The Stitching Thread

I realized this morning that I have a one year blogaversary coming up on June 3rd. Pretty cool! My goals for this blog have been very simple:

° share my love of needlework with like-minded souls

° write about “new-to-me” discoveries of interesting needlework related topics in hopes that they may be new and interesting to others as well

° share my thoughts on creating, crafting and what inspires me to want to design

° not post about negativity - there’s far too much out there already without me adding to it

I think I have remained true to my intentions. During this last year, I have found some really wonderful blogs that I read all the time because they provide me with their own special form of inspiration. There are so many talented people out there that have a desire to create and share their passion for needlework as well.  I am thankful to be a small part of it and I am humbled to know that what I write about has had a following for this past year. 

I’ll have to spend a few moments to come up with a list of finished projects that I have worked on this past year. I wonder if the number of stitches were put end to end, just how far around the world they would travel? I worked on a valentine’s bookmark for The Gift of Stitching Magazine this February. I thought it was just remarkable that my bookmark traveled by airplane and truck to Australia and back. I only wish that someday I could go myself! 

So, between now and June 3rd, I’ll have to think of something special to mark the one year blogaversary.  A contest? A stitch-a-long? Any thoughts folks?

Medeiros Needlecraft Design

I know it’s not much to look at, but I started stitching a new design last night that I’ve had in the works. I have had a perpetual question asked of me by a shopowner friend who lives locally about “when am I going to design a basket with hydrangeas? ” Think Cape Cod and you will find hydrangeas and Nantucket Baskets. Well, here it is finally Barry!

This design is stitched on Aida cloth. All whole cross stitches and not a quarter or three-quarter stitch to be found. I have a wide range of very similar colors to speak all by themselves about the beauty of a hydrangea flower without the need for extensive backstitching.  I started a swatch card for myself so that I can tell all the different blues apart from one another when I stitch. It’s going to look funny as I stitch, but I have about twelve needles threaded with all the different colors parked and noted on my swatch card. With a little organization, I figure I will lessen my chances for making mistakes in working with all the colors. Also, I think the stitching will actually go quicker for me by keeping separate needles threaded with their own colors. I’ve never parked this many needles before, but this design needs some careful attention to color choices especially when stitching at night and eyes get tired.

Today and tomorrow have wonderful rainy days in store for us in my area, so I will be happily stitching my days away inside. Off to stitch I go!

Medeiros Needlecraft Design

Technorati Tags: cross stitch, hydrangeas, baskets
 

Here’s the newest crazy quilt block I’ll be working on this month in honor of my Mom. I have so much fabric given to me by her. The question has always remained with me about what to do with all the scraps and cut pieces. Our fabric choices are like night and day of course. She always chose florals and prints with what I would call “odd” patterns. Not something I would buy, but she found something special about each fabric print and used them in her quiltmaking with stunning success. I’m drawn more towards solid colors, pastels and very subtle smallish prints. I’m just not a splashy, flower print gal I guess.

My crazy quilt block works with some of the pre-cut strips and blocks that I thought would work well together. It also uses two of the fabrics with rose motifs from the fabric stash.  I ordered some 4mm silk ribbon from Vikki Clayton’s Hand-dyed Fibers. Marsh Grass, Sage, French Artichoke, Huckleberry, and Dusty rose are the silks I will use and work my ribbon embroidery stitches. I am looking forward to working this design and I have no idea where it will go, but I will certainly enjoy the time I will spend on it.

Medeiros Needlecraft Design

Technorati Tags: roses, crazy quilt, embroidery

I visited the library yesterday evening to find some new reference books for ribbon embroidery.  I probably won’t put any more of these embellishments on my current crazy quilt block, but I wanted to study up for the next block. I hope to put the finishing touches on this block over the weekend and I will perhaps start a new one if time permits.

I already own the American School of Needlework’s “Encyclopedia of Ribbon Embroidery Borders” and it is a wonderful resource book to have on hand. On my library venture yesterday, I found “Slendid Silk Ribbon Embroidery - Embellishing Clothing, Linens & Accessories” by Chris Rankin. I like to study a book first before I invest in it as a reference for my own book collection. This one is a must have I have to say! Beautiful projects with wonderful embroidery work and photography.

I also checked out an older book with many embroidery stitches to try and a new title I’ve seen recently called “200 Braids to twist, knot, loop, or weave” by Jacqui Carey. This is a comprehensive book on cords and braids, well put together with detailed and easily explained instructions. I might try my hand at some of the cords to add to a quilt block. That might be fun and I quite possibly may get my kids involved in this activity as well. They have both made friendship bracelets and liked that activity, so a step up might intrigue them.

Medeiros Needlecraft Design

Technorati Tags: ribbon embroidery, embellishment, crazy quilt, needlework
 

In the June issue of The Cross Stitcher Magazine look for my new Spring Garden Fairy Bookmark design. Quick to stitch up, this design features a lovely garden fairy and her blue forget-me-not flowers for your favorite book for summer reading.  A joy to stitch with light, spring colors.

Medeiros Needlecraft Design

Technorati Tags: spring, bookmark, cross stitch
 

An update on my crazy quilt block is due. I have experimented with some composite band stitches that are new to me: Interlaced chain stitch, twisted lattice band, and the fancy herringbone stitch. The last is just a beautiful stitch band when you choose interesting fibers to work with that have contrasting qualities like thick vs thin or silk vs blending filaments. One of the parameters that I set for myself with this block was to choose fibers that have variegated colors that I can play with that match the colors of the fabrics. 

I snuck in bits of time here and there over the last week to work on a row or two. Last night I crocheted an Irish Rose in a variegated green and white color and worked it into a space where the embroidery creates a pretty arc. I think another rose in a lavender and white would look nice for the top area to balance the block a bit. I also experimented a bit with ribbon embroidery.  Just a small section as I have limited bits of ribbon in my stash. I’ll have to go on a shopping venture to hunt for silk ribbon someday soon.

This week I get to play with new cross stitch design ideas. I have finished stitching my last big project and it has been sent on its way. I like this part of designing very much when I can begin something new.  One project complete and another yet to be.

Medeiros Needlecraft Design

Technorati Tags: crazy quilts, embroidery, stitch

We played at the beach today. The weather has warmed up this week and we spent a while enjoying the sunshine on Surf Drive Beach. This beach and vista is the inspiration for a design of mine called “Shining Sea” that I made a few years ago while spending a summer’s day here with my kids.

This is a view of Nobska Light House in the background. My favorite thing to do is to walk along the surf and search for seaglass. I typically find green, clear and brown bits of glass, but today was a lucky day. I found a piece of blue glass and an old and very etched orange marble. I read somewhere that it takes about one hundred years for a piece of glass to be worn down to a soft, rounded and etched piece of seaglass. I don’t know how true that is, but it’s fun to think of the journey that it has been on, especially the marble.

My kids like to search for interesting rocks and seashells. Typically they would bring every rock and shell from the beach home with them if they were able to, but today they limited themselves to what they could carry. Sharing the load is important when hauling home the loot. It made for a fun afternoon outside looking over the different types of shells and rocks. I learn alot from these gals. They can tell me about slipper shells, moon shells, razor and scallop shells. 

Today was the first day of many adventures to the beach now that the weather is warmer.

Medeiros Needlecraft Design

Technorati Tags: beach, seaglass, seashells

I am pleased to announce that I will once again have many of my cross stitch models on display and patterns for sale in the Yankee Cross Stitch  booth at Celebration of Needlework. The show will be running from April 30th through May 4th in Nashua, New Hampshire. This will be the fifth year that I have had the pleasure of working with Erica and her wonderful needlework store at this show.  If you will be in the New Hampshire area, be sure to make plans to attend. 

Medeiros Needlecraft Design

 Technorati Tags: celebration of needlework, needlework, cross stitch

I am happy to say that my Haiku crazy quilt block is finally finished. It’s a funny thing about crazy quilting, you can just keep adding one more stitch here or motif there.  I had the most fun working the row of Cast-on Stitches. I just love those little flower petals that are created. I chose to make rows of smaller stitches along the seams so that they add to the beauty of the fabric patterns rather than compete against it.

Now for block number two. I will call this one “Sentimental Journey” because of the fabric. The pastel checked fabrics are scraps left over from a crib quilt I made long ago for my first daughter before she was born. The embroidered white linen pieces are taken from vintage pillow case edgings. The pillow cases were given to my Mother long ago and she kept them tucked away because the embroidery was just too pretty once the cases were no longer useful. She kept the edgings for use on her projects and just never got around to using them. I’ve had these tucked away in a drawer myself for a number of years. I thought it was a shame to keep them hidden and out of view and worked bits and pieces in from one of the edging strips for a soft touch. 

I haven’t thought of stitches to use or even a color scheme yet, but I think that I will go through my button collection and choose some of the tiny buttons saved from my childrens’ clothing when they were little.  This project will be for the weekend perhaps. Now, off I go to complete the cross stitching on a needlecase.

Medeiros Needlecraft Design

 Technorati Tags: crazy quilt, stitches, embroidery

Daffodils by my front doorstep…

Crocus flowers in bloom..

These are a few colorful flowers to grace my garden so far now that the weather is starting to warm up a bit. I don’t have many bulbs planted for my spring garden this year other than these varieties. The squirrels managed to find almost all my tulips and I just didn’t have the ambition to plant more last year.  I remember a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia a few years back and the exquisite flower gardens filled with tulips. It was just amazing to see. Maybe next year I will have some to savor in my own garden.

I wait with anticipation for the flowering cherry trees, my favorite tree of all.

Medeiros Needlecraft Design