More than just Cross Stitchin': May 2010

Thursday, May 20, 2010

It's been SEW long....

It's been sew long since I've updated our site !! But alas - my holidays began at 5pm today. I don't return to work until the 31st and I'm excited to accomplish many tasks. Most importantly - our upcoming Cross Stitch retreat at Brentwood on the Beach.

I've timed this perfectly so that I would spend the first part of my holidays accomplishing the dreaded 'chores' etc. and the last part of my holidays will be spent with great friends, new acquaintances and lots and lots of stitching.

As you've read, I love vintage items and Singer sewing machines are one of my favourites. Correct me if I'm wrong Tracey, but isn't this a Paula Vaughn pattern I bought when I was with you?? At any rate - this is stitched on 14 ct aida / Oatmeal. This picture hangs above my antique table that displays an old sewing machine I picked up at a yard sale for $1. Yes, that's correct. $1. For display purposes, I was quite ecstatic about that purchase. I have my grandmothers buttons, sewing tin and her dress gloves displayed all together. Once I've completed my chores and I find the sewing machine under the dust... I'll post a photo of it.

In the meantime... I'm sew excited to start my holidays.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Friends are HANDY to have ...

Jody found these bracelets for us and we each wear them whenever we meet to stitch, retreat, or day trip etc. Tracey later found earrings that are engraved, "I love cross stitching". She couldn't find four sets of earrings, so she came up with the brilliant idea to split the two sets up so we could wear them as charms on the bracelet. Crafty Anita just happened to have on hand the chain links we needed to attach them to our bracelets. We then attempted to get a picture of all our hands together it suddenly dawned on me that we should make an X with our hands. How appropriate. We had a bit of a time straddling the couch while slipping on the hardwood floor, but we managed just fine. Obviously, from the picture, you can tell that I am not a 'ring' person! Also apparent ...... the fact that I wear garden gloves maybe just a little too much!

Bonnie

If you click on the picture, you should get a close up of the 'X's on the bracelets.

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Charlie Brown

Growing up, I had a pet monkey named Charlie Brown. Actually, he belonged to my sister and he came to live with us in 1966. You were actually allowed to have monkeys as pets then and if you can beleive it, he was ordered from an ad in the back of a magazine. Charlie Brown was a squirrel monkey (just like the ones in the Telus commericials).

Everyone in school loved when it was my turn for 'show and tell'. You will see in some of the photos (if the slide show downloads for me...) that he used to wear diapers. Eventually, he learned how to take them off. We had a rope strung across the kitchen from end to the other. We kept a piece of papertowel on the floor at the end of one rope and that's where he did his business. His rope provided many hours of entertainment. At bedtime, if mom and dad were not home when it was bedtime, he would sit on his roap and cry out until they returned.

If I was crying, Dad would put him up to my face to lick away my tears. He would dangle from my hair and lick from one eye to the next. It alwyays made me stop crying. He would play outside and every once in awhile he would swing from tree to tree and end up down the street at the neighbours.

Often you would find the monkey lying in the cast iron pan on the stove. The pilot light from the gas stove provided him a warm and comfy spot. He would also sit on top of the lamp shade for warmth, and if you ever heard a 'pop' - you knew he peed on the lightbulb. It happens...

Charlie Brown used to sit on the wall phone.... until it rang. That was always funny. He brought many years of amusement to us all and I miss him and his antics.

Bonnie

Warm hearts ... and warm toes!

Well since we are talking winter, let's talk about warm hearts ... and warm toes.

A few years ago at Christmas we had a gift exchange. Ironically, both Anita and myself had the exact same idea for a present. We always open our gift bags at the same time, and it was really hard for me to keep a straight face when I saw that Anita had had the same gift idea as me and while she explained that she thought slippers would be a good idea, that way we could carry them in our bag with us at all times. Anita had knit slipppers for everyone and made a little draw-string pouch, with our names embroidered on it, to keep the socks in.

Then they all opened my gift bag and we burst out laughing. I knew how much everyone loved snowmen, so I had stitched faces on white slippers and added a carrot button for the nose. Well we weren't finished with the laughter because I thought we should get a picture with our slippers on. So then we were all sitting on the floor trying to get different positions in order to get everyone in the picture at the same time. We tried sitting up against the wall and taking the picture of our toes all pointing up to the ceiling and then I said, nooooo - that will show the snowman's face upside down. Someone said... (and I won't say who...) "Good point, let's think of something else. What if we lay on our back with our feet in the air - you know... like if our feet were ON the ceiling"

Well then the faces would still be upside down wouldn't they. Spontanious Laughter.

We had to think of something else. It was decided that we would just stand toe to toe in a huddle and we would take the picture from above in order to get everyone in the picture. Sounded like a good plan right?

Well... not if you have a protruding belly and/or big boobs. After the inital light-headedness subsided from sucking in our bellies, we had to deal with the shadow from the boobs.

So we stood in our huddle, adjusting, wiggling and laughing with our arms around each other while we tried not to tip over. It was about that moment when Anita's daughter walked in on us, which of course added to the laughter when we saw the look on her face.

Finally the photo was taken and our toes are doubly warm.

Bonnie

It all started with a tea towel...

Quite some time ago when I was perusing the Dollarama, I came across the cutest autumn tea towel with a teddy bear dressed up like a scarecrow. It immediately reminded me of Jody and I thought 'I'm going to get that for her', and then I thought... why not get one for everybody? And so I did and it was a hit.

From that point on, it's no surprise to any of us if there just happens to be an occasional 'mini gift' exchange on Cross Stitch night. Once when Jody hosted in February, she gave us all a tiny picture frame with a 1" x 1" opening. I had no idea what to do with mine, but Tracey knew immediately. Because it was Valentines day, Tracey stitched a heart.

Mine sat for a good number of months before I could figure out what I could stitch in such a tiny area and not copy Tracey's idea. And then one day it hit me; Jody loves snowmen. I would do a snowman in the frame that Jody gave me. But.... do they make snowman patterns for less than 1" x 1"? I couldn't be bothered looking, so I winged it. And voila! A happy smiley snowman face. I think it took longer to write this posting than it did to stitch that happy face.

We'll have to get a picture of Tracey's heart posted after her renovations are complete as I expect it's packed away for now.

p.s. I wasn't allowed to Blog today unless I cleaned my house. It's half cleaned; consider this half a blog.
Bonnie

Thursday, May 20, 2010

It's been SEW long....

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Friends are HANDY to have ...

Christmas 2016