Say "HELLO" to Curly Mopped Raggedy Ann

Usually I treat my followers or first time readers to the finished project.....BUT not this time.   I am so very pleased with the appearance of this iconic little girl that I had to show her off NOW.


This completed creation is titled  Things are Sweeter When Shared With a Friend  aka Raggedy Andy.

The sweet "thing" is the pink stripped lollipop just half shown...any guess as to holds the other licks?

This is MY VIEW of work in progress...one quarter of the otherwise blank and very white aida cloth.  Ever so faintly do you detect the thread line that divides into the working sections?  

Please do continue to view my updates as I floss away every day....especially now in the unrelenting heat wave....were Raggedy Ann for real her fluffy red mop would be plastered to her cherub face...thank you AC inventor :)

PILLOW TALK WITH PEONIES

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This detailed pillow stitch began about a year and a half ago when I promised two fine gentlemen something special for their kitty's sofa space... "please size it so: indicating a  10" x 8" size....AND this flosser aims to please!

         Aiming to please I had to be very creative and "mathematical" by sizing down a  much larger design to the essential most colorful area...challenging YES but accomplished successfully.  To add that one- of -a - kind touch an elegant teacup decorates the bottom left hand corner.

          What did I use as my palate?  It is a placemat....allowing the perfect and natural sectioning.

          Just  love the shades of pink, purple and off whites that became the peonies.  Blending in the sprigs of forsythia were strokes of flossing fun.

         

As I neared the end of my design my thoughts turned to the pillow and finally a trip to the local Hobby Lobby where the finds of cloth and stuffing became reality.

           As I hope to convey most of my "labors of love" take planning, perseverance and lots and lots of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.   Just a visual way of saying there is and will be a time lapse between blogs as I floss away everyday.

           FYI : any day now I will be receiving a kit of RAGGEDY ANN and ANDY to be a gift for my daughter and her little person loft nook.   In the down time I am stitching a gift for myself - a lap quilt of birds.   Stay read ready for the final results.

          

           

REFLECTIONS.... On Long Walks

Looking Back...the threads of Switzerland

What better time like the present to reflect on the "threads" of my love to stitch.  Two very brown eyed, chocolate lovers contributed to my flossing obsession: Grandma Mina and Mom Marie.  In fact if my grandpa(gent in the background) had had his wish [thanks to mom it was declined] I would be "Mina two".  Grandma Mina was a crocheting, hem stitching, and tatting kinda lady.  In fact during the Great Depression her sewing endeavors provided income for the family.  Mom would walk the many, many miles to deliver the finished works to the customers.  No wonder I have persevering genes plus brown eyes, plus love chocolate, plus my Jersey accent.  It was mom who introduced me to embroidery.  "Remember Susan, the back of your piece should look as attractive as the front."  Yep, mom would be proud of her daughter.  Grandma Mina was also an enthusiastic gardener...I tend to be a bit more practical with my low maintaince shrubs and dare I admit plastic floral in my very sunny side planters.  I just thought I heard a "tsk, tsk" with a Jersey accent from a heavenly direction.   I have also decided on my next project: an arrangement of peonies for a pillow cover to grace the sofa of  two great friends.  Goal to have completed for my next trip to Wisconsin in early May.  The challenge at the moment is to sort thru all the color threads and correctly label them with their icons.  Prep time saves stitch sweat time!

Chantilly Tea

Creating a theme gift that will please another really stirs my "flossing" juices.  There is a lovely lady who just turned 90, loves Chantilly perfume and a good cup of tea.  My goal was to combine all these ingredients into a one-of-a-kind gift.   The cross stitch is a 5x7 teapot, two mugs of steaming tea, and a spray of pansies.  I love the border's checkered design.  The over sized teacup presented the opportunity for the flower arrangement [great finds at the local dollar store].   Cutting up the packaging provided the label amongst the posies.  What to do next?  Guess I will just go thru my stash and see what catches my "mind's eye."

Taking the First Stitch

Still in my pjs and I decided to venture forth in this world of blogging and share my love to create with floss and my resulting creations. It will take many starts and stops before I get into the groove but I do follow the motto "stress the positives" and I will succeed !   I chose my scene of the floating balloons as a way to paint the view of the places I intend to go with each in and out of the needle.   Come fly away with me into this wonderful world of crossstitching.