More garden

I know I am rich…I have the love of a good family, many blessings and fairly good health for someone my age….and yesterday I got a $1500.00 trellis for my garden. That’s what my son told me as he was putting it in the ground.

 

He figures each pair of crutches cost us at least $500, therefore I must have a $1500 trellis. But isn’t that the funniest thing you’ve ever seen? …My neighbor came over yesterday to see what we were doing, he stood there for about a minute and finally a big grin broke out across his face and he said great idea…gets them out of the basement. Repurposing at its best; I can hardly wait to see the snap peas on it.

 

And Lucy is not sure whether this bench is going to be her new sunning spot or not.
Tomorrow it is getting cold again; they even used the snow word. It’s supposed to be May flowers not snow; 33-50 degrees rest of week…I’ll be working inside again. Must remember to pick lilacs and iris today, I’ll just bring spring inside for a while.
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have time to stitch today!
ttfn…sue

Spring has come to my patiio

It has been cold, dark and damp here in the Midwest for most of April and that is both annoying and unusual…But Sunday spring finally arrived in the Midwest, the birds are sing about it and I am finding it difficult to remain inside. And especially since the weatherman said the end of the week is going to be cold (and yes, he used that flake word) and rainy. Imagine May and snow…unheard of. My flowers will not like this and neither will I…at least it will not last long.

As you all are probably getting tired of hearing about, since we combined households with one of our sons we got the best end of this deal! Now my patio & yard is looking to others how I envisioned it all along…like a patio and garden to enjoy. This week-end our son opened the patio, planted flowers and vegies, and built me a fountain for the patio. He used my Grandmother’s old wash tub and watering can…too cute and I love a fountain…water is so calming and so-o-o relaxing.

And today Lucy (she’s in the picture) and I are taking full advantage of outdoor work space. I have flowers, fountain and sun to keep me distracted…no I have been working (computer in picture too), but it is hard.

And I am thinking about an outdoor siesta followed by sipping & stitching. Hope you all are having a spring moment too …

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have time to stitch today!
ttfn…sue

This week

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have time to stitch today!

ttfn…sue

Woodlawn Plantation Needlework Exhibit

Washington DC is probably the #1 place on my “where I would love to be if I am not at home” list. I have always loved DC since I was a little girl; my best friend says she know I lived there in another time. There is so much history (past and present) there and it has a diverse art community (there is a museum for just about everything). I don’t know how anyone who lives there can say, “There is nothing to do.” … Buy a Washington Post Friday edition..Week-end section (http://www.washingtonpost.com/) and read it …90% of the stuff is free too. My plug for the Nation’s Capital…

I have been to Woodlawn plantation to see the Needlework exhibit a few times. I think this is one of the oldest judged needlework shows in the country and have always thought maybe someday I would enter. I have always thought of this show as one of the premier shows in the country and they always have hundreds of entries (714 this year.) It’s one of those things you always think about but never do.

I had stitched these two pieces for my guild to teach couching. Both these pieces have identical border patterns; each uses different threads, one is on congress cloth and the other is on 18 count canvas and the center couching is different design I wrote a 45+ page booklet on couching  that I will publish later this year, but I had not framed the pieces. The Celtic knot piece was done with Jean Taggart’s Gaelic Gold in mind…I’m hanging them together in my study.  (http://www.needleart.org/Exemplary02/GaelicGold.php And the shamrock was just a natural companion since I had decided to call the project Celtic Origins.

[ED Note: you might recognize the Celtic Knot centers from a couple back posts...I had stitched these twice before stitching the big piece. ]

But this year I decided to take the leap and cross another one of the “tuit”s off my list. It was the 50th Needlework Exhibit at Woodlawn and just seemed like the right time.  So I had the pieces framed, packaged them up and sent them off. I am so glad I did, I won two ribbons (third and honorable mention) but that was just icing on the cake. What was the biggest honor was winning with other needle artists like Catherine Jordon (http://www.catherinesdesigns.net/), Kurdy Biggs (http://www.threedles.com/06012011/default.htm), and Susan Elliot (http://plays-with-needles.blogspot.com/)…I have their websites and blogs bookmarked and visit often just to be inspired and drool. I would love to be as free and creative as these ladies.

I would love to have gone and seen the exhibit but time did not allow for it. I am going to have rely on others to post pictures and links to those that are able to put their works online to share with us. Melita posted on her blog about her visit (http://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/woodlawn-roadtrip-2013/) to Woodlawn…I hope she’ll post her pictures soon too. If you have a blog or website and have posted pictures please let me know I will link to you too.

And for those of you in the Washington D.C. area, get out and do something wonderful this week-end…a trip to the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, and museum on the Mall, the cherry trees at Jefferson Monument must be beautiful right now, or just a trip to the zoo…It’s twitter-pated season, so if you go by the zoo, say hello to the Pandas for me. They are my favorites…and don’t forget to be nice to the camels as you pass by…they a jealous of the Panda attention and let you know.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have time to stitch today!
ttfn…sue

IFTG: It’s Friday, thank God

I think that phase is suppose to be TGIF ( Thank God it is Friday) but mine means where has the week gone. Have no pictures to share with you, unless you would like me to take one of my messy desk; I don’t ever seem to be able to keep this clear very often.

I’ve done stitches for a new stitch guide for a teacher/designer and I have tweaked a couple others that needed tweaking. Yes teachers/designers do correct their instructions…well at least the few I do stitch graphs for do. BUT, remember some designer/teachers print in large quantities to get a printing discount and so it may take a few classes to see those changes.

I am getting close to printing one of those projects and I have had a guild and 6 people check over the project and I know there are still going to be mistakes. We all read what we want to read or what we think is there. Sometimes errors are small a two for a to, a miss numbering, or just a typo no one sees until you get the final project.  Even with “spell and grammar checker” there are mistakes…please be patient with us… we try to get it right.

That said…I think if you move an incorrect instruction or stitch diagram (numbering is wrong or stitch placement is incorrect) from one teaching piece to another without correcting is not fair to the student/ purchaser.  I do know this happens AND it is my pet peeve. (I know I am too close to this too)

Okay, this was just going to be “I’m sorry I don’t have more to say” post for the week not a soapbox stand.  So, after I post this I’m off to First Fridays at the antique shops in the west bottoms (http://www.westbottoms.com/) for inspiration and finds I can’t live without. 

I have stitched this week and maybe next week will show this project…

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have time to stitch today!

ttfn…sue

Happy Easter

Happy Easter

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have time to stitch today!

ttfn…sue

Time to stitch

I was reading one of my bookmarked blogs, time to SewDaily (http://www.sewdaily.com/blogs/sewdaily/archive/2013/03/20/how-do-you-find-time-to-sew.aspx) and time seems to be a universal subject. When do I find time to… (fill in with your passion)? Do you getaway (retreat, trip to the lake, etc); take classes (offline…online doesn’t count here); Invite a friend over; get up early; or stay up late? Do you make a set time; take it with you, or just squeeze it in whenever?

This was one of my favorite replies from Luv2cre84u (http://www.etsy.com/people/Luv2cre84u)

She wrote:  You know what they say “A Clean House is a LIfe Un-lived”. I always remember that the house and chores will always be there so I just take time out for ME and sew when I need to. I put some laundry in and get lost in my “Therapy Room” as I call it. It makes me a happier person and I feel like I am creating something instead of feeling like I have not accomplished a thing. Life is too short not to create

This brought back such memories…I have a friend (mother of 5) and I was always telling her as our children were growing up to stop and smell the roses. I remember one spring day, after a horrible winter  that I thought we all should go to the zoo;  my friend had laundry to do (it must have been Monday…remember the nursery song: This is the way we wash our clothes…all on a Monday morning.) I remember asking her if she would have more laundry the next day and she looked at me like I was nuts…she had 5 kids. I reminded her she would always have laundry BUT today was the only today with her children, she would never have this time/day again…we went to the zoo.

My friend gave me two little signs I still have to this day:

Don’t fret about the mess…It’s my mess and I Love it

And

A messy house is a sign of character—wait tell you see the one who lives here.

And I had an embroidery (my youngest son with 4 kids has this now) that hung by our front door

All though you’ll find our house a mess…

Come in sit down, converse….

It doesn’t always look like this

Sometimes it’ even worse.

I live by those sentiments…this moment in time will never happen again! I know that makes me a procrastinator but you know when I’m gone no one is ever going to remember me for my clean house. They are going to remember me for my friendship, time spent with them and my creativity.

And I agree with the others that were said …”I have more ideas than time to create” and “I do it one step at a time”… (although I may have several projects at different stages of steps.) I have more irons in the fire than time, at any given minute I could find something stitch related to do. Just look at the pictures I posted…and these are the ones I have at my fingertips. I could go to my closet or the sewing room and find a few hundred more projects. Remember I consider these un-started and unfinished projects as life insurance…I’m going to live long enough to put a dent in all these. Or I’m going to have the best estate stitch sale someday.

I also thought these sentiments were true and good:

It’s not about finding time…but rather making time…

It is important to stitch, it saves your sanity.

And as Lu2cre84u said, “… Life is too short not to create.”

What do you do and how do you find time to stitch?

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have time to stitch today! I know I will.
ttfn…sue