Do You Remember the Shorebirds?

Do you remember the Shorebird Pincushions I showed you earlier this year? Two 6" x 6" painted, embroidered and beaded pincushions. If you do remember....Thank You so much. If you don't, that's ok....here are some photos of those pincushions. My blogging friend, Vicki, had seen some of my pincushions and asked if I would be interested in contributing one to an auction she was working on for the Ronald McDonald House in her area. I had been reading her blog regularly and was so impressed with her, her knitted bird nests, and all the lovely photos on her blog, including those of the "Gardener" and their travels, that I just had to say yes. So, the Shorebird pincushions were born here in my backyard studio...one for Ronald McDonald, one for Vicki.

If you haven't seen these before...well, I hand paint vintage linen fabric, embroider the birds and whatever I think 'goes' with them, make the pincushion, then bead the edges. It's a long process.
I absolutely love doing the beading and in this post, I included a photo of my 'bead tray' (which is a vintage glass square plate lined with a square of an old Velux blanket I use as a bead mat.
You can buy bead mats in most craft stores these days....but I bought that old blanket from my daughter's garage sale and had enough to make several for myself and all my beading friends, with some leftover.)

I also wanted to show you one of Vicki's knitted bird nests. They are beautifully made with an absolutely glorious array of knitting yarns and other embellishments. You will definitely want to visit Vicki at her blog. It's a delightful place to spend some time. There you can see all the wonderful artwork donated to the auction and perhaps find something you'd be interested in yourself. There were several artists involved...all contributing their time and talent to a great cause, not to mention the many hours Vicki devotes to this event.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend......maybe spending a wee bit of time visiting Vicki and her artist friends. Do take care and have FUN! pat

Vintage Laundry

Today I was looking at some photos I took last week....adding them to the over 20,000 I now have in my archives. When my son gave me my first camera a few years ago I did not think I'd ever actually take a photo I'd show anyone. Not saying you are in luck or anything, but, by reading my blog, you get to see just about all the photos I take! These just tickle me, so I hope you enjoy them too.

Last Thursday, I hosted a 'studio tour.' In December, my guild had a studio tour auction and my friend, Pat C., bid a nice hefty sum and won the tour of my little "Nest." We planned it for April, but remember, I broke two toes....so it was postponed and rescheduled for June 23rd. I had planned a day of looking at all my 'stuff', a tour of the quilt closet and my small home, my daughter's home - where two of my quilts reside, the downtown studio, lunch out, and a small stitching demo. It was a busy day and I think Pat enjoyed it. I know I did.

Show and Tell' tonight is of one of my favorite activities here at the Nest. I have two clotheslines on the front porch of my studio. When I know guests are coming I like to hang 'laundry' on those clotheslines. Vintage laundry it is, usually consisting of pieces I have purchased from various flea markets over the years, or given to me by friends. Having a 'studio tour' seemed like a good time to hang some 'laundry.' Doing this just reminds me of the 'good old days' and makes me smile and hopefully, my guests. I took these photos early in the a.m. I love the way my little studio looks in the early morning light.

I really wanted you to see the vintage dress here. There is also a photo of the hem of that dress. I paid $5 for it quite a while ago. It's usually hanging in my guest room. There is an apron hanging next to it....given to me by my good friend, Jim. I have several of these and this one might be the prettiest. I've shown the hemline of that apron....crocheted lace....just beautiful! I chose to hang some pretty baby clothes, a crocheted glove, an vintage petticoat and a doll pinafore too, all with pretty lace. I hated to take the 'laundry' down at the end of the day, but it's really ok, as I'll certainly do more of it as time goes by.

Sometimes I hang a quilt on the porch. You never know....maybe I'll show you one or two of those in the future. What do you think? Is this too cute, or what??? take care out there, pat

Flowers and an Anniversary

Tonight I thought I'd post something short...it's been a long week and tomorrow is our anniversary. I'm planning on us spending a quiet weekend with not one thing on my 'schedule.' My last posts were too far apart...so something pretty and brief sounded good for me tonight. Oh, by the way.....it's the 45th anniversary for me and that old Navy man. Who knew??? I'm trying to hold out for 50...that's been my plan all along....and I hope we can make it. Opposites attract, that's for sure and with some effort from both of us...we've made it this far. Yea!!!!

So...to celebrate here's some pretty flowers! I love hydrangeas....blue, pink, lavender, white...doesn't matter to me, I love them all. So, the old Navy man and I planted some three years ago. Neither of us have green thumbs....so, it had to be the plants, the soil, or both because we have four quite large, beautiful hydrangeas growing here. All we really did was cheer them along!

I hope you enjoy the photos. Now that I have this new iMac with it's big screen, I can actually SEE the photos and I am really amazed that I, myself, have taken these photos...too cool!!! So, you have a wonderful weekend and we will too! I'll see you Monday or so. Stay cool, pat

"On The Banks of a Stream"

Yes, I've neglected my blog posts. I just hate it, but as I've so often stated....I just run completely out of time some days....or should I say weeks. Sorry to have let you down. Like everyone else these days....24 hours in a day just isn't enough it seems...and there are so many things a person HAS to do, let alone, wants to do. Anyway, I have missed you and always feel so guilty when too much time goes by between posts. I hope you are all well 'out there' and have had some time to enjoy the summer. Yeah, I hear you...you've been busy too!

I wanted to show you the latest project I have finished. Another of those painted and embroidered pieces of painted quilt batting 'appliqued' by embroidery stitches to a painted canvas. I've had several people ask me 'why?' I suppose it seems very strange to paint quilt batting, not to even mention sewing that batting to a painted canvas, but, as I like to say, "WHY NOT?" It is fun. Making these pieces involves quite a bit of time and I expect not everyone wants to spend much time on something like this. As always, I don't seem to mind how much time something takes if I want to make it. Go figure. We all have our 'quirks,' don't we?

I'm going to take a little break from making these, as there is lots for me to do to get ready for the guild retreat in September. LOTS to do! I'll be showing you some of what I'm doing for it as time goes by, and also some things having nothing to do with much of anything...just what comes into my little head. Well, it IS summer, isn't it? I've got some pretty nifty flower photos I'd like to show you...amongst other things.

So, enjoy this look at my latest work. I received an email from a friend of my sister in Texas the other day. She was interested in the piece I recently showed you...."That One Flower" (posted on June 4th). I had to tell her it was SOLD. As you know, I make one of a kind pieces, so there won't be another just like it. That's just the way I operate. Sometimes I feel bad about that, but have no desire to repeat a piece. As I told her....if you have an interest in something I've made, do not hesitate to ask me about it. No strings attached.

This piece is called "On the Banks of a Stream." I actually painted and embroidered the quilt batting for this piece long before the first one you saw....just saved it a longer time before I completed the project. A friend and her husband came to visit Second Saturday Studio on our last opening. They purchased the "One Flower" piece. And, then, much to my surprise, asked about "Spring Flowers"- a project I posted on May 28th. We talked again last week and she asked if they could also purchase both of the quilt batting pieces. I was just thrilled. So, there you are....all three of my last pieces have found a nice new home. I'm so pleased. Thank you so much....cute little family....you know who you are!!!! (I took the two batting pieces for show and tell at my monthly group meeting. One of my friends asked why I had added the text to the piece...you know, I couldn't give a good reason except to say 'because I just wanted to.' Do we really need a better reason??)

I did say I'd do a little 'tutorial' on this technique sometime after September....I've not forgotten. Meantime, I hope you enjoyed this post....and that you are having a very nice summer. See you in a few days for something 'completely different.' Take care out there, pat

PS. I can't seem to get my photos posted in correct order...hopefully, that will be remedied soon.

A Green Pincushion

It's been a long day. A trip to the VA in Little Rock to take my father-in-law for an eye check-up.
Lots of traffic. It's always kind of a long wait there at that hospital. On the way home, there was an accident way ahead, so the traffic crept along. It took us forty-five minutes to get where it normally takes from five to seven minutes. When we got back to his house, the cable guy drove up just as we did. The tv was out because there was a storm on Saturday night. So, we stayed on to make sure all was back in working order. We were all three just worn out. Some days it doesn't take much. I know you know what I mean.

I was determined to post about something tonight....and truth be told my brain is just 'out to lunch' so to speak, so I decided I'd show you a project I made earlier in the year. I was asked to make a green pincushion for friend's 'secret pal' gift. The secret pal's last name is Green and her favorite color is green too. So, I thought a monogram was in order.

This is not the best color green for a photograph. It's kind of a 'sage-y' green. I decided to piece the background, embroider the corners, monogram the letter G in a satin stitch, and as I love to do...bead the edges.

Sometimes I love certain parts of these projects more than others. On this one....I really like the embroidered triangle corners and the beading the best. What do you think?

Ok....time for bed....hopefully to dream up some more ideas for future projects. Hope you have a wonderful night. take care out there, pat

A Visit and a New Computer

Well, here we are finishing up Wednesday already. The last few days have just flown by in a blurr. As you know, my favorite son came for a short visit. Better a short visit than no visit, right? We all had a wonderful time...of course, families all have their little quirks and ours is no different. Everyone wants to talk at once and we try to cram everything into those few hours, so we just wear ourselves out. By the time Scott had to go back home....well, we all needed a good nap!

He arrived at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday....so good to see him. And, he left at noon on Tuesday. He says we may as well live on an island - it's so hard to get here. I'm wondering how many 'kids' think that as they try to juggle their busy schedules to get home to see the 'folks' and deal with all the hassles of travel today. But aren't we glad they want to see us!!

I suppose he was just tired of being my 'tech guy' and helping me with the 'issues' of my old iMac because he brought me a lovely new one. One I can actually SEE! Oh, I can't tell you how much different my photos look to me and even reading the type is a pleasure...so much easier to see. The screen is really big....and WONDERFUL!!! You know...I knew I needed a new one....but had NO clue things were as bad as they were on that old computer and my eyes will love working on this one. He and his sister are tricky....he had it sent to her office so I wouldn't know until he got here...two sneaky people!! (I hear there were other sneaky dear people involved too...hugs to you!!)

So, take a look at the family.....There's me and that old Navy Man (Richard) with our favorite son, Scott, and our daughter, Kelly. They are both so dear!! They are fifteen months apart and so close...it's a pleasure to see them together. I love the photo of the two of them....aren't they just the cutest? Then, there is a photo of me out in the Nest with my new iMac. (Pardon the mess behind me...have I mentioned lately the Nest needs a complete revamp? So much to do...so little time! Hopefully, this fall I can take on that chore.) I just had to snap a photo of Scott sitting at my desk. He spent a lot of time this weekend getting me 'all set up' on the new computer. Of course, it was kind of like trying to 'teach an old dog some new tricks.' Fun, though.

The last photo is one I always take....I call it the 'drop-off' at the airport in Little Rock. I remember when you could go in and sit with your 'peeps' when you took them to the airport and now you just drive up and drop them off. Deprives me of those last few minutes of time...I know you moms know what I mean. So...off he went, back to San Francisco. I missed him immediately, but did get to spend the afternoon with Kelly...she and I went for some 'retail therapy' with Dad going along with us. He even had some pretty good ideas. It was a lovely, lovely weekend! Thank you, my favorite son and daughter!!! take care out there, pat

(For some reason....the user perhaps...my photos did not appear in the order I wanted them in....well, you get the idea anyway! Now to learn how to properly use this new jewel!)

That One Flower

As I sit here writing to you it is 12:41 a.m. Not an unusual thing for me as my sleep habits are quite weird. However, tonight I'm just trying to get several last minute things done as my favorite son arrives at the Little Rock airport at 8:00 a.m. See, told you...weird. I am very anxious to see him as I haven't seen him in fourteen months, but I didn't want the week to end without posting something for you 'out there' - my blogging friends. He has to leave on Tuesday and since I am already thinking it's been too long since I've posted...well, something just has to be done before I go to bed for a few hours or else you won't hear from me til next week sometime. Can't let that happen!

So....here is a little bit of something I finished today at the studio. It has a story, of course.
It's a little abstract painting embellished with embroidery. The actual work is 4" x 6" and the frame is 8" x 10"...not so big. The frame looks black here, but it's really a very dark brown. Now, what you might be saying is something to the effect that you didn't know I did abstract paintings. Of course, I don't. BUT...I just happened to make this one....then embroidered a little flower surrounded by French Knot flowers and some birds. Just like me...kinda weird.
I actually like the odd little thing. The center of the flower is a sequin with a bead in the center. As you can see, not too complicated. (One of my latest FUN things to do is find words or phrases in an old dilapidated book and cut them out to use in collage, etc. I could spend many hours doing a thing like that. And, that is how I found the phrase on the mat......"You may gather every flower." I love that.)

Now, do you want the real story? OK, truth be told, my "abstract painting" is actually part of an old tee shirt I used as a paint rag to wipe my brushes on. I took a good look at it before I was going to throw it away and thought it looked pretty much like the abstract paintings I was seeing. So, it sat around in my little downtown studio until I just had to embellish the thing.
Oh, and just for your info....I did stabilize it by ironing on some fusible interfacing. No idea why on earth I felt it needed to be embroidered...but here it is anyway and it will be for sale next week when Second Saturday Studio is Open. (By the way...in 'real life' the colors are much brighter!)

OK....this will have to do until one day next week. I hope you have a wonderful weekend...I know I will enjoy seeing that son of mine. So, until we meet again....take care, pat