A Blooming "Love Tree"

Earlier this week, I made time for an evening out with my friend Lorrie - we visited The Social Canvas - a place to "paint, sip, create"....basically cocktails and canvas. The Social Canvas is a relatively new business in our area...they provided the canvas, paint, brushes, apron, and easel - you choose the class project and day and time...and you can even enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail (or two) while you paint. Our good friend Mary had seen the "Love Tree" class online and shared it with us, but (unfortunately) was not able to attend...I knew Lorrie was already signed up, so I decided to join her...and I am so glad that I did! The class was quite enjoyable - we were there just over 2 hours (classes are usually 2 - 2.5 hours)...they have fun music playing....and I got to sip on a nice glass of Merlot...and although I felt a bit rushed at times (I tend to try and make things too perfect and get behind, so my paint doesn't have enough time to dry), I managed to bring home a decent painting...and more important, I got out of the studio/office and enjoyed a few stress-free hours! The sessions are perfect for beginners or advanced artists...and they give everyone a chance to be creative...every piece was completely different and I saw some wonderful unique ideas. Here is a little photo journey through my evening (these were all taken via smartphone, as I left my fancy camera at home):

The class model - "Love Tree"

My background in progress...

Me with my canvas...

My Love Tree in the foreground...and a forest from other attendees in the background....
Visit the following link and scroll down to see a plethora of photos from our class
and all the different versions: http://www.facebook.com/TheSocialCanvas/photos_stream

My masterpiece!

Our "well-loved" work station...along with our pretty paintings....

Lorrie and I show off our works of art for the camera!

We had such a fun night out, we have already signed-up for our next class - we will be going in March...we will be attending a morning class ("Mimosa Morning"....yes, I said Mimosa!) and painting "Poppies"...

Tonight I am catching up on a few work related items, finishing up some machine embroidery, and nursing a head cold that my husband has lovingly passed my way (ugh!). Tomorrow will be a BIG day - it is Bacon Festival (yes, I said "bacon festival"...and yes, I got tickets before they sold out in 3 minutes and 22 seconds...and yes, I plan to eat LOTS of bacon)...and I plan to enjoy every minute!

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 Aflutter

I just love working on projects for Valentine's Day - for some reason, it makes me happy to work with red and pink fabrics and heart motifs. I have been enjoying "playing" with some of the fabulous Valentine fabrics in my stash. I have quite a bit of yardage of the retired line "Hearts Aflutter" by Sandy Gervais for Moda, so I decided to make a couple sets of L.O.V.E. pillows - these fun little pillows measure 5" H x 5" W...the letters and hearts are machine applique with a blanket stitch...and the backs are wool felt in barnyard red. I made a set for myself a couple years ago and I enjoy putting it on display each year (sometimes they are out year round) - they look great on a shelf or in a bowl or basket - they just seem to cheer up a room!

I also finished up a couple wool applique pincushions filled with crushed walnut shells. These heartfelt pincushion tops are machine appliqué (wool felt/fabric on quality quilting fabric)...and the backs are wool felt in barnyard red. I tacked a small lace flower in the center of the white wool flower for a special touch. Each one measures approximately 5" H x 5" W x 1.75" D....and the walnut shells give the pincushion a nice heavy consistency. I was just tickled with how these turned out....and of course, they can be used as small decorative pillows...

I have added these special "heart" items to my Etsy Shop - I  hope they all find a good home for the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday!

I have now started on items for St. Patrick's Day - I have an assortment of Shamrock Lace Ornaments that I will be adding very soon....

A Day With Girlfriends...

What's an outing with girlfriends without cupcakes??....
Salty Dog, Cinnamon, Turtle, and Tiramisu

I have been so busy trying to catch-up after my bout with the flu, that I have barely been out of my studio/office...there are about a million things on my ever-growing list....but yesterday, I did take a little timeout to go on a short road trip with my girlfriends Lorrie and Mary. We made plans over the last couple months to drive out to Winterset, Iowa (the birthplace of John Wayne...and known for its covered bridges) to visit the Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting Quilt Shop, the Ben Franklin (yes, they still have a Ben Franklin and it is a treasure trove of fun stuff), and have lunch.  We left bright and early and arrived in the Winterset town square at 9:00 - perfect timing, as Ben Franklin opened at 9:00. After taking a few photos, we headed inside and began shopping - it was quite the "blast from the past" and we saw all sorts of items that made us smile - they have a full service crafting/sewing area, so we were all right at home. I picked up a few fun fabrics, some ribbon, two itty bitty wooden embroidery hoops, and of course some Scotch pink Hair Set Tape that is almost impossible to find (I use it for needlework and machine embroidery).

After an over an hour perusing the aisles of Ben Franklin, we walked a couple shops down to the Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting Quilt Shop. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting television show seen on PBS stations or their fabulous quilting magazine(s). The two-story building is on the town square and has a grand view of the Madison County Courthouse...it houses a retail shop and mail order business on the ground floor and Love of Quilting editorial offices upstairs. This is a quaint shop - and we really enjoyed our visit - the customer service was wonderful - they allowed me to take some photos and gave us wonderful advice on where to have lunch. If you are looking for a specific Fons and Porter publication or quilting tool, than this is the place...although some of us (who will remain nameless) have pretty much all of their special tools and accessories. We all managed to find some treasures to take home...and I found some great bargain fabrics...and we each found an issue of Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting magazine in with our purchases (a gift from the shop!). Although this shop is a small space, it packs a good punch and we had a wonderful time!

We stepped inside another shop on the square and did a little looking, then we were off to a recommended place called "The Cellar" for lunch - a coffee house that serves lunch from 11:00 - 2:00. It was a windy and cool outside, so we all had soup and a sandwich...and the soup was Savory Portobello...yummy!  After lunch we headed back to West Des Moines...and I just *had to* stop to take photos of a barn quilt, just before reaching Bevenington, Iowa. Once back in Des Moines, we visited a couple favorite shops (and a new shop called Hinge) in Valley Junction...then of course went to Scratch Cupcakery for cupcakes (where I got to open some early birthday gifts from Mary). It was a perfect day....

Today, it is back to work (and reality)....I have charting to do....photography to take care of...a pile of paperwork and correspondence....and more items to list in my Etsy shop...part two of the mystery sampler is in printing production....and my embroidery machine is humming. Tonight, I am taking a painting class at The Social Canvas with my dear friend Lorrie - this is our first time visiting this new local artistic business, where you can enjoy an (adult) beverage while doing an acrylic paining project - they supply all the materials (canvases, paint, brushes, easels, and aprons)...and the class lasts about 2.5 hours. We are taking the "Love Tree" class and I plan on enjoying a glass of red wine while I paint my Valentine tree....

Valentine Snow Day

We are in the middle of another winter storm here in Iowa - inches of snow, bitter cold temperatures, and extreme winds - a great day to stay inside and be creative...in fact, I only ventured outside today to walk try to walk Simba (and that was quite an adventure, as my neighbors didn't feel it was important to clean their sidewalks and driveways). I have spent the last couple days catching up on paperwork, doing my year-end business reporting, my sales taxes, and cleaning/rearranging and inventorying my warehouse...and I must say, I am thrilled to have those "not-so-fun" tasks done. Today I decided to spend my snow day playing in my studio...the theme for today was Valentine's Day!

I decided to finish up another batch of machine embroidered lace hearts for my Etsy shop...I had some color requests and some custom orders, so I got all those finished and shipped...and I managed to get an assortment of 34 hearts listed. In my digitized machine embroidery library I found my favorite tiny lace heart, so I started making a small batch...I also played with some wools and made another one of my heart/flower embellished zippered pouches...and I got fabrics cut for several more sewing projects. It was a wonderful afternoon/evening and I enjoyed every minute...

Machine embroidered lace hearts for my Etsy Shop...

Tiny machine embroidered FSL hearts in progress...

Heart/flower embellished zippered wool pouch...

A Valentine project in progress...

I have one more fun thing to share with you today - last weekend my husband took me out for an afternoon...after all, it had been weeks since I had been out and about - the flu had kept me cooped up for WAY too long. We had a delightful lunch, then headed to our favorite coffee shop...then I twisted his arm (it wasn't hard) to take me to the new cupcake shop that just opened up in our neighborhood - it is called Scratch Cupcakery...and it was AMAZING! I have never seen so many beautifully decorated cupcakes in one place - and that is a good thing, as they were packed with people - we had to wait in line and I think we watched about 50 cupcakes walk out the door in the few minutes we were there. Their cupcake menu is extensive and we had a terrible time trying to narrow down our choices. We decided to pick-up four cupcakes - 2 for each...one for then and one for later...we both wanted to try Toffee...and I wanted to try White Chocolate Raspberry, but since they were sold out, I was "forced" to try Raspberry Love...and my husband tried Coconut. I must tell you - they tasted as good as they looked...the cake was rich and moist and they use real heavenly buttercream frosting - they were sinful. I am actually surprised a got a couple photos before they were devoured. For some reason, I see another trip to this scrumptious cupcake place in the near future...

Thanks for visiting me today friends! I am now headed to my cozy stitching nest to finish up the needlework small for part two of the mystery sampler...and since I have a chill, I may just have to make a hot cup of tea or coffee to warm up...enjoy your evening - and if you are experiencing winter weather, stay safe and warm...

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...

"Bluebird Sewing Box"

Today I am excited to share some details with you for the Elegant Stitch Workshop I am teaching in April...I should have had this information and photos to you (and Lois) a couple months ago, but the Mystery Sampler and the flu got in my way (I am not allowed to get sick ever again!). So better late than never...here are all sorts of details and photos of the workshop project....

I have had the concept for "Bluebird Sewing Box" in my head for months - in fact, Lois and I started talking about the design in February of 2012 at the Nashville Needlework Market - and although the design shifted and expanded over the last few months, it is exactly what I envisioned!

This cheerful sewing box comes complete with three needlework smalls. The project includes: stitching/mounting a piece for the top of the box, stitching/mounting a piece for inside the lid of the box, stitching/mounting a piece for the inside base of the box and a fun felt flower closure....then there are three adorable needlework smalls - a tiny bird shaped pincushion, a wool felt scissor fob, and a bitty button bag.

The Walnut Hollow Basswood Box measures  8.21" L x 5.44" W x 3.33" D...and will easily hold the three needle work smalls along with your stitching treasures. The stitched design for the lid is embellished with both posy and round mother of pearl buttons (from Kelmscott Designs) and is framed with red rick rack...and there is a wool felt posy faux box latch. Inside the box you will find two stitched inserts...the stitched insert on the inside of the lid has a wool felt heart for holding project needles and three Kelmscott Designs mother of pearl thread rings and rick rack to hold project threads - the stitched insert in the base of the box has an attached ribbon to tie your scissors in place (scissors not included).

This project is stitched on 30-count Sanguine hand-dyed linen from Weeks Dye Works with Weeks Dye Works cotton floss...and, as always, your class kit includes all the supplies needed (including the Kelmscott Designs buttons and thread rings, ribbon, rick rack, mounting materials, pre-cut wool felt shapes, and even acrylic paint for the box - the color is Dark Chocolate!). The project stitches include: Cross Stitch over two linen threads, Cross Stitch over four linen threads, Smyrna Cross Stitch over two linen threads, Back Stitch, Long Straight Stitch, Satin Stitch, French or Colonial Knots, Whip Stitch, and Blanket Stitch....and in class we will discuss: preparing/painting the wooden box for needlework, stitching instructions, all specialty stitches, finishing tips and techniques for the box and needlework smalls, and personalizing your piece(s).

I am so THRILLED to be headed back to California and can't wait to see all my needlework friends (and hopefully make some new ones!)...there are still a few seats available for this workshop taking place on April 19-20...my last class at Elegant Stitch sold out, so if you are interested, please don't delay! You can find all the details on the Elegant Stitch website...there is a link of the front page that will get you all the information and registration form - or click here: http://www.elegantstitch.com/es_workshops.htm

Please join us - I would LOVE to meet you!

...and one last thing - before I get a million questions - this special project has been designed specifically for this workshop and will not be available to the general public until approximately one year after the event...so if you are not attending and are excited about this design, you will have to be very patient....

Blue Jeans and Daisies - Part One

The Mystery Sampler Club is kicking off this week, as patterns for part one have started shipping from Norden Crafts to your favorite needlework shops! I am so excited for you to see the first installment of "Blue Jeans and Daisies".

For those of you who are not familiar with the Mystery Sampler Club - let me quickly catch you up to speed...
You have to sign up with your favorite needlework shop (you can only get it through a needlework shop - your shop of choice - LNS or ONS) - they will have all the details for the program...and before you comment/post/email "I don't have a local needlework shop" - contact the shop where you purchase your stitching stash (charts and supplies)...it can be a local shop OR an online needlework shop...OR visit the "Locate" page on my website for a list of shops that will be able to assist you.  There will be three parts to the "mystery sampler" - the first part (featured in this post) is shipping now - the second part will be released in February - and the third part will be released in March....together all three parts make one large sampler...with a photo of the entire project to be released with the third and final installment (hence the "mystery"). Many of you are familiar with the Lizzie Kate "Very Scary" Mystery Sampler and the With Thy Needle & Thread "Birds of a Feather" Mystery Sampler - this is the very same program.

Now that we have everyone on the same page...here is a look at part one...and a few details...

The mystery sampler is stitched on 30-count Blue Jeans hand-dyed fabric by Weeks Dye Works - this exact fabric is also available in 35-count, should you prefer a higher count linen. It is stitched with Weeks Dye Works cotton floss...and a DMC conversion is provided.
See a complete supply listing on my website: http://www.blueribbondesigns.com/BRD109A%20Specifics.html

Part one uses the following stitches (and yes, diagrams are provided): Cross Stitch over two linen threads, Back Stitch, Rhodes Heart, and Fly Stitch Variation.

The chartpack also includes part one of the Springtime Jumble. Here is a little information about the Springtime Jumble:
The answer to the springtime jumble will be the password to open a mystery bonus design - this mystery bonus will be revealed on my website (http://www.blueribbondesigns.com) when the third and final mystery sampler installment is released. You will need to collect all three patterns to complete the Springtime Jumble and unlock the mystery bonus. Details can be found inside each package.

Each installment contains a fun finishing idea...and the finishing idea for part one is a scissor fob - finishing instructions are included. Use a motif from part one of the sampler (I used the Robin square) and some fabric and floss from your stash to make a springtime scissor fob!

Specifics (complete supply listings, stitch counts, stitches used, etc.) can be found on my website: 

http://www.blueribbondesigns.com/BRD109A%20Specifics.html

Additional photos can be found on my website:

http://www.blueribbondesigns.com/Blue%20Jeans%20and%20Daisies%20Part%20One.html

Contact your needlework shop of choice to join in the fun...or if you have questions...they will assist you with obtaining the patterns, the threads, the fabric...and they can answer questions and provide you with alternative sizes and supplies.

I hope you are excited to get started on this special springtime edition of the Mystery Sampler Club!

The Bee's Knees

Happy Monday friends! I am back today with a quick post...playing catch-up. I just had to share some fun, creative, and inspiring holiday gifts that I received from my dear friend Terri. Terri always does the best themed holiday packages...this year she focused on my love for bees (with a couple other special items I have to share too!)...my PERFECT package included JABCO bee pins and a bee needle threader (and we all know I am obsessed with Just Another Button Company items)...a Teresa Layman "Beehive Pincushion Kit" (including everything needed to make an adorable beehive - even the silk ribbon flowers) - I *need* to get this put together soon...and a Lang "The Bee's Knees Classic Mug" in a wonderful decorative box!

She also included an adorable wooden redbird ornament - and the insert on the wing is cross stitching on perforated paper! So very cute...

And finally (and this is so very cool!) a Warwick Model Thimble in the shape of a teapot - I have never seen anything like this before...the top of the teapot even opens up to reveal a rounded thimble underneath. I had fun taking a close-up of this unique piece so you could see the detail...

 So there you have it - a few photos (mostly relating to needlework) to inspire you! I'll be back in the next day or two with an update on the Mystery Sampler Club (Blue Jeans and Daisies Part One) and photos of the workshop project for Elegant Stitch (Bluebird Sewing Box)....I have lots of goodies to share this week!