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! :-)

My First 2012 Finish!

HI, I hope everyone's New Year is going well. Mine is altho I am wishing for a bit of snow, not the cold weather that comes with it!

Anyway, I wanted to do a short post with the picture of my first finish of 2012!

I stitched some snow so that's going to have to do for now!


Here's LHN's Winter Band Sampler!

Have a great week,

Sharyn :-)

Good-Bye, 2011! Hello, 2012!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's Eve! Before we look forward to a brand new year, I thought I'd share some pictures of last year, namely the past 2 weeks. The first picture is of the ornament that I stitched for my stitch group exchange. I was in a Quaker stitching kind of mood since I had just finished Quaker Christmas. I found this ornament in the 2010 JCS Ornament Magazine and it's by Legacy Designs.

Here's the ornament I received from the exchange from my friend Janet. I believe it's designed by PS.

I really enjoyed looking at our tree this year. We have an artificial tree, but for some reason the ornaments looked particularly good on it. It was fun to gaze at them all.

Here also is the stand we use for our grandchildren's Christmas stockings!

The grandchildren were waiting patiently in front of the tree before we started opening presents!

The weather was so mild on Christmas Day that the grandkids played outside! Last Thurs they all came with their scooters and had a ball riding on our driveway and curved walk.

Our Addie started playing the violin this year and her homework over the break was to perform a concert. She's doing quite well and we enjoyed hearing her play.

Lastly, I want to add my Jan 1st projects.... The North Wind by LHN and Winter Wonderland by Blackbird Designs.

I'll close wishing you all best wishes for a happy, healthy year full of many blessings!

Quaker Christmas

As promised, here I am again with pictures of my Quaker Christmas framed and hanging in my house!

Its honored spot is in the entryway and also at the end of the hall so is a pretty visible wall. Here's a close up!

Merry Christmas!

"It " is finished!!

By "It" I mean the piece that has monopolized all of my stitching time for many months this year! I have set most of my other stitching aside to finish this Quaker.

"It" actually was a bit addictive to stitch. "Stitch one more motif!" "It" kept calling me! And I loved to see the progress! I couldn't put it down!

So here "It" is.....the largest project I've ever stitched! I proudly present....

Quaker Christmas by ByGone Stitches!

I know I should have waited to show you until after it was framed...but I couldn't help myself! I should have it next Tuesday so I can hang it for Christmas! I will snap another picture of it next week hanging in it's honored place!

As far as my stitching now, I've almost finished stitching my ornament for my stitch group exchange. Then I will do the finishing. I'm also working on another sampler, much smaller....LHN's Winter Band Sampler.
Till next wk, I hope everyone is staying well, enjoying their Christmas preparations, and looking forward to the Holidays!

Stuck!

Last Saturday my DH and I took a day bus trip to Jamesport, MO, an Amish community. We almost didn't get there!

The day started out early, loading the bus in a drizzle, but we were soon on our way. Our first stop was to be at a greenhouse that specializes in Poinsettias. We would all get a chance to buy the plants we wanted for the holidays.

Our bus driver took a wrong turn down a country road! When he realized his mistake, he tried to turn around in a driveway, backed up and put the back of the bus in the ditch! We sat there for 2 hrs! Luckily I had some stitching with me so I did get something accomplished! The police and local sheriff came to direct traffic away from us since we were blocking the road!

We were happy to see the tow truck who eased us back on the road with no problem! We were headed for the greenhouse at last!

Here's the gorgeous Poinsettias!

Pictures of our 2 Poinsettias coming later.


Our next stop was at an Amish bakery and general store. We saw this farmer hauling a large hay bale.

In Jamesport, we ate lunch at an Amish restaurant, shopped in several stores, and went to a craft show. Here's some Amish buggies and horses, parked and waiting for their owners.

Our day ended with dinner at a family restaurant and the ride home! We were weary travelers, but thankful that no one was hurt from our mishap.

I'll end this with the Thanksgiving photo of our DGC!

I hope everyone had a Blessed Thanksgiving with their families!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

HI,

Yesterday was baking day.....I made 3 pies: Pecan, Apple and of course, Pumpkin!

I also tried a new recipe for Cranberry Salad. My friend Janet shared her family recipe, thanks Janet! 

Doesn't it look delicious? I can't wait to try it!

I snapped another picture to share of my Thanksgiving/ Christmas Cactus as it is opening more and more blooms! I'm really enjoying it this year!

We will be going to our oldest daughter Jennifer's house for Thanksgiving Dinner soon. Our youngest daughter Sarah and family will be there too so we will get to see all 5 of our grandchildren today! It's always so great to be together!

My wish for all of you is that you have a Very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving Day!!

Signs of Autumn

HI, there are many signs of Autumn around my house...........most apparent are the leaves on the ground. Many still falling and the trees are past their prime beauty.

But I do have a pumpkin display on our front steps. You can see that I found twin pumpkins, aren't they cute?

The Autumn table decorations came out for the season, and also my pillow collection.

One of the signs that I always look forward to at this time of year is the blooming of my Thanksgiving/Christmas Cactus! This year it really piled on the buds......

Of course I can't end this post without also showing some of my stitched Autumn pieces!

What are the signs of Autumn that you are enjoying at your house?

"Stitcher of the Month"

HI, again! I hope everyone has been enjoying the first few weeks of Autumn! Our temperatures have been dropping, and we'll have 50's and 60's next wk! Lows in 30's! Brrrrr! Not quite ready for that!

As promised, I took pictures of my stitcher of the month display at my LNS. However, I forgot my camera, I know, what a dummy, so I used my phone. The pictures aren't as good as with a camera. I have hopes of getting back into the shop before the month's end, and may be able to show the whole display.

Here's most of it. There are a couple on a shelf to the left that I couldn't get in the picture. As you can see, most of mine are Quakers. I love stitching them even tho one motif can take quite awhile. But what a feeling of accomplishment when one is completed!

On the top row is Blackbird's Quaker House, next is Rosewood Manor's Quakers and Quilts. As you can see, I chose to just stitch the Quakers! Next to it is La D Da's Quaker Alphabet, and I think the next one is by Carriage House. Last is Midnight Stitching's Quaker Row.

The bottom row, to the right of the sign, is Midnight Stitching's Quaker Floral, Knotted Tree's Fall Floral Sampler, a Blackbird Quaker from a retreat, and Samplers and Such's Quaker Friendship Sampler.

My mystery sampler is on display too! Isn't the green frame pretty? I was quite pleased with it. Now to find a place of honor for it here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Fall!

Hello, October!

Where did September go? Yes, I'm back after a busy month filled with weekend camping trips, a longer trip to Oklahoma, volleyball games and just general busyness!
I finished my mystery sampler and it is presently at the cross stitch shop on display with other finished pieces. I'm the stitcher of the month for October and can't wait to see how everything looks. I'll post a picture next wk after our stitch group meets there Tues.
However in the meantime, I have a few pictures of finishes to share, including one of the mystery sampler unframed.


This is a freebie that I made into a cube-it.

The next two are Primitive Betty freebies.

Anyone know the designer of this cutie?

I do know the designer of this adorable acorn...my friend Marianne of Midnight Stitching!

Another fall freebie that was asking to be made into a cube-it!

And last, but not least, my mystery sampler! I'm very proud of it and it looks stunning in the frame!
Can't wait to show you!