With the strength of my needle I work on my piece

With attention, patience and kindness

When it is finished I will give it to you

To display and dispel the blindness

For the affection that I stitch into each little piece

Is for you as this is my prayer

That when you are down and needing a friend

My love will always be there

A Needle's Strength

I wish you all the strength you need to change the world with the movement of your needle.

Stella.

Winter Welcome

Anywhoo… here it is. This little number by Easy Street Designs is perfect for beginner and advanced cross stitchers too.  It is a simple design that will work up in just a few hours, but it is oh so fabulous.  It is done on 18 count linen so the work would be easy on those tired eyes that just have to get a few more stitches in before bedtime.

There is another thing that I like about these charts, the finished size is only 3 1/2 x 9 1/2 so they won’t cost you a ton to make or they can be stitched on scraps of fabric that you may already have. (wouldn’t it be divine to see this on a midnight blue?)

I’m personally thinking that this would be a great gift item for the holidays, since it can be hung right away and stay up until Spring.

You can purchase a download of the pattern Winter Welcome from Festive Finale at www.festivefinale.com.

Easy Street has an Autumn Welcome out and from what I understand (through people I know) there is a Spring and a Summer to come very soon.

But enough about me (at least for the time being – because I happen to be my favorite subject). My second favorite subject is needlework! I mean, really, with a name like “Stitcher” I have to be good, right? It was destiny. So today I am taking over this blog so that I have a place to talk about me, life and, of course, stitching.

But now, I have to run to take my kid to band practice. See you soon and I look forward to sharing everything I find with you!

As mentioned in an earlier post I was one of 50 participants in the Ikea Project Patchwork Challenge. This was an exciting challenge where I was able to support the outreach programs of the Textiles Center here in Minneapolis.

For a limited time quilts will be available through the Textile Center Online Shop.

As promised earlier, here is a photo of my completed quilt, and a few more of the detail.

Marigolds are my husband’s favorite flower. They germinate earlier than the others that I planted and I am glad I will have them to color my yard with.

I came home to find little shoots from most of the other flowers.

I hope they continue on like the marigolds. It will be wonderful to have a burst of color all through the yard without having to spend more then the dollar it cost me to do this. It snowed here yesterday and is cold today, so these little ones still have a while to grow before being placed out side.

For a week or so it seemed I pulled more stitches out then I put in. I was sure I could have finished the jacket twice by this time, if I hadn’t been having problems with the pattern. Then, I sat with paper and pencil and mapped out the changes and how to handle them. After that things went a bit easier and I was able to finish the back.

Everything looks ok for now. I have measured this up against another jacket and it seems like it will fit ok. However, I am not sure about the type of sleeves that it has and will only know when it is completed. I am usuing Lion Brand One Pound of Love in Antique White. The reults are soft and pleasing, even with this inexpensive yard. Now onto the front.

This was the first time I saw the falls in the spring. It was a bit chilly, but most of the ice has already melted away. If you have never ventured out into the cold to see the Falls in the winter or spring I highly recommend it. It is a beautiful sight you can only get that time of year.

On the streets of Ann Arbor, MI this past weekend we found the ultimate green car. Not the type of car that you probably were thinking of when you heard “green” but anything that grows such beauty from it must be good for the environment, and not just our moods.

A beautiful, inspiring piece of art and the perfect thing for the gardener who hates to get the neighbor to water her plants when she is away.

Last week I visited my parents. There is no surprise as to where the sweet tooth came from. Each and every day, as I opened the refrigerator I was greeted by this:

This piece of pie sat in the fridge and mocked me….for days! FINALLY someone ate it.

This wasn’t the only sweet thing available while I was there. Other items came in and were eaten throughout the day.

This wasn’t all. These were just the highlights. I didn’t take pictures of the candy, cookies and other stuff.

As hard as it was I managed to survive through the experience without eating any of it (even though I had nighmares about sweets). Kudos for me.  You are not alone in your efforts to improve your life. Trust me on that one.  It might seem hard. It might seem like you are the only one in the world doing what you are doing, but you can do it.

This is a fabric by Charter Fabrics, Inc. I purchased it years ago and held onto it, always intending on making a skirt out of it. I think the Moderne Jacket will look perfect with it. With fabric in hand I headed to the store.

After 3 visits to the store and reading the logs that people put on the Lion Blog I thought I might go a little more daring than a plain color for the jacket. I picked Vanna’s Choice Dusty Purple and Mustard. The colors matched perfectly.

After corcheting my swatch, I realized it was a bit too funky for me.  (and my hisband) Then, I thought, “No problem. I will just do the jacket in just the Dusty Purple.”

Have you ever noticed that the moment you say that something is no problem there is going to be an issue? Of course, I couldn’t get enough of the purple in the same dye lot to complete the project. On to plan “B”…pick a different kind of yarn.

After going to 4 more stores I gave up on my skirt fabric. Maybe next time.

I finially settled on knitting with a basic yarn at minimal cost. I chose the Lion Brand Pound of Love in Antique White. (it will take two pounds for this jacket.) Total cost of yarn: $11.98. Crochet hooks: $4.47 (I bought a 3-pack to make sure I had the right size).

Onwards I go.