Still No Stitching

 I'm still not really stitching, although I do look at my fabrics and all my threads and think of what I could make, but that's about all I do when it comes to cross stitch. 

A couple of years ago I did manage to make a few tiny's and a memorial needleroll for Robert. I don't think I ever shared a pic of the mini's, so......

I  did a bit of painting/crafting. I think I need to add a few flowers in one of the corners.

It will hang on the wall eventually, but for now it will sit on an easel on the shelf above the television. 

I guess I should have added specifics : )

I did a crackle effect paint on the 5x7 frame, the background is from a fat quarter of fabric from Walmart and the Cross is made from jute twine.

Take Care Everyone 

Hugs, Sandy

Tried Something New

Hello Everyone; Hope you all are safe and well.

The weather here in Montana has most definitely taken a turn into fall. We went from day time temps in the high 80's and 90's down to the low 70's, 60's, and even high 50's. Good thing about this is I no longer have to run the A/C to keep the house cool, the ceiling fan's do just fine to circulate the air. Of course, I'm much happier with the cooler temps, but after this will come winter and that fluffy white crap that I love so much (lot's of sarcasm there).

About the truck, we found out the transmission is toast. The mechanic in town started to drain the fluid and it looked like liquid metal. So a new transmission and clutch will be needed. So goes life and a few grand$$$$.

I saw some beautiful macrame curtains and room dividers on Pintrest and thought I would try my hand at it on a much smaller and simpler scale, a key chain. I used Caron Watercolors.

It's definitely not perfect by any means, but I will try again at another time when I have studied up on the different knots and proper threads/rope to use.

I would love to make a piece for our 5th wheel to hang above the steps to the bedroom.

Take Care & Happy Creating

Hugs, Sandy 

Stitchin' & TUSAL

Hello Again Everyone!

I haven't done a TUSAL update since May, so here is what I've accumulated since then.

Not a lot of thread ORT's, i've only been stitching during our camping trips.

What I have been doing most is getting hanging organizers ready to sew up and post on an upcoming Etsy shop by the end of the month. It's a bit scary but I received a tremendous amount  of interest after posting a pic on a couple of RV groups. 

Lots & lots of fabric pieces, and there are more that I set aside for making fabric flowers, mini pot grabbers, and skillet handle covers.

 

Here is the stitching I got done while on our last camping trip.

 

Two more bookmarks and two future magnets for the RV fridge.

 DMC variegated, colorist, and GAST threads. All my own designs.

I'll show some pic's of what I've gotten sewn up after I get several more finishes. Were going camping again soon and I'll be taking my sewing machine and iron, along with the table top ironing board so I can get some more sewing done.

Until next time.......

Take Care Everyone

Hugs, Sandy

New Ironing Board Cover

 Hello everyone; hope this finds you all well.

My tabletop ironing board needed a new cover after years of ironing damp needlework and other crafts it was looking very, very sad.

So not wanting to wait until I found the perfect fabric I did a "make-do" cover.

I used an old king sized pillow case that was at least 30 years old but still in great condition. I left the original thin foam pad that came with the ironing board but added two layers of cotton batting for a nice padded feel that won't let the grid pattern show or leave an impression when ironing.

First I turned the pillow case inside out.

Then I traced the outline of the old cover on top of the pillow case then added a 1/2"-5/8" stitching line (didn't measure, just eyeballed it). I stitched around on the stitching line leaving a 2"-3" opening for turning at the front. 

I then cut 1/2" away from the stitching line and turned the case right side out and pressed.

Went back to the sewing machine and stitched on the outline from the old cover to make a casing. 

I finished by pulling 1/2" elastic thru the opening and stitched the elastic ends together. I didn't sew the opening closed since it was brunched up enough to not show after the elastic was in. I tried ribbon but it was a hassle trying to get it pulled tight and tied off.

This only took me about an hour and cost nothing.

I'll keep the original top for when I find that perfect fabric.

Take Care Everyone

Hugs, Sandy

Meet Belle

Hello Dear Friends & Followers;

Hope this post finds you well.

After I finished making "Jingles" for my winter decorating I decided that he needed a friend, a lady friend.

So let me introduce "Belle" 

"Belle"

She might get the rosy cheeks treatment as soon as I buy some blusher.

She is made from the same natural cotton batting and stuffed with fiber fill from an old pillow. She wears dark red felt earmuffs with a braided jute band adorned with smalls snowflakes, a dark red felt scarf with fringed ends and a snowflake, and a dark red felt apron with lace overlay that ties in the back. She has a handmade orange felt carrot nose and sewn on dark blue button eyes. She is 8" tall and 6" across the bottom.

 

I still haven't decided on the arms yet, I have some twigs that would work, but would have to be very careful when packing them away so they don't get broken. We're going to town next weekend and will hit up the craft stores to see if they have any alternatives for arms. If nothing else maybe I can use brown pipe cleaners or something similar. Maybe some heavy wire or pipe cleaner wrapped in a single strand of jute.

"Jingles & Belle"

I think they make a perfect couple.

I call these "make-do" crafts since I had everything for them right in my craft room except the arms. I'll have to try a pipe cleaner wrapped in jute to see what that would look like, I have that in my craft room too.

Since I worked in a House of Fabrics for 2 years and a Ben Franklin's for 4-5 years I acquired a lot of stash.  

Thank you so much for stopping by today and maybe leaving your thoughts behind, I really appreciate each and every comment.

Take Care Everyone &

Have a great day.

 Hugs, Sandy

Winter Crafting

Hello Dear Friends & Followers

I hope all is well with you.

Since I haven't been doing any stitching since late October, I decided to do a bit of crafting. I love decorating for Christmas/Winter, but most of my decor pieces are Santa's of varying sizes, two Angel's, one Nativity and assorted pine boughs and wreaths. Not a lot to leave out for the rest of the winter months, so I'm trying to remedy that.

Here is my first try at making a more rustic winter....

"Jingles"

He's made from natural cotton batting, stuffed with fill from a well laundered old pillow, he has a weighted bottom, a hat made from an old glove and adorned with jingle bells sewn on the finger tips and little snowflakes scattered on the front, a scarf made from purple felt and fringed on the ends with a bigger snowflake, sewn on button eyes and two more for buttons down the front and a felt carrot nose.

 

He stands 9" tall and is 7" wide at the base. His nose pokes out at 1 1/2".

I tucked the thumb inside the glove and stitched the opening closed then gathered the fingers together and secured with some thread.

I thought about a bit of blush for the cheeks and twig arms, but don't know yet since I can mock up he arms but pink cheeks are forever.

I think he's just to cute and want to make a few more.

Thanks for stopping by and having a peek.

Take Care Everyone

Hugs, Sandy

October 2018 Smalls SAL

Hello Friends, Hope you are all doing well. 

It's time once again for the Smalls SAL, and here is what I've been stitching.

 I stitched this little magnet using DMC's Coloris threads on 28 evenweave and used one coordinating thread from each one to make the cording. No chart for this one just stitched hearts.

 

"Samhain" by The Primitive Hare  

I finished as an ornament and added a cording of jute twine couched in place with a with the same DMC Color Variations thread that I used for the pumpkin. I wanted it to have a more primitive look.

 

Here is a shot of the back. I found this cute pumpkin fat quarter at Walmart for .97 cents.

I've been doing a lot of 'free hand" needlework since I don't have a printer yet and came up with this fall inspired piece with a little help from Lizzie Kate leaflet #543 "Gather a Harvest".

 I fell in love with the pumpkin on the end with the curly stem and fat black birdie, so I added one on each end of a scrap of 18 count rustic Aida then added a tall pumpkin in the middle using the same leaves then a couple of gourds in between with curly stems and baby black birdies. I added a saying that popped into my head while stitching with the help of an alphabet leaflet, then hand stitched the piece onto a some of the pumpkin fabric I bought, frayed the edges and added a bow. I backed it with a piece of yellow fabric I had in my stash.

This piece was stitched with my own hand-dyed threads and one DMC Color Variations.

That's it for now, so until next time.......

Take Care Everyone &

Have A Great Weekend

Hugs, Sandy

TUSAL Update for June

Hello Friends; Hope you are all doing well.

It's time again for the TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long) update for June.

I have quite a few ORT's this time around since I am working on one of my designs and am tweaking the colors and rearranging placement as I stitch.

 My CS program can only show me so much and the colors are never true for floss and fabric.  

13 June 2018 TUSAL

I almost filled the jar. 

The bottom part with the white and violet/blue is from our camping trip and the rest (browns and greens) is from my latest design which will be a bellpull with lots of pine trees and a Robert Frost poem.

Lot's of pickin' stitches this week.

I'll need to start compacting the threads down soon.

Well, that's all for today so until next time.......

Thank you for stopping by and leaving your thoughts behind.

Take Care & Happy Stitchin' All

Hugs, Sandy

A Little Bit of Christmas at the Cabin

There is snow on the ground again and it looks like it may be sticking around till Christmas.

I finally got around to adding a bit of Christmas to the Cabin. 

 A simple artificial pine wreath with pine cones from my yard and a red wire edged ribbon. The ribbon can be cross stitched on as it has a weave that is close to 14 count. I got it at Walmart about 5 years back I think, when it was on clearance. Simple rustic country.

This is Bart he sits next to our front door, I thought he could use a little Christmas cheer, so I went through my craft stash and fired up the glue gun. Small straw wreath and some green tartan ribbon from a thrift store and some pine cones from a neighbor's yard held on by some jute twine that I always have in the craft room. He needs another coat of linseed oil this summer.

These are our Rustic Santa's on the bottom mantle of our fire place and one of our Angles. On the top mantle are two Santa's from my mother-in-law.

Mountain Man Santa had an empty hand and I had three different rifle style lighters that no longer worked, I sent pictures of him holding each one to the Hubs and he choose the Double Barrel Shotgun. Very suitable for the Mountain Man Santa that he is.

This is the very first Santa that we picked out in 1998, we drove to several stores in Billings just to find a Santa, not many stores had them or they were the cheap mass produced one's.

This is our second Angel. She has feathered wings.

Santa of the Forest,

we love this piece and keep him up all year long. He won First Place at the Montana State Fair in 2006.

Santa with a sack full of toys, stitched in 2004, so many 1/4 stitches I almost gave up on more than one occasion.

And last but not least is my Nativity Set, although I'm not a church going type I do carry on this one family tradition from my childhood. 

There is one of my stitched mini pillows from a couple years ago and a rustic fabric tree I'm working on, I still have two more to make in different sizes. More rustic country for the cabin.

That's all I have out for this year, didn't have room for the tree but hope to have things sorted and moved around by next December so I can put the tree up once again.

Merry Christmas Everyone

may the day be filled with Love, Joy & Blessing for you and your families.

Hugs, Sandy

A Little Touch of Autumn

Decided to make a fall wreath for the front porch this morning, so I took a trip through my fall crafting supplies. 

I came up with a handmade vine wreath, some silk fall leaf sprigs, a couple of handmade flowers, a couple of handmade pumpkins, a fall cross stitch piece and a couple of scarecrows that I picked up at Walmart a couple of years ago and this is what came from my crafty mind.

"Autumn Wreath"

Can't see the vine wreath, but I might change that later. I didn't use any glue, just slipped the scarecrows and the leaves into the vine wreath then tied the flowers, pumpkins and stitched pillow on with crochet cotton by taking a stitch through the back or bottom. Really easy to make changes that way in case I change my mind about it next fall.

Happy Fall Everyone

Hugs, Sandy