from the heart.....and an update.....

I had alot of fun this weekend putting this little needleroll project into motion...

A while back a  fellow stitching friend gave me this wonderful kit that Elegant Stitch had put out as a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness... When I saw the cute button enclosed, I knew it would have to be my February stitch pink item for my pink basket... I even got to use my newly learned hemstitching technique on the edges.....

 From the Heart...

by Elegant Stitch

 The tiny detail button was just too perfect....

 And here is my new needleroll residing in my pink basket...

Several of you have emailed me about the latest with Barbara, my friend who has breast cancer... I am happy to let you know that she has had her last chemo treatment as of last week... I have purposely not been with her in person because I just felt like since I work in a primary school setting, I could be the carrier of germs which I certainly would never forgive myself should I have shared them with her.. But I have been in contact with her and her spirits are very good and she is such a fighter....  Just continue to keep her in your prayers please.... We all know how the power of prayer is helping!

***Hello Barbara,  We love you!!**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And, I was able to devote a little bit of time to my new love, Quaker Sampling II.. Thanks for all the wonderful comments about my selection of thread, Blue Lagoon by Belle Soie... I felt like it was a winner when I put it next to the Weeks Straw 35 ct linen....

 a smidge of progress......



Hard to believe it will be March as of Tuesday!!!  The kiddos in the classroom will be feeling a little spring fever this week as it is supposed to really be warm...Gotta love that!!!  I have been so inspired by so many of you who have already started setting out their spring decorations...Bunnies, painted eggs, and the likes have really gotton me to thinking it just might be time for me to take down my "red" tree in the craftroom and re-dress it with my springtime ornies.....

~~~Have a great weekend everyone~~~ 

Faye

A start, my class and some finishes.....

I knew when I decided to treat myself to a start this week (my first brand new start of 2011..), I would probably go straight to a Quaker design...  Nothing like a wonderful "with my Needle" pattern~~ I just love about everything Ellen Chester has ever designed and Quaker Sampling II has been on my list for a good while.... I did  not have the specified Milady's Teal by Crescent Colors, but I did have Belle Soie Blue Lagoon...So, this is what I have gotton accomplished this week so far~~~~

 Quaker Sampling II

with my Needle

35 ct Weeks Straw linen

Blue Lagoon Belle Soie silk thread

And, I have now taken 2 of my 3 nights of the cut thread class being offered at my local needlework shop, Moore then Needlepoint. The very talented instructor, Marilyn Owen has been most patient with me....She has moved at a good pace, but has offered direct instruction...I am the only cross stitcher in the group but I am surrounded by very talented needlepointers..... Here is what I have gotton done so far and next Tues night we will finish the project...I can't wait to start using my verigated thread...

Finally, a few weeks back I was contacted by a fellow blogger inquiring about me finishing some of her stitched pieces.... With her permission, I am showing you 6 of the 12 ornaments I finished for her...At her request, she wanted me to complete everything but the stuffing of the ornies...So, that's what I did!!!

She has quite the collection started already for Christmas 2011~~~~

 ornament fronts

ornament backs

Well, time to get in the kitchen.... Tomorrow is Friday and the kiddos in my classrooms are bouncing ready for a few days off..... Here's hoping you have a great night yourselves!!

Faye

Love Spoken Here has spoken.............

 Hot off the press......"Love Spoken Here" is completed as of today!!!  Yeah~~

I tell ya, if you are a fan of the taupes and grays, this piece is for you!! The npi silks are just perfect and there are only 4 colors in this entire piece.... I love the color combination and have fallen in love with npi silks... I WILL be using more of them!~

 Love Spoken Here

La-D-Da

pale gray 36 ct linen, npi silks

This is my fourth wip completed this year in the "up for a challenge" challenge...

In surveying my basket, I am seeing many of my other wip's are more of the large sampler pieces so they will not be nearly as quick a finish as this one was....But, that's ok....Who knows, I just might treat myself to a new start sometime this month!~ 

I am off to finish an exchange piece which is due out in March...And, I have homework....Homework from a drawn thread class I am taking at my local Needlepoint shop; Moore than Needlepoint.

Several  local ladies are wanting to learn more about cut threadwork, so I decided to join in on the fun.. (Although I have to admit it scares the bejeezes out of me to cut that linen~~)

Hope your weekend has been filled with fun and if you are lucky enough to have tomorrow off (snow makeup day for me...),  enjoy Presidents Day 2011~~~~

Take care everyone, 

Faye



~~~~My day was just awesome~~~~

When I got home and saw my giveaway win had arrived, I said a big "YES~!"

Sweet Brenda had sent my winnings on to me....Such a feast for the eyes...

You can imagine how excited I was when I opened the box and saw this full yard of Williamsburg Sampler fabric.........Oh my goodness!!

Honestly, I could frame this and claim it as a handstitched sampler....just beautiful... 

 And, my package had a La-D-Da kit "O Birdy" along with a hand punched darling bunny~~~

 Such talent Brenda has!!....This is a craft I do not attempt, but I can tell you this photo does not begin to do justice to the beauty of this cute pillow....darling and I cannot wait to showcase it with my spring stitched pieces..........

 And, of course I was giddie to get this La-D-Da kit....Silks, hand dyed fabric, chart...It even comes with its own piping to use when finishing!! LOVE IT~~~

 And, to top is all off, the giveaway included a 50.00 Gift Certificate to Down Sunshine Lane~~~ I tell you, I nearly passed out when I learned about my winnings!!  Those of you who know DSL, know how easy it is to order from Amy and how prompt she is to fill and ship your orders...  Go check her out~~~

I certainly am a lucky lady!!...There is nothing like stitching friends....

Thanks again so very much Brenda!!!

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Speaking of La-D-Da, I wanted to show you a little of my progress on this 4th "up for a challenge" piece in my WIP basket....I thought since it was February and "love" is in the air, I would work on

 Love Spoken Here....

Here it was the end of December 2010...

 And, here is my progress as of last night..........

Okay folks.....Hope everyone had a great Wednesday...We are on the downslide heading to the weekend!!! Milder weather here in the Carolinas this week.....

Have a great stitching evening~~~

Faye

A Sweet gift and a couple finishes....

Everyone loves a surprise....right??

My sweet friend Linda P totally surprised me with this box of goodies yesterday... How shocked was I when I opened these pretties??

 She showered me with trims, Valentines sticky notes and tissues, a handmade card, a beautifully stitched red heart and CHOCOLATE!!!!

 This is the daintiest of little pillows for my "reds" basket~~~~~

 And on the back, she attached the tiniest heart button.... Too cute I tell ya~~~

Thanks from the bottom of my heart Linda... You are the bestest!!!

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Today I have been sewing a little in the craft room....

Here is a freebie I ran across on The Primitive Needle's blog...

Very prim and a very quick stitch....

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I also finished this Lizzie Kate snippet called "Be Mine Valentine"...

I envisioned it finished up as a needle book...

 Inside I fastened a "Love" charm and planted a few special heart topped pins...

 If you look real close, you can see "Love" imprinted in the hand....Aren't those pink stones too cute?? When I spotted this charm at Michael's, I couldn't resist getting it..I knew it would come in handy one day~~~

So, here's hoping everyone has a fantastic Valentine's Day tomorrow....

Cheer's to ya~~~

Faye

~~~~Elizabeth Emma Bice Wade Sampler is finished~~~~

Imagine me dancing a jig right here in the craft room!!! YIPPPPEEE~~

Elizabeth Emma Bice Wade Sampler is finished after a L-O-N-G stay in my to do basket!!

Poor thing was started back in 1992 ( I am embarassed to admit that!)

But, the good news is, that this sampler is my third "up for a challenge" finish in 2011..

A bit of history according to the current owner of the orginal sampler:

"Elizabeth Emma Bice Wade finished her sampler 3 days before Christmas in 1840...Which leads us to believe at age 9, she was so anxious to finish, she left off the last pair of leaves in the right hand corner.

Comprized mostly of cross stitches, she also incorporated the Algerian eye stitch and the 4 sided stitch. The original sampler was stitched on a fine linen of 55-60 thread count. This original sampler is now privately owned, however there was a certificate found tucked in the back of the frame from the Royal School of Needlework in South Kensington, England dated Dec 6, ,1916."

Elizabeth Emma Bice Wade Sampler

Threads of Gold

40 ct creme linen

DMC threads

 Algerian Eye stitch

 4 sided stitch

 dainty floral band



outside border of flowers and vine

This has been a most wonderful stitch for me and has renewed my interest in samplers.....Maybe my next one will not take quite as long to finish!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Faye

~~~Your kind words warm my heart~~

You guys make my heart smile with all your wonderful kind words! Thanks for the feedback on the baby book I stitched and sewed for my dear friend...I have to tell you, I was welcomed with kind words at work today as many of the folks I work with do not have a hobby involving needlework, but admire those of us who do enjoy it... And, yes, the mother-to-be let me know this would be a treasure she would  hold on to and pass down.... Everyones fine words are true rewards to me...

Thanks so very much!!

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I really am getting spoiled this week arriving home to yet another treat in the mailbox!!  A while back, Michele and I had agreed to a private exchange...And, look at these lovely goodies she stitched for me!!

 Michele says this is a BBD piece she stitched at at retreat...The finish is too cute in this brown shaker box and I love the pincushion top!! Thanks Michele!!

And, she stitched the cutest tiny pillow for my red basket....I love things that are monogramed so this is just perfect Michele!!

 She even attached a beautiful "Made for you" charm along with the 2011 on the back....LOVE THAT~~

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A while back, I had 3 little goodies mailed to me from Cathy of KY (no blog)....She does the stitching and I do her finishing..... Since she has recieved them in the mail and with her permission, I would like to show you the finished products..

I truly enjoyed sewing these finishes for you Cathy...

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I am down to  the last 7 flowers on Eliz Emma Bice Wade Sampler....I want to make this piece my next "Up for a challenge" finish....so, cross your fingers!!!

Here's hoping everyone has had a good week and is looking forward to a fantastic weekend!!

Take care, 

 Faye

Give and ye shall receive~~~

I work with one of the sweetest ladies you would ever meet and she is expecting her first baby..

I knew I wanted to stitch her something special and when she told me the nursery would be in a "Barnyard" theme, I knew exactly what I wanted to make..

And it would involve a Prairie Schooler chart..

But, it was a big deal for me because I typically stitch and have things framed or make a pillow...

Us being educators, I knew I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and make a quilted baby book..

So, this is what I came up with...

And gave it to her at today's baby shower after school....

 front cover....

 page 1 and 2...

 page 3 and 4...(yes, I ironed those wrinkles out!!)

 page 5 and 6....

 a closeup of the last page....

 This really was a fun project!! Its not perfect, but it was made with alot of love...

Good luck guys as soon you will be welcoming Ryder into this world!!

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So, after todays baby shower, I came on home to find.....I had been graciously gifted this cute pillow by dear Karen....It is so prim and PERFECT!!  Even the handmade pins are PERFECT!!

Karen, you are the best!!

Thanks so very much my friend!! I have it placed at the base of my Valentines Day tree in the craft room!

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Okay, I am headed to a little grilled chicken off the grill....Hubbie cooked supper..YEAH~~

Oh, and Marsha, your giveaway package will be heading out tomorrow....I hope you like it~~

Happy stitching everyone,

Faye

We have a winner~~~

I wanted to pull a name out of the hat early this morning before heading out to work......  So many of you commented about your love for cross stitch and your motivation to pursue this wonderful craft....I totally agree with you when I say that cross stitching brings so many of us together with friendships and alllows us to take a blank canvas and turn it into something wonderful!!!  Many of you even stitch so to keep those hands busy and  be less tempted to eat!! I thought that was cute to say....  Bottom line is that we all LOVE stitching and plan on continuing to inspire each other!

So, without further delay, the winner of my little Valentine's giveaway is...........

~~~~Littlebit~~~~~

Please send me a quick email Littlebit with your mailing address so I can send out your package tomorrow!!!

Take care everyone and thanks again for all your wonderfull comments and support! My blog friends are who keep me inspired~~

Faye

My Valentine Giveaway!~~

I have been busy in the craft room and got a little side tracked...

But, it is to YOUR benefit.....

I have decided to have a little impromtu GIVEAWAY to celebrate not only Valentine's Day,

but my love for cross stitching...

All of you know Betty, of primitivebettys, and her wonderful designs..

 I have put together a little prim package for someones Valentines Basket....

So, on this post only, post a comment of why you LOVE cross stitch so much and you will be in the running for....

these 2 prim pillows stuffed with walnut shells and a pair of tiny black and white scissors....

The drawing will be Wednesday Feb. 9th.....

~~~~~Good luck to you all~~~~

Faye

~~~Flowers are blossoming on Elizabeth~~slowly.....

A week ago I showed you the dainty leaves that my Elizabeth sampler had sprouted...

And, after much dedication this past week, she now has partial flowering....

I decided to get the more tedious part taken care of by stitching the outline of each flower since the outline was in a different color than the flower itself... And, the pale terra cotta shade of the flowering vein is done as well....  It might not look like much to most, but for me, it was a full week of stitching on this piece only.. So, that I consider progress..........

Here it is last week this time....

And, here is how things stand after this weeks work.....You will have to click on the picture to see the outline of those flowers though....3033 and 739 on creme 40 ct linen... not easy to show up...

 Here is a closer look.......

So, now comes the filling in of those 17 remaining flowers....some are filled with 422 light tan and some are creme...... I would love to know I could fill them in this week, but like last week,, I have a couple evening commitments....So, we will see....

On to finish sewing up the baby project I have been working on for a couple months now....I will be posting about that after Wednesday....The baby shower is Wednesday after school and I dont want anyone to read about it until after I have given to the expectant mother~~~~ But, just take my word for it, it is WAY outside of my comfort zone to have tackled!  Maybe I will venture to do this project again for one of my own grandchildren one day..... Is that mysterious enough for you??  hahahaha...

Happy Super Bowling everyone,   Faye