Thursday, May 19, 2011

Come see me!

I have three needlework events I'll be attending this year. I wanted to post links to the information about where you can come and see me.

Silver Needle: A Summer Stitching Spree! I'll be there as Raise the Roof AND Shakespeare's Peddler. Teresa Layman is teaching a fabulous knotting class, too. This is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, July 13-Saturday, July 16.

Dyeing to Stitch: Seaside Seasons Retreat at Virginia Beach. I'll be there with Jeannette Douglass, R&R Reproductions and Shepherd's Bush. The dates are October 27-29. I've heard the beach is LOVELY!

Celebration of Needlework: At the lovely St. Charles Embassy Suites in Missouri (St. Louis). LOTS of fabulous shopping ... I'll have a booth there with all my wares (fabric, threads, patterns, etc.) LOTS of vendors... You can also take classes by Lori Markovic (La D Da) and Jeannette Douglas (and me!) Dates are September 15-19.

Hope you can come and see me. It's so much fun to spend time with other stitchers.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Sharing some pictures from stitchers

I had some very talented stitchers e-mail me pictures of projects I've released -- I love seeing what other people do with my designs! I thought I'd share these with you.

First up is Debby's sampler she stitched for her daughter and son-in-law. Here's what Debby has to say about the sampler:

"The sampler has their names and birthdates and the date, location and time of their wedding. The ring (middle left) was my Mother's original wedding band and the diamond heart to the right was the necklace my husband gave me to wear on our wedding day (34 years ago).

Middle left "The Journey" and stitching above it represents the diamond my Daughter's new hubby gave her on their first Christmas together. The "Y" (middle left) says: You are the best thing that ever happened to me..... which is their song they had their first dance to. The date on the bottom left is the date he proposed and the date on the right is the date he asked for her hand in marriage. The little dog is their little Yorkie. They love to go on long walks in the park (they love trees) and my daughter loves flowers.

Just a side note. My Mother never got to see this sampler as she passed away a week and a half after the wedding. She was 93 years old and was so anxious to see it."

If you don't recognize the pattern, it's because she used PART of one of my reproductions, the Ann Hobbs Antique Spring Sampler. Here's what that one looks like all done. Isn't she clever to have made a sampler that is truly unique! What a lucky daughter she has!

Ashley e-mailed me with a picture of "God Bless Those," a limited edition kit I released at market this spring. Here's what she has to say:

"Just wanted to share my Gob Bless Those with you. The colors were so much fun to work with knowing they are limited edition. I'm really proud of it! I have it hanging in my office. You did a wonderful job with this design."

And Sherre sent me a picture of her Jenny Bean's Christmas Ornament 2010. She played with the colors and framed hers -- didn't it turn out nicely? She's so talented. Here's what Sherre had to say:

"I am a fan of your designs and recently stitched up the "Jenny Bean Christmas Ornament 2010." I made some changes to it--changed colors to make it more Christmasy and changed the date to reflect the year the hymn "Silent Night" was written. The "grass" at the bottom was changed to "snow." It is such a sweet design, I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty to make those changes. My LNS owner encouraged me to send a photo of my version, it is currently framed and on display at the shop. I'm attaching a photo of it. I took this pic at the shop, so there is a glare on the glass at the lower left I couldn't avoid.

Thank you for the beautiful designs you create for us stitchers!"

In case you've forgotten, here's what the original design looks like. I like Sherre's, too! How fun to see the ways people make pieces their very own.

And fancy Connie from Arkansas sent me THREE finishes of Shakespeare's Peddler pieces. Here are her pictures and her description:

"MD's Sampler and a close-up of that date on the crown I mentioned in the post below. Stitched on 32 ct PTP Mello (why do fabric pictures never do justice to the colors) with Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe fibers. Frame by Hobby Lobby, framing by me.

Father Sail Home stitched on 28 count Broomstick Brown with suggested GAST and DMC. Old frame from my stash that worked out great.

Sampler Roundy stitched on 32 count something or other (it's a pretty fall-ish kinda color, picture does not show it well at all) with DMC fibers. Finished as you suggested with wooden circles done in a cake plate stack.
I hope you enjoy my versions and feel that I did your designs the justice they deserve. Keep on designing and stitching!!!"

Thanks, ladies, for sending me your finishes to share. If anyone else has designs finished (or not finished!) of mine that you'd like to show off, send them to me in an e-mail. I'd love to show them off to everyone.

Have a great week!

Theresa

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Good-bye, sweet princes

The other day, my 14-year-old son, Graham, was sitting on the couch looking at one of our foster cats. Stroking the cat, he said, "I just love you so much, Dusty." I told Graham that while it was going to be difficult to give the Three Amigos up for adoption, we had done the most loving thing for them we could: give them seven weeks of food, shelter, attention and care, so they could be ready for lives with other families. Many of the kittens coming in to the shelter right now have to be euthanized for lack of space. It is figuratively raining kittens and puppies; the shelter does not have enough space or foster care for them all.

Thinking on it, I realize that taking responsibility for another being's welfare (cat, dog, child) leads to a strong emotional bond. These three kittens we picked up seven weeks ago needed us, but have given us so much in return. I follow the Dalai Lama on Facebook (of all places), and just this week he posted:

"Foolish, selfish people are always thinking of themselves and the result is always negative. Wise persons think of others, helping them as much as they can, and the result is happiness. Love and compassion are beneficial both for you and others. Through your kindness to others, your mind and heart will open to peace."


We watched Lucky, Dusty and Ned grow from tiny little orange balls of fur into happy, social, healthy and well-adjusted young cats. The first few weeks, the differences were apparent on a daily basis. Their personalities took hold, their looks became more distinct, their legs lengthened, their teeth came in, their ears became gigantic, and we all grew to love them.

But we can't keep them. We have four cats of our own, and more to foster, more to save from the needle. I told Graham that giving up the Amigos means we can love more cats, save more lives. He said, "But they're the FIRST ONES."

And I understand that completely -- there will be other kittens. And we will grow to love them all before we have to give them up. But Lucky, Dusty and Ned were the ones who taught us how to hold the bottle just so to help a little one nurse. They taught us that cleaning up little poops and pee-spots isn't the worst thing in the world. We learned about the amazing speed of development in a young animal, how to be patient during teething, how to tolerate dozens of tiny scratches on the backs of our hands (little claws can't retract, so every touch from little paws can leave a mark.) They napped on our laps. They licked our faces. They made us laugh. And they came running to the door every day when I came home from work.

Today they're in surgery; I'll pick them up this afternoon. They'll have an opportunity to recuperate, and in the next few days, I will take them to the pet store and say good-bye. It won't take long for them to find new homes -- kittens sometimes are only at the pet store a few hours before they find a new family. Won't I be sad? Of course. Will I cry? Definitely. But I am so proud and happy to have been a little part of an organization that helps orphaned, unwanted, and stray animals find their forever homes.

Adios, Amigos! I love you guys!

(P.S. Top to bottom are Lucky, Ned and Dusty.)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Whoops!

I guess Soba is a boy!

Will post a blog update soon...