A Freebie and a Masterpiece

Spring is definitely in the air on my side of the woods. Leaving a vintage embroidery pattern freebie for you to enjoy! Have a great end of the week and a lovely weekend!

Thoughts:

Despite the everyday hectic ins and outs, all the things that need our attention. All the running around. Our Heavenly Father gifts us with many awe inspiring moments, like this one yesterday on our way to one of my medical tests. 

Filled with Admiration.

Humbled and so Grateful.

Found awestruck by a heavenly masterpiece of beautiful skies. My day was made! 
(Psalm 8, Psalm 115:16, Psalm 37:29, Proversbs 2:21) 

Brief Project Update

Today I took the Give Thanks project out and added a few stitches to it. Was debating what color to stitch the bird (blue or black), black won! After finishing with the acorns caps, started the bird.

Above is how my organized mess was looking while I stitched. I love seeing pictures of others' creative messes, especially if they are related to hand embroidery! So post away people, let's see what you got! ;-)

Back Stitches for the lines inside the wing, and Stem Stitch for the outline of it. This close up above is of the Stem Stitch. I like to stitch the Stem Stitch the traditional way, instead of using a very popular shortcut for it. Why? Because it creates a neater back ;-). In  fact, the lower outlined of this wind was stitched with the shortcut version, will show you the back later so you can see what I mean. 

Picture above was posted (on a previous post, second picture), when I was getting ready to start. Stitches from the Harvest is a book by Kathy Schmitz. Honestly Kathy creates so many cute designs that it is hard to choose which ones to work on! 

In other news... One of the kiddos got a clean bill from the dentist, the other one not. So we'll be working on that soon. I have a couple of medical tests this week, hoping all goes well!
May you all have a great week ahead!
Until next time!

Organization: Useful Bags

For awhile now I've been keeping some of my most needed hand embroidery / cross stitch tools, supplies, materials, and patterns easily accessible by putting them in these see through purse organizers. At this point in my life, see thru crafts bags are very helpful. I really like how these are made, and the various pockets. The middle pocket do not have a zipper which works perfect for me.

Started with the smallest one, but then decided that I needed to have the hand embroidery items separate from my cross stitch items. Most of my current work-in-progress projects are hand embroidery projects, so I thought a slightly larger bag will be very handy to accommodate the necessary things for the ongoing embroidery projects. Glad to have found the same color in a larger size -although the red colored one was calling my name... which I still may get ;-) for taking with me inside purse when traveling. They sit at plain sight on my needlework chair which is in the master bedroom, so I wanted them to blend in a bit. 

Found them on Amazon, if you search for 'clear purse handbag tote organizer' you should be able to find a few,  but only some offer 2 sizes: medium (about 11"L x 6" H by 3" W) and 

large (about 13"L x 7.9" H x 5.5" W). As mentioned at the beginning, the largest middle compartment which is the main compartment on both bag sizes do not have zipper. Neither does the outer pockets. The only two pockets with zippers are the long pockets sandwiched in between the smaller outer pockets and the largest middle compartment. On the first picture you can see better the structure of both. I'm sure if you have basic sewing knowledge you could easily make them. For my personal situation it was just easier, cost effective, and more convenient to buy them already made.

How do you like to keep craft items that you need to have handy?

Would you mind sharing?

Thanks in advance! 

Until next time!

Cute Birdie from Sweet Stitches book by Aneela Hoey

As promised, here is a closer look at the cute birdie from the Sweet Stitches book (which I mentioned in more detail, fourth picture on this post). 
All embroidery threads are DMC skeins, color numbers I to use: 22, 326, 3781, 3881, 3895. Stitches used: Running Stitch (bird's body and legs), Back Stitch (birdie's chest / belly), Chain Stitch (cherries) Straight Stitch (beak and eye) , Stem Stitch (cherries' stems).
It is a very simple design and so cute!

Here is the picture that I posted before.
Perhaps, later on, I may want to stitch it again in a different color combo. That is, after making progress on some of my other projects... like the ones mentioned on previous post.
Until next time! 

Work In Progress Projects

Will really like to complete these 3 projects before spring arrives. 1) Aunt Martha's design (current bird block of ongoing lap quilt), 2) Kathy Schmitz's design from her book Stitches from the Harvest, and 3) Alicia Paulson's Daisychain ABC's Crewelwork Sampler. 
At times it is hard to keep motivated. Hopefully motivation will strike again soon. What helps you keep motivated to finish a project? Please do share!

New and Vintage Embroidery Transfer / Patterns Haul

Things didn't turn out as I was expecting these past few days... kids appointments were put on hold do to myself having to do an unexpected medical visit. A couple test pending. With all that anxiety, besides prayers, I did some retail therapy. One of my purchases was from Wings of the Morning on Etsy. Nothing better than super cute vintage embroidery transfers that evoke nostalgia and sweet memories of long ago. I had great customer service from Amy! Perhaps you may want to go check her shop out, there are still a few treasures to be found!

She even included this lovely gift! I tell you, around here it is so hard to find vintage embroidery transfers. So I'm grateful to have these on my stash now! My mom was the one who introduced me to embroidery (as I posted on a previous blog entry), vintage transfers remind me of her. Hand embroidery is therapeutic in so many ways for me!

So I will go thru the box little by little to distract myself while awaiting my upcoming tests, and of course take care of my kids appointments. Maybe I can find a few vintage designs I could share here. 

Kathy Schmitz released this pattern today! It is a PDF available in her Etsy shop, and her website. It'll be used for a stitch-along starting March 16th, not sure if I'm going to be able to wait to start mine, LOL. I'll be transferring it soon and have it ready... will try to wait.

Also added this book to my stash, a new book from Annela Hoey. Solely iron on transfers from designs on her previous books and a few new ones as well, there are a couple of design elements that are repeated a few times (for example a design of a small pair of embroidery scissors, the same pair of scissors appears in 3 designs). Not a biggie.
This cute birdie was a pattern Aneela use to sell in her shop (not sure now). I always liked it and wanted to stitch it, but I do not use PayPal... 3 times my info was compromised, very bitter experiences. Since canceling my account I've never gone back, not even use the feature of not needing an account to buy. Thereby, so glad to have found that this cutie was part of the patterns in this book purchased from Amazon. Didn't waste time and stitched it right away! Will post a close up later detailing the stitches used.

Here is a 'just for fun shot', organizing work-in-progress projects and getting ready to start new ones... like the cutie birdie that is now all done ;-). I'll expound a bit more on this on a future post.
So, tell me... do you sometimes do retail therapy? ;-)
Have a nice weekend! Until next time!

Time for a Break!

I'll be taking a break for a couple of weeks from updating this blog. We need to wrap up the first homeschooling semester, and get ready for the second semester. It is time for kids' round of visits to the various doctors. Thankfully although in winter, we are having some days in which it will be in the 70's,.... crazy I know, but I'll take it! Easier for me to move around doing all those errands when it is warm.
So I leave you with this little guy that I don't think I've posted about before. It was stitched awhile back on the work-in-progress hand embroidered lap quilt.  

When taking the picture I noticed that I forgot to stitched the edge of the table, oops!
That's all for now, be well! Until next time!

Notes:
Pattern is Aunt Martha's embroidery transfer no.3243 Bruno the Bear.

Needlework Corner

Awhile back I mentioned that my crafty area set up in the basement wasn't quite done. Thankfully in our master bedroom we have a very large armoire that was only half full with bed linens. Re-arranged the linens closet, moved some of the bedsheets and blankets in the armoire to the linens closet, only leaving a few that couldn't fit. 
I was able to fit some of my projects and stash (e.g. supplies, materials, books, notions) in the armoire, mainly of hand embroidery, english paper piecing, and cross stitch. 
There is still room in the armoire for more crafty stuff if the need be ;-).
As you can see, when sitting, my needlework Daylight lamp is on my right side, on my left side I have a sewing machine portable caddy filled with some of my current hand embroidery work-in-progress projects, and extra skeins of embroidery thread. 
I'm pretty happy with this makeshift set up, it is working great! Plus  my knees thank me for not having to be up and down the basement's stairs every time I may need something.
Have a great weekend! Until next time!