Attention: Smockers!

Dear Readers,
This post is devoted to smocking. I myself am not a smocker, but my dear cousin Jane is not only very skilled in smocking, but also in embroidery and heirloom needlework. She asked if I would do a post on the Smocking Arts Guild of America's upcoming convention in Oct.
The Smocking Arts Guild of America (SAGA) is holding their 2013 convention in Frisco, TX Oct 23-27. If you are interested in attending, the SAGA Online site is www.smocking.org. The following will give you more information:

Have you ever wanted to learn to smock? Do you admire beautiful embroideries from by-gone eras? Do you love to sew for children but your garments have that “homemade look”? Do you read sewing blogs and wonder to what the terms pin stitch, faggoting, hemstitch and featherstitch refer? Would you like to broaden your sewing skills? Come join the Smocking Arts Guild of America (SAGA™at its annual convention in Frisco, Texas October 23rd-27th and you will have a discover your hidden talents!

When you hear the word convention, think fun, exciting and educational classes! Each class has been evaluated and approved by a SAGA selection committee so you can be assured that you will be taught proper technique and execution allowing you to expand your sewing skills. From pattern drafting for children, mastering the peter pan collar, designing your own smocked ornament, learning how to shadow embroider, working on pulled thread, tackling the pea hole hemstitch, mastering your pleater, stitching an elaborate Elizabethan Panel, or simply perfecting your smocking, there is something for everyone taught at all levels!

Are you ready to challenge yourself to improve your stitching? Join the SAGA Artisan Programä and work toward attaining the level of apprentice, artisan or master in four different areas of expertise – smocking, embroidery, fine machine sewing and fine hand sewing. There will be an informational meeting of theArtisan Programä at convention to explain the process and classes you take can count toward achieving the necessary levels. Interested in helping your community with a service project using your stitching? Come and learn about the SAGAWee Care Program™, and get inspired by the talents of our members who donate hand smocked and embroidered gowns and bonnets to local hospitals for neonatal units and bereavement programs.  

Don’t know anyone? Don’t worry - ladies who stitch are friendly, helpful and love to have fun. So join the SAGA convention, learn a new technique, participate in the doll clothing contest and yes, even learn to Two-Step!

SAGA has chapters through out the United States and a chapter in Mexico and Australia! Local 

chapters meet monthly, bring teachers for seminars and participate in the Wee CareProgram™. If there is no chapter located near you, you can still become involved through the members at large program. For more information, check out the SAGA website at www.smocking.org!

Happy May!

Hi, yes, this is finally an update! I hope you are still out there, dear readers!

May, already! What a busy year I've had so far!

It started out with cataract surgeries on both eyes. What easy surgery! I would definitely recommend it if you are undecided about having your cataracts removed. Not only was the surgery easy and short and painless, it certainly helped my eyesight. I chose to still wear glasses, but I really only need them for reading.

At the end of January, my husband and I loaded up our RV and drove to Mesa, AZ! We stayed at a nice RV resort and visited Jerry's sister and BIL. We all went to The Grand Canyon on the train. Seeing it for the first time was breathtaking! We enjoyed it so much, even tho it was cold and windy. Was neat to see the snow on the canyon.

We enjoyed the AZ weather and took bike rides around the resort regularly. I have recently gotten interested in quilting so found a fun quilt store and even went to a quilt shop. And of course, went to The Attic! I was even fortunate enough to go on their Market Day Party!
We also went to two Royals Spring Training games! They play at Surprise, AZ. Was fun to be able to see them playing so well and we were able to get seats close to the field.

We stayed in AZ for 5 wks and on the way home, we stopped at Carlsbad Caverns. Walked thru the formations and oohed and ahhed!

Upon returning home, winter reared its head again and another snowstorm came thru.

 The end of April, we were off again on another trip.....this time to LA! Jerry's niece was married in the Hollywood Hills! We flew out several days earlier with our daughter and family to take in some sights. We spent a day at Disneyland, Hollywood with a drive to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive and a Warner Brothers studio tour.

So, now we are looking forward to Spring and doing some camping. I have still been stitching during all of this busyness and will post pictures my next update.

Until next time.......  :-]

Happy New Year 2013!

Happy New Year, Dear Readers!

I hope you are still with me, time really got away from me the last months of 2012. I do have family pics and finishing pics to share, so hope to do an end of the year post soon!

Right now I will close with best wishes for your new year! I wish you nothing but blessings!

It's HOT!!!

Greetings from sweltering MO! It was 105 here yesterday and weather reports for next week are for even hotter! So, I decided since I'm inside in the air conditioning, that it was a good time to update my blog.

So much has happened since I last posted on here.....let's see, we took a cruise to Hawaii, we camped, we took a quick trip to Minn and last weekend we took our 3 granddaughters to Branson, MO! We took our RV and we spent a day at Silver Dollar City, they had a ball!


On to the stitching: The first picture is of Debbie Draper's Quaker Alphabet. I stitched this in Crescent Colors Rainy Day on a piece of Lavender Mist. I think the brown frame compliments the piece.

Next is the sampler from Blackbird's book Honeysuckle Manor. I fell in love with this sampler when I first saw it. I stitched it up and then had to choose who to dedicate it to. I chose my paternal great grandmother, Etta Rock. I remember going to visit her on Sundays with my parents and sister. She led an interesting life..........she buried 3 husbands, had 11 children with her second husband, my great grandfather, and lost him when he was 48. She had 3 children with her 3rd husband, 14 children in all!

I stitched this patriotic piece for a SAL on one of my groups...it's a Doodle called God Bless America. I used a scrap of PTP fabric and DMC flosses. The border was a bit of a pain since I had to keep changing colors, but I like the way it turned out. Not sure yet what I'm going to do with it.

 

It's always fun to find something in your stash that you can stitch up quickly and en- joy. Such was the case of this Pine Mt July pillow kit so I will add a pic of it and end hoping you all are having a great July!

No April Fool's Joke!

Are you here, Dear Readers? It's no April Fool's joke, I'm back!

I can't believe that the whole month of March flew by without a single post from me! Thank you for still being here!

This year IS flying by.... and April looks to be one of those very busy months! But right now I want to share with you some of my stitching finishes!  Yes, I was doing something while I was away!

I fell in love with Blackbird's Woodland Berries last year when it was released as the bonus chart in the LF Summer leaflet. My LNS kitted it up with the fabric and flosses so I stitched it as my 3rd project for this year. It is at the framer right now, but here is the unframed pic. I stitched my initials where the yr was. If I remember correctly, I chose a primitive like plain brown frame for it.

Next is Shakespeare's Peddler's Spring Square. This was a kit from the Nashville Market. It stitched up quickly. I have plans to make it into a cube-it.

Lastly I finished stitching Beehive Needleworks Blue Tulip Sampler. This was my pick for my LNS's Sampler Club. I decided to continue stitching it at home as well and completed it fairly quickly since it was a small sampler. It will eventually be framed.

Before I leave, I'd like to apologize for the poor pictures, blurriness and lack of cropping. My camera skills weren't the best this time!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by and I hope to be a more faithful blogger the rest of the year!
Until next time, keep on stitching and may you all have a Blessed Easter!

My January 1st WIP

This is the progress I've made on my January 1st project for one of my boards. It's Little House's The North Wind and amazingly for us, the only snow we seem to be getting! We haven't had a measurable inch of snow this winter! I've given up and put my snowmen away! Still no snow! I really want a bit of winter, one of those days when you can stay home and watch the big flakes come down and see it pile up! I may just be dreaming this winter!

Just wait, we'll probably get snow while we are in AZ next wk! My DH and I are taking a week's trip to visit his aunt and sister and just plain vacation. And of course included in that trip will be a visit to The Attic! I'll report in when we get back! Happy Stitching to all!

The Old and The New

Last year I posted pictures of an old sampler that I'd purchased. It was glued onto a piece of matboard. I took it to my framer and we discussed what to do with it. She managed to remove it from the matboard and suggested it be sewn onto a piece of fabric and then framed. I picked out a frame and she did the rest! Didn't she do a wonderful job?!




Please excuse the glare from the glass. I took a couple of close-up pictures too.

My LNS has started a monthly Sampler Club. I picked out a design by Stacy Nash called Tribute to Summer Sampler. It's not a typical SN design and I think I was drawn to it because it reminds me of Blackbird Designs! At any rate, the fabric is on order so I will have to wait awhile to start it. So in the meantime, another sampler caught my eye.... The Blue Tulip Sampler by Beehive Needleworks. Here it is with my small start. I'm using DMC flosses and the fabric is called Smokey White.

Right now I'm still stitching on The North Wind, my Jan 1st project.

Happy Stitching until next time! :-)