Looking back and looking forward

as this tired old year is about to go to rest.

It has been a year of great dreams, ideas, and stitching.

I am looking forward to the new year with even more ideas and dreams.

Here is a glimpse of this past year's stitching..........

In January,

I created a few aprons with cut work embroidered pockets.

These were fun to work on.

In February

I turned to one of the works of embroidery I love to do..............cut work.

I worked this design in muted colors to give it a vintage charm look.

In March,

I finished writing my embroidery and design book.............hopefully looking for a publisher.

In April,

I created a mason jar keepsake holder with a stitched butterfly pincushion on top.

In May,

I started to work on an applique quilt top. The pattern is called Friendship Dahlia.

 

In June,

I once again turned to the charm of a vintage design and embroidered a set of bath towels using this lovely design.

 

 

In July,

inspiration and ideas came flowing to me, as I watched one of my chickens feathers glide across the grounds..............

 

also, my gardens were in full bloom with my grandmother's Lantana,

and a field of large sunflowers beckoned me to pull over and take a photo.

All created in stitches.

In August,

I found a new hobby.............restoring old chairs. I found an old chair discarded at the dump, took it home, refinished it and stitched the back  in cross stitch.

In September,

I decided to create some embroidered handkerchiefs........

to replicate those sweet vintage ones of long ago.

In October

I designed and stitched a piece representing the many things that I love.

In November, 

 a whimsical mouse caught my attention and I had to capture it in stitches.

Many of you came up with the most wonderful names for it.

As Christmas approached, I designed a candy cane

and in December

Candles, holly, and pine needles, inspired me for the holiday season.

 

Now the new year is approaching. I feel just like the kitty above.

I have so many ideas and designs that I want to create that I find I don't have enough fingers to keep it all flowing!

How about you?

What are some of the wonderful things you created in this past year?

Are you planning on creating something totally new or different for the new year?

I would love to hear!

 



Glowing candles, holly and berries...........

I love these images at this time of year.

 

Just one small glowing candle can mean so much..........no matter what time of year it is. It's not a birthday cake unless there is at least one candle to make a wish upon and to blow out.........

When the power goes out and the dark closes in........one small candle can bring comfort to the whole room................

one lit candle can set the mood for a romantic dinner.............

one lit candle, held in the hand of many people gathered together sends a message of faith and hope.

What do glowing candles mean for you?

So for my holiday design, so close to this Christmas day..........

I chose to embroider a candle surrounded by holly and pine needles.

The holly at the end of my front porch is full of bright, cheery, berries.

Do you have holly growing in your garden this year?

Pine needles lay all over the grounds. I love these gifts from nature!

All together, they make up a festive design.......don't you think?

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle

 and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Buddha

 

I hope this finds your Christmas holiday filled with happiness,

 surrounded and shared with friends and family.!

The best wishes to you for a very blessed Christmas!

 



Once again I found myself wandering along the dark and dusty aisles

of a junk store that I like to visit from time to time

 

not looking for anything in particular, but always looking  for a hint of fabric and floss.

This time I found a wonderful pile of beautifully embroidered pieces, some slightly vintage kitchen dishcloths and napkins,..............

and this one wonderful, long runner...........with Zinnias stamped on it!

The design has been inked over with different colored paint pens..........

but I can easily stitch over that with various embroidery stitches.

Although the piece is vintage, it has never been washed............the print of the manufacturer is still on the edge...........and I just love the home crocheted edging ........

don't you?

I t is such a wonderful and cheery design..............with Zinnias being my favorite flower............

I think I will be stitching on this during the holiday season!

It's funny, I should be stitching snowmen, snowflakes, and poinsettias time of year, but always find myself wanting to embroider spring time flowers instead................

in July, I like to stitch Christmas designs.............

How about you?

Are you stitching someones name on a stocking?...........

 embroidering some holly and berries perhaps?..............

or is a bouquet of roses or daisies holding your needle's attention?

I would love to hear!



Handmades gifts............

don't you love them?.................

or.......maybe not??

I have to admit...........I was once one of those (dreaded) members of the family who labored all day...........all through the months..............and even up to the wee morning hours of Christmas.........making................what I thought............the most wonderful gifts of all.............

sigh.

I shudder when I think back of all of the things I sent to family members..........

I want to bury my head into a stash of fabric and not look up again!!!

I quit making

 (those kinds of gifts)

long, long ago.............and now family members talk to me.............

but sometimes, I make special gifts now and then. I can't show too much in the photo above, because this is a friend's Christmas present............and she reads my blog. But afterwards I will show it.

We had a light dusting of snow in the wee morning hours..............

I should stitch some snowflakes...............

 

but roses are stealing my attention.

I adore handmade gifts...........from the heart............a piece of American folk art if you will...........

 

 

How about you??

Do you make handmade gifts?

Are there any that you made long ago...........and wish you had not given them??

I would love to hear!
 

 



 

What we are is God's gift to us.......

What we become is our gift to God.
 Eleanor Powell

 

God can use each of us regardless of our imperfections.

 He wants us to come to Him just as we are.

 

How about you?

Do you see yourself..........empty......broken.....at times??

Or do you find a way to fill that emptiness and overflow with what you were meant to be??

I would love to hear!

Yes, I have been published.....................but

it's not my embroidery book...........yet

 

When I posted this on my sidebar and on my farm blog............some of you emailed me with congratulations on getting my embroidery "out there". I write for magazines..........off and on........and this particular magazine article was aimed for their topic......Self Rising. No, it's not about flour or bread..........it's a whole new twist. For you creative souls............I think you will like the read.

Many have told me they are not familiar with this magazine. It can be found in Tractor Supply and in Barnes and Nobles. My article is on page 24 of the Keeping In Touch Section of this Self Rising Dec/Jan Issue 2012

Sorry for the confusion.

I guess I am just not ready to let go of the Fall season

It is my favorite season

. The fields are still full of golden grain.........

The trees are still wearing their leafy dresses of red, yellow and gold.

I had one more empty grape vine wreath............and instead of decorating it with holly and berries...........

I decorated it with the grain and the colorful leaves.

It's so pretty against the green farm house.............don't you think?

 

But I am getting into the Christmas spirit............

I gathered pine cones and evergreen and made this wreath ...........for now

I am about to haul the tree in and give it my attention.

How about you?

Are some of you dragging your feet to welcome winter's arrival?

Have you gotten your tree trimmed and your stockings hung?

I would love to see and hear!



In my friend's antique store , stashed away in an old cardboard box,

was this beautiful piece of crewel work on linen.

My friend told me that she has had this piece for many years and had always thought about making herself a pillow from it. As you can see it is heavily stained......

 

the crewel work was stitched, perfectly, by someone years ago

and it has bounced from, being improperly stored, to garage sale item, to my friends antique shop.

The water stain and mildew has completely covered the linen and the stitching.

As I was leaving, she placed it into my hands and told me that she would never find time to make it into a pillow and that it needed a good home with me.

Of course, this touched my heart!

If you have  linens in this kind of bad condition...........

you can make them look brand new...........

by following what I did to this piece..............

 

I took it home and placed it flat on a table surface............

and then I covered it in a paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda .

NEVER USE BLEACH ON LINENS

I then carefully placed it in a large bowl and filled it with water just above the surface of the linen.

Then next morning, I took it out of the bowl and gently washed it in regular detergent.................

and look!............

It came out like brand new. The stains and the mildew are all gone.

I then placed it onto the top of a pillow form

added a pretty backing and made it into a beautiful pillow.............to surprise my friend with!

She was so delighted and loved it so much, she hugged it!

The most wonderful reward of creating something, is to see someones reaction to it..........

don't you think??

 

(click onto photo for better view)

 

She also knows how much I love buttons, and found 2 tins full of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen.

There was mother of pearl and if you look at the bottom center of the photo ...........

the plastic buttons with the flower clusters along with the 3 plastic ones above are all from the War time when metal , sugar, and other things were rationed.

I love them all..........

I pretty much took them all home with me.

I am pretty sure there are a lot of button lovers out there...........

are you one?

What is the most unusual kind that you have??

I would love to hear!