TAST Week 3 - Feather Stitch

Week 3 of Take A Stitch Tuesday Challenge is complete! This is my favorite stitch to work with! Well, other my old favorites the Straight, French Knot, and Detached Chain Stitches. But, the Feather Stitch is the first "new" stitch that I learned....and can do it free hand and keep it straight! Yeah!It is perfect for seams when done in green...just add little beads, French knots, or Detached Chain between the "V" areas to create little flower buds. Very effective with 4mm silk ribbon Lazy Daisy (detached chain) stitches!But, my most favorite use is as Undersea plant life! 

 See, can't you just imagine little fishes swimming nearby!

Roses, Roses, Roses for Meg

The Roses, Roses, Roses round robin is coming to a close. This is the finished block for Meg...isn't it just gorgeous! She wanted a Yellow Rose for Texas theme...so we tried to stay true to that request, while working with the fabrics she constructed her block of. The ribbon work by the ladies before me is phenominal! Love every little smidge of this block!Here is my meager contribution...the bottom right corner...

 ...and a yellow rose beaded cabochon.

 My largest ribbon rose is a simple free-form type...roll the center...

...here's a better photo.

Stitch it down to an interfacing base. Gather the remainder of the long end of the ribbon...and wrap around the base.

Add some extra little petals to the base...gathering the bottom of each before stitching down...

And her is the final little rose. After cutting away the excess interfacing and stitching to the block...I added some green leaves around it. Easy, breezy!

TAST Week 2 - Buttonhole Stitch

 I did get my buttonhole stitches completed last week for the Take A Stitch Tuesday challenge. Just didn't get them posted with the contest going on. So far, I'm up to date...just starting stitching the week 3...and will post that later this week. I'm glad that Sharon is starting out with stitches that are probably familiar to most of us...gives me a chance to get into the "groove" of checking her blog for the weekly lesson!As you can see from my photos...I'm just doing a little sample card of the stitch..and it will go into a small photo album. Hope to keep it as a kind of stitch diary...then, when my muse gets bored...she can just flip through the pages and try a new stitch!

Wine - Starting Soon!

No, not the "drinking"...the stitching! Starting another round robin soon...titled "Wine". I see tons of grapes, vines, wine bottles, etc being stitched very soon! And since I didn't want to limit my stitching sisters...I included colors for dark wines, light wines, and even champagne! Let the fun begin!

Let's Applique!

Country Cottages Mystery Block of the Month has started over at ShabbyFabrics. Go check it out, and don't miss out on the free pattern downloads and gorgeous designs you can purchase too! Here is my start of the first month's block...still needs my snow and snowman!

Winners...and winner may-be's...my soap box.

It's only 9:25 on Monday night...so there is still a couple of hours before the Give-a-ways for the 500 followers closes. But, I've been going back through the comments...and am surprised at the number of deletes I have had to do...because there is no way to contact folks. So, thought that while it's fresh on my mind...I'd share some issues. If you want to enter drawings or give-a-ways...please keep these in mind.
You are responsible to leave your email or contact information...I am not going to run around trying to determine what your email is...and I don't think that it is reasonable for anyone to expect me to. Afterall, I spend my own money to purchase gifts for the drawing...and will spend more money to mail items to the winners...AND I DON'T MIND. If I did...I would not have drawings. What I do mind...is having to decipher who is who and what is their email address....my time is very limited.
Update your profile so that your email is available with your NAME is clicked in the comments you leave.
Make your profile public...cause I can't see it if it isn't...and can't get to your email address to notify you.
Please don't just say this is Josy Brown in Milwalkee...even if I know a Josy in Milwalkee...it is not fair to everyone else that follows the rules and leaves their contact information for me to "assume" that you are the "Josy Brown" that I know in Milwalkee...there could be others. 
Simply put...please follow the rules. So, sorry...but several comments have been deleted because I have no contact information included...and that was one of my rules...and I don't make things difficult...just leave a comment and contact information. If you think I'm being unfair...sorry...just trying to be fair.  And, I'm HUGE on being fair...so please consider updating your profile and making it pubic before entering any contests...you might win!And thanks for the Anonymous entries that included emails in their comment..you are IN the drawings.. Now, it's 7:44 A.M. Tuesday Morning...and Aidan is off to school. The winners have been selected. I ran a random number generator of the total valid entries (those with links back to profiles, or including emails in the comment). And, before announcing the winners...let me say that if you are reading this...and left a comment...go to your comment, click on your name to get to your profile, Do you see an Email link? If not...you might have just lost out on a great book...because I had to try 4 times to give the Redwork Book away...the first 3 profiles did not have email addresses. And I tried 5 times to give the Crewelwork Book away...same issue. Seriously, I'm not ranting...I'm trying to help. Update you profiles! Hugs!
Now, FINALLY...the winners have been sent an email...and have 24 hours to respond back with their mailing address. Or, I draw again...
WINNERS:DAY ONE - Trish Burr Finest Flowers Book is AztecLady.DAY TWO - Crewel Work is Anonymous Susie Wolfe.DAY THREE - Redwork is Magpie's MumblingsDAY FOUR - Silk Shading is Bobbi PohlDAY FIVE - StitchoPedia is USAGypsy
CONGRATS to the Winners! Thanks to all why left comments...better luck next time...and, there will be a next time...so get those profiles updated! Hugs!

Party On! Day Five...

For the last day of our Party...celebrating our 500 Followers...we have a Stupendous Book!Stitch-opedia..claims right on the front cover to be "the only embroidery reference you'll ever need". And, I think that they might be right! Certainly it is a good beginning!The book is spiral bound...love that!The book includes sections on materiels and equipment, techniques, mounting and framing, designing...AND covers a multitude of embroidery...stumpwork, blackwork, crewel work, canvas work, hardanger, pulled work, and even a little freestyling!"There is nothing as beautiful as a wonderfully-worked embroidery design, either used to adorn clothing or as an embellishment on a home accessory. Now a new generation is rediscovering the pleasures of the centuries-old craft. Written for beginners and experts alike, Stitch-Opedia describes in detail hundreds of embroidery stitches. Each stitch is grouped into sections that include: canvas work, crewel work, hardanger, pulled work, stumpwork and much more. Each stitch includes close-up, detailed color photographs, a full-color working diagram, and accurate written instructions. An extremely helpful alphabetical listing with close-up thumbnail photographs appears later in the book allowing the user to cross-reference each stitch. With sections on materials and equipment, basic techniques, and a collection of motifs that can be either copied or transferred to fabric, this beautifully-designed, full-color book is sure to attract newcomers and experts alike with its combination of convenience and creative encouragement."
So...what are you waiting for...Go leave a comment to enter the drawing!
And check back tomorrow...to see who the winners are for our five days of give-a-ways!

Party On! Day Four...

When looking for books to purchase for this party, I could not decide on just one Royal School of Needlework Books to get...so got both the Crewelwork book for Day Two...and Silk Shading for Day Four!And, both are marvelous books! The Silk Shading is also a spiral bound book...and I have really had a hard time with giving it up for the contest since reviewing it since it's arrival!"Suitable for beginners as well as professionals, this handbook provides an in-depth look at the art of “needle painting” and offers techniques using long and short stitches and blending and merging colors to create beautifully shaded embroideries.Just leave a comment to enter the drawing.

Party On! Day Three...

Today, our prize is all about RedWork!This inspiring book contains tons of designs first published in The WorkBasket...and now compiled by Rebecca Kemp Brent...along with descriptions of several projects for their use as well."Redwork embroidery, long admired for its simple, homey designs, is more popular than ever. And what better source for great redwork designs than The WORKBASKET®, a classic magazine with a 60-year tradition of providing readers with great, do-able crafting projects. Now Redwork from The WORKBASKET makes it easy to re-create the warm, nostalgic feel of vintage redwork designs on your linens, aprons, even quilts, whether you embroider by hand or machine"The book has 100 designs for machine or hand embroidery included on a handy compact disc.So, leave a comment to enter the drawing!

Party On! Day Two...

Today, we have an Essential Stitch Guide from the Royal School of Needlework as our Day Two prize...in celebration of 500 followers.Here is what Amazon has to say about this book:

"Exquisite and timeless, the needlework portrayed in these guides promotes the Royal School of Needlework’s mission to keep the art of hand embroidery alive in the 21st century. Focusing on some of the oldest and most essential stitches and patterns, the books in this craft series are spiral-bound and lay flat on the table. Step-by-step photographic instructions on framing and transferring designs are included, as are introductory histories to each technique. Sections of patterns, along with pictures of finished pieces that demonstrate how to correctly use the patterns, help crafters take their needlework to new heights of artistry.

 Focusing on crewelwork, an enduring craft technique that uses wool and a variety of different embroidery stitches to follow a design outline applied to the fabric, this needlework resource demonstrates how to produce beautiful and detailed work."

The book is spiral bound for ease of use...and is just loaded down with gorgeous color diagrams of stitch instructions!

So, leave a comment to be included in the drawing!