Well for all my big plans…

…I’ve stitched for a sum total of an hour and a half this month.  I have, however,  gotten most of my needlework library packed, my stash closet cleaned out and organized (with most of it in bins in the middle of the living room floor) and had a mild bout with food poisoning. (Have I mentioned I LOVE salsa? Sigh…) I am also trying to finish up a new website for work and share time with my mom who is visiting for a few weeks.

I am also woefully behind on sending thank you’s to those of you who leave comments and I’m even behind in my blog reading.  So please, be patient with me. This month maybe a little hit and miss with both stitching and updates, but in Arnold’s words ‘I’ll be back’

The only thing I’ve stitched on this month is a little necklace kit from Shepherd’s Bush called I Love America.  This is kind of a special little kit as I bought it at Shepherds Bush a couple of years ago.  We were at a family reunion in Idaho…and on Saturday, July 3rd I looked at my sister in law Paula (with whom we happened to be sharing a hotel room), waggled my eyebrows and said ‘you know…it’s not THAT far to Ogden.’  I spoke the truth as I saw it. It was, in fact, a mere 300 mile drive across a whole lot of nothing with high speed limits…piece of cake.

Being both adventurers and committed stitchers, common sense didn’t enter into the picture  and we were on the road in less than an hour. It was a good thing we called Teri at the shop. They had been planning to close a bit earlier than normal because of the holiday…but once they found out what we were doing, they graciously stayed open long enough for us to get there and do some serious shopping.  They do such a lovely job of making their customer’s feel very special!

It was a fun, if long, day and a wonderful memory.

I will be glad when the move is over and things get back to normal. I MISS STITCHING!

I’ll post again soon and hopefully will have a photo or two to share.  In the meanwhile…take care and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Julie

(This was the missing post referred to in the following entry. I um…well, I published it as a page and not a post.  One of those ID-10-T errors. (read the word it spells :-))) So…I’ll be back tomorrow.  Blessings, J)

ok…

…I guess I’m losing my marbles.  I know I wrote a post yesterday. Could have sworn I published it. Now it seems to have disappeared. It’s not in drafts…it’s not anywhere.

Help!

I am off to the lake until tomorrow. So I’ll update then.  Sorry, I really did have good intentions.

If anyone finds my lost words…please send them back to me. Happy Stitching!

Blessings,

Julie

Happy Fourth of July!!!!!!!!!

I am grateful for my country, my freedom and the men and women down through history who have given of their lives and energies to ‘make it so’.

May everyone who lives here in the states have a wonderful holiday and may EVERYONE have a peaceful and blessed day.  Happy Stitching!

Blessings,

Julie

First of all…

…thank each of you who visit me here and leave comments. I had more visitors last month than ever before! I want you to know it is a joy and a privilege for me to share my passion for the needlearts with everyone who takes the time to stop by. I have met wonderful friends in this on-line world…what a friendly and talented group of people! I feel so blessed.

Well, stitching in June ended with kind of a bust. I was organizing my studio (stitching room, whatever trying to get ready to move and I didn’t finish my kloster blocks or my Christmas ornament. Still, I was able to put some of my goals into the ‘done column.” This is how June shaped up:

June 2008:

1. Get back into the habit of blogging- at least 2x per week-15 posts for the month–Done!

2. Finish Santa Fe Square by Gay Ann Rogers–Done!

3. Finish a Christmas Ornament-Nope

4. Finish Kloster Block outline on A Quilter’s Garden by Emie Bishop-Made progress, but didn’t finish

5. Finish second repeat on the Colinette Afghan-made progress but didn’t finish

6. Start a freestyle embroidery piece…even if it’s just two stitches. :-)--started a little Janalynn kit…a simple pillow, but it’s still a start! Done!

Not great, but better than the last few months.

Now, as for July. I went ahead and set goals, but with moving, I’m not entirely certain how successful I will be in the done column. Still, I want to try, because it helps  to have something to aspire to, apart from filling boxes.

So here are my July goals (also posted in ‘2008 Monthly Goals’ in my sidebar.

July 2008:

1. Continue blogging-at least 2x per week.

2. Finish (as in clear coat) new maple bookcases and move.

3. Finish second repeat on the Colinette Afghan

4. Finish klosters and eyelets on A Quilter’s Garden by Emie Bishop and start cross stitching.

5. Stitch Christmas ornament

6. Finish Janalynn Pillow-freestyle embroidery

7. Start rotation, even if just one hour on the Kingsland Ancestral Wedding Sampler.

8. Send in next phase of ANG Master Needlework Artist.

9. Stitch 4th of July Shepherd’s Bush necklace!

10. Start Catherine Agnes by Indigo Rose

I have to do the Master Needle Artist submittal…that is non-negotiable. While it seems like a lot, none of these are really huge, time consuming things, so stay tuned and see how it all turns out. Besides, what’s life without something to work towards.

For all of you who live in the U.S. A.-I hope that you and your families will have a peaceful and happy 4th of July celebration. Please join me in giving thanks for this marvelous country in which we live.

Blessings to all who stop by to share my little world. I’ll end as I began.—thank you!

Julie

Nope…

I haven’t fallen off the face of the planet. It was just a very, very busy week. I am still hoping, on this last day of June, to finish one more goal I set. I want to finish all the kloster blocks on A Quilter’s Garden by Emie Bishop, so I can move on to the eyelets and cross-stitching. I am…SO CLOSE. I will take a photo as soon as my camera comes home from Cleveland. DH seems to think architecting is more important than pictures of ecru on ercu stitching. Since he brings home a good portion of our bacon by practicing his profession, who am I to argue???

In other news…lol… we will be moving at the end of the month and while I am looking forward to more space and a dedicated studio, I am not looking forward to moving. I’ve spent quite a number of hours in the last few days starting to sort (yes, again), organize and pack my needlework/art supplies. I do have a couple of photos of the chaos which ensued from my good efforts:

These are my kit boxes..labeled by designer.

And this was taken while I was sorting threads:

See if you can find the phone, label machine and, hardest of all, the bed. The bed which my mother plans on occupying tomorrow night. Yikes!

And, last but not least:

Somewhere underneath all the thread and baskets is a comfy rocker. Also to be used by mom tomorrow night. Double yikes!!! Mom, if you’re reading this, I promise it looks better now…really!

So…that’s my life right at this moment. Always a bit of a challenge, but still good. I’ll be updating as I can over the next month and still hope to get lots of stitching done.

Hope everyone is enjoying pretty weather on this summer’s day.

Blessings,

Julie

Warning! Enabling alert…

…warning! Run fast, run very fast. Or…if you’re a needlepoint enthusiast with a hankering for cute designs and bright color…stick around. You’ll be glad you did.

Those of you who live in Minneapolis and who are going to the Needlework Guild of Minnesota’s annual retreat in August, know our theme for the retreat is ‘Mermaids’. What a perfect idea, especially in my little world. Why? Because I am huge fan of women in fish clothing. I know it’s a little strange. And I can’t even tell you exactly why I like this particular manifestation of mythology so much. It’s something about the shimmery, iridescent scales, long hair crowned with a flowering seaweed ring (um…does seaweed flower?), strategically placed shells (or not :-). So yes, I confess, I’m fifty years old and I like mermaids. When I got through my heart surgery I even bought myself Jim Shore’s beautiful cast resin mermaid….

Uh-oh…I sense myself bouncing down another bunny trail. Focus, Julie, focus.

Okay, back to the topic at hand. Mermaids. So there I was the other day, unsuspecting, securely on the wagon, innocently perusing new needlework blogs and what do I happen on but this:

Yep…you guessed it, I’m a goner. The wagon is no more than a cloud of dust on the distant horizon. But can you see my vision? A fine scissor case for retreat…people ohhhing and ahhing over my shoulder, thousands of dollars being offered as I auction off my antideluvian (well…sorta), somewhat Atlantian bling…formation of a ‘Save the Mermaid’ foundation…perhaps even a push to rebuild Atlantis…ahhh, the beauty of it all.

And the best news is, this gorgeous piece (and attendant fantasies) can be yours, too! This is a painted canvas called Neptune’s Daughter by Happy Heart Designs. It (she) is only one of many canvases available from this gifted designer. So please, if you like what you’re seeing, enjoy looking at this wonderful site full of color and fun. (there is another mermaid design, too! Talk about an embarrassment of riches.)

Tish (the designer and owner) is very helpful and I sense she has the heart of a true stitching sister…passionate about her art and a great enabler to boot! She also has a blog that’s fun and great reading. It is called Stitching Hands and Happy Hearts and you can find it bookmarked on my sidebar.

( I will say I am not affiliated in any way with Happy Heart Designs, nor did anyone pay me vast amounts of legal tender to write this entry. I just really like Tish’s work and her wonderful service!)

So, enjoy! I have a feeling that a few of you might be running right beside me as we try to catch up to that ‘ole wagon. Don’t worry, we’ll hop right back on…at least until the next time :-).

Blessings,

Julie

C’est Finis!

…or something like that. It just sounds so much better than I’m done!!!! But, I’M DONE with Santa Fe Square by Gay Ann Rogers!!!!!! I worked on it from June 5th through the 23rd, so it was fairly quick stitch. I started it several years ago at class but I only had about forty stitches in the thing and then left it to languish. Well…it languisheth no more. I had hoped to have it done on Sunday but I guess I bounced down too many bunny trails.

When last we spoke I was working on corners. Four of them. Upon finishing my last waffle stitch, it was time to fill in the rectangle between each corner. Once finished, these rectangles looked like this:

And like this:

And now the entire piece finished and ready for the framer:

I really enjoyed working on Santa Fe Square…the different stitches, the colors, the variety of threads. As was mentioned in a previous post this is a gift, but I plan to stitch this piece again this year in a different colorway for me.

Now it’s on to A Quilter’s Garden by Emie Bishop. My goal for this month is to finish the kloster block outline.

Thanks for looking. Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Julie

“If you always do what interests you…

…at least one person is pleased.” Katharine Hepburn’s words, not mine. But there are a lot of similar sayings out there…remember, ‘do what you love, the money will follow? I’ve been thinking a lot about this over the past few years of my life.

Don’t get me wrong, I like my job, I do it well, I am…oh, we’re back to this again…I am comfortable. But as people change, as lifestyles change, as attitudes change, it is becoming less and less satisfying to spend my energies on something so ephemeral.

I believe it is this search for what is solid and meaningful in life that has made me a woman of faith…because through faith I find hope for something beyond the clutter. I believe that’s also why I stitch. When I put needle to linen or canvas, I am creating something that will, in all likelihood, outlast me. It’s also a mute statement of my values: The value I place on handwork in this day of transitory pursuits, the gift of time in a world filled with busy work, my desire to excel in my chosen fields of endeavor, my love of color and texture and even the beauty I find in quiet, solitary pursuits (um…I suppose I should also confess my less than admirable desire to avoid housework must be included in this list). In some small way, my needle and thread form a part of the portrait of my life.

Stitching has helped me through painful days and hours. It has helped to pass the best of times and the worst of times (with a nod to Charles Dickens). It has brought me friendships so dear I can’t begin to imagine life without each one who is bound to my heart with stitches of gold. It has lent a certain luminous beauty to the walls of our home. It has taught me more about the great joy of giving. I can’t number the hours I’ve spent stitching for others. The minutes pass in pleasant thoughts and memories of dear ones near and far. I pray, laugh and sometimes even cry as my needle shares a part of me that will soon pass to another.

One day I hope to leave the ‘comfortable’ realm of my career and instead, trust that love, hard work and a lot of prayer will form a foundation as I teach others this marvelous art form. Yes, that’s my goal…to teach, to create and to teach some more. I hope I might even find a way to make a small living without having to find a patron.

A dream? Yes. But that’s okay…Dreams can form the foundation for tomorrow’s reality, right?

I have so much more to share that is directly related to my stitching (for a hint see 2008 finishes :-)) but WordPress isn’t cooperating. I can’t upload photos at this time so tomorrow will have to be soon enough.

In the meanwhile…happy stitching!

Blessings,

Julie

Four squares…

….squared twice then halved. No…that’s not it. One square, squared twice…? Nope, that’s not it either. Oh well, math was never my strongest subject. What is this all about you may, legitimately I might add, be asking yourself? It’s about my progress on Santa Fe Square by Gay Ann Rogers.

Yes I’ve started on the middle section. More specifically I am working on the corner squares. Logically enough, there are four of them. I have finished two. These little gems are pretty time consuming, starting with a border of padded Gobelin, followed by a border of cross over two using six strands of floss. That means the thread has to be plied and every stitch has to be laid. But I love the look–almost braided. Then yet another border of cross over one and finally…the pinnacle…a waffle stitch using 3 different threads and requiring 52 passes of the needle to complete. This is why I only have two done. But I have to tell you, these corners are SO cool. Talk about TEXTURE!

You don’t have to take my word for it. Here are a couple photos of my progress through yesterday.

See? Cool!

I am having a wonderful time with this. So wonderful, in fact, I plan to stitch it again in a different colorway for our home. The incarnation I’m working on right now is destined to be a gift. And I’m pretty certain I want one of my own. I’m thinking jewel tones for the next one. Deep blues and greens…hints of red and gold. What do you think?

It’s something to mull over anyway, since this project is drawing to a close. I have two corners left to do, then the middle panels on each side, then I will be done. I am hoping to finish the corners today and the rest of it by the end of the weekend. I even have the frame picked out.

For those of you who have the chance to stitch one of Gay Ann’s Designs…the instructions and the diagrams are great!

Well…I am off to work after which I plan to go for a walk. Then…I intend to engage in some serious needle-play. I hope everyone has a great day and finds time for some peaceful stitches.

By the way, this is my 100th post. Thanks so much for continuing to share my world, each of you is a gift!

Blessings,

Julie

Two victories…

…in a single day. First of all, I USED MY SEWING MACHINE. Okay, so I know there are several inquisitive types out there scratching their heads and wondering why I’m acting like I just won the Nobel Prize for needlework (which I believe with all my heart, mind and soul should exist in this universe…:-)) all because I used a commonplace electronic gizmo.

Lemme ’splain. One of my goals is to free myself of counted ground gridlock. Now I love counted…needlepoint, cross-stitch….virtually any kind. And the more varied the stitches, the better I like it. I’m even somewhat good at it. In other words, I am ‘comfortable’. But lately comfortable is starting to grate. I’ve been longing for crazy quilt squares with wonderful surface stitchery, for landscapes created in free-form machine stitchery, for cool silk paper masks and abstracts…let’s call it a mid-life crisis.

So about a year and a half ago I put the chicken before the egg in a totally backwards, but somehow glorious way. I bought a Baby Lock Crafter’s Choice machine. It’s beautiful. It does everything. It has the feed dogs that drop. I love it. It is the very best sculpture in my studio/den/guest room.

Therein lies the problem: It’s not supposed to be a sculpture. I spend what, for me, was a lot of money on this gorgeous machine that I”M TOTALLY AFRAID OF. Now mind you, I have weathered more episodes at North Cardiology than anyone I know…so I don’t scare easily. But this little white machine has me shaking in my shoes and so it gathers dust.

But if I’m going to do any of those FABULOUS things lurking in my middle-aged psyche I have got to wipe off the dust, grit my teeth and practice. So today I am proud of myself and why? All because I managed to sew a not-so-straight zig-zag around a piece of fabric. I will share photos later so y’all can laugh. But that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

The other thing I did? I listed more stash for sale and altered prices on a few things. I have, conservatively speaking, 1500 leaflets.  Given I probably have fewer years ahead than behind, both logic and common-sense prevail upon me to stash bust, at least a little. So there are now more patterns listed on my Stash For Sale page. Enjoy perusing the new additions and if you have questions please feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me.

More later…

Blessings,

Julie