Winter Season Is Here!

Winter is the slow-down

Winter is the search for self

Winter gives the silence you need to listen

Winter goes gray so you can see your own colors...

Terri Guillemets

In the top kitchen drawer, I have

kitchen towels, kitchen rags, and kitchen dishcloths.

I have some towels that are so pretty, I only use them for hanging in the kitchen,

others I use for drying dishes, and then there is a stack of rags and more worn

dishtowels that I use for heavier jobs ...such as scrubbing and hard cleaning.

Once a year......usually at this time........I stop to make myself a pile 

of new hand crocheted  dishcloths.  I have often made these to give to friends and family  as well.

Some think they are too pretty to use.......and never use them......

some do not like the difference in how they feel to wash dishes with ..........and never use them

but others.......like myself, use them constantly

until they fade and wear out.  

How about you?  Do you love to use them......

or do you prefer the regular dish cloths?

I am now stocked up and ready to use these. 

These are just the first of things I want to make for my home.

I hope to make more crocheted, hand embroidered, 

and quilted items for.........each room of the house. 

If you remember..........I posted this a little while back.

It is a paint by number kit that I found in a junk store. 

The containers of paint were dry and caked........but I soaked them for a week with water 

and kept stirring them.........then started painting.

I finally finished the painting the other day!  I think paint by number

is one of my new favorite things to do.  

So what are  your creative plans for the new coming year?

I would love to hear!

Protecting my hands..........in my style..........

I have been planning my garden spaces for next year's planting season......as the snow falls outside.

I have learned through the years to remove my rings from my fingers and to wear gloves........

so I decided to embroider my work gloves...............

I ran across this embroidery transfer........and loved the old coffee can with flowers blooming through

the rotted hole of the can........

so I embroidered it onto one glove......

which by the way.......was a bit difficult.  The canvas was thick and hard to push a needle through

and my hand ached during the embroidery because it was hard to work the stitches from inside the glove...........but I persevered and finally completed the embroidery.  

the design made me think of one of my favorite phrases........bloom where you are planted......how fitting with the flowers in the old coffee can.........

so I embroidered the phrase onto the other glove.

I have seen painted gloves........and they are very pretty......

I wanted to make mine embroidered.

So tell me..........what is the strangest thing you have ever embroidered on.

I would love to hear!

I can finally say the word................."FINISHED!!"

as most of you have already read from my November 3rd post............I had posted this photo of an unfinished cross stitch project the my friend's mother had started , but was unable to complete due to her battle with cancer.

I have been working on this for months off and on for my friend.........but poured all of my energy into it for the past few weeks..........and I can finally say..........I finished it! 

For my friend to remember her mother's stitching apart from mine, I ran a turquoise running thread around the part that she had stitched, 

then stitched her initials and the date above the section

The hardest part about this cross stitch was the dark blue Aida cloth to stitch on........

it was sometimes hard to see the holes as I stitched, 

and the role of black birds on the bottom were problematic for me as well......

I also signed my name and date at the bottom, but 

I always try to have it to blend in with the stitches.

I have just let my friend know that it is now ready for her to pick up and to

frame and hang in her home.

I am so glad to be finished...........as ........you probably already know......

I have other things I want to now embroider! 

So tell me about the cross stitch pieces you may have finished.

I would love to hear!

WISHING YOU A HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!

(image found on internet)

I did not stitch this piece............but the embroidered phrase says it all .........doesn't it?

When our children were small .......and up until the time that they all grew up and moved away,

every Thanksgiving...........everyone around our table would tell at least one thing that

they were thankful for.

In this world of uncertain days ..........days of stress........and days of tragic happenings......

it is important, I think, to try to find something to be thankful for......no matter how small it might seem...........that might have happened during the  day.......

and  at the end of each day..........

 to meditate on that as my busy mind surrenders to sleep. 

Here's wishing you many wonderful things to be thankful for on your Thanksgiving day .......

and every day beyond that!

For flowers that bloom about our feet;

For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;

For song of bird, and hum of bee;

For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee!

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was going to wait to post about this piece...............

until I actually had it finished.................

finished...............

now there is a word.......I really need to work on

but as most of you can see........and already know............counted cross stitch

is not something that can be " finished" quickly.

I almost told my friend........NO......when she brought it, with the frame, chart , and floss

for me to finish..............even as she told me........." to take my time if it took 3 years" and she 

did offer to pay..........

I usually do not do embroidery pieces like these .......for friends.........or for pay from friends......

it would be too expensive..........

I did try to teach her how to cross stitch  to finish this weeks before .............

but again..........we all know that cross stitch can be intimidating to someone who is just learning how.

But there is a story to this piece........and I feel it must be finished and finished now.......

A lady with only 1 hand..........that is right...........1 hand.........started embroidering this piece to one day give it to her daughter. She had done other pieces before........completed them .......and gave them to her other daughters............

This  lady was the mother of my friend.........and this was going to be hers........until her mother lost her battle to cancer.

So for the past couple of weeks, I have worked on this.........and now every day and every night, I have worked on it..........and it is almost.................finished

I want my friend's mother's stitches to still be remembered when my friend looks at this piece........

so I have outlined her mother's stitches in a different color floss ........and I will add her mother's name and date to that portion............

and I will not accept any payment.

My friend was close to her mother .......and misses her ..........

 I hope this piece will bring her a little cheer when she looks at it

to know that her mother picked such a pretty picture to cross stitch for her.

Hopefully.............I am aiming at 2 more weeks to have this piece done...........

how about you?  do you find cross stitch intimidating or very time consuming?

How many pieces have you created?

I would love to hear!

Queen Ann's Lace....... usually has pristine white

petals,

 however, I wanted to embroider them on a pristine white background,

and chose and off white color of floss instead..........to make the flower show up.....

which seems to work well........don't you think?

I also wanted a full color to this mason jar but did not 

want to spend hours filling it in with tiny stitches.......

that would cause the jar to lose it's true design,

so I used crayons to color the jar, some of the leaves, and a slight

green color underneath the Queen Ann's Lace

I then embroidered the lines of the jar, leaves, and flower. 

and it made the design look almost like a 

real Atlas jar of Queen Ann's Lace

To tint your design with crayons, color your design with the crayons of  your choice,

then cover the design with white paper towel.

With a hot dry iron, press over the paper towel.........

keep doing this with paper towels until there is no color left

on the paper towel.

This has set your color into your fabric.

Then embroider your design as you wish.

From " simple" embroidery.......

a gathering of sunflowers visited by a buzzing bee

a sweet simple life.........

add just a few more stitches

and different color of flosses

to "simply" lovely!

My needle and thimble found it's way back into my fingers

and once again.........I have been lost in stitches.........

letting the hours and days pass by me.........

without a worry

I have had this vintage dresser scarf for years...........from the 1930s-40s.......

waiting to be embroidered.

I love the lily pad and small daisy sprays.........don't you?

I started this weeks ago

now it is finished..........

however.........not many people like to use dresser scarves anymore

especially with lily pads on them........

I thought I might turn it into a towel.........but I have done that with so many linens

so this time..........I embroidered one of my favorite quotes onto the bottom edge

"I cannot count my day complete,

til needle, thread, and fabric meet"

 

I then took a pretty floral print fabric and matched it with the embroidered panel......

and  I then created  pockets made from the embroidery of vintage linens that were damaged in one way or the other

then I sewed the two pieces together........and hand crocheted an edging all the way around

and turned this piece into an embroidery/sewing envelope.

the scalloped end of a vintage doily is prefect for the top of an envelope pocket

that opens and holds floss or other accessories 

I accented the other embroidered pocket with a vintage crocheted trim It is big enough to hold a hoop or other accessories. 

The needle and pins holder is a flap

that opens up for needle and pin storage

There is also a little pocket to hold a thimble

It tri-folds for easy carry and storage  

and now the saying is perfect for a seamstress's envelope.

Now.........what to stitch next???

As many of you know.........there are not a lot of weeks left till Christmas.......

are any of you starting to do your holiday stitching for decorations

or gifts?? 

I would love to hear!

A very old dresser was becoming not useful any longer

every time I opened a drawer........the front fell off............and the drawer came apart,

it had been repaired many times over the years........

the body was still sturdy, and my husband took out the drawers 

and made shelves inside of it for me

I loved the old wooden knobs and came up with this idea for the dresser

front panels........I decided to make a wall hanger........leaving the knobs on to hang a coat or even jewelry on.

.I drilled a hole on each top corner, 

to hang it on the wall........

then I started doing mosaic work on it.........I started this 

months ago .........and would work on it now and then

I wanted to make somewhat of  a swirling design

the little cup and saucer was a vintage wall pocket that I have had for awhile.

I removed the porcelain flowers from vintage vases and glued them

into the cup.

I save all the pieces of dishes that get broken and store them in boxes until

I find a need for a certain design. I then put the piece all back together

with mosaic medium

If you make a hole for hanging mosaic work.......don't forget to work

around the hole.........

I accidentally broke a little plate with this verse on it.......

because the writing is so fine, I did not want to have it separated

with white mosaic medium........so I first used glass glue and glued the 

verse back together........then used the mosaic medium on the back

since the verse had a garden verse........I decided to place a vintage butterfly pendant...

that had the perfect rose print wings onto the piece. 

I also love to see the names of vintage china companies and 

sometimes include them with the broken dish

I added just a couple of vintage flower charms to the piece as well

I left the knobs on for hanging jackets and such.......

and painted them in a dark green

I also painted  the outside edge of the panel the same color

Homer Laughlin.......my favorite of all vintage dishware.....

I search for this name every time I am searching for dishware

The little moss rose piece was once a porcelain jewel box that had been 

dropped and luckily......this section did not break

one more jeweled flower

It is finished...........and signed........

I titled this piece........

" A Walk In My Garden"

Now it is ready for hanging.......now with all of the vintage dishware........

it would look pretty as a towel hanger for the kitchen........do you think so?

I am not sure whether this will go into my vintage shop for sale.....

or if  I will keep it.

I have two more drawers to work on.

Do any of you do mosaic work?

I would love to hear