Monday, August 26, 2013

More Finishing

Here are the two finished pieces I couldn't show you last week . . . they have arrived at their destination . . . better late than never!  I'm embarrassed to say that these birthday gifts for my BFF stitchin' buddy are for last year as well as this year . . . her birthday is in May.  The one on the left was mostly finished when we moved a year ago April . . . I just couldn't find it after we unpacked.  It was in with my finished pieces that needed final finishing (but it wasn't finished!?!) and it took nearly a year to find . . . that's how often I finish things . . . lol . . . oh, that ADD just gets in the way!!!  That's my story and I'm sticken to it!
The one on the left is an adaptation of Homespun Elegance's Virtue Samplers (Jen's a very virtuous friend!).  This is what the original pattern looks like:

The one on the right is a borrowed idea from Pineberry Lane.  I don't know if her "mother" pattern was a pattern for sale or if it was a freebie but, I took the idea and charted up "friend" in a similar style.  Here's what the "mother" one looks like (I love the different letter styles and the color combination!):

I really need to give up the gardening for awhile and get another pattern out there.  The response through Hoffman Distributing has been very exciting and motivating!

We have a momma deer and her two babies that frequent the yard . . . must be all that clover in the grass!  They are so cute!
 
I think they need to be featured in an upcoming sampler don't you?

Happy stitchin' . . . get something finished today!                 ~*

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Finishing Day!

I finally took the time to have a finishing day.  I didn't get everything finished that needed finishing but I did make a dent . . . what a good feeling!  The letter "R" for the EGA quilt is finished.


I can't show you two of them just yet because they were . . . belated . . . birthday gifts.  I did finish this little shelf pillow from Blackbird Designs (for myself) . . . that's the backing material I used.

You know those beautiful framing boxes you can get for your needlework . . . beautiful and very expensive.  I bought this unfinished wooden box with brass hardware at Hobby Lobby . . . sorry, don't remember the price, but I'm pretty sure it was under $20.  I stained the box with Briwax (dark brown) (also runs about $20 for the can of wax . . . didn't use it all).  I covered a piece of foamcore with some batting and then the stitched piece from R&R (from the Shepherd's Bush Retreat last year).  I made some cording out of some wool yarn I had and attached it all to the box with PVA glue from Paper Source and there you go!  So much cheaper than several hundred dollars!  I stained the sides of the inside of the box too and plan on putting some Christmas fabric in the bottom and inside the lid.  I changed the stitched piece just a little . . . surprise . . . added some beads to some of the snowflakes, used overdyed threads and eliminated the dark boarder.


Just a little sad news.  Remember the bird nest that was built in the shelf on our back porch?  It is no more.  I was blaming the neighborhood cat, but now I'm thinking it was a fox.  We've discovered a very skinny baby fox that's been hiding in our front bushes.  Don't know where the mama is, but the poor baby looks like he's not eating well . . . guess I can forgive him for eating the three baby birds . . . maybe.

                                                                   ~*