love those colors!  I did decide not to include the "pumpkin" word under the design; like it better without that extra.  Unfortunately, by the time I was able to take a picture, it was well after dark, so the fabric (28-count cashel cream) doesn't look anything like what it really looks like!  I've definitely decided that this will be one of my exchange pieces for the Cross Stitch PALS retreat in October.  I also started another piece last night (on a roll at 1:00 a.m.!) - New York Dreamer's "Home for Christmas."  Not far enough along to show you yet, but I can't wait to see it in finished form.

JBW Designs - Sweet Nothings/"French Country IV - Pumpkin"

28-count cream cashel; WDW Terra Cotta

I know it doesn't seem like I accomplished a lot this weekend - what I really should have done was taken a picture of the big pile of weeds I assembled over the past few days.  Still a lot to do, but I'm pleased with the progress so far.

Perhaps I can sneak in a few stitching minutes before going to bed.  'Til next time, take up your needle and sew!

Becky

Give-away - Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe

If you're like me, you've taken a real shine to Nancy's wonderful hand-dyed laces, chenilles, flosses and more at her shop, Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe.  Nancy's just posted her new design, along with a reveal of a beautiful new hand-dyed floss of blue with tan that she's created to use in the design.  It's just marvelous!!  Nancy's generously hosting a give-away for some of the floss and a copy of the new pattern.  I hope you'll visit Nancy's site; I'm sure you'll agree she's got a hit on her hands!

Still working on my JBW Designs pumpkin - pictures tomorrow!  'Til end, I'll go back to basketball, taking up my needle and sewing!

Becky

Weekend Progress

Where *does* the weekend go?  Just as I'm hitting my stride today on several projects, I realize that it's time to get ready for the work week....  How about if we had 2-day work weeks and 5-day weekends?  I think I could get into that...

I started a pretty JBW Designs pattern on Friday.  I was able to finish about half of it - not a complicated design (and only one color floss!), but lots of other things competing for my time in the past two days.  One of the things I love about many of JBW Designs' French Country patterns is the little hidden shapes integrated into the larger one - do you see the squirrel, acorn, bird, and more?  I think I will finish this as a flat-fold - have just the right pumpkin fabric for it; I may make it one of my exchange pieces at Cross Stitch Pals in Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.

JBW Designs

French Country IV - Pumpkin

28-count natural linen; WDW Terra Cotta

I also worked on one of my CEO Club quilted pieces - the squares below (and 13 more like them) are the foundation for this wall hanging.  But since it's a gift, and I still have a lot of work ahead of me, you'll have to wait a little while to see the final results.  I did realize last month that I got the gist of the CEO Club a bit wrong to begin with - I had my list, from 1-6, of the projects I needed to finish, in the order in which I needed them.  When I received my first reminder e-mail of the first month's project, I realized that the LQS is randomly picking a number from 1 to 6, and that item in my list is the one I'm supposed to work on that month!  Yikes!  Well, I really wasn't ready to work on item #6 last month (these squares below), but I did finish item #1 (the baby quilt), and I've made good progress on item #4, which is this month's number.  Valuable lesson learned in seeking clarity of the rules at the beginning!!  Regardless, it's helping me get projects done early in the year, which is great!!

Time to fold laundry... and find another few minutes to take up my needle and sew!
Becky

49th Annual Needlework Exhibition at Woodlawn Plantation

One of my favorite traditions is March (besides March Madness) is to spend a Sunday at Woodlawn, a national historic home in Alexandria, Virginia, with my wonderful friend, Julie Carter, marvelling at the skills of fellow needleworkers.  Woodlawn was the home of Eleanor ("Nelly") Custis Lewis, wife of George Washington's nephew Major Lawrence Lewis and one of Amercia's foremost needleworks.  The exhibition honors her legacy by maintaining the tradition of the needle arts and by raising funds to preserve her estate.  The event is managed by Nelly's Needlers, a local volunteer organization that raises funds for the preservation of Woodlawn and are named for Mrs. Lewis.

The annual needlework exhibition includes fabulous entries from people all over the United States.  There are a variety of categories and an array of awards given to entries after being judged by professionals from around the region.  My mother regularly encourages me to submit an entry; I've always been much too intimidated to do so. Perhaps this year I can work on a piece with the specific thought of entering into next year's show.  I always leave so inspired and ready to sew, sew, sew.

Because of restoration work underway at the plantation, this year's exhibition will not start until May 12 and end on June 10.  So there's still time for YOU to finish your entry and submit it (in person or by mail)!!  If you're in the Washington, D.C., area during this time, or live in the region, I hope  you'll take the time to see some spectacular needlework and support the maintenance and restoration of a beautiful historic home.  Find out all of the details at http://woodlawn1805.org/49th-annual-needlework-exhibition/.

Basketball game is over; time to take up my needle and sew!
Becky

Basketball, Stitching and Spring!

I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to tie all of those topics together, but if you'll bear with me, we'll see how it goes!  This is absolutely one of my favorite times of the year with March Madness - I love, love, love the excitment of Selection Sunday, the first week of games (so many opportunities for upsets), and the passion of the players, on-site fans, and all of us spectators!  And I'll admit that my brackets are busted wide open with the losses of Duke, UNLV, and Georgetown, to name a few.  Love it anyway!

In amongst listening to and watching games, I was able to make some pretty good progress on the ole' "to-do" list this weekend.  I finished up several projects that I'd like to share with you.  In a previous post, I showed you a baby quilt that I'd finished for a colleague.  This weekend, I also made a quick, cute minky ribbon blanket (about 12" square) - I'm not a fan of sewing on minky, but I love the way it feels (very soft), and I thought that the fabric choice was really right for a bunch of us in the wildlife profession.  The project was actually made easier by the fact that it was kitted up by my LQS, Quilting Adventures, in Richmond, VA.

I also finished two ornaments that I've been working on.  I think that the photograph of the Country Cottage Needleworks one doesn't do it justice - the colors are richer than the photo shows.  I was intrigued by several projects in the 2011 JCS ornament issue that used these brighter greens, pinks, and other colors.

Country Cottage Needleworks - "Merry Christmas"

2011 JCS Ornament Issue

Recommended DMC and fabric

 I'm a big fan of Prairie Schooler and am busy trying to collect all of the Santas that they've published.  This Russian-like Santa comes from Old World Santas II.

Prairie Schooler - "Old World Santas II"

Recommended fabric and DMC

Substituted Rainbow Gallery Wisper for white

The big losers on my "to-do" list this weekend were the outside projects.  I spent about an hour weeding, but there are *many* hours of that to go.  The grass still needs mowed; seems like a good Wednesday-after-work project!  I can't believe how far along our spring-flowering trees, shrubs and flowers are.  The Bradford pears and forsythias will be fully leafed out before the first day of spring this week.

Hoping you all had a basketball-filled, great weekend!  Here's promising more frequent updates on accomplishments - but 'til then, take up your needle and sew!

Becky