Pincushion and Pillow Pizzazz

I must admit, I am a bit behind on my blogging...it has been difficult to find balance lately. Yes, I have been stitching my heart out and I will have some new Blue Ribbon Designs to show you soon...and I have started stitching my 2014 fundraiser piece for my Komen 3-Day walk (a little hint, it has an autumn theme!). I am also busy working on the new website...and I have been scheduling time to quilt and sew daily.

I finished a couple more equilateral triangle projects over the last couple days...both using the brand new Bullseye Equilateral Triangles Die Set (1", 3", 5", 7" Finished Sides) for the Studio Fabric Cutter by AccuQuilt. I wanted to try out the 1" triangle size (yes, I said 1" triangles!), so I made the cutest little pincushion...it is approximately 3" W x 4.5" H. I added several decorative pins, a piece of rose lace, and a little tag for gift giving.

I also did some piecing of 3" equilateral triangles...and I took a photo that shows the difference in size...

I am just in love with this pillow! It is made from the fabric collection Pom Pom de Paris by French General for Moda...and the accents and backing are from the Rouenneries Deux collection by French General for Moda. It is approximately 18" W x 16" H...and I made my own custom pillow form. I am just tickled with this pillow...it makes me happy!

I have also been working with 7" equilateral triangles and 7" hexagons to make two new chair cushions with ties for my studio...more on those in a future post.

So, as always, it's been a productive and creative week...thanks for visiting!...I'll be back with more projects and stitching posts soon...

Friendship Friday

This week has been full of deadlines and goals for me...and truth be told, I have been pretty much overwhelmed by my ever-growing Blue Ribbon Designs to-do list, household chores and yard work, and our two dogs. It seems my schedule is always full and I can't find the balance I so desperately need. Today, however, I took a break from the craziness and enjoyed "Friendship Friday"...a Friday where I meet two of my very dear girlfriends (Mary and Lorrie) for lunch and just relax for a couple hours...and today was made even more special, as we were celebrating Lorrie's birthday!  We met at one of our favorite restaurants "On The Border" for a little Mexican fiesta...we had fabulous food and spent some much needed time catching up  - conversing about our lives and families and everything in-between...and afterwards, Lorrie opened her birthday gifts.

I always have fun working on birthday gifts for my close friends...and although I usually sew and quilt many of my presents, this time I changed things up a bit. I decided to make Lorrie a little friendship photo album, with pictures from our recent road trips and outings. I used chipboard tags and covered them with pretty scrapbook papers and added the photos...using one of my favorite gadgets - a 5" Xyron Creative Station (OMG - I love this fancy little machine that makes pretty much anything adhesive)!  I also used a 1.5" Xyron Create-A-Sticker to adhere chipboard buttons, laces, trims, and rick rack. Yes, I adore these Xyron products...and wish I had more of their fabulous crafting supplies - do you hear me Xyron?? - I heart you (no affiliation, their stellar products just make my crafting life better)! It was so much fun printing out the photos and then working with my stash to decorate this fun friendship book...digging through ribbons, laces, trims, and buttons always brings me joy!

I also decided to stitch Lorrie a pendant. This from Milady's Needle, titled Quaker Pendants II - it is stitched over-one on 36-count fabric...and then I backed it with a piece of retired Blackbird Designs sampler fabric stabilized with fusible interfacing. This is the second one of these pendants I have made for a gift...I think I need to get an additional pendant, so I can finally make one for myself!

I also have to share this book with you - I purchased this book for Lorrie months ago, after we had a discussion on using vintage handkerchiefs in sewing projects. This lovely book has fabulous ideas for using those special antique hankies, laces, doilies, and ribbon you may be holding on to...

It was a lovely luncheon and we all commented on how we need to do it more often...in fact, I think every Friday should be "Friendship Friday"....

Tonight, after an evening walk, I am hoping to finish up the last set of needlework smalls for my upcoming new releases. I am getting ready to send out a large printing order and I am crossing my fingers I can get all the files and photography completed this weekend (or early next week). There are new designs on the way and I can't wait to share them with you!

Finally - I am truly touched by the AMAZING response I have received for "Red Rosies and Pink Posies" - the support, encouragement, and beautiful e-mails I have received are heartwarming. Your generosity is beyond compare - and I sincerely thank each and every beautiful soul who has made a donation and/or spread the word about this special design and my fundraising page for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day! I still have until November to meet and surpass my goal...and (for those of you who have asked) my special exclusive design for donors will be available until that time. Please continue to help me spread the word...and I will continue to train and work hard to make sure all my supporters proud!

Shamrocks & Stitching

I managed to finish quite a few machine embroidered lace ornaments over the last couple weeks...I know you have seen my hearts and snowflakes...and now I have been working on shamrocks and heart shamrocks. I made them in several shades of green and in white...and I listed what I have finished up in my Etsy shop this afternoon. These ornaments are made on my embroidery machine...and are technically called "free-standing lace"...they are made entirely of thread!

For those of you unfamiliar with an embroidery machine, here is a little idea of how these shamrocks are made - using digitized designs, the machine embroiders the ornaments on water-soluble stabilizer...once the design is completely stitched, you put it in water and the stabilizer dissolves, leaving you with a beautiful piece of lace made completely of embroidery thread. I like to loop a piece of 1/8" ribbon through the hanger on each ornament before placing it in a card or on a gift. Each design can take anywhere from 45 minutes to well over an hour to make, so I usually set up my machine and let them embroider while I am working at my desk or on various other crafts in my studio. In the photos you can see a selection of my embroidered shamrocks...average size of the small heart shamrock is  is 2.5" W x 2.625" H...the larger heart shamrocks are approximately 3.875" W x 3.875" H...and the large shamrock is approximately 3.91" W x 3.80" H. Many digitizers offer designs for machine embroidery, but if you are interested in these particular shamrock designs, they are designed by Criswell Embroidery & Design....you can purchase digitized designs from this designer on a disk at your favorite quilt shop or by downloading them from their website.

I have several fun St. Patrick's day sewing projects cut and ready to compete this week, as well...and I will share those with you soon! I just love sewing for the seasons and holidays...

Hearts & Snowflakes

Machine Embroidered Faux Tatted Hearts

Now that I am feeling much better, I have been playing catch-up with all things Blue Ribbon Designs...and one of the very few creative endeavors I can pursue while working at my desk is machine embroidery. My sewing table is only a few feet from my desk in my studio, so I am able to set-up and run my embroidery machine while I work at the computer. I have had many requests for more machine embroidered lace snowflakes, so I wanted to get a few sets put together for my Etsy shop...and with Valentine's Day right around the corner, I have been enjoying making machine embroidered motif and faux tatted hearts! I have actually been working on three different styles of machine embroidered hearts - motif hearts, faux tatted hearts, and faux tatted hearts with a pecot edge. Each heart measures just under 4" square...and is completely made of embroidery thread. I worked with several shades of red and pink - and added a ribbon hanger to each (which can be easily removed) so they can be tied to hang in a window or on an ornament tree...and these hearts would be great for scrapbooking, for embellishing a valentine card, for a gift tag, or for inserting in a valentine as a gift. I have listed quite an assortment of snowflakes and hearts in my Etsy shop....

Machine Embroidered Motif Hearts

Machine Embroidered Faux Tatted Hearts with Picots

Machine Embroidered Snowflakes

Although I have an overwhelming business to-do list right now, I do have some great sewing/quilting projects ready to go...I absolutely love fabric for Valentine's Day and just went into my fabric stash and pulled yardage of cute reds and pinks for a few fun ideas. Now I just have to make the time...

On The Agenda...

It is going to be another busy week here at the Blue Ribbon Designs studio! I have so many projects and activities in the works...but really, when are things ever calm here?? I have a list a mile long...so it is a good GREAT thing my dear friend in California send me an AMAZING journal to keep my thoughts and lists organized...isn't it adorable?! I just love the sentiments, ribbons, and pictures on the cover...and have already filled multiple pages with writing, trying to keep myself on track...

Here is a little bit about what is going on in my world...
I made a trip to the local quilt shop last Friday to pick-up more machine embroidery thread - I have been making all sorts of machine embroidered lace snowflake ornaments to list in my Etsy shop...they are not posted yet, but will be soon - I am finishing up a HUGE batch before listing them. I will post some photos and more details here when I am ready to put them in the shop...

Of course when I visited the quilt shop, a couple other things caught my eye...I just adore the line of fabric Odds and Ends by Julie Comstock of Cosmo Cricket for Moda (the large piece of fabric in the photo)! I have a fun plan for this fabric...and of course I needed a few zippers...and a pattern by one of my favorite designers (Terry Atkinson) called "Popovers" - cute little pouches that will be perfect for the holidays...

My days have been filled working on the printing files for two new design releases - "Sunflower Serenade" and "Berries, Birds, and Blooms". I have finished up the files and the designs are now in printing production. There will be more details posted soon and I will have a release date for you in the near future (patience please). I have also been working on a large new project...and I can't give you any information just yet...but know there is something VERY special in the works and you will be hearing all about it SOON! I also have the class design for the Elegant Stitch Workshop underway...Lois has a "teaser" up on her website, but there will be much more information on this project in the coming weeks, as well....just give me a little more time.

I really wish I had some time for sewing and quilting, but things have been a bit hectic - I do have some fun ideas for holiday sewing and I hope to share some with you in the coming weeks! I am actually going through a bit of sewing machine withdrawal - I am just itching to work on a new project or two....however, that will have to wait while I work on a custom order for twenty-five needlebooks (yes, I really need more hours in each day!)...

So, I am off to tackle more items on my list...and get in my exercise for the day - a power walk (more on that later this week)...plus Simba needs a little attention too...

Exploring New Hampshire and Vermont...

Each time I travel to teach, I always try to make a little time to see the area and explore - it is such a treat for me to visit other parts of the country and do a little sightseeing! Lucky for me, my dear friend Ruth lives in New Hampshire and agreed to take me on a little excursion Friday morning/afternoon before the New England Stitcher's Retreat started that evening. Before we begin, I should tell you, it was pouring rain all day - normally I take a lot of outdoor photos and show you the area...but on this particular day I was only able to manage some indoor camera shots...

We set out bright and early Friday morning...our first destination was King Arthur Flour...now, you know I love to bake and I was definitely familiar with King Arthur Flour...however, I didn't quite understand how this could be a "destination"...but oh my goodness was this ever a great place to visit! King Arthur Flour has a brand new campus in Norwich, VT that houses a phenomenal retail store, a baking education center, and a bakery and a cafe - it was FABULOUS! I could have shopped for hours and easily filled a cart - however, knowing I could only add a few pounds to my suitcase, I showed some self restraint (making sure to sign up for their e-mails, grab a catalog, and write a mental list for some online shopping!). There were a few goodies I had to purchase on the spot and ship home...and Ruth did a little shopping for me too - picking me up an adorable owl kitchen towel and a jar of Maple Pumpkin Butter (delicious!). The staff at King Arthur Flour were so very kind and accommodating and allowed me to take a bunch of photos to share with you...

After a delightful morning at King Arthur Flour, we headed to Brattleboro, VT (a little over an hour away) - a couple retreat attendees had shared with us about a fabulous shop called Delectable Mountain Cloth...and all I needed to hear were the words "hundreds of crystal dishes filled with buttons" and "silk fabrics" and off we went! It was an enjoyable drive through Vermont...and yes, it was still pouring rain...but it gave me and Ruth a chance to chit chat and catch-up (after all, we only see each other once a year). Once we arrived in Brattleboro and found our destination, we did a quick drive around the area and found a place to park...then set out to explore the oldest town in Vermont. Main Street had a wonderful assortment of shops - including In The Moment Records (yes, a record shop!), Beadniks (a bead shop), Vermont Artisan Designs & Gallery, and Kitchen Sync (a wonderful kitchen shop)...and I am positive there were many more great places to visit, but the rain definitely hindered walking from shop to shop. We spent a good amount of time in Delectable Mountain Cloth...and it exceeded all of our expectations! This quaint and cozy Main Street shop was full of treasures...all sorts of textiles, silks, velvets, organzas, chiffons, and specialty fabrics...and yes, hundreds of crystal dishes filled with buttons (a feast for the eyes)...along with trims and laces...they also have handmade jewelry and large assortment of scarves. I will let the photos do the talking...

How was that for a large dose of "eye candy"??!! Seriously, if you are ever in the Brattleboro, VT area, this shop is definitely worth the trip...Ruth and I have already discussed that this will be permanently on our yearly itinerary. Oh, and I must mention, if you visit this shop, be sure to cross the street and enjoy a meal at Amy's Bakery Arts Cafe (113 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT) - it is all fresh ingredients - wonderful soups, sandwiches, and salads - DELICIOUS...

So that was how we spent our rainy Friday in Vermont - it truly was a stellar day! That evening and the next couple days were filled with event activities and lots of stitching, but we did get a few more hours together to explore on Monday. After a final breakfast with the retreat attendees, packing up, and saying tearful goodbyes, we had a few more places to see before I headed to Boston where I was to catch a flight home to Iowa. We made a final trip to ABC Stitch Therapy where Ruth got in some last minute shopping and I dropped off all my classroom materials to ship home...then we headed cheerfully to Quilted Threads in Henniker, NH. I was so beyond excited to see this quilt shop, as I had heard all about it...and the feedback was exceptional; I couldn't wait to visit a new quilt shop and find some goodies to take home! Well, the excitement didn't last long - as we pulled into the parking lot, I was quite discourage to read the sign "Closed On Monday"...how disappointing...but we weren't going to let that ruin our day. We continued our drive to Concord, NH where I was to catch a bus to Boston....and made the best of a SUNNY day! I was able to see the Capital of New Hampshire, walk Main Street and visit a few shops, and then have a spectacular lunch at The Barley House. I have already added The Barley House to my list of places I must visit again - both the atmosphere and the food were WONDERFUL - believe it or not, I had a Lobster BLT...yep, a BLT with lobster meat on it and it was scrumptious! It was the perfect way to end my visit to New England....and I can hardly wait to return next year...

An extra special thanks to my friend and chauffeur Ruth - you definitely made this a special trip to remember...thank you for exploring New England with me...I love you sis!

There you have it, my final post on my recent trip to New Hampshire for this year's New England Stitcher's Retreat - it was another AMAZING visit - I got to see more of the East Coast - I got to see old friends and make new ones - I got to share my passion for needlework - and I got to smile and laugh for several days. Now I have a full year to look forward to my next trip...it can't get here soon enough...

To see all sorts of additional photos from my trip to New England, check out the albums on my Facebook page...and smartphone users can check out my Instagram album (user: BRDGIRL)...