GYBP WINNER and CHLOE'S SWEATER and WARM COWL

He Who Plants A Garden Plants Happiness....

DREAMING OF SPRING

OK, Back to GYBP Give Away!! vbg

HELLO EVERYONE,

Wow, what Great Fun I've had in the last couple of weeks with GYBP!!  What a Great Idea
 "Vicki at "2 Bag Full" had to create this Wonderful Party for us All! Thanks Vicki for all the hard work and time you put into this Super Party.  We are all Very Grateful!!

 Also Vicki has "The Pink Scarf Project" going for the next year.  Please give some thought to donating a knitted or crochet scarf to this worthy cause.  Thanks.

  I was thrilled to visit so many Very Beautiful Blogs with so many Very Creative and Talented People.  It has been a "Real Joy" to have so many "New Bloggers" come and visit me..It was also great to have
 "My Special Long Time Blogging Friends" come to visit too.

  I am "Very Appreciative" and "Thankful" for All the Lovely Messages that was left for me to read!! I've never had so many Wonderful Visitor come to My Blog before and I do hope You All will come back again.  Thanks..

Time to announce the "Winner" of My GYBP Give Away!!

To save time and paper, I ask My Sweetie to Pick a number between  1 and 60.  My Sweetie said, 45 so I counted down to the 45th comment and  "Betsy Adams" from "Joyful Reflections" is the Winner!!  Betsy, I hope you will enjoy wearing the Frilly Shades of Purple Scarf .  Thanks you again Betsy for visiting My Blog and leaving your Lovely Comment. Please email me with your address. Thanks

A few months before Christmas I finished some crocheting and knitting projects that I would Love to Share with You All.

First, I found a "Pretty Chunky Wheat Cowl Crochet Pattern with a Infinity Loop" by Jayna Grassel on  the Ravelry site.  It was simple but very pretty IMHO.  I learn a couple of new crochet stitches too. First I learn how to create a "Foundation Chain" where you are doing your chain row along with your first row at the same time.  Pretty neat.

Then I also learned how to do the "Herringbone Half Double Crochet" also another neat crochet stitch.  I made "My Cowl" with 100% Merino Wool which I found to be an absolute Wonderful to work with. The Cowl turn out to be Very Warm and Cozy to wear.  I made this one for myself to get me through our Long Michigan Cold and Blustery Winter. vbg See photos below.

What do you all think of My Fuzzy and Warm Cowl???

Many Month Before Christmas I decided to try and create a simple sweater for My Sweet Grand Daughter Chloe.  I did not get it finish until December 31th 2012.   It seem like I worked on it for endless day and night but I loved the challenge and it gave me such JOY knowing it would bring a Big Smile to Chloe's Face.

Above I wrote My First Official Letter to My Grand Daughter Chloe.  I used some very lovely Japanese Paper My Nursing Friend Jamie sent me from Japan awhile ago. Isn't this Japanese paper is just Gorgeous.?

I Hand Embroidery the "Special Label"  using the "Twilling Stitch".  This Sweater will  become a
 "Family Heirloom" and hopefully many more grand daughters, and great grand daughters will wear it.

I bought the "Birdie Button" at one of My several trips down to the Paducah Quilt Show.  The Birdie Button was a big hit with Chloe. vbg 

This is a up close photo of Chloe's sweater Hand Made With Love from Grandma Judy. What do you all think???

I wrapped the Sweater Up in Pretty paper the same colors as the sweater and added a Big Pink Satin Bow and then sent if off to My Sweet Grand Daughter.

Several Days Later the Pressie arrived.  Chloe is already smiling before she open  the Pressie.  Thank You Jenny for taking all these photos so I could share in all the excitement of Chloe opening her pressie.

Chloe has been taking Dancing Lessons for several years.  So it did not surprise me to see a "Dance Pose" and a Huge Lovely Smile!!  I was so thrilled that it fit and it looks like she will be able to wear it for some time.

Another Very Happy Dance Pose..  After the photo shoot My Sweet Grand Daughter call her Grandma Judy and thank her a million time for her New Sweater.  It was such a JOY to hear her voice and  to hear the excitement she was feeling about her New Sweater.  It made Grandma Judy smile too.  vbg

On this day we got 12 inches of snow.  Prior to this we only received  a wee bit of 1 inch or less.   Old Man Winter came late this year but when he did he left us some Lovely White Magical Snow.  This photo is of Our Back Yard.

Then on the Evening of the 29th it started raining and raining with lots of thunder and lightning.  Now on Jan. 30th all our Magical White Snow is gone.  I reckon our Snow gauge is not going to get much use this year.

So what does a "Girl" do when the weather lends itself to staying inside.  Well she crochets
 "Hearts and Roses!!  Olga from "Lacy Crochet" had this most wonderful "Brunfelsia Inspired Crochet Flowers" tutorial she shared with us all...  It was very "Kind and Thoughtful" of Olga to take the time to do this great Tutorial.

I enjoyed crocheting the Flowers so much they "Multiplied" Very Quickly. I even found a quick free Crochet Heart pattern and I went to town creating them too.  I used all kinds of soft and lovely yarns and of course they had to be in "Shades of Passionate Pink" and cream.

 My Wee Collection did Grow and Grow!

I plan to use some of these Wee Hearts and Roses in an Upcoming Wool Project.  You all will have to come back to see what I am creating next in My Studio!!


I  am so Very Happy and excited to say I have already Met Barb one of the New Visitors to My Blog. Barb it was so Very Wonderful to Meet You.  We met at Barnes and Nobles yesterday during another blustery snowy cold day in Michigan.  Barb from "Babs Just A Bagglin" and I chatted on for sometime.  We both love embroidery and working with wool so we had lots to talk about.  I am looking forward to spending allot more time with My New Friend Barb.
 

Thank you all again for Visiting My Blog and Leaving All your Very Lovely Kind and Thoughtful Comments.  They All were a Joy to Read!!

Hugs Judy

HAPPY TO BE BACK! MY COUNTRY BUCKET CREATION FINISHED! AND A GIVEAWAY COMING SOON!

Hello Everyone,

I am so Happy to be back to Blogging. I have missed you all. 

You will see I have a new blog look and a New Blog Header.  My Dear Friend Shirley from

"Shirley's Twisted Threads" gave me detailed instructions on how to create the new header!!  Thank you Very Very Much Shirley. Shirley is a very creative and does extremely lovely stitching so please visit her blog.  

The Summer past so quickly and we went on several trips which I will share with you all soon. I will be visiting my blogging friends site starting today. I am very anxious to see what you all have been up too. 

The stitching project I have been working on just about every day since May is finally finished!!  I am very excited to share photos of it with you all.  

The pattern is called "Country Bucket" by In Your Bonnet and the designer of this very lovely pattern is Kerry Green who is from Utah. Please go to her website to see her Country Buckets. 

There are 8 blocks to the Country Bucket that makes up the side pockets where you can stuff all your goodies into. I pretty much added my own touches to every block and actually made up two of my own designs. Of course you all know that "Stitching" is my "Passion" and I could hardly stop stitching on these blocks. I used mostly all felted wools on this project.

Below is the Blue Bird & Tree Block.  This block I designed on my own.

 

 The Rabbit Block I added the flowers too.  I used velvet for his ears.

In the Flower Basket block I added my own kinds of flowers.

I did not change the Pineapple Block.

The Sheep &Tree block is unchanged except the apples I made into Peaches!! I used Brazilian Thread called Boucle to create the sheep.  I think it gave them a nice woolie look, what do you all think??

 

The Sunflower was my design in this next block. I used wool roving to create the stem of the Sunflower. I used the "Drizzle" stitch in the petals with silk chenille thread.

This block I call the Flower Tatted block which is also my own design. The tatting was a very lovely gift to me from Wendy in Singapore!  Please visit her wonderful blog called Umi & Tsuru  where you will find many beautiful tatted motifs to admire. I added velvet stems and wool roving for the grass. The wee dragonfly was also tatted by Wendy.

Dorset Buttons, Oh how I love them.  This Dorset Button I created just for the bucket from Valdani thread. I fell in love with these buttons a couple of years ago.  

I have bought two books where you can find patterns on how to create these buttons.

(1)  The "Dorset Feather Stitchery"  by Olivia Pass. I bought this book from the Dorset Federation of Woman's Institutes in the UK.

(2) The other book that has instructions is called,  50 Heirloom Buttons to Make by Nancy Nehring.  This book is out of print.   But if you google it I am sure it would turn up some where.

The purple Dorset Button was the first one I ever made.  Far from perfect but I felt it found its right place on my bucket.

The Spruce Tree and Cabin block. I totally changed the house block into a cabin in the woods. I added a blueberry bush,heart,cloud, flowers, a wee birdie and a stone path. For the Spruce Tree I used the "Drizzle Stitch" to create it.

Below you will find a photo of the inside of the Country Bucket. 

Below is the "Finished Country Bucket".  My Sweetie painted the wood handle green for me.  I also wet felted the egg and ball at the tips of the handle.

For me the construction of the country bucket was the most challenging.  I called Sherry twice to ask questions and she was very kind and helpful which really help me through this part of it. 

I absolutely LOVE My Country Bucket!! I am sure I will get many years of good use from it.  

Some of the different kinds of threads I used in my stitching is as follows: Many Valdani Pearl Cottons,  Lots of Silk Chenille by Thread Gatherer, Hand Dyed 100% Silk by the Thread Gatherer, Many kinds of Kreinik Metallic threads and Genziana Wool Thread. I also used Chenille Rick Rack!

The Purple Side of My Country Bucket.

On September 6th my sweet grand daughter started Kindergarten.  Below you will find two super photos of her before she started her first day of school. Looking at her photos makes me smile and warms my heart.  I love her sooooooooo very much. It is really great being a grandmother!!  VBG

Out the door, First Day of School.  That evening Chole called me and told me all about her day.  I ask her what her favorite part of the day was and she told me recess and we had two of them.  LOL

I hope you all have made it to the end of this posting. I would like to thank everyone for catching up with me again. 

I would really LOVE to heard which block you all like the best.  Thanks for leaving your lovely comments for me to read.  Much appreciated.

To celebrate 4 years of blogging I will be having a give away at the end of September.  I hope you all will come back and see what I have for a gift. VBG 

Hugs Judy  

Dorset Buttons: Splendiferous

For the last couple of weeks my fingers have been very busy stitching and creating Dorset Buttons for projects and friends. I bought "The Dorset Feather Stitchery" book a couple of years ago from the UK Stitch Magazine. Inside this book it explains how to make these lovely buttons along with heaps of lovely Dorset Feather Stitches. The above photo is the "First 5 Dorset Buttons" I have ever made.

In the recent issue Vol 8 Issue # 04 of Crazy Quilt Magazine Online, Diane Mugsford from British Columbia presented a written Workshop to the Fraser Valley Needlearts Guild newsletter on how to create these fantastic Dorset Pin Buttons. Through Kerry Leslie ( click on Kerry name to get to her lovely blog), Diane graciously allowed her pattern to be published in our CQMagOnline Mag. Diane's Dorset button resembles a flower bouquet which looks very similar to my "Roses and More Roses" top left. Thanks Kerry, I loved this pattern.

Also Marion Howitt of the UK has a website called "Dorset Buttons" and has a 16 page booklet called "Fact File" giving detailed instructions on how to create many Dorset Buttons. I bought the Lovely "Fact File" Booklet from Marion. It is very very nice with very detailed instructions for some unique Dorset Buttons. I highly recommend it.

The British Button Society has a website that show some very lovely Dorset Buttons too. I especially loved the "The Christmas Tree Dorset Button" by Marlene Bramman. I gave the Christmas Tree Dorset Button a go and a photo of it is on the top right. I added lots of beads and a wee star at the top.

The last row shows Three Dorset Buttons in the traditional designs. The shade of Purple Dorset Button was the very first one I ever made then the Green one and lastly the Peppermint color one.

In this photo I show you the different types of threads and yarns I used to create these buttons.

(1) Roses and More Roses Brooch, was made with White "Paton's Silk Bamboo Yarn" with a 2 inch plastic ring. The Trio Embroidery Flosses I used in creating the roses were 50% Silk and 50% Wool made in Switzerland. This floss is very soft and lovely to stitch with.

(2) My Christmas Tree Dorset Button Brooch, was made with Red "Paton's Angora Bamboo Yarn" with a 2 inch plastic ring. The tree was created with Green "Paton's Silk Bamboo Yarn" and then I added beads and a wee star at the top.

(3) The Shade of Purple Dorset Button was made from #8 DMC Perle Cotton with a 1 1/4 inch plastic ring.

(4) The Shade of Green Dorset Button was made from #8 Finca by Presencia. I also added Madeira Metallic thread to the inside to add sparkle to it. It was made from a 1 1/4 inch ring.

(5) The Peppermint Dorset Button was made from # 20 Lizbeth tatting cotton and I used a 3/4 inch ring. I enjoyed using all sizes of threads and yarns and each came out having a very unique look. I really like them all.

The reference books I used are the "50 Heirloom Buttons, by Nancy Nehring 1996 which is out of print but can be bought through http://www.amazon.com/

The Dorset Feather Stitchery by Olivia Pass was first published in 1957 and reprinted 9 times. I bought this book through the UK "Stitch Magazine". See below photo.

I also recently bought a novel called "Burning Bright" by Tracy Chevalier. It takes place in the French Revolution-era London ( 250 year Anniversary of William Blake birth). He comes from Dorsetshire. It is a lovely book and I am only on Chapter 6 so lots to read yet. I will let you all know what I think of it when I have finished it. Has anyone read this book?

I love the "Stitch Magazine" and I have been reading it for several years. The above photo is of the most recent issue (#61) here in the states. I was so excited to see it in Joann's on Friday. I have been waiting for it for weeks and weeks to arrive. I could hardly believe that I got the last issue in stock they usually have several copies on hand. The reason for my excitement is that my friend Michala (Kayla Coo) from the UK lovely wool embroidery art was on the front cover. Inside she created the 4 Season in Felt. There is no better word that I can describe Michala Art than "Splendiferous!!!!! Congratulation Michala!!

I truly enjoyed creating "My Dorset Buttons". I plan to create many more. I would like to add allot more beads to them in the future to give them more sparkle. Hopefully one day I will become more proficient in creating them and then I would be keen to trade with others.

Today in Michigan it was 70F unbelievable for this time of year. Huge Very Big Grin!! Usually we are seeing snowflakes flying by now. This great weather is to last the whole coming week. Lucky us. But I am sure the snow is not far off.

I would also like to Thank You All for visiting my blog and leaving your lovely comments.

Hugs,