Baking Pine Cones

So...did any of you brave the malls & shops during the wee hours on Friday? I did not, but I have been making the rounds to various stores online which, by the way, seem to be having great sales via the www. From what I've seen, most online sales are continuing until at least Sunday...and this is why I love the internet. :)

I walked around the back yard today picking up the pine cones that had fallen off the trees. (Eastern White Pines in case you're curious) They all have globs of pine sap (tar/pitch) on the tips which makes a real mess when it touches anything. I baked them in the oven to get rid of the sap and now they're all ready to be used in baskets and garlands. (375 oven for 10 minutes, then shut off the oven and leave them in there until the oven cools completely. Put aluminum foil on cookie sheets before placing the pine cones on them)

Here they are before baking, see all the sap on the tips?

Here they are after baking. I love the way the sap acts as a varnish on the tips.

If this is something you want to try, keep in mind that the smell of pine will permeate through the house and may bother someone with allergies or breathing problems.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

Good books, good food

While preparing for Thanksgiving, Christmas and doing assorted things for work, I've been stealing minutes to read Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (or is that De Foe?) I read it years ago and now remember why I liked it so much. I have to put it up there with one of my all time favorite books, The Age Of Innocence.
Tomorrow we need to take a trip to the dog trainers then it's off to buy the last of the food for Thanksgiving. The grocery store should be packed, hopefully they'll have a good selection of turkeys. Menu will be:

Turkey w/stuffing
Mashed potatoes - gravy
Turnips with carrots and bacon ( favorite of mine and son #1)
Hubbard Squash
Green bean casserole (everyone hates this but DH lol)
Fresh broccoli with cheese sauce (can you hear our arteries hardening yet?)
Cranberry relish
Cinnamon apples
...and then the usual olives, rolls etc.

My brother will bring a cheesecake from NYC and I'll also make some pies and cookies for dessert. It'll be way too much but everyone can take some home and dh & I will live on leftovers at least through the weekend. I'm stuffed already. :)

I made a quick trip to our local quilt store today, Quilting By The Yard. Sadly I didn't purchase any fabric but I did manage to get some Pearl Cotton colors I needed for a piece I'm stitching on Tula. (Tulla?) This is right up my alley, I don't even have to wear cheaters to stitch on this stuff. :)

Our dogs were allowed to get on our couch as puppies and now they've taken it over. I don't really care because it's ready to be replaced, but the couch was facing the television. This meant that the dogs had a perfect view while my dh and I had to crane our necks to see it. Soooo, I moved the couch to the same wall as the television and put two chairs in it's place. As you can see, that didn't work was well as I had planned. :)

Mama Mia!

I do want to tell you that I spent the weekend doing stitchy things but that's not going to happen. The weekend came and went and all I have to show for it is a leaf blower covered in bite marks, (Annie, one of our dogs, decided that the only good leaf blower is a dead one) and some groceries.
On Saturday I watched Mama Mia. I loved it! I know, it was kind of corny but I had this urge to get up and dance around the house while it was on. (I get the same urge when I watch Swiffer commercials....it's an illness I suspect) Wouldn't it be fun if for just a few days our lives were musicals? Oh sure, snicker...you're thinking right now about what songs would fit your family, I know you are. :)

.....I felt like doing some quick stitching the other day so I made this needlebook and pincushion. I used Parchment wool from Weeks Dye Works and DMC 815 for the stitching.

.....I did three rows of sewing down the center of the piece to create a book spine. (hard to see in the picture) The inside has a small pocket for extra carded needles or a needle threader.

As you can see they aren't anything fancy but I enjoyed doing them while watching an old movie. ..........

.....Have you been to the Retail Needlework Show that's going on from now until Sunday? I took a quick look earlier tonight but will go back again later, there's so much to see! The show is open to stitchers, (the last one a few weeks ago was wholesale only) so take a few minutes to stop by and see what you can't live without.

Winter Project

When I was born my uncle made me a platform rocking chair. Or maybe I was 2. I mean who remembers back that far? Anyway...originally it was covered with tapestry. Through the years and through my own kids the fabric was changed a few times until it ended up with this:

I think I put this fabric on around the same time I bought wall to wall orange/rust shag carpeting. (I am soooo glad the 70's are over) While I may not be able to get my rear in the chair, and even though I have no grandchildren to pass the chair down to, I refuse to get rid of it....and I can't bear the thought of reaching my dying day knowing that the blue fabric is still tacked on to this otherwise wonderful little chair. So!

I've decided to stitch the fabric for the chair! If you look at it you can see that there are five sections that can be stitched. I think I'm going to do the arms and spool on the back like needlerolls and I'll do the back piece like a sampler. Rather than use any specific pattern I'm going to make the sampler a family tree of sorts. Not sure what I'll do with the seat area.

So there you have it, one of my winter projects. I'm actually looking forward to some cold snowy days of stitching!

Redwork Fabric - Colonial Crafts

Laurie asked about the redwork fabric in my last post. I bought most of the redwork fabric online from Colonial Crafts - www.colonialcrafts.com
Sue used to have a wonderful store in Sturbridge MA (about 20 minutes from me) but she closed it a few years ago and now runs her supersize website. If you've never been, grab cup of whatever and take a look, there's so much to see and she's always adding new things. (sign up for her newsletter for latest updates)

Service is excellant too btw!

New Stash

Don't you love it when the mailman brings new stash? Today I received my order from 123 Stitch. (amazingly fast service as always!) The fabric on the far left is 28ct Antique Yellow Cashel. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's a beautiful soft golden yellow. I also got 28ct Country Mocha Cashel, 10ct Country Mocha Tula, and finally 14ct Cappucino CF Aida. I must have been thirsty when I placed this order..note all the "mochas". :) I've never stitched on 10ct Tula but I'm looking forward to trying it.

This is some of the fabric I have for the redwork I keep talking about. (talking about it is almost the same as actually using it right??) The one on the bottom right is actually a towel but I liked the texture and plan to stitch on it. I have some woven twill on it's way here also. This seems to be my month for stocking up on stash.


I didn't get as much sewing done as I had planned but I did cut out several pincushions. There's always tomorrow, as the saying goes.

I'm such a bad blogger. My goal for November is to be better. Other goals this month are:

1. Finish a new chart and get it to Taffy to stitch. I don't use model stitchers very often but it's so nice to know they exist when needed!

2. I've been working on finished items to put up on an Etsy shop. My goal is have enough done by the 15th to open shop. More on that when it's ready to open.

3. Finish up a new chart I'm stitching.

4. Start my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving this year rather than after.

5. Figure out why I joined Twitter and see if I can be better at tweeting than I've been at blogging.

I guess that's it...nice and simple. :)

It was a beautiful day here today and we took advantage of the extra hour by spending some time outside this morning with Annie and Harley. DH tried to rake leaves but both dogs thought a game of catch sounded better. Harley found that if he sat in the pile of leaves Dave would throw the ball to get him off of them. It took Harley about 5 minutes to figure that out. It took DH, well actually, I still don't think he's caught on. :)

This is Annie (below) waiting for the ball to come down..or she was watching a bird, I'm not sure which.

Before I forget: Cheryl at Prairie Grove Peddler has a drawing on her blog this week for a prestitched eyeglass case. (or checkbook cover, I'm not sure...)The front of the case is similar to a tuck pillow so all you have to do it tack in your design and it's complete! A free chart comes with the case or you can use your own, and I believe they come in 8 colors. Cheryl sent me a set of the black ones. (wallet, eyeglass case and checkbook cover) I hope to do a punchneedle pattern for them very soon. Visit Cheryl's blog here: www.prairiegrovepeddler.blogspot.com

So the good news is, I learned a lesson the bad news is, I deleted a few of the blog posts by mistake. Lesson learned, delete is permanent, duh. :)

Thanks to all who participated in our door prize drawings during the online Needlework Show! All doorprizes were mailed yesterday except a few and they'll be going out tomorrow.

One of our new charts, Gingerbread Junction will be available in November from distributors if you missed it during the online show. Finishing instructions are included for the gift bag. It may also be used as an ornament if you eliminate the border.

I'll be back in a bit, right now I have to go put a turkey in the oven so we can have dinner before midnight. :)

Online Needlework Show

I love it when a plan comes together so I'm very happy to have our page for the Online Needlework Show completed. (just in the nick of time!) The show runs from Wed. Oct 7th through Mon. Oct. 12th.

Unlike most trade shows, stitchers are allowed to view the show and then place orders via their favorite local or online shops. It definately takes the guesswork out of buying for the shops and you all get to see some wonderful designers you might not be aware of. There's link on the top right hand corner of the show pages that makes it very easy for you to select a shop when you're ready to place your order.

I hope you all can find the time to visit the show! We'll be giving away doorprizes throughout the show and will be posting winners and details on what they've won right here on our blog. We'll have three new charts and I'll try to get pictures of them up here on the blog in the next day or two.

Enjoying the day

I took a little time today to go outside and enjoy the sun while the dogs tried to convince me that I was really outside to play ball with them. (yes, I did) Then it was back inside to finish up some work that needs to be done before the Online Needlework Show in October. No pictures to show of new product just yet so here's a picture of a pincushion pattern I released at Quilt Market in May. I love all different types of pincushions and seem to be building up quite a collection. Now if I could just figure out where to display them so the cats can't reach them....

It's supposed to be rainy and cold here for the next few days so I'm already planning on spending the days with needle and thread. How about the rest of you...what you're favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

Note to Bonnie: Send me that recipe! :)

Needle Nanny & Apple Pie

Isn't this needle nanny sweet? My friend Bonnie in NY sent it to me the other day. I love that it's magnetic so I can just put it on my work and hopefully keep better track of my needle when the phone rings etc. Can't tell you how many times I've lost a needle. The good news is, my dh always seems to find them...although usually they're in his foot. I thought about marketing him as a needle finder but couldn't figure out how to package him. ;) Thank you Bonnie! (DH thanks you too!)

I spent most of the day yesterday stitching and made lots of progress on a few new charts. I was planning on doing the same today but somewhere between laundry, grocery shopping and sitting on the couch like a slug, the day got away from me.

I did manage to make an apple pie between folding towels and watching Jaws for the 100th time at least...and of course it couldn't be cut until I took a picture for the blog. Blogging can seriously make you crazy.

So there it is...my pie.

I used mostly Grannie Smiths but threw in a few Macs too. I can't seem to make a good pie crust using shortening so I use a recipe that calls for flour, oil and a few teaspoons of water. (Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook) You don't knead the dough, you just place it between two pieces of waxed paper and roll it out. Very simple and it makes a nice flaky crust. If you'd like to stop over for pie and coffee, make it fast. My dh is in the kitchen cutting another piece!

9-11-2001

September 11, 2001

Forgetting is not an option.

New Chart, Halloween Tree

Our newest chart, A Time To Reap will be available from our distributors in the next few weeks. The finished pumpkin is approximately 5" high x 4" wide, with the design going all the way around it. Finishing instructions as well as a stem, spanish moss and wool for the leaves are included in the chart pack. A chart is also included for the small pinkeep/ornament.

I had planned on releasing this during the online Needlework Show in October but a friend suggested I should release it sooner than later for all the fall lovers so here it is! This model was stitched on 14ct Aida. I'm sure it could also be done on an evenweave. A lighter weight linen might stretch out of shape as it's being stuffed so I wouldn't suggest using linen.

Speaking of fall, this is my Halloween tree. I did it a few years ago to display Halloween ornaments on for a pattern cover. I grabbed up a handful of twigs, wrapped them with wire and then brown floral tape, and hot glued it all into a styrofoam ball I had cut in half. Next I hot glued Spanish moss around the lower part of the "tree" and finally I wrapped a piece of burlap around it, and then tied it with a piece of raffia. Now that it's out I may have to hang something on it and keep it out for the season. It's one of those you either love it or hate it things. :)

That's my quick Friday update! It's been a long week, I'm ready to take a break and do something mindless!

Thanks to Dora for sending in pictures of the floss tag she made using our newest complimetary chart called Lookin' Like Fall. She put part of the design on the front and part of it on the back.


Here's a picture of the actual chart and Dora's tag. Nice job Dora!


I received some new fabric yesterday from Picture This Plus .
I'll be pulling threads today and hopefully starting a new project either tonight or tomorrow.

We're supposed to have a rainy weekend (thank you hurricane Danny) and that means it'll be a great time to stitch and turn on a few old movies. Yesterday one of the channels played movies starring Ida Lupino all day. I'm such a sucker for an old movie. I keep waiting for them to have a Kathryn Hepburn or Susan Hayward day...Both rank right up there as my all time favorite actresses. Even in a bad movie they're good!

Which Witch is Witch?

A few years ago I came out with a couple of Halloween charts. The friend of a friend suggested that I might be dabbling in witchcraft...perhaps I was in fact a witch. I couldn't figure out how to dispute such a ridiculous statement without insulting a witch. The best I could come up with was "I am not a witch." (followed by a heavy sigh and a rolling of the eyes)

One of my latest charts has two sheep...amazing as it may be...I am also not a shepherd.

Years come and go and I still design things for Halloween and fall. Although we don't celebrate Halloween, unless you count the corn stalks and pumpkins I put on the porch, I love all the Halloween decorations out in the stores. I love all the charts with bats and spooky looking houses...witches hats and headstones, yes, I like them all. On more than one occasion I have slipped into CVS pharmacy and played with the dancing skeletons and tried on the goofy wigs and hats. I am not a green haired monster and I am not a Power Ranger....even when I wear the mask.

Halloween is now the second most popular holiday next to Christmas. A friend put it this way (I'm paraphrasing)..."It's the one holiday I don't have to worry about shopping for gifts, cooking, getting ready for company etc. It's a stress free holiday. I can decorate and just have fun." I like the way she thinks! (and I'm pretty sure, she's not a witch)

My designing for Halloween and fall is over for this year. I have a few new fall charts that will come out during the online Needlework Show in October, but other than that, the orange floss has been put away until next spring. Right now I'm working on finishing other designs for winter and should have some sneak previews up in the next few weeks.

I should have been sewing

After spending part of the day reworking some primitive stitchery designs that became corrupt when I installed an updated version of Microsoft Publisher, I decided to start working on some finished items for a show later this year. In the middle of sewing my mind drifted off into the land of "what else can I do" and I decided I wanted to cover a small paper mache box.

With nothing particular in mind I pushed the half done items to the side and started measuring, cutting and gluing. This is what I ended up with...a very strange looking pincushion. I would like it better if I had used a different trim but that's the best I could come up at the time. I'll add it to my ever growing collection of pincushions and hopefully tomorrow I won't be so easily distracted. (the sewn circles are part of the original project) Honestly, I have the attention span of a gnat.

Annie has decided the wicker loveseat makes a perfect place to rest after a game of fetch...either that or she's practicing to be queen. :)

I was working on some pincushions today but because they aren't finished I thought I would show you a really large one from Country Accents by NJB. Oh sure, at first glance you think it's a regular ole tomato with a strawberry pincushion but no, no! It's actually 8" across and 4.5" high. The strawberry is 2.5" x 2".

This is huge, with more than enough room for all of your needles and pins. I think it would look great in a craft room or tucked in a hutch. (not to mention the fact that it's very funtional!)

Nita, (the NJB in Country Accents) has these for sale on her Etsy Site and I believe she includes two 9" faux hat pins just for fun. Take a trip over to her Etsy site to see these and some of her other items. Just in case that link doesn't work, her name on Etsy is CountryAccentsbyNJB. (no spaces)

Complimentary Chart

Looks like we've traded places with Seattle this summer, that sound you hear is rain falling on the rooftops-again. Rain, rain, go away.....

So what do you do when it rains? You stitch! I've been playing with some linen today. Being an honorary member of the "Aida Is Us" club I'm finding this to be pretty slow going. Everytime I think I see the hole I'm supposed to put my thread in I blink......and I have to count all over again.

This chart should be done by fall....fall of what year is yet to be determined. I do love working with fall colors so there is a plus side to spending my day wandering into stitchy territories I probably don't belong in. :)

Staying with the fall theme, I added a new complimentary chart to the website today. Just follow the link when you visit the site and download it. You will need Adobe reader to print it out so if you don't have it just visit the Adobe website and grab it. It's a free download.

That's my day so far. I hope yours has been a good one!

Why do you stitch and other interesting questions..

Melissa posted these questions on her blog and because all I did today was clean drawers and closets, and because I have no pictures of anything fun to show you, I'm going to answer them!

Why do you stitch?
I started stitching when my kids were young and it stuck. Not sure what made me start stitching though, I guess I saw something and it intrigued me. Now I stitch because it's relaxing, it's fun and I enjoy it. I've been stitching or sewing for so many years now it's hard to imagine not doing something that involves thread.

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being least important and 10 being most important what is your cross stitch passion level?
0-10 depending on the day. When I'm in the mood I can stay up all night stitching and when I'm not in the mood, having to iron the fabric I want to stitch on can be just plain annoying.

If you're only option for cross stitch supplies and patterns happened to be the major chain craft stores would you just walk away from the little X? Kiss it goodbye?
I actually did that many years ago. We had two shops within a few miles of us and both of them closed in the same year. The third shop was primarily yarn and she eventually stopped selling cross stitch supplies too. So, I slowly stopped stitching because I couldn't easily get the supplies I wanted. (before the boom of the internet!)

Finally what do the cross stitch magazines on the market offer you? Do they relate to you as a cross stitcher? Do you look at them and think to yourself, who do they think buys this magazine? I guess what I'm asking, when you see the current cross stitch magazines do they make you feel like they know their readers or do you find it's more of the same? What could they do to be ambassadors for the art of cross stitch other than putting a sampler on the cover with "F-U" on it? What are we missing on a PR level that could change the opinion of cross stitch itself?

Did a magazine really put that on the cover????

If there are styles or things you'd like to see in magazines write the editors and let them know.I have no idea how they decide what to put in each issue but chances are, much of it's based on the feedback they get. Personally, I like the specialty ones like the JCS Ornament and Halloween issues. It can't be easy to put together a magazine that makes everyone happy.

As for being ambassadors, maybe that's up to the stitchers.

Take the time to teach children how to stitch. Make it fun. They may only do it a few times before they move on to something else but as adults they'll have a better chance of picking it up again. I think this holds true for all types of crafting and hobbies.

Invite over a group of friends for a stitching night. It shouldn't matter if they walk in with knitting, crochet, quilting or needlework. Sometimes just watching someone else do something we've never tried piques our interest.

Offer to teach a class at your local YMCA, school, church etc. It's just little x's, not too hard to teach! I think the important thing is to make it fun. I tried to teach someone to stitch years ago and like an idiot I started her with hardanger. She still talks about how frustrating it was and won't consider trying it again. Now if someone wants to learn I pick a small ornament or pincushion and start with 14ct Aida or Heatherfield and do just simple x's. All the other "stuff" can come later once they decide they enjoy it.

6) And finally, finally, do you do other crafts and if so what are they and why do they pull you away from cross stitch?
I like to sketch, paint, sew, do punchneedle, wool embroidery, simple piecing and quilting, primitive stitchery and computer graphics. None of these hobbies take me away from cross stitch, I just bounce from one to the other when the mood hits. You can never have too many hobbies!

This pretty much explains what kind of day it's been. Lazy, lazy, lazy. :)

Complimentary chart & smokin needles

Prairie Grove Peddler has a new complimentary chart up on her website. Designed by Taffy Soderholm, (Taffy's Treasures,) this fun Needle Nest is a great way to keep your threads organized while stitching. I think I need to make myself one of these!

Speaking of Taffy, she did the model stitching for one of my other new charts called An Apple A Day. (thank you Taffy!)It's stitched on 28ct Country French Linen using DMC and will be available in the next few weeks. I don't know how she gets so much done in so little time. Her needles must be smokin'.

My needles were moving right along today while I worked on a new chart. It's almost finished but I needed a break. I stitch sitting at the kitchen table and after awhile my back starts to ache. (old age, ya gotta love it) I may work on it again later tonight if I can find a good movie to listen to.

I haven't heard the weather forcast for tomorrow but I'm hoping rain isn't involved. We're pretty much rained out. If it rains I'm going to be stitching but if it's sunny I think I'm going to weed the gardens and play with the dogs. They need to do some running after being cooped up in the house thanks to mother nature.

31 years ago today the film version of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band premiered in New York. (July 24, 1978) Although I remember not liking the movie I do remember loving the album when it first came out in 1967. It never occured to me that 42 years later I would not only still love the album, but have it safety tucked away in the long unused stereo cabinet. I know every word to every song.

The song, "When I'm Sixty Four" is getting closer to being my reality but I will never forget cutting school and taking the train to Chicago to buy this album. I won't forget listening to it over and over and over again. (which was pretty easy to do because I was grounded for cutting school!) I'm going to hang on to it, and when I do turn 64 I'm going to dust off the cover, hopefully find a needle for the ole stereo and play it one more time. 1967 was a very good year. Where were you in 1967?

Bats, Cats and Apple Trees

We woke up this morning to find one of our apple trees laying next to my car. The trunk had a hollow section and it finally gave way. Sadly, there was a huge grape vine wrapped around the tree and I loved the way it looked with grapes and apples hanging off the branches.

Always a feeding spot for the deer in the fall, I'll miss it. We have another one in the front yard but that too is very old and in pretty bad shape. Although we've thought about cutting it down there's always something living in it so we leave it alone.

After of busy day of computer work I actually managed to do some stitching tonight. This new chart is on cashel linen and I'm using threads from Weeks Dye Works. It should be a fairly quick stitch so I hope to have photos by next week. As soon as that's done I have to do some finishing work on a new ornament chart to be released in early September.

In the meantime, two new charts will be shipped out on the 27th of this month. Here's a peek at one of them called "4 Bats & A Cat". I may have to put it back on this hutch in the fall when I start dragging home corn husks and pumpkins!

Lilies

I ordered lilies from White Flower Farm a few years ago, trying to fill in an area near one of our apple trees. This is one of my favorite colors that came in the mix. It's the most beautiful peach color that changes to a dark coral at the end of the petals. I have no idea what the name of it is, but isn't it gorgeous? I would love to do a chart using these colors.

Busy Sunday!

I felt so productive today! We had a deck built last week and during the excavation I had to move all of our plants from the back into the front garden. I didn't pay much attention to where I was putting them, I just dug holes and plopped them in, hoping they'd live. Today I dug them all out and actually arranged them in the front garden.

We had to move a very large butterfly bush and initially it looked like a goner so I cut it way back hoping to put it's energy into the root system rather than the drooping leaves. I think it worked, I have lots of new growth on it. I don't think it will flower this year but hopefully by next summer it will be back to it's old charming self. The deck looks great, the lawn...not so much. We now have to have top soil brought in and reseed it. Why is it that one project always leads to 3 more?

Below are some pictures of the deck being built and the final outcome. I just love it. Dave brought home an offset umbrella yesterday so I can actually sit outside and stitch in the shade.

After the moving of the plants I framed a new cross stitch piece. I'll be releasing a couple of new charts in a week or so and will post pictures sometime this coming week. More about them in a future post.

Because the day seemed to go on forever I also had time to paint a few window frames. The guys who put on our deck also put in new windows so the molding now has to be painted. Until then we have no curtains and no mini blinds....it's like living in a fishbowl. The house looks like we've either just moved in or are getting ready to move out.

Tomorrow I think I'll pretend it's Sunday and relax. :)

I'm never quite sure how one should start a blog....the first post seems to be the hardest.

Hello...my name is Barbara and I'm once again leaping into the 21st century by starting a blog. (I did start one a few years ago but gave it up quickly)
I live in Connecticut with my husband, two cats and two dogs. Last night there was a bat in the house (euwwww) but I definately don't consider it a member of the family.

I started my pattern business in 1989 and have continued down that path through today. In 2004 I added cross stitch to the mix. I'm one of the lucky people who can say that their hobby is also their job.

Now that I've gotten this out of the way, (quick and actually painless) I will pretend I've been doing this forever. Until next time!