Gifts given and received

I want to share a couple gifts I've stitched.  Since both the recipients have posted them to their respective blogs, I thought I'd share them here.  Mostly so I can remember when I stitched them.  I thought you might like to see them too.

Design:  “From Me to You”  from the Forget-Me-Nots chart (front)

Verse from #85 “More Friends” (back)

Designer:  Prairie Schooler

Fabric: 32 ct. Lambswool

Floss:  DMC as charted (verse 1 over 1)

Started:  8/9/11

Finished and Completed: 8/27/11

 First up is the pincushion I stitched for Jenny's birthday last month.  I know she has a fondness for birds and we share a love of Praire Schooler designs so this seemed to be the perfect fit. 

When I make gifts I often like to put the date and initials on the back. Since that information was charted on the front, I couldn't leave the back naked!  I found the verse on another Prairie Schooler chart and stitched it over one.


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Design:  Bee from #45 Garden Verses

Designer:  Prairie Schooler

Fabric:  28 ct. cream scrap

Floss:  DMC as charted

Started: 5/14/11

Finished and completed:  5/30/11

This one I originally made for myself but ended up gifting it to Marsha at the Tiara Retreat.  She had admired it when I brought it to a stitch-in this summer so I knew she liked it.


She and I have a "thing" for bees so I took if off my floss ring and gave it to her.  I had already started stitching another one for her but hadn't gotten it done yet so I just gave her this one.  I can always finish the other one for myself another day.  Now she has a floss tag too!

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I've also been remiss in thanking Jenny properly for these wonderful gifts.  I love it when the mailman bring surprises!  Don't you?


I had coveted both these as soon as I saw them and my sweet friend gifted them to me.  I will always think of you, Jenny, when I see them.  Thank you so very much!


I hope you've enjoyed your visit today.  Thank you for stopping by!


The Inspired Stitcher

Patrick's Woods has a website now!

Hi everybody!  It's going to be a quick one tonight.  I just got word that Sherri Jones of Patrick's Woods now has a new website and a blog called The Dandy Hare!

It is neat to see all her designs in one place on the website.  You can check out her teaching schedule there too.  She's even going to offer an online class next year.

She has a really cute freebie chart on the blog.  It has a bunny holding a threaded needle with a pair of scissors.   She made it into a name tag pouch!  It's really cute.

You simply must "hop" (couldn't resist) on over there and check it out.  Sherri in no way coerced me to say any of this.  I'm just an adoring fan of her designs sharing the love with my peeps.

Until next time,

The Inspired Stitcher

A Saturday ride...

It's really here!  Yep, fall that is.  Just look at those trees.  I have mixed emotions about the changing season.  I love the colors and the chill in the air but then again it signals winter is just around the corner.  This also means motorcycle season will be coming to a close soon too.

So Saturday we got out the motorcycle and took off for a ride!  The weather was perfect.  Cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon.  Great riding weather.

The motorcycle came with the husband and I benefit from being the passenger.  I love the feeling of the wind rushing by me.  In the fall I love the smell of woodsmoke and leaves.  You just can't get the same experience riding in a car.

Just look at that beautiful view!  Yep, I was snapping pictures as we rode along.

So where did we end up?

Back at Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky!

Just look at that blue sky!  Not a cloud to be found.

We really didn't get to see as much as we would have liked on our last trip there thanks to the rain.  So we decided we'd give it another go.  Besides it gave us a destination for our ride!

Center Family Dwelling

This time we got to see the short video that told about the Shakers and the village.  We learned that the village was arranged according to function, buildings stood in ranks, with dark colored agricultural buildings in the back line.  Next came shops and wash houses painted in middle tones of yellow and cream.  The dwellings faced the village road.  The pure white meeting house anchored the spiritual center of the Shaker village.  How cool is that?

I was surprised to find a quilt show hanging on the second floor of the above building!  These quilts were made by Armantha Harris Perkins.  If you click the picture below you can read more about her and the quilts.

Next we ventured on to the East Family Dwelling where we saw the video and to see the needlework exhibit.  I swear folks we just happened onto these two exhibits.  Don't you love when that kind of stuff happens?!

East Family Dwelling

You had to go to the back of the building and down in the basement level.  Check out the sign below.

My honey and I are both tall people and we really did have to "mind our heads" when we entered the basement.  Those Shakers must have been short.

Once inside there were plenty of photos and captions to read. There were many things to look at from clothes to household items.

I'd love to have one of these sewing boxes.

Check out this wonderful hooked rug.  I love the spotted horse!

  Look what I found!  A sampler made by Mary C. Payne.

Here's a picture of Mary.

After we checked out the exhibit we ventured on over to the barn.

Can you see the hoof prints in the dirt?

These are what made them.  They are Percheron draft horses, gentle giants.

Outside the barn we saw these characters!  I really wanted to take one of the babies home with me.  They were so soft and just so dang cute.

I was so smitten, my honey made me get up off the ground and quit feeding them dandelion leaves so we could go see more stuff.  Yep, I've got me a soft spot for goats.  Somehow I don't think our neighbors would share the love and it probably would have been an uncomfortable ride home with one on my lap too.

Of course the trip had to include a snoop through the gift shop again.

Tiny box with scissors shown for size

I just had to bring this tiny one home with me.  There was definitely room on the motorcycle for it!  It's the smallest one in my collection now.

I really feel it was meant for us to go back.  We wouldn't have gotten to see the baby goats on the last trip because they were just born on September 11th!  Neither of the textile exhibits were up last month either.  So there you are, it was just meant for us to go back.

It was a great day for a ride too.  We couldn't have asked for better weather.  A perfect day spent with my honey checking out cool stuff.  I'm glad it worked out this time around.

Hope the weekend was nice in your neck of the woods.  As always thanks to all who stopped by to visit and thank you for your comments.

The Inspired Stitcher

Lucet Class

 Sherri's lucet collection

 
I wanted to tell you about last weekend's lucet class with Sherri Jones of Patrick's Woods.  It was awesome!  I have to say that if you ever have the opportunity to take class with Sherri you will have a ball and learn a ton.  She is so friendly and welcoming.  I instantly felt like I'd known Sherri for a long time.

Sherri with her super size lucet!  Isn' that just too dang cute?

We started out learning the history of the lucet.  As you know, I love history so this was right up my alley.  We learned the lucet can be found made of wood, bone, horn, and even silver.  We also learned it came from the Vikings and is enjoying a resurgence at historical reenactments.

We spent the morning learning how to make square braid on the lucet and then the afternoon was spent learning flat braid.  We also tried adding beads and inlaying threads too.

We learned the size of the cord produced is determined by the fiber size not the size of the lucet.  Thank goodness, look at the one Sherri was teaching with!

Cord examples

I have to tell you that it's all about the tension on your fiber.  Seriously!  I'm thinking I'm going to have to do some more practicing before I can get good enough to make the many yards need to finish our project.  However, it will be worth it!

My lucet collection

I surprised myself by how quickly I took to using the lucet.  I am happy to report I am officially hooked.  I now have my own collection of lucets!  Yep, that's how hooked I am.

The one on the top left is the one that came with our kit.  The one on the upper right and lower left are made of walnut and the one on the lower right is made of cow horn.  I bought these from Sherri after "road testing" them in class.

She also had one just like the one in the center.  It's made from a silver dollar!  Yes, it actually does make cord.  I tried it out on Sherri's.  She told us she got it from Etsy.  I went over there and had one made for me too.  I couldn't live without one.  It's just too dang cool.

Jenny and I with our lucets

It was a real treat to have Jenny spend the weekend at my house.  We had a ball exploring the basket o'joy and the box o'fun on Friday night.  As well as the other random piles of stash that litter my studio.  It was fun having someone to hang out with.  You'll have to pop over to Jenny's blog to see her Hare Pyns finish.  She took that class on Sunday.

Speaking of blogs, I met a new-to-me blogger at the Lucet class.  Her name is Amy and her blog is called Thread in Hand.  Go check her out.  We had fun sitting together in class.  She and her friend, Kathy (no blog)  sat across the table from Jenny and I.  They were a hoot.

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After class we several of us went to our hostess, Paula's house to check out all her awesome stitching.

 

Paula's entry hall

I stitched the piece in the back on the left  for Paula!

(Jenny has a good pic of the box top on her blog.)

Check it out, Paula collects Shaker boxes too!

It was so fun to visit another stitcher's house and admire all her pretties.  Someday I hope my house is filled with as much stitchy goodness as Paula's.

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After we left Paula's house we all went to a steak house for dinner.  It was fun getting to know Sherri, Amy, Paula and even Jenny a bit better.  We shared stories about how we each got into stitching and just generally had a great time.  I sure wish we all lived closer together.  It would be so fun to get together for a Saturday stitch day once in a while.  I had a great time in class and a great evening spent with friends old and new.  I can't wait to take class with Sherri again.

I hope everyone enjoys the weekend.  I hear we are due for some sunny 80 degree weather in my neck of the woods!  I can't wait.  I foresee a certain motorcycle coming out of the garage this weekend.  It's going to be a good one!

The Inspired Stitcher

Gifts from Secret Stitcher!

Just look at what was waiting for me in the mailbox today. Gifts from my Secret Stitcher!   Isn't she just awesome?

I immediately took these out to show my honey on the lawn mower.  Yep, I stopped him in the middle of the yard so he could admire them.  He thought they were pretty cool too.  I'm fairly sure he thought I might be a tad nuts for skipping back to the house though.  Thank goodness we live in the country!

Check out the inside!  The fabric inside the tin says "Boo" on it.  I love that!

Look at the cool checked fabric she chose.  You can't tell it but it's a pocket!  There's one on the back too.

Look at the inside!  There are two gold needles in there.  I've never stitched with a gold needle before.  I can't wait to try one out.  Look at that ribbon too.  I wish you could feel it.  It's the softest ribbon ever!

I had to show you the top close-up!  How cute is that spider button and that eyelash fringe?!!  I love word too.  That's exactly what I say when I see a real one.  Only I won't be trying to kill this one.  Nope, this is a spider I don't mind having around.

Thank you so much Secret Stitcher!  You totally "get" me.  I feel so very spoiled!  I can't wait to meet you at the Christmas party.  {{HUGS}}

The Inspired Stitcher

Auctions, vendors and randomness

Pair of Amish cross stitch pillow cases

Finally, a little randomness. We always have a silent and live auction at Seminar as fundraisers. I volunteer to be a spotter/runner during the auction. The two pillow cases above were in the live auction and were just stunning in person. Those were the tiniest stitches I've ever seen.  That red line is actually a chain stitch! One of the perks for working the auction is you get to check out all the goodies as they go up on the auction block.

Here's what I got in the silent auction. I couldn't pass up bidding on this hand beaded needle keeper necklace. The price was right and I know I would have spent way more if I'd bought the beads and tried to do this myself.  Besides, it was done in "my" colors!  I just love it.

Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont

We also have a vendor section where several quilt dealers set up shop for the weekend. I usually can't afford anything in there but I love to go look. They are very gracious about letting you take pictures. This year I found this little treasure. I know you can download it online but there's just nothing like holding this little antique gem in your hand and thumbing the pages. I've got a thing for books but I think you already knew that.

Spool Blocks

When I travel I always like to take some kind of hand work with me.  The day before I left I saw this post and fell in love with the spool blocks.  Not that I didn't have enough to do, but I just HAD to draft a pattern and make some templates for these blocks.  Hand piecing is such a good traveling companion and I dearly love to do it.

Apparently, there is a group of women in the Netherlands who started this craze for making spool blocks.  They call them Klosjes.  This is the blog where I first read about this.  Who knew there were spools being made on Saturdays?

Mine were made in an airport, on a plane, and in a conference!  I will most likely stop when I have enough for a mini quilt.  Whenever that will be.  I don't want to give up too much stitching time right now for spool blocks.  Although, they will be a fun project to take to my little quilt group's once a month UFO night.

Design: Big Berry Scissor Companion Kit

Designer: Ewe & Eye & Friends

Floss: DMC included in kit

Fabric: 32 ct. included in kit

Started:  9/22/11

I also took a new stitching start with me in case I ran out of fabric scraps for the spools or just wanted to do something different.  I actually spent a good bit of time in the Philly airport working on this one.  It went fast since it's pretty much mindless fill work.  I actually got about half of it stitched!

This was one of those that haunted me until I went back to buy it at the LNS.  I've been itching to get going on it but made myself wait until I got my Lucet class piece stitched.  I'll bet telling you more about that soon.

Well that wraps up my grand adventure.  I hope you've enjoyed my ramblings.  Thanks to all who have left me comments.  They really do make my day.  Also, welcome to my new followers too!

The Inspired Stitcher

A special quilt presentation

Don Beld with one of his 9-11 quilts

Next up was a special presentation given by Home of the Brave Quilt Project founder Don Beld. The quilt project was started as Don's response to the tragedies of 9-11. He told us he felt this need to do something. Since he is a quilter, quilting seemed to be the logical choice. He has hand pieced over 2,300 quilts for the families of the fallen. I know there were several times during his talk that I had to choke back the tears. I was not alone. Here are some of the other quilts he shared with us as he told the stories of the families he has served.  He said this was the first time all of these quilts were hung in the same room together.

Don told us he wanted to make quilts that were big enough to use. He wanted the recipient to be able to wrap themselves up in it. I have to say that this man has a calling and a gift. His heart is bigger than the sky. It was an honor to hear this very special talk.

Today's post is a short one.  I'm still gathering my thoughts from a fun filled weekend.  I'll post more about that later.  I hope you all had a good weekend too.

The Inspired Stitcher