Tuesday, February 21, 2017

First stitches

Do you remember your first stitches? I remember my grandmother and great-grandmother teaching me to do embroidery somewhere around the age of 10-12. Back then you could by iron on patterns and I remember a denim shirt I stitched all over. I have a set of pillowcases I did for my grandparents around here somewhere - I think I have showed pictures of them before. (I had them on display in our last house but haven't put them out here - yet, I will eventually)  I did quite a few pieces of stamped cross stitch and gave them as gifts. Then, sometime around 1980-81 I saw my first piece of counted cross stitch and fell in love with it! I bought a kit, it was a small Christmas piece. I just followed the directions - to me it didn't seem hard, it was similar enough to stamped cross stitch. Even with stamped cross stitch you have to follow a pattern for color placement. I was hooked from that first stitch. Anyway - then I found out you could buy patterns and fabric without having to buy a kit and this was the first book I bought. 
I found it yesterday when going through some patterns. I don't know how many of those jar toppers I stitched. I'm pretty sure everyone I know got a mason jar with cross stitch on top for Christmas that year. I used that book so much it is falling apart but every time I purge, I always keep this book. There were other books with jar toppers, Christmas ornaments, fingertip towels, baby bibs and bookmarks (all stitched on aida) before I moved up to things large enough to actually frame. I have a few pieces and my mother still has some of my early pieces before I started stitching on linen. I remember my first piece I stitched on linen too. I had been stitching samples for a magazine (I stitched them and returned them to be finished and photographed - lots of fun) and they asked me if I had ever stitched on linen. I hadn't so she showed me a couple of stitches and sent me on my way. That piece went on a photo album. Remember those fabric covered photo albums that were so popular in the 80s and early 90s? I don't have the stitched piece but I have the magazine it was published in. I would show you a picture of that but it would mean digging deeper in the closet than I want to go right now. Someday. 
That is how I got started and I still love it as much today as I did when I stitched that first little kit. Do you remember your first counted cross stitch project?

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Happy Valentines Day!

A few decorations around the house





And a rose from my sweetie.

Happy Valentines Day!

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Red, White and Blue

I hope this picture looks better on your screen than it does on mine! I finally finished this cute design by Sam Sarah Design Studio. I put the final stitches in it last night but I haven't had a chance to press it yet so I haven't sewn the buttons on yet - I'll get to it.
Now to find the box with the kitted projects in it so I can see what to work on next. I've also got a quilt going so I don't have time to be bored! (I still have boxes to unpack and I can't find anything in my sewing room - I should be working on that but, well, I'm not)

Today is the middle kidlet's birthday so I went looking around on my computer for a picture of him and all I could find were ones from Christmas and none of him by himself so here is one of him with his dad. I know there are more, just not sure where. (though he is good about avoiding having his picture made)  

Happy Birthday, Timothy!