Hi Everyone!
Well, here in Windy Meadow we received 17+ inches of snow in the big storm this past weekend! Yep, 17+ inches of snow. It was a dry fluffy kind of snow and was just beautiful!
I wish I could have shared with you the huge pile of snow that formed on top of our sun dial. It was fun to watch it grow all day and into the night on Saturday. Unfortunately, when the sun came up on Sunday it melted very quickly. :-(
We were dug out by Sunday afternoon. Our State Highway guys did a great job. We also were able to flag down one of the roving guys with a blade on the front of his truck to do a couple of passes on the driveway. Then DH and DS got busy with the snow blower and the shovel. DD and I were on Christmas decorating and hot coffee/hot chocolate/hot tea patrol. :-)
You ought to see all of the big piles of snow in the parking lots. To quote DS, "Epic"!
I don't have a picture to share with you as I kept forgetting to take one on Sunday. I'll try to take one tomorrow morning before going into work. And hopefully I'll have time to post tomorrow night.
I haven't done much stitching though I do have some pictures to share of what I've done over the last few weeks. And yes, I actually finished something! Wahooo.....
Yoyo, I'm sorry but I don't have a post for this month for the TUSAL. Almost no stitching has been done in December, 2009. :-(
Just returned from taking DD and her best friend out to dinner. DS decided to stay home (smart guy). I now need chocolate or a nice cold beverage!!! They are both great girls but can they talk! LOL!!!
DH is out goofing off for the night. Actually (this is for Anne of the Cape Stitcher), he's playing Bridge. LOL!!!
Back soon...
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Batten Down the Hatches!!!
Batten down the Hatches or in other words, A MAJOR SNOW STORM is HEADED OUR WAY!!!
Huh you say?
Beginning at about 11:00pm in our area until 6:00am Sunday morning, we will be getting at least 10 and up to 20+ inches of snow. Now I know that this might not sound like a lot to some of you but for this area, that's a lot of snow! :-)
Here in the Mid-Atlantic states when snow is predicted, everyone runs out and buys bread, milk and toilet paper. When they predict a lot of snow, which in this area is 2 to 6 inches of snow, everyone runs out and buys lots of bread, milk and toilet paper and lots of other groceries. When they predict the storm of the century (okay, I know it's only 2009 but that's what they are saying) they run out and buy EVERYTHING! LOL!!!
Usually we try to make sure that we have all of the neccessities several days before a storm is forecasted to arrive but not this week. After a full day of work, I then headed out tonight to the local grocery store with about 500 of my closest friends!
Yes, I didn't get to the grocery store until after 7:00pm and it was still crazy. Everyone was being very nice and friendly so what could have been a very frustrating experience actually wasn't. I also noticed that everyone was being very nice to all of the cashiers as they had been working hard all day!
What made this even more challenging for me was that we hadn't had a chance to do any grocery shopping this week so not only was I getting items for the snowed in weekend, I was picking up everything else that we had not been able to buy this week due to lot's of other activities. Including the afore mentioned bread, milk and toilet paper. Sigh...
We were also planning on putting up some more Christmas lights outside but we haven't been able to as each weekend when we weren't running around with family and school activities it was raining. And by raining I mean heavy, heavy rains! This was our last opportunity to finish up the outside decorating and obviously it isn't going to happen! LOL!!!
Hopefully our power will stay on so we can spend the weekend finishing up the inside cleaning and decorating and hopefully a little bit of baking.
Who will be that standing up at the head of our driveway on Sunday? That will be my husband flagging down one of the trucks with a plow on it's front who drive around volunteering to plow out your driveway for a fee. Or at least he'll be doing that in between using our snow blower to dig out our driveway. :-)
I've already seen several of the trucks with plows cruising around this evening while I was out as they were stocking up on coffee and other neccessities so they will be ready!
Tonight we are going to be playing the fun games of, finding the candles, finding the flashlights, checking the batteries, filling up a bathtube with water (we are on well and septic and if the power goes out, we can't flush as the pump stops pumping), and then putting two cars and a van in the garage.
I'm hoping to be able to stitch a little bit though I really need to dig out the dining room to get ready for next week! LOL!!!
I hope everyone in the path of the storm, stays safe, dry, warm and that you hopefully find some time to stitch!
Back soon!!!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Huh you say?
Beginning at about 11:00pm in our area until 6:00am Sunday morning, we will be getting at least 10 and up to 20+ inches of snow. Now I know that this might not sound like a lot to some of you but for this area, that's a lot of snow! :-)
Here in the Mid-Atlantic states when snow is predicted, everyone runs out and buys bread, milk and toilet paper. When they predict a lot of snow, which in this area is 2 to 6 inches of snow, everyone runs out and buys lots of bread, milk and toilet paper and lots of other groceries. When they predict the storm of the century (okay, I know it's only 2009 but that's what they are saying) they run out and buy EVERYTHING! LOL!!!
Usually we try to make sure that we have all of the neccessities several days before a storm is forecasted to arrive but not this week. After a full day of work, I then headed out tonight to the local grocery store with about 500 of my closest friends!
Yes, I didn't get to the grocery store until after 7:00pm and it was still crazy. Everyone was being very nice and friendly so what could have been a very frustrating experience actually wasn't. I also noticed that everyone was being very nice to all of the cashiers as they had been working hard all day!
What made this even more challenging for me was that we hadn't had a chance to do any grocery shopping this week so not only was I getting items for the snowed in weekend, I was picking up everything else that we had not been able to buy this week due to lot's of other activities. Including the afore mentioned bread, milk and toilet paper. Sigh...
We were also planning on putting up some more Christmas lights outside but we haven't been able to as each weekend when we weren't running around with family and school activities it was raining. And by raining I mean heavy, heavy rains! This was our last opportunity to finish up the outside decorating and obviously it isn't going to happen! LOL!!!
Hopefully our power will stay on so we can spend the weekend finishing up the inside cleaning and decorating and hopefully a little bit of baking.
Who will be that standing up at the head of our driveway on Sunday? That will be my husband flagging down one of the trucks with a plow on it's front who drive around volunteering to plow out your driveway for a fee. Or at least he'll be doing that in between using our snow blower to dig out our driveway. :-)
I've already seen several of the trucks with plows cruising around this evening while I was out as they were stocking up on coffee and other neccessities so they will be ready!
Tonight we are going to be playing the fun games of, finding the candles, finding the flashlights, checking the batteries, filling up a bathtube with water (we are on well and septic and if the power goes out, we can't flush as the pump stops pumping), and then putting two cars and a van in the garage.
I'm hoping to be able to stitch a little bit though I really need to dig out the dining room to get ready for next week! LOL!!!
I hope everyone in the path of the storm, stays safe, dry, warm and that you hopefully find some time to stitch!
Back soon!!!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Cross Stitch 101
One of the things that I enjoy doing is teaching, especially children and teens, how to do needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, etc.
I've been doing this informally to anyone (friends, family, scouts, etc) who would sit still long enough to hold a needle. I've also been teaching more formally at two different events during the year.
The first event is a mall lock-in which is held every year in early Spring. I updated and now maintain the needlepoint and cross stitch kits. We estimate that these two stations are visited by apx. 225 to 350 girls, teenagers, and adults each year. I've "talked" about this event in earlier posts. If you are interested in reading the earlier posts go down to the labels and click on teaching_children.
The second event is an older girl weekend event which is held in August every year. I coordinate the needlework area where we offer knitting, crochet, hardanger, huck weaving, cross stitch and embroidery. For each session the girls pick which needlework technique that they want to learn. Many times we also have adults who are not busy for that session participate or they stop by to see what we are doing and talk about their needlework hobbies. We've even had the girls sign up for two sessions so they can learn two different needlework techniques. We've also had a girl or two over the years who was having so much fun learning that they did not want to go to their next sessions activities!
We not only give them instruction, but we also give them the materials/tools so that they can continue with their new hobby. This includes additional cross stitch kits, knitting needles, crochet hooks, needles, and sometimes scissors. As volunteers we are always using our craft store coupons to pick up items. Yes, we can receive a set dollar amount for this station but this is one of our "gifts" to the program. Our time and our donation of the materials.
For the first few years, I was able to purchase a beginning cross stitch kit of an owl by "Designs by Gloria and Pat" at my LNS. This kit worked out really well for several reasons. The first was it was a well done kit and included the Aida cloth, needle, and floss. The second reason I used this kit was it only cost $1.00. Okay, this was a real bargain especially since the instructions were so well done. The third reason I liked this kit, is it taught how to cross stitch, back stitch, and how to make a french knot. Three of the most basic stitches for cross stitch designs. The fourth reason is that the wise owl has special meaning to our program.
Unfortunately, the kit was discontinued so for several years I've been teaching each girl using a cross stitch kit that they picked out from all of our donated kits. Of course, this made the teaching adventure a bit more interesting and more challenging for me. :-)
After several years of trying to teach more than one girl using very different kits, I decided enough was enough. So earlier this year I started searching online to find a beginner project that was a free pattern that could be used for the class. If I didn't find one, I was going to make up my own!
After searching for a while, I found the "Designs by Gloria and Pat" site. I started looking at all of their free designs when on one of the later pages I saw that they had posted for anyone's use the Owl chart. Wahoo! I had my chart back!!!
Of course this was a duh-uh moment as I should have started with their site first but oh well I got there eventually. :-)
You can find the online picture of the owl here;
http://www.gloria-pat.com/webpages/free_charts_toc2.html
And the chart and instructions here;
http://www.gloria-pat.com/Images/Owl.pdf
I thought you might like to see a picture of the owl that I stitched that I use in the class.
Thank you for visiting and I love reading everyones comments!
I'm hoping that you are finding time to stitch or to do your favorite needlework activity at this very busy time of the year. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
I've been doing this informally to anyone (friends, family, scouts, etc) who would sit still long enough to hold a needle. I've also been teaching more formally at two different events during the year.
The first event is a mall lock-in which is held every year in early Spring. I updated and now maintain the needlepoint and cross stitch kits. We estimate that these two stations are visited by apx. 225 to 350 girls, teenagers, and adults each year. I've "talked" about this event in earlier posts. If you are interested in reading the earlier posts go down to the labels and click on teaching_children.
The second event is an older girl weekend event which is held in August every year. I coordinate the needlework area where we offer knitting, crochet, hardanger, huck weaving, cross stitch and embroidery. For each session the girls pick which needlework technique that they want to learn. Many times we also have adults who are not busy for that session participate or they stop by to see what we are doing and talk about their needlework hobbies. We've even had the girls sign up for two sessions so they can learn two different needlework techniques. We've also had a girl or two over the years who was having so much fun learning that they did not want to go to their next sessions activities!
We not only give them instruction, but we also give them the materials/tools so that they can continue with their new hobby. This includes additional cross stitch kits, knitting needles, crochet hooks, needles, and sometimes scissors. As volunteers we are always using our craft store coupons to pick up items. Yes, we can receive a set dollar amount for this station but this is one of our "gifts" to the program. Our time and our donation of the materials.
For the first few years, I was able to purchase a beginning cross stitch kit of an owl by "Designs by Gloria and Pat" at my LNS. This kit worked out really well for several reasons. The first was it was a well done kit and included the Aida cloth, needle, and floss. The second reason I used this kit was it only cost $1.00. Okay, this was a real bargain especially since the instructions were so well done. The third reason I liked this kit, is it taught how to cross stitch, back stitch, and how to make a french knot. Three of the most basic stitches for cross stitch designs. The fourth reason is that the wise owl has special meaning to our program.
Unfortunately, the kit was discontinued so for several years I've been teaching each girl using a cross stitch kit that they picked out from all of our donated kits. Of course, this made the teaching adventure a bit more interesting and more challenging for me. :-)
After several years of trying to teach more than one girl using very different kits, I decided enough was enough. So earlier this year I started searching online to find a beginner project that was a free pattern that could be used for the class. If I didn't find one, I was going to make up my own!
After searching for a while, I found the "Designs by Gloria and Pat" site. I started looking at all of their free designs when on one of the later pages I saw that they had posted for anyone's use the Owl chart. Wahoo! I had my chart back!!!
Of course this was a duh-uh moment as I should have started with their site first but oh well I got there eventually. :-)
You can find the online picture of the owl here;
http://www.gloria-pat.com/webpages/free_charts_toc2.html
And the chart and instructions here;
http://www.gloria-pat.com/Images/Owl.pdf
I thought you might like to see a picture of the owl that I stitched that I use in the class.
Thank you for visiting and I love reading everyones comments!
I'm hoping that you are finding time to stitch or to do your favorite needlework activity at this very busy time of the year. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Questions and Answers -- December 8, 2009
Hello!
It's been a while since I've done this so I thought I would take a moment and answer some of the questions that I've received via comments and email.
If you've sent me an email please don't be offended if I haven't answered your email yet. I got a tad (okay a lot) behind and I'm slowly catching up!
Helen,
Yes, Lee of Lee's Needle Arts has retired. Though I've heard that someone(s) may be buying her line and that they may be offered to us again soon. If I hear anything definite, I'll post the information on my blog. Has anyone out there heard if the line has been bought and if so, how soon will it be offered again?
As far as I know, Lee's Needle Arts designed painted canvases and did not offer charts of her designs. Helen you also asked if I knew of any shop in the UK who carries her designs. Unfortunately, I don't but you can ask any needlework shop in the US of A if they have the designs that you are looking for as I know that many will ship internationally. If you would like to know who I have ordered from in the past, please leave an email where I can reach you on a comment and I'll respond as soon as I can. :-)
Ort Containers
I've loved reading everyones comments on my ort containers and that you have shared with us what you have named your ort containers.
Pam, I love the idea of a glass rolling pin which you have named the Ort Port! LOL!!! I was also grinning when I read that if you have some sparkly threads, you'll redistribute your orts in the Ort Port so that the sparklies are spread throughout the rolling pin. I was also glad to hear that you also carefully saves your orts until you have successfully completed a project before adding them to your ort container, The Ort Port, just like Moi (yes we heard the Muppets and John Denver 12 Days of Christmas. Love that one!). Nope, I don't think that's a bit obsessive Pam! LOL!!! Especially since I am also one who carefully saves all of her orts, and nothing else, for each project until it has been successfully completed and then carefully puts my orts into Ortessa! :-)
Beth, glad to hear that you like the idea of saving all of the orts for one project in case you need a little bit at the end. Glad to help out and hopefully share some helpful hints so someone else doesn't need to learn this the ahem... hard way as we (the royal we) did! Sigh...
Yoyo, yes our daughter does have her own ort container or rather she acquired one of mine! :-)
Right now she isn't stitching as she's back in school but she is EAGERLY looking forward to finishing exams and coming home for a few weeks and plans on doing some stitching then. That is after she has slept in late for, oh a bunch of days, visited with everyone, caught up on all of the news with her friends, and eaten a lot of different foods that she can't get at school! LOL!
Oh, I should add that the food at school is really, really, good (her words) but they don't make a pot roast as well as she does and she can't get a good grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup at school. What do I make for her? Reservations! Hee, hee, hee... :-)
Yoyo, I should add that our daughter may not be "officially" participating in the Christmas SAL on a monthly basis but she will have lot's of monthly projects to stitch as she has last years canvas/ornament of the month club from our LNS in her stash and I'll be buying next year's (2010) for her also. I'll post about this soon so everyone will know what Yoyo and I are talking about. Or go visit Yoyo's blog now to read about the Christmas SAL.
Beth,
No I haven't started on Heart of the Cabin (she mutters...). I have the canvas and some of the threads but not all. Yes, I am doing it in the original colors. That is unless I change my mind between now and when I start. ;-)
I'm hoping, really hoping that I will be able to start/continue on one or more large projects after the Holidays. Just too much going on now and not enough stitching time. Smaller projects are working for me right now. Hopefully after the first of the year I should have more time. Especially if we get the snowy/icy winter that everyone, including the woolly bear caterpillars and the almanacs, say we should get this year! Though I'm not sure if that is a good or not so good thing! LOL!!!
I am very thankful that you stop by and read about my stitching adventures!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Windy Meadow's First Snow Storm!
This past Saturday a winter storm went up the east coast and shared it's snow with Windy Meadow. It was supposed to start as rain and then convert to snow but it changed it's mind and decided to start and stay as a snow storm! Soooo I had to change what I was planning for the day as I didn't want to drive an hour away to go shopping in this mess! LOL!!!
Usually we don't have snow this early in the year and many years we don't have snow at all or just a few snow showers. Our daughter was very frustrated as the rain that they were having didn't convert over to snow until late in the storm. So sweetie, this post and these pictures are for you!
The first picture is about mid-morning when the storm was really getting strong.
The second picture was taken on Sunday morning before the snow started melting. It's quickly disappearing though we still have some on the ground today.
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you are having some nice warm weather where you live! Or at least I hope that the snow come quickly, looks beautiful, and then leaves as quickly. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Usually we don't have snow this early in the year and many years we don't have snow at all or just a few snow showers. Our daughter was very frustrated as the rain that they were having didn't convert over to snow until late in the storm. So sweetie, this post and these pictures are for you!
The first picture is about mid-morning when the storm was really getting strong.
The second picture was taken on Sunday morning before the snow started melting. It's quickly disappearing though we still have some on the ground today.
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you are having some nice warm weather where you live! Or at least I hope that the snow come quickly, looks beautiful, and then leaves as quickly. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Friday, December 4, 2009
Lee Kimono
I don't think I've shared this with you all before???
It's another Lee Kimono that our daughter stitched.
I think she did an absolutely loverly job! But then again, I'm a bit biased in her favor! :-)
We are planning to send this off for finishing soon. We'll share it again when it's been turned into a Kimono ornament.
Thanks for stopping by!
I'm just amazed sometimes that I have visitors. LOL!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
It's another Lee Kimono that our daughter stitched.
I think she did an absolutely loverly job! But then again, I'm a bit biased in her favor! :-)
We are planning to send this off for finishing soon. We'll share it again when it's been turned into a Kimono ornament.
Thanks for stopping by!
I'm just amazed sometimes that I have visitors. LOL!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Monday, November 30, 2009
Harlequin Star - A Final Finish!
"Harlequin Star" has finally been finished into an ornament!
Wahoo!!!
Okay, I know the picture is a bit washed out but it's the best I've been able to do. It's actually quite bright and colorful in person.
Here in the Mid-Atlantic we've been in a wet weather pattern for several months. Well, that's what the local weather personnel call it. LOL!!!
So of course, anytime I have some free time during the day and I want to take a picture it's raining, or just finishing raining, or just about to start raining. Sigh...
I finally decided that I'm going to start posting with the pictures that I've been able to take.
Yes, I enjoy all types of weather but the rain is starting to get a bit old. Can you tell that I went grocery shopping tonight in the rain and got rather wet loading the groceries into the car? LOL!!! They are forecasting an inch of rain tonight and I think I came home wearing about a quarter inch of it. LOL!!!
Thanks for stopping by, especially as I've been gone for a while! :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Wahoo!!!
Okay, I know the picture is a bit washed out but it's the best I've been able to do. It's actually quite bright and colorful in person.
Here in the Mid-Atlantic we've been in a wet weather pattern for several months. Well, that's what the local weather personnel call it. LOL!!!
So of course, anytime I have some free time during the day and I want to take a picture it's raining, or just finishing raining, or just about to start raining. Sigh...
I finally decided that I'm going to start posting with the pictures that I've been able to take.
Yes, I enjoy all types of weather but the rain is starting to get a bit old. Can you tell that I went grocery shopping tonight in the rain and got rather wet loading the groceries into the car? LOL!!! They are forecasting an inch of rain tonight and I think I came home wearing about a quarter inch of it. LOL!!!
Thanks for stopping by, especially as I've been gone for a while! :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Friday, October 23, 2009
Totally Useless SAL -- October 23, 2009
Do you have the patience for one more post about Orts?
Well, I am making up for June, August and September’s TUSAL posting dates which I missed! Somehow I found the time to post an entry in July (she says while scratching her head). I think after this post I’m still down one but we are not going to worry as hopefully Yoyo will understand. Do bottlecaps count as orts? :-)
Two days ago, I introduced you to Ortie. Yesterday I showed you how I collect my orts in plastic bags for each project until I am done with that particular project.
Once I’m done with a project, I then have a little ceremony (okay not much of one) where I put all of the orts for that particular project in my ort container. So with a drum roll please….. Here’s Ortessa!
As you can see she is getting a tad full as she is a well fed lady, but that’s half the fun. When I finish a new project, I can put the orts in, mush them down a bit, and I have a 7 Layer Ort Salad! LOL!
Yes I do have fun looking at the different layers of orts from different projects. Yes, I do have a tendency to name things and yes each of our cars, among other appliances has been named.
I hope you enjoyed seeing my posts about my orts and I hope you come back again soon as I have some new stitching pictures to share with you. I have been stitching and I’ve finally been able to take some new pictures now that we have had a few days of sun here in Rainy Windy Meadow!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Well, I am making up for June, August and September’s TUSAL posting dates which I missed! Somehow I found the time to post an entry in July (she says while scratching her head). I think after this post I’m still down one but we are not going to worry as hopefully Yoyo will understand. Do bottlecaps count as orts? :-)
Two days ago, I introduced you to Ortie. Yesterday I showed you how I collect my orts in plastic bags for each project until I am done with that particular project.
Once I’m done with a project, I then have a little ceremony (okay not much of one) where I put all of the orts for that particular project in my ort container. So with a drum roll please….. Here’s Ortessa!
As you can see she is getting a tad full as she is a well fed lady, but that’s half the fun. When I finish a new project, I can put the orts in, mush them down a bit, and I have a 7 Layer Ort Salad! LOL!
Yes I do have fun looking at the different layers of orts from different projects. Yes, I do have a tendency to name things and yes each of our cars, among other appliances has been named.
I hope you enjoyed seeing my posts about my orts and I hope you come back again soon as I have some new stitching pictures to share with you. I have been stitching and I’ve finally been able to take some new pictures now that we have had a few days of sun here in Rainy Windy Meadow!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Totally Useless SAL -- October 22, 2009
Yesterday, I introduced you to Ortie. Ortie is my former ort container as Ortie has now been adopted by Dear Daughter (DD) as her ort container.
One of the challenges I have had with the Totally Useless SAL, besides not stitching a lot this summer after finding the TUSAL in May, 2009, is that I stitch on multiple projects at any one time. I am a multi-project stitcher as opposed to a mono-project stitcher. I guess that makes me a MUP stitcher as opposed to a MOP stitcher. :-)
As I stitch, I don’t place my orts for all of my projects in one container. I actually collect them and save them with each project. This way, if I need a little bit of left-over thread, I can dig into the ort bag for that project as opposed to having to dig through a larger container.
As you can see I’ve been placing all of the orts from my “Trick or Treat Heart” project in a small plastic bag. As I work on each project, I place the orts for that project in its own little or sometimes not so little, bag.
Once I’m done stitching on the project, as part of packing up the left-over threads, journaling that project, and packing it up until I decide how I want to finish it, I place all of the orts for that project in my ort container. Yes, I’ll share that container with you tomorrow.
Monica, leave me your email so I can respond. You are set up for noreply-comment.
Thank you for visiting!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
One of the challenges I have had with the Totally Useless SAL, besides not stitching a lot this summer after finding the TUSAL in May, 2009, is that I stitch on multiple projects at any one time. I am a multi-project stitcher as opposed to a mono-project stitcher. I guess that makes me a MUP stitcher as opposed to a MOP stitcher. :-)
As I stitch, I don’t place my orts for all of my projects in one container. I actually collect them and save them with each project. This way, if I need a little bit of left-over thread, I can dig into the ort bag for that project as opposed to having to dig through a larger container.
As you can see I’ve been placing all of the orts from my “Trick or Treat Heart” project in a small plastic bag. As I work on each project, I place the orts for that project in its own little or sometimes not so little, bag.Once I’m done stitching on the project, as part of packing up the left-over threads, journaling that project, and packing it up until I decide how I want to finish it, I place all of the orts for that project in my ort container. Yes, I’ll share that container with you tomorrow.
Monica, leave me your email so I can respond. You are set up for noreply-comment.
Thank you for visiting!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Fabulous Fat Quarter Giveaway
Be sure to check out this fabulous fat quarter giveaway at Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilting!
Fabulous Fat Quarter Giveaway
Fabulous Fat Quarter Giveaway
Totally Useless SAL -- October 21, 2009
On January 26, 2009, Yoyo of the "Dragon My Needle" blog started the Totally Useless SAL.
The TUSAL asked that you use a clear container and then throughout the year you put in the container any of the following (in her own words);
- regular Orts (thread ends)
- little snips of fabric
- broken buttons you were going to use on that little Lizzy Kate flip it
- a bead or two from your Mirabilia design
- worn out needles
- the labels from used up floss skeins
- whatever you like, as long as it is, or rather, was (LOL)
going to be part of a stitching project currently underway.
- you may include orts from any type of stitching project:
cross stitch, knitting, crochet, whatever, but please
do not include other craft leftovers such as paper crafts,
rubber stamping, etc.
She then asked that you post a picture of your container each month on the new moon.
Well, I have to admit that I “ahem” have not been a very active participant. Well, my excuse is that I haven’t really been stitching much this year. Please refer to exhibit/blog entry number 1 and exhibit/blog entry number 2!
I was determined to post a picture of something for the Totally Useless SAL on or about October 18, 2009 which was the new moon for this month! Well as they say, the best laid plans of…
So better late than never I would like to introduce you to Ortie. Ortie was made for me many years ago for me by my husband when he was playing around with his work bench, his scroll saw, and some wood. I used to use Ortie a lot for my orts. You ask, “You used to?” Yes, Ortie has now been claimed by dear daughter for her stitching orts. As you can see from the picture, she does not believe in throwing away her orts. Rather she mashes them down in the container until they start overflowing unto the floor. Then someone (me) usually fusses at her that she’s made a mess and then she cleans up the orts on the floor. Not the ones in Ortie. Sigh…
Tomorrow, or as soon as I am able, I’ll share a picture of what I use to store my orts. And yes, my ort container also has a name. :-)
The TUSAL asked that you use a clear container and then throughout the year you put in the container any of the following (in her own words);
- regular Orts (thread ends)
- little snips of fabric
- broken buttons you were going to use on that little Lizzy Kate flip it
- a bead or two from your Mirabilia design
- worn out needles
- the labels from used up floss skeins
- whatever you like, as long as it is, or rather, was (LOL)
going to be part of a stitching project currently underway.
- you may include orts from any type of stitching project:
cross stitch, knitting, crochet, whatever, but please
do not include other craft leftovers such as paper crafts,
rubber stamping, etc.
She then asked that you post a picture of your container each month on the new moon.
Well, I have to admit that I “ahem” have not been a very active participant. Well, my excuse is that I haven’t really been stitching much this year. Please refer to exhibit/blog entry number 1 and exhibit/blog entry number 2!
I was determined to post a picture of something for the Totally Useless SAL on or about October 18, 2009 which was the new moon for this month! Well as they say, the best laid plans of…
So better late than never I would like to introduce you to Ortie. Ortie was made for me many years ago for me by my husband when he was playing around with his work bench, his scroll saw, and some wood. I used to use Ortie a lot for my orts. You ask, “You used to?” Yes, Ortie has now been claimed by dear daughter for her stitching orts. As you can see from the picture, she does not believe in throwing away her orts. Rather she mashes them down in the container until they start overflowing unto the floor. Then someone (me) usually fusses at her that she’s made a mess and then she cleans up the orts on the floor. Not the ones in Ortie. Sigh…
Tomorrow, or as soon as I am able, I’ll share a picture of what I use to store my orts. And yes, my ort container also has a name. :-)
Monica asked what was a SAL. SAL stands for Stitch-a-Long. A Stitch-a-Long may be offered by a designer who plans on releasing portions of a design periodically so a group of stitchers can stitch-a-Long as the design is release. It can also two or more stitcher who have decided that they want to stitch the same design or a design by the same designer at the same time. Usually there is a starting and ending date set for a Stitch-a-Long. A Stitch-a-Long can also be held on a specific day of the week where the stitchers in the group have decided that they want to stitch on that specific day. There are many forms of Stitch-a-Longs but the intent is to have fun, make progress on a project, and share the community of like minded stitchers. For the Totally Useless SAL, Yoyo has asked us to collect our orts and post them each month on the new of the new moon. So for this SAL there is no stitching but it is held on a specific day of the month. As she says, it's totally useless to collect orts but hopefully we will have a lot of fun and learn about other stitchers blogs, a just for fun SAL! :-)
Thank you for stopping by and I appreciate all of the comments. Especially as I’ve been a little bit erratic on my posts. Okay, a lot erratic! LOL!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
“Lee Kimono -- October 6, 2009”
This is a Lee mini-kimono which our daughter finished stitching last spring. Yes, it took me a while to send it off to be professionally finished into its kimono shape but we were rather busy this summer! :-)
I think this was only her third or fourth canvas that she finished stitching. It’s now in our display cabinet for all to enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by to visit us! I hope you are having a wonderful and healthy fall! The leaves are falling here at Windy Meadow and yes it’s getting rather windy. LOL!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Monday, October 5, 2009
“Monday Memories – Green Holly Mini-Ornament” -- July 6, 2009
The “Green Holly Mini-Ornament” is another canvas that I stitched in the early to mid 1990’s.
"Green Holly Mini-Ornament”
Designer: Unknown
Early to mid-1990's
DMC #5 Perle Cotton, DMC Floss
Stitches & Threads chosen by Cyn.
The ornament is stitched entirely in Continental and Basketweave stitches using DMC #5 Perle cotton and DMC Floss.
The slightly padded ornament is about 2 ¼” tall by 2 ¼” wide. Red cording was added around the whole ornament and to form the hanging loop. The ornament was backed in red velvet.
I didn’t keep records for this project so I don’t know who the designer was, the cost of the canvas or the cost of the finishing.
I would have stitched this in the evening after the kids were in bed while watching TV or when the children were napping. With two little kids, I’m impressed that I was able to do any stitching! :-)
I have several more ornaments by the same designer which I’ll be sharing over the next several weeks.
Thank you for visiting with me for this week’s Monday Memory!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
"Green Holly Mini-Ornament”
Designer: Unknown
Early to mid-1990's
DMC #5 Perle Cotton, DMC Floss
Stitches & Threads chosen by Cyn.
The ornament is stitched entirely in Continental and Basketweave stitches using DMC #5 Perle cotton and DMC Floss.
The slightly padded ornament is about 2 ¼” tall by 2 ¼” wide. Red cording was added around the whole ornament and to form the hanging loop. The ornament was backed in red velvet.
I didn’t keep records for this project so I don’t know who the designer was, the cost of the canvas or the cost of the finishing.
I would have stitched this in the evening after the kids were in bed while watching TV or when the children were napping. With two little kids, I’m impressed that I was able to do any stitching! :-)
I have several more ornaments by the same designer which I’ll be sharing over the next several weeks.
Thank you for visiting with me for this week’s Monday Memory!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Sunday, October 4, 2009
“5,500 Bottle Caps, 5,500 Bottle Caps #2 -- October 4, 2009”
Thank you for all of the wonderful comments about our daughter’s bottle cap mural “Starry Nights” mural!
Yes, we are very proud of her and by the end of the construction of the mural, we were also very tired! Have you ever tried to maneuver a 6’ x 4’ panel of plywood covered in bottle caps and screws (very heavy) through library doors that are only 3 ½’ wide? Well, it was a challenge and a test of marital harmony as I was on one end guiding my darling husband who was on the other end walking backwards! Dear daughter, could not lift an end as she is a bit vertically challenged compared to the two of us. She was manning the doors. LOL!
I’ve posted another picture of the mural as MN Stitcher wanted to see a close up photo. Hopefully you can see a little bit better in this picture.
Beth, there aren’t any larger pictures online but you can tell your library about bottle cap art by sharing with them the link to Michele’s Stitzlein’s site at;
http://www.artgrange.com/LittleBottlecap.html
You can also see close-ups of other projects here and on the cover of her book and another version of the “Starry Nights” mural at the bottom of the page.
Edy, all of the bottle caps were plastic as she needed to be able to screw them onto the plywood so that they were not easily removed.
The mural has been mounted at the library and is in one of the conference rooms. The library plans on taking school and youth groups through the room as part of their education activities. In addition, the library has printed the information pamphlet written by our daughter and they have also printed the game that our daughter created to share with students and the library patrons.
What is the game that our daughter created? The mural contains one clear bottle cap in addition to the ones used for the initials. The game is to find the one clear bottle cap. This is a bit harder than it sounds as it’s not easy to find the one clear bottle cap, especially with all of the white bottle caps! :-)
Thanks for stopping by and I have some needlepoint pictures and progress to share with my next post!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Yes, we are very proud of her and by the end of the construction of the mural, we were also very tired! Have you ever tried to maneuver a 6’ x 4’ panel of plywood covered in bottle caps and screws (very heavy) through library doors that are only 3 ½’ wide? Well, it was a challenge and a test of marital harmony as I was on one end guiding my darling husband who was on the other end walking backwards! Dear daughter, could not lift an end as she is a bit vertically challenged compared to the two of us. She was manning the doors. LOL!
I’ve posted another picture of the mural as MN Stitcher wanted to see a close up photo. Hopefully you can see a little bit better in this picture.
Beth, there aren’t any larger pictures online but you can tell your library about bottle cap art by sharing with them the link to Michele’s Stitzlein’s site at;
http://www.artgrange.com/LittleBottlecap.html
You can also see close-ups of other projects here and on the cover of her book and another version of the “Starry Nights” mural at the bottom of the page.
Edy, all of the bottle caps were plastic as she needed to be able to screw them onto the plywood so that they were not easily removed.
The mural has been mounted at the library and is in one of the conference rooms. The library plans on taking school and youth groups through the room as part of their education activities. In addition, the library has printed the information pamphlet written by our daughter and they have also printed the game that our daughter created to share with students and the library patrons.
What is the game that our daughter created? The mural contains one clear bottle cap in addition to the ones used for the initials. The game is to find the one clear bottle cap. This is a bit harder than it sounds as it’s not easy to find the one clear bottle cap, especially with all of the white bottle caps! :-)
Thanks for stopping by and I have some needlepoint pictures and progress to share with my next post!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Friday, September 18, 2009
5,500 Bottle Caps, 5,500 Bottle Caps -- Sepember 20, 2009
I can finally share with everyone what we have been up to this summer and why I have been missing from my blog. No, I haven't been stitching. :-)
Our daughter spent the summer working on her last big service project before heading off for college. Early in the summer she met with our local library staff to develop a large service project. After reviewing several different ideas, she volunteered to make a 6' x 12' mural of Vincent van Gogh's Starry Nights out of bottle caps. Yep, bottle caps! The library thought this would be a great example of recyclable art to share with the community and our daughter loved the idea.
The inspiration for this project was a book written by Michelle Stitzlein called "Bottlecap little Bottlecap". Ms. Stitzlein was very supportive of the project and gave the library and our daughter some very helpful suggestions.
While our daughter was waiting for final approval of her project, the library began collecting bottle caps.
My mother works part-time at another county's public library. When she told them about the project, they decided that they wanted to support our library and they began a bottle collection campaign of their own for this project.
As word spread, family and friends began collecting bottle caps. She also received bottle cap from the volunteers at a local Day Camp where she volunteers
After receiving approval of her project, our daughter began the planning and construction phase of the project. With the help of family and volunteers, the base of the mural was made from three 6' x 4' plywood panels with 2" x 2" supporting rails on the top and on the bottom of the back of each panel. The rails were pre-drilled prior to attaching to the plywood so that they could be used to hang the mural. Once the rails were added, each panel was painted with a white primer. Once this was dry, each panel was then framed with molding that had been stained a dark walnut. The molding was added to the top and bottom of the center section and to three sides on the two end pieces.
Meanwhile, the bottle caps started pouring in and she had a lot of bottle caps to sort and clean. After some trial and error she discovered that the easiest way to clean that many bottle caps was in the washing machine. Yes, our washing machine! After collecting the bottle caps she sorted them in the garage by removing any that could not be used. She then placed the bottle caps in lingerie bags, zipped the bags, and then used rubber bands to tie the tops of the lingerie bags. The rubber bands kept the zippers from coming loose and spilling all of the bottle caps into the washer. You can imagine how we found out that this can happen, and DH was not pleased. LOL!
The bottle caps in the lingerie bags were then placed in the washing machine with several towels as the challenge with washing the bottle caps was to make sure that the load was balanced. Though, several times one of us would have to go running to "save" the washing machine as it started walking across the floor. :-)
Once the bottle caps were washed, they were then sorted again by removing those that could not be cleaned or could not be used. They were then placed on paper towels in several layers to dry. Once the bottle caps were dry, they were then sorted again by color into shopping bags.
With the help of family and volunteers, our daughter began designing the mural. The library had asked for some additions to "Starry Nights" that would reflect the local community so with their approval our daughter added a raven, a barn, and a wagon with a horse. Let me tell you, designing the horse took a while and the raven wasn't easy either! LOL! With the help of a volunteer who is an artist and with lot's of other helpful and sometimes not so helpful suggestions we finally had a recognizable horse and raven. :-)
As each motif was designed, the bottle caps were temporarily attached to the mural using glue dots. Then each bottle cap was screwed down. Once all of the motifs were designed and attached, she started filling in the background
Our daughter found that the best way to attach the bottle caps was to have one person hold the bottle cap in place using a needle nose pliers while the other person used the drill to attach the bottle cap.
Okay, this sounds easy and we thought that she could work on the mural every day when she came home from her summer college class with the help of her brother. Yes, easy until you realize that some of those bottle caps are really thick and our daughter and our son did not have the leverage or upper arm strength to do many bottle caps at a time. So with lots of help from family and friends, and after many, many, hours of work, all of the bottle caps were finally attached.
We cleaned out our local big box hardware store and several not so local big box hardware stores of the screws that were needed. We also bought out our local craft stores of glue dots several times. We were wondering what the inventory/ordering people were thinking! LOL!!!
After several weeks of hard work the mural was completed. Now the next challenge was how was she going to deliver the mural to the library? She measured the back of our van and each panel would fit. Thank goodness, as she did not have the cost of hiring a moving van in her project budget. :-)
It took three trips but finally all three pieces of the mural were delivered. It took several weeks for the library staff to figure out the best way to hang it as it is fairly heavy. The mural is now on permanent display!
Our daughter also made a smaller mural which contains the symbol of the library (a stylized light bulb) on a much smaller piece of plywood (2' x 18"). The smaller mural can be easily carried by one person for when the library staff visits schools and day cares. She also created an informational pamphlet for the library.
The library staff were thrilled with their new mural!
This was a lot of fun and a lot of work for everyone especially our daughter. She was amazed at how absolutely wonderful everyone was and how many bottle caps were donated. She was concerned that they might not be able to collect enough bottle caps. The library had people mailing bottle caps to them from across the state!
Hope you enjoy seeing our summer project and thanks for stopping by to visit!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Summer Fun! -- August 13, 2009
We've been very busy here in Windy Meadow.
The kids are out of school so we have vacation, camps, and summer classes all summer long.
Lot's of great summer fun but not much stitching is going on. :-)
I'm having a lot of fun reading and seeing what everyone else has been stitching by following along with everyone's blogs.
I'll be back about Labor Day so see you then!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
The kids are out of school so we have vacation, camps, and summer classes all summer long.
Lot's of great summer fun but not much stitching is going on. :-)
I'm having a lot of fun reading and seeing what everyone else has been stitching by following along with everyone's blogs.
I'll be back about Labor Day so see you then!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
"Trick or Treat Heart" by Sekas & Co. -- July 22, 2009
I have some more progress on my "Trick or Treat Heart" to share with everyone. When you last saw this project, almost all of the stitching was complete. I needed to add some details to the Trick or Treaters and I needed to finish adding the top stitching on the orange and green patches. Well, I'm done!
"Trick or Treat Heart"
by Sekas & Co.
DMC #5 Perle Cotton, DMC Floss, Caron Impressions, Caron Watercolors
by Sekas & Co.
DMC #5 Perle Cotton, DMC Floss, Caron Impressions, Caron Watercolors
Now I just need to decide if I want to stitch the area behind the Trick or Treaters as the original instructions does not have you stitch this area. I must admit, I'm not sure if I like the bare area. Hmmmm...
Well, thanks for stopping by and I hope you are keeping cool during these long, hot summer days!
Well, thanks for stopping by and I hope you are keeping cool during these long, hot summer days!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
So Many Posts so Little Time! -- July 21, 2009
I turn my back on you all for one minute and everyone starts posting like crazy! LOL!
It's wonderful but I can't keep up right now! Thank goodness the posts will still be there when I can read them. :-)
Not a lot of stitching progress here in Windy Meadow. We are still working hard on DD's large service project and it's taking up all of our spare time. I plan on sharing pictures soon.
In the meanwhile, my daughter's Mini-Kimono was returned from the finisher and it's so cute. Also, two of my recent projects were finished. I hope to take pictures this weekend and I'll have them up on the blog shortly.
Thanks for stopping by even though I don't have pictures for you yet. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Nobody "Nose" the....
As we remember from previous episodes, I mean posts, problem number 1 with Uncle S. was a dye lot issue with the DMC floss I was using for his face. I can't blame anyone but myself as the original floss was a little bit old (okay 7 years old) and it didn't match up with the floss that I purchased to finish the face. Please note that there was plenty of floss in the original kit but due to earlier ummm... undo stitching I ran out of the original floss with the left cheek unfinished.
Soooo once I was done undo stitching his face, I started re-stitching his face after purchasing two, count them two, new skeins of DMC floss from the same dye lot. We were stitching quite merrily along when I realized that, dang it, his nose was getting ummm... rather ummm... there is no other word that works as well, his nose was getting rather fuzzy. Sigh...
After much thought and two consultations with DD, I finally decided that I would have to undo and then redo Uncle S' nose. Sigh... Sigh... Sigh...
So I think I'm going to have quite a pile of undo stitching orts for the July installment of the TUSAL. Sigh...
Uncle S. does not want the official photographer to stop by and take his photo until his face has been "fixed". So you all will just have to wait a little bit longer to see him again. And knowing Uncle S. he's going to want to have more than just his face stitched before he makes another appearance for his fans. :-)
In other news the main computer, which was at the computer doctor, is home and we are working on reinstalling what needs to be reinstalled. DH wanted to make sure that all of my emails were restored correctly so he did it twice. Yep, twice. I now have duplicates of all of my messages in all of my folders. And yes, it's driving me crazy. Soooo every night I'm working hard to delete the duplicate messages from at least one folder. Did I mention that some of these folders are quite large and that this is taking a while??? He is a wonderful DH so I'm not actually complaining as he has been bringing me cold beverages every night as I spend an hour or so deleting duplicates. LOL!
We are also working on another large family project which I hope to share pictures with very soon. It's not a stitching project but my stitching design expertise has helped DD with the design of the project. Or at least my ability to look at a picture and see it as pixels/stitches. Once I can take some more pictures in the daylight I'll post an entry to let you know what we are up to. Cause you know us, it's going to be interesting! And all 6' by 12' of it is interesting. LOL!!!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and I'm very thankful that you are still stopping by since it's been a while since I've posted a picture!
Thank you as I appreciate all of your lovely comments! Especially the ones that make me grin or laugh. LOL!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Thursday, July 9, 2009
A Fun Questionaire or We Have No Computer... :-(
I was planning on sharing a new picture of my progress on "Trick or Treat Heart" tonight but our main computer which contains my recent pictures is down and out for now. Sigh...
We should have it back by the weekend so in the meanwhile I thought I would have some fun. I came across this fun quiz some time ago and thought I would post it and my response on my blog when I was stitching away and didn't have any progress to share. I guess that's now! LOL!
Anyway, here's the fun questionnaire. I thought it was interesting that of all the things that I have not done there are only two that I would like to do.
We should have it back by the weekend so in the meanwhile I thought I would have some fun. I came across this fun quiz some time ago and thought I would post it and my response on my blog when I was stitching away and didn't have any progress to share. I guess that's now! LOL!
Anyway, here's the fun questionnaire. I thought it was interesting that of all the things that I have not done there are only two that I would like to do.
Enjoy and feel free to borrow if you think it would be fun! :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Things you have already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to: leave in plain font
1. started your own blog
Yes, as you can see here. :-)
2. slept under the stars
Yes, camped a lot when I was a child and teenager.
3. played in a band
Does Middle and High School Band count? If so, the answer is yes.
4. visited Hawaii
Would love to but actually I want to visit Alaska first.
5. watched a meteor shower
Layed in the grass at night and watched. Lot's of fun!
6. given more than you can afford to charity
When I was a lot younger, at times I gave more than I should and then raided savings to make it to the next paycheck. Does that count?
7. been to Disneyworld
First trip was when I was an adult and we took the kids.
8. climbed a mountain
Kind of as I've hiked mountain trails when I was younger.
Have actually not scaled a mountain.
9. held a praying mantis,
Didn't actually hold it in my hand as it's not good for the praying mantis but have moved them to safer areas.
10. sang a solo
No, and you would not want me to! :-)
11. bungee jumped
No, and have no desire to! LOL!
12. visited Paris
No, and actually it's not high on the places that I want to visit.
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
Yes, I have watched lightening storms over the Atlantic and
over the Chesapeake Bay. I've also watched a lightening
storm over the ocean on my one and only cruise that I've taken.
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
Does needlework count?
My grandmother and mother got me started but I'm mainly self taught.
15. adopted a child
No, but I've done an awful lot of volunteer work with children who are not mine. :-)
16. had food poisoning
Yes, and let's not go there.
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Always wanted to do this but on my one and only trip to New York City in the 80's was when it was being repaired so the top was closed to visitors.
Did visit the island and walked around the base.
Then it was closed after 9/11.
They have just reopened the top for tours so maybe I will be able to do this...
18. grown your own vegetables
Oh yes, we grew up in the country and I had my own garden and worked on the family garden.
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
No
20. slept on an overnight train
As a child we would visit family by going on a train but we never traveled overnight.
21. had a pillow fight
Oh goodness yes! More than once and also as an adult with my kids! :-)
22. hitch hiked
Never as this has not been safe as long as I remember!
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Oh yes, that's why they call them mental health days!
24. built a snow fort
And then had the snow battle! LOL!
25. held a lamb
Not that I can remember but we were around farms and animals a lot when I was a child.
26. gone skinny dipping
Yes, and don't ask for details! LOL!
27. run a marathon
No, and don't plan to.
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
No.
29. seen a total eclipse
Yes. There was a total eclipse over the east coast when I was a lot younger. We made the plates so that you could see the eclipse happening without looking at the sun.
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
Yep.
31. hit a home run
With neighborhood games but I don't think that counts.
32. been on a cruise
Yes, once.
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
No, but I hope to someday.
Can't convince the DH and the kids to go in that direction for vacation.
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
No, as that would include Wales, Germany, England, Ireland, and who knows what else. :-)
35. seen an Amish community
Spent my early years in PA and lived next to an Amish farm so saw the real thing.
36. taught yourself a new language
No, as I'm not good with languages.
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
Yes as I've been fortunate but I also think it's in how you think and what you do with what you earn.
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
No.
39. gone rock climbing
Not as we think of it now, but have clambered up rocks while hiking.
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
No.
41. sung karaoke
No, and you don't want me to!
42. seen Old Faithful (geyser) erupt
No, but dear daugher has. :-)
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
No.
44. visited Africa
No.
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
Many times.
46. been transported in an ambulance
No, thank goodness.
47. had your portrait painted
Does having my portrait done in chalk count?
48. gone deep sea fishing
No, as I rather just sit on the boat instead fishing.
Though I have gone fishing and crabing lot's of times in rivers and on the Chesapeake Bay.
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
No.
50. been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris
No.
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
No.
52. kissed in the rain
Yep and no telling!
53. played in the mud
Yes, hey I was a kid once and it was fun!
54. gone to a drive-in theater
May times.
55. been in a movie
No.
56. visited the Great Wall of China
No.
57. started a business
No.
58. taken a martial arts class
No.
59. visited Russia
No.
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Things you have already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to: leave in plain font
1. started your own blog
Yes, as you can see here. :-)
2. slept under the stars
Yes, camped a lot when I was a child and teenager.
3. played in a band
Does Middle and High School Band count? If so, the answer is yes.
4. visited Hawaii
Would love to but actually I want to visit Alaska first.
5. watched a meteor shower
Layed in the grass at night and watched. Lot's of fun!
6. given more than you can afford to charity
When I was a lot younger, at times I gave more than I should and then raided savings to make it to the next paycheck. Does that count?
7. been to Disneyworld
First trip was when I was an adult and we took the kids.
8. climbed a mountain
Kind of as I've hiked mountain trails when I was younger.
Have actually not scaled a mountain.
9. held a praying mantis,
Didn't actually hold it in my hand as it's not good for the praying mantis but have moved them to safer areas.
10. sang a solo
No, and you would not want me to! :-)
11. bungee jumped
No, and have no desire to! LOL!
12. visited Paris
No, and actually it's not high on the places that I want to visit.
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
Yes, I have watched lightening storms over the Atlantic and
over the Chesapeake Bay. I've also watched a lightening
storm over the ocean on my one and only cruise that I've taken.
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
Does needlework count?
My grandmother and mother got me started but I'm mainly self taught.
15. adopted a child
No, but I've done an awful lot of volunteer work with children who are not mine. :-)
16. had food poisoning
Yes, and let's not go there.
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Always wanted to do this but on my one and only trip to New York City in the 80's was when it was being repaired so the top was closed to visitors.
Did visit the island and walked around the base.
Then it was closed after 9/11.
They have just reopened the top for tours so maybe I will be able to do this...
18. grown your own vegetables
Oh yes, we grew up in the country and I had my own garden and worked on the family garden.
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
No
20. slept on an overnight train
As a child we would visit family by going on a train but we never traveled overnight.
21. had a pillow fight
Oh goodness yes! More than once and also as an adult with my kids! :-)
22. hitch hiked
Never as this has not been safe as long as I remember!
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Oh yes, that's why they call them mental health days!
24. built a snow fort
And then had the snow battle! LOL!
25. held a lamb
Not that I can remember but we were around farms and animals a lot when I was a child.
26. gone skinny dipping
Yes, and don't ask for details! LOL!
27. run a marathon
No, and don't plan to.
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
No.
29. seen a total eclipse
Yes. There was a total eclipse over the east coast when I was a lot younger. We made the plates so that you could see the eclipse happening without looking at the sun.
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
Yep.
31. hit a home run
With neighborhood games but I don't think that counts.
32. been on a cruise
Yes, once.
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
No, but I hope to someday.
Can't convince the DH and the kids to go in that direction for vacation.
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
No, as that would include Wales, Germany, England, Ireland, and who knows what else. :-)
35. seen an Amish community
Spent my early years in PA and lived next to an Amish farm so saw the real thing.
36. taught yourself a new language
No, as I'm not good with languages.
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
Yes as I've been fortunate but I also think it's in how you think and what you do with what you earn.
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
No.
39. gone rock climbing
Not as we think of it now, but have clambered up rocks while hiking.
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
No.
41. sung karaoke
No, and you don't want me to!
42. seen Old Faithful (geyser) erupt
No, but dear daugher has. :-)
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
No.
44. visited Africa
No.
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
Many times.
46. been transported in an ambulance
No, thank goodness.
47. had your portrait painted
Does having my portrait done in chalk count?
48. gone deep sea fishing
No, as I rather just sit on the boat instead fishing.
Though I have gone fishing and crabing lot's of times in rivers and on the Chesapeake Bay.
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
No.
50. been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris
No.
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
No.
52. kissed in the rain
Yep and no telling!
53. played in the mud
Yes, hey I was a kid once and it was fun!
54. gone to a drive-in theater
May times.
55. been in a movie
No.
56. visited the Great Wall of China
No.
57. started a business
No.
58. taken a martial arts class
No.
59. visited Russia
No.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
“Totally Useless SAL” -- July 5, 2009”
On January 26, 2009, Yoyo of the "Dragon My Needle" blog started the Totally Useless SAL.
For the Totally Useless SAL, you first find a clear container. Then throughout the year you put in the container any of the following (in her own words);
- regular Orts (thread ends)
- little snips of fabric
- broken buttons you were going to use on that little Lizzy Kate flip it
- a bead or two from your Mirabilia design
- worn out needles
- the labels from used up floss skeins
- whatever you like, as long as it is, or rather, was (LOL)
going to be part of a stitching project currently underway.
- you may include orts from any type of stitching project:
cross stitch, knitting, crochet, whatever, but please
do not include other craft leftovers such as paper crafts,
rubber stamping, etc.
She asks that you post a picture of your container each month on the day of the new moon.
When I read this I laughed out loud at the thought of a Totally Useless SAL. No pressure except to post a picture every month. So I signed up in May, 2009 expecting this SAL to be very easy. Well it should have been! LOL!
I failed to consider all of the end of the school year activities and day camp let alone working full time, family activities, and the annual family reunion. Well you get the picture. Though actually you didn't get a picture in June. :-)
Needless to say, I haven't been doing much stitching. My main contribution for the last several weeks has been my undo stitching of Uncle Sam!
I'm a little late but here's my picture of what I have accomplished since I joined the Totally Useless SAL. All of the remnants from undo stitching Uncle Sam. Well at least it's something so stop laughing! LOL!
I'll decide next month if I'm stitching enough to continue participating in the Totally Useless SAL. Next picture is due on July 22, 2009!
Yoyo is keeping a list of all of the Totally Useless SAL participants. There is at least one international member. Have fun checking out the blogs of all of the participants!
Thank you for visiting my little home out here in blog land and I appreciate and love reading your comments. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
For the Totally Useless SAL, you first find a clear container. Then throughout the year you put in the container any of the following (in her own words);
- regular Orts (thread ends)
- little snips of fabric
- broken buttons you were going to use on that little Lizzy Kate flip it
- a bead or two from your Mirabilia design
- worn out needles
- the labels from used up floss skeins
- whatever you like, as long as it is, or rather, was (LOL)
going to be part of a stitching project currently underway.
- you may include orts from any type of stitching project:
cross stitch, knitting, crochet, whatever, but please
do not include other craft leftovers such as paper crafts,
rubber stamping, etc.
She asks that you post a picture of your container each month on the day of the new moon.
When I read this I laughed out loud at the thought of a Totally Useless SAL. No pressure except to post a picture every month. So I signed up in May, 2009 expecting this SAL to be very easy. Well it should have been! LOL!
I failed to consider all of the end of the school year activities and day camp let alone working full time, family activities, and the annual family reunion. Well you get the picture. Though actually you didn't get a picture in June. :-)
Needless to say, I haven't been doing much stitching. My main contribution for the last several weeks has been my undo stitching of Uncle Sam!
I'm a little late but here's my picture of what I have accomplished since I joined the Totally Useless SAL. All of the remnants from undo stitching Uncle Sam. Well at least it's something so stop laughing! LOL!
I'll decide next month if I'm stitching enough to continue participating in the Totally Useless SAL. Next picture is due on July 22, 2009!
Yoyo is keeping a list of all of the Totally Useless SAL participants. There is at least one international member. Have fun checking out the blogs of all of the participants!
Thank you for visiting my little home out here in blog land and I appreciate and love reading your comments. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Saturday, July 4, 2009
“Liberty Heart -- July 4, 2009”
Since this is the 4th of July I thought I would share another patriotic design with you. I’ve stated stitching the cross stitch freebie design “Liberty Heart” by Trail Creek Farm.
I’ve made a little bit of stitching progress on “Liberty Heart” in between family activities and working on Uncle Sam.
Thanks for stopping by. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
I’ve made a little bit of stitching progress on “Liberty Heart” in between family activities and working on Uncle Sam.
Thanks for stopping by. :-)
Have a Happy 4th of July!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Friday, July 3, 2009
Uncle Sam's Status -- July 3, 2009
Uncle Sam asked me to tell you that he will return shortly. All of the undo stitching has been completed but he does not want to pose for any publicity photos until he has put his face on. In other words, he has asked me to hurry up and finish the redo stitching!
Guess what I'll be working on all weekend? At least I'm stitching Uncle Sam on the 4th of July weekend! :-)
Have a Happy 4th of July!
In our neighborhood it appears to have started tonight as we are hearing lot's of people setting off fireworks in their backyards. The big ones will be tomorrow night!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Guess what I'll be working on all weekend? At least I'm stitching Uncle Sam on the 4th of July weekend! :-)
Have a Happy 4th of July!
In our neighborhood it appears to have started tonight as we are hearing lot's of people setting off fireworks in their backyards. The big ones will be tomorrow night!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Monday, June 29, 2009
“Monday Memories – The Night Before Christmas MSD #9 JB Stocking” -- June 29, 2009
I stitched “The Night Before Christmas” MSD #9 JB Stocking in the early to mid 1990’s.
Most of the stocking is stitched in Continental and Basketweave stitches using DMC #5. The base of the candlestick, andirons, and the gold on the package were stitched using gold metallic Kreinik braid. The wallpaper stripes were stitched using the Slanted Gobelin stitch. The stripes were stitched vertically and alternated between two shades of blue. The red bricks were stitched using the horizontal Cashmere stitch.
The stocking is about 5 ½” tall by 3 ¾” wide. Blue cording was added around the outside, around the top of the stocking and then forms a hanging loop. The back is blue velvet. The inside pouch of the stocking was finished in red satin.
JB Designs created a different stocking for each stanza of the “Night Before Christmas” poem. In many of the stockings, the same view with the same elements is used such as the fireplace with the wreath above, but was shown from a different distance or from a different perspective.
I was planning on stitching each one of the stockings but was not able to find all of the stockings before the line became unavailable for several years.
I don’t remember the finishing cost, but I do remember that since were young with very young children, I had to carefully consider our budget before sending anything out for finishing. This was truly a luxury!
JB Designs was purchased by Julia’s Needleworks in late 2007/early 2008. The JB Design line became available again during the summer of 2008. You can see the first set of stockings and the second set of stockings on Julia's website under JB Designs.
JB Designs was and still is one of my favorite lines of needlepoint designs!
Thank you for strolling down memory lane with me. I hope you enjoyed seeing my “The Night Before Christmas” MSD #9 JB Stocking!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
"The Night Before Christmas” MSD #9 JB Stocking
Early to mid-1990's
DMC #5 Perle Cotton, Kreinik Braids
Stitches & Threads chosen by Cyn.
Julia Needleworks
Early to mid-1990's
DMC #5 Perle Cotton, Kreinik Braids
Stitches & Threads chosen by Cyn.
Julia Needleworks
Most of the stocking is stitched in Continental and Basketweave stitches using DMC #5. The base of the candlestick, andirons, and the gold on the package were stitched using gold metallic Kreinik braid. The wallpaper stripes were stitched using the Slanted Gobelin stitch. The stripes were stitched vertically and alternated between two shades of blue. The red bricks were stitched using the horizontal Cashmere stitch.
The stocking is about 5 ½” tall by 3 ¾” wide. Blue cording was added around the outside, around the top of the stocking and then forms a hanging loop. The back is blue velvet. The inside pouch of the stocking was finished in red satin.
JB Designs created a different stocking for each stanza of the “Night Before Christmas” poem. In many of the stockings, the same view with the same elements is used such as the fireplace with the wreath above, but was shown from a different distance or from a different perspective.
I was planning on stitching each one of the stockings but was not able to find all of the stockings before the line became unavailable for several years.
I don’t remember the finishing cost, but I do remember that since were young with very young children, I had to carefully consider our budget before sending anything out for finishing. This was truly a luxury!
JB Designs was purchased by Julia’s Needleworks in late 2007/early 2008. The JB Design line became available again during the summer of 2008. You can see the first set of stockings and the second set of stockings on Julia's website under JB Designs.
JB Designs was and still is one of my favorite lines of needlepoint designs!
Thank you for strolling down memory lane with me. I hope you enjoyed seeing my “The Night Before Christmas” MSD #9 JB Stocking!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Sunday, June 28, 2009
"Patchwork Pink Shoe" -- June 27, 2009
Several years ago, I signed up for the “Halloween Cookie Club” which was offered by Fireside Stitchery. The canvases are Halloween hats and shoes and were designed by “A Collection of Designs”. You can see the Halloween ornaments that they currently have in their Trick or Treat Halloween Ornaments collection.
Okay, okay, I’ll admit that I signed up for the class about four years ago! LOL!
I finished two of the cookie ornaments that year which I can’t share with you right now as they are packed away until next fall. They were a lot of fun to stitch and I actually sent them off to be finished into ornaments!
I started working on the next ornament in the series, but I then put it away when I became busy with family life. :-)
That’s usually what happens when I don’t finish a project. We get busy, one if not all of us get sick, or the project(s) get packed up as I need to clean up for a family event. Once a project is packed up it may not get pulled back out right away and some times it doesn’t get pulled out for quite a long while!
While organizing my stash, I found my “Patchwork Pink Shoe” and I decided that I wanted to finish it this year. So it went back on the table. Once I make some progress, I’ll share a new picture with everyone.
Thank you for visiting!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Okay, okay, I’ll admit that I signed up for the class about four years ago! LOL!
I finished two of the cookie ornaments that year which I can’t share with you right now as they are packed away until next fall. They were a lot of fun to stitch and I actually sent them off to be finished into ornaments!
I started working on the next ornament in the series, but I then put it away when I became busy with family life. :-)
That’s usually what happens when I don’t finish a project. We get busy, one if not all of us get sick, or the project(s) get packed up as I need to clean up for a family event. Once a project is packed up it may not get pulled back out right away and some times it doesn’t get pulled out for quite a long while!
While organizing my stash, I found my “Patchwork Pink Shoe” and I decided that I wanted to finish it this year. So it went back on the table. Once I make some progress, I’ll share a new picture with everyone.
"Patchwork Pink Shoe"
A Collection of Designs
Stitch Guide by Fireside Stitchery
DMC #5 Perle Cotton
Rainbow Gallery's Grandeur, Splendor, Petite Frosty Rays, and Petite Sparkle Rays
River Silk LTD's Silk Ribbon
Mill Hill Petite Seed Beads
Ultra-Shimmer
Kreinik Braid #12
A Collection of Designs
Stitch Guide by Fireside Stitchery
DMC #5 Perle Cotton
Rainbow Gallery's Grandeur, Splendor, Petite Frosty Rays, and Petite Sparkle Rays
River Silk LTD's Silk Ribbon
Mill Hill Petite Seed Beads
Ultra-Shimmer
Kreinik Braid #12
Thank you for visiting!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Friday, June 26, 2009
"Halloween Hats & Flowers Candy Cane" -- June 25, 2009
I'm almost done with my "Halloween Hats & Flowers Candy Cane".
I just need to add the orange beads in the center of the flowers and then it will be done!
Thanks for stopping by to visit with me today. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
I just need to add the orange beads in the center of the flowers and then it will be done!
"Halloween Hats & Flowers Candy Cane"
Melissa Shirley Designs
DMC Floss, DMC #5, The Caron Collection's Watercolors and Impressions
Stitch Guide by Sekas & Co.
Melissa Shirley Designs
DMC Floss, DMC #5, The Caron Collection's Watercolors and Impressions
Stitch Guide by Sekas & Co.
Thanks for stopping by to visit with me today. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
“Trick or Treat Heart” by Sekas & Co. -- June 23, 2009
I’ve made some more progress on my Sekas & Co. “Halloween Heart” and I’m almost done.
I’ve finished stitching all of the sections in the heart and the Trick or Treaters. I’m now working on stitching all of the black overstitching on the orange and green sections. Once these are completed, I just need to add the eyes to Frankenstein and the eyes and the hair on the witch.
School is now out for the summer so all of the school related activities are over. Once I finish helping out with a day camp this week, we’ll be on our summer schedule and I’ll have more time to stitch! I have been able to do a little bit of stitching over the last few weeks which I’ll share with you over the next several days.
Don’t forget to vote for my blog challenge to help me decide what will be my second challenge project for this year. And yes, I do plan on finishing all three projects! :-)
I’m so glad that you could stop by and visit with me in Windy Meadow!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
"Trick or Treat Heart"
by Sekas & Co.
DMC #5 Perle Cotton, Caron Impressions, Caron Watercolors
by Sekas & Co.
DMC #5 Perle Cotton, Caron Impressions, Caron Watercolors
I’ve finished stitching all of the sections in the heart and the Trick or Treaters. I’m now working on stitching all of the black overstitching on the orange and green sections. Once these are completed, I just need to add the eyes to Frankenstein and the eyes and the hair on the witch.
School is now out for the summer so all of the school related activities are over. Once I finish helping out with a day camp this week, we’ll be on our summer schedule and I’ll have more time to stitch! I have been able to do a little bit of stitching over the last few weeks which I’ll share with you over the next several days.
Don’t forget to vote for my blog challenge to help me decide what will be my second challenge project for this year. And yes, I do plan on finishing all three projects! :-)
I’m so glad that you could stop by and visit with me in Windy Meadow!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Saturday, June 20, 2009
"Blog Challenge" -- June 20, 2009
Now that the Black-eyed Susans chapter has selected "Uncle Sam" as my chapter challenge I need to decide which of the two remaining projects that I'll stitch as my blog challenge. And now you will be able to see "Uncle Sam" with pants! LOL!!!
Since the voting by my blog readers was even among the three projects without a clear winner, I though I would re-start the voting with the two remaining projects. If you would like to vote, just leave a comment on this blog entry letting me know which of the two projects, "Anasazi Song" or "Avalon" that you would like to me stitch as my Blog Challenge. You can read about the two projects on the June 11, 2009 entry. My goal will be to stitch "Uncle Sam" and my blog challenge project by July 31, 2010.
Yes, I know that I can stitch all three as a rotation but since I already have several (okay many) projects in my rotation I just want to add two more right now. So you can only vote for one. :-)
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving comments. I do enjoy seeing that I have readers who enjoy my stitching.
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
*** Update ***
I forgot to add that if you still prefer that I concentrate on "Uncle Sam" and you don't want me to add in one of the other projects to my rotation that's fine. Just let me know by voting for "Uncle Sam". I plan on eventually stitching all three as they are all in my "Class" category and would have been stitched one after the other as part of my usual rotation/group stitching.
Since the voting by my blog readers was even among the three projects without a clear winner, I though I would re-start the voting with the two remaining projects. If you would like to vote, just leave a comment on this blog entry letting me know which of the two projects, "Anasazi Song" or "Avalon" that you would like to me stitch as my Blog Challenge. You can read about the two projects on the June 11, 2009 entry. My goal will be to stitch "Uncle Sam" and my blog challenge project by July 31, 2010.
Yes, I know that I can stitch all three as a rotation but since I already have several (okay many) projects in my rotation I just want to add two more right now. So you can only vote for one. :-)
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving comments. I do enjoy seeing that I have readers who enjoy my stitching.
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
*** Update ***
I forgot to add that if you still prefer that I concentrate on "Uncle Sam" and you don't want me to add in one of the other projects to my rotation that's fine. Just let me know by voting for "Uncle Sam". I plan on eventually stitching all three as they are all in my "Class" category and would have been stitched one after the other as part of my usual rotation/group stitching.
"Black-eyed Susans Challenge" -- June 20, 2009
The members of the Blacked-eyed Susans voting results are in!
They have decided that I should stitch, drum roll please....
He's already on the table and I've gathered up the surgical instruments to "Undo" stitch his face. When we last saw dear Uncle Sam I realized that I had run into a DMC dye lot problem and would have to re-stitch all of his face. I'll be back in a few days with a progress report. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
They have decided that I should stitch, drum roll please....
"Uncle Sam"!
He's already on the table and I've gathered up the surgical instruments to "Undo" stitch his face. When we last saw dear Uncle Sam I realized that I had run into a DMC dye lot problem and would have to re-stitch all of his face. I'll be back in a few days with a progress report. :-)
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
"Calloway Gardens" -- June 16, 2009
The Calloway Gardens School of Needle Arts has just finalized the details of the course descriptions for the classes that will be offered in January, 2010.
Not only will there be 13 days of needlework classes, but there will also be a needlework boutique and bookstore. The Embroiderer's Guild of America Georgia chapter has a juried show of needlework and they also offer a merchandise night during each sesssion. All of this is located at gorgeous Calloway Gardens!
Every year I have a wonderful time reading through the course descriptions. I'm looking forward to attending in future years when I have more free time to travel. I can see myself spending all day stitching while I send DH out on the local golf courses. We can then visit with each other during dinner, that is when I'm not visiting the bookstore, the boutique or the merchandise night! LOL!
Have fun browsing through the catalog and let us know if you plan on attending!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Not only will there be 13 days of needlework classes, but there will also be a needlework boutique and bookstore. The Embroiderer's Guild of America Georgia chapter has a juried show of needlework and they also offer a merchandise night during each sesssion. All of this is located at gorgeous Calloway Gardens!
Every year I have a wonderful time reading through the course descriptions. I'm looking forward to attending in future years when I have more free time to travel. I can see myself spending all day stitching while I send DH out on the local golf courses. We can then visit with each other during dinner, that is when I'm not visiting the bookstore, the boutique or the merchandise night! LOL!
Have fun browsing through the catalog and let us know if you plan on attending!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
"Lee's Needle Arts is Going out of Business!" -- June 16, 2009
Lee's Needle Arts is closing after 40 years as the owner, Theresa Lee, has decided to retire!
Lee's Needle Arts has produced many lovely painted canvases over the years and is also known for their wonderful leather goods such as totes, purses, travel wallets, checkbook covers, bags, wallets, cosmetic cases, pouches, gift and jewelry boxes, mirrors, coin purses, ID tags, and Christmas ornaments. They also have several sizes of kimono stands. The leather goods have been so popular that other designers have designed canvases that can be placed in Lee's leather goods.
My dear daughter has enjoyed stitching several of the Oriental themed round canvases. She loves the kimonos and has already stitched three of the petite kimonos. She just started this week on one of the medium sized kimonos that has been waiting in her stash for summer vacation.
Once I saw her interest in the kimonos, I began purchasing them to put away for gifts. Of course, I didn't tell her how many I've picked up as I wanted to surprise her over the next several years or as she finished stitching a kimono. After hearing that Lee's was closing, I was very glad to realize that I have quite a few of the petite kimonos and one medium sized kimono stashed away. I decided to tell her about the kimono stash so that we could inventory to see if there were any others that she would want so we could hopefully find them before the shops start running out of inventory. I also wanted to start hunting for the kimono stands as of course each of her kimonos will need it's own stand! LOL!
I was fortunate and was able to pick up six of the petite kimono stands yesterday at my LNS. We just need to find two of the medium kimono stands and I have emails out to several needlepoint shops so hopefully we'll find them by the end of the week. Yes, we know that we can have the petite kimonos finished as ornaments or have the kimonos framed but she prefers to have them on the stands if at all possible. And yes, she knows that she can rotate the kimonos on the stands. :-)
We are both very sorry to hear about Lee's Needle Arts closing but are both wishing Ms. Lee a wonderful, happy and healthy retirement!
Now we are both crossing our fingers that someone will purchase the line so that these wonderful canvases and leather goods will be available for another 40 years!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Lee's Needle Arts has produced many lovely painted canvases over the years and is also known for their wonderful leather goods such as totes, purses, travel wallets, checkbook covers, bags, wallets, cosmetic cases, pouches, gift and jewelry boxes, mirrors, coin purses, ID tags, and Christmas ornaments. They also have several sizes of kimono stands. The leather goods have been so popular that other designers have designed canvases that can be placed in Lee's leather goods.
My dear daughter has enjoyed stitching several of the Oriental themed round canvases. She loves the kimonos and has already stitched three of the petite kimonos. She just started this week on one of the medium sized kimonos that has been waiting in her stash for summer vacation.
Once I saw her interest in the kimonos, I began purchasing them to put away for gifts. Of course, I didn't tell her how many I've picked up as I wanted to surprise her over the next several years or as she finished stitching a kimono. After hearing that Lee's was closing, I was very glad to realize that I have quite a few of the petite kimonos and one medium sized kimono stashed away. I decided to tell her about the kimono stash so that we could inventory to see if there were any others that she would want so we could hopefully find them before the shops start running out of inventory. I also wanted to start hunting for the kimono stands as of course each of her kimonos will need it's own stand! LOL!
I was fortunate and was able to pick up six of the petite kimono stands yesterday at my LNS. We just need to find two of the medium kimono stands and I have emails out to several needlepoint shops so hopefully we'll find them by the end of the week. Yes, we know that we can have the petite kimonos finished as ornaments or have the kimonos framed but she prefers to have them on the stands if at all possible. And yes, she knows that she can rotate the kimonos on the stands. :-)
We are both very sorry to hear about Lee's Needle Arts closing but are both wishing Ms. Lee a wonderful, happy and healthy retirement!
Now we are both crossing our fingers that someone will purchase the line so that these wonderful canvases and leather goods will be available for another 40 years!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
Thursday, June 11, 2009
“Black-eyed Susans Challenge” -- June 11, 2009
I belong to several ANG chapters including the Black-eyed Susans Chapter. This year the Blacked-eyed Susans have decided to challenge the members of the chapter to share three projects that are partially stitched. The chapter members will then vote on which one of the projects each member is challenged to finish by July, 2010.
I decided to play as I have several, okay stop laughing – Yes, I know I have many not several, candidates! Please let me know which one you think that I should work on first. If you, my wonderful readers, pick a different one than the chapter members, I’ll set a goal to finish both by July, 2010.
First up is “Uncle Sam” by Janet Zickler Casey. I started “Uncle Sam” way, way back at the 2001 ANG Seminar which was held in Washington, DC. He fell by the wayside as I came home from seminar with an awful cold! I pulled him out last summer with the intention of working on him and hopefully finishing him up by the end of 2008. Unfortunately, I ran into a DMC dye lot problem as I have a very noticeable (in person) change in color line running across his left cheek. I’m going to have to undo stitch most of his face to correct the problem. That’s when I ran out of momentum on this particular project. Sigh…
The second candidate is “Anasazi Song” by Carole Lake. I began this project several years ago when I took a class offered by the Black-eyed Susans chapter. I enjoyed working on this project both at the class and at home but I still haven’t finished it. I have to admit that the colors are not what I favor (maybe that’s what I lost momentum) or what we have used to decorate our house even though we live in a south-western style home. Our house is very unusual for a mid-Atlantic home as it’s a large one story home with pink/mauve brick with burgundy shutters. We also have rounded corners on the walls, pot shelves, and almost no wood trim at the doors or windows. Our decorating style is more folk art with some elegance thrown in and very casual. The “Anasazi Song” class was a lot of fun and I would like to finish this project. I would highly recommend taking a class with Carole!
The third candidate is “Avalon” by Susan Reed. I took this as a two-day class with Susan at the 2007 ANG Seminar in Baltimore, Maryland and I haven’t picked it up since. Not because I didn’t like the design but because once seminar was over I went right into all of the school and kid activities and this project was set aside. Susan offered to work up different color combinations if you weren’t excited about the colors used for the example of the class project. I requested red, blues and creams and I liked what Susan put together for me.
That’s all three candidates so please let me know what you think!
So glad that you stopped by and that you are helping me decide which I should stitch for my challenge!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
I decided to play as I have several, okay stop laughing – Yes, I know I have many not several, candidates! Please let me know which one you think that I should work on first. If you, my wonderful readers, pick a different one than the chapter members, I’ll set a goal to finish both by July, 2010.
First up is “Uncle Sam” by Janet Zickler Casey. I started “Uncle Sam” way, way back at the 2001 ANG Seminar which was held in Washington, DC. He fell by the wayside as I came home from seminar with an awful cold! I pulled him out last summer with the intention of working on him and hopefully finishing him up by the end of 2008. Unfortunately, I ran into a DMC dye lot problem as I have a very noticeable (in person) change in color line running across his left cheek. I’m going to have to undo stitch most of his face to correct the problem. That’s when I ran out of momentum on this particular project. Sigh…
The second candidate is “Anasazi Song” by Carole Lake. I began this project several years ago when I took a class offered by the Black-eyed Susans chapter. I enjoyed working on this project both at the class and at home but I still haven’t finished it. I have to admit that the colors are not what I favor (maybe that’s what I lost momentum) or what we have used to decorate our house even though we live in a south-western style home. Our house is very unusual for a mid-Atlantic home as it’s a large one story home with pink/mauve brick with burgundy shutters. We also have rounded corners on the walls, pot shelves, and almost no wood trim at the doors or windows. Our decorating style is more folk art with some elegance thrown in and very casual. The “Anasazi Song” class was a lot of fun and I would like to finish this project. I would highly recommend taking a class with Carole!
The third candidate is “Avalon” by Susan Reed. I took this as a two-day class with Susan at the 2007 ANG Seminar in Baltimore, Maryland and I haven’t picked it up since. Not because I didn’t like the design but because once seminar was over I went right into all of the school and kid activities and this project was set aside. Susan offered to work up different color combinations if you weren’t excited about the colors used for the example of the class project. I requested red, blues and creams and I liked what Susan put together for me.
That’s all three candidates so please let me know what you think!
So glad that you stopped by and that you are helping me decide which I should stitch for my challenge!
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
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