Happy 4th!

I thought the 4th would be a good time to revive this blog by showing off some July-themed cross-stitch.  Here is a not-so-great photo of a little vignette in my foyer.  Keep reading for better photos and details of the stitched pieces.

This little piece is an old Lizzy Kate Flip-It that I stitched over 10 years ago.  I stitched all 12 months and had a craftier-than-me (she can sew, I can't!) friend finish them with coordinating fabric hangers.  This hangs in my living room on an antique wash stand.

Now for a close up of those pieces displayed in the foyer.......

A patriotic mini stocking designed by Beth Twist of Heartstring Samplery.  I stitched and did the finishing in 2017.  

A cute design by Notforgotten Farms which I stitched for a 2017 Fancy Works Stitch Retreat.  The finishing work was done by me in a retreat class taught by The Queen of Finishing, Vonna Pfeiffer. Vonna has some great finishing tutorials on her website, https://thetwistedstitcher.blogspot.com if you feel inspired to tackle that stack of stitched-but-not-yet-finished projects!

Fourth of July Bird by Heart In Hand stitched many moons ago!

I attended another Fancy Works stitch retreat earlier this year.  I didn't take any classes but I did participate in a patriotic pin cushion exchange.  This is the pin cushion that I received in the exchange.  The lady who stitched this adorable pin cushion told me the name of the designer but I failed to make note of it and now I can't remember what she told me.  If anyone knows the designer, please leave a comment below.

And speaking of the pin cushion exchange, this is the piece that I stitched for the exchange.  The design is by Clytie Anna Designs and was published in the Summer 2017 issue of PNPS Magazine.

Finally, here is a better photo of the other patriotic decor shown in the first photo.  The book is Mary Emmerling's American Country Flags.

One more patriotic piece.....a cute 5" coaster from Mary Hadley Pottery in Louisville, KY.  

Hope you and yours have a fun (and safe) 4th!

Fancy Works Stitch Retreat 2017

Fancy Works is a cross-stitch shop in Bloomington, IN.  Several weeks ago I attended the Fancy Works Stitch Retreat which was held at McCormick Creek State Park located in Spencer, IN.  

I signed up for two finishing classes that were taught by Vonna Pfeiffer.....also known as The Twisted Stitcher.  The patterns for the two classes were emailed to class participants several weeks prior to the retreat so that all stitching could be completed ahead of time. The first class project was a Christmas ornament finishing class.  Here is a photo of the finished project......

            Front 

 

Happy Hearts by Little House Needleworks

       And back....  

  Cute, isn't it?

In the second class, the finishing technique that we learned was flat-fold.  This type of finishing allows a piece to be displayed standing up.  Take a look

          Flag Maker by Notforgotten Farm

In addition to taking these two classes, there was lots of time for stitching on WIPs and/or new projects.  Many tables were set up in the stitching room.

There were also patterns and stitching supplies for sale.....just in case us stitchers needed more stash (never enough stash!).

Here is where I sat (that's me in the blue with my back to the camera....smart!) along with my 5 table mates.  Looks like fun, doesn't it.

Here's what we look like without needle, thread, and fabric in our hands.

From left: Carol (my SIL), me, Joyce, Pat , Claire, and Liz

The six of us had a fun time stitching and getting to know each other.  You do realize that stitchers are some of the friendliest people around. 😋  

Here is a project that I started stitching at retreat.This is Black Capped Chickdee from Heartstring Samplery's The Bird Collection, Part III.

I have since finished the above project and will be posting photos in an upcoming blog post.  In addition to working on this, I brought along this WIP Christmas ornament by Little By Little Design Company from an old Just Cross-Stitch annual ornament issue.  As you can see, it is no longer a WIP!

  Stitching is done.....now I need to work on the finishing part....which should be a breeze after the retreat class that I took!

The retreat was lots of fun.  We stitched, ate, stitched some more, and visited the Fancy Works shop for "souvenirs".  

Over the past year or two, my stitching has been somewhat sporadic.  However, my interest has been renewed after attending the retreat.  Guess it was "just what I needed"!  The Fancy Works folks put on a great retreat.  All participants came home with lots of goodies!  Plans are being made for a 2018 retreat and I'm looking forward to attending!  Wanna go with me?