Inspiring Visits

My friend Kay from Bloomington stopped in last week and brought a friend with her. Cindy has never been to my shop but is no stranger to stitching. Lucky for me, they both brought some finished needlework designs. Here is Kay with "Tribute to the Old Masters" by Nouveau Encore. This design was inspired by the beautiful alphabets created by the French Masters of centuries ago. I love the red floss color! What a grand statement this design will make once it is framed!

Cindy brought along a design by Scarlet Quince titled, "Sun and Moon Flowers."  This design was created from the art work of G.D. Leslie. Let me tell you, this is solid stitching! Cindy said it took her about 8 months to complete the stitches. She has quite the set-up for threaded needles; each needle is in its own pocket on a vinyl sheet and there are about 20 pockets to a sheet. These vinyl sheets are then secured into a 3-ring binder. It makes for good organization and easy transportation, although I couldn't imagine traveling around with such a large design. I'd be too worried it would get ruined!

Thanks, ladies, for showing off your beautiful works of art. They are truly admirable and I'm sure will be treasured for many years to come!

Cathy

Stitching Finishes

My friend Marilyn is a prolific stitcher. She not only stitches 1)a lot and 2)quickly, she also 3)"finishes" finishes them, if you understand what I'm saying. If she stitches an ornament design, she finishes it into an ornament. If Marilyn stitches a needlebook, she assembles it into a needlebook. No stitching and then tossing the needlework into a drawer (like lots of people I know)! Saturday mornings are a treat for me because when Marilyn gets a chance to stop by the shop, she usually brings some of her finished needlework to show me. This is the Sturbridge Box which was offered as a "Stitcherama" (webinar) from The Victoria Sampler.

"Year of Flowers" and "B My Valentine" both by The Drawn Thread.

One last piece from Marilyn is one the name of which I can't remember! As soon as I find name and designer, I will edit this post to include that information. She mounted the stitchery into a boxtop and made the smalls which tuck inside the box. Now, after seeing these wonderful pieces, I am inspired to go stitch a bit on one of my own! Have a great week! Cathy