Photos from Two Very Talented Needleworkers and Halloween with the Chesters

Look!  Here are some more finishes from two very talented (and prolific) needleworkers, Sue B. and Patti D.  In fact, I've featured work from both of them on my blog several times before.

First is Sue's completed A Lady's Worke Box.  Sue took this class this past May when I taught it for the Queen City Sampler Guild here in Cincinnati.  This was Sue's fourth class with me, and I know that when she takes one of my classes I'll be seeing a wonderful finish before very long.  

Here is Sue's worke box and all its goodies.

And now, here is a view of the inside.  You can see the dupioni silk-lined box and another view of Sue's needlework treasures.

I asked Sue if she would also send me a photo of herself with the completed project.  (Thanks, Sue.  I know needleworkers love to see photos of other needleworkers so they can put a face with a name.)  I hope to see Sue's worke box in person at the guild's daylong stitch-in this Saturday.

When looking through old blog posts, I discovered that the photo of Sue's completed Fruit of the Vine Sampler Huswif (also a class project) was missing from my earlier posting, so here it is now. (So sorry, Sue.)  Sue added an extra piece to this project--a tape measure cover with Jacob.  Or is it Caleb?

Next is Patti's Multiplication Table Examplar.  Patti stitched her piece over one linen thread on 28-count linen which she coffee dyed.  After she stitched the project, she mounted it on a wooden hornbook form that a friend's husband made for her.  She put a piece of plexiglas on top and held it down with upholstery tacks.  What a clever idea!

Patti has been stitching a lot of my designs this year.  I've already shown you photos of her Paradise Lost, My Favorite Things Stitching Basket, A Sampler Needlebook (a class project), and A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif (also a class project).  Here's Patti proudly holding her Needleworker's Sampler Huswif, which she chose to frame rather than make into a huswif.

If you've sent me a photo for my blog and haven't seen it yet, please let me know.  I appreciate all of them, but sometimes they get misplaced.

I can't end today's posting without showing you photos of our two little ones on Halloween.  

Here is Haiden as a scuba diver.  Our daughter always creates his costumes.  She is so clever.  The air tanks on his back are 2-liter pop bottles that she sprayed with silver paint.

And here is Garrett dressed as a "silly monster" (his words).  He and his parents came to our house for dinner and trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.  It was so much fun to see him in person in his costume. 

Even his mother, Michelle, got dressed up.

Long Time No See...

We returned home Sunday evening from a wonderful vacation cruising on the Rhine and Moselle rivers!  I haven't done much stitching since returning home because I've been very busy catching up on things.

I've just finished assembling the kits (A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif and A Lady's Worke Box) for my September classes with the Lake Michigan Sampler Guild in Chicago.  I'm really looking forward to being back with members of this guild.  I last taught for them eight years ago when they celebrated their seventh anniversary.  I made a couple of extra kits, so there is one opening left for A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif and several for A Lady's Worke Box.

The first weekend in October I'll be returning to teach for House of Stitches in LaPorte, Indiana.   (If you haven't visited House of Stitches before, you are in for a very big treat---the shop is full of wonderful stitching delights.)   I'll soon begin assembling the kits for the two House of Stitches classes, Fruit of the Vine Sampler Huswif and Long May She Wave. You can read about the classes at http://www.houseofstitches.com/events.html or contact Linda.  If you're interested, sign up with Linda within the next couple of days.   

In late October I'll be traveling to Wichita, Kansas to teach A Needleworker's Sampler Huswif and  A Lady's Worke Box for the local EGA guild.  You can get info about these classes from Debbie.

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I decided to take my new reproduction sampler to work on while we cruised, but I didn't make much progress. Here are two photos of me working on it, first on the plane and then waiting in the Paris airport for our connection.  Did you notice how I can clip my little magnifier on to almost anything? You can also get a glimpse of the sampler "in progress".

And here is a glimpse of the wonderful scenery we saw while on our river cruise. I have lots more photos to share with you in the coming weeks.  Many will be needlework-related.

Seeing Things Through The Eyes of a 2-1/2 Year Old

I certainly didn't mean to go so long between blog posts, but things have been very busy since I returned home from Colorado. In fact, I've been so busy that I've had very little stitching time (boo hoo)!

This weekend I'm teaching here in the Cincinnati area for the Queen City Sampler Guild.   A month later I'm teaching in San Francisco for the Bay Area Sampler Guild, so I'm now in the midst of preparing those kits to soon be shipped to California.  I have also updated the teaching page of my website with  a few new events, including 2014 events for both the Austin Stitchery Guild in Texas and the Kindred Spirits Sampler Guild in Michigan.

In addition to getting ready for upcoming classes, we had the great joy of having our son and his family here for a long weekend visit. We spent Friday at the Museum Center in the old Union Terminal.  This was originally built as a train station in the 1930's.  It now houses several museums.  Perhaps you may remember reading about this historic building and seeing photos of the wonderful interior in one of my earlier blog posts. We spent our time in the Natural History Museum.

Bright and early Saturday morning, we headed off to Kings Island, a large local entertainment park, where our daughter-in-law, Michelle, was participating in a race/walk for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure (for breast cancer). Michelle, Stephen, and Garrett left our house at 6am!!!  Thankfully, Tom and I didn't have to leave that early...we were able to wait until 6:45am to leave home.

There must have been several thousand participants because Michelle said they "released" them in groups of about 500. Michelle participated in the event with her good friend Christa.  This was one of the Color Me Pink events.  This means that during the race/walk the participants are periodically doused with colored powder, mostly pink! 

Here are Stephen and Garrett waiting to see Michelle cross the finish line.

Boy was Garrett glad to see his mother, although he wasn't sure about how she looked covered with all that colored powder!

Later, we were all able to enjoy the day at Kings Island.  It was Garrett's first trip there, and it was lots of fun for the rest of us to experience the park through the eyes of a 2-1/2 year old.

There were multiple rides on the skyplane...first with Michelle and her friend Christa.

and lots of rides on the carousel...

 Back on the skyplane--this time with Tom.

...and more rides on the carousel...

Yes, it was very much a family event!  As one who suffers from both motion sickness and a fear of heights, the carousel and the little train were the limits of my rides.

Then there were a couple of rides on a small roller coaster.  The first time Garrett rode with Stephen.  He liked the ride so much, that he got Michelle to go with him on a second ride.

I love this family photo taken when Michelle and Stephen convinced Garrett to take a short break from the rides.

Snack time with Snoopy!

There were several helicopter rides....

Garrett particularly enjoyed being the pilot on this little plane.  We weren't sure how he would take to the idea of being without a family member on this ride, but her certainly loved it. 

And then, all too soon, it was time to go home and dream about a return visit. 

And last, but not least, here I am with Stephen.  I keep forgetting how much taller he is than I am.  I wonder if Garrett will be even taller than Stephen.  At 2-1/2, he is already 40 inches tall.  Most folks think he is at least 4 based on his height.

Remembering My Dear Aunt Frances

Farewell

Farewell to Thee! But not farewell
To all my fondest thoughts of Thee;
Within my heart they still shall dwell
And they shall cheer and comfort me.

Life seems more sweet that Thou didst live
And men more true Thou wert one;
Nothing is lost that Thou didst give,
Nothing destroyed that Thou hast done.

Anne Bronte (1820 - 1849)

Last Saturday morning, after a fairly short illness, my dear Aunt Frances died.   In the last eight years my mother, father, and my Uncle Jack have died. Aunt Frances, my mother's only sister, was the last of her generation on my mother's side. Our family matriarch is now gone.  There will never be another one like her!

Months ago, Tom and I had decided that we would visit my aunt on the Eastern Shore of Virginia after visiting Tom's father in Florida.  However, as Aunt Frances' health declined, we decided to visit her before going to Florida.  So two weeks ago we drove to the Eastern Shore.  Boy, are we glad that we changed our plans!  Had we waited, our visit would not have been possible.

I have so many fond memories, both as a child and later as an adult with my own family, of visiting my aunt and uncle. What fun times we had when we were all together!  I have spent some time today going through all photos and slides trying to find some photos of my aunt.

The first photo is one Aunt Frances sent me a couple of months ago.  She is on the left, and my mother is on the right.  Mother was only 1 year and 20 days older.

I don't know how old the girls were in the next photo.  My mother is the one on the left.  You can see how Aunt Frances had outgrown my mother in just a few years, just like my younger sister and me. 

Here is a photo from one of our trips with our children to visit my aunt and uncle.  Here they are with our son who was about 9, our daughter who was around 13, and me.  (I hope my children don't "kill" me when they see this photo.  Look at Stephen and those short shorts and skinny legs! I don't know what is going on with my nose--it looks like I'm wearing a red clown nose, but I'm not.  Perhaps it is part of that dirty slide.)

Hmm--another dirty slide that I couldn't get clean, but I wanted to show you a photo of my uncle and aunt with my father and mother.  (The spots on my mother's face are really dirt on the slide and not on her.)

I love this photo of my aunt and two of my cousins.  They always seemed to have so much fun when together.

And here is Aunt Frances just a few months ago with her two oldest great-grandchildren who also live on the Eastern Shore.  There are two more great-grandsons who live in Minnesota.  A fifth one, Jack, was born just 19 days before my aunt's death.  How wonderful that she was able to meet him and hold him!  A sixth great-grandchild, a little girl, is due soon.  All of these children are descendants not only of my aunt, but also of Mrs. Waddelow.

Aunt Frances loved to cook, but I don't think she could sew on a button or hem a skirt.  How she loved to cook and serve huge meals!  One time when we were visiting, she offered pecan pie for dessert.  Since we were full after a typical very large meal, we said no, we would have it later.  As we were getting ready to leave the next morning, Aunt Frances remembered that we had forgotten to have any pie.  To appease her, Tom said he would put it in his suitcase, which he did!  I've never heard of anyone else putting a pie in his suitcase, have you?

She was also very entertaining.   I loved to hear her tell stories.   I just wish I could remember some of the ones she told when she came to Cincinnati for our daughter's wedding.  We were almost rolling on the ground with laughter.  You always knew you would have a great time if Aunt Frances was around.

When we would visit, we would go off for long rides to explore.  She would tell Tom that he was taking her to places she had never seen even though she had lived on the  Shore all of her life. 

I'm so glad that we were able to have a very good visit with my aunt last April.  She told me family stories that I had never heard before, and we spent some time looking at old photos from when my grandparents were children.  And yes, we went off exploring some more.

Aunt Frances, we love you and miss you!!

Festival of Broken Needles

Today is Hari-kuyo, the Festival of Broken Needles, in Japan.  Hari means needle, and Kuyou is a Buddhist memorial service. Although these memorial services are most often held for the spirits of the dead, they are also held to honor objects that have served people well. Objects are believed to have a spirit and soul just like people.

And so on February 8th for over 400 years, women gather  at shrines and temples to "bury" or "put to rest" their worn out needles. This ceremony is a way for the women to thank these needles and pins for their good service.  At the same time they also wish for progress with their needlework. The ceremony has been described as funeral-like as the needles are put in soft jelly cakes or tofu. This act symbolizes bringing rest to the needles for their faithful service.

It is also thought that sorrows  the women carry are  often passed to the needles as they stitch.  The needles, in turn, are thought to take away the burden of some of sorrows.   Maybe by burying their needles, they are also able to bury their sorrows.

Perhaps you would enjoy learning more about this festival by reading this article.

Sampler Fun!

Things have been busy around here!  I'm in the process of putting together class kits.  Last week several bolts of dupioni silk arrived, so I've been busily cutting away.  (I still have one bolt left to do.)  Add to that yards and yards and yards of beautiful overdyed silk ribbon.  Next up will be the silk threads.

Also, we're now working on chart directions for two new retail products.  Earlier today we finished Mini Quaker Samplings.  These are a pair of small Quaker samplers.  By small, I mean one is only 73 x 93 stitches, and the other is only 103 x 102 stitches.  They are fun (and quick) samplers to stitch because not only are they relatively small, they are stitched using just one thread color.  Choose your favorite overdyed thread. The chart cover is also done, but I'm holding off giving you a glimpse until I'm about ready to ship to the shops. 

Hopefully later this week we'll be able to do the directions for a new sampler inspired by one of my antiques. I'll be picking up my model on Thursday from my framer, so we can do the photography this week also.  I hope you'll like it...tease...tease...

I like to stitch a bit each day, and I'm so pleased relieved to finally have in the border for the Anne Maria Clarke sampler (The Essamplaire) that I'm doing as part of my newslettter SAL!  The border has two rows of cross stitch (that's the easy part), and in the center are two rows of queen stitches.  I never thought I'd get those done.  Typically I don't complete a border first, but this one was so regular that I decided to get it in first.  I'm so glad I did!  I think from now on my progress will go much quicker.

I've now put Anne Marie Clarke temporarily aside to work some more on Ann Hair (The Scarlet Letter).  I typically don't work on more than one sampler at a time, but somehow (?) this year I committed myself to 3 (yes 3!) SALs.  I hope to be more disciplined than in the past so that by year's end I'll have all three completed!  Please wish me luck!

One Last Day

It's a dreary winter day in Cincinnati so I decided to spend the afternoon in front of the fireplace stitching on Anne Maria Clarke.  The fireplace looks a little bare as I have started putting up some of our Christmas decorations already. The majority of the decorations will stay up until tomorrow because I like to keep them up through the 12 days of Christmas.

It's been so nice to sit not only in front of the fireplace but also in front of our tree for a final time this Christmas season.  I'm so glad I moved the tree into our family room this year.  For many years it's been in the living room instead.


And then tomorrow everything will be packed away for another year! So this is our last day this season to enjoy the tree and other decorations, eat on our Christmas dishes, etc.

I'm debating keeping up my Williamsburg Village for another month or so. It looks more like a winter village, and I so love Williamsburg.   I may also keep the candles in the windows, especially now that I have switched to battery operated ones.  I wish I had discovered those before.  It is so nice to have them come on automatically each evening and then go off at bedtime.  We've even put the outside lights on a timer this year.  So, so nice!

I thought you might also enjoy seeing my progress on the Anne Maria Clarke (reproduced by The Essamplaire).  I have gotten in the outline of the border but filling it in is taking a long time!  There are two rows of queen stitches--that is a lot of queen stitches.  My goal dream is to have them all done by next week at this time.

Here is a close-up of one of the corner flowers.  I have one more to do.

Reflections and Looking Ahead to 2013!

It is hard to believe that 2012 is nearly over!  In fact, for some of you 2013 has already begun.  Happy New Year!

As the year draws to an end, it is a good time to reflect on the past year.  I got the idea from Cathy at With Needle and Thread  to read all of my own blog posts for this year.  What a fun time that was!  I so enjoyed looking at the photos of completed With My Needle projects that some of you have sent me.  I'm always inspired by your work and words.  Thank you!

I also enjoyed seeing photos from some of my classes and the places I've been fortunate to visit this past year. What a wonderful year it has been!

Beside items relating to my business, my blog sometimes has family photos, and it was fun to see those again. My how Haiden and Garrett have grown!

This past year I did quite a bit of "recreational" stitching.  I was surprised to see all the samplers I completed!  (Larger photos of each can be found on previous blog posts.)

Besides those samplers, I created a few With My Needle projects.  In light of the rough year we had in 2011, I had a hard time getting back into a "designing frame of mind".  Early in 2012, I published A Quaker Needlework Box and Hannah Cummins, 1828.  I also premiered a new teaching piece, A Lady's Worke Box.  In another month or two I will have two Mini-Quaker Samplings and a new original design sampler (not named yet) ready to be shipped to the shops.  I hope in 2013 to really get back into the swing of things

 and design more projects.

As the year draws to an end, it is also time to look ahead.  I typically make stitching "goals", but I just discovered that I never made any for 2012.  My goal for 2013 is to design more With My Needle projects and also participate in three (yes, I can't believe I'm goon to do that) sampler SALs--the Anne Maria Clarke sampler (The Essamplaire) with my internet newsletter group, Ann Hair (The Scarlet Letter) as part of Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year, and Sarah E. Pope (Sheepish Designs) with a good friend.  I've already started on the Ann Hair and Sarah E. Pope samplers, but am saving the Anne Maria Clarke sampler for a New Years Day start.

Wishing you a wonderful start to the new year with lots of time for stitching!