Easter Walk and Stitching

Hi everyone. Hope you all had a nice Easter. Sunday was a pleasant day, and we all went walking in the local park.

The creek is running a little high and rough after the snow melt and the rain

 I am fascinated with the look of water as it rumbles along, roiling over rocks

foaming, bubbling, churning

reflecting the colours around it

creating fabulous layers of dipping sediment,

thick foam

always moving, gurgling

and sometimes roaring

cascading over boulders, gathering broken bits and damming them together

 the covered bridge witnessing the flow

and the peaceful, reflective surface of the pond

tree roots reaching outwards. I like how they look.

we walked around the pond and headed home for tea and a game of bid euchre........











Even with the holiday I managed to get some stitching done.

 I'm really pleased with my "Umbrella & Flowers".



The Embroidery Guild made $920.00 from their sale table to donate to charity. WooHoo!







 

On my wrapping cloth piece #11, I secured this corner of an old hanky with french knots and cast-on rings.

The bullions along the gathered lace morphed into cast-on circles, and french knots were added at intervals to create little pockets along the billowing lace.

piece #11 has lots more french knots added, too

ooops, there's a hole!

I wonder what's going to happen there?

 bullioned and french knot snowflakes are appearing on the Christmas tree skirt

wee red snowflakes

 french knots to secure the trims

and the skirt is still not filled with enough snowflakes......yet

I have decided to add red snowflakes as well as the white, so more wee and large ones will be tumbling down the skirt

I hope to have this 1st quarter finished by the end of April.


Hope you've had a good stitching week.

Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz

March Middlings and Muddlings

 These pelargoniums are doing well on my window ledges, and have burst into flower with the return of the sun.

I have four large pots of these bright pink ones to put outside once spring has arrived and is well underway..........














Here's my completed Wattle HEX from StitchMAP. I chose to stitch an Acacia Purpureapetala which has purple flowers, instead of the usual cream- yellow flowers of the wattle.
This was fun!

Then, a Fun Friday Tute was announced at StitchMAP with a challenge to create a wrist band bracelet following some of Blogland's tutorials. Here's my first one completed with beads, lace, french knots, a pretty button, and a button wrap I stitched with blanket stitches across two threads of #5 perle cotton.

I have three more in the line-up. I think this design could be altered to be a pretty, functional, credit or debit card carrier, perfect for shopping trips when you don't want the bulk of a purse on your arm or shoulder. Just slip the card in and out of the bracelet.

And then, I got a little carried away........

I made another, and pinned  3 more for stitching......

and I thought I had better wrap it all up and get back to my CQJP tree skirt and my wrapping cloth............



but this distraction continued........

with another 3, the first one with a beaded dangle just begun,





the second with ribbon and lace flowers,






the third with a bit of lace....hmmmnn, I wonder what else?

then this one

and a smaller one for a young person........

and then I told myself I had to stop!

I needed to get back to my tree skirt and my wrapping cloth piece #11. I was quite stern with myself, and when I sat down to create that Sunday evening, I slapped my wrist and put away the bracelets.
"You have to tat snowflakes," I told myself. And so I did.

1 lonely little snowflake about the size of a nickel.........

well,......... that's not going to cover much of the tree skirt, is it?

Now, March is almost over, and I haven't made much progress on my CQJP. I've been distracted.
But, now I have to get back to it.......that is if I can keep away from those fabric bracelets!

We have snow, rain, and freezing rain in tomorrow's forecast. Like the pelargoniums, I am awaiting spring.
I did see the chipmunk out under the bird feeder filling his cheeks with seeds, so there's one sign spring is on the way!

Dovey was there, too!
Hope wherever you are, you have sunshine and time to create.

Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz

February Update

TIAS - day 16 and the puzzle is all put together, even though my mast is a little wonky.....  ;-)  ..it may straighten out with blocking

Shall we go sailing, you and I

Over the boundless sea?

Shall we face wind, and wet and waves?

Tell me, dear Jane, shall we?

Shall we away to wondrous lands

Where skies of blue shall be?

Where sun shines hot upon the sand?

Tell me, dear Jane, shall we?

For we've been on a journey, 

For many a happy day.

And we have built our sailing ship,

So now we must away!

 

I'll miss the TIAS, but there's always next year.....

 

In my mailbox have appeared some delightful items:

  From Sherry came this wonderful bag she'd made. I love all the pockets, and the fabric she used. Right now it hangs on my chair, waiting to be filled with my next project.
Thank you, Sherry!

 some lovely linen fabric, ribbon and trim and an ORTS bag arrived from Pat . The linen will be perfect for trying some Hardanger, and I love the trim. I have one ORTS bag beside my stitching chair and now I'll have one beside my sewing machine. Thank so much, Pat!

This fun and funky fiber Goddess came all the way from Penny in Australia.
The Goddess is pinned to my inspiration board and keeps watch over me as I work in my studio.
Thank you, Penny!

I've been stitching on my tree skirt, and creating little snowflakes:

beaded ones, large and small

Tatted snowflakes, too

silver thread ones, snowflake buttons, and a frilly one to replace the lace flower

 another tat on red and white

with silver cascades and white gimp trim

and a frilly fringe

to be a part of our new traditions

and I need much, much more....... of everything

 my tree skirt matches our weather today: blowing, snowing, and a river of snowflakes

 

Oooh, what's that??

crochet?

oh, yeah! single crochet

Ha ha!  I need some practice on my tension, ( and how not to miss those stitches on the ends..... teehee  ) but this first piece is crocheting! yay!

my second swatch looks a little better, but I tend to spread out a little......

more practice needed, but it's a start





Well, that's it for this week needle-wise

 the view out my studio window the other night was beautiful!

I caught this shot just before the colours began to fade and the sky turned to ink.

 Hope you've had a creative week

Thanks for visiting.
Hugs from Suz