Whatsoever Things Are Lovely...

The days are definitely getting colder here!  We had 3+ inches of snow this week, but today warmed up a little and sun was shining, and the snow has already melted away.

A few more lovelies 'grew' in 'Christmas Garden' this past week.

                   Just love those two sweet reindeer!

My dear friend, Janet and I decided that it would be fun to stitch 'Quaker Christmas II' together,  even though we are getting a bit of a late start.  We thought that it would be fun to get together for some special stitching days, and we'll 'sing' Christmas carols, as we stitch our way through this beautiful sampler!

This is my progress so far.  I have been having a bit of a challenge, trying to decide if I prefer to stitch using my preferred scroll rods or a large hoop.  I have swapped off twice on both, and today decided that I don't like all of the marks left by the hoop, so am going to try the scroll rods again.

I started at the center and am working to the right side.

Love these beautiful motifs!

Knowing how much I adore 'everything tea', Janet sent me this lovely card this week, which just happens to match one of my favorite teapots!

This has been a week of new beginnings, both for our family and our country.  Our son, Kevin, his wife and our two little grandsons have moved to our area, because he will begin a new job tomorrow!  We are beyond thrilled to have them living so nearby, and hope to spend time with them often:)

                             Two and a half year old Emerson, 
                          literally having a glorious time!

Then, lo and behold, our Christmas Cactus decided to bloom!

Isn't she just beautiful in all of her splendor?

If only this beauty would bloom again for Christmas!

On this beautiful autumn afternoon, thinking of so many things in our lives for which to be thankful, this favorite verse came to mind....

"Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."  (Philippians 4:8)

It is always my joy and pleasure to share with all of you dear friends.  I want you to know that my life continues to be blessed for knowing each one of you and for our lives 'crossing' with each other!

Blessings in Stitches & Friendship!

Feeling Blessed

Looking out my window, the late afternoon sun has drifted behind the floating grey clouds, providing a wonderful backdrop to the tall pines and trees, now barren of their autumn leaves.  Halloween has already past and November is upon us.  

Early days this week, our Northeast seacost and inland towns weathered one of the worst storms in over a hundred years.  We were thankfully spared any loss of our home and maintained power.  Others up and down the coast, including New York City, New Jersey and many other coastal towns and cities were not so fortunate.  The cleanup and restoration of homes, businesses, roads and power will take weeks and months.  Our hearts ache for them and our prayers are ongoing.


Being among the very blessed and more fortunate, I spent many long hours, stitching to calm my very anxious heart, as I watched continuous news coverage of the storm's path and the havoc she wreaked on Monday and Tuesday.

Fortunate that we were among the blessed, that our power did not go out, I was able stitch to pass the time, and made some more progress on 'Christmas Garden' (Black Bird Designs), 

I managed to finish the first right top section on Monday and started stitching the the top left section on Tuesday.  

A pretty varigated snowflake, some little snowflakes and a snowbird....

Just for a little change of pace, this sweet 'School Girl Sampler Thimble Purse' (With Thy Needle and Thread), seemed like the perfect thing.  I am thinking of re-drawing the purse template to fit the purse hardware, so that the full design can be appreciated, as it is so sweet.  Having made two previous purses, the template for finishing has covered up some of the design, which was very unfortunate. 

To brighten up our week, two of our sons sent us some cute pictures of our youngest grandchildren, dressed up for Halloween.   Harrison, who is such a cute, happy little boy, was in his glory with all of those stuffed pumpkins.  We couldn't believe how he would sit there, happily posing for his picture.  

Sweet little Kyleigh, dressed up in her little dinosaur costume, lives in a much warmer climate, so that her picture could be taken outside.  We haven't met her in person yet, as they live quite far away, but we enjoy visiting with her on Skype, which is just wonderful.

Well, the afternoon is slipping away, dear friends, and I think that it is about time for my afternoon tea and some stitching time!

It is always such a blessing whenever you visit with me here, and I love to read all of your wonderful comments.  Thank you so much!

Blessings in Stitches & Friendship!

The gorgeous array of autumn leaves have been spectacular this year, but alas, soon they will drift from all of the trees, but we will savor these glorious days a little longer.

Contenting myself to pass the days, while my foot heals a while longer, 'Christmas Garden' has begun to look a bit more alive with color.

This is closer to the true color of the linen.

A closer view of my stitching progress thus far...

Love this flowering tree....

Such interesting golden stars....

To brighten up our days, our son, Kevin, sent us some wonderful photos of our two little grandsons, Emerson & Harrison, on an excursion to pick out their Halloween pumpkins.  Aren't they just adorable?  

Our daughter, Carra and Miss Ella popped over for a visit one afternoon, and Ella decided that  cupcakes were on the menu, to share with Grandma-ma & Grandpa, after lunch.  She had orange frosting all over her face and hands but enjoyed every morsel of that cupcake!  

Miss Meggie has been keeping me good company these past weeks, protecting my Boo-Boo foot....  I call her 'My Nana Dog'... What would we ever do without these sweet little furry creatures to light up our lives?

Well, it is almost time to fix lunch, and then a friend is coming over for afternoon tea.  It will be so nice to have a good friend to share the afternoon with me.

I hope that your week goes well, and I look forward to reading about what is happening in your part of the world too.  Your comments mean so much to me, and I want you to know that I appreciate every one.

Blessings in Stitches & Friendship!

A Very Special Giveaway....

Have you heard about the lovely giveaway Nancy is offering at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe,  on November 1st?  If not, please visit Nancy's wonderful website for more details about her beautiful 'antique looking', hand dyed bag filled with all kinds of very special goodies!   When you visit, please tell Nancy that you found out about her giveaway on my stitching blog.   

Best Wishes! 

Stitching on a Rainy Day

I don't know about you, but there is just something about a rainy day that inspires me to pick up my favorite needlework project and settle in with my favorite cup of tea, for a wonderful day of stitching.  How about you?  Here is some more progress on 'Christmas Garden'.

I know that it probably doesn't look like I have made much progress from my last post, but I have a pretty good excuse:)

Last Friday, I had more foot surgery.....some reconstructive correction of my right great toe.  Needless to say, I was not feeling much  like stitching for a few days.  Now my needles are out again, and I am making some progress.  It will be 6 weeks of non-weight bearing on my foot......Oh what a good reason to work on some favorite stitching projects!

Two days before my surgery, I had the joy of picking up Kyleigh's framed birth sampler, and am very pleased with the frame that I chose.

I love the reddish tones of the wood in this frame. It seems to compliment the colours of those little flowers.

Miss Meggie all comfy in her bed, keeping me company.

 

Meggie & Daddy

It is literally pouring 'buckets' outside, and the air is so chilly and damp.  Brrrrr.... Time to make a nice cup of tea, I think!

Until next time, dear friends.  Thank you for stopping by for a little visit with me today.  I always love hearing from all of you and appreciate your wonderful comments so much.

Blessings in Stitches & Friendship!

A Few Thoughts on a Lovely Autumn Morning

With these beautiful cool autumn days, my mood has turned to thoughts of stitching 'Christmas Garden', cause that wonderful Christmas season is just around the corner!

This was my progress over the weekend, but the border is kind of pretty up close, just not terribly exciting at the moment.

 Last night I decided to work a little more on my Punch Needle design, 'Pickin Flowers' by Teresa Kogut.

 I am really enjoying my very first Punch Needle design!

Look who decided to pop by for a little visit!

Amazing little creature, who just posed so nicely for me to photograph him.

Hmmm..... Wonder if he is any relation to Mr. Benjamin Bunny!

Well, Miss Meaghann is ready to be picked up from the Groomer's this morning, so off I go! 

Wishing you a perfectly lovely day! 

Reviving a Relic & Stitching Some New Things

Looking back over the past week or so here, those warm days of summer have past and we have been experiencing some cooler, crisp days that definitely feel like autumn is almost here.  I love the cool evenings and nights, perfect for sleeping with the windows wide open.

With the onset of autumn, it begins to feel like cosy quilt time.  From among my own relics, I pulled out a Friendship Quilt, which was started with a wonderful group of friends, in 1987.  Can you believe that   I had left it unfinished  in my quilting box?  I am kind of embarassed to say it!

The quilt group selected one pattern for the quilt and each of selected the fabrics of our own choice.  Then we would meet about every two weeks and pass our fabric on to a different person in the group, until all of the blocks were assembled, and each of us stitched one for ourselves.

                                      My Quilt Block

A Quilt Corner

Love this pretty leafy quilt design

Isn't this heart design wonderful on the border?

With the help of my very special friend, Ellen, who is an expert quilter, and super encourager, she assisted me to sew on the borders and to make the quilt come out evenly.  Without her, I don't know if I would have finished it.  Thankyou so much Ellen!

Have any of you stitched the adorable little 'Thimble Purse' designs from With Thy Needle?  I have fallen in love with them, and stitched two so far.  

               'Home Sweet Home' Thimble Purse

                'Birds and Berries' Thimble Purse

This is my newest start, 'Birds of a Feather' by The Victoria Sampler, which is a band sampler.  It is a delightful design, but oh my, there were so many color changes in those two little birds and flowers!  As you can see, I am now stitching 'over one' the title of the sampler.  This is going to be a WIP for sure!

Over last weekend, some special friends came for dinner and brought this delicious 'Strawberry Pizza Pie' for dessert! It consists of a sugar cookie crust, a light cream cheese and confectionary sugar filling, topped with thinly sliced strawberries and glaze. Melts in your mouth!

Miss Meggie was sitting on the landing, with her Teddy Bear, barking at the squirrels she could see out the window.  Such a cutie pie!

It is always wonderful sharing a little piece of my world with all of you, my very dear friends.  Thank you for all of your wonderful comments.  I love hearing from every one of you!

May peace and love surround you where ever you may be, and may the sun shine down warmly upon your face and bring a smile to your face.

Blessings in Stitches & Friendship!

Stitches & Such....

In case you may have been wondering where, oh where has Kathy been these past weeks, I've been here and there, and just haven't had time to write a single word on my blog.  So, here we go!  

I have stitched and stitched the hours away whenever I could find a snatch of time, and finally finished Kyleigh's birth sampler!  This was quite a challenge, since I changed quite a few areas of the design, more to my liking, but am quite happy with the final results.

'Sweet Baby Sampler'
By Praiseworthy Stitches

Along the way, my friend, Janet, (no blog), encouraged me to try my hand at Punchneedle, which I must say, I was a little reluctant to try.  Janet is a wonderful person, and so full of enthusiasm.  She totally sold me, that 'Yes, you can do it, Kathy!'  So, dear Janet came last Thursday to teach me how to do Punch Needle, and here is my progress thus far.

I was surprised to learn that the punch needle stitches are taken on the printed side of the design, but that the actual desired, 'fluffy' effect is created on the 'wrong' side of the fabric.

'Pickin Flowers'
by
Teresa Kogut

This afternoon, while the storm clouds were brewing up some rainstorms, I was happily tucked inside, stitching on this sweet little thimble purse.  Assembly is required, and as I always hesitate a bit on that part, I think that will be a project for tomorrow.

'Home Sweet Home'
Thimble Purse
With thy Needle & Thread

A week or so ago, Bruce and I enjoyed a very special visit with my sister, Karen and her husband, Steve.  They have a lovely backyard, which Karen has worked very hard to embellish with flowers and a sweet sitting area under the trees.

A lovely statue in her garden.

Well, the hour is growing late, and I am well past time for my cup of tea, and perhaps a few stitches before my eyes close for the night.

It is always wonderful connecting with you here, and I love receiving all of your special comments.

Blessings in Stitches & Friendship With You,
Dear Friends!