In Thanksgiving

I finished stitching "give thanks" last night. This project will forever have a different meaning to me after the events of the last week. My brother passed away very suddenly the day after Thanksgiving. Fortunately, I was able to drive back home on Thanksgiving morning and arrive in time to be able to speak with him before he began to slip away from us. I give thanks for that. Over the next twenty-four hours, friends and family drifted in and out of the ICU waiting room. Family members whom I hadn't seen in many years were there to strengthen and renew family ties while giving comfort and support. I give thanks for that.

I give thanks for a kind Christian doctor who was there with us as we made the difficult decision to discontinue treatment when it was so obvious that there was nothing more that medicines and machines could do for my brother. When the machines that buzzed and beeped and tracked every breath my brother took were removed and the room became very quiet, this doctor put his arms around my sister-in-law and I and said "Pierce is on his way to meet God now". I am thankful that he was able to express his own faith to us in that way. I also give thanks for one of the nurses who was quietly working in the background during this time and softly humming a hymn. I don't know the hymn but it immediately took me back to our childhood and a much loved woman who worked for our family and often went about her work humming hymns. I am most thankful that my brother died quietly and peacefully surrounded by those who loved and cared for him.

I give thanks that we laid my brother to rest next to my mother on such a beautiful, late fall afternoon this past Monday. We were overwhelmed at the number of friends who came to pay their respects. I was so proud of my nephew, Derek, who gave a very heartfelt eulogy for this father. I give thanks for the minister who officiated at the service. He knew my brother for many years and their long friendship was so evident in the scripture he chose to read and the personal remarks he made during the service.

I give thanks that I have a son who never fails to step up and take on responsibility when it is placed upon his shoulders. My father had a habit of always telling Andrew to "look after my little girl" - me - and Andrew took that to heart. My father would be so very proud of him and the fine, honorable man that Andrew has become. I give thanks that I have a son and daughter-in-law who wanted to go to the cemetery on the day before the funeral to clean the cross and markers in our family plot. I know my mother was smiling down from heaven as we worked.

When I chose to begin stitching "give thanks" a few weeks ago, I did so because it seemed like an obvious project for this time of year.  It seems there was a greater plan involved in that choice. It has given me the opportunity to sit here and reflect on this past week and be reminded of the many things and special people for which I am thankful. I give thanks that my son encouraged me to begin blogging about needlepoint because it has allowed me to make so many wonderful friends - most of whom I will probably never meet except through this blog! But we have a shared love of needlework which makes us instant friends. Earlier this week, those of you who knew of my loss were quick to reach out to me. I could feel your hugs and love around me. I give thanks for you!

I am most thankful for my brother, Pierce

February 8, 1957 - November 23, 2012

Give Thanks

I took a break from the blog last week to enjoy a fun weekend with my son and daughter-in-law. Anna and I attended a class at our favorite store, Cudos, to learn a little more about creating holiday tablescapes and decorating mantles for Christmas. We have taken a similar class in the past but it is always fun to watch the professionals work their magic. It was a fun morning followed by an eagerly anticipated afternoon at the movies to see Skyfall, the new James Bond movie. It was excellent and I highly recommend it to you. I may have to make another trip to the theater to see it again - it's that good!

On the needlepoint front, my Give Thanks canvas is coming to a close. I started the beading this week as I wait for an additional thread from Amy to finish up the last stripe.  I love the beads that Amy Bunger chose for this canvas.  They are from Sundance - #462D - and are a fabulous mix of copper, gold, rust, teal, and sometime a flash of purple.

 These &More designs are such gratifying pieces to work on. I have three more in the stash just waiting their turn- Sweet Dreams, Laugh, and Believe. You must visit my stitching friend Linda's blog where you can see her big finish on her &More Friends canvas. The stitch guide she used is by Amy Bunger. Linda's stitching is perfection - check out all of those incredible roses!

My little finish for the week is the Kelly Clark ornament in her Heritage series. This is the March Aquamarine ornament. I have a few more canvases of this series in the stash as well. I've stitched the April, July, and August ornaments and look forward to adding this one to next year's Christmas tree. Kelly's new Heritage series is calling my name and I may have to give in and sign up for the club that A Stitch in Time is offering for these ornaments.

This week I finally received two projects that I had ordered in early October. The Patchwork of Peace book and canvas (unpainted) arrived from In Stitches and the Broom Parking canvas, stitch guide, and threads arrived from Quail Run. Broom Parking may move to the stash. I may go ahead and mount the blank canvas for Patchwork on the stretcher bars and get started on the flag. This will be a long term project that you will see from time to time but not a project that I will work on exclusively.

Well, it's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this week! I think my &More canvas says it all - Give Thanks. I am thankful for all of you that read the blog each week and leave such kind and encouraging comments here at the blog and on Facebook. Although I only know the majority of you through the blog and not in person, I'm glad we have this shared passion for our needlework. In this busy week of traveling, cooking, and visiting with family and friends, I hope you find a few precious minutes to pick up your needle and thread and add a few stitches to a favorite canvas!

Wishing you the best Thanksgiving ever!

It has been a quiet week on the stitching front. I could basically show you the same photos from last week as there is little progress in the last few days on any of my projects. So, I'll wait until next week to show you the works in progress and maybe have more for you to see.  Hope you will enjoy looking at my "turpunpkin" header photo during the month of November!

A box from Amy's arrived this week which is always a highlight of any week! Inside was this project from Labors of Love -

I have never stitched one of their birds before but I am so looking forward to stitching this eagle! Amy has written another wonderful stitch guide that certainly does justice to this majestic bird. If you have followed the blog over the last year or so you know that I have faithfully watched (via live nest cams) a couple of eagle nests - one in Norfolk, Virginia and one in Decorah, Iowa. Sadly, the "powers that be" in Norfolk decided a few weeks ago that the eagle nest at the Norfolk Botanic Gardens posed a threat to air traffic at the nearby airport and the nest was torn down. The pair of eagles that would have nested there will be "encouraged" to nest elsewhere. What form that "encouragement" takes has yet to be seen but could involve fireworks and paintball guns. It has been a very emotional few weeks for the followers of the Norfolk nest.

With the loss of the Norfolk nest, I knew I could always watch the eagle nest in Decorah, Iowa. The pair of eagles there have been followed via nest cams for quite a few years. This year new cameras were added giving better views of the nest during the day and at night. The male eagle has already been seen bringing in dried cornstalks to the nest. He does this each year and it is something that only he does. Guess he has a thing for dried cornstalks! But, wouldn't you know it, the day after the cameras went live for this season, the eagle pair decided to start building a new nest in another tree! While the new nest is just down the road from the old nest, the folks at Raptor Resource Project (who manage the cameras) have decided not to move the cameras to the new nest and disturb the nest building that is already happening at the new site.

I will really miss watching the eagles this winter and spring! I've got to investigate some other possibilities for camera viewing. If I find anything, I'll let you know. But, until then my only eagle watching will involve my Labors of Love eagle canvas!

When I ordered the eagle canvas, Jill Wilensky at Amy's said, "I can't believe it took you so long to order this canvas!" I have to mention Jill in this post because we found out through Amy's newsletter this week that she has been offered one of those jobs that just drop into your lap and cannot be turned down. I had a chance to speak to her on Friday and could just hear in her voice what a gut-wrenching decision it has been for her to leave Amy's. As hard as it is to say "until the next time" (we agreed not to say goodbye), we can all understand with today's uncertain economy that with one child in college and another soon to be college-bound that sometimes you just have to do what is ultimately best for you and your family. As sad as I feel about Jill leaving, it must certainly pale in comparison to what Jill and Amy must feel. Jill promises to help out on Saturdays when she can and to help with the Home Study projects. So, maybe we will still get to see those handwritten notes from Jill on some of our future orders that always add that special touch. The company that Jill is going to work for is so fortunate to have her and they were wise to choose her. Jill, I will miss you but I wish you much success and happiness in your new journey and I know that our love of needlepoint will always keep us in touch with each other!

Have a great week ahead and don't forget to VOTE!

A Hard Act to Follow

I decided this week that after stitching the Christmas Banner and getting it back from the finisher and then sharing it with all of you last week that none of my current stitching seems to quite measure up to such a grand project.  It has nothing to do with the canvases themselves or the stitch guides - they're great!  I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it's just letting go of a project that was a daily presence for months on end. Do I have project separation issues? Could it be that I need a stitching psychiatrist?

I forgot to include a newly finished Halloween piece in the blog last week. Please meet the Kirk & Hamilton Frog's Breath bottle.

That bottle grew some big frog's feet while away at the finisher! Speaking of the finisher, visit Vikki at her website for information on her finishing. I look forward to adding more bottles to the collection in the future. Thanks go to Amy Bunger for another fun stitch guide!

I'm making steady progress on the & More Give Thanks canvas. Once the diagonal lines are established in each stripe, the hard work is over and the fill-in stitches don't require a lot of focused attention.

This is the March Aquamarine ornament in Kelly Clark's Heritage Series with a stitch guide by Gina Liuzzi. It works up very quickly. I've enjoyed working the diamonds and seeing how pretty plain old DMC cotton floss can be with the right stitches to show it off. 

I ordered this Christmas canvas from The Bristly Thistle and it arrived a few weeks ago. It is (will be) a hinged box design from Julia's Needleworks. At the moment I am just stitching the dark green background in perle cotton but I will be adding beads and other fun threads to the tree and gifts. I think I might give Sparkles a try and use it for the tree garland. Check out Julia's website gallery - particularly the Hinged Box section. She has some cute houses and trees that would be so much fun to stitch.

The first canvas of the From Russia with Love club from The Needle House arrived this week. Beautiful beads, threads, and stitches have been selected for the Emerald Egg ornament. I'm late to the party on this club but, thankfully, the club can be started at any time.

That's it on the stitching front this week. I'm sending out good thoughts and saying my prayers for all of my stitching friends and their families from the mid-Atlantic north into New England as the hurricane approaches. I watch the Weather Channel so much during these weather events that I feel the need to go to the store and buy batteries, water, and bread even though we have brilliant blue skies here in Georgia this morning!

Everyone stay safe and dry in the week ahead!

The Big Reveal

This time last year I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first lesson for the Melissa Shirley Christmas Banner that was being offered as a Home Study by Amy Bunger. It arrived right on time the first week of November and I couldn't wait to get it onto the stretcher bars and put in the first stitches. Fast forward to the middle of June this year when I put in the final stitches. It was such a wonderful project from beginning to end. Melissa Shirley designed a beautiful, elegant canvas and Amy Bunger brought it to life with fabulous stitch combinations and an abundance of beads and huge variety of threads. In August, I sent the stitched banner out to Marlene's in San Francisco for finishing. It arrived home this week!

I couldn't be more pleased with and proud of the finished product! Marlene did a spectacular job with the finishing. I told them I wanted a simple, but elegant finish and that is exactly what they gave me. The sides and back are finished in an ivory silk. The sides and top are accented with two ribbons - one wide, striped green ribbon and a gold ribbon on top of that. I had asked for a ribbon bow on top but the one that Marlene used is even more beautiful than I imagined. The bow is the perfect tailored finish to this piece.

For once, I thought ahead and requested that they embroider my initials and the dates on the back. The lettering and numbers are embroidered in a taupe thread. Just perfect! You can also see the green and gold cording that was used on all sides.

As soon as I unwrapped the banner from the box, I knew that my little "point and shoot" Nikon would not be able to do any photo of it justice. So I headed out to a photographer's studio for some professional pictures. It was worth spending a few more dollars to have this piece photographed correctly!

Thanks for sticking with me week after week as I stitched and documented my progress. Seven months of stitching and blogging was worth it when I see the finished banner. Now, I am eagerly anticipating Amy's next Home Study (I skipped the Thanksgiving House). She has given us a few hints but I still can't figure out what it might be. Stay tuned....

Tucked into the box with the Christmas Banner were a few more finished treats - Halloween ornaments!

That's a Kelly Clark Halloween apple and three NeedleDeeva Creepy Characters that you see. In all of the excitement of the package arriving from Marlene's this week, I forgot to take a picture of the other finish that arrived the same day - the Frog's Breath Bottle. It's a very cute finished piece and I'll show you a picture next week.

I finished another stripe on the Give Thanks canvas this week and started a new Kelly Clark Heritage Series Christmas ornament. I also started another Christmas project that I haven't told you about.  It arrived this week as well. I'll show you some pictures next week of all three of these projects.

It was a big week for needlepoint at my house with all six finished pieces arriving on the same day. That won't happen again for quite a while! Time to get back to some more stitching so I'll see you next week.

Have a great week ahead!

Woo Hoo Witchy Woman

Remember that song from the Eagles? Their Witchy Woman had raven hair and ruby lips but my Witchy Woman has candy corn colored hair and ruby lips. Mehitabel's a little less sexy and a lot more friendly than the woman to whom the Eagles dedicated their song.

Miss Mehitabel was my finish of the week. What fun these Creepy Characters are from NeedleDeeva! Judee came up with some great designs and Robin brought them to life with her fabulous stitch guides. Mehitabel was an easy 2-3 week project and many days I didn't even pick her up to stitch. I think I will definitely have to stitch a few more of these. They are just too easy and satisfying to not stitch some more of them!

Have you seen the Geico commercial that is running on television right now with the witch trying out the brooms at the broom factory? I love it! Makes me laugh every time I see it!

This week I also worked on finishing up the first two stripes of Give Thanks. It is always fun to see how the chosen threads work with each other to add sparkle and texture to the painted canvas. I wish my pictures could convey this to you. I particularly like the Threadworx color that Amy chose for the green stripe diagonal lines. The shading moves from dark to light green with little flecks of sparkly gold and copper. So pretty!

I think my next small project will be one of Kelly Clark's Heritage Series ornaments. I added several to my stash over the last couple of months and it's time to get started on some of them. I'll show you which one I choose next week.

The Christmas Banner should be making its way home to me any day now and I can hardly wait to see it! I sent it to Marlene about seven or eight weeks ago. I also sent her a few of the Creepy Characters to be finished and I think a Kelly Clark Halloween apple ornament. Since I can't remember what I sent, it will be a surprise when they arrive back home.

Maybe I will have some finishes to show you next week - we'll see! Until then, have a great week!

" Whoo hoo, witchy woman, see how high she flies.........." Now that song will be in my head the rest of the day!

The Big Finish

The Christmas Parade crossed the finish line this week! If you arrived late to the Parade, I started this Susan Roberts/Ashley Dillon canvas in May when I attended Needlepoint University at Amy's Golden Strand in Memphis. The canvas, stitch guide, and thread kit for this project was a Christmas 2011 gift from my thoughtful son and daughter-in-law. What a wonderful gift it was, too! It was so exciting to walk into Amy's classroom that Friday morning and see this canvas on stretcher bars with a huge bag full of wonderful threads just waiting for me to put in the first stitches.

Each time I stitch a canvas using one of Amy's stitch guides, I think it can't be better than all of the others of hers that I have stitched. But, each time it is and I learn something new - trying new stitches, a new technique, or stitching with a new thread.

Turkey work was definitely a new stitching technique for me. It certainly adds so much dimension and texture to the piece.

It's been a fun parade throughout the summer and into the fall! Thanks for sticking with me through the entire process and leaving such nice, encouraging comments along the way! There is another Parade in my stitching future - the 4th of July parade (also by Susan Roberts/Ashley Dillon). Love it (!) and look forward to stitching it but I think I will take a little break from another parade for the moment.

So, what to stitch next if it isn't the 4th of July Parade? The Melissa Shirley Whimsy canvas? The Melissa Shirley Helowise canvas? How about the Give Thanks canvas from & more Designs? That's the one, I think, and it is certainly season-appropriate as Thanksgiving approaches.

I started this canvas Friday evening and completed the first two steps of the first green stripe this evening (Saturday).  This is just the type of project I wanted to work on after coming off a lengthy piece like the Christmas Parade. It requires some careful counting but there aren't a lot of thread changes. And, a stripe is such a nice, compact way to measure your progress on a canvas - especially when all the green stripes are the same pattern and the cream stripes (which are also all the same) are a variation on the pattern that has already been established. A perfect project!

I had some quality time to give to Miss Mehitabel this week as well. Her face and neck are now lovely shades of green. Her hat is a work in progress at the moment. It needs a brim and a pointy tip to it. I hope I can do justice to those big red lips and even bigger teeth!

I made another trip to Pier One this week. We haven't even made it to Halloween and I have already started thinking about how to decorate the mantle for Thanksgiving. I just remember thinking how empty the house looked after I took down the Halloween decorations last year (sort of like how you feel in January when the Christmas decorations are put away). I picked up some beautiful mercury glass pumpkins and a gourd from QVC that are lighted with a battery powered light (that's on a timer!) to use as a focus on the mantle. They just glow so beautifully at night when the lights come on. I couldn't wait another few weeks to try them out so I loaded the batteries right after they arrived just to see what they looked like. I love them - an excellent purchase!

Anyway, didn't mean to get sidetracked on the lighted gourd and pumpkins, but I was looking around Pier One for some garland or silk flowers to use with the pumpkins. I found what I needed and also found one more Halloween decoration - a glittery purple broom.

I'm showing you this because it's a hint for another project that will be finding it's way to my door in the next couple of weeks. Can you guess what it is?

Hope you have a great week ahead!