River Island Needleworker

Moving to Word Press

2007-06-08T09:14:00.001-07:00

Here is the link: A Birder’s Joy of Needlework

In the Pink

2007-05-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

I keep missing the deadline on the Christmas SAL. I keep thinking the weekend stitch along is the weekend after it happens. This isn't Xmasy, but it is an ornament and I stitched last weekend.

Here is the Bee Pinkeep - finished. 36 count flax linen, Crescent Colours: Cloud, Tufted Yellow, Black Coffee, Dandelion Stem, Secondhand Rose, Bella Rosa, and a darker green color I can't remember.

The Humblebee's Buzz

2007-05-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

-- Bumble bee: from the old verb bumble to boom or buzz. Also known as humblebees.

Classified in the Genus Bomus, the bumblebee's buzz is truely a rite of spring. The buzz is especially pronounced in bumblebees, as they must warm up their bodies considerably to get airborne at low ambient temperatures.

As you walk in the woods watch and listen. In the spring the queen bees emerge and begin foraging for nectar. Queen bees have longer tongues than worker bees of the same species and can take advantage of the nectar in long tubed flowers like Dutchman Breeches and Squirrel Corn. Look carefully however, you'll often see holes in the tops of both these flowers. These are made by "robber bees" with shorter tongues. They have learned to take a short cut to the nectar! Darwin even noticed this in his journals.

Above is a pinkeep I stitched for a family member under the weather. It is from the Jan '07 issue of The Gift of Stitching from Little House/Country Cottage Needleworks. I replaced the DMC threads with Crescent Colours Overdyed. You know I could never keep Little House and Country Cottage Needleworks apart. Now I know why. The designers are mother and daughter.

I also thought I'd post some progress on Chatelaine's Mystery X. I have 1/4 of Part 5 done.

Spring Love

2007-04-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time in the last few weeks to post much as I was away from the Internet for almost three weeks. I was on vacation for a while (spent some time in Shipshewana at a quilt retreat) and then had a week that unexpectedly needed to be devoted to family. Life happens.

Spring is my favorite season. In late February the signs are there as male redwing blackbirds return and begin defending territory. In March, egged on by increasing daylight, the cardinal's song begins to swell.

I have a pair of phoebes (FEE-BEES) that nest every year in the eaves of my A-frame. I know spring has truely arrived with I wake in the morning to hear them singing their name. Soon after, I hear the song sparrows. Over the past weekend, I heard some migrating white throated sparrows. I always love to hear their song as they move north, it is so beautiful. I wish they would stay. And according to the hummingbird map, it's time to start hanging the feeder.

During my 'hiatus' I rec'd two exchanges from Britt and Mylene and have sent both of mine off. I hope they like them. Both ladies sent me robins! Above is Britt's pillow to me. This is so perfect as my yard is full of spring blooming bulbs and robins . . . .and cardinals.

Speaking of cardinals, spring love is all around, including one cardinal who should now be brain dead. He spends the day dive bombing his reflection in my windows, and I mean from dawn to dusk. When I'm home I sometimes start whistling at him and that starts him singing. His females seems to stick close by, encouraging all his antics.

The Ides of March

2007-03-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, on the Sunday before the Ides of March, I totalled my 1997 Confetii Blue Toyota Rav 4 . Given it was March 13, I guess I was lucky it wasn't on a Friday. I hit a patch of ice, skidded to the other lane, and flipped 360 degrees. When my car finished rolling, I was pointing east instead of west (i.e. pointing in the correct direction considering what side of the road I was now on). My engine was still running, the radio still playing, and I was about 20 feet into a neighbor's yard.

My first thought: "Sh**!! I just totalled my car! "
My second thought: "Seat belts work!"
The rest of my thoughts that day: "Sh**!! I totalled my car!"

I loved that car. It was my middle-aged crisis car, even though I wasn't in one. It was seven years old. It was paid for. I wanted to keep it forever and ever (or at least another 7 years). I have another Rav now. It's isn't quite the same, though.

I drive by that same spot a few times a week as it is just down the road from where I live (most car accidents occur within 25 miles of your house). Every day that I go by this house and see the big oak tree that I missed by mere inches, I mourn my Confetti Blue Toyota Rav 4.

Today, I celebrate that I have passed the second Sunday after the Ides of March where I haven't totalled my car.

Above something I've started as a gift a Friends Sampler from Hillside Samplings. On 32 count Flax linen.

The Whistle Pig's Shadow

2007-03-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's weather report (5o degress! coming soon) has gotten me contemplating the arrival of spring. The Vernal Equiqnox will soon be on the horizon, followed by the first Sunday after the first full moon.

That got me to thinking about Whistle Pigs and Shadows. Where I live, he ALWAYS sees his shadow and we ALWAYS get AT LEAST six more weeks of winter. It suddently occured to me how convenient it was that about six weeks from Groundhog Day was the Spring Equinox! Could this be a coinsidence? No!

Way back when, around the fifth century, the European Celts believed that animals had certain supernatural powers on special days that were half-way between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.

Add to this, folklore from Germany and France that said when marmots and bears came out of their winter dens too early, they were frightened by their shadow and retreated back inside for four to six weeks.

End result: Groundhog's day (but I prefer to call them Whistle Pigs). Don't you just love it? You can find other interesting facts about the origin of GHD is at Wikipeida.

Above is my tribute to spring, something I'm stitching for an Prairie Schooler exchange. The stitching is done, but not the finishing.

In Like a Lion - Brr (or should I say Grr)

2007-03-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

Brr - it's windy and cold!

Here are my March stitching goals. I could have made the list longer, but even on planet Venus I wouldn't have enough time to stitch on all my UFO's and WIP's.

French Alphabet Sampler - complete one full page
Stitch and finish PS Spring 2007 exchanges
Chatelaine Mystery 10 - finish part three (sans beads)
Tabletoppers: finish Floral TT
Start a gift
Woodland Warbler Bell Pull: complete backstitch on one bird
Stitch on Ornament SAL
Stitch on PS Sampler SAL

Here is my Progress on the PS Sampler SAL.

Long Dog Sampler Pinkeepers

2007-02-27T12:24:00.001-08:00

I did five of these over Xmas - three have been finished as a pinkeeper, one as the top of a fabric box (purchased). I have one still to finish and another one or two to make. I stitched one using Waterlilies Amethyst, one using Waterlilies Charcoal, and one using Wildflowers Amethyst. Sorry, but I never took pictures of these. The were all stitched on a special run of 32 cnt Lakeside Linen, sort of a light gray/silver color.

This pinkeep is on 28 count Babbling Brook Luagana. I don't remember the thread other than it was a Waterlilies. I charted the initials in my X-stitch software using a motif in Paradym Lost from Long Dog Samplers - the one that contains the initials. It looked about the right size and looked easy/fast to do. In fact these took at most 2 evenings to stitch!

I bought some round decoupage "ornaments" at Michaels and removed the center hanger. I centered my motif and glued it on. I did the same for the backing fabric, then added the ribbon around the edge to cover everything up. This worked well for the pinkeep on 28 count. For my 32 count pinkeeps, the decourpage ornament was a bit big, so I cut rounds out of some foam core board and cardboard. The needlework was centered and glued to the foam core board and the backing material glued to the card board. I glued the two together and wrapped it around with ribbon and added the pins! I liked the foam core better as there was more substance for the pins to stick into.

If I moved to Jupiter would I have more stitching time?

2007-02-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

I was thinking this morning that if I lived on Jupiter I might have more stitching time. I figured Jupiter's days were nice and long. Being so big and all, I thought it would take longer to revolve about its axis. But it's not true. It only takes 9.8 earthly hours for Jupiter to revolve around once, so moving to Jupiter the planet, would not be a good idea (for so many reasons).

It turns out Venus would be the place...if one could stand the heat. The days are longer there (but the years are shorter). Now this does raise the question: If I could stand the heat and I moved to Jupiter, FLORIDA would I get more stitching done? These philosophical conundrums are so exhausting.

Above is my progress on Chatelaine' s Mystery X. I should finish it before March 1 when the next part goes online.

I finally finished my second flamingo table topper - two down, one to go! I love table toppers. Clickon the flamingos to see the whole thing

!

Here's progress on Brad and Nancy's French Alphabet Sampler

And I couldn't resist the Cirque des Cercles - started on 36 count Edinbough using Silkweavers Everglades and Gloriana Silk - Rain Forest.
Maybe I'll finish this TT soon. I ran out of one of the threads and had to order it.

Chatelaine addiction

2007-01-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

It's the start of a new year and a new Chatelaine mystery. I wasn't that involved in Mystery 9 (I still have a lot to stitch on it), but so far I love the start of Mystery 10.

I am stitching this on Lakeside Linen Strawflower 32 count linen. The picture doesn't show the color of the linen well (its a warm creme color), nor all the sparkle from the metalics. You can see the Rhodes stitches pretty well though.

I won't add the beads and crystals until close to the end.

This part was fun, fast, and easy to stitch. I hope the rest of the Mystery goes as well.

Before and over break I stitched four pin keeps using a pattern from Paradox Lost from Long Dog Samplers. I used the part where Julia put her own intitials in the graph and used Easy Grapher to position the appropriate initals. I will post a few photos later.

Also worked on Chatelaine Pompeji Gardens. Here is an updated picture. Still haven't finished all the backstitching from parts 1 and 2. I also need to remove the beads in the center and re-bead later. I'm using my new System 4 needlework stand with a q-snap frame holder. I really like it. I'll move the project to my scroll bars in a few weeks.

Think Spring

2006-12-11T05:31:00.000-08:00

I know, it isn't even Christmas yet.

I am a
Daisy

What Flower Are You?

Pompeji Gardens

2006-12-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

Well after a belated start (part 3 was already posted when I joined the Yahoo Group) and a delay in getting the kit, here is my progress so far on Chatalaine Designs Pompeji Gardens as of mid-November. I used the wrong color for aqua/turquiose part and had to rip it out. I'm hoping that there aren't too many more algerian eyelets. I don't mind doing them once I get started, but somehow they aren't my favorite thing.

I am using 32 count natural Sienna as my fabric.

I have completed page 1 of 12 of Nancy's French Alphabet sampler. I hope to have 2 to 3 pages of 12 done by Jan 1. I am also using 32 cnt natural Sienna fabric with Elizabethan Green silk thread by Glorianna Threads.

The alphabet's color scheme is using the alma mater colors for my cousin and his wife (green for Michigan State) and Brown (natural linen) for Western Michigan University respectively. This sampler is easy to do, if not a bit large (32in by 32 in).

Handiwork traditions

2006-01-26T05:38:00.000-08:00

I know how and why I became interested in "handiwork". It has been a part of my life as long as I remember. Both my grandmothers did some sort of needlework. I'll never forget the purple bathrobe my paternal grandmother made me. It was a beautiful dark purple print - with a light puple lining and lace around the neck and cuffs. I wore that bathrobe so much I wore it out. My maternal grandmother made me a jumper from an old coat and smocked many a dress for me. She also made me lots of Barbie doll clothes. Both grandmothers created beautiful quilts and afghans.

Both my grandmothers developed these skills as much from necessity as desire, but they lived in a time when these skills seem to have had more value than they do today. They recycled (Barbie and I had many dresses made from the same material). They also crocheted, knitted, and did other needlework. I'm not saying that women today don't do these things, but I think there are generations of girls who won't be growing up with these traditions in their family. This saddens me - because these skills are rooted deep in our history.

You can never have enough scissors

2005-03-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

I have discovered that you can never have enough scissors around. It all started when my mother passed away and I inherited all her sewing notions. I ended up with lots of Fischar scissors and two pair of pinking shears. Then I discovered the scissors used for scapbooking - they come in so many interesting patterns. Even through they only cut paper, I had to get a few.

My lastest addtions came yesterday via UPS. A pair from France (with a Bunny) and Germany. Now I blame part of myt 3.5 inch collection on Pat Campbell. Pat is an incredible applique designer and is internationally known for her Jacobean Applique quilt books. I attended a workshop Pat taught in Jan of 2004. Part of her talk was about her passion for scissors - and she showed us all different kinds. Of course she also sells several types on her web site (www.patcampbell.com). I fell in love with the 3" preemies from Italy, and since I was ordering a few other things from her web site, threw in a pair Klasse 3-3/4" scissors as well. Added to my two existing pair of Gingher scissors (my first pair was the Pewter finish fleur-de-lis, the second a cheaper model coz I couldn't find the first pair..) , I now had 4 pair. But then, I discovered Dovo and Wassa scissors, too. So now I have

two pair from Pakistan (Klasse blue handles and titiaum stork from Cougar) these are cheap but good
one Dovo black teflon finish (one of the best)
two Wasa - a stork pair (my current favorites) and another pair similar to my Gingher
two from France (the Fleur and the Bunny)
and the two Gingher

Ode to the backstitch

2005-02-28T02:26:00.000-08:00

I have a love/hate relationship with backstitching. It's never been my favorite part of cross stitch. But on the other hand, by the time you get to the backstitching there is light at the end of the tunnel. So while I actually look forward to backstitching a piece, I don't really like sitting down and actually doing it.

I use to think this was because I thought backstitching was boring. Now I think its due to a reluctance to actually let a piece go, especially with a project that has been around for awhile. Suddenly there is this void, this little hole in the fabric of my life. Perhaps this is why I have so many UFO's.