Will I meet my Thursday Deadline!!!

Hi Everyone, well, I have been a busy girl, working in the yard, in the house and of course stitching.

My deadline for Sanctuary was Thursday, May 31st, I am thinking that I may not make it!!!  I have started the written border and the rapid stitch border, doing both at the same time the fabric is in a hoop.  I will definitely have this done within a few days after my deadline!!!  I have already pulled my end of June deadline piece(s).  Will show them to you when Sanctuary is done.


Thought you all might like to see another love of mine - My Ikebana arrangements.  I belong to the local Ikebana group and I take flower arrangement classes once a week.  Some materials that I use do come from my yard, but also have to purchase flowers from the store. 

 Below is a necklace that I am making.  It was a pilot class for Marie Campbell which will be taught at the next EGA National Seminar.  The picture really doesn't give you a good look at the colors, so hopefully when it is done I can get a better photo.

One of my local EGA groups invited Elizabeth Tellado to teach a workshop for us.  It is a small darling bunny purse using the Kelscott handles.

Instead of stitching the design again in the back (which was part of the pattern) I decided to use fabric that coordinated.

Her is a look at the inside of the purse - small pearls are used to anchor the Kelscott handles.  I also added a small pocket on the inside.  We also made this carrott scissor sheath - and since I had made this cute Fern Ridge 'Jack' scissor fob, I attached it to the rabbit scissors.

A week ago our EGA Chapter had Catherine Jordan come for a lecture and workshop.  This is a small needle roll which fits into a small silver etui.  A friend who makes jewlery and things from metal made me a small laying tool from a small butter knife.  It fits into the Etui!!  Will show all when all is done.

Below is several "Button Bags" that I have made for friends and family and my bookclub.  This is derived from a pattern by Jackie DuPlessis.  This makes for a lovely gift and since I have lots of buttons - it is a good use for the buttons.

Well, off to relax for the afternoon and get some stitching done.

Thank you for visiting -----------   Roberta

Some stitching and the new sewing room

I have been busy not only with yard work and house work, but stitching as well.  Below is Shepherd Bush's Potting Shed.

Here is Rain Rain from LaDaDa 

I am working deligently on Sanctuary by The Drawn Thread, I had started this years ago and I am almost finished with it.  My goal is to have it done by the end of May!! and I am well on the way to meeting this goal!!

This is the year of getting some of my WIP's finished!! 

Below is a shot of the new sewing studio (I was told to call it a studio not a room - for creative purposes!!)

As you can see we broke through a wall in the guest bedroom and built the room over the garage.

                                     

It still is quite a bit messy, but I can pretty much find anything I want, and someday I will organize the space a bit better.  Right now, all quilting things are in one area, beading in an area and so on, but I really want to be stitching so that is what I am doing now! 

 I even have a couch in this new space - of course it is for the cats to lay on and watch what I am doing.

This is a shot from the studio looking out to the guest bedroom 

Well, that is it for today - neighborhood yard sale tomorrow - so I have things to do to get ready for that.

Thank you for stopping by and I do thank you all for not deleting me from your blog reading.  I promise to be much better with this - I am getting back into computer mode and that may be because my life is settling down nicely and I have quit my job!!!

Until later  ---   Roberta

Do you ever feel like not going on the computer???

Well, that is what happened to me and then when I finally decide I need to visit with you all and have you come and visit with me - I could not get into my blog!!!

So this afternoon, after trying this morning, I gave it one last try - and LO!!- here I am on a whole new blog look.

So now I need to read all about what has changed with blogging, but I do promise that I am back on the computer, I am not working, and I am stitching - YEAH!!!!

Looking forward to chatting with you all soon.

Roberta

OH Where have I been???

Well, as you can tell by the title and the date of my last post - where have I been!! January was a very busy month - working at a college bookstore during registration and school starting week is quite hectic and busy - 11 to 12 hour days!!! This is for about 2 to 3 weeks.

Mid January I was heading to Pine Mountain, GA to Callaway Gardens NeedleArts School, where our EGA chapter was in charge of the exhibit, bookstore and merchandise night. I was the co-chair for merchandise night with Susan. There were 10 of us that were a head of a committee to put this event together. (Callaway does the actual school portion). I also, amid all of this - decided to take two Merry Cox Classes.

Le Nouveau Palais Royal and The Diminutive Sewing Set - both which are just not to be believed. Pictures do not even come close to beautiful these pieces are. I have some of the stitching done, but not much and some of the finishing is also done on pieces that didn't have stitching on them.

While at Callaway when we had some free time I did some beading below is a bracelet that was graduated color bicones from black to navy to crystal.

This is a flag bracelet and the technique of this design was being able to make the flags wave. Pretty neat!!

Here they are together still without their clasps.

I love the designs from Fern Ridge - here is Jack the rabbit with a 3 dimensional bunny tail - cute isn't it?

Did also manage to stitch up this Penny Doll's apron - this is from Olde Colonial Designs.

This was fun and fairly quick to stitch up.

OK, so you are thinking what else have you been doing??? these projects are not that time consuming - well, you are correct - the other big thing going on in my life is we decided to built me a new sewing room above the garage - so that has been taking up most of my time - stitching these last few weeks has been just about nil!!!! I did get two exchanges pieces stitched and mailed off on time - will show you those another day along with some photos of the new room.

Construction!!! can be tiresome - but the company we hired did a great job and were finished in 4 1/2 weeks!!! not bad, but we couldn't wait to get into the room. More later.

Thanks for visiting and for keeping me a part of your blog reading - I know I have said this before that I am back to the blogging world - but this time I am in high hopes of maintaining better computer time in my daily routine.

Sorry for such a long post - again thanks for stopping by.

Roberta

Happy New Year

I know, I know - I am a bit late with my well wishes. Life has been busy as usual - but the light is definitely at the end of the tunnel. It is the beginning of the Winter/Spring semester at school and the bookstore is just busy, busy!!! We are all working 11+ hours a day!

Plus I am heading to Callaway for their needlearts school this week. Just way too much to do in such a short time.

Hope to have much more to share with you all this new year of 2012 and I am planning on lots more stitching - last year had way too many bumps so not much of anything got done in the yard, in the house and with the stitching and such.

Best wishes for happiness and good health to you all.


Roberta

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Well it is Christmas Eve day and I am wondering where this past year went!! How did my life get so busy - well 2012 will be hopefully a slower paced year and filled with lots more stitching. I learned a new word --- NO!!

To add to my busyness - my computer has been acting strangely - notice the underlining!!?? Do not know where that came from and I cannot seem to get rid of it.

The little bit of stitching I did is below - the small red and gold Whitman's Tin with smalls from a Jane Timmer's design. I also made a waxer using two small charms tied together with a ribbon with the wax pressed inbetween.

Since I do not like to see the writing on the bottom - I cover the area with felt or ultra suede and then add button feet.

Above is an ornament I received from an exchange group and below is the ornament I sent.

Since this is the 3rd attempt to post this - I will close and say Merry Christmas to you all.

Roberta

TUSAL

Well, life just seems to not want me to sit at the computer - I truly thought I would be able to get caught up with my messages and my blog reading - WRONG!!! I do see the light at the end of the tunnel, just have to get a few more things taken care of both at home and family and with my stitching projects. Working, of course, doesn't help!!!

But I did remember to take a picture of my ORTS for this past month.

The picture below shows the small container with this months ORTS and this years collection of ORTS.
This is a shot of this months ORTS.

I have been getting some stitching in and some finishing - hoping to get all my stitching done for Christmas.

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving??? We did and we really tried not to overeat!!!

Thank you for stopping by ---- see you soon.

Roberta