"Fear Not Tomorrow" Cross-stitch Fun - 31 Days of Creating...

 

Did you take time to nurture your soul yet today?  There is still time!!!  I spent almost an hour cross-stitching this afternoon.  It felt great!!! 

I started this cross-stitch several years ago and somehow it got put in a box when we moved.  So today I pulled it out and spent some time with it.  I'm hoping I can get it finished and then framed.  

This pattern is called "Fear Not Tomorrow" by 4 My Boys.  I purchased it several years ago either at my local quilt/cross-stitch shop or my favorite needlepoint shop in Sevierville, TN - I can't remember which one.  The embroidery floss is hand-dyed and by a company called "The Gentle Art."  It is the first time I have worked with it and I find it to feel just like DMC floss which makes me happy.

Anyway, I hope you are thinking of ways to ground yourself each day.  Different people respond to different things.  I love creating and that is very therapeutic for me. Some people are grounded by creating music.  There are no right or wrongs - just find what fills your soul!!!

xoxo!

Friday at our Home.....

As a general rule, every weekday morning we try to get housework taken care of and school work completed. After lunch we try to work in some quiet time and then the afternoon is free for whatever strikes our fancy. Yesterday afternoon Emily decided to teach Elisabeth how to cross stitch. Things were going well...

..and then Elisabeth accidentally poked Emily's finger with the needle. Fortunately, Emily wasn't bothered, so the lesson continued.

I love seeing them help each other...and have fun too. (But please don't think that it is always so peaceful around here....because it is not.)

Late in the afternoon we had a terrible thunderstorm that lasted over an hour. We were told to expect hail and it cracked us all up when Elisabeth said "I think I see hail flurries!" Then Ethan so wisely pronounced that he "thought God had a million watering cans in the clouds to make it rain and a camera in the clouds to make the lightening." Out of the mouth of babes. Too cute!!!

To distract the kids from the stormy weather I made one of our favorite snacks...oatmeal fruit bars! Yum! So begins our holiday weekend. I hope yours is good too!

It's Been A Productive Week.....

I've had a relatively productive week. I really am trying to finish up some projects that have been lingering on my sewing table a little too long. This dress above I started for Elisabeth way back in September or October. It felt really good to wrap it up earlier this week. I will get Elisabeth to model it and take a few photos in a day or so.



I also finished the cross-stitch angel that is destined to be a pillow. I made a trip to the quilt store and picked out fabric for the backing and the ruffle. I will be happy to get this one done too. While at the quilt store I also picked up some batting to finish my most recent quilt.



I also am working on a jumper for myself....not quite done yet....but pretty close. So, to celebrate the completion of a few things (and the almost completion of another couple), Emily and I headed out to Hancock's today to browse around. I picked up the above fabric to make Elisabeth a spring dress.

And we purchased the above fabrics to make Emily a few more long skirts. She thought she was getting too old for homemade items until we went to the mall a few months back. There was nothing I would have allowed her to wear outside of her bedroom....and fortunately she agreed!!! So far so good!!!

Happy New Year......

I hope you all are enjoying the new year thus far. On New Year's Day we taught Elisabeth how to play battleship....so she and Emily (with Ethan's help, of course) played many intense games over the course of the day. They all had so much fun. It is always good to increase the number of games they can play together. They enjoy board games. Wayne taught Emily how to play chess and monopoly years ago. I guess those will be two new ones for Elisabeth to maybe learn this new year.

And while they have been happily playing games, I have been trying to work on some unfinished projects. I have a goal of completing some this year. I wish I could finish them all before starting something new.....but I'm not sure I have that much discipline. The cross-stitch above is going to be another pillow like one I made a few years back. I started this one right after I finished the last one....it's been sitting in a bag for awhile. Time to finish it up!!! What are you all working on???

Another Block and Thoughts on Organization.....

I finished up this block just in time to take to the quilt shop this past Friday. And the most exciting part was that while I was there I purchased some fabric to make a baby quilt for a friend's baby shower. I love making baby quilts....they are generally pretty quick to make...or rather the ones I chose are generally pretty quick. I have made great progress already. Hopefully I'll have it finished and ready later this week.

Since my machine is in the shop again, and the loaner they gave me is giving me fits, I've been trying to organize some of my sewing/crafting supplies. For example, I have lots of different needles for different uses. I have cross-stitch needles, smocking needles, hand quilting needles, heirloom embroidery needles, heirloom bullion needles, needle point needles, etc.

So I decided to try out the idea of using these zip-loc baggies that I generally use for my embroidery floss. One of the ladies at my quilting/cross-stitch shop introduced me to them last year. They are baggies with two holes punched in them so you can put them in a special binder to keep them together. Well, I like the concept, but instead of buying a binder I just tie them together with yarn. I have quite a bit of yarn around the house.

So then I decided to try the same thing with my bobbins. So far I only have five bobbins. I will get more because I am one of those people that likes to have LOTS of empty bobbins just in case. But anyway, I use so many different types of thread that I get confused. I have read where some people write on the bobbin what kind of thread is on it....but I don't care for that idea because I may change the thread and forget to change the info on the bobbin. And if I accidently use my water soluble thread....that would be bad. So I decided to try this baggie idea out with my bobbins too. I just included a piece of index card with the thread info on it including the color.

And for my next embroidery project I have organized my floss in some baggies as well. The lady that I mentioned earlier actually taught me to take the labels off my floss and then cut one side of the loops. Then whenever I want to use the floss it is already in pre-cut pieces. What a neat idea....and one I would have never thought of on my own. (The floss in the above picture has not been cut yet....but I will cut it when I start the project.)

I am sure there are better ideas out there...but for now I will try these and see how it goes. I was already thinking that a small inexpensive photo album might be a good alternative for my needles if the baggie system doesn't work. I like to keep my stuff in the original packaging whenever possible, so I always try to keep that in mind.

I have lots of projects underway.....another dress for Elisabeth, the baby quilt previously mentioned, Emily's quilt, a quillow for Ethan, and an heirloom project. I think that's enough to keep me busy and out of trouble for awhile. Now, if only my machine would come home soon!!!

This Winter.......Make Snow Angels

Over the summer I found this adorable cross-stitch pattern. I worked on it diligently and finished it in a short time. Then I let it sit in my basket by the sewing machine. Then last week I pulled it out and started making the pillow portion of it....including the ruffle. I like ruffles when they are finished....but not making them. Once again I put the pillow down before it was finished. Finally this past weekend I decided I WAS going to finish it and I did. I usually give just about everything I make away.....but this time I decided we are going to keep it. I have placed the pillow in a chair just inside our front door.....it will offer a warm greeting to everyone who stops by.