Might Put These Down For A Nap; Current Cross Stitch WIPs

It has been a couple of months. I've been stitching, but not as much since there are always other more things that take precedence. There have been stash enhancements as well, more on that later. 

These below are about to go for a autumnal nap... or are they?

The King of Flowers / Luca-S Kit

The Mysterious Magnolias / Luca-S Kit

Birds and Wildflowers (Ornamental Birds) / Etsy: Nadiia Nagorna

Arctic Animals Club / TFPS

The Great Outdoors / Book: Cross Stitch for the Earth by Emma Congdon

Blooming Tiny Town / Heart in Hand

Flea Market Flowers / Lori Holt

Summer Mountain / Filigram 

Little Brown Sparrows / Lone Elm Lane

Seaside Tiny Town / Heart in Hand

I say "might" because after seeing the pictures now I want to work on them... LOL. Even if I do wake them up from their naps it might be just for a little bit. However, there is one more cross stitch WIP that I am not pausing. Will share that one on a future post. Here is a big hint: Animal Cracker. 

Autumn is in the air, and with the crisp mornings and delightful golden sun light my attention is on non-counted hand embroidery... my first crafty love.

PS: I thought stitching a full coverage cross stitch was daunting, but thanks to my Crafty-Sisters they don't seem as daunting any longer. ;-)

Hand Embroidery Threads Organized... Finally!

 

Yes, it took me FOREVER to get this done! Why? Not sure. Maybe because the task seemed daunting and boring? Perhaps. However once I started, it was hard to stop. Very satisfying! Got it done the last week of December 2024.  It made me so happy to finally have most of my embroidery threads in one place, and organized in groups by number. 

Much easier to find and was able to make lists of those I'm missing. 

The threads that are in project bags I still need to take inventory of. There should be enough room for those once I'm done with them, and for the ones that I'm missing. Of course, there were a few double or triple skeins or bobbins of the same color. However, from now on I do not think that will be a problem.

I could have gotten more containers so each color could have its own place, but I rather have one unit. Much easier for me to keep up with.

This organizer also comes with the drawers arranged in a couple other styles and sizes.

Notes: I used this spreadsheet here, and the container is from Amazon.

Instead of Flowers

For my anniversary, instead of flowers.... lovely threads! I do like flowers, but love threads. Not only do they last longer, but whatever I create with them as well. 

Until next time! Hoping you are well!

Valdani Pearl Cotton 12wt

These past few days I've been keeping busy, but not with stitching. 

Just now taking a little break and decided to post a brief update on new additions to my small Valdani Pearl Cotton 12wt collection. Received them in the mail couple of days ago... so pretty!

Japanese Embroidery Books: Lovely Florals

Decided to gift myself a few stash additions to enhance my Japanese embroidery book library. 

These were the ones that made it to my personal library.

All these inside peeks are of just 3 of the 5 books.

So many cute floral designs!

They look simple to recreate. A completely hand embroidered page will look great displayed on a table frame on top of a chest near our front door.

A fun and cute one here, look at that gardener piggy!

Even though I wasn't able to stitch these past few days, I'm definitely day dreaming about it. Starting to get some of my embroidery projects ready in order to continue working on them. By mid March I should be good to go... or so I hope.

Until next time! Be well!

Throwback Tuesday: Embroidery Threads

Presencia Finca Perle Cotton no.8 made in Spain

Cosmo no.25 Embroidery Thread made in Japan

DMC no.25 Embroidery Thread made in France

Sulky Petites no.12 made in Italy

I was finally able to pick up my needle and add very few stitches to my Garden Sampler, but since the progress was not very noticeable will wait to post about it. 

So left you with a throwback of some pictures of bright cheery embroidery eye candy ;-) , until next time! Be well!

PS: Any hand embroidery threads made in the USA?

Count Your Blessings Update and Stash Enhancements

There was a lot going on this month, there wasn't much time for blogging. 
Thankfully I'm practically done with my personal goal for volunteer work hours, and we were able to commemorate de most important event of the year! 

Afterwards there were a few stressful days (homeschool year approaching its end, and personal health issues, missing loved ones, furnishing guest room, very sick kids, doubling up on keeping house as free of germs as possible, etc.). 

Now that things are calming down, I was able to do a bit of stitch therapy. Added some more stitches to the "Count Your Blessings" cross stitch design... cottage done, grass is almost done, one tree is in the making. Lots of progress compared to the last time I posted about it here.

Did a bit of retail therapy as well... blaming it on those stressful few days. Better go now, I'm in the process of making a chicken salad for brunch sandwiches... yummy! 
Be well! 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!

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!

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! 

Japanese Embroidery Books Collection

Some of us enjoy collecting things. Do you? One of my favorite things to collect are Japanese embroidery books, they are so cute! My other favorite collection is of Aunt Martha's embroidery patterns. Perhaps you already knew this about me ;-).

When it comes to Japanese embroider books, I collect them for inspiration, motivation, and just for pure embroidery eye candy! Don't mind at all if I never get to make something from each of my books, in reality that'll be kind of impossible. 

My collection was started the year I was diagnosed with a life threatening illness from which, thanks to God, I'm able to call myself a survivor. During that trial-some time, (besides trying to keep myself built up spiritually, and surrounding myself with family/friends, and lots of positive thoughts) starting this collection gave me something to do and look forward to, especially since I wasn't able to be out and about. So much cuteness and beauty in each page gave me something to dream of that was at reach.

Nowadays living with a chronic illness is challenging, but it's not life threatening... from which I'm so very thankful for! These books keep having the same effect on me, they help with cheering one up a bit when in pain, however I'm not attached. They are just things, and "things" don't give me life and/or love. When I'm not able to participate in volunteer work (which is the activity I truly enjoy the most) these books serve a purpose; a therapeutic distraction from pain, especially when I get to make something from them! 

That's actually what this embroidery hobby is for me.. a therapy! My collection is still growing here and there. I have plans to have some fun making a few projects from some of these books once I complete certain in-the-making projects for some very special friends. In the meantime they keep entertaining me on challenging days, and helping me dream of better times ahead - Isaiah 33:24 / Revelation 21:3,4.

Do you have a special collection(s)? How did it started? Do you see your collection being complete at some point in time? Please do share! ;-) Below are a couple of pictures of the craft section of a visit to a Japanese embroidery book store in NY city. That was in 2011, how I wished I had more time to stay and browse more than what I did that day! Maybe some other time!

Hope y'all have a great weekend! 

Stash Enhancements ;-)

Well, not much stitching these past few days. However, I do have -among other things- some recent additions to my Japanese embroidery book collection. Here they are!

They are all lovely, but I think that my favorite is the one with 12 brooches on a pink front cover. The patterns in it are small so they are very quick to stitch plus they are lovely!

These two above also have lots of small designs, again, great for creating something cute in a short amount of time and still feel accomplished. It's been quite sometime since my last purchase of Japanese embroidery books... guessing I had to make it up for the lost time and that I also figured out (which is really not difficult) how to purchase directly from Amazon Japan... :-), which saved me lots of $$. Must admit that having this kind of knowledge could be very dangerous, you have been forewarned!

Finally, another Japanese embroidery book and Trish Burr's latest embroidery book which I purchase with a nice coupon ;-) from Barnes & Nobles. One day I hope to be able to spend some time learning Trish Burr's technique on needle-painting! Love her work! Maybe next time I'll have some update(s) on my embroidery and/or english paper piecing projects. Until next time!

Handpiecing ... Etc.

Lately, I've been dedicating most of my free time to the CQBC, and my hand piecing is on hold for the moment. Few weeks ago I took a few pictures of the tools/supplies I'm using for hand piecing.

Cookie Jar Pup was a bit overwhelmed by all these items, but really there's nothing much to it; a Clover magnetic pin holder with Clover fine patchwork pins, Sewline glue pen and fabric pencil, Clover needle threader, Omnigrid quarter inch rulers, leather thimble pads from the Colonial Needle, a Clover finger pressing tool, size 11 Foxglove Cottage straw needles, Mettler silk finished cotton thread, and Fons & Porter's seam ripper.  The Clover ring thread cutter and the black leather thimble are used occasionally. 

The fabrics are a mix. I think most of them are by Sandy Gervais, Fig Tree, or 3 Sisters, but I'm not really sure... it's been awhile since they became part of my stash. If you recognized them please give me some insight! ;-)

I already posted about the scissors previously (here), so won't go into details on this post. Trying to keep all tidy and at hand can be challenging. I really wanted a Bionic Gear Bag and I even got the pattern, but the dynamics between my sewing machine and I are practically non-existent at the moment. While waiting for a reply regarding having one custom made, a trip to Target took place and I found this handy dandy cosmetic/toiletry bag (traincase) that looked like a good candidate,... and I was right! 

I was able to fit everything I need for hand piecing as you can see above, plus a few other things. On a separate plastic zippered pouch are my scraps of fabric, template material, and quilt block paper pattern. 

It fits nicely inside the cosmetic bag, on top of everything else, as you can see below. This little toiletry bag has proven to be just what I needed without having to dig deep in my pocket! 

I'll still love to have a Bionic Gear Bag, perhaps when I master up boldness to sew one for myself. Having one custom made can be a bit costly, and rightly so, since there are so many steps to it. Perhaps one of you will like to trade with me, you could sew a BGB for me and I could hand embroider a few kitchen towels or quilt blocks for you ;-). I think a BGB bag will be perfect for keeping english paper piecing projects!

This toiletry will remain my designated hand piecing bag ;-). I have grown fond of it! It fits a lot, zips up nicely, and keeps its shape. I love having everything tidy and in place!

I must keep focus on the Crazy Quilting class, especially since I am so close to completing it, but having said that.... can't wait to keep working on a few more hand pieced blocks and my other hand embroidery projects!
Until next time!