I'm Back!!!

So, it's been a little while...kinda took the summer off...off blogging, not off designing or stitching. 

I've also been busy designing stained glass train stations.  Really.  The hubs is really into trains...I mean REALLY INTO TRAINS.  He's setting up a website to buy and sell model trains.  We've been to many train shows as buyers and now as vendors.  Last year sometime I found a cute little lighted stained glass train station at a flea market...$20!  I couldn't believe the price having made some statined glass pieces to sell years ago when my mother had a gift shop in Blowing Rock!  I snatched it up and we decided these might be good sellers at the upcoming train shows.  Researching this piece I've discovered it is a copyrighted piece from China.  No doubt the workers made them for pennies.  I can't, of course, make them exactly like this piece...I respect copyrights.  So I've used it for inspiration and have redesigned it. It's been a re-learning process to get back into stained glass with many problems along the way...diamond fell out of my glass cutter, bought the wrong solder and it smoked terribly, old soldering gun wasn't heating up all the way (I'm talking it's about 30 years old!).  With all these problems now solved...I'm on my way!  I'll post pictures when I've got one completely put together...soon!

 I recently released two new cross stitch designs and have several more almost finished:

Feel Like A Nut has finally been charted!  It was stitched on R&R Reproductions 32 count 18th Century Brown fabric (LOVE this fabric!) using two Gentle Art thread colors: Adobe and Straw Bonnet.  The vintage tatted lace is from that same bag-o-lace my mother gave me.  I'm determined to learn to tat...I actually bought a kit, complete with the little shuttle and instructions.  I'll let you know how that goes!

The other one is called Autumn in Madison County.  It includes a complete upper and lower case alphabet to change the county to your personal favorite covered bridge site...or personalize it in any way you like.  I made it into a little "shelf pillow" measuring about 6 1/2 inches square...sits right on my book shelf with the books:  The Bridges of Madison County and A Thousand Country Road, both by Robert Waller...love those books!  I edged it with R&R's overdyed Cinnamon chenille...love it!

That's probably enough for now.  I promise to keep up better with the blog. 

Bon  ~*