Throwback Thursday - 2004 (Part 6)

In May 2004, I completed quite a few projects, so I'll start with the bookmarks, card, and ornaments this week, and share the slightly larger projects next week. All these bookmarks were stitched for my quilt group ladies. The small ornament was stitched for a charity organization. The larger ornament was one I stitched for myself and hang on my tree each year.


Blackwork Bookmark #5

Another from designer Clair Louise Coult of Dumani Designs. It used navy perle coton rather than stranded cotton floss.

Card for Mom

A design by Ellen Maurer-Stroh. Stitched for my mother-in-law to accompany her Mother's Day gift.

Sunflower Bookmark

Sunflower #2075 is from a small kit from Designs for the Needle. I like this little design so much that I've stitched it several times over the years. I love the curvy stem. It makes me smile every time I look at it.

Snowflake Ornament

I stitched this ornament from a design I found in the November 1996 edition of Cross Stitch Magazine. As I look at it all these years later, it seems quite out of proportion with that long tassel I added. I like that my design sense has matured over the years.

Goodie Ornament

The original design for this piece is called Goodie Bag IV from At River's End. I adapted the chart by using the stitches presented, but turning it into an ornament. It had a few unusual stitches, and included beads and metallic threads.

Here's a detail shot:

Flower Bookmark

This is a second design from the At River's End design company that I stitched that month. I chose a variegated floss for the stem and leaves, and added a yellow bead for the center of the flower.

Bookmark Sampler

The pattern for this sweet band sampler bookmark was in the September/October 1991 edition of Cross Stitch & Country Crafts magazine. 

Looking Back

This is one of my very favorite recently-edited photos that I took while in Philadelphia over a year ago. It's one of my classmates.

I like the black and white version.

I like the color version even better.

That wonderful face!

Valentines

I hope my daughters are never too old to receive Valentines from me. I do so enjoy making them. The photos speak for themselves.  💖 💖 💖

The card

The tins

Something relaxing for the bath. A lapel pin.

A sentiment

Something to keep feet toasty

An ornament

Some treats. Bubble blowers. Heart candy. Photo. Each "snow globe" photo frame was personalized to have a one-on-one photo of me with each daughter. The "snow" in the frame is made of floaty hearts.

My love for these young women, and my pride in them, knows no bounds.

Gradient

I bought this jigsaw puzzle for Dale as a Christmas gift. I thought it might be a fun puzzle and not overly hard because of the obvious color shift. But that wasn't the case.

After we got the border in place, I started on the light side of the puzzle, and Dale on the dark. It was difficult, with a lot of trial and error. The pieces were similar enough that we were never quite sure if they popped into place or not.

But I think it was easier to tackle the puzzle from light to dark. I got to the half way point much sooner than Dale. In fact, at one point he was so frustrated with the black pieces that he pulled them all out and started over.

After I reached the half way point, Dale switched gears and went from grey to black, and found it much easier.

The puzzle is designed by Bryce Wilner and produced by Areaware. I bought it on Amazon. The weight of the cardboard is quite nice; the pieces are thick and they connect well. I liked the challenge this puzzle presented, even though it took quite a bit longer to complete than our other 500 piece puzzles.

Feels Like Seven Degrees

That's what the weather report said this morning. Still lots of snow. The icicles coming off the roof are impressive in size and in number.

So instead of braving the cold, I'll sit inside and look at pictures of Spring.

Independence Hall

I got the "America Feeling" when I visited. So much relevant history in that town. Helped me remember part of what I have to live for.

Heart o' Grain

I love this bread. It loves me back.

Welcome to the Pub

Drop in for some ale?

Another gem while filing photos. Philladelphia, PA

Wishful Thinking

No. This isn't happening yet this year in north Idaho. But I'm posting it to remember that in on March 11, three years ago, the crocus did bloom.

March 11 is less than three weeks away. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Better Days Ahead

I've spent the last four days combing through and organizing photos from at least the last three years. Here's a gem from Thanksgiving 2018. I believe my granddaughter was none too chuffed, yes?

This was an extremely dark image, so I played with it a lot in PhotoShop and came up with this artistic editing choice. The crazy cartoon editing matches Melody's mood. This photo puts me in a jolly frame of mind every time I look at it.

Foreshadowing

I've been finessing my digital photo files this weekend and have stumbled upon some gems. This 

forsythia is one of them.

I usually have such a difficult time photographing this plant. It flowers for an extremely short time each April. The vibrancy of the flowers often makes my camera sensor cuckoo. There's something about that yellow.

Two years ago, everything cooperated.

Another Milestone

So, this happened ...

Though meditation is a part of my everyday practice, and most mornings I have a tidy spot in which to do it, I still have to strongly encourage myself to sit down. It's not an automatic habit. I hope that one day, it will be.

HeadSpace

Greener Grass

White on White

The valentine card I made for Dale. Simple. Sweet.

Throwback Thursday - 2004 (Part 5)

In April 2004, I finished only two small projects:


Blackwork Fantasy Bookmark

I stitched this bookmark for one of the ladies in my quilt group. I used an overdyed floss that graduated from purple to green and back again. 

Bunny Bookmark

This is one of my all time favorite bookmark designs. The original pattern called for all the bunnies to be the same color. But where's the fun in that? I gave my youngest daughter my floss boxes and the instructions to pick out some pastel colors. I think she chose well!

This bookmark went to one of the gals in my quilt group, too.

I'm keeping today's post short! Time to go celebrate Valentine's Day with my sweetheart!

Frozen

My attempt to draw my snow-covered back yard as seen through the dining room windows.

With all the cold and snow, I'm beginning to feel stir crazy and I don't have many creative juices flowing.

A Valentine Whittle

In keeping with my Word of the Year, I try to whittle some of my possessions down every day. Yesterday's whittle concerned these two Valentine cookie cutters. I realized I haven't used them in several years, so I'll pass them on to someone who wants them.

Today's Whittle a Little involved actual whittling! Since the beginning of the year, I've been slowly using up my candle collection. This activity will easily last all year! I finished off two candles so far this year -- and actually disposed of the jars that contained them as well. Today I pulled out a candle that had a lot of wax built up around the wick. So I pulled out my cutting board and my trusty knife, and whittled away the excess wax.

Now my pillar candle can sit in a seldom-used pretty china dish on the mantle among the Valentine decorations. I light a candle as part of my morning routine, right before my meditation. A gentle aroma of cinnamon surrounds me.

Marking Time

Marking off the stitches on my chart with colored pencils as I cross-stitch. A little down time. Recharging.

Brown Sugar n Spice

Dale and I tried out a new cookie recipe for Valentine's Day. They smell wonderful.

I enjoy working side-by-side with my guy. He's a great companion.

Lady and the Tramp

Getting a little artistic with my puzzle post today.

I'm inspired to do a little something different due to this painting of The Lady and the Tramp by Thomas Kinkade.

This was a tough one! The painting is so dark. The pieces are of unusual shapes. It took us longer than usual, but was so satisfying to complete. We have three more puzzles in this series.

In the Garden Redux

Back in May of last year, I completed the stitching on In the Garden, a "Mommy and Me" kit that I started with my daughter Jodie when she was an 11 year old girl. We started it July 27, 2004. I finished the stitching on mine on May 12, 2018.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this simple and sweet design. I did want to use it as one of my 19 in 2019 goals -- to do the finishing work on at least six of my stitched-but-not-yet-ready-for-display needlework pieces. This is the first. I decided to turn it into a cover for my next gratitude journal, similar to the journal cover I made for my sister.

My new blank gratitude journal is approximately 9 inches by 6 inches. I used a piece of plain red muslin to create a book cover with the finished dimensions of 9 inches by 12 inches. I first hemmed all four edges of the fabric, making it about 9 inches by 16 inches. Then I turned the back side in 2 inches and stitched it down close to the edges to form a flap/pocket into which I'd slip the journal cover.

I left the back of the cover blank.

Before making the flap/pocket on the front of the cover, I used a fusible web to adhere the hemmed stitchery to the front cover. After it was in place, I reinforced the adhesive by sewing around all four sides of the stitching. Then I finished the front flap/pocket and slipped the journal inside.

I do so like giving my self gold stars for completing my goals. 🌟🌟🌟

Throwback Thursday - 2004 (Part 4)

The Year of the Small Project continues with these March finishes: 3 bookmarks, a St. Patty's pin, a bib, and a pillow. A most gratifying part of these #throwbackthursday posts is revisiting the many projects I've given away as gifts that I don't even remember stitching. There are several examples in this post. Some of them are so pretty that it makes me want to stitch them again to keep for myself!

Rose Border Bookmark

The pattern for this bookmark came from a book of cross-stitch borders. As with many of the bookmarks stitched in this time period, I used a base of Ribband with a scallop edge, then stitched a Nun's Stitch at the ends before making the fringe. The pattern is from Classy Clothing in Hardanger Embroidery by Susan L. Meier and Rosalyn K. Watnemo, 1993.

Gosh, this one is pretty. It's exactly my personal aesthetic.

Luck Pin

I still pull this pin out every year and wear it as my "something green" on St. Patrick's Day. The design is by Six Strand Sweets, a company that made fibers. I choose a variegated green floss for the large shamrock, and coordinating solid green floss for the smaller shamrocks. I used grey for the word "Luck" that was a few shades darker than the ground grey fabric. I sewed the green bow to the piece before finishing it as a lapel pin.

Imagine Bookmark

I designed and stitched this bookmark for an embroiderer's guild outreach project. Our chapter supported a library literacy program. I chose the word "imagine" because that is what reading allows me to do -- to imagine being a character in a novel and living in another time and place.

Rudy

I love this piece. It's another that I display every year.

The design is by 4 My Boys design company. I stitched it on Fiddler's Cloth. This is one of my very first pillow finishes. I bought a couple fat quarters of coordinating fabric specifically for this project. The green inner border is slightly more narrow than the red outer border. The back of the pillow is a solid piece of the green fabric.

I used some satiny store-bought cording, sandwiched between the front and back layers. I like the nice rounded corners I managed to create. Because I was using some loose stuffing from my stash as the pillow filler, I constructed an inner pillow of muslin to contain the stuffing. This kept any stray stuffing from "leaking" through the holes in the Fiddler's Cloth.

The finished piece is about 12" x 13".

 

Bear on Lamb Bib

I stitched this adorable bib for the young woman who used to babysit my daughters ... and later gave them piano lessons. I hadn't seen her in a decade, but learned that she had a baby girl. 

Kara was brand new to cross-stitch when I knew her as a girl. We used to talk about charts we liked and the latest project she was stitching. We shared some supplies. So I knew the gift I wanted to give had to include some cross-stitch.

This adorable design is called "Bear on Lamb" from the Baby's Buddies leaflet by Ginny Fraser for Leisure Arts, 1994.

Sunbonnet Sue Bookmark

This sweet Sunbonnet Sue design is a classic. When I started the piece, I'd intended it to be the first in a series of quilt squares. But as I continued to work the project, nothing was going right. I had to abandon my attempt. 

I made lemonade from lemons by using this portion of the design and cutting it down to bookmark size. I designed the flowers and added them to surround Sue. I'm generally pleased with the outcome, though it does look like Sunbonnet Sue is standing on top of the bottom flower. Ha!