Erica's Stitches

I finished up the last of the flower blocks I made ages ago and hung them on the clothesline for pictures.  Instantly the wind kicked in. The wind died down long enough for me to get a few pictures. For the first 3 months of the year my focus was finishing old cross-stitch and embroidery kits.  That changed in April.  I joined the Black Forest Arts and Craft Guild .  I've been thinking about it for a while but it was never a good time.  So, I took the plunge and joined.  Instantly my focus changed to "What can I have ready for the May sale?" The first thing I thought of was my flower blocks.  I'd made a quilt for me and hadn't done anything with the rest of them yet.  All the flowers grow in the area and I figure people might want a flower on the wall all year long. So, I've been busily finishing quilts and making brag book covers and lunch bags.  I've also rounded up some spare potholders that I haven't given away or used

If you were going to come up with your own pincushion, what would it look like? I imagined one where a design went all around the edges, in this case an alphabet. It wasn't too difficult.  First, I calculated how many stitches I needed to go around the pincushion.  Then I made up an alphabet that was too large to fit and then started eliminating stitches until it fit.  Notice the A is only 3 stitches wide but the B is 5 stitches.  So, some letters are really small and others are big. I didn't want the top to be completely covered with stitches.  After all, you have to have a place to stick the pins. So, I ended up with a simple X pattern enhanced with the some beads.  I've used something similar in ornaments.  No matter what colors I've used it always looks good when completed. Like the pincushion?  The pattern is for sale at www.patternsonline.com . I came up with my own way of putting this pincushion together.  At least I think so.

Look what I found in my garden.  At first the leaves puzzled me.  Then I remembered a gift of some miniature tulip bulbs. I planted them in the height of a hot, dry summer and promptly forgot about them. What a great surprise. Some of the leaves are a different color.  I wonder what color the flowers will be?

I've got sequins and beads out. And some fabric from the scrap bag. I love the resulting fabric.  It's going to be a book cover.

I've finished another old kit from my stash. It is the Cornflower Accent from Periwinkle Promises .  The pattern was copyrighted in 1997 so I've had it for a while.  Actually, this is my third accent and my guess is they were all purchased around the same time. The Acorn Accent was my first one and I initialed and dated it in 1998. Next was the Antique Accent which wasn't initialed and dated. My guess is that it was finished shortly after the first one.  I vaguely remember working on it while traveling, doing one band every night. After that something else new must have come along because the last kit didn't get done until now.  I know that when looking for a travel project, I'd always consider it.  But then I would decide to take something else because of the beads.  Well, now it's done. Unlike some of my other old kits, this one was easy to find on the web.  In fact, you can still get the kits at the link above.  I was surprised at how may others wer