Stitcher's Meet and Greet 2015

Happy Spring!
Thanks for stopping by and to see bits about my needle passion.  It's nice to have you stop by for the visit and I just poured tea and laid out a couple of biscuits to enjoy.

Hi.
My Name is Jane
              and I love needlework.
                                        Of All kinds........


See I could belong to a QAAA.  
Quilters, Stitchers, Needlewoman Anonymous Addiction Association.  
Okay then, NAAA.

What I'd love to share today are a few of my favorites from the years.  A mix if you will of items I created and treasure.


Blackbird Design- Easter Parade - 2012

Detail of the frame.  It's absolutely gorgeous and with the aged brassiness and elaborate carved designs reminds me a bit of Romantic times especially with the color mat selected to go with this piece.  More information is here for the Easter Parade.









A new to me stitch, the Smyrna Cross and I actually changed the design in this counted Cross Stitch Pattern to depict the Holiness of Easter with three crosses, one larger for Jesus  instead of the published squares in an X pattern.






Another from 2012 ......my First Biscornu

I gave this to my Mom since she has a hot pink aka: fuchsia color in her sewing room and a lime green and burgundy in the living room.  Oh yeah, she's afraid of color- NOT!

Secret Needle Night Kit, Lil Peep - 2010

 This was a kit I purchased through ebay initially made available through the Silver Needle.  I chose to finished it off as a flat fold and did a ruched silk ribbon edging and used a soft pastel print fabric for the backing. To learn more you can click on Lil Peep.



Joy finished in 2010.
Was a quick happy stitch where I didn't deviate from the recommended threads, linens or design.  

Winter Whites finished in 2010

I used a wooly white for the sheep in this piece.  I love to do alphabets with cross stitch for some reason.


I don't know the name of this piece, just know I finished it in 1991.

 How do I know that?  I actually stitched it into the cloth between the bears front paws,

J EMERSON     1991

Then some of the quilts I've created and loved...


Field of Flowers - 2013
Made for my only grand daughter

with the Pompom Blog Hop Pillow of the same year....

Both of these were quilted by me.   Doing my Happy Dance just thinking about it.

The Alien Invasion Quilt - 2010

 Started this without a pattern, just using nine patches and rail fence blocks alternating with a solid background.  I also have seen this same pattern numerous times and everyone calls it somehting differnt but it all started after purchasing a jelly roll of Alien Invasion fabric line then I dove into my stash.

Had enough of this star fabric for the backing and did a meandering star quilting design on my home sewing machine,
 a Bernina 170,  fondly known as Janina.

The piece de resistance is this......what I did with the BACK!

Funny looking alien ain't he?  LOL  Took me awhile to figure out what I was going to do and then figure out how I was going to do it.    Doing another Happy Dance remembering and it resides in the youngest grandson's bedroom.  Luckily I found a "Toy Story Alien" version lamp which goes well enough with it and it was all gifted together for Christmas one year.  Which reminds me, there is a CARS strip quilt started around here somewhere, I best get to it for his bunk bed before he hits his teens.  lol

The Nile Quilt (shown in the camper while we still had one.) - made quilt in 1999

This was NOT quilted by Me but by Leslie Armando in Glens Falls, NY 

The label sharing the particulars of the quilt.  I drafted a Pyramid design to stretch the eye with a perspective drawing.  Doesn't show too well here but if you expanded it, it would be more evident of rays emitting outward from one central point.  I was playing around trying a new technique using Cheryl Phillips book about adding perspective.   

Lavender Fields - 1999
A color wash Irish Chain

This is a king quilt and it is covering my sleeper sofa.  My home isn't large enough to get a good picture of this beautiful quilt.
It also won Viewers Choice at a quilt show back in 1999.   

The RUN of color in the lavender Fossil Fern fabric

Back then making a four patch posie configuration style pillow to complement the quilt,
but it's not matchy matchy if you know what I mean

Even then I'd make 2 pillowcases to go with a quilt.
Same fabric as the four patch posie styled pillow.

My love of the needle started when I was young.  Before attending any school and I loved to help my Grandmother who would treadle on her machine making nightgowns and other goodies.  I helped by keeping her pins the same depth on the pincushion and/or keeping them all in a line or remembering sitting beneath her machine asking if I could pump the foot petal.    The pin organizing is a family trait that I happily watched all 4 of my grandchildren do the same thing with  my pincushions.

As I was growing up, I sewed often even competing with Mom for time on the Singer sewing machine.  It was a Singer featherweight long before they became a popular commodity like they are today.  I actually made a drawstring bag to hold my curlers when I was 7 and then shortly after that learning to knit.  I remember around 4 or 5th grade knitting a dusting mitten sewn with extra yarn latch hooked onto one side to catch the dust. What colors did I pick at that age - Royal purple and Lime green.  Then knitting numerous slippers for gifts, dishrags and then a cape to wear to football games in my teens. OMG those shoulder seams I sewed together were all wrong and I hated to wear it though I had learned how to change colors for the Greek key pattern near the bottom edge and the fringe I placed on it. You can tell it was made in the late 60's and early 70s.

If I couldn't get to the machine when I was around 9 or 10, I did counted cross stitch, crewel, needlepoint and knitting for my needlework fix.  While in Junior High a friend, Patti and I would skip lunch and save our lunch money so we could go to a fabric store downtown and purchase a McCalls, Burda or other pattern buy fabric and any notions needed so we could make a dress that night and wear it to school  the next day. We had a blast being creative and the amount to do this was a savings instead of buying clothes off a rack. She was my BFF in sports, band, chorus, Honor Society, cheer leading, etc....  Unfortunately her family had a tragic car accident and that friendship ended abruptly with her demise at age 16 while we were Juniors.   But thankfully I learned early on how much fun crafting with like minded individuals was and knew those special times were ones to cherish.

So after that and college and even marrying my High School Sweetheart, becoming pregnant I wanted to learn how to Crochet so Grandma gave me some instructions and there I went. Baby Booties, more dish clothes, a ripple baby afghan and then those granny squares.  YUM! ( I actually made a crochet granny square afghan all edged in black along with a carnival of leftover yarn colors and scraps, but it was destroyed in a flood many years ago.)  Always sewing however I could.  Embroidery, linens, Household items, Strawberry Shortcake Bed Canopy, Roman shades, 3 pairs of Colonial Muslin, Double Ruffled with Cluny Lace trim, coveralls, guns bags, tool organizers,  etc...
I wished I grabbed a photo of the Ornaments I sewed when I was first married too.  My son, age 40 has them all and places them on his Christmas tree each year.  They are made of felt, sequins and beads in many shapes and colors resembling:  Santa, a candle, gift packages, a jack in the box, drums, a nutcracker, toy train engine and other decorative items seen during the holiday season.  I think it started with a kit from Hershner's Catalog.  Such fussy work when I look at them now that I think I must have been nuts!  But realistically we were just starting out and since my husband worked nights and I worked days I found the evening long so enjoyed the quiet with my needle after the babe went to bed.

Present day imagine that, it is something I still enjoy.   Currently here is what I'm focusing on this month:

In the counted Cross Stitch arena: Winter's Alphabet designed by Lizzie Kate

Working with Wool and probably Beads for this candle mat designed by The Little Red Hen:

Machine Quilting on my Bernina 440: The 40 Diamond Quilt based on the 10 minute block pattern.

Thanks for stopping by.  I've enjoyed your visit while sharing our passions for the needle.

Thanks Madame Samm for brainstorming this terrific idea of this Stitcher's Meet and Greet for 2015.  Make sure you check out these others who are part of this Springtime Gathering of the Stitcher's Meet and Greet.



List of 35 Blogs of our today's "Meet & Greet" .
You may need to right click your mouse on the person's name to be taken to a new tab/window of their web address.  

Mdm Samm @ sewwestitch

cross stitcher

Cori@creativityamongstchaos

applique

Hilda @hildisgoodlife

cross stitcher

Meet Maria at little room in the attic

cross stitcher

Elizabeth @ecoughlindesigns

applique and red work

Theresa @bumbleberrycottage.com

cross stitcher

Anita from quiltinanotshell

applique embroidery

Judy at frimart

cross stitcher and applique

Linda @ buzzingandbumbling

applique

Neinke At debordurrvrouw

cross stitcher

Barbara @ catpatches

embroidery

Melissa at missourimel

cross stitcher

Baa @baasamazingadventures

embroidery

Thearica @ stitchandquilt.com

cross stitcher

Lynn @happinesiscrossstitching

cross stitch

Mary @Ipiece2Mary

cross stitch and applique

cross stitch

Jill @ appleavenuequilts

cross stitch and applique

Jane @ Jane's Quilting 

applique

Tonja @ zabawa

cross stitch with decorative seams

Marlene @ stitchinbythelake

wool applique and cross stitch

Daria @ zinaidaanshe

cross stitch

Jane @grandmamastories

cross stitch

Mary @needledmom

Cross Stitch and embroidery

Sherry@sherry-blessingsfromournest

embroidery

Jane@quiltsmiles

cross stitch

Kathy @kathyquilts

embroidery

/Jill @ appleavenuequilts

applique and cross stitch

stitching noni @ firefliescatsinthegarden

cross stitch

Karen @ quiltscrowsandcardinals

applique

Judy @ judy cooper

embroidery

Cindi @ twistedtangledthreads

cross stitch

Lydia @ yoursunnystory

embroidery and cross stitch

Ella and Nesta @ellaandnesta

cross stitch

Mrs Meyer @ withworkinhand

cross stitch

Cathy @ cathycrossstitch

cross stitch