Random afternoon out

My husband took me out to lunch and the antique store last week.  We had a lot of fun!  Going to flea markets has been a favorite past time of ours since we were dating, and it is fun to think how our tastes have changed over the years.  

The cupcakes are from a local bakery called The Cupcakery.

I wish I had bought this lovely vintage embroidery.  I love the treatment of the woman's headband, and all that stem stitching!

&Stitches Header

One of my fav embroidery blogs is &Stitches.  I love their modern and playful approach to needle arts.  I visit often, and was very excited when I dropped in today and saw my embroidered letter 'C' has been used in their new header!

You can read about what I did with the letter 'C' here. 

The header looks great and I am very honored to be included!

Earth toned squares mini quilt

I put together this quilt on a whim in about two days.  I ran across this fabric in my stash and thought the little squares would stand nicely on their own. 

Hand embroidered running stitches, linen binding

Finished piece is about 18" square

Works in Progress

I've got a few projects currently in the works .  Too many things half finished can get stressful, but in general I like to have:

-crochet project for when I am riding the couch
-embroidery project for when i am riding the couch and don't feel like crocheting
-small sewing project when I want to see results fast and be up and moving
-large sewing project (we've got to have big goals!)
-most recently, a Stitch project for my second blog




This is going to be a embroidered frame bag, and will be featured on my second blog.

I have been stitching along with Blair Peter this summer on an granny square afghan sampler.  It's been a lot of fun working on a new block each week.

This past spring my eagle-eyed husband spotted these feed sack prints triangles at a craft fair.  They were in a little baggy marked $1!  Someone spent some time cutting these triangles out, wonder why they let go of them? 

I am getting ready to use them on a Stitch project, so check back on that blog for updates!

Sunrise; Gecko; Miniquilt; Movies

Summer sunrise, Las Vegas

I've been cleaning this morning-- and it's way overdue.  Been home from my vacation for a week and haven't done much but the dishes. 

With a full and heavy trash bag in hand I flung open the garage door, heading for the trash can.  Now...

I don't like bugs.. and I spend a lot of time unconsciously scanning my surroundings for anything that moves.  I'm pretty good at spotting a bug-- I can see an earwig crawling up the wall at 50 feet-- and I'm really nearsighted.  So when I saw a little movement at my feet as I flung open the garage door, I stopped cold.

This little guy was blending in with the floor so well that it took me a moment to see him.

Mediterranean house gecko

I was pleased to find only a little lizard; since I was a girl I have loved reptiles. 

After some maneuvering and coaxing I managed to catch the little guy-- and he was little!  No more than an inch and a half long, including tail! 

Yes, he's in a candle.  There's always one handy around the house, and the lids make an escape proof catcher.

I let the little guy go in my back yard, and after some Internet research, I found that I had a little house gecko-- cute!!  And they eat bugs, so I hope he sticks around.

House Gecko; his big ole eyes are so cute!

On a whim I started a mini quilt yesterday, and it has come together pretty quick.  I have the top pieced and have also done a little hand embroidery embellishment.  I plan to baste and straight line quilt it tomorrow. 

The little squares are all from a single piece of fabric I've had for years.  It's an eclectic print, and I love how the designs are so small (each block is about an inch and a half).  I cut the fabric apart and then gave each little square a little room to breath. 

This mini will get a more thorough post after I have quilted it. 


I've been hitting the Netflix hard over here this week.  Is it possible to watch too many movies?  Netflix is just too good!  As a lover of bad movies, B movies, old movies, foreign movies, I always find something obscure and/or entertaining.

Just a few recent screenings:
Resevoir Dogs-- for the first in over ten years, it's still good
Thor- surprisingly good, though lots of green screen
Alice's Restaurant- this is the third time, love that movie
Submarine- surprisingly good quirky, indie type
Anna Karenina- (2000 masterpiece version) I've seen other versions.. this was well done (of course, it's PBS) and the story is timeless
Leadbelly- dramatization of his life...once something awful happened to me when listening to a Leadbelly record, wont' go in to it
A league of their own- had this on VHS growing up, watched it a hundred times "batter up.."
The Red Violin- this was hard to watch but so good...an emotionally tense film and one that sticks with you
His Girl Friday- seen this at least three times, a great classic film!  Cary Grant is too good
The Fifth Element- though this one is silly, it's still entertaining!

San Jose Quilt and Textile Museum

San Jose Quilt and Textile Museum

I figured two weeks was plenty of time to experience everything the bay area had to offer-- where did I go wrong?

...We didn't make it to Chinatown or the museum of modern art-- and though we had some fabulous meals, I didn't get to eat a lobster that had been scampering along the ocean floor that same day..

Maybe I could have fit in more sites with a structured agenda, but we tried to keep things spontaneous.  This probably explains how late one afternoon, after a quick google search of local museums, we found ourselves heading to the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles...

Hello!
Hands on parking garage

 

Yarn bomb,
outside museum

Quilt block tiles on
sidewalk outside museum

There were probably 20, and I wish I took
photos of all of them!

I was hoping to see lots of vintage quilts, but to be honest, there were only about six vintage quilts on display.  The museum's collection (though large) must be kept in storage- probably to protect the delicate textiles from deterioration.

In front of a nice
sunburst quilt

  
So, slightly disappointed with the small display of vintage quilts we made our way to the current exhibition, that of the painter and tapestry artist Mark Adams.  It was amazing!!

I had admittedly never heard of this amazing artist, but seeing his tapestries in person was an unexpectedly enjoyable treat.  I was not permitted to take photos of any of the tapestries, but I pulled a few from the net (below).

His tapestries jump off the cloth at you, and from a distance look like paintings.  Some pieces felt mystical or maybe esoteric; others had fabulous graphic pop.  Mark Adams' work deserves more recognition, and getting to see this extensive exhibit in person was great!

Mark Adams
Can you believe this is a tapestry?

Mark Adam
Tapestry

After our museum visit, we stopped in the gift shop, to check out the handmade objects, books, textiles... and we picked up these fabulous Mola embroideries!  We plan on framing and hanging them.  We've owned a Mola owl embroidery for years, it was one of the first pieces of home decor we bought.  The colorful and stylized look of these pieces will fit nicely with our eclectic decor.

Scoring these embroideries was the perfect end to our afternoon!

Leda and the Swan

Leda and the Swan

This is an embroidery I was playing around with a few months ago.  It's technically finished I guess, but there is something about it I am not quite happy with.  I think I'll rework another one with 2 strands of floss so the lines are a bit more delicate. 

I might refine the pattern and offer it for sale.

I like the couched swan feathers.  It was hard to decide how to work the feathers. Swans always look so smooth, but I didn't want him to be satin stitched.. 

Leda and the Swan,
detail, unfinished



Embroidered Needle Book

I few weeks ago, I embroidered a letter "C" for submission to &Stitches "Stitch a letter for our header" project.  It turned out nice.

My Mom's name starts with the letter "C", and I thought this little letter would make a perfect needle book cover for her!  I used this this tutorial from nanacompany.  Her cute pattern is beautifully photgraphed and easy to follow. 

Patchwork back

First page
Vintage trim, button, blue wool

Second Page
Vintage trim, eyelet trim

Third page
Buttons, Trim

Fourth Page
Wool Squares

Aww!  Almost gag reflex cute :)

Wool Embroidery Wall Hanging

I just finished up this embroidered wall hanging.  It really pops in it's white frame I think! 

The pattern is from Katherine Shaughnessy's book, The New Crewel.  I love her quirky designs, but having no crewel thread I had to improvise.  I have a large supply of one-ply wool yarn, so I went with that.  The effect is not quite the same but it works!

It's a large piece, about 12" by 14".  My walls are pretty full, so I'm not sure where I'll hang it yet.  It's worked on lovely brown linen.

Vintage Embroidered Linens

My Husband was very sweet and took my Mom and myself to a sidewalk craft sale today.  There were a lot of nice vendors, and I would have more fun if it wasn't nearing 100 degrees without a cloud or a breeze to be found.  The sun is merciless in the desert; you can get the start of a bad sunburn in a matter of 5 minutes.  (I know this from experience!)

Though I was speed shopping, I did pick up a few fat quarters, and scored some beautiful vintage embroidered linens.  Tomorrow I will do a bit of washing, ironing, and stashing!

Sampler butterfly- love the colors!

This is a table runner, with a butterfly on each end

This is a little piece, edged with cotton lace

I think the leaves are kind of neat

Cross stitched rose

This grape embroidered piece is large!  The linen has natty bits running through
it in different colors

The grapes are outlined in the most perfect blanket
stitches I have ever seen!

These two little elves are adorable!

The blue variegated thread gives a nice effect

This bouquet sampler uses quite a few stitches. 
I really like the extra long lazy daisy stitches
worked in pink and red thread!

It is table runner size

Cute!

This might be my favorite one, I just love this.  It is a table runner, with the
design on both ends.  Cotton lace border