Category: Embroidery
How did this happen so quickly? I can’t believe it’s 2019! I’m sure there’s an explanation but it’s confusing how time can pass so quickly.
In the spring of 2018 I walked into a sewing machine store to look at longarm machines. I was almost finished with a quilt and was thinking about how I was going to finish it off. I really didn’t want to go to the expense of sending it out but it was difficult on my machine. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now so one day I decided to investigate. As I was looking around the store one of the clerks asked me what I was looking for and I mentioned a longarm. She asked if I was going interested in a quilting business and when I said no, she suggested that I probably didn’t really want a longarm. In reality, no, I don’t think I really wanted a longarm but really was looking for a better way to quilt. We started talking machines and by the time I left, I had decided to buy a combination sewing/embroidery machine. I’ve had my old machine for 30 years and at that time I don’t think they even made embroidery machines for the home sewer/hobbyist.
I’ve always like to embroider and when first got my old machine I had taken all kinds of classes including machine embroidery. Although the outcome is the same, the method is entirely different now when it’s controlled by machine and not by hand. I have been smitten by the embroidery bug! Now I’m conflicted even more but it’s because I don’t have enough time for quilting nor do I have enough time for machine embroidery so how do I choose. I’ll admit, the quilt top that was almost completed, is still almost completed. One of my goals for this year is to finish that quilt because it’s actually for me! In the meantime, I’ve been experimenting and learning about machine embroidery. I think I’ll start adding to this blog for a bit and document some of that learning. For now, my latest interest is cards. So many choices and certainly not enough time!
I was lucky enough to recieve some gifts from friends this summer too. A friend who I chat with many times a week but usually by email, found a pincushion pattern that she wanted to try out so I was the lucky winner on that one and one friend I had made a pincushion caddy for and in turn she created me a beautiful pair of hand knit socks.
It’s always such a treat to receive handmade gifts from friends. (Actually it’s a treat to receive any kind of gift. It always makes me feel special.) I love creating gifts for people and in turn I love to receive the
m as well.
This beautiful wool pincushion was created with love and care by my friend Gretchen.
I feel honored and blessed to be on the receiving end.
For my friend Terri, I made this pincushion caddy similar to one she had see on a website.
As a thank you she gifted me with these hand knit socks. What a lucky gal I am!
Here are a few more odds and ends. Mostly pictures.
I’m still making and decorating towels.
Also some embroidery
And a custom yoga bag for an oversize yoga mat.
I have a thread nest in a bowl. These are the remains from stitching the week I was in Palm Springs. Really, I had a good week. A little visiting, some sight-seeing and lots of down time. It really was a good change for me. This has been a hectic and chaotic year. The stitching was for more towels. There are still some folks in my world that don’t have these towels yet and I’m still enjoying working on them.. Not sure when I will stop but until then it’s a great evening activity while I’m watching TV. More to come. It’s that time of year.