Flowery Friday

I got nothin' on the stitching front to share but I've got flowers. And since uploading pictures and posting on Blogger is a real trial on the weekends I'll post today and maybe next week I'll have stitching to show.

This year the flowers are blooming like crazy. The columbines are very full and their color is beautiful.

I couldn't even begin to get all the irises in a picture. They've bloomed like they mean business.

Irises and lilies seem to love our clay rich soil. It's too soon for the lilies but once they start they will be beautiful. Every time I go to the garden center they have a new variety I must find a place for.

Our holiday weekend will be quiet as the Scholar is away and The Boy Wonder has track sectionals. We'll open the pool, wash the back porch, and cook on the grill. Not a bad start to summer.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend.

The Queen Bee

Lap Frame

Here is the lap frame I recently bought from Images Stitchery Design. It's called The Lap-Stitch Doodler Frame.



I need to start stitching at least a few things in a frame instead of holding them in my hand. To test it out I started this SB pattern. I have Q-snaps and a scroll frame with a floor stand. Neither seem to work for me. The appeal of this one is the ease in which I can flip it over to end or start a thread from the back. I don't have to unclamp anything. The down side is that when it's on my lap it is still too far away from my face. I've had some luck holding it one way or another so I can work with a hand on top and a hand behind the fabric. It works really well on a table top but that is rarely how I stitch.

This particular model has 3 different scroll bars (12, 15, & 18 inches). You do have to stitch your fabric to the leader on the scroll, but that was simple. I just used a long stitch on my sewing machine. When I'm ready to take it off I'll use a seam ripper to pull the thread out. In theory I could mount a different project on each set of scroll bars and just put it on the frame when I want to work on it. In reality, I doubt I'll do that. Maybe if it was the only way I could work on something I'd try that, but for now having one piece mounted is enough.

I'm going to take Lee's advice and make it work otherwise my hands will give out before my will to cross stitch ever does.


The Scholar is in Mexico City working at a day camp for 2 weeks. So far she reports that things are going well, she's in charge of arts and crafts and that they've had some 'cool' food. Wish I was there.


Carol.... Holiday Express is about 12X24.


I'm off.


The Queen Bee

One huge step is finished.

Here it is... in all it's stitchy glory. Holiday Express. You can read about this project here.

I have finished all the full x's. The back stitching is done from the right hand edge to the engine. Random back stitching is finished in the rest of the picture, but the bulk remains. Also, the half stitches that make the mountains and smoke need finished. Both those steps could take quite a lot of time. I am still celebrating this first huge hurdle, though.

One thing that might jump out at anyone familiar with this piece is that I ended about 20 stitches short on the left. There should be about 1 1/2 inches more of the building but due to a miscalculation in fabric I got over that way and discovered I didn't have room. I never ever start a project anywhere but the middle. But, since this one was so large I started all the way over on the right. I hold my projects with my left hand and didn't want the center part getting held so much while I worked my way to the right then over to the left. Hence, the mismeasurement. I always request my fabric be large enough to include 3 inches all the way around but I guess this one wasn't cut that way. I'm pretty sure that little misstep isn't going to matter in the larger scheme of things.

Now, if I could just keep up the momentum I'll reach my August goal.

The Queen Bee

The Library

Here is my progress on The Library by Little House Needleworks. I'm doing this as a SAL and only stitch on Monday. Other than the bricks, it's a fun piece to stitch because each window is different.

My next post will be one of two things. Either I will have reached a milestone on Holiday Express or I'll show you my new lap frame. The lap frame photos are taken but Holiday Express will take precedence if I reach that important point before posting again. I keep hoping....

Until then, I'm off.

The Queen Bee

A simple finish

Last year I made the Lizzie Kate Halloween Flip-its and this past weekend I finally finished it into something. I just backed it with some black cat fabric and made a pocket for the hanger. The hanger came from the quilt store. Quick and easy.

I had the purple piece of fabric and thought it would be perfect except it was a little too small. So, I had to adjust the pattern and leave out 2 of the little flip-it patterns. I thought I might make those into a piece all by themselves. (Don't anyone hold their breath.) Hard to say when they'll work themselves to the top of the 'next' pile.

I'm just happy to have another thing off the work table and onto the wall.

I have some more progress pictures but they'll have to wait for another day. I don't want to use up all my posting material in one day!!

I'm off.

The Queen Bee

A new quilt.

Today I picked up this quilt from the long arm quilter. I posted a picture of this one just before taking it to be quilted on February 20th. And now here it is all finished (minus the binding)....with a little help from the cat. Anyone who has a cat knows that once they decide they're going to be part of the action they aren't going to leave. She looks like she's about to jump at something but that is really her 'I dare you' look. She's daring me to make her move. I'm not even going to fight her, otherwise she'll think this quilt is something special and won't ever leave it alone.

It is gray and miserable outside again. I saw Loons on the lake..... something I've never seen before. I bet it's too cold up in the mountains where they usually summer. They're probably just stopping by until it warms up. I wish I'd had my camera.

Now I'm off to see which sewing project is calling my name.

The Queen Bee

A finish and another purse

First up is 'Mississippi Riverboat' by Little House Needleworks done on a piece of 32 count Picture This Plus 'Mello'. This was fun to stitch and Mello is a great fabric color.




Next is the purse. It's another Interchangeable bag by Ellen Medlock, but made with a twist.

I used Texture Magic, a very cool product.



First you stitch it onto the back of the fabric then use steam to shrink it giving the fabric a crinkled look. I stitched it in a 1" grid over the entire piece of fabric. Another way to do it is to follow the sizing instructions and cut the pattern pieces large and then apply the Texture Magic. I chose to shrink the fabric then cut the pieces because the pattern pieces had a curve so it was harder to tell how to make the appropriate adjustment.


Here is a swatch I tested it on next to the fabric ready to be shrunk.

It looked like this all shrunk up after applying steam to the back of the fabric.

The finished product......

It was a fun product to work with.

Tonight I plan to work on my Monday SAL piece.... 'The Library' by Little House Needleworks. I think I'll need just one more Monday to finish the current library window. Then I'll take a picture to show it off.

I'm off.

The Queen Bee