Finally TAKING TIME TO BLOG!

I've been busy as we all are at this time of the year. Finally finished my Prairie Schooler ABC and took it to my framer in Michigan last week along with lots of pulled thread and other pieces that were in my acid free storage box. Decided my dining room need more needlework on the walls (not the ABC though). I have loads of pictures to post here so I hope you enjoy seeing them.













Prairie Schooler ABC-- 
I stitched it on 28 count linen with 2 strands of DMC floss over 1 thread of the linen. I used the half cross/basket weave/continental stitch and other needlepoint stitches to make the "work go faster. Started it in the spring as I recall. It is difficult to get the pics all lined up so be understanding. Apparently these were not meant to be one large project as they did not all have the same stitch count--bummer. I did a bit of adjusting here and there.

  I put my name and date in the girl's hoop.

 I put my initials in the hoop here too.

KNITTED SHAWL—Donna, my neighbor of 32 years, has a daughter Amy who got married in October. I didn't want to buy a new dress for the wedding so I used the dress I wore to my daughter Linda's wedding in 2008, and I knitted a lace shawl from yarn from Joann's to make my dress a little more like fall than summer. I used a pattern from the Vogue lace shawls book from the local library. Though it said "advanced," it was not as difficult as I had thought it would be. I used stainless steel lace blocking pins from my friend Judy to block it. Luckily it was dry as I left for the wedding! You wet the yarn in a small amount of water in your washer and then spin it to get out the excess. I laid it on a sheet in my family room, inserted the wires and held them with t-pins. Blocking shows off the lace design.

I also made Amy and Travis a king-sized batik quilt. The blocks were large at 12" and I used about 25 different batik fabrics. I quilted it using a pantograph. 

I didn't have enough of the lighter green fabric for the backing so I pieced the backing too. I like the effect. That is a corner of my long-arm machine on the lower left.

This is the label. I bought an inexpensive used Janome embroidery machine on line and experimented like crazy to try to make a quilt label. It was worth the effort and I sewed it to the finished quilt with invisible thread--by machine. I do all the sewing on my quilts by machine as I do enough handwork on other kinds of projects.

TURKEYS—

My other neighbor Bev had a pattern for a darling Thanksgiving turkey to piece and quilt. Donna and I made 5 of them, but some are still not finished...this weekend? I wanted one for her, me, my 2 daughters and my sister-in-law who shouldered the burden of Thanksgiving dinner this year. I only had to bring scalloped corn which I made 10 minutes before we left home! 

The feathers on the turkey's tail are 3-D prairie points and each square of the body has a little extra body piece basted on to the square. It just took a lot of time. We used scrap fabric for everything but the turkey body and the outside borders. The legs are loose. I have 3 completely finished and have to quilt and bind the last two. I did all the cutting and sewing as I don't allow Donna to get near my rotary cutter--and she did the ironing and pinning. We had a great time! It's always fun to sew with another person around.

CHRISTMAS decorations—

I had my 4th annual yoga holiday party for my friends in my 2 yoga classes. We take Iyengar yoga with our teacher Sharon Carter. This is one nice bunch of gals. The party is a great excuse for me to clean my house up really well and to get my Xmas decorations up well before the 25th! As I was pulling them out of their boxes, I decided to share some with you each time I post--which I hope will be on a regular basis.

I made this Santa last year—needlepoint. It is a Libby Sturdy design from one of my magazines. Stands about 10" tall. I like free standing pieces.  

This is the first small quilted project I ever made. Wish I had kept the pattern as I still like it. Was working on it--as I made probably 10 for my sampler group--when they were arriving at the party. This was years ago. I didn't even know about a walking foot for my machine in those days.

This was an American Needlepoint Guild project as I recall. Decided to turn it into an ornament.

This was another ANG ornament when water colors first came out.

I bought probably 8 of these little angels years ago--needlepoint.

This was an iron on applique that I made years ago. I hung it in my sewing room this year. 

Boy, do I hate beading, but I made several different of these designs for me and my daughters. Have decided that I won't do any more things on perforated paper as it doesn't last through the ages--too fragile. This was a Mill Hill design and he really is cute.

I like to try different techniques and must say I am not fond of duplicate stitch, but I had bought all these little stockings...

I don't even remember making this but it is a lovely design. It is on my daughter's tree--notice her "orange" living room wall. They have their tree upside down with the tip at the floor--looks strange from outside but it is a conversation-maker. They went to some neighborhood parties last summer and people asked them if they were the ones with the upside down tree!

I need lunch after all this! Plan to get back on tomorrow with more Xmas ornaments/decorations that I have made. Wanted to start this on December 1st but better late than never. --Nancy

Summer activities—quilts, baby, interesting Berlin work sampler

I'm baaaack...Well, it's been a long time since I've written. I apologize. Just finished painting my dining room above the chair rail—red—to compliment my grandmother's oriental rug. I looks beautiful but was a pain to do because it needed several coats, and I am not a very good painter in the edging department. Used painter's tape but found out that it's very difficult to get it straight on both the chair rail and the crown moulding. Ended up repainting the moulding areas several times to get them looking decent. Have the room put back together at last. Have so much silver plate from wedding gifts—casseroles, serving platters etc., Lenox vases, candy dishes, after dinner drink glasses, tea sets, etc., etc. Wish there was a market for this stuff as I will never use them and would love to sell them.

In the dining room I have my maternal grandmother's rug and my paternal grandmother's set and chandelier—not necessarily "me" but I like to have family pieces as I love history. Am still working on what to do in the way of drapes--not to the floor but a fishtail swag on each. Haven't found the fabric I think would work. Below—I tried to pick out a paint color from the rug. 

We finally—after 2 years—sold my mom's cute house. Of course, we had 2 offers at the last minute! There was still some of her furniture there so I have been shuffling furniture first to my house to decide what I wanted and then to my daughter's dry cement floored crawl space. Decided to keep my paternal grandmother's dining room set as it is unique—Berkey & Gay made in Grand Rapids, MI, probably in the 1930's. Did decide to take over my mom and dad's cherry bedroom set but needed a bed for it. Found a cute one at a bargain price on ebay (The shipping cost more than the bed!) so I spent last weekend cleaning it up, covering the scratches, and applying several coats of tung oil. Then I found out that it was made for an XL twin (Could there be an "antique" bed that is an XL twin size?) so my husband had to cut down the wood side rails to make my existing mattress fit. When we loaded the box spring into it, the box spring fell to the floor! So he had to saw some slats for me too. Hate to have to involve my husband in my projects. Why is it always such a big deal? Cute bed though...Made the quilt several years ago—not one of my favorites but I practiced quilting it with a different quilt design in each square. Planning a different one that goes with the rug in the room. It just takes time.

QUILTS—

Have also been busy quilting this summer. Made 2 disappearing 9-patch quilts—one for my neighbor's daughter's wedding shower and one for my sister-in-law who turned 60 in July. They were basically the same—very scrappy and made of homespun fabrics from my stash. I used up almost everything.

This is the back of one of the quilts. I used all my extra fabrics. It is pinned to my design wall that is covered in 2 shades of grey felt in my basement sewing room. When I had to buy more felt, of course, I couldn't get the "right" color any more. 

My neighbor has an embroidery sewing machine and she made a label for me. I sewed it on the quilt with invisible thread. Loved it so much that I bought a used basic Janome embroidery machine from someone on the Sew It's for Sale yahoo group. Have read the instructions but have not had time to play with it. My labels were always made with permanent pen since I am lazy with labels. Now I have no excuse but to make a great label for each quilt. 

I cut the binding on the bias to get that neat red and green and white diagonal look. 

My next quilt is the one I made for my oldest daughter and son-in-law. It is an oversized king quilt from fabrics that I had purchased several years ago. I found the pattern in one of my magazines. It turned out wilder than I had imagined! And more purple/magenta too! But it was fun to make and not difficult. I love scrappy quilts. Hate using the same fabric over and over again in the same pattern.

This is the back of the quilt. Again I used up all the fabric that I had left over. I only had to buy the large dark green fabric—and it was on sale at my local quilt shop. I think that making a pieced backing is more interesting than using the same fabric for the entire back of the quilt. 

NEW BABY!—
My next news is the birth on July 19th of our first grandson. We have two granddaughters who are 9 and 12. They are the children of my oldest daughter. Our new grandson is the first and only child of my younger daughter. He was tiny weighing in at 6 pounds 14 ounces. Bill and I were with Linda and Rob for the labor but had to wait in the waiting room for the birth though we were able to see Ryan an hour or so later.

proud Grandpa Bill with Ryan at age 1 hour

Grandma Nancy a few weeks later

My 89 year old mother holding Ryan last week

Ryan at 6 weeks

SAMPLER—
Ah yes, samplers. Better talk about one in this blog. I purchased this sampler at least 8 years ago at a local auction. I would describe this sampler as Berlin work—1850 and later. I can't remember if it is dated. The stitching in the very center in the large cartouche where the date might have been is coming out. It is stitched on a needlepoint kind of canvas with wool thread. I wonder if it is southern because of the hunt scene and the reclining black people. Don't really know it's origins. Note the alphabet which snakes around the border and also the various border designs—truly a "sampler" of designs. It is a large  busy piece measuring approximately 18" x 21".

I think they're smoking!

Shepherd and sheep scene

Why are these monkeys included?

Do you suppose she picked out the year she made this? Nothing else seems this "worn."

Hunt scene—red coat.

Prairie Schooler ABC—
Been working steadily on my Prairie Schooler ABC piece—several hours most every night. Will take pics and include them in the next blog—soon. We've been watching The Sopranos all summer long and only have the last 2 episodes to go. We enjoyed it despite the violence—I just put my head down and stitch when the shooting begins!

Have to go now and eat lunch. Then I am on a deadline for making the Golden Retriever rescue group—As Good as Gold—bandannas to hand out at their adoption families picnic next Saturday. I probably will make about 200—pretty boring work but for a great cause. Talk soon. I promise. Nancy

Catching Up—furniture, Prairie Schooler ABC, books, podcasts

Thought I'd better write as I have been getting calls from my friends wondering why I am not writing. Just been busy. It's summer! Things to do inside and outside the house. Spent Friday and some of Saturday weeding and thinning my messy garden. The weeds seem to spring out of nowhere. My granddaughter and I had planed some beans but my husband thought they were weeds and pulled most of them out! I need to plant more. His tomatoes are growing like crazy with all the rain we've had here. Been working on finding all the documents needed to sell my mom's house. The closing is July 6th. My brother and husband moved all of the remaining furniture out to my house with the exception of the deacon's bench on the front porch. It still has the realtor's key box attached.

Decided to try out my mom's dining room set in my dining room so I moved my grandmother's set into the living room temporarily. This is my mom's set in her dining room before we had the wallpaper removed and the walls painted and the light fixture made more "neutral." I love the brass one but I know it isn't with-it today.

Below is my grandmother's dining room set that I have had for 40-some years. It is Berkey & Gay made in Grand Rapids, MI, probably in the 1930's or 1940's. The heart plant shelf is not part of the set and it's down in my basement now. The painting is from my aunt and I know nothing about it. Disregard the "stuff" on the server as they are all somewhere else in the house. I took these pics ages ago.

This is the stencil on the front of the tall piece above. The chandelier, though not my taste, is also my paternal grandmother's. The oriental rug on the floor is my maternal grandmother's.  I plan to paint the walls a cherry red/pink color above the chair rail so that the moldings and the needlework that I now have in there will stand out. The seats on grandma's chairs were originally needlepointed by her, but I had them reupholstered as she had stitched them in continental stitch and they were getting thin withsome of the canvas splitting.  some of the canvas splitting. Continental or half cross stitch does not hold up as well to wear as does the basket weave stitch.

PRAIRIE SCHOOLER ABC—

I've continued to work the ABC most every night for several hours using as many needlepoint stitches as I can to make the work go more rapidly. Can't imagine how long it would take to do this with cross stitch! I have laid in the foundation work for the 2nd and 3rd rows but am now concentrating on getting row 1 completed. I am saving the backstitch for last. Changed some of the colors and used blends of several shades of DMC to get the colors I want. Have found that the photos on the charts sometimes do not match the colors called for on the graph page--big no no in my opinion. Remember I'm stitching this on 28 count linen with half-cross/continental stitch for the most part.

I took these several days ago so I have quite a bit more done on G and H. Already thinking about my next project. One can dream, can't one?

Tuesday stitching has been meeting but we have had a smaller group most weeks. The older we all get, the busier we are. 

Have finished the tops and backing and binding for 2 disappearing 9 patch quilts in the past few weeks. One is for my neighbor's daughter who is getting married and the other is for my sister-in-law who turns 60 in July. She is a peach. I used up all of my homespun except for small pieces and only had to buy a bit of fabric for one of the bindings. Hope to quilt at least one of them this afternoon on my big machine. 

Been reading a lot lately. Liked the latest Elizabeth Berg book about people getting ready for and going to a 40th class reunion. Also liked the latest Emily Giffen book. She is from our town. Tried to download the old Presumed Innocent by Scot Turow so I can refresh myself on the story before the new one is available to me, but I can't seem to get the gist of the library's software. Guess I'll have to go there and try to find someone who can explain it to me. Been listening to podcasts while piecing those quilts. I like This American Life, Freakenomics (sp?), History Stuff for the History Buff, Lake Woebegone, etc. Did download one on stitching but have not listened to it yet. 

Better go eat lunch so I can get to that quilt! Will try to get back here soon. One friend said, "Maybe you have run out of things to say." I don't think that will ever happen... Nancy