A final Christmas Finish

"Singing on its Way"

by Blackbird Designs

from their book 

"The Bells on Christmas Day"

I pretty much bought this book to stitch this piece :)

I fell in love the moment that I saw it.

The colors are so soft, it's hard to capture them in a photo.

That was my final Christmas stitching for 2019.

Now I've moved on to snowmen 

for January 2020 :)

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

~Luke 2:17-19

Blessings, Patti

Happy Halloween!

Leia and I wish you a Happy Halloween!

This Rae Dunn mug is perfect for my house - it looks like Leia dressed up as a vampire :)

"Witches Night Out"

by With Thy Needle and Thread

my latest Halloween finish!

 I had to have this Rae Dunn mug too ;)

My favorite Halloween shelf.

The little silhouette in the upper left corner is an antique from 1913.

The Spells pillow on the bottom shelf is an original from Stacy Nash from 2007.

"The Goode Stitching Witch"

This was a Stacy Nash kit from a few years back.

 I just bought the black strawberry waxer that Stacy's daughter Taylor made and I think it looks perfect with this sewing tray!

It looks sweet with a few antique sewing tools.

And here is the full vignette.

Here is an oldy but goody by Blackbird Designs.

The linen color is truer in the first picture, but here you can see the frame better.

Another Blackbird Design from the same book, stitched in the same year.

and a teeny tiny vignette with a piece I stitched even longer ago.

The black spool of  thread is just a regular size spool to give you an idea of the scale.

This was back in the day when I stitched everything over one.

and my favorite Schneeman Folk Art pumpkin head doll sitting amongst some antiques.

He makes me smile!

Well here in Chicago we are having a cold Halloween with up to 6 inches of snow in the forecast.

I guess if we don't get many trick or treaters, we'll just have to eat the candy ourselves ;)

Happy Halloween!

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness,

    and your night will become like the noonday.

~Isaiah 58:10

Blessings, Patti

FFO's ~ Fully Finished Objects

I haven't made much progress on my June Stitch from My Stash projects.

It's been a busy month at work and at home,

but I did find some time to fully finish some projects that I stitched in May.

"Fresh Eggs Farm"
by Hands On Design and Priscilla Blain

The truck is just an excerpt from the full pattern and is my third seasonal truck that I have mounted on an antique granite ware container. 

I'm having a lot of fun with this series!

"Ode to the Ort Number Two"

by With Thy Needle and Thread

I was nervous about finishing this one,

but the directions were very well done and it was completed quite easily.

I decided to add a second teeny strawberry as they are so sweet!

I have my hand in the photo to give it some scale.

Here you can see how tiny the stitched piece is.

And finally the finish that really terrified me:

"The Budding Twigs"

by Blackbird Designs

from their book "Oh La La"

I've made drums before, but never one this tiny.

I was so happy that my border met up when I sewed it together.

I stuffed it firmly with sawdust.

And used French General fabric for the top and bottom.

I am so happy with these tiny treasures!

Who can detect his own mistake?

    Cleanse me from hidden sin.

~Psalm 19:12

Blessings, Patti

Nashville Market Night 2019

Last week I attended Nashville Market Night at Inspired Needle in Lemont, IL.

I am sorry to say that I didn't take any photos in the shop  this year.

There were so may wonderful things to choose from, that I was like a kid in the candy store and was constantly distracted by all the stitchy goodness!

As you can see I had to buy all the new Blackbird books!

Each one is a treasure trove of ideas and I really love to look through their books when I am too tired to stitch :)

I also purchased these two seasonal designs.

Sew sweet!

You know that I HAD to purchase The Scarlett House's Morning Walk and 

you can probably guess that the dogs will get shorter and longer ;) 

The surprise find for me is "Happiness is Homemade" chock-full with both recipes and small cross stitch designs! What more could you ask for?! I already found a few must stitch small designs :)

And the Ode to the Ort box kit was tops on my list after missing the ort basket last year. 

I think that this might be the first thing that I stitch from market, but first...

I need to finish up my Stitch from Stash projects for March.

Here is a little start - I better keep my fingers moving!

I did finish my wool project for March and I am absolutely thrilled with it!

Wait until you see...

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is ours in union with the Messiah Jesus, our Lord.

~Romans 8:38-39

Blessings, Patti

Handful of Posies

This Stitch from my Stash project was a market kit by Stacy Nash for the Nashville 2018 market.

I wanted to finish it before all the new things come out this weekend at Nashville 2019 market ;)

I posted progress pics on Instagram.

and finished the stitching fairly quickly.

I am just tickled with the fully finished pin disk!

As you can see, I did tweak the hand a bit to my liking.

I decided to make the stitched heart checkered so as to eliminate the outline backstitch.

And I changed the basket to a softer black.

I am so pleased that I think I will leave it out past February to enjoy it a bit longer.

I like the backing fabric included in the kit.

Here you can see the side detail of ribbon, stitched X's, and pins.

So sweet!

I didn't finish my final February Stitch from my Stash project, but I did make progress:

I stitched a bit on this while in the hospital.

I was so thrilled when the border worked out and met where it should!

But I think I am ready to move on to some spring projects and will put this down for another day...

"Love never fails."

~1 Corinthians 13:8

Blessings, Patti

My Heart is Home

Happy Valentines Day!

I started this project two years ago and thought it was perfect for my February Stitch from My Stash challenge.

On Instagram, I posted my progress

with my new project bag...

more on that in my next post.

It was a quick stitch and now it is fully finished:

The chenille trim is "Watermelon Juice" from Dames of the Needle and it matches the floss used ~ "Jakey Brown" by Classic Colorworks perfectly!

I love the backing fabric that I found in my stash as well.

Last night I went to dinner with Mom and my sister to celebrate Valentines Day.

Mom surprised us each with this sweet ornament that she made from 

Rebekah L. Smith's "Stitching Smalls Cozy Hearts"

The back is as sweet as the front.

My sister also gave me a gift, but I will save that for its own post.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

~1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Wishing you each a Happy Valentines Day!

Blessings, Patti