A heads up for you all

Picture This Plus is having their Internet Christmas in July sale today (July 25) and it will be on until 7AM Central Time tomorrow (July 26).  25% off!

These ladies dye some awesome fabrics.  I've been lucky enough to visit their shop in Abilene Kansas twice and kit up some amazing projects using their hand dyeds.  And what's even more amazing is that I've finished a few!    Like these:

PTP's Chime - I've shown you the finished stitching, but this unfinished photo shows the fabric better.

PTP's Heritage

PTP's Fog

And the newest PS designs that are stitched on black?  I'm working on one now and using PTP's Twilight and it's awesome.  Much nicer than black.  Just FYI, if you like Prairie Schoolers but aren't crazy about all that black. 

Just FYI about that last La D Da finish

*This* is the true color of my fabric.  (image from the PTP website) It just didn't photograph well.

It was so hot this morning,

That when I came back inside from my daily walk/run, even my eyeballs were sweating.

But who cares about all that, when I have TWO finishes to show you?  First up - BBD's Rose Garden.  I really thought this would be pincushion sized, until I actually started stitching it.  All alone, it was kind of an awkward size.  Too big to be a pincushion, too small to be a pillow.  So it needed a bit of help.  Luckily, I'm addicted to quilt fabric, also.  This checked fabric was in my stash, probably for another project, but who knows what that could have been. 

BBD's Rose Garden.  Stitched with HDF's BeWhined.  Don't know what this fabric was though.  Just a leftover scrap.

I used to belong to our local garden club and occasionally they'd have a jewelry fundraiser.  The club members would clean out their jewelry boxes and hold a little flea market.  I found this pin and loved it.  It looks perfect on my grey blazer.  But until it's blazer wearing weather, it can rest on my pillow. 

And by the way, if anyone has any tips on how to stuff a pillow nicely, I'd love to know them.  The cotton sections always look nicely stuffed, but the linen section never seems to be as smooth, no matter how much I stuff in there.

And here is finish #2 - La D Da's Tis the Gift.  I absolutely adored stitching this.

La D Da's Tis the Gift.  Stitched on 28ct PTP Chime linen with recommended threads

The linen is actually much more of a buttery yellow than you can see here. Love, love, loved it.  I can't wait to have this framed.  And now I had better to get to work so I can afford all of this framing. 

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Obviously I'm not alone when it comes to buying bathing suits.  And since you all can't be lucky enough to find a bathing suit laying around in a rental condominium, I thought I'd share my info about this 2011 purchase.  You know...the one that came in its original wrapper.

Actually, Deb and Dianne were right, this is a Lands End suit.  I knew that if I waited to go shopping for a suit in a real store, I'd never do it.  And I used to buy Lands End clothes from Sears and liked their style and fit, so I went to their online site for my swimsuit. 


I liked that I could buy tops and bottoms as separates.  I know I can do that in department stores.  Theoretically.  It's never actually worked for me. I can never find the proper sizes in both pieces.  So...I pulled the measuring tape out of my stitching box and used the Lands End sizing chart and wow, were my top and bottom ever different!  I measured as a 4 top and a 12 bottom.  (What the heck - I've already told you my most embarrassing swimsuit story, so I might as well tell you everything.  Yes, I am pear shaped.  No shoulders or boobs, with an oversized butt.)  I was worried about that size 4 top, though, so opened their swimsuit chat and talked with my swimwear "expert", Jason.  Mr. Jason told me to order a 6.  So that's what I did.

Also, their website has customer feedback about each suit.  Each suit is rated and discussed and customers can tell you if they think it runs big, small or true to size.  I thought that was really helpful, especially since I was still skeptical about the top size.  It steered me away from some bottoms that I was kind of liking but unsure about. 

Oh - and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg.  Both pieces with shipping and tax?  About $50.  Which was the bottom range of what I had expected to spend so that was pleasing, too!  So now I'm going to make my friend Ginny go shopping with me so that I can buy a pair of these.  Glittery Cowgirl flip flops.

Oh, it's a great day!

Well, in my last post I told you that I had gone to Ocean City, Maryland with the fam.  And when I go to the beach with them, I don't count on being able to sit in one spot and read until my eyeballs fall out - which would be quite nice, but doing things with my family can be ok, too.  (I am still campaigning for that Mother of the Year award).

So anyway, when I'm at the beach with them, I can usually count on going for walks and occasionally wading into the waves and even sometimes swimming in the waves.  And all of those things require wearing the dreaded bathing suit.

I hate, hate, hate buying bathing suits.  Consequently, I just don't.  I avoid it at all costs.  I wear suits until they are so worn out and ugly that I could actually be used as shark repellent when I wear them.  (Insert Gordon Ramsey's voice here, as he pretends to be a shark:  "What is that?  That's disgusting!") My last "new" suit?  Well, we were on vacation at Bass Lake in North Carolina several years ago, and I found it in a dresser drawer.  So I washed it and put it on.  And said, Hm.  This fits.  And wore it for 5 years.  Gross, I know, but clearly I have no pride or self-respect when it comes to bathing suits.

And that was the little number I wore to the beach last weekend.  As we were walking down the beach, I came to the realization that spending the winter in my closet had not magically rejuvenated the elastic in the legs.  So my lovely walk with my husband was more like Step-Step-Tug, Step-Step-Tug.  It completely ruined the romantic hand-holding.  And swimming was even more fun.  The waves were rough, and I took a few good tumbles, but when the day was over and I went back to the shower I realized that I had taken at least half of the beach away with me.  All stored in my crotchal region.

If only I had been this cute.

So I decided it was time to break down and buy a new suit.  I wasn't in the proper frame of mind to hit the mall.  I'm going to bet it was slim pickins there anyway, especially since the bathing suits had been hanging on the racks since...oh, about....February.  So I decided to order a suit through mail order.

(No, I didn't order it from Victoria's Secret.  I've probably been blackballed by that company for my extreme snarkiness.  Plus, I think a prerequisite of buying one of their suits is the willingness to stand around with your thumbs in your pants, looking like you can't wait to disrobe.)
 
Well, my suit arrived Thursday and Miracle of Miracles, it fits!  I even got approval from my daughter (in the form of "Oh, that's cute"), so I'm pretty doggone happy about that.  Do you want to see it?

You didn't think I'd be IN it, did you?  Silly you.

So now shore towns up and down the East Coast don't have to worry about sand replenishment each time I exit the beach.  But swimmers need to beware.  Those sharks are mighty hungry after 5 years.

Porch Days

It was so nice to have a porch day yesterday.  It was one of those picture perfect days outside and it was made even better when my crazy neighbors actually went away for the whole day.  It was a day of sun and shade and breezes and hearing nothing but birds singing and sweet wind chimes.  The gods of summer were smiling on me.

Oh, but wait!  Look what joined me on the porch!

Could it be my old friend, the Sampler That Never Ends?

Yup, it decided it needed some air this weekend, too.  It also was trying to remind me that I've been seriously slacking in my goal to finish it within the year.  So I devoted myself to finishing one border.  The last red border was an easy one - it got into a rhythm right away and poof - done. 

And actually, I don't stitch in the sun these days.  I'm a shade girl now.  So here's where I spent my quality time with the STNE.

But let me back up a little.  We had a wonderful stitch night this past Friday.  I hadn't been with the Friday night girls in a month and boy oh boy, had I missed them.  We had a nice sized group, including a new face or two.  And a Panera customer who was also a stitcher walked by the meeting room door and saw what was going on and was sucked into the room right away!  The reaction of her husband and daughter was priceless.

Daughter:  "Look, Mom found a group of cross stitchers!"
Husband:  "Sigh"

Ok, I guess you had to be there.

So our little group is growing and it's very heartening.  And it can't be just the free frozen lemonades...We're having a lot of laughs.  Even stitching a little.  I took along BBD's Rose Garden and I'm OH SO CLOSE to finishing.  Maybe if I'd stop talking and eating so much...

 And I even got bold and added a date - which is surely going to doom the project.  What do you want to bet that I misplace it, only to find it after December 31?

Oh, I should back up even further and tell you that we went to Ocean City last week!  Of course, I stuffed my face with crab cakes every day.  But I also made my pilgrimage to Salty Yarns and as usual, Sally's place did not disappoint me.  So much stuff and in such an unlikely place!  On a boardwalk?  Near a big french fry store?  I know...go figure.  But her shop is a delight.  I was with my pesky family, so I didn't have time to scour each and every rack - kind of had to rely on whatever jumped out and caught my eye.  But I bought a couple things, including a Pine Mountain kit and a patriotic styled Quaker.

What is it about being in a great shop that alters my perception of time?  I swear, I was only in there maybe 30 minutes, but Dave insisted it had been over an hour.  I think we stitchers need to develop our own time format.  So when we tell our families that we'll be in a shop for a few minutes, they should automatically know to multiply that by at least 7.    Like when we talk about dog years.  It'd be only natural.

Busy week ahead - hopefully the days will go fast so that the nights can be for stitching.  But right now I'm going to go find Rose Garden and pin it to my shirt so I don't lose it.


Till next time!

Some lovely, lovely blog friends

This week has started much better than last week. Everyone who was on my nerves last week is officially off my nerves this week.

As much as I don't like to admit it, sometimes when I'm faced with big entertaining - like 50 or more people, which is big for me - I start to get a little persnickety.  And a little compulsive.  And difficult to live with.  All right.  Downright impossible to live with.  It's a good thing I have an understanding family and nice friends.  Especially my husband, who agreed to help me host the neighborhood party last Friday, knowing that he'd be working an 11 hour day and returning to a house full of people.  And getting up to go back to work Saturday morning.  He's a great guy.

All in all, it was a good kick-off to a holiday weekend.  Then Saturday morning I met with my friend Linda at the Oakmont Bakery, where we had some lunch and talk and stitching.  I had never been there on a Saturday before and we were amazed by the crowds of people ordering rolls and baked goods and by the amazing cakes walking out the door.  It was really something to see.  I wish I could have taken some pictures to show you, but there were so many people in front of the bakery counters that I would only have been able to show you the backs of people's legs.  So after a week of kind of stressing out (and completely denying that I was stressed), a morning of friendly stitching was just the ticket and Linda is a terrific stitching companion. 

Enjoyed a relaxing day on the deck on Sunday, then all of the fun July 4 happenings here at our lake.  And I would have been sad to get back to normal yesterday, except that these beauties were waiting at my post office. Look at this sweet monogrammed pincushion!

From the wonderful and kind Denise, who did a quick BBD chart switcharoo with me.  I sent her Basket of Memories and she sent me Rose Garden.  Miss Blazing Needles over there in Ohio stitched and finished her pincushion in record time, but I'm still stitching away on Rose Garden.  Almost finished though...But anyway, when Denise returned Basket of Memories, she also tucked this sweet pincushion into the package.  I just love it.  Love my monogram.  Love the silver button and the trim, love the thought that went behind it.  I've already thanked her privately, but now I'll do it publicly.  Thank you Denise!  It's awesome.

And generous Joanie read my post about our visit to HDF, where I talked about my love affair with those particular silk threads.  Well, this was the result.  She sent me a big squishy envelope of these wonderful silks.  It was like opening a rainbow.  At Christmas.  But in July.  Thank you, Joanie!  I enjoyed fondling them and sorting them and photographing them, and now I'll enjoy stitching with them!

I am one very blessed blogger.  

Everyone is on my nerves. And some stitching.

There. I've said it. My day started out badly and here it is, scarcely noon, and now everyone is on my very last nerve.

Husband, please open your eyes when you look for things. Don't get all fussy and frantic. What you're looking for is there, you've just overlooked it.

Son, please get your butt out of bed.

Friend, please don't tell me what someone else has said about a project I'm working on. I don't need to hear it.

Person who said this, if you don't know what's happening, try opening your effin' email. The info has been sitting in your Inbox for eight days. Or are you waiting for an invitation on a silver platter?

Coworker, when I tell you I need information from you, don't argue with me. Don't shoot the messenger. Please, just give me the information.

Sigh.

But let's talk about some of my recent stitching.  Please.  Otherwise I may kill people.  Hey, that reminds me, have any of you seen the bumper sticker that says, "I knit so I don't kill people."  Has anyone seen a similar cross stitch saying charted up?  Somebody has to have charted that...

First up, a new project!  Thanks to the kind Denise for the temporary design swap.

BBD's Rose Garden, HDF "BeWined"

Next up, an almost-finished project.  This has been an absolute joy to stitch.  I'm loving the fabric, loving the threads and loving the design. 

La D Da Tis the Gift, PTP fabric and GAST threads

And lastly, The Project that Never Ends.

5 years and counting....Maybe this year?

I have a really, really full weekend coming up, but some of it involves stitching and that's a good thing.  Otherwise, you know...that killing people situation.

To my friends in the US, have a fun and safe Fourth. 

I wish you all could have seen these in person

I wish I had had time to document each and every piece in the HDF exhibit. I wish I possessed mad camera skilz so that my pictures were more clear. Heck, I wish all of you had been there with me because part of the fun of seeing exhibits like this is sharing your excitement with other people.

I was really pleased to have the opportunity to get up close and personal with each piece of needlework.  No barriers, no ropes.  Some of the needlework was framed, and some of it was not.  Truthfully, I was just as happy to see the unframed work.  You could get your eyeballs right up there and examine each piece.  Well, except the smalls.  They were mostly in display cases.  And even though we were very, very tempted, we didn't actually touch anything.

First, I hope you can click on all of the photos to enlarge them.  It'll make a world of difference.

Well, I tried to photograph the pieces that jumped out at me for one reason or another.  First up is this Halloween piece and is that fabric amazing or what?  I typically don't like Halloween design, but this one was stunning.

Same here.  Not crazy about Halloween, but I had to love the fabric color, threads and beading on this piece. 

 

I've been wanting to stitch this BBD piece for several years now.  I may have to kit this up.!

Some needlepoint designs and kits for sale.

A wonderful Quaker and - lucky me!  This chart was part of the tag sale!  Do you need to even ask if I bought it?

A 9-11 quilt

Another one of the 9-11 Quilts

An amazing original piece by a fellow from Boston who has since passed away.  I met one of his friends at the show, and she told me that he would just start with a blank piece of fabric and design as he went.  I stood and looked a this piece for a long time.  There is a lot to see.

Look at the bottom alphabet and the way it appears to reflect off water.  Love it.

I NEED one of these for my family.

So many stunning Quakers.

Quaker Christmas in Red

Quaker Christmas in green

Of course, this drew my eye since I had recently stitched it. I love the floss colors and their variations.

A scissor and fob collection belonging to ONE person.  Yes, one person.

Love the black fob with the red flowers

So tiny.  Carol I....you would have liked this one.

More teeny tiny.  I wish I had something next to it to illustrate its scale.

About the size of a large postage stamp

There were several really nice displays of smalls, but they were in glass cases under windows and were very difficult to photograph.

I thought you might enjoy a little thread comparison:

Quaker Diamonds stitched with Valdani Threads.

Quaker Diamonds stitched with HDF

HDF

Valdani threads

My choice for Peoples Choice award. It was difficult to photograph also,because it was hanging in a window.  But take my word for it, it was fantastic.  And who can argue with 1,710 Queen stitches? 

And finally!  Best in Show - a Reversible Spanish Stitch piece

Tried to show you some of the detail up close.

Sometime soon I'll post some pictures of my latest needlework.  There's not much, but I'm getting in a few lengths of thread here and there.   I have lots of family things keeping me busy lately, so I'm glad to get even that much done. These pesky kids...