It's 2016!

No new year's resolutions or promises for posts, but best wishes to all for a Happy New Year and Peace. I have a couple of projects underway, one about to start, and creative energy that I've not had in awhile. My thanks, as always, to those of you who continue to blog and share your works with the rest of us. You are both motivating and inspiring. May all your open doors lead to wonderful experiences this coming year!

Happy New Year!

Just dropping by to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!

I'm still around, but 2011 was more about work and family than free time for crafting. Years have "themes" like that, don't they? My heartfelt "thanks" to those of you who visited my blog last year and left such kind comments about the restored needlework. I'm also very thankful for those of you who continue to blog and share your life and creative work. You are such an inspiration!

A friend's first grand baby has inspired a baby afghan, so that's the only project I have to share at the moment. I'm just a "wee" bit behind, as baby arrived right on time in November. No surprise to anyone who knows me that the timing has worked this way. I'm thankful for family and friends who love me anyway. Here's just one pic for the proof that I've at least been working on something creative!

I'm enjoying the basket weave, but I've only found time to work on this one while out of town. Now that it's January, I'm going to have to learn to stay home and knit!

As for new year's resolutions, I'll make just one as far as this little corner of my world is concerned: to post twice as many times in 2012 as I did in 2011. Almost there!

Again, hugs and a "Happy New Year" to all. May 2012 bring love and peace.

It's a New Year!

Not only is it a new year, but it's going to be a new month if I don't get busy and finally post something! Hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season. As for me, my winter decorations are still up from last year! Nothing like staying ahead of the game. Still, all has been well on my end, and I've had plenty of fun and travel to make up for the lack of crafting and posting.

However, I did have my rescued cross-stitched piece framed last summer, so I wanted to share the finished piece here.

Most of my framed cross stitch hangs in my dining room, so that's where this piece landed as well. I like the vintage look, the natural linen, and the black design, mat, and frame. The next picture is not the best in terms of angle, etc., but you get a better idea of what the restored piece looks like.

I think it's an improvement over the damaged original.

Here's a detail shot of the simple black frame and mat.

If my memory serves, this is the first piece of cross stitch that I've rescued. But it's not my last! I found another piece in an antique mall over the Christmas holidays. That piece has a couple of stories to tell, so I'll share pictures and those tales in another post. And, who knows, I may be on to something here. More shopping and rescuing may lead to less crafting on my end, but more pictures and postings here!

Enjoy the rest of January 2011 while it lasts!

She Squandered Millions

I took my stitched carriage couple piece apart and took it to the framers (say that 10 times fast). Here's a behind the scenes look with at least one clue to the time period.

The age around the mat is easy to see once I removed the frame.

As expected, the linen was laid flat.

I had wondered about the dark color peeking through the lace openings. There was a partial label in the center that indicated an 8"x10" opening. Looks like this came with the frame, but it's a very thin, slick piece. Not sure what this layer is made of. Not paper. About the thickness of carbon paper. Any ideas?

The best clue, though, was awaiting. I had to laugh when I got to this final layer. This colorful piece was the back piece of cardboard.

I was so impressed and surprised by how beautiful and well-preserved this final layer is. The colors are so pretty. Looks like this backing was cut from a larger movie (?) poster. Any ideas? It was certainly fun to peel back time and end with such a surprise. But more importantly...

I laughed out loud when I read the text. Was the original framer the cross stitcher? The cross stitcher's husband? Was the humor intentional? Regardless, the message certainly endures across the years!

I've Not Been Stitching, But...

I have a confession to make. I've not been stitching, but I have been shopping!

Each year, my sister and I meet in Springfield, OH for a BIG antique show and flea market. I say "big," because out of all the years we've been going, I've only made it to all the vendor areas once - and that's over a three-day period! This year, I got lucky and found an affordable cross-stitched piece that was looking for a good home.

I've seen a number of similar pieces, but none completed on a piece of linen like this with what reminds me of Battenburg lace around its edges.

This looks to have been a stamped design. The stitching is fairly well executed compared to the other pieces I've seen. But I didn't notice the faint marks of a stamped design until I imported my photos. The other stitched pieces I've seen of this nature have a similar horse and carriage theme, and they've all been completed with black floss. I did a quick Google search to see if I could locate any information on the pattern or the time period. Do you know anything about these designs? What do you think - something from the 1950s or '60s? I'd be interested in finding out more.

There is a bit of water damage on the bottom of the mat. And the frame is literally falling apart.

You can see the linen peaking out from the back edges, so I'm guessing the fabric was just laid flat in the frame.

This one will be going to the framers so that it can be properly conserved. After that, I have just the place for it!

And, "what," you may ask, "does a long day/weekend at the Springfield show look like?" Like this closing photo of course!

I certainly don't know where the days go, but here's to a fun summer and a great holiday weekend!

Love Springs

I know we've all heard that "love springs eternal," but for those of us surrounded by snow, sometimes we need a reminder. I spent yesterday at a conservatory and was reminded that spring is on its way.

Happy Valentine's Day!

An Itsy Bit of Etsy

Now that I'm "caught up" on my weaving posts, I'll return to the stitching front.

Last week I noticed that Beth Twist of Heartstring Samplery had posted a new design to her Etsy shop. I fell in love with the border patterns and the sentiment. Such a perfect design for this time of the year! I love the touch of red in the hearts.
I also noticed that Kathy Barrick had also added a number of "old" patterns to her Etsy shop that I needed to add to my collection.

I ordered patterns on the same day, and they all arrived on the same day just a few days later. Fast service! I certainly have new motivation to keep stitching!

As for the little bit of stitching I've done of late, I have just one little motif, in progress, to show from the Mary Wigham sampler. It's been awhile since I've worked on white linen, so I've had to take my time on this one and rip out a few atitches along the way. That's ok. I enjoy the process as much as anything, so the slow go is fine by me.

Hope you are staying warm wherever you may be and enjoying the day!