A Warm Sunday

SJB asked about the website for GPA.  I usually go to the Annie's Festival website and find a link to GPA but I looked the direct address up just for you SJB!  It is https://www.facebook.com/pages/Giulia-Punti-Antichi/177312952291871  
I made good progress on several projects yesterday.  I finished off the Merry Cox sewing purse by putting on the thread winder holder and ribbon.

I also started the scissors/needle book part.  I got the front all pieced.

 It is badly done and I remember why I'm not good at quilting.  I'm too impatient.  Why pin when I can hold it while I sew it on the machine?  Well, it never turns out nice and neat with seams matching up and even pieces, that's why.  So the piecing is a bit wonky but then it gives it that homemade feel.  Anyway, I need to add the inside stuff to it today to truly be done, the scissors pocket, needle page and pin cushion.

 There are only the barest of directions so I'm trying to figure out what the plastic quilt templates are for.

I finally got all the pomegranate stitched so I can go on to the backstitching with metal thread.   That's my goal today, to get all the backstitching done.

I started something new!  I put some stitching in Christmas is Coming.  It's a class through Shining Needle Society by Barbara Jackson.

 Did I baste?  Well, I started to and then decided it was a waste of my time and quit in favor of really stitching.
It is a warm Sunday.  54 degrees when I went walking.  Yesterday was half that, 27 degrees.  I love that there was no ice or snow on the trail.
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Found It

I finally found the Shepherd's Bush fob that I made the other day.  I changed a few things and like how it turned out.

I still need to make some twisted cording to put around the edge.  I have to decide on what floss to use but I have a few threads hanging that I can tack it down with.  I'd like to finish this up today.

I'd like to finish up the Merry Cox sewing purse today too.  It's so close to being done.

I started the other side of the front of the pomegranate.  I think backstitching around the edge is the next step.

It is supposed to be warm today.  Of course warm is a relative term, especially where I live.  It was warm enough to walk outside this morning (without freezing your you-know-what off).  I'm all mixed up on the days this week.  I know this is Saturday but it feels like the second Sunday of the week.
I am terribly excited about my trip.  I saw on GPA's facebook page where she is already in Williamsburg and kitting the class I'm going to be taking, Elenora's Box.

 I am anticipating that moment when that new complete kit will be put in front of me.  I've heard stories of the well-stocked boutique.  Jackie is bringing so many make-it kits, at least ten different ones.  Can't wait!
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Pillow

I had enough time yesterday to finish off the Audrey pillow.

It turned out fine and I haven't forgotten how to make a pillow.

I put a few stitches in the front of the pomegranate.

 I'd like to finish this side off today.
This is the third part.  Here are the other two I have done.

I started the limited edition Just Nan that I got from ABC Stitch Therapy.

 I've made so many errors and had to "reverse stitch" a lot of it.  I told myself that if I got off again I was going to stitch it on a different piece of fabric.  One of the reasons I don't like overdyed fabric is that the holes are smaller and it is limp.  Since I stitch in hand I need a fabric with some oomph to it.  This fabric is the perfect color but I keep making mistakes and that's not fun.  I'm going to try some more and see what happens.
I'm getting excited as I go to Williamsburg in 5 days!  I'm not thinking about Christmas, I'm thinking about Williamsburg!
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Thanksgiving 2014

DH and I often say to each other how lucky we are.  This is especially true today.  On our refrigerator is this:

It is Claire's hand made into a turkey.  We are thankful for our family and especially for Claire.

I am very thankful that I get to stitch.  In my sewing room I had a disaster the last week.  I had a Salty Yarns bag that was full of stuff I bought this year.  It tore.  It was over full and one side gave way spilling out half of the bag.  So I found another bag.  It is a bag that we were given at the Silver Needle Retreat.  I put the Salty Yarns bag in recycling and filled up the Silver Needle bag.

 How lucky am I to have so much stuff that I like to do.
I am lucky to have met many other stitchers from all over the world through this blog.  I am thankful for your kind words and encouragement.  I am thankful to have cyber friends to share my stitching with.  I'm thankful for opportunities to take stitching classes.  I'm thankful for my BFF who goes with me to classes.

Thank you for reading my blog.
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Thanksgiving Wednesday

This is a busy day.  It was a chilly walk at 27 degrees.  No stitching yet today.  But there is hope of stitching later this afternoon.
I am done with the baby gift.  Maria correctly guessed the name: Audrey!

  So now I need to finish it off into a pillow.  I scrounged through my stash and couldn't find any purple fabrics. The yellow ones didn't do it for me.

So I went to the fabric store and found two that would do:

I hope to sew this together today.

When I was at the fabric store I looked at the quilting supplies to get ideas for quilting the Merry Cox sewing purse.  I am basically lazy and I found some help.  I bought a piece of this interfacing with one inch squares on an angle.  I made a copy of the grid using my printer so I could just sew on the paper lines and tear the paper away.  It worked!  The purse is all quilted and sewn together.

There is a thread winder holder that goes inside the flap and ribbon that will tie it closed yet to attach.  Close but no cigar.

I'm having lunch with friends today.  It will be fun to catch up with them.
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Cookies!

Mr. Mailman came through yesterday and delivered my cookies.  It was fun to open a big box of yum.  I collect cookie molds.  But I have never made or eaten Springerle cookies.  When BFF and I visited Heidelberg Haus last April we heard about the cookies and I made a mental note to order some for the holidays.  I also remembered the fabulous other things I ate there.  So I ordered a ton of cookies and they are here.

This is what the box looked like when I opened it up:

I've frozen most of them since there is just me and DH to eat them.
I got some cherry springerle

and some of the traditional flavor of anise.

They are both very good.  It is fun to pick out certain designs.
Then I got a German Chocolate bun and a pecan bun.

And I got an assortment of their regular cookies.  Isn't that blue tulip cute?

This is a Thanksgiving treat.
How lucky and I?
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Busy Day

Mondays are always busy days.  I was able to walk outside today as it was 51 degrees.  I got caught in the rain and looked like a drowned rat when I got back though.  It is supposed to get cold and snow by dinnertime.  So everybody and their brother is out shopping.  I went shopping too.  I was very tempted by the Talbots' 50% off card.  I've had my eye on a couple things that I wanted.   The bathrooms are clean for another week.  Chili is in the crockpot.  All is well with my world.

I got another letter stitched on the baby gift.

I am contemplating how to quilt the Merry Cox needleroll.

There is a 16 pound fresh turkey in my refrigerator.
Please Mr. Mailman, bring me some cookies.
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Good Mail

One more letter is stitched on the baby gift:

I got a kit in the mail yesterday.  It is a Shining Needle Society offering from Barbara Jackson.

 I signed up for this in October and hadn't heard anything.  But then I saw on another blog, the lady got her kit.  So I went into action.  I emailed Barbara again and this time she got it my request.  She billed me quickly and she sent me the kit right away.  I have done her other two ornaments.  This one is a little larger and is a bag.

 It will be fun to work on.  Barbara always has us baste.  Will I baste???  Maybe.  We'll see.  The class officially starts on Friday.  If I get that baby gift done, I'll let myself start it.
It was so warm here this morning (47 degrees), I was able to walk outside.

The snow is almost gone which is saying something since we got over 17 inches of it.
This is what it looked like last Tuesday:

The threat of black ice is low.  I'm hoping I can walk outside tomorrow too.
I ordered some cookies and they were mailed yesterday.  Will I get them tomorrow?  I hope so!
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Tickled Pink

Here is the baby gift so far:

It is easy stitching but I have been working mostly on other things.

The doll for Claire did come yesterday.  She has a hair net on so her hair stays nice.

I was thrilled.  I got out the doll I bought 20 years ago when the doll came from The Pleasant Company to compare how the dolls have changed.

 I think the eyelashes are definitely different.  But I am happy with Claire's doll and her outfits.  One has cross stitch on it, really!

When I was at The Attic I had the opportunity to get a Merry Cox kit so of course I did.  I think Merry Cox is a great friend of The Attic and that's why they had the kits.

The French General is a store in Los Angeles.  I've never been there but I would love to go.  I have made a couple of their bracelet kits.  I admire the fabric they design for Moda.  I love reading about their annual trip to France to stay in a Chateau and go to markets and find wonderful treasures.  They also have workshops.  I saw where Merry was going to teach a sewing purse and scissors case at French General.  I couldn't go but knew it would have been fun.  Then when I was at The Attic, they had the leftover kits (I assume).  I snapped one up.  I was tickled pink to be able to make the class project even though there is no cross stitching involved.  The project is made using French General's Le Bouquet Francais.  That's the same line that I used to make the Remains of the Day box.

So I've started the kit.  I have enough of it pieced together and the next step is to quilt my little rectangle.

 I'm sure Merry did hers all by hand.  I'm using the sewing machine as it won't get done for a decade if I do it by hand.
Have a happy Saturday!
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Friday

It is a nice Friday and the sun is shining and the stupid snow has finally quit coming down.  I've been to the Y (third time this week) and the walking is done.  We are supposed to get an inch of freezing rain but I'm not going to worry about that until it happens.  So there.

I tried a new purple and a new yellow for the baby gift.  So far it's good.  You'll have to guess what the name is as I work on it.

Here is another scissors fob from Shepherd's Bush.
Okay, so when I went to take a photo of this, I couldn't find it.  I'll add a photo if I manage to find it.  I found the ribbon that is supposed to go on it.

 I disguised the fact that I ran out of the green thread by putting the button and a bow where I ran out.  Then on the front I misread the chart and did the sawtooth border the wrong way.  So I filled in with another color to disguise that mistake.  I'm not sure I like the ribbon that is supposed to go on the edge.  I think I want to put on twisted cording instead.

I decided that since I signed up for the new Amy Mitten tutorial that I ought to get busy on the last tutorial and get it done.  And no, I don't have that cornflower one done either.  Anyway,  I finished up the back of the pomegranate and started on the front.

I think the doll that I ordered for Claire for Christmas will come today.  She doesn't know what a treat it is for me to give her this doll.
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Otter

This is some of my stash that I got at The Attic:

I had seen the otter pin cushion kit from Just Another Button Company in the Attic's newsletter and it was so cute.  I put it together and it was really fun.  The directions said to glue a lot of the parts on but I thought sewing them on would make them more secure.

Amy Mitten has a new tutorial out.  It is for the Quaker Sewing Box.  You know I am a sucker for her tutorials.  Yes, I signed up.  It doesn't start until January.
I am trying to decide on colors for the baby gift I am stitching.  Trying to find just the right purple is not easy.  This is my first try but it turned out too blue, not purplely enough.

Maybe one of these:

Would you believe these are the same colors taken in different light?

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