Monday, June 7, 2010

Another Fun and Productive Week

Happy Monday!  Wow, after trying all day to get into Blogger, it finally worked.  I don't know if anyone else had problems, but I couldn't post or comment since yesterday afternoon.  Thank goodness they got the problem taken care of.  I probably would go through withdrawals if I couldn't read everyone's blogs!  LOL


Last week on my birthday, I read Faye's blog and found out that I had won her giveaway.  What a great birthday present, don't you think?  And what Faye sent is wonderful (all pictures are clickable):

Look at these great things that she sent.  The pincushion is a work of art and I say that because I'm finishing-challenged and admire people that can make such wonderful things.  This pincushion is beautiful and it feels so good.  I asked Faye what she used and she said crushed walnut shells.  I love both the charts so much and that red floss is such a luscious shade of red I can't wait to stitch with it.  I think that Quaker pattern would be perfect, don't you?  Thank you, thank you Faye, I love everything.


Then another piece of birthday fun was a present that I ordered for myself.  Can't have a birthday without buying yourself something, can you?

This is from Eldreth Pottery and someone that I know talked about this plate and before I could run over and scarf the thing up, another "Sister" friend (you know who you are) snatched the plate and it was gone.  But thank goodness the great people at Eldreth Pottery said that they would gladly make another one.  I think this will look good with the A&E Samplers don't you???


Then a mystery package came in the mail.  Just a note telling me thank you for my generosity.  Now I don't have a clue who sent it or what I was so generous with, but look at these goodies:

Oh my goodness am I going to have fun with these or what?  The sender said that she noted that I liked hornbooks and so two of these are hornbooks.  And the other charts I didn't have.  Woo Hoo.  But now I need to know who the sender is.  It's going to bug me unless I find out - I will get to the bottom of the mystery!!!  But thank you, thank you whoever you are!!!


I've been busy in the stitching/quilting area this week too.  I had to put Ann down before she drove me up the wall.  I'm still working on her - putting a thread a night into her.  The background is just a killer - or maybe not - maybe I'm just not in the mood.  So I started two projects - one is almost done so I'll wait until it's finished to show you, but I also started Sarah Seifer by the Goode Huswife:

This is a fun stitch and I got all this done in about two nights - pretty good for me.  Although lately at night I've been burning the midnight oil doing these:

Yep, a whole lot of quilt blocks!  Love, love them.  For some reason I'm going through one of those stages where I don't want to go to sleep at night, so why waste the time!  I'm now caught up through May.  June's arrived right before the holiday weekend so I've got some cutting out to do, but it felt good to get these done!!!
Here's a better picture:

One block among these has to be torn apart because I sewed one square upside down - I think it was about 2:00 a.m. when I was trying to finish it up - the red, green and yellow one in the second row, and one block came out so bad that I'm going to do it over again.  But woo hoo was I glad to get caught up!  I think I've done about 33 blocks so far.  Only 78 more to go!!


Last weekend while I was out with the girls antique/quilt shopping, I picked up a few things and thought that I'd post them now before I forget:

Not much but a few fun things (couldn't afford much - I spent so much at the quilt stores I had to restrain myself somewhere!!!) - a jar of buttons, a cute plate and some thimbles, the two mannequins (although the wire one came from the Salvation Army), some great old spools of thread that I think someone wound newer thread around, but the ends are stamped with some old companies.  And the little toile piece - it has a candle inside, but thought that it would make a good holder for a pin cushion when I burn the candle out.


Then this little beaten set of drawers.  I think someone just slapped a coat of white paint over it, but it works for me!


So it was another great week.  And you know what else was great about it?  Well, look at these pictures - it does a mother's heart proud:


DD wasn't feeling too well yesterday (can you tell by that messy hair?), and she was just moping around the house so I got her stitching.  Pulled out the Ott light, grabbed a chart out of stash, she picked the floss and away she went.  She decided on BBD's Souvenier de France and this is the progress she made:


You go girl!  Does this make a stitchy mother proud, or what?  She's doing a great job!  I told her that we'd sew it together into a pin pillow with a beaded edge.   By the end of the evening she was completely done with the Eiffel Tower and starting on some of the motifs.  She says she loves it.  Oh my happy heart!!!  Now I know that my stash will be in good hands in the future!!


Well that's it for me except for this picture.  Everyone is posting pictures of their gardens and so thought I'd show a couple pictures of my clematis as of last week:


The flowers were just huge this year.  But they're no more.  We had some bad storms come through here this weekend (and tornados south of us) and the winds and rain just blew all those petals off.  But there are still a lot of buds so hopefully it will look like this again.


Oh, and before I forget.  I mentioned Barbie dolls in my last post and was amazed at how many people commented or emailed about those dolls and that they had theirs from when they were young or collected them too.  I'll try to pull some out this week and post them on my next post.


That's about it for me!  I'm hoping to get a lot more quilting and stitching in during the next week.  I'm kind of taking it off for myself before the kids get out of school and the summer games begin!


Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving all your wonderful comments once again.  Now I'm off to try to catch up on two days' worth of posts by all of you.  I can't wait to see what everyone has been up to!!!


Have a wonderful week.

54 comments:

Berit said...

I love it all--Belated Birthday Wishes!

DD's start looks so good! I stitched that puppy for someone and I need to make another for me sometime, lol!

I love those white-washed drawers, too!

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri ~ Boog) said...

What a newsy post! Great start on Sarah; I love that one and am sure that once I see yours, I'm gonna want to copy you! Awesome giveaway from Faye! Isn't that pincushion wonderful!? And how sweet that someone sent you a package because of how sweet and generous YOU are - you deserve it, too!! You are generous and kind!

So happy to see Miss C stitching! She did a great job - she's probably farther along than I am on mine - I started, ran out of thread and quit. Your clematis are lovely - mine were amazing last year - kind of sickly looking this year.

See you Sunday!!!

Cari said...

What a wonderful post! Faye's stash enhancement looks like so much fun! And your mystery gifter...how cool is that? And I'm lovin' your new Sara Seifer start and your QUILT BLOCKS!! They look so darn cute on the bushes!! My personal favorites from your treasure hunt are the wooden spools and the cabinet. Great pieces for the 'stitchey type gal'. And your daughter stitching....wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! Oh, oh, oh....the A&E plate....a fab piece for the A&E wall. You, my dear, have a great week!! Hugs

valerie said...

Congrats on winning Faye's giveaway...and a mystery gifter as well. Wow! You're one lucky lady! Love your start on Sarah and your thrifty finds...how come I never find anything as cool here?! I need to search for an antique mall!

Your A&E plate is fun! It's neat to see young people stitching...glad to hear that your daughter has an interest. :)

Carol said...

Congratulations on your win from Faye--and how nice to have a stitching gift from a mystery friend! At least your insomnia is resulting in some lovely creations--those quilt blocks are great :)

I am so jealous that you have a daughter to stitch with, Deb!! Can't wait to see her little piece all finished up...

Kaaren said...

Super post, Deb!

I can certainly attest to your generosity and so can the anonymous gift giver as well. Well deserved I might add!

Good for your daughter. She has obviously been inspired by her Mom. I wish I had learned to stitch at her age.

Now that A & E plate is to die for. It would look smashing...no pun intended...with your A & E samplers. I love Eldreth pottery stuff. Do you have a shop near you? I've been to the one in Lancaster County, PA several times.

Jackie's Stitches said...

Awww...I'm so glad your DD is stitching! I'm thrilled for you.

Sarah Seifer - I've been looking for her all over. Isn't it a gorgeous piece? I love how yours is looking too. I love your quilt blocks and how you displayed them outside. You clearly have not been sleeping much!

Sharlotte said...

Oh wow Deb! Looks like you are having and will have lots and lots of fun! The stash , pincushion, pins, and quilt blocks look great! Well, it all does!!

Nancy M said...

Great win and nice surprise patterns! Your quilt squares are awesome looking, but the best part of the post is about your daughter picking up the needle! How exciting!

Faye said...

Hey Deb!! Glad you liked your goodies you won!! It did my heart good to see your name when I pulled it out of the hat1! And I LOVE that your DD is stitching!!!

Abother great post of all your progresses and stitching goodies!!

Faye

Myra said...

Happy belated birthday. You got some really nice things. I enjoyed seeing your thrifty finds - love the wire mannequin.

Laurie in Iowa said...

Your FW quilt blocks look awesome Deb. Congrats on getting all caught up.
Yeah to your DD picking up needle and thread. YGG

Rugs and Pugs said...

Deb ~
Oh, that clematis is gorgeous. Hopefully you'll have lots more flowers!
Your quilting is amazing and so is the stitching. No wonder you don't have time to work on your hooking...lol!
DD is doing a great job. That piece is one of the first things I'd stitched in about 20 years!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Margaret said...

Wow, wow, wow!! Love it all! Everything! Wow! I really have to get going on those Farmer's Wife blocks. Yours are gorgeous!!! And having your DD be into stitching -- you are so lucky! My daughter? Nah, nothing doing. My son is interested in what I stitch, but isn't interested in stitching. Ah well. I have to stitch Sarah Seifer sometime too. And I wonder if Eldreth Pottery will end up having tons of requests for that A&E plate now. lol! Love it!

mainely stitching said...

I haven't been getting much sleep lately either, but not by choice. LOL.

Happy belated birthday. Those are some wonderful gifts. But none can compare to seeing your child enjoy some stitching time!! :D

Loraine said...

What a fabulous post! Love all your birthday goodies, and your winnings! Hope you find out who the mystery person is. That would drive me crazy too! Congrats to you.
Your blocks look wonderful. I really need to start cutting mine out! I love the red green and yellow one. It could be your Amish block you know. I would have never known it was stitched wrong if you hadn't said anything!
So happy your daughter loves stitching! That is a wonderful feeling for a mom with lots of stash! LOL
Have a great week! Hugs to you dear friend.

Jennifer said...

Sounds like you had a great birthday! Congrats on all your goodies!
I'm so glad you mentioned the Barbies. (I knew I read about someone who collected them.) I have one in the box for one of Disney Worlds anniversaries. Is this something you might be interested in purchasing?

Catherine said...

What a great post! Love the win from Faye! And the surprise goodies - wow! You'll be busy.

Enjoy all your new things and keep your daughter stitching!

Katrina said...

LOL, you snooze, you have to wait for them to make a new plate ;-). I love mine.

Sarah is gorgeous, one of my favorite pieces I've stitched lately.

Great stash and gifts and quilt blocks too.

samplerlover said...

Hi Deb,
What a wonderful surprise to arrive on your birthday. Both have some really lovely things amongst the gifts.
Your quilt blocks are looking wonderful. I am looking forward to seeing this quilt all put together.
I think your stash will be in good hands. Don't worry.
Great start on Sarah Seifer. - Sandra.

corinna said...

happy late BD
hooray for daughter stitches
momma should be proud

happy stash and love the myriad of quilt blocks-fun

Sylvia said...

Excellent presents! How lucky you are.
Love the pic of your daughter stitching - yes, it does make a mother proud.

mbroider said...

Belated Birthday wishes!! And i like it when people win things around their birthdays. It brings out the child in us, I feel!!

I am so happy you found the plate. It is made for your and your Adam and Eve wall, if you ask me, LOL.

And your daughter!! Sure, she has done you proud and all of us for a promise of taking forward the legacy!!

Marjo said...

I love your quilt squares. They are beautiful. Your shopping finds are so fun. The stitching is great. That plate will make a great addition to your A&E stitching. It is a cute plate.
Marjo

Lois said...

Love your new start! Those quilt squares are looking great. What a nice A&E plate, it will be perfect with your A&E's. Great shopping finds, a lovely package from a mystery sender and a very nice giveaway win.

Great pics of your daughter stitching. My daughter loves to see what I'm stitching but, as yet, has not felt inclined to lift a needle and join me.

Isabelle said...

What a beautiful and interesting post : many beautiful presents for you : it is really great !!
Your DD made a lovely stitching : you must be proud of her :-)
Have a nice week,
Isabelle

Lainey said...

Belated birthday wishes. Beautiful give-away gifts from Faye and your lovely stuff in your mystery package.
The quilt squares are looking fab, can;t wait to see them made up.
Your DD is doing a wonderful job on her stitching, hope she has caught the bug.
Love your new start and the Clematis in your garden is stunning. It is one of my favourite flowers. Thanks for sharing.

KarenV said...

You've been busy Deb! All the quilt blocks look fantastic and I love your start on Sarah Seifer. The A&E plate is just fabulous and will be perfect with your A&E stitching :)

Love that purple clematis - I think we might have that one, or something very similar - just beautiful!

Annie said...

Happy Belated Birthday. You really received some great treats in the mail.

Your quilt blocks look so gorgeous laid out like that. Looks like so much fun with all that variety.

Love that sweet little chest of drawers. That was a good find.

Glad to see a younun' carrying on with stitching fever!

Siobhán said...

I think the best part of your post are the pics of your daughter stitching! Way to go!! I can't wait to see the finished product. Love your Eldreth Pottery plate. I love love love all things Eldreth. Nice start on Sarah, and love the new stitching stash! I wasn't too pushed on the Farmer's Wife quilt but the blocks you just finished really made me fall in love. Can't wait to see more!

Alice said...

Belated birthday wishes! I love that little chest of drawers; I can't seem to resist containers. I really like your quilt block pictures, they are so bright and cheerful. I am glad to see your dd is getting hooked on stitching. I tried a few years ago with mine and got nowhere. I will keep trying though.

the striped rose said...

Congrats on all the new stash! And on the daughter stitching!

Bertie said...

Happy Belated Birthday and love all your presents!!
The A&E plate is just gorgeous, so original.

The hornbooks are lovely, will have to get my hands on the Kelmscott ones. The Maryland hornbook looks wonderful, what a great surprise for you.

Glad to see your daughter loving needlework, especially the Eiffel, love it!! and indeed to leave your stash in good hands.

Cole said...

Great post! Great gifts, great progress, great pictures, great legacy!! LOL Hope your DD is feeling better :)

Giovanna said...

Wonderful stuff, all of it! It's good to see someone from the new generation stitching :-)

Mel said...

I can finally comment! :)
Those blocks are lovely.

That is sooo exciting about your daughter. :)
I am the daughter of a stitcher who taught me so it's nice to see it carry on.

Missy Ann said...

Ooooo, that plate is *nice*. As always the quilt blocks are wonderful, such a cute shot of them all laid out on the bushes.

Charlene ♥ NC said...

Congrats on your winnings, gifts, and finds! Way to go. Must be joyful extreme to see your dd stitching something so pretty!

Alice said...

Lovely goodies from Faye and yes, the pincushion is lovely. I sure like your A&E plate. Very sweetly painted. More goodies and what fun! I would also be curious about the identity of this person. We are both on the Goode Huswife and Sarah Seifer is also a project I would like to do in this lifetime. I started with the Bird keeper. That sure is a lot of quilt blocks. It looks addictive. : ) I had better not get started but its real eye candy. I like all your antique shopping and that little chest of drawers is real cute. Its great that you got your daughter stitching. Of course you are proud and she already has a finish! Well done! ; ) That clematis sure is beautiful. Tell me about awful weather. I think the best time to visit France is from end of July onwards. Its been three years in a row that it cannot stop raining all through to July.
Alice
xxx

K-G Knitter said...

Happy Birthday! You're right, Faye's gift was just wonderful, and I LOVE all those quilt blocks. Makes me want to break out the Singer. Your DD's work is lovely, she must come by it naturally! :)

Sue-Anne said...

Happy Birthday Deb!!! You got some wonderful goodies in the mail.
I love your patchwork blocks and your clematis is stunning.

MyLifesAStitch said...

Yay for you on the win from Faye! Great pin cushion!

And the mystery gift! How awesome is THAT??? You deserve it, my friend, for you are, indeed, a sweet and generous lady. :)

Sarah is lookin' good so far! Can't wait to see more!

My favorite part of this post, though?? Catie stitching!! Yay!!! 1) How adorable is she?? 2) How awesome will it be if her stitchy interest doesn't wane and you have your very own in-home stitching companion?? Leah has been begging me to let her stitch some "pretties" for well over a year now... I'm hoping if I can put her off for another year or two a) she'll still be interested and b) it'll seem like a super special "big girl" treat so she'll want to do it all the time with me.

That said, Catie is doing a fantastic job!! What awesome progress! Looks like she's a speedy little stitcher just like her momma. Please be sure to post the finish. I'd love to see how it turns out!

Littlebit said...

First of all, Happy late Birthday! I should have saved your wonderful, newsy post for morning coffee! Love, love, LOVE that plate! And your sampler..and..and..Your clematis are absolutely stunning. I must get me some of that color..I'm such a pink person--when I'm not green--and have hardly any pinks in my gardens. I know how good you must feel having your daughter stitching. I won't tell you where Paulette's first stitched piece ended up, but feel free to ask her. LoL!

Mylene said...

Belated Happy Birthday Deb! What great goodies-win and surprises- you received and the Eldreth Pottery fits perfectly with the A&E samplers.

Your DD is doing a wonderful job. I hope she is feeling better by now.

wow! those clematis looks gorgeous!!

woolwoman said...

WHAT a great post Deb ! happy happy belated b-day - love your A&E plate from Eldreth - it's a beauty! OH OH - that farmers quilt is coming along - I love your fabric choices - are you using mostly stash or buying all new? I couldn't remember if you were doing block of the month on this one or how it was run? Your gifties from Faye are wonderful and the mystery gift if awesome too - you have wonderful friends! lovely new start on Sarah - will have to go back and read again - great post ! Melody

Katherine said...

Awesome grab and stash Deb! I'm so glad your daughter likes stitching. I have no daughters, but managed to get my daughter in law interested and taught her. We don't share the same designer likes, but it does give us common ground and that's important.

TinaTx said...

A belated happy birthday to you! Congrats on your daughter stitching - my two youngest boys tried it once, just to prove they could do it. My DIL asked me to teach her and I think she was enjoying it, but she has been so busy the last few years she hasn't had time - I'm hoping she will pick it up again sometime in the future.

Sherry :o) said...

great post, Deb! I love the A&E plate to go with all your stitched pieces. And happy birthday!! wow, a mystery package - it would bug the heck out of me...love the pin cushion too - bring it Sunday so I can see it, if you want...forgot to ask Terri to bring her new cushion... Have a great week before kiddies are out of school. My son is done tomorrow. Joy!

Hazel said...

Happy belated birthday! What a fab post. So much to comment on. Love the pic of your dd stitching. It is so great to be able to share your hobbies together. Great A n E plate as well. What a great find. x

Karoline said...

Lovely start on Sarah & all your quilt blocks look great.

You got some lovely finds. How great that your DD is getting into stitching

Anonymous said...

Hello guys,

My name is James and I am from Stirling in the United Kingdom. I have freshly discovered this forum and I like it alot.
I am a bit shy so I wont write much about myself but maybe when I will get more confortable, you guys will get to know me better!
My main hobbies are playing chess and watching movies. I also like outdoor activites but the temperature has been bad for the last weeks or so here in Stirling in the city|.

I was wondering if someone else here is from the UK too?

I am happy to have joined this forum!
Have a nice day!
:)

James

PS: I apologize if this was posted in the wrong section. I could not find the right one!

Anonymous said...

Hi guys,

My name is James and I am from Stirling. I have recently discovered this forum and I like it alot.
I am a bit shy so I will not write much about myself but maybe when I will get confortable, you guys will get to know me better!
My main hobbies are astrology and watching movies. I also love outdoor activites but the temperature has been bad for the last weeks or so here |.

I was wondering if someone else here is from the united Kingdom too?

I am happy to have joined this forum!
Cheers!
:)

James

PS: I apologize if this was posted in the wrong topic. I could not find the good one!

Anonymous said...

Hi guys,

My name is Daniel and I am from Stirling in the UK. I have not long ago discovered this forum and I like it very much.
I am a bit shy so I wont talk much about me but maybe when I will get more confortable, you will get to know me better!
My main hobbies are playing piano and watching movies. I also love outdoor activites but the temperature has been horrible for the last weeks or so here |.

I was wondering if anyone else here is from the UK too?

I am glad to have joined this forum!
Cheers!
:)

Daniel

PS: Sorry if this was posted in the wrong section. I could not find the right one!

Unknown said...

I see you have two new visitors to your blog :-)

What a great post. I love the picture of your daughter stitching - how fun to watch her enjoy one of your favorite pastimes. Poor Ann - I hope she makes it back to front and center soon (I keep cheering for her). Love your new start and the quilt blocks are beautiful.

Congrats on winning Faye's giveaway - love the red fiber. And your new plate is fabulous!
Did you find out who RAK'd you? How fun to receive surprises!

Enjoy your weekend.