A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

On Sunday, I changed my computer wallpaper to have more up-to-date photos of my two grandsons. The one I chose of Garrett was taken about two months ago as he was preparing to leave to go back home to Fort Wayne after having visited us.  I just love that grin on his face!

And look at him last night!  Yesterday he had an accident just minutes before his mother picked him up from day care, and he broke the tibia in his right leg.  Michelle, Stephen, and Garrett were at the hospital for over 4 hours last night.

Can you believe the size of his cast?  The doctor chose the one he did so that Garrett wouldn't be able to walk on that leg.  Poor thing will have the cast on for 4 or 5 weeks.  I wonder how one "entertains" distracts a 22 month old active little boy who is in pain and doesn't understand what has happened.

Then today we learned that Garrett had an allergic reaction to the prescribed codeine so back they went to the ER where they ended up spending another 4 plus hours. Besides changing Garrett's pain medicine, the doctors also did some more x-rays.   Please say a prayer that they won't have to go back to the ER anytime soon and that Garrett will make a full recovery.  Right now the plan is to meet with an orthopedic specialist on Friday for further evaluation.

As you can imagine, I'm greatly concerned about our sweet little Garrett!  How different things were less than 36 hours ago.

Will It or Won't It?

I've been busy working on the Mary Gibson sampler from the Halsmere Museum in England.  Hmmm--I wonder will my border meet or not?  I'm sure many of you have also faced that worry.

Whew!!  Happily it did meet on my first attempt!  What a relief that was!

Here are some other views of Mary Gibson. The "apples" on the tree have a rather strange shape.  I also noticed that there are several apples missing  on the chart; they were on the photo of the antique sampler, so I added them to mine.  Poor Adam and Eve are both bald, and they look exactly the same as if they could be twins.  I'm guessing that Eve is on the right because that is typically where she is.  It looks like she is reaching up for an apple. 

I could hardly wait to get down to the houses near the bottom.  The three houses were what first attracted me to Mary's sampler.  The house on the right appeared to be missing some stitches when comparing the chart and the photo of the antique so I added those.

And here is a photo of my progress so far. I'm saving most of the alphabet, the verse, and the strawberries on the border to stitch while traveling.  Please excuse the poor colors in this photo.



She's On A Roll!!

Remember Denette, who recently finished her A Lady's Worke Box class project?  Well, she's just completed another class piece.  This time it's Call of the Sea.  Denette's original plan was to finish Call of the Sea while at the beach on vacation.  However, she must have been "on a roll", because she couldn't resist finishing the stitching and the assembly of this class piece before her vacation.

The wooden fish threadwinder which is included in the class kit was made by a Massachusetts craftsman.  It is made from zebra wood .

Denette wrote, Well, I just finished "Call of the Sea".  It was another  fun project. I cannot believe that I was so uneasy about starting this one. It was a fun stitching project and one that has a couple of special meanings. This was my first Ellen teaching project. After that I was hooked on your patterns! Plus it will remind me of our trip to the beach this summer even though I completed it before we even went. How funny is that???

I guess I better get busy on my next Ellen project. Once again, thank you for making it so simple to enjoy stitching and finishing a project.

Wow, Denette.  You've certainly been "on a roll" these past couple of months.  Your Call of the Sea sewing case looks beautiful!  Just think--now instead of stitching on it while on your beach vacation, you can take it with you to use as you work on other projects.  Do you think that your family will be impressed that your sewing case is coordinated with the location of your vacation?  I'm looking forward to seeing what project you do next.

Call of the Sea  is a teaching project and is not available retail.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Today's post has nothing to do with stitching.  If you want something stitching related, stop reading now.  If however, you want a few laughs, read on.  Even though I've read some of these stories before, I still can't stop laughing when I read them.  You should have seen me last night trying to read them to Tom.  I had a hard time getting through some of them.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

A grandmother was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before.  After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye! I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper.

My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 62. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.

When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised "Mine says I'm 4 to 6."

A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting." she said. "How do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."

Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child."

A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child. "No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close."They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants.


And since I believe that every blog post needs at least one photo, I leave you with this one of our two "characters".

A Wonderful Heirloom Gift from a First-Time Grandmother!

I was so excited to receive this photo from Linda M. of her adaptation of my Adorn Thy Heart sampler!  Linda, who lives in Hereford, England, decided to stitch this design as a birth sampler for her first grandchild, Tara Elizabeth Charlotte.  Isn't it wonderful?  Linda, I bet your daughter and son-in-law were thrilled to receive this very special heirloom made by their daughter's loving grandmother.

I think one of the nicest things about using a design such as Adorn They Heart as a baby sampler is that is doesn't become out-dated as a child grows.  Often as a children grow up, they find their baby sampler too juvenile.  However, in my humble opinion, Linda's adaptation of Adorn Thy Heart won't become outdated and can remain in her granddaughter's bedroom throughout her life.  Linda, I'm truly honored that you chose my design to stitch for your granddaughter!  Thank you for sharing this photo of your beautiful work.

Adorn Thy Heart can also easily be made into a wedding sampler as I did for my son and daughter-in-law.  I simply replaced the text on the original sampler with the couple's names, wedding date, and location.   I wanted a sampler that was not so "wedding-ish" that it would be relegated to the bedroom. I'm delighted that Stephen and Michelle have their sampler hanging in their living room. It's hard to believe that they celebrated their 9th wedding anniversary in June. Where does the time go?

I stitched my model on 32-count linen and used 22 different stitches.  If desired, cross stitches can be substituted for the majority of the specialty stitches.

In Love With John

On Friday, I brought John Foster (Historic Stitches) home at last!  It's been a long time because the first  frame molding was damaged and had to be reordered.  As badly as I wanted John home, I think he was worth the wait. I could not be happier with the results.

This sampler was such a joy to stitch, and I love all the motifs on the sampler,  in particular the bee hive at the top center.

I also love the bright cheerful colors.  I used 36-count light sand linen and the threads listed on the chart (with the exception of one that I had to change because it didn't show up on my linen). 

As usual, my friend Carol who is a professional framer did a wonderful job with the framing.  Now I just need to figure out where to hang "him".

Perhaps Petite Is in The Eye of the Beholder

It is always a treat to see photos from Donna G. of Berkley, California!  Donna is not only a beautiful stitcher (and finisher), but she is also very prolific.  I've shown you photos of some of her completed With My Needle projects over the years.  Perhaps you have seen other photos of her work on message boards, Yahoo needlework groups, or her on-line photo album. 

I was thrilled when Donna recently sent me photos of her completed A Petit Sampling Etui.  This design is a limited-edition collaboration project that I created with my friends Louise Henderson (Cherished Stitches), Clara Blalock (The Stitching Parlor), and Pam Lewis and Susan Rohm (Praiseworthy Stitches).  The five of us had so much fun creating the project, and now we are having lots of fun seeing photos of completed etuis!

Donna's first photo shows two of her etui sides.  Louise's design is the panel on the left, and mine is on the right.

This next photo shows Clara's design on the left, and Pam's and Susan's design on the right.  You can also get a glimpse of the design on the etui top.

And now, here is a view of the inside of Donna's etui.

Donna wrote, I've been working on this off and on for the last six months.  I finally finished it this week.  It was a lot of work!  I used the recommended fabric, but converted most of the threads to DMC.  I decided to put a large pocket on the inside instead of the small heart ones.  I also rearranged the panels.  Thank you for another wonderful design.  I have started "Flowers for Lily".

Donna, your workmanship is beautiful, not only your stitching but also your finishing!  Thank you for sending me these photos to share with others.  You are such an inspiration!!

Perhaps you are wondering about today's blog post title.  Those of you who have stitched this project know that this is really a large etui, not a petite one, with a lot of stitching.  I'm therefore not sure how our group got the project name--perhaps it is because each side is a small (or petite) sampler.  Each of these samplers could easily be stitched and framed by itself, or you could stitch all four together on a single piece of linen--you could stitch the four samplers in a row horizontally, or arranged vertically if you have a narrow space.  Or how about putting them in two rows of two samplers each?  Or how about spacing the samplers on a piece of linen and framing with a separate mat opening for each sampler?  Oh, I love it when a design offers possibilities, don't you?

A "Big Girl" Project

I was so excited to get this photo from Denette of her completed A Lady's Worke Box. Denette was in the premier of this class in May and certainly has been busy with her stitching and finishing!

I love what Denette wrote about the project.  As can probably imagine, her comments make me smile!

Denette wrote, I just had to write you and tell you how exited I am that I finished my first “big girl” project. I say that this is my first big girl project because I have never stitched or finished a project like this. I was one to always work on stitching pictures. Thanks for helping me step out of my box.

Your patterns make it very easy to follow every step of the way making it simple to stitch and finish. No one should be afraid to stitch one of your projects (like I was prior to this project) Matter of fact, it inspired me to work on my first teaching project that I was too uneasy to finish--"Call of the Sea".

I plan on taking "Call of the Sea" with me on our family’s beach vacation to hopefully finish it while I am there. It will be a lasting memory of the trip. I did purchase fabric, linen and thread to start the "Quaker Needlework Box" after I am done with the "Call of the Sea". I just love your patterns!

I now know why Dee loves to finish projects. I think the worke box taught me some very needed patience when finishing. I am one that wants to just get it done. I could not rush though the finishing if I wanted it straight (and to look nice). My mom could not believe the inside of the box. She thought it came that way.

Thanks for helping me step out of my box to stitch something other than a picture. I love, love, love it!  Thanks again for bringing out my creativity!

Denette, I'm so proud of you! You did a fantastic job on this project!  Now I think you have the confidence to assemble other projects.  Right?

Have a great time and the beach!  I'm looking forward to seeing your Call of the Sea project soon.  You will find the assembly a "piece of cake" after having completed A Lady's Worke Box".

A Lady's Worke Box is a teaching project and will be offered twice this coming October--first in LaPorte, Indiana and later in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

So Many Wonderful Memories

So many wonderful memories....

• A terrific class at A Stitcher's Hideaway in Sturbridge, Massachussetts with Sue, our "Queen of Frogs"
• The Windham Textile Museum
• The Frog Bridge
• Antiquing
• Frogs, frogs, everywhere
• Wonderful seafood, including lobster rolls and soft-shell crabs

A photo is truly worth a thousand words!

Antiquing Finds

On my recent trip to Massachusetts and Connecticut, I visited two antique centers in Sturbridge and one one in Putnam, Connecticut, and the pre-Brimfield textile show.  I also spent some time at the huge Brimfield Antiques Show.  How much fun!!  I always enjoy looking for special treasures, and I have fun even if I don't find anything on an outing.

One of the Sturbridge antique shops was very nice, and the other was a disappointment.  I did't come home with any goodies from either other than some photos. 

The antique center in Putnam was very nice.  I had been there years ago with friends when we were in the area to take a needlework class.  Both times I found some goodies--this time an old needlework book and a shaker sewing box.  Although the pre-Brimfield textile show mainly had fabrics and vintage clothing, I found a couple of things at the very first booth I visited--two cute sewing cases, a strawberry emery with a silver cap, and a disk pincushion.  I'll try to remember to take some photos later.   

I was thrilled to be able to go to the BIG Brimfield Antiques Show also. This was my first time there.   I knew that the show would be enormous, and indeed it was.  I think you could spend a week there and not see everything.  This show is outside, and it was very, very hot, so a few hours turned out to be more than enough.  I saw some lovely quilts, lots of old wooden spools and bobbins, and a couple of samplers.  I even bought a couple of thread quills that will look nice displayed in one of the Amish baskets I bought in Millerburg, Ohio earlier this year.  I also finally got a glass flower frog that I know many of you use to display your scissors.  I was disappointed that I didn't see more textiles at the show, but I now know the layout.  If I ever make it back to the show, I'll have a definite plan rather than roaming around aimlessly.

I thought you might enjoy seeing photos of some of the "goodies" I saw.

I don't know how old this small hooked rug is, but I sure liked it.  It's so whimsical with the large bird on the tree.

This table is from the Willimantic Thread Company.  Perhaps you may remember a similar one from my photos a few days ago from the Textile Museum.  I would have loved to have it, if I had room for it.

I thought this was pretty with the embroidery and the lace.  Sorry it is not a better photo, but the piece was in a glass showcase.

After having visited the National Coverlet Museum in Bedford, Pennsylvania earlier this year, I have a new appreciation for coverlets.

I saw lots of lots of beautiful quilts.  These were at the Brimfield Antiques Show.

These are some of the yarn quills I found at the Brimfield Antiques Show.  These are slightly larger than the ones I already have and were very reasonably priced.

This thread cabinet was not in particularly good shape, but I thought you would enjoy seeing it anyway.





Here are some more goodies I saw during my antiquing outings.

Then there were some samplers.  Unfortunately, they were hard to photograph because of the glass and the lights in the shops.

When visiting antique shops, two things make me very sad: seeing old family photos that no one wants, and textiles that have been cut up and repurposed.   I remember one time hearing a needlework teacher say she feared that one day there might no longer be quilts intact because so many were being cut up and made into teddy bears and bunnies.

Look at this poor coverlet made into a brick cover to be used as a doorstop.

How about cutting up a coverlet to make into a pillow?

Or how about cutting up quilts and coverlets to make into potholders?  How VERY sad!

And  here is the weirdest thing I saw....a very large wishbone that had a crocheted covering and turned into a thimble holder!  Yikes!

Thank you to all of you who take time out of your busy day to visit my blog. What a delight it has been to read the comments that some of you all have left about my recent blog posts regarding in particular the items I saw at Old Sturbridge Village and also the Frog Bridge and the War of Frogs.   I love hearing from you! 

A Visit to the Windham Textile and History Museum---a glance back in time

After visiting the frog bridge, we headed over to the Windham Textile and History Museum which is located in the former headquarters of the American Thread Company.  The museum "preserves and interprets the history of textiles, textile arts and the textile industry, with special emphasis on the experiences of the craftspeople, industrial workers, manufacturers, inventors, designers, and consumers."

The mill was founded in 1854 as the Willimantic Linen Company.  At one time it was the largest factory in Connecticut and the largest thread mill in all of North America.  During the 1890's the mill produced 85,000 miles of thread a day. At its height it employed 3500 workers.  The textile mill was the first factory to install electric lights, and, because of that innovation, it was also the first factory to operate a second shift of workers.

In 1898, The American Thread Company absorbed the Willimantic Linen Company.    The company grew, and they built six mills.  Most of the townsfolk worked in the mills.

In 1985, The American Thread Company closed its Willimantic factory and moved its operations first to North Carolina and then to Mexico.  Some of the wonderful old stone building still remain are now being turned into apartments.

 





This child's sewing machine was the smallest I've ever seen.  I left the child's rocking chair in the photo (on the left) so that you can get an idea of the size of the sewing machine and its stand.





I couldn't resist this drawing.  It reminded me of the episode in my Sturbridge class of Sue and her "exploding" skein of thread.   (Perhaps you remember the photo from my blog post a few days ago.)   Sue got a big kick out of this drawing.