Spring Bouquet

Jeanne and I arranged this bouquet last Friday. The butterflies are a sweet touch.



It sits prettily on our mantle.


#cornerofmyhome

Easter Banner

My long anticipated Easter banner is finally done. Bonus: I finished it in time to use it as an Easter decoration this year!

I completed the stitchery in 2002. I knew I wanted to finish it as a banner with prairie points, but I'd never done the technique, so was hesitant to attempt it. So the needlework lay in my "stitched but not finished" box for over a decade and a half. That, my friends, is a lot of indecision.

Since one of my 19 in 2019 goals this year is to get at least six of those items finished and ready for display, I knew this banner would be one of them.

I finally buckled down to learn how to make prairie points. It's simply folding a square of fabric point-to-point twice which creates a right triangle. Then you sew the raw edges into the seam of your project. The single-folded edge gets tucked in between the double-folded edge so that the base of the triangles slightly overlap.

The trick was to figure out a happy proportion of the size of the prairie points to the size of the banner. But that meant I first needed it figure out the size of the banner. It's a numbers thing. I'm great at following specific directions. But when I have to figure out the steps myself, I sometimes have trouble with measurements and proportion. Dale, my numbers guy, gave me some ideas on how I might go about determining my finished size. It worked like a charm -- plus he double-checked my math.

I wanted to have a prairie point at each of the bottom corners, as well as the sides and bottom. The instructions I was using for prairie points didn't have that detail, so I made it up as I went along. My corner points are a little small, but not too bad for a first attempt.

Earlier this year I bought a "lot" of about eight banner hangers from a local gal through Facebook Marketplace. They are decorative wire hangers with a wooden dowel as the hanging rod. Each wire topper is a different design. This tulip definitely sings "Spring" and is the ideal topper to my Easter banner.

My banner is filled with some quilt batting to make it puffy. I folded the top of my banner around the wooden dowel, then sewed it into place.

I was thrilled to finish my banner just days before Easter, and before I'd be out of town waiting for baby Annalee's arrival. I was able to display my banner in our dining room this year, and look forward to hanging it for many future Easters.

Silver Foxy Lady

My Ladies of the Evening series continues today with the Silver Foxy Lady.  She stands six inches tall from her base to her top. Her handles extend another four inches above the opening. She's completely beaded on front back and sides with combinations of silver and clear beads and faceted silver sequins.

The bottom of this lady is an oval of silver satin. She's about 3-1/2 inches deep. All her seams are covered in a double row of clear seed beads.

The vertical columns of designs are mirrored on the front and back of the handbag. On the left are
a vine with flowers and leaves. The flowers are made of five circular silver sequins with a clear seed bead in the center of each petal. Another sequins/bead combo forms the flower center. The leaves and vine are made of rows of seed beads.

The second column is comprised of bugle beads sewn into a zigzag design.

Next we find a column of a vine and leaves, all made of seed beads.

The center column is wider than the rest and has two rows of bugle beads on each side of it to set it off from its neighbors. The flowers are large, which I'll describe in detail below. The vines and leaves are made of seed beads.

I had to study these large flowers quite a bit to figure out how they are constructed. It starts with a circlet of six circular sequins with clear seed bead centers. Close to that outer circlet is another row of six circular sequins with seed bead centers.  

It appears that these sequins/seed-bead layers are stacked, all sewn to the ground fabric with a single thread. So when the needle re-enters the fabric after going through the sequins/bead stack, the inner row of sequins pops up into that inner flower shape. I'm looking forward to attempting to duplicate that flower!

The center of these flowers is a large (maybe 4mm) silver seed bead.

Because of the way it's constructed, these flowers are very dimensional, popping up off the base fabric and adding a lot of sparkle.

The next column of flowers is like the first, a vine with sequin flowers and seed bead leaves.

The sixth column is quite geometric. It features a square (non-faceted) sequins sewn on point with clear seed bead center, surrounded by a diamond of seed beads. A short line of seed beads leads to a circular faceted sequins with a with clear seed bead center, surrounded by a circle of seed beads. A line of seed bead then leads to a cross of clear bugle beads with seed bead accents. The final line leads to anther flat square sequins surrounded by a diamond of seed beads.

The last column is quite different from the rest. There are no clear seed beads at all. The flowers are made from silver bugle beads and a silver seed beads interspersed with single silver seed beads. This is unusual and an interesting break from the other columns of clear beads.

This lady keeps her mouth shut with a nickle-size magnetic snap clasp. When closed, the handbag retains it's shape with this clever strap. The leather straps which are sewn into the lining snap together, pulling the sides into a pleat at the top of the bag. 

But when those straps are unsnapped, You can see that this lady has quite a bit of room for all her evening necessities. 

I don't recall how I got to know this lady. Memory says she is another inexpensive thrift store find. She's in remarkably good shape. There are only a few loose beads at the top which will be easy to secure. She's very clean on the inside. Unfortunately, her handles are rather soiled, so I'll need to figure out how to clean them up.

I enjoy that this little lady knows how to stand up for (by) herself. She sits atop a table very prettily.

Pink Hyacinth

There is only one hyacinth in our yard that blooms each year. It hides among the tall grass. I found it this year in the golden hour.

Morning Walk

Tulips waft in the Spring breeze in my neighbor's yard.

#flowersforfriday



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Throwback Thursday - 2004 (Part 13)

These are the last 5 cross-stitch projects and one knit project I completed in 2004. It's been a run!


Pat's Flower Bookmark

The bookmarks made for my quilting friends continue. This came from a leaflet called Ribband Ribbon to Cross Stitch: Linda Dennis' Primer Charted Designs: 70 Projects. I adapted a pattern for a napkin ring to make this colorful bookmark.

Royal Blue Scarf

I took a break from cross-stitch and knit three of these royal blue scarves. I was able to sell two of them, and gave the third to my daughter for her birthday.

The scarf is all done in knit stitch using size 11 needles. They're 15 stitches across, and I made the scarves as long as I liked. I added six inches of fringe to each end. The yarn is just wonderful. It's Lion Brand Yarn, Chenille Thick & Quick. It's great to work with and barely ravels.

The White Cat

This pillow was a surprise gift for my daughter. Ever since she was a little girl, Jeanne wanted a fluffy white cat. She got a tabby instead. But I remember that original wish.

The look on this little guy's face drew me in. I had a compulsion to stitch it for Jeanne's 20th birthday. Bonus, I somehow managed to complete it without her knowledge! I decided to finish it as a tuck pillow. The brown fabric is nice and fuzzy and soft.

The chart called for two skeins of Oatmeal Gentle Arts Sampler Thread to stitch the cat. I only had one skein and couldn't find another locally, so had to compromise. I did the bottom portion of each "X" with DMC 3033 (the alternate color given on the chart). Then I did the top of each "X" with Oatmeal to allow the subtle shading to show.

The chart called for the flower centers to be small black buttons. I looked through my stash, but couldn't find four buttons all the same size. So I decided to use some orange sequins and black beads as the flower centers instead. I made my own tuck pillow from fabric in my stash.

Terrie's Pretty Bookmark

This is another bookmark which I stitched as a birthday gift for a gal in my quilt group. Terrie loves pink and pretty things. She was thrilled with this.

This is the fifth bookmark I've stitched from the Pretty Bookmarks chart. They are all so lovely!

Lois' Bookmark

This pattern reminds me of snowflakes, perfect for a winter birthday. I decided to stitch it for Lois to include with her birthday card.

I found this border pattern in a book called Julie Hasler's Cross Stitch Projects: 65 Quick and Easy Designs. It's a book full of inspiration and designs printed on graph paper, but without specific instructions for color or fabric. In the book this pattern is shown as a border for a table runner and napkins. I adapted the pattern for this bookmark, using a variegated floss.

Clara's Bookmark

Here's the last project of 2004. I tucked this bookmark into Clara's birthday card in January. I thought some pretty flowers would help cheer her up.

This is another nice design from the Ribband Ribbon to Cross Stitch leaflet.

And with that, my Year of the Small Project was complete!


On the next #throwbackthursday, I plan to share some crafts that I completed in 2002. It's a series of ornaments made from salt dough.

Carving a Suburban Nesting Spot

#wordlesswednesday

Clown Nose

Best use of plastic Easter egg

Like Mimi, like granddaughter

A Trio of Tulips

By the front door ... with my phone's camera

By the front door ... with my macro lens

This morning's drawing

Our New Granddaughter

Annalee

Small Swirl Lady

This Lady of the Evening is a petite gem. I found her locked in a glass case in a vintage shop. I lusted over her for months before finally deciding to lay down the cash.



She's a dainty lass, only 4 inches wide and 3-1/2 inches tall. She built on a metal frame with a well-designed clasp.



At the bottom, she's 1-1/2 inches deep. She's completely beaded on both sides in an intricate pattern.

Swirl Lady can open her mouth 2-1/2 inches wide. Inside, she conceals a 3 foot long chain handle.

Her base fabric is black and has lots of body. It covers some type of stiff board to structure her shape. It feels like there is some type of padding on the exterior of the board, giving a softness beneath the beaded cover.

The handbag is made in China for designer Inge Christopher. I'd never heard of this designer until I did some research before writing this blog post. Inge makes gorgeous handbags and jewelry. Her looks are sported by celebrities and on fashion runways.



Three types of beads make up the swirl design. The intertwining circles are constructed of small, faceted bugle beads. It's difficult to determine their color because they capture and reflect light so well. They are either clear or silver. In this photo, many look blue. That's because they are reflecting the light of the blue backdrop I used in my photo studio.

Longer smooth bugle beads are used in clusters of three for the center of each circle.

Surrounding that center cluster are black seed beads. They fill in the diamond shape comprising the interior of the circle, and visually set the longer bugle beads apart from the short faceted ones.

My little lady is in superb condition. There are no missing or loose beads. The interior is pristine.

I wasn't able to find this exact beaded lady online, neither on the designer's website nor on resale sites. But comparable beaded "cocktail party bags" retail from $110 to $255. Whoa!

I'm positive I bought this for under $35. But I remember it being closer to $15 (which is still much more than I usually pay).

She is a beauty, and fits sweetly in the palm of my hand.

Grape Hyacinth

These tiny flowers are beginning to bloom by our front door

and on the hill in the back yard.

None are completely open just yet.

#flowersforfriday

Throwback Thursday - 2004 (Part 12)

In September 2004, I finished these five projects:

Pretty Basket Bookmark

This bookmark is made from the same leaflet as the last two bookmarks I made, Pretty Bookmarks by Leisure Arts. It's stitched without substituting colors. It's the last of the bookmarks made for the October birthday quilters. I was able to complete the entire bookmark in a single day.

Jeanne's Angel

The Year of the Small Project continued with this little angel designed by my daughter Jeanne. For Mother's Day in 1999, Jeanne gave me a packet of charts which she created by herself. She asked me to be her "model stitcher" and I stitched one or two each year.

These are the colors Jeanne chose using a cross-stitch design program. Once stitched up, she found they are a bit brighter than she had originally envisioned.

Letter S

I stitched this medium-sized project for my mother-in-law. She has sophisticated tastes, and loves the color cranberry. I hadn't stitched much for her, and wanted to have a special gift to give her for Christmas.

Earlier in the year I quickly stitched a Mother's Day card for her. I knew that she appreciated it the day I gave it to her. The next time I stopped by her home, I saw that she had framed the card and hung it on the wall! Wow. That was unexpected.

It also made me a little uneasy in that it was such a little thing to have done for her, but I'd never given her a stitched gift that was worthy of framing. Right then and there I decided to do something special. That's when I found the Letter S. It's the first initial of her last name.

I stitched this on 28ct Lambswool Jobalan. It was a dreamy fabric to stitch on! It felt so good in my hand, and had a great texture and color. To make this one easier to stitch, I first gridded my fabric. I chose a cranberry-colored DMC cotton floss that gave good coverage. There was something extremely soothing about stitching this single-colored piece that flowered before my eyes.

I framed this project myself, and am very pleased with the outcome. On the back, I placed a label that says that I stitched it especially for her on the occasion of Christmas, 2004.

Jeanne's Pretty Bookmark

This piece is also made from Pretty Bookmarks by Leisure Arts. My oldest daughter, Jeanne, saw the earlier bookmarks and requested that I stitch this for her birthday next month. Once again, I made a few changes. Jeanne requested that I use the same nice autumn color pallet that I used in the Pretty Autumn Bookmark instead of using the pastel colors called for in the chart.

Windsock Ornament

I saw this unique windsock ornament design in an online auction and just couldn't resist bidding on it. The finished piece was just right for an ornament exchange I participated in.

There's nothing really special about stitching the design. The tricky part is in the finishing. I put it together incorrectly the first time, so needed to take it apart and try again. 

The ornament is backed with fusible interfacing, then hemmed. Next, the ribbon streamers are sewn on. You then form the ground fabric into a tube, sewing a seam to connect the two ends. Finally, you sew the ribbon hanger on the top. I enjoy this unusual finish, though I found mine was more wobbly than I'd hoped.

I've heard from a couple stitchers that also finished windsock ornaments. They recommend pressing the fabric with a steam iron at each step of the construction to get crisp edges. That helped the wobbles go away.

I'm nearly done recounting my 2004 projects -- only six more to go. I may be able to show all of them in my next #ThrowbackThursday 2004 blog post.

Storm's A-Brewin'

#wordlesswednesday

Stacked Rock Meditation

Each Spring when the Spokane River is running swift and low, I climb down the embankment to spend a little time at the river's edge. It's a sacred place swallowed by the water for most of the year.

Hippity Hoppity

Easter's on it's way



#macromonday

Daisy

My dad used to sing this song to me:

Daisy, Daisy
Give me your answer, do.
I'm half crazy
All for the love of you.
It won't be a stylish marriage.
I can't afford a carriage.
But you'll look sweet
Upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.

Missing my mom and dad today.
Dale and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary yesterday.
Wish they could have celebrated with us.

Lunch Sack Lady

I don't know if this shape of handbag has a common name. The shape and drawstring remind me of a lunch sack, so that's what I call her.

The body of Lunch Sack Lady is constructed like a column. Her circular base is 4-1/2 inches in diameter. Her sides rise 5-1/2 inches from the base to the drawstring which cinches the bag closed. The petals that rise above the drawstring are 3 inches from bottom to the point and are 3 inches across at the widest area where the petals meet.

Lunch Sack Lady is made from an ivory pearl-colored satin fabric. The entire face is embroidered and beaded with clear seed beads and 3mm pearl beads.




All seams are covered in rows of the clear seed beads. The pearl beads are sewn in place singly and in clusters that form the centers of the embroidered flowers.



The petals at the top of the handbag are plain satin on the underside.

They are fully embroidered and beaded on top. Again, all seams on the petals are covered and outlined in the clear seed beads.

The drawstring that closes the handbag is made from a thick braided cord which ends in fobs that are about the size of a nickel. The fobs are beautifully beaded on both sides in a swirl pattern.

The shape of this handbag is unique to my collection, which is why I brought her home with me.

Lunch Sack Lady is another of my thrift store finds. It was purchased at a Goodwill outlet for $2.99.