What's the Point?

This box make me inextricably happy.



Sewing needle organization!



I had one of those tomato pincushions full of hand sewing needles. I'd go to it each time I needed to sew on a button or hem some pants or tack down a facing. But I was starting to go mildly insane each time I had to pick the proper needle for the job at hand. Over the decades - honestly decades, not years - this pincushion filled up with needles of all sizes.

Dramatization. Mine was much much much worse.
I forgot to take a "before" picture.

The smaller, more useful needles would sink all the way into the depths of the pincushion. Most of the needles that were left were longer, thicker needles that simply weren't right for the job. I even got to the point of simply buying new needles in the sizes I need more often. But the environmentalist in me had trouble with the idea of throwing away perfectly good needles. A little nuts, right? I mean ... they're only sewing needles!

So I found this sewing needle size chart online:

I took my pincushion and matched each needle up with the chart by type of needle and by size. I was even able to push those small needles buried deep in the pincushion back out into the light of day ... with only a few poked fingers. Honestly, my system is even more organized than the new batch of needles I bought because mine are sorted by numerical size; the new cards are not. They are only sorted visually. This makes my pea-pickin' heart so happy!

Rectangles of felt were stapled to 3" x 5" index cards. Each card was labeled by type and size of needle. Needles are easily held in place by the craft felt.



Machine needles also found a home. Since they are already packaged by size and type, I trimmed some tiny plastic bags in a way that I could stable the bag to the card, and the sewing machine needles slip upright into the bags. Sewing machine needles in their original packaging found a home behind the sewing machine needles attached to the 3" x 5" cards.



I have some vintage packets of needles that belonged to my mom and my grandmother! The old packaging is beautiful. I adore the graphics. So I kept them, tucking them behind the sewing needles.

I kept the needle sizing chart, too, for future reference. I folded it and tucked it behind the vintage needle cards.

Finally I made extra 3" x 5" cards to hold future random needles, and some extra dividers. I tucked these along the side of the box.



Now. Just. Look. At. This. Object. Of. Organization. And. Beauty!



As a bonus, all the materials for this project were items I had on hand -- the box (from Christmas 5 years ago), the 3" x 5" cards, the pink cardstock from leftover from our wedding invitations (28 years ago!), the gold craft felt (from at least 35 years ago), the markers for making the labels, the tiny plastic bags, the staples, and of course, the needles. I did toss any bent, dull (more poked fingers), or rusty needles. So along with my great organization project, I also was able to whittle a little.

Win/win!

No.

Win/win/win/win/win/win/win/win ...


Many, many thanks to my daughter Jeanne who helped me with this project. We enjoyed playing in my Studio that day. When I was stuck for ideas, she helped me brainstorm ways we could make this project viable.

Black Ribbon Lady

Today I'm returning to my Ladies of the Evening series with the fifth lady of the year. My criteria for adding an evening bag to my collection has little to do with whether or not they are antique, vintage or modern. I don't collect by price, either, though I do love to rescue my ladies from thrift stores. I like to collect ladies that have unique shapes, interesting beaded patterns, or are covered in a pleasing fabric.

This soft clutch is modern and made with inexpensive materials. The body is 7-1/2 inches wide, 4-1/2 inches tall, and an inch deep at it's widest point.



The center front is embellished with a strip of cardboard covered in black acetate, which is then covered in four rows of sparkly rhinestones. They're cheap, but the catch the light beautifully.

The back of the clutch, like the front, is covered in ribbon. The acetate-covered strip continues from the front of the back to the back, but is plain.



What makes the lady so soft are the six rows of box pleats that cover the entire base. From a distance, they look like a ribbon that is folded and stitched into place. But I think the fabric is a shiny acetate, cut into strips, doubled, then box pleated before being stitched onto the base. The fabric is very soft with a satin texture.



My guess is that this evening bag was used at a prom. It feels like a young woman's choice that had one glorious night out on the town, then was tossed to the back of the closet. It shows a bit of wear and the metal could use some polishing. On the inside, it's clear that this evening bag once had a chain handle. It was removed and the purse was used as a simple clutch instead.



Another bit of wear and tear? The center front embellishment has torn loose from the metal frame. It's slightly frayed where it became detached. Because of this chink in the armor, I was able to study the purse construction, get a fairly good idea of what the fabric is, how much it frays, and how the fabric ribbons were sewn.

I don't think I'll be able to sew the rhinestone embellishment into place. Instead, I'll use some Fray Check on the top edge, then glue the sparkly strip back where it belongs.



Black Ribbon Lady is one of my thrift store rescues. I bought her for $6.99 at a Goodwill store.



Some people have hearts and homes big enough to rescue cats or dogs. Me? I rescue Ladies of the Evening.

So Short a Life

After the rains, our crocus are pummeled.

Before the rains, this.
#flowersforfriday

Throwback Thursday - 2004 (Part 10)

I was a busy stitcher in August of 2004! My Year of the Small Project continued with five more bookmarks, a Halloween decoration, and a Thanksgiving piece. Here's my next edition of #throwbackthursday, working toward my 19 in 2019 goal.


Bug Off, Baby!

This Halloween design is by Lizzie*Kate, one of my favorite designers. I bought the chart from a local needlework shop, kitted up with the fabric and sampler threads along with the cute spider charm that hangs off the tip of the moon. 

This was my first time stitching with sampler threads. They are a hand-dyed fiber with subtle color variations. For best effect, you complete each cross as you stitch, rather than stitching by rows. This way the color changes gradually in your piece.

The fabric is White Birch Heatherfield by Wichelt. It felt itchy, like wool. It's pretty, with in little flecks of color sprinkled throughout the fabric.

The smart-mouth words on the front of this pillow had me toying with ideas on how to make the back of the pillow funny, too. I found this spider pattern on the Quiltmaker website. I then searched my fabric scraps and found some fabric that is a purple base with white dots. Three strips sewn together made the base of the pillow back.

I made a black fabric yo-yo for the spider's body, a first for me. I stuffed the yo-yo with a little fiberfill to make the body fluffy. Then I used purple buttons for the eyes.

I transferred the pattern onto the base, then stitched the chain-stitch legs with 6 strands of DMC black floss. I wanted the spider web to shimmer, though, so I chose a Kreinik metallic very fine #04 braid (032). It's stitched with an outline stitch. I tacked the stuffed yo-yo onto the fabric base between the spider legs. The finished size of my pillow is approximately 7-1/2 inches square.

This is one of those fun projects that elicits a smile each time I pick it up. I display it every year in October.

Autumn Cornucopia

I bought the chart and frame for this tiny pattern when I was on the Stitcher's Retreat back in the spring of 2001. It was on that retreat when I learned to stitch petit point from Ruth Sparrow of Twisted Threads. That's how this piece is stitched, with one strand of floss over one thread on 32ct linen. This image is actually quite a bit bigger than actual size.

Though most of the chart is done in cross-stitch, the grapes are stitched with a colonial knot. I altered the design a bit. The chart has a star in each corner which I wasn't fond of. So I moved the cornucopia to the bottom left corner, and added the words "Give Thanks." 

In all these years, I'm fairly certain that this is the only petit point piece I've ever stitched. Even with good magnification, stitches that small are too hard on my eyes. I've kept this piece for myself and display it on our mantle every November.

Stylized Vine Bookmark

I designed this bookmark myself. It was inspired by a border I saw on a chart posted on an auction site. I liked the use of blues and purple in the inspiration piece. My vine is quite a bit more angular than the original.

This was a birthday gift for one of the ladies in my quilt group.

September - Aster Bookmark                                

This lovely bookmark is from a flowers-of-the-month chart. All of the patterns are very pretty and detailed. This one has four shades of pink and three shades of green. That's a lot of detail [and work] for a bookmark.

But it sure is pretty. I gave it to my daughter Julie whose birthday is in September

Butterfly Fantasy

I adapted this bookmark design from a book of borders. The original pattern had five butterflies, so I picked my four favorite butterflies and stitched them.

The chart called for black backstitching and butterfly bodies. I thought that was too stark, so I substituted DMC 3371. It's a brown/black color that looks a little softer. 

This was a birthday gift for one of the ladies in my quilt group.

Pansy Bookmark

I found this lovely design as an online freebie on a website written in Portuguese.

September 2004 had me stitching a slightly larger design. It's another of my favorites that I kept for myself. I'll post it in my next #throwbackthursday post.

Imp

Look at that face. What an imp.

Dale took this picture of our granddaughter.

Roo

Yesterday I drew Roo from the Winnie the Pooh stories.

19 in 2019 - March Update

Marching along with this year's goals

.
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Goal #8: Go on a Celebrate Your Life retreat
I reserved my room for the retreat in June/July.

Goal #12: Learn my Enneagram

In enneagram lingo, it turns out I'm Type 3 with a 2 wing. Some of the approach the enneagram takes rubs me the wrong way. But I watched a lot of videos and learned some things that I've already found helpful. My next step to make use of this personality typing is to discover some techniques that will help me alter one of my stubborn character flaws.


Goal #16: Use up my tea stash

I've continued having hot tea most mornings. The box of Peppermint tea has been used up. I've also used some stray bags, like Lipton's Orange Gardens, which smells wonderful. Bigelow's Cozy Chamomile is lovely in the evening. I've brewed some loose (not in teabags) English Berries & Cream Black Tea that my daughter gave me. It smells heavenly, but the flavor was bolder than teas I'm used to drinking.

Goal #17: Blog at least 25 weeks of #throwbackthursday posts of my 1997 - 2007 projects

I wrote three more posts in March, bringing my total to eleven thus far. I so enjoy revisiting these projects from long ago. This one brought a tear to my eye since my adopted grandmother is no longer alive.

Goal #18: Blog at least 10 of my Ladies of the Evening collection (mend as needed)

I managed to take photos of four more of my Ladies. I plan to edit the photos and blog about some in April.

Goal #19: Finish one of my eight courses

I became discouraged with  The Creative License by Danny Gregory, mainly because the print in the book is so so small that it impedes my learning. I may continue reading the book, but it will likely be a slow go. Also, I find that he has some annoying biases that bother me. He claims that drawing is the best art form for getting into the moment (flow), noticing the world around you in detail, and that keeping an art journal is the best way of recording what goes on in your life. I take issue with that point of view. I think it's a matter of personality and preferences. I believe it's what may be best for him and many other visual artists. But I find photography, especially macro photography, and then blogging give me the exact same benefits. It could be he's not the right teacher at the right time for me.

Anyway, I've found that learning to draw through reading isn't the most effective method for me to acquire this skill. So I switched gears and have begun drawing cartoon characters from tutorials I found online. I get a lot of pleasure from this.

Alternate Goal: Watch 50 movies/shows from my Netflix/Amazon queues

I watched ten movies/series in March, bringing my total to seventeen:

 8. Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened

 9. Dumplin'

10. Call Me By My Name
11. Mozart in the Jungle (series)
12. The Leisure Seeker
13. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo (series)
14. Blue Jasmine
15. Kominsky Method (series)
16. Blue is the Warmest Color
17. To All the Boys I Loved Before

This was my favorite this month

Alternate Goal: Photo Editing and Organization

I started renaming files into a standard convention, sorting some images by theme, and editing old holiday photos. This is one of my favorite finds this month. It's a photo of Dale and me that was taken last July at my mother-in-law's 80th birthday party.

I've continued my quest to Whittle a Little. This month I discarded or found new homes for over 30 items. I took two boxes of donations to a thrift store. I've made a point of using my "good" art supplies instead of holding onto them for "important" projects. I found places to recycle 16 Styrofoam mini coolers and over 30 blue ice packets. I've also enjoyed the aroma from burning a couple more candles.

Final count:
     * I've completed five goals
     * I have 7 of my stated goals in progress
     * I have a good start on 3 of my alternate goals

This is Hard

My daughter Julie and her husband Jeff are expecting their second child any day now. Julie is more than ready to be "not pregnant." Our little Melody is nearly two years old and, as such, keeps her mom very very busy.

Understandably, Julie's patience is worn a bit thin. She wonders how she'll handle all of this ... a newborn and a two year old with no extended family in town to lend a hand.

So I made her this sign, as a small reminder. Many moms have gone before her. Many will follow. That doesn't make her job right now any easier.

Now that most of the ice field that filled our back yard is melted, and the temperatures get above 50 degrees most days, I figured the Spring runoff from the mountains is likely filling Lake Coeur d'Alene and flowing down the Spokane River. It's time for my annual trip to the Post Falls dam to experience the full roar of our Falls.

I was surprised that the park was so quiet. A man, his dog, some noisy waterfowl, and me.

So far, the eight small gates at the dam are open. They cause quite a roar, but not as ferocious as when the main gate is open. I'll return then to feel the full force of the river as it careens into the narrow gorge below the falls.

I was able to take a lot of time at the Falls with my camera. She and I are getting reacquainted. I played with light settings to capture both the green river water and the fog in the background that curls around the hills surrounding Lake Coeur d'Alene. I played with the shutter speed settings to see if I could get the falling water to blur a little, then a lot. Forty five shots later, this is the photo that best captures my chilly morning with Mother Nature.

Little Miss Photo Mojo is peeking around the corner. I hope she'll soon hold my hand tightly again.

Even photographers can get a case of writer's block. Let's say ... the dam is starting to burst.

Swing Time!

Another photo from last weekend with our granddaughter Melody at the park. Just look at the smiles on those two.

Be still my heart!

Throwback Thursday - 2004 (Part 9)

I started out stitching some gifts in the summer of 2004.


If I Stitch Fast

That summer, I worked with a personal fitness trainer to learn how to have good form while weight training and healing a back injury. As we came to know each other, I learned that she was a new stitcher. While she taught me the finer points of muscle tone, I gave her tips on cross-stitch.

One week, on a Thursday, I told her that my youngest daughter was about to turn eleven.

"Oh, yeah? When?" she asked.

"Next Thursday. A week from today."

"Really? My birthday is the day before hers."

"Wow!" 

That got my mind stirring. Stitchers love to stitch for other stitchers because we can be assured that the stitched gift will be appreciated. But if I was going to stitch a gift for Jane, I now only had a week!

Into my stash I dove, and came up with this cute chart. What better sentiment for a once-fluffy stitcher to give to her personal trainer, right?

I decided to finish the stitchery as a pillow because it's a pretty quick finish. Besides, I liked the soft flannel fabric with the energetic pattern and the fuzzy trim I found.

I was able to finish the pillow in a week, and gave it to her the day after her birthday.

Bonus! Jane and I are still friends and keep in touch via Facebook.

Giraffe Bookmark

I enjoy stitching bookmarks as quick gifts. But I realized and hadn't kept any for myself. I decided to take a break from the major piece I'd been working on and make a bookmark just for me.

A giraffe, of course! This long-necked beauty came from a booklet of designs charted for Ribband. 

Fifteen years later, this is still my favorite bookmark. I keep it in books beside my bed.

Grandmothers

I started this piece thinking it would be a "quick stitch" that I could have completed in a couple weeks — in time for my adopted Grandmother's birthday on May 14th.

Wrong!

The center motif stitch up quickly, but then I got to the backstitching/blackwork vines in each corner and got stalled — for weeks! I'm not sure what it was about the lines that made them so difficult for me. I think it was because there were no good reference points for me to check my stitching against, and I kept making mistakes. That caused quite a bit of ripping and re-stitching. I ended up stitching one of the corners four times before I got the placing right.

This is an example of where taking a little time to grid the fabric beforehand would have saved a lot of stitching time, and even more frustration.

Live and learn. 

Once the vines were stitched, the flowers and beading went fairly smoothly. I love the way it turned out and was pleased to present it to her for her 90th birthday.

Easter Banner Part 1

I'm being optimistic here by putting "Part 1" in the title. This sweet cross-stitch pattern was stitched in 2002. My goal is that by the end of the weekend, I'll have finished it into a banner to display this Easter. It will also hit one of my March targets as part of my #19 in 2019 goals.

Wish me luck.

Better yet, send me some sewing and photography mojo!

Pebbles Flintstone

I decided to do another small drawing this morning using an online tutorial.

Continuing Saga

A quick snapshot on the way back from the mailbox today because I'm uber busy and getting a lot done.

My crocus are starting to bloom! I found two crocus poking up in the back yard, too, waiting to unfurl.

Playground Joy

Dale and I drove to Moscow this weekend to visit with Julie's family. Their new baby is due in a few weeks. To give her parents a break, we took Melody to the park. She loves the "big kid" climbing structure with its tunnels and slides.

Pile o' Crayons

This 500 piece jigsaw puzzle was quite a challenge! It took me a while to find a way into this one. The shapes of the pieces are very similar, so I couldn't sort them by vertical and horizontal. The colors were so mixed up that sorting by color didn't help much. I didn't have much luck putting together clusters of pieces that could then be dropped into place. Much of the puzzle had to be built from the edges inward.

I finally was able to put some of the printed words together. That became the key to this puzzle. It took the better part of a week to complete.

I Believe

The slope in our back yard is still an ice field. The steps to the lower porch are still blocked by a glacier.

Yet look what I found by the front door this morning!

The first two crocus have shown their colors!

The tulips aren't far behind.

OK. I Believe.
Spring is finally here.

I was even able to open all the windows to air out the house after a long, long winter. Today's high temperature will be 55°. The sun is out. The birds are singing. For the moment, all is right with my world.

#flowersforfriday

Throwback Thursday - 2004 (Part 8)

If it's Thursday, it's time to look back to projects I made years ago. This is the final project I stitched in May 2004. It's a chart called Sewing Memories by Michele Johnson which I finished as a trinket box.


Sewing Memories

This design caught my eye because of its coloring — like a sepia-tone photo. The entire piece uses only eight shades of floss, all in the off-white, grey-brown and beige color families. I tea-dyed a piece of white Monaco for the ground cloth.

Nearly the entire 84 stitch x 84 stitch area is solid stitching. The main design (quilt, sewing machine and cabinet) are stitched with full crosses. The background is two shades of floss in half crosses. It was intense stitching! It would have been wise to grid the fabric before starting to stitch. Unfortunately, I was not wise and had a number of mistakes that had to be ripped out and re-stitched. Lesson learned!

There was also a good deal of backstitching on this piece. To make the process somewhat simpler, I did the backstitching in sections as I went along. But because of needing to keep track of the multiple quarter stitches, some of the backstitching was also a challenge and time consuming. 

Once the stitching was completed, I then had a new challenge. I wanted to finish this piece in a unique way. I scoured the local thrift shops and big box stores to see if I could find a wooden jewelry box or interesting frame that I could refinish and mount this stitching in. I finally found a wooden box with a lip on the lid that was the correct size. Unfortunately, the clasp that held the lid shut was broken. Because of the problem, I was able to buy it at a 40% discount. Score!

I ended up removing the broken latch and sanding smooth the holes that the small nails left in the front of the box.

My next step was to figure out how I wanted to finish the box. Stain? Paint? Decorative painting? I finally settled on a simple decorative finish ... an ivory base coat with a forest green splatter paint technique. I painted the box inside and out, then coated it with two coats of a glossy varnish.

I used cardboard and a deep-brown felt-like fabric to make a lining for the inside of the box. That was a hit-and-miss process, since I'd previously never attempted to line a box. But it went together fairly smoothly. I got the fit so snug that it didn't even require glue to hold the lining in place. It looks sharp!

Then I mounted the stitchery to a piece of foam core using a method much like you'd do to mount stitchery for framing. I sewed the ecru cording around the edge of the stitchery and snugged it into place in the box lid. Again, the stitchery fit so well that no glue was required. (I tested it by turning the box upside-down and shaking it, trying to make the stitchery fall out. But it held!)

The very last step was to create a label to put inside the lid of the box. I created this piece for my friend, Virginia, in honor of her birthday. I enjoy making special gifts for her because, as an avid quilter, she appreciates the work I put into her gifts.

Rosie

Rosie is the housekeeper robot on The Jetsons.

I love the way this came out. I drew it larger than yesterday's drawing. It worked much better for me.