A SoCal Stitchers Get-Together

Another Yahoo group I belong to is SoCal Cross Stitchers, and there are 52 of us who are members. Christin, the owner, organized a small get-together yesterday - 6 of us were able to make it. We met for brunch and some stitching and an exchange at The Corner Bakery in Anaheim Hills, and then went over to Velona. Velona is a yarn and needlework shop in Anaheim Hills - and we all posed here for a group photo. Left to right: Gail, Cathy, Peggy, Mayté, Christin, and me.

"Santa's On His Way" by Rosie and Co.

This was stitched for an exchange on CSRR. Doreen, my partner on a few other exchanges, sent me some hemming tape - the kind that adheres when you iron it. Since I don't sew, that stuff is gold! I used it for this little ornament, as well as several others. This ornament is from the 2003 Just Cross Stitch Ornaments issue.

Happy Birthday, Kenny!

My son turned 25 Tuesday. He's home on leave from Okinawa, Japan (he's in the Air Force), and we took him out to dinner to celebrate (the leave and the birthday). That's my daughter, Theresa, with him.

LHN Fruits WIP Update

While we were camping last weekend, I finished Strawberries and Blueberries. Only 5 more to go!

Snow, Snow, Snow (Or How I Spent My Weekend)

This is our trailer at East Fork Campground on Rock Creek, northeast of Bishop. It was snowing when we set up on Thursday, and it snowed Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.






Rock Creek Lake
















So, how did I spend my weekend? Cross stitching and reading. No television, since we didn't have electricity. I worked a lot on Chatelaine's Alpine Garden Seasons Mandala, and when I discovered I'd left two colors of thread at home I switched to the LHN fruits. I'll post WIP pics later.

"Noel" - Bent Creek

This is a new-sew finish - just folding and gluing, using a piece of wood slat from Michael's as a base. I padded it with quilt batting, and glued some ribbon around it to hide the folded over parts.

"Simplicity Goodness Truth" - Heart's Content

Thanks to Vonna and Hannah, I was able to quickly assemble this cube last night before supper. It's so easy! And so quick! I think it took less than 15 minutes, and that was because I had to let the iron warm up. I used a styrofoam cube from the flower-arranging section at JoAnn's, some fabric and ribbon already in my stash, along with the silver brad left over from my scrapbooking days. This is stitched one-over-one on 28-count hand-dyed linen that came with the pattern and floss - a kit that I couldn't resist. Once again, the colors in the photo are a bit "off" - the fabric and ribbon are really burgundy and match the threads really well. This is such a nice way to finish smaller pieces, and I'm sure I will be doing many more!

New Patterns on Order!

I ordered some new patterns today from my favorite NON-LNS (I don't have a local store, so I ordered from Forever Stitching in Idaho Falls, Idaho. I mentioned last summer that I visited that store while we were on vacation, and met the owner/designer Lynda Orme. She's responsible for getting me started on linen.

I ordered these patterns:

Home of a Needleworker Too! - Little House Needlework Designs

Celebrate Everything - Shepherd's Bush

Signs of Spring - AnnaLee Waite Designs

Chanukah - Shepherd's Bush

It's Hip to Be Square SAL - B is for Bee

Here's the little bee. Sandy will release the next letter/picture on Monday!

WIP Update - LHN Fruits

I'm doing Little House Needleworks' Fruit Packs (all 12 of them) one-over-one on one piece of fabric. Each one takes just a few days to stitch (a couple of hours a day) and I enjoy using the Crescent Colours threads. I've been trying to arrange them so that similar color themes aren't close together.

"Four Seasons" - Prairie Schooler

This pattern was in a recent issue of The Gift of Stitching Magazine. I stitched it on 28-count lambswool, and framed it myself in a 6 x 6 unfinished frame I got from Nice Frames, an ebay store I use often. I stained the frame in burgundy, which shows up a little light in this picture.

It's Hip to Be Square SAL - A is for Apple

I joined the San-Man Originals "It's Hip to Be Square" SAL, and decided to do it one-over-one on 28-count Cashel linen from Silkweaver. The color I chose is a yellow-gold, which I think will be neutral enough for the design. The first block is a little apple, and I put the dime next to it to show how small it is since it's one-over-one.

Question of the Week - So Cal Stitchers

I joined a Yahoo group (one of many) the other day called SoCal Stitchers - and can't wait to meet all of them. We have a "field trip" scheduled for June 7 - a get together at a LNS in Anaheim Hills. How exciting!

This group does a weekly question - and this week's question is:

Do you keep or give away most of your projects?

My intent is to do about half and half. I do a lot of "selfish" stitching - things that I want to keep for myself, such as Chatelaine's Alpine Seasons Garden Mandala and Raise the Roof's Crabby All Year. I like doing pieces that I can hang in my house or my RV. But then I also stitch to make gifts and exchanges. I stitch for my mother, my sisters, my brother, my friends, and for many strangers via charity quilt squares stitching (WOCS and CSFC). I like doing exchanges, so I stitch things for exchanges like biscornus, ornaments, and small pillows.

Biscornu from Doreen

Doreen in Canada sent me this cute seasons-themed piece for the biscornu exchange on CSRR. Isn't it cute! Thanks, Doreen!

WIP Update - Alpine Garden Seasons Mandala by Chatelaine

I finished the first part, and am about 1/3 way through the scene in the middle. It has a lot of one-over-one stitching, so it's going to take a while.

"Sun Mandala Biscornu" by KIndred Spirits Designs

This is for Jerry and the CSRR biscornu exchange. I wanted a design that wasn't flowery, since Jerry's a guy and doesn't like flowery designs. The original pattern was for light colors on white fabric, but I thought some orange/yellow/red overdyed floss would look great on black aida.

"A Lady's Pincushion" by Sandra Rogers

This is for my mom for Mother's Day. The pattern was in the July/August 1991 issue of Cross Stitch and Country Crafts. The original design was for a pincushion turned on the diagonal and trimmed with cording and tassles. I thought it would make a great biscornu, and just took away some of the design for the back side.

SBQ - Question of the Week

This week's question: Do you have any pieces that you would like passed on to future generations as family heirlooms?

Absolutely! The first piece that comes to mine is the just-started Alpine Garden Seasons Mandala, designed by Martina Weber of Chatelaine Designs. Since my husband and daughter were both born in Germany, I decided to stitch this for them. It will hang in my house until I'm gone, and then will go to my daughter. I would like to think that someone will fight over our Folk Art Anniversary Sampler, but perhaps not. Who knows? I don't think my son's "into" my stitching - but I'll let him choose what he wants.

Fairy for Bren's Mini RR # 18

Finished this weekend and sent on her way today!

Something a little different - a recipe!

A few weeks ago I stitched the "Santa's On His Way" ornament from Rosie & Co., which was in the 2003 Just Cross Stitch Magazine Christmas Ornament issue. A lot of the designers include recipes with their designs, and the one that accompanied the ornament was this coconut tart. It's so easy to make - just mix up everything together, put it in a pie pan, and bake it. It puffed up beautifully, just like the recipe said it would, and then sank some once it was chilled. Don and I ate it both warm and chilled, and liked it both ways. The tart makes a crunchy top crust that reminds me of a coconut macaroon. I think I'll make it again soon and see if I can do it with Splenda and unsweetened coconut.

Cathy's Coconut Tart
from Rosie & Co. in Just Cross Stitch Magazine

1 cup coconut
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened*
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325˚.
In a large bowl, beat all ingredients together until thick and creamy. Pour into a greased 9" pie plate and bake approximately 30 minutes, until risen and golden.** Serve warm or cold. Makes 6-8 servings.




* I used salted butter and it was just fine
** I had to bake it for 40 minutes before it would set up

"Tender Moments" - Dale Burdett

This is from the Dale Burdett booklet For Bunny Lovers. It's a big for Taylor, daughter of my friend Tom.

"Out of This World" - Twisted Threads

I finally finished this and framed it today. It's for TJ, son of my friend Tom.

"Feliz Navidad" by monsterbubbles

The pattern for this piece was in the 2006 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments Issue. I had a great time stitching this little piece, but chose not to finish it like it was done in the magazine. I just trimmed it with pinking sheers and mounted it on some stiff felt, using some silver cording for a hanger. Much easier than sewing a pillow by hand (which takes me forever!)

"Woodlands Sampler" by Something in Common

This is a piece that was in The Gift of Stitching Magazine, and I decided it was perfect for our trailer. It was framed at Michaels, and I picked it up just before we went camping.

"Colorado" by Cathy Callery (Fireside Originals)

This is a piece I stitched a few months ago, and I finally got around to finishing it just before we went on vacation. It could have been framed or turned into a bell pull; I chose to make it a bell pull-like hanging. Doreen, a fellow stitcher on CSRR, had sent me a gift package for a Christmas exchange that included some fusing tape. It worked perfectly for this - I didn't have to stitch a bit! I just ironed the edges and used the tape to fuse them. I even did that for the top. The piece is hanging on piece of dowel that I got at Michaels for 79 cents (it was a yard long), and then I glued two wooden beads on each end. A nice piece of green yarn finished if off. This piece is hanging in my trailer - I wanted a few pieces there that are reminiscent of our passion - camping and fishing!