Feeling Stitchy Button Swap

The feeling stitchy button swap is on its way.  I have been so excited to embroider buttons and to come up with new ones to make.  I spent most of Saturday thinking of new buttons and embroidering a few.
Here are a few of them that I am not sure if I will swapping so I thought I could show them off.

My favorites I came up with are are the VW Bus and the Lava Lamp.  I also made of few of my old standbys that I list in my etsy shop the mushrooms, turtles and aliens. 

Are you in the swap?  What have you come up with?  I am always amazed by what everyone comes up with.
Close-up of the buttons.

~B

My Mom's Embroidery

Garden Girl  Mother and Daughter  Woman and Bird  Little Girl with Doll

My Mom embroidered these for me from a kit in the 70's when she was stuck home with my brother and I the first time we had chicken pox. I had chicken pox first, then my brother got them then my Mom got them for the third time. On another note my brother and I also had chicken pox a second time in 1990. This time he gave them to me. I still think it was revenge but I overlooked it this time.


I have had these girls hanging in my room since I can remember and when my parent moved into their new home about 4 years ago my Mom gave them to me. I was pretty excited. I also got 4 little boys that used to be my brothers. He did not want them at least not right then, if he ever does I will give them to him I guess. You remember he gave me chicken pox for revenge so I deserve them right? I totally agree thank you for your support.

They are all done in crewel work I think. It is all wool floss and so cute. The amazing thing is in the back of them are the pattern. You know what that means? I will be sharing some of them soon. I scanned one this morning before I left for work but forgot to send it to myself so check back later on tonight and I will have it posted to this entry.

Did anyone else's Mom or Dad make something similar? I would love to see it.

~B

Edited to add the scan of the pattern with diagram. 

Also Rectangle is right my Mom did say it was like a tupperware party but for needlework. I completely forgot about that.  To bad they do not have those things now.  I would totally go to those.

Is it Spring Already?

I am starting to wonder if it is spring already.  Here it is the middle of February and my tulips are starting to peak their lovely heads up and my grass is getting greener by the minute.  I even have my doors open because it is 50 degrees out today.

You all have me to thank for it because while I was embroidering this sweet butterfly I kept wishing for spring.  I am so glad I have those kinds of powers now to embroider something and wish to win the lottery.  Well...I can prend can't I?

This was a pattern I shared back in January it is from Vogart 692.  It is done a hankerchief that I plan to keep for my self.  It matches my gawdy purse so well.

I did do something really stupid when transfering this pattern that I plan to tell you all about.  I had read in one of my vintage magazines that when transfering flowers with lazy daisies to just put a dot at the top and bottom of the petal and then the line will not show (are you seeing where I might be going?).  So I was like hey that is a good idea and this one has lots of lazy daisies and what could be a better plan.  Right?  Wrong!!  I dotted all the tops and bottoms of the petals and was so proud of my cleverness.  I even transferred the pattern, of course still not seeing the problem.  (How thick can I get?)  I sit down to pick out my colors still nothing and then I go to make the first stitch and I am like hey both wings are all dots.  I had no idea where which flower started and which one ended.  I ended up having had to keep the pattern with me at all times in order to look at it and then start stitching. So needless to say it is a good idea but not then the whole pattern uses lazy daisies. 

Well there you have it just one of the stupid things I do on any given day.  Hope it amused you as much as it amused Brian.   So now that I have shared you do too.

~B

Transfer and 100th Post Winner!

This sweet smelling puppy is from Vogart 625.  I am missing about half of these patterns I keep hoping to find the rest but I have been unsuccessful.  I am inspired by this pattern today because I need to give my pup a bath I just wish she sat so still for her like this little sweetie.  I will end up taking a bath with my pup.  I call her a pup but she is a 12 year old Bassett Hound not a pup anymore but she is still my baby and do not want her to get old.

Congratulations to Drewzel  on being the 100th post random winner.  Please email me at bekahv@gmail.com with your address, your wrist size (I will be blogging about this adventure soon), and your favorite color.

~B

Granny Squares and Pin Curls

My Mom went to Idaho with some school friends and came back with this wonderful wrapping paper.  It has 3 sheets of hexagon granny squares (can a hexagon be a square?).  I am in love with it but not quite sure what to do with it.  One option is to buy a corkboad and cover it with the paper to use as decoration in my crafty corner.  The other option is to let is sit on the the roll just to look at and never use.  I have a hard time doing that, I want to use everything life is to short. 

{To be entered into my give-a-way: comment on this post to give me an idea what to do with with my new paper. You have until Tuesday February 16, 2010 at 5:00 pm PT to enter.  You will win some vintage patterns and some other stitchy goodies to be determined.  It is open to everyone, I will ship internationally.  You can get extra entries if you put this on your blog.  Just send me an email bekahv{at}gmail.com and let me know where you posted it.}

Pin Curls - Have you done them??  I had not until Monday night.  I am not sure what got into my head but I decided I was tired of my long straight hair and I did not want to cut it all off so I looked up ways to add curl that would stay.  I have stick straight fine hair all terrible things to have if you want curly hair. 

I used this tutorial, it worked very well.  A little to well to be exact, on Tuesday morning it was super curly (think Shirley Temple and poodle combined) and I used to much product so it was gummy and gross.  Then on Tuesday night I washed my hair and set it again.  This time new hair product (Fiber Gum Putty) and larger pin curls, it worked better, but still to curly.  This bring us to last night and this morning.  Better it is lighter and curly but no so curly it makes me look like a poodle.  I like it and it is less work than hot rollers and it stays in all day.  I mean all day no hair spray.  This might be the start of a beautiful friendship.  The picture is after an 8 hour work day and it is raining outside too. I am impressed.

Now to figure out how to style it so far the curls are great but the crown needs a bit of body.  Any ideas?  Should I get more layers ad bangs?  hmmm to many choices.

{Do do not forget to post your suggestions for the paper to be entered into the give-a-way.  Have a wonderful night.}

~B

Peaceful Day

This transfer seems so peaceful to be the guy in the boat floating on the lake.  This transfer was so big I had to piece it together so I apologize for any wonky bits that to not connect up.  I tried my best.

I just realized that yesterdays post was my 100th post I will be doing a give-a-way soon keep yours eyes peeled for it.

~B

Dog Gone Weekend

I had a very fun weekend.  On Friday I was a band widow again so I contacted my sister-in-law and asked if my niece could come over to bake doggie treats with me.  She is a fanatic about dogs.  She reads all the books she can on dogs and let me tell you if you say the wrong thing about a dog you will get corrected.  It is so funny.  Since she got a new dog this winter she has been dying to make treats for her so we decided since we have so many dogs in our family we should make them all some treats. 

We made 5 sheets of doggie treats and our poor copper hardly got any, since there were 6 other dogs that we were making treats for.  So far all of the dogs have gone crazy for the treats.  It is a recipe from The Professional Pastry Chef.  I love this book but all the recipes make hug portions and sometime I do not feel like doing math just to bake so it comes out only about twice a year but now I think we might bring it out more so we can bake some doggy cookies as we kept calling them.

I still think she just comes over to play Animal Crossing.

How was everyone's weekend?  What did you do?

~B

Feeling Stitchy Button Swap

Feeling Stitchy is having a first every swap and it is a Button Swap. 

Go check it out and sign-up I know I will be.

New Knitting Bag and Other Goodies

I have ordered the most awesome knitting bag ever and to top it off I can now carry my embroidery hoop and projects with me all the time.  My old purse was getting worn out and I could not put embroidery projects in it.  I was pretty excited to see how much I could shove in my new bag it also has body strap so I can just sling it around and off I go hands free.  The purse is a namaste bag and they also have the most wonderful project bags too. 

As you can see I have already put two of them to good use.  I am thinking of buying another set of these.  They are a tight weave and so far the embroidery needles do not even fall out of it.  That is a super plus.

Now I just have to plop my purse on the couch and I am ready for any project I feel like. I really like that.

Lately I have been in a Jane Austen mood I have in the last week and a half I have read Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion as well as watch the movies on Netflix watch instantly.  I have newly discovered North and South (not the civil war one) and Wives and Daughters I now have to buy these movies.  Stupid Netflix I never get any sleep now and it makes me wish I had an XBox in our bedroom so I could watch their movies in there.  Oh well I am getting lots of projects done.

What do you watch while you stitch?  I am always curious what other watch or do while they stitch.

~B

Workbasket: Dutch Boy and Girl

Happy Ground Hog day everyone.  I really did try to find a ground hog transfer but I do not have one.  I do hope you will enjoy this little Dutch Boy and Girl better.

I think it would be so cute just all done in blue.  My Mother in Law and one of my Sister in Laws love these patterns I do see a set of them in their future for Christmas. 

Enjoy.
~B