Framing Makes a World of Difference!

Here are a couple more pieces that I stitched but just got around to framing. The first is "Quaker Samplings II" by With My Needle. So much fun to do and if I wasn't such a selfish witch, I'd give it to someone. Oh, wait. I gave away Quaker Samplings I! I think I'll keep this one.


And "Grace Mason Sampler" by Of Female Worth is one of my all-time favorite pieces. I loved every minute...okay, I only tolerated the days stitching over one thread on 40 count...and I am definitely keeping this one. In fact, it's hanging on my living room wall right now.


Now I'm in the mood to start another big project, but I can't. The Christmas Panic of 2010 has ensued. I'm starting on ornaments and I still have one more block + on Shores of Hawk Run Hollow to finish for you-know-who's Christmas present.

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Stitching Friends are the BEST!

Today's show-and-tell includes some amazing stitched pieces that I received this year for my birthday. Now don't get excited and send me all sorts of birthday wishes because it was six months ago! I'm just now getting around to framing these beauties. I want to share them with you and since you can't all stop by my house to ooh and aah over them, these pictures will have to do. (Plus I won't have to check your pockets when you leave.)

MG 1838 is a reproduction by Wild Heart Designs. My friend, Laura, is an amazing stitcher and everything she does is just perfect. I have examples of her work all over my walls! 
 

And my friend, Karen, who apparently requires only about three hours of sleep a night, stitched this precious little sampler for me. Her stitching is perfect...I'm repeating myself, but it's true.

I am truly blessed to know these ladies.

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Busy! Busy! Busy!

I've been a framing fool this week. Although it took a lot longer than I thought it would. I'm not used to framing about a dozen things at once. Assembling frames, cutting foam core, pinning, fitting, taking pics...whew! I'm pooped. I'm not going to post them all at once, so keep checking back. Most are my work. A couple are gifts from some of my VERY good friends...you know, the generous stitching friends that we share so much with.

I'll start with four Christmas ornament designs from K. Elaine Kramer Designs. These designs are not ornaments, but pictures of ornaments. They are stitched on 22 count Janina and are about 5"x8". I stitched these in late 2008 and early 2009 right before I opened my Etsy shop. 

Since then, they have been languishing in my done pile while I decided how to finish them. I finally decided on frames only.

The hardanger and metallics and beads don't show up very well, but you can zoom in, I think.

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Love it When They're Framed

You'd think after almost forty years of stitching, I wouldn't be surprised any more by the splendiciousness (new word, so much more descriptive than "splendor") that a frame adds to a piece of needlework. I finished "Quaker Diamonds" some time ago, but I just now found the time to frame it. So I'm sharing it again. Enjoy. (More to come later this week. I'm on a framing binge.)

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Back in the Swing of Things

I am finally able to spend some time on something other than getting ready for the Oak Island Craft Show. Actually, I've spent the week since the show recuperating and reorganizing. It was fun, sold some stuff, and had a great time visiting with Elaine, of FigTreeBoutique. We shared a booth and a lot of laughs. Now I'm packing up an order for Tracey of Threaded Needle Designs to take to the TNNA needlework market in St. Charles, MO later this month. Check out her beading designs. I recently used Tracey's "Tumbling Blocks" design on a custom order needlecase!  I'm very excited about Tracey being my new distributor. Hopefully, lots of new shops will be carrying TJBdesigns needlework accessories very soon!

And now I also have some time to stitch! Woohoo! My mental health is dependent on it, you know. I put "Shores of Hawk Run Hollow" on the back burner for a short time to work on "Acorn Hill" by Little House Needleworks. I had almost none of the recommended floss colors, so I decided to color outside the lines by choosing some from my extensive stash. Most of the time we buy a chart because we like the colors and how they are incorporated in the design. But we all know that the photo on the cover doesn't always accurately represent the colors. So I didn't even try to find out what the recommended colors really looked like. I chose ones that matched the cover photo. And I'm pleased at what I've come up with. (The colors in the photo of my stitched piece came out a little lighter than they really are.)

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