A Hit and a Miss

It's too hot and hazy and just plain muggy to do anything outside and scattered showers are threatening.   So what's a gal to do?   How about consignment store shopping!   Look what I found......

I saw this piece sitting on the floor in one booth and was totally perplexed.   I thought, maybe a shoeshine kit?   I had no idea.   It is about 15 inches high and 12 inches wide with doors on both sides.  I went to pick it up and yikes!  I found out it swiveled.

 It is kind of funky and weird looking imagine how pleased I was when I opened it.

 OMGosh, some sort of sewing box.  What a hit!

I have some plans for changing out the knobs and painting it with chalk paint.  I bought the chalk paint at the same time and it cost more than this well made, solid wood thing-a-ma-gig!    I think it is a cool find.   As for my vision and when I actually execute it, well that's a whole other story.   It may take a long time for me to get around to this.

Also to stay out of the heat and general nasty 150% humidity, I have been doing some cleaning.   I went through half the kitchen cabinets tossing the outdate cake mixes (two kitchen trash cans full and half the cabinets still to do).  I've pulled furniture from the wall in the bedroom, family room living room to wipe down baseboards, washing windows, sweeping under chair cushions........you now the drill.

Notice anything unusual?    Apparently neither did I for a a couple of weeks until I went to put away my Kreinik threads and thoughts.....where are the drawers?   Obviously I put it back in place backwards and didn't even notice it.   Geez, I am really observant aren't I? What a miss....

For stitching, I am enjoying this little piece.    I hope to finish it up this weekend and maybe even have time to pull fabric and finish/finish.

I am thinking I may put in tent stitches on what is the jar lid.

That's all I've got.   I see thunderstorms a'coming so I am off to my stitch chair.  Hope you all have a good week.   Stay cool, stay dry and keep on stitching.

Out of the mouths of babes

I was treated to a surprise visit from my D-in-L and grandson.   How fun!   I knew they were coming the last week of August but my wonderful D-in-L called and said, how about me and little man hop on the train and come to see you?  Of course I wasn't going to say no.    We had such fun and I just have to share this......

William or Will was looking at something in the dining room and was saying he wanted "happy 2's".   Happy 2's?   His mom explained that for his birthday and his dad's birthday (4 days apart), they celebrated together with cupcakes with sprinkles.   So because they sang Happy Birthday to you......he calls sprinkles Happy 2's.   Well this grandmom's heart just melted and thought it was cutest darned thing ever!    Needless to say we had Happy 2's on pancakes, on ice cream, one day just for the fun of it, Happy 2's in a paper cup and I was even forced to go to Diary Queen for custard with Happy 2's.

 Grandmom was smart to serve the ice cream outside!

 Someone thought the spoon was taking to long.

 Will had a blast riding his balance back in the same church parking lot his dad learned to ride a bike.

Now to back up some calendar-wise.  Way back on Fourth of July weekend my daughters came for our Third Annual Sew-A-Thon.  As always we just have the best time together.   I already shared the quilt I worked on but here is something else I did.    I have so many trims and needed a better way to keep them.  This is how some were stored.

 And remember this haul I got from Mood in NYC?

I downloaded a pattern from Etsy for ribbon and lace cards.   I printed off a bunch.   I used Modge Podge to put them on comic board and after a few coats and drying time, cut them out and viola'.......I made ribbon cards for neatly storing my trims.  They are roughly 3 by 5.  I debated about punching a hole in the top so I could store them on a ring.   I guess I can always go back and do that.

I am very happy with the result but believe it or not, I need to make some more!  and probably get a bigger basket!

And that brings me to a new start.  Sometimes I just long for a quick stitch so I can have a finish that doesn't take months (or years) to accomplish.  This pattern is from Hands on Design (a favorite of mine)  It is called Sunshine on a Stem.   I used fabric and floss from my stash so only one floss is the called for floss but it  makes it a no-cost stash-buster to stitch.

This should be a quick lunch-time stitch.    After I finish this I'd love to start to Laundry room series.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

Some finishes

Yesterday I attended my EGA's Christmas in July.    We had some great projects.  And better yet, I have even finished two of the three.

First, ribbon candy.   This is the sample.   The pattern is Ribbon Candy Ornament by Calico Crossroads.

Stitched on perforated paper, this is my progress---that's a 15 inch log piece of paper.   It's a lot of stitches!

These are little 2 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inch paper boxes created and personalized.   Paper and ribbon is from Stampin' Up.   Pattern from www.pootles.co.uk/2015/05/22  Good for party favors, votive candles,  hostess gifts, showers.   Change them up with any color and paper combinations.

And last was this design from The Drawn Thread.  I put the final stitches in it this morning.   I changed it up a bit by adding beads and mixed smyrna crosses in with the algerian eyes.  Got an idea of how I am finishing it....but that is another day.

Other things I have been working on.  I have finished a quilt top.  This is from a weekend retreat a couple years ago held by The Quilt Box in Exton, PA.  

I have been working on it for about a half hour each morning assembling the rows before work.  I am ready to make that quilt sandwich and put on the binding which will have to wait.  Mr. William is coming for a visit next weekend.   He is coming by train and of course he is bringing his mom with him.  I need to decommission the dining room as quilt central for their visit.


And trust me, all my corners do not meet so nicely.   I was editorial with what I shared!

Buddy has helped me when I worked on the binding.

And a class finish to share.   I took a class in the end of June with Beth Seal of Summer House Stitche Workes at Stitches Unlimited in Lancaster PA.  It is called "My Grandmother's Needlebook" 

Here I have it paired here with a bag I purchased from Faye Rigsby, The Carolina Stitcher.    This was from the Prim Stitchers Retreat.   Beth Seal provided the motif to attendees prior to the retreat.   If we brought the stitched piece and two 1/2 yards of fabric, Carolina Stitcher made you a bag

The smaller bag was a gift to attendees at the Prim Stitchers Retreat.  It was also stitched by Carolina Stitcher and part of our welcome package.

This has become my grab and go bag for working or when heading out the door to a friends to stitch.

Hope to keep up this wave of finished projects as well as hope to return to more frequent posts and more important to catch up on all the blog posts I have missed.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

More chocolates

I must be on a sweet tooth roll.  This is something I stitched this years ago.   I am not quite sure but I think it was a Little House Needleworks chart.   I had the vision to make it into a box of candy.  

Before I started to assemble it, I decided to backstitch the pink border as well as each chocolate piece. I got the mat board cut, I then wrapped it with fabric for both the inner and outer box and then stitched the box pieces together.  I cut layers and layers and more layers of batting and laced the stitched piece over the batting with a mat board base.  

All that was left to do was to put it in place with some acid-free double-sided table.  Not my best finishing job but from the top of the bridge it is ok.  

 But more important, one less unfinished finish in my completed projects baskets.  

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching!

New Start

Kind of not much stitching going on for me.  I've totally lost my mojo for the Corsica River SAL.......However,  I did  manage a few stitches on a new start.......like I thought it would jump start the mojo or like because I just wanted to......no matter.

But first up,  at the last EGA meeting before the summer break one of the members taught us how to make calorie free chocolates.    EZ-PZ and if you didn't add the beads, each can be done in under 15 minutes.    Pretty cool.     I see more of theses in my future

 More fake food I can torture my children with.

Oh Blogger why won't you cooperate and let the 'rotated' photo stay rotated?!

This is my new start.  I'm hoping that starting a new project will help me get back in the  groove.   This is Jarden Prive’ ABC de la Brodeuse.  I am stitching with the charted DMC floss on 27 count banding with one thread, over one thread.   I had wanted to convert the chart to a horizontal band rather than stitch it as charted vertically but just didn't have the mental energy to rechart it.   So it is stitched as charted.   Easy stitch and great sense of accomplishment when each motif is completed.  So easy to complete a word or flower even if you don't have a lot of time to stitch.

Lastly, I had ordered shelves back in May and finally got them put up.   I got this idea from an Open House at Patty Yergey's home in lower Delaware.   Patty Yergey is the designer for Samplers Revisited.  She has some original designs but also charts antique samplers.  She said she was tired of putting holes in the walls when she rearranged her samplers.    Great idea for me to change out the holiday stitches and no problem to rearrange items.

Thanks for stopping by.....and keep on stitching.

Buttons Buttons Buttons

Buttons have started to arrive.   I have received the first three delivers of buttons from my monthly subscription to JABCO buttons.    It is so fun to get a package and unwrap to see what delights are inside.

My first shipment was April.   Sew Many Buttons it is called.   With peach keen and envy green buttons as well as the fabulous specialty buttons.

Next is May.    Beachy buttons is the name of this one.    Teal and apricot sprinkle packs and the beach themed accent buttons.  Look at the ice cream cone and the beach ball!  Too cute!

And last is June.   Red-White-and-Blue-t-ful.    Demin and Cherry sprinkle packs and fun summer time buttons.

So adorable.  Can't wait to so some finishes and embellish some of these.

What is the measure of a man

How do we measure success?   Is it by the size of a bank account?   Do we really equate the success of a person with the size of a portfolio?  Is it the man who has the expensive car, the gated mansion or sleekest boat?  Or, is it really by how many lives they have touched?

Without warning, my little brother passed away on May 28th of a heart attack.   In the days that have passed as I deal with the shock, the grief and the sadness, I am comforted to find the support from his many, many friends.   These are not just people that knew him but truly many, many people he called friend; people he gave himself to in friendship; people he cared for; people he supported in work; people he gave his time to; people he went the extra mile for without a second thought; people who he touched by his gentle way and generous spirit.

If only we judged the measure of a person in this way, my brother was the most successful man many of us will ever have the privilege of knowing.

Jon and I, 1961

Jon and I, 1962

Jon, Kindergarden

 Summer fun, my dad, me and Jon

The rose between the thorns, me, Jon and our sister Barbara, circa 1962

 Crazy eyes or beer enhanced!

 Nephew Bill and Jon

Jon, Polar Bear Plunge, 2012

 Half brother Bill, Jon, Barbara and me, 2015

Jon and co-workers from Mannington Mills, 2016

Key West, 2018

Key West, May 2018

It has been hard to wrap my head around him not staying with me on his next trip north, not seeing him at holidays, not talking on the phone or just never seeing him ever again.

Jon deVries Dunn

10-17-1958  -- 5/28/2018

Ride on little brother