Something old and something new for Sampler Sunday

The other day I was talking to a friend about how long I've been cross stitching and I realized it has been over 27 years. Where does the time go? And that got me to thinking what was the first piece I cross stitched. The first sampler I stitched was the one I showed in my very first Sampler Sunday entry back in 2010. But this little piece is my very first cross stitch piece.



I have no idea who's pattern this was. I vaguely remember it was a kit that included the heart shaped frame. I also remember that I pitched the fabric it came with and substituted this piece of sage green Aida.



I love this sweet plump little blue bird. The word "nesting" was my own addition and it was very fitting since I was pregnant with my first child at the time and was firmly involved in that nesting phase.

And today finds me working on this piece - the Anniversaries of the Heart by Blackbird Designs. I am 1/3 of the way finished at this point - minus doing any personalization.



I work from the upper right to the left so I have just gotten to the January and February charts. It took me forever to get February done but January only took about 2 weeks. I like the pale monochromatic look of January. It reminds me of the incredibly cold and icy winter when my first son was born. The day he arrived it was around 20 below in Cincinnati. One of the coldest winters in my memory.



Getting January and February finished has motivated me to concentrate on this piece. I've decided to transpose the months of August and September. I like the design for August more than the September one and my birthday is in September so I'm going to stitch that one for me. I've pulled the flosses and I'm looking forward to sitting down this evening and watching some basketball and doing some stitching- go Purdue, go Xavier, go University of Cincinnati- the remote is going to get a work out tonight.

Happy stitching-
carol fun

Rambling Thoughts on Thursday

Several people emailed me to say my blog was down today. Thank you so much for alerting me. I have no idea why Blogger took it down. The message I got was that there was "suspicious activity". I'm not sure what that is. I haven't even gotten a Spam comment. I hope I have fixed it. So now on to the rambling thoughts.....

Yesterday I had a 30% off coupon for Kohls burning a hole in my purse so off I went to spend it. I had planned on purchasing some new capris like the ones I bought last year. They were basic denim capris by Gloria Vanderbilt Plus. Well, you know where this is going - they don't make that style anymore. So I looked around to see what else might work and grabbed the only other GV style they had and headed to the fitting room. Hmmm... fit nice, not too snug. a bit of spandex for my well padded dimensions... and then I turned around. OMG!! There was sparkly embroidery on the rear pockets - my backside was bedazzled - ackkk!!! Who thought that adding sparkly stuff to the back of plus sized pants was a good idea? My rear already draws enough attention to itself, it does not need any help. Needless to say I returned them to the rack and the coupon is still in my purse.

When I got home I went online and found what I was looking for - leftovers from last season but I'm happy to have snagged a dark denim pair and a pair in yellow. Yes, I will probably resemble a plump banana but at least I won't be bedazzled.



The whole experience reminds me why I dislike clothes shopping anymore. I'm short and I'm plump. I think I'm doing the world a service by keeping my flesh under wraps. No one wants to see my bat wing arms or my pudgy thighs, but it is getting harder and harder to find clothes that suit me. Now I know I have a warped sense of fashion, but its not my fault. I had 12 years of Catholic education. I thought a white blouse and a pleated plaid skirt was a de riguer wardrobe. I have evolved from white blouses to white t-shirts. (Love the Saturday T-shirts from LL Bean). I buy several every season since I'm what you'd call a "messy eater" and have a cache of "gardening shirts" that sport ice tea, catchup and salad dressing stains.

But I'd like to expand my wardrobe a bit and the other day I found out that the Tova shirt pattern is available as a pdf for $10. verykerryberry is doing a sew-a-long which I want to join. I'm hoping this pattern will not resemble maternity wear on me. I have to say all the gals who've shown their creations on the flickr site seem to be tall and thin. I like the kinda bohemian 70's vibe of this top - and it covers all the body parts I want to gloss over. Maybe this weekend I can sew up something new.

So if you've read this far I appreciate it. I had no idea that clothing decisions would become such a confusing experience at this stage of life. Am I the only one?

Happy stitching-
carol fun

A finish from the floor on Design Wall Monday

First, I apologize for the craptastic pictures. I thought I would be able to take some lovely outdoor shots with natural light. However, in listening to the weather report my auditory system shut down after hearing temperatures in the 60's and didn't realize they also forecast rain. Ugh!

So, here is Somewhere over the Rainbow there are String Beans!



The block pattern is String Beans by Stephanie of Loft Creations. Great pattern. Easy to assemble. The setting is my variation. You can click on the pictures and make them bigger to see all the dottiness.



Cass (my long arm quilter) used a new to me pattern in the quilting. It reminds me of clouds or the way the goo moves in a lava lamp (yes I do have issues). It is spaced farther apart them some of the other designs she has used. I'm on the fence about this one. I like the movement of the design but it made the quilt puffier than I had hoped. Oh well - it will be fine. I have no illusions that I am making heirloom quilts. I am making quilts that make me, and hopefully others happy.

I wanted to get a picture of the backing I used for this quilt. It is big dots that are dotted - dotty dots! As I went to take the picture Big Dude came to investigate.



He is currently curled up inside the quilt taking a nap. What a smart cat! Between the stupid time change and the rain, a nap would be the perfect use of my time today. However, life has other plans for me. I need to find my car keys. Tomorrow is suppose to be a better day weather-wise. I'm looking forward to it.

Happy stitching-
carol fun

A flowery piece for Sampler Sunday

Oh I think Spring is here! My daffodils are blooming and the sun is shining and it is suppose to hit 70 degrees before the week is out. It has been a very mild winter here, but that doesn't lessen my appreciation of warmer weather. So to celebrate this lovely weather I have a flowery little piece to share.



This is called Remember Me and was inspired by the embroidery of Ann York who was 14 in 1824. This is another piece from A Schoolgirl's Work by Barb Adams and Alma Adams - the Blackbird Design gals. This is the second piece I've stitched from this book and there are a couple more I want to get to. I love this book but then I love all things BBD!



This finished about 5 inches square but it is packed with decorative stitches. Lazy Daisy, Eyelets and I put in a couple of Smyrna cross stitches. And again I added one of those heart shaped mother of pearl buttons I love so much.



I'm very happy with the frame on this piece. It is a deep wine with a touch of antiqued gold. I thought it complemented the rose colored flosses and the gold wasn't overpowering. I enjoy picking out the moldings for the frame and it is exciting to see it all completed. Bev at Joann's does a great job. I'm so glad I've found a framer who understands needlework.

Well I'm off to do some errands and enjoy this lovely day. Hope the weather is nice where you are!

Happy stitching-
carol fun

Thoughts for Thursday

Source: etsy.com via Carol on Pinterest

Oh I think I nailed this one - LOL! I hope to have my Somewhere over the Rainbow String Bean quilt bound in the next 48 hours. Then I'll launder it and take some pictures. It has been very Spring-like the last couple of days so maybe I photograph it outdoors instead of on my foyer floor. Did you know that the time changes this weekend? GRRRRR..... I just wish they'd leave it alone!! This is the one I particularly loathe - spring forward - lose an hour of sleep. You don't want to deal with me when I am sleep deprived. I am a very cranky person. Therefore I must engage in some fun activities this weekend to neutralize the crankiness that will ooze from my pores. Must sew/knit/quilt/stitch - and get carry-out for dinner!

Happy stitching-
carol fun

Only One Block for Design Wall Monday

I only got one block done for Design Wall Monday.....
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.but it was a doozy! LOL!



This block measures 68" square before the borders; 84" square with the borders. It is from the Giant Vintage Star tutorial on the In Color Order blog.

The fabrics are from the happy mochi yum yum line by Monica Solorio-Snow - the Happy Zombie- by Lecien.




I love this fabric line - it has a funky, vintage feel - which is exactly what I was looking for. I'm planning on passing this one off to my long-arm gal, Cass, tonight at the quilt guild meeting. along with the I.S.T.H. - I spot the hen - Schnibble. And I going to get back my Somewhere Over the Rainbow String Bean quilt. Its going to be a good meeting.

Happy stitching-
carol fun

An encore and some new stash for Sampler Sunday

Sheesh - another week has blown by me. I was semi-productive on Monday & Tuesday and then on Wednesday I was out of the house all day, Thursday got filled up with lunch out, a haircut, and dinner out, Friday there were more errands and Saturday I just vegged. So for this Sunday I don't have anything new to share, which leads me to an encore appearance of my Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler. This is the first Quaker type sampler I've stitched but it has lead to more.



This first pic the color is off as this is a hard sampler to photograph. I used DMC flosses and the fabric was called Roasted Crown. I think it was an R&R reproduction linen.This is a BIG piece - it finished over 20 inches square.



This picture is more representative of the real colors - pale yellow, gold and rust. In looking at the piece now I wonder why I didn't add my initials in the cartouche with the date. There is plenty of space and I did add my sons initials. Oh well, this is the way it is.

I've seen several new charts that were released at the TNNA show last weekend and I've already gotten my grubby little paws on one and have a couple more on order. I had to have this one -



Gather Ye Tulips by Heartstring Samplery - here's a link to the etsy lisiting. Now this isn't my normal style but it grabbed me the moment I laid eyes on it. Tulips are my favorite flower, yellow tulips, so I'll be making a few changes to the floss choices. I've also ordered the new BBD book For My Friend and Vintage Stars by Jeanette Douglas Designs. I like that it is a colorful Quaker-ish piece.

I did sit and put some time in on my AoH by BBD. I told myself I'd get this one finished this year but I've lacked motivation. I'm going to set aside one night a week strictly for this piece. We'll see how that works out.

Happy stitching-
carol fun