Thursday, February 28, 2013

2013...please slow it down!

Oh my I can't believe it's the end of February!  Where have the last two months gone to??  I feel badly about not updating my blog but thankfully I've only lost a a few of my followers.  Thanks for hanging in there with me dear readers!  I also am woefully behind in my blog reading...I'd like to mark everything as 'read' and start over but I might miss something important  - like some stash that I just MUST have you know   So I will try to make the rounds of my blogs and catch up with everyone.

I'm dreadfully late in publicly thanking dear Joanie from over at Joanie's World...I won a big giveaway on her blog in November and I received a big box on Dec 24th! It was like a visit from Santa Claus!!  Joanie sent me 33 - yes 33!- patterns she had already stitched or didn't want anymore. I was totally awed!   A few of them I already had so I've set them aside to start a giveaway pile for sometime in March (stay tuned to this space)/

I've been fitting in stitching time whenever I can but life has been hectic.  I've been without a boss since the end of October and then my boss's boss also took another position so it's been crazy with lots of extra work and we're still waiting for new management to get announced.   I did do a New Year's day start although it's not gotten very far yet.  Here is Shakespeare's Peddler's "Jenny Bean's Humble Servant Sampler".  This is a piece that you don't really appreciate from the photo on the pattern but I was lucky enough to see a model a couple years ago at a shop. I love the colors and it's a fun stitch.  It calls for using 1 strand of overdyed cottons on 40-ct fabric.  I had trouble with not liking the coverage I was getting on motifs stitched in black so I substituted a silk for those - I'm picky about my coverage and hate when it looks skimpy!




I also started a new embroidery project this month.  I blogged about this a few years ago.   My mom taught me to embroider when I was about 8 years old...I made a set of dishtowels with motifs of ducks doing housework. Those types of motifs were popular in the 50's and 60's - puppies, lambs, ducks, dancing dishes and silverware, etc.   My mom bought the transfers through an ad in the newspaper. They were supposed to be for my 'hope chest' but I married late so I used them and abused them when I was single  and got rid of them after they wore out.  About 4 years ago I ran across some vintage embroidery transfers on eBay and decided to see if I could find the duckies from my childhood.  It took me more than 3 years watching eBay and not finding them - they weren't one of the big brands so hard to find.  One day I logged on and there they were!  People are reprinting the old patterns because they're out of copyright now.  So I bought them and I'm recreating my duck towels almost 50 years later!  It feels good.  I can still remember my mom telling me to take small and neat stitches :-)   I think I've improved Mom!


 
 
And speaking of old things.....at Christmastime I noticed how dated a couple of my old cross-stitch ornaments looked.  I made these in the late 80's before I was married.  They were mounted on these little sticky ornaments pads they used to sell and I had put country ruffles on them (everything was mauve & blue in the 80's you know!) The backs were all yellowed and yet I still liked the little Santas.   Figuring I had nothing to lose I threw them in a bowl of water and let them soak.  When they got all soft and mushy I tore them apart.  Since they were stitched with DMC there was no issue with anything bleeding. I ironed and trimmed them and remade them into new ornaments. I think they look a lot better now.
 
80's style ornaments....

After tearing them apart....

New & Improved!


And I've been doing some finishing in the last 6 weeks too...some for myself and some for a friend.  I hope you enjoy looking at them.  I'm working on finishing up a display for my Gingher scissor collection and hope to share it in a few days.   I really need to be a better blogger!

An alphabet freebie chart made into a flatfold

BBD's Joyeux Noel stocking and LHN's Deck The Halls

Some Lizzie Kate smalls........

Love Letters by With Thy Needle & Thread

32 comments:

  1. Lovely stitching! I especially love the flat fold and love heart.

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  2. You inspire me with your lovely finishes! I have the same heart finished..Now I need to finish mine! I didn't update my blog for over a year...just not stitching and too busy. That's the way it goes sometimes. Your ornaments turned out beautifully, too. And I remember mauve and Williamsburg blue!

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  3. ohhhh wow ... your finishes are gorgeous ... think need to bob on over and have a wee lesson ... love your new and improved ornaments and way to go on finding your wee ducks too :) love mouse xxxxx

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  4. What wonderful finishes, and a great start on the sampler - lovely colours. Congrats on everything.

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  5. Such a bundle of finishes! They all look awesome. I'm going back for another look....
    I know what you mean about coverage. For some reason I am stitching a sampler with two threads of DMC on 40 count while stitching another with one thread on a much bigger count! What is wrong with my head? Hopefully I'll figure it out soon.
    Great job in bringing those ornaments up to date!
    Love the little sampler. The color is gorgeous!

    ~hugs

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  6. Love your vintagey dish towels. They sell a lot of those patterns at our Joann's and my good friend has made me several. I love them!
    Great job on the Santa re-do's; they look great as do all your finishes.

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  7. All of your stitching and finishing is wonderful! I do hope things calm down at work for you. It seems everyone is short staffed these days and making whoever is there work that much harder. Such a bummer.

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  8. Such a great post! Love the towels ~ so cute! I really enjoyed stitching Humble Servant and agree with you on the coverage. Your redo if your Santas is fantastic! Your finishes are all wonderful!

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  9. Your "new ornaments are beautiful!
    I dare say that I have a few in my collection that could stand that treatment too!

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  10. I love how you took those old ornaments and made them new again! Great idea! Everything looks great. I hope works calms down for you soon too. Have a great weekend.

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  11. Wow, everything looks so gorgeous! Love the redo on the Santas, and those duck towels are adorable.

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  12. You have some wonderful things in progress right now. Your sampler is gorgeous. Love the tea towels too. Your stitching is perfect! I would be curious to see how you form your stem stitch. The stitches look so tight. Fabulous job!
    Love the new ornies as well. Have a great weekend.

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  13. ooOoo! Lots of pretties. What a great redo on the ornaments. 33 patterns!!! Wow!

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  14. all beautiful, each and every one! I thought your Santa's looked good prior to your refurbishing, but they look just the thing now! :)

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  15. I'm always so happy to see a new post from you, Jeanne--such beautiful stitching and finishing you've shared with us today!! Really--each one is perfect :) I am in the process of redoing some old PS ornaments, too--love your "new look!" I think my favorite of your finishes this month is Love Letters--just adorable!!

    Love your little duck towels--how sweet that you still remember your mother's advice :)

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  16. I know what you mean by the weeks going so fast. I made an update of my blog last sunday, because there was still the christmas wallpaper behind my blog... 😕
    But we still kept ourselfs busy, didn't we? I love the old ducky towls! And all your other finishes. And the more you finish and work on your projects the more you can show us! 😉

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  17. Welcome back. Missed you! Everything is so beautiful!
    Linda

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  18. So much fabulous stuff to comment on! I'm going to choose Love Letters. I think you did a superb finishing job. I have one of hers to finish-finish, but I'm so nervous about it. (chews fingernails) Hope it comes out as nice as all your finishes did! :)

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  19. so many cute and lovely items!

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  20. What wonderful finishes Jeanne! They are all so beautiful! ANd a complete transformation on your Santas. They didn't look very dated to me to begin with but now they are over the top! I just love your vintagey duck towels...the embroidery is so neat!

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  21. Glad to see you back Jeanne! Great finishes;I like what you did to the LK small February.

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  22. Nice to hear from you again Jeanne!

    You've got some great projects and finishes going on. I'm most impressed with the 80's style Santa re-do's and the vintage dishtowels. My grandmother had a similar set and when I saw yours, it made me think of her. Such a sweet memory!

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  23. What a great post. I love your "ducky" story.

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  24. Gorgeous projects and your finishing is fabulous. Love the Santa redo!!!!!

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  25. I thoroughly enjoyed your post - loved the story about how you learned embroidery.

    Do you mind telling me what pattern that Eiffel tower ornament is from? I did a search on Blackbird Designs stocking pattern, but can't find it. My 4-year is all about Madeline and the Eiffel Tower. I would love to make that ornament for her this Christmas.

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  26. Your updated Santa's look fab now! Great stitching and finishing all round.

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  27. Jeanne I'm late in reading and responding also but I certainly did want to comment on your beautiful finishing in this post - WOW - so much eye candy here - love the old vintage things in your stash and the re-do of the santa ornaments - wonderful new life for them. Take care and keep hanging in there thru the challenges of your work life. Mel

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  28. Your finishing is simply superb!

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  29. Your finishing is gorgeous and I love the colours in the Jenny Bean Sampler

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  30. Is the silk thicker than other floss? I hate using DMC black (one strand over one) because of the coverage...I guess I should try using silk.

    your start in Jenny Bean looks great and the black is covered so nicely. :D

    I love doing embroidery and must compliment you on your stem stitching, it is perfect. Your Mom taught you well.

    I have been know to do some "re-finishing" on some of my older pieces...they always look so much nicer.
    All of your finishes are beautiful!

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  31. Love the "refinish" on the santa's! Your ornaments are very pretty!

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