America, America!....

~ Greetings and Warm Welcome ~ 

to my friends!

It's a rather damp, chilly, spring day here in good 'ol Indiana!

Typical.

All the stuff is starting to bloom...

dogwoods, cherry trees, red buds...

the robins are getting fat...

the red-winged blackbirds are singing sweetly...

the sparrows are flitting to and fro gathering bits to build their nests...

and...

I'm running to and fro getting ready for the retreat this week!

Almost there...

But in the evenings...

my needle has been singing!

I was gifted a pattern from the lovely designer Lila over at Lila's Studio: click HERE

of the "Let Freedom Ring" sampler because I mentioned it on my FlossTube channel in February and many people went nuts over it contacting her about it :)

Wasn't that nice?! 

So I started it! and after 9 evenings of working on it...here it is:

You can follow my progress on it as I stitch by clicking the album above in the TABS section that reads: "Let Freedom Ring" sampler progression

It is going to be SO LOVELY!

Not only have I started that, but....

Little House Needleworks has asked me to be the "all on one piece" model stitcher for 

"The Early Americans" series, just as I was for the "ABC Samplers" series. Lots and lots of people  followed my progression on "ABC Samplers"...

so we are going to do it again on "The Early Americans"! 

I get my patterns a little bit ahead of the distributors so I can get a head start and last night I started!

I *created my own border design*....
to encircle the sampler. While I was stitching it last night...well I could see that my 8 hours of effort in creating the border, measuring, doing math choosing colors...

Here is my start: 

the completed border (when the entire sampler is complete will look like: 

I also have created a TAB above so that people can follow my progression through this gorgeous sampler...

Under the tab it will tell you ALL the particulars about my choices of fabric, count, color, flosses I'm using, ETC. I invite you to take a look if you are so inclined. 

So...

I've got loads to get through today and time is ticking!

Until the next time...

enjoy every one of your stitches...

be kind...

smile!

Love in stitches, 

Vonna xxxx

Details, details, details....

~ Greetings and Warm Welcome ~ 

to all my stitching friends

Details...

I've got so much going on basically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year

some days are more full than others but Spring-time...

HOLY SMOKES!

What is making this spring particularly stressful is...

I'm teaching 4 classes next week to roughly 70 ladies at a retreat that I was honored to be asked to headline. There was such a huge response to the retreat that what started out expected to be a group of 30, soon more than doubled. How excited I am to be meeting people from all over the country that is coming to visit with me and other like minded individuals, learning, sharing and stitching our little fingers off!

But along with the excitement also comes a lot of work for me...

Making over 70 finishing kits:

that means cutting 120 mat board pieces for flatfolds,
72 mat board pieces for ornaments,
I bought DMC out of house and home so we could learn how to make our own bi-color cording, miles of ribbon has been cut,
lots of charms purchased,
I got a gallon of glue ready (literally),
 yards of batting and beautiful finishing fabrics ready to be cut up,
  dozens of paint brushes ready,
 and...
more good stuff has been purchased for me to fill the finishing kits.

Now the only thing left is:
cut up the finishing materials into the swatches needed, cut up the batting pieces and pack everything into ziplock bags. Then I am going to make some prizes for my class attendees to have a chance to win. And of course keep up with my clients for my finishing business and take care of house and home.
No problem!...

ha. ha. ha.
But the Good Lord gave me a strong constitution so as in all things, I will get 'er done.

I just wanted to share with you my excitement and productivity this fine Spring Day, while I'm taking a break from all the hustle and bustle I've been doing around here. 

Would you like to see my models for my Finishing School classes?

~ Embellished Flatfold Class ~
Design: The Flagmaker
Designer: Notforgotten Farm
*The design is a free offering and may be found: HERE 

~ a close up to spy, with your little eye the details...my favorite detail - Betsy's needle in her hand...thought about putting the needle in her hand since I saw the pattern last summer!




~ Flat Ornament Class ~
Design: Happy Hearts
Designer: Little House Needleworks
*This is a complimentary design that is available: HERE 



So there you go my friends...
up to date with me!

Until next time...
I'll definitely be keeping my hands to work...
and always my heart to God.

Love and hugs in stitches, 
Vonna xxxx

An ending to a beautiful story...

~ Greetings and Warmest Welcome ~

to you, my friends!

I have much to share...

but I will share it at a later date because what I am sharing with you today deserves its own "sacred space" so to speak.

"ABC Sampler Series"

by

Little House Needleworks

~ hanging in it's place of honor today! ~

Be still my heart...

I thought it was gorgeous when I completed the stitching, but seeing it all dressed in the frame...

completely different!

One last time with all the particulars on how I stitched this piece and then it will live on my walls :)

Linen: 32 ct. Vintage Examplar by Lakeside

Floss: used called for colors (Classic Colorworks and DMC) throughout

There are 2 stitches between houses in the row (side to side)

There are 4 stitches between rows (top to bottom)

There are 6 stitches from the edge of the houses to the broken line border and one stitch between the broken line border and the solid line border. The border colors were my own choosing and design: Sassy Brassy and Caterpillar

It is beautiful and a stupendous exclamation mark for my last 10 months of stitching.

Stitching is good for my soul.

May it be good for your soul too!

Until next time...

be kind, 

be a friend, 

smile, 

hug, 

and

stitch ALL the things!

Love and hugs in stitches, 

Vonna xxxx

Ooo la la...

~ Greetings and Warm Welcome ~

to all my friends here in blog land!

How are you?

I hope you are doing fine this fine Spring day...

well its not really spring yet, is it? 

I am so excited!

Tomorrow I get to go get Katie for Spring Break! 

9 whole days of all my little chicks under my roof :)

My other kiddos are also on Spring Break next week, so we all will have a week together of fun and frivolity. What are we doing? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! We will go out for lunch a couple of times, we don't eat out often so doing that when we have a "vacation" is extra special.

So...

let me show you what I got framed last week. 

Oh my, my! So very, very beautiful!

"An Afternoon in Paris"

by:

Country Cottage Needleworks

Stitched with the called for colors; on the called for linen

framed in the Family Tree frame "Beatrice"

Isn't it just gorgeous?! I framed it myself using museum glass (any of the large box craft stores will cut the glass for you and you can use the coupons that each craft store has for the glass). Before anyone asks: I do not have a tutorial about framing. Why not?! Because frankly (I can be frank right? We are friends): framing is a personal thing, and I don't want to get into a debate with people about pinning vs. lacing, acid free, matting or not, glass or not, etc. etc. etc. I will tell you what I do: I pin onto acid free conservation foam core. I use museum glass always. I use spacers between the glass and the piece so my stitching isn't smack dab against the glass. I have a points driver to hold the pinned piece inside the frame and I seal the back and string my hanging wire. Sometimes I do use mats around my piece, and I have my own mat cutting system here (remember Ellie is an artist so I frame all of her pieces too) so I bought one about a year ago and it is the Logan Simplex Elite 750-1. Another one of those purchases that although costly made a HUGE difference in my finishing business as well as my personal finishing and framing. So there you have it! I'm tickled pink with the outcome of her :)

What else have I been up to?

Well remember I finished "Land of the Free" by Little House Needleworks a collaboration with Classic Colorworks thread pack. 

Here it is to jog your memory...

"Land of the Free" 

Stitched on my own 28 ct. "bake and basted" fabric. Tutorial: HERE

using the called for Classic Colorworks (that came in the thread pack) 

and I put a JABCO button on the urn, because: I wanted to and I LOVE it!

And I'm trying to fill my walls of my patriotic room and since I was on a roll with finishing projects, I quick like stitched up another Little House Needleworks and Classic Colorworks collaboration thread pack: 

"Long May She Wave"

again on my own bake and basted fabric I did sub some colors from "Land of the Free" into "Long May She Wave" so that the pieces would be all the same colors. 

See...here they are together:

There is one thread pack left to stitch to complete the series (that is out to date), "Home of the Brave" and you called it ~ I have it kitted and will stitch it up soon!

So...

Nashville happened!

What did you buy? I was sedate this year....

First off, on my YouTube Channel I had talked about "The Freedom Sampler" from Lila's Studio.

Isn't it gorgeous? Well Lila had a lot of interest from my saying something about it that she sent me a complimentary copy of "The Freedom Sampler" and I just last night loaded it on to my Rolaframe and will hopefully sink my first stitches soon. 

THANK YOU LILA!!

What else has caught my attention?
Well of course ~ Little House Needleworks ~ "Needlework ABCs"

La - D - Da ~ "Fraktur Flowers"

With Thy Needle and Thread ~ "Lady Liberty"

and lastly...

With Thy Needle and Thread ~ "Quaker Handworke"

All came to live with me yesterday!

So...

I think that does it for me for today!

I wish you all joy in your journey!

Hugs in stitches, 

Vonna xxxx