Made in the USA! Isn’t it great to hear those words, made in the USA? Continuing along with it’s really is a bag thing, these are Ashland Sky Bags carried by Leigh Designs. They are very functional and “purrfect” bags for all of our needlepoint projects. They are made of high quality frosted vinyl with colorful nylon fabric trims and made entirely in the USA by people with disabilities.

This is a great bag coming in a wide assortment of shapes, sizes and colors. There are flat sacks in small, medium or large with shoulder straps, a 9″ x 12″ project pouch for your threads that you can just drop into the flat sack to keep your project together and a 6″ x 7″gadget bag to hold beads, needles and all the necessary tools that we need to stitch with. They are available in many colors such as black, blue, green, olive, orange, purple, red or turquoise. You could color coordinate everything or mix and match! How about red for Holiday projects? or oange for Halloween? the possibilities are limitless!

This picture only represents a sampling of the bags and to see all of the choices available; go to Leigh Designs website http://www.leighdesigns.com/AS-Home.html

My sister and I took the day off yesterday from organizing and folding the quilting fabrics, but we will be back to work at it today! I am slowly putting aside a pile of fabrics that catch my fancy and will leave a wish list behind when I depart. The weather has been exceptionally picture perfect this last week, but the weather man says that it is coming to a screaming halt today as heat, humidity and thunderstorms approach.

Yesterday was a wonderful day at “The Lake” which I learned was Caroga Lake, located in the Adirondacks. It has been many years since I have been home when the ground was not frozen over and covered with snow, so I forgot how beautiful is is around here at this time of the year. A cool breeze, a delightful afternoon outside, a walk around the lake, a little adult beverage, a gourmet meal, great conversation and best of all…the company.

and until next time…keep on stitching

Over the years Sundance Designs has become very well known for their wonderful Southwest canvases, most notably by Ted DeGrazia, their amazing selection of beads, sequins and now these great new bags. I think that I have said it before, that as a stitcher one can never have too many bags. I have never met a bag that I didn’t like or should I say love and these are no exception!

Cassie, the heart and soul of Sundance tells us that “This new bag is Huipil (pronounced wee peel) embroidered tote, which is a form of Mayan embroidery and weaving used for traditional blouses or dresses. These embroideries when no longer being used as a garment are repurposed into beautiful and colorful one of a kind totes. As a stitcher, I marvel at the exquisite work and I’m proud to carry my tote knowing that I have given a second life to another artisan’s stitchery.” It is a tough decision to make a choice as each one is prettier than the next, and they are all totally different. They are lined and finished off beautifully into a bag that you will just love to carry. I was especially enamored with this one because of the center embroidery.

I am having a wonderful visit with my sister and brother-in-law. The weather couldn’t be better, Michael has been wining and dining me with gourmet meals fit for a queen! My sister and I have been keeping busy as I help her sort and organize her quilting fabrics. It is very cathartic sitting there and refolding fabrics, admiring the patterns and envisioning what magic her hands, scissors and needles will turn this fabric into. If you ever think that you have too much stash…not…just open a quilter’s cupboard and you will see that they know how to do it right!

Today we will head for her favorite quilt shop, The Joyful Quilter, so I can see the new building that they have recently moved into and just maybe a little stash enhancement. Tomorrow is a day for chilling and a ride to “The Lake” is planned to visit a dear friends summer home and throw a few steaks on the barbecue!

I made friends with the neighbors’ cats yesterday, Putter and Pierre since I am missing mine. Pierre is the shy one, but Putter made up it by shamelessly throwing herself on my feet and demanding lots and lots of attention! I enjoyed hearing every single meow and listening to all that purring…AlleyCat in one of her poses and until next time…keep on stitching

I am here in beautiful upstate New York, where the weather couldn’t be better! Actually perfect temperatures, blue skies, a gentle breeze and little to no humidity! What happened? It’s almost like the weather followed me from home. My flight was uneventful and I arrived here on Wednesday morning at about 1:30AM, sorry sis! So it was a lazy morning yesterday and then we spent the afternoon going through some of my sister’s quilting fabrics. Even though she is a wonderful stitcher, my sister’s main expertise is in her quilting and she is really, really good at it too.

This is my stitching project while I am here, a new Pischke Pocket! This one is called Savannah, with that beatiful magnolia as the centerpiece of the canvas. This will be a Christmas present to my sister and my plan is to hopefully finish it during my visit and then just leave it here for her. With my sister’s expertise in sewing… unlike me who was definately was standing behind the door when that sewing gene was handed out I will leave it for her to applique the pocket on the bag!

My sister has a work meeting today, so I am on my own to enjoy a lazy morning and afternoon of stitching, catching up on some e-mails and whatever mischief I can get myself into. I am missing the feline children and I wonder what kind of mischief they are getting into?

A new box from CostCo for AlleyCat and I think that this one was in high on the feline approval scale! and until next time…keep on stitching

I’m leaving today…(well actually tomorrow) in my very best Liza Minnelli impersonation…I want to be part of it, New York! New York! Those vagabond shoes are longing to stray, and make a brand new start of it. New York, New York!

Well in case  you haven’t figured it out by now, my Mac and I are headed east for a little visit with my sister. Some girl time, some sister type things, some stitching time, some laughs and gabbing the nights away. My sister usually comes out here for a visit every summer, but we decided that I would come east this time.

I have stitching to get ready, lots of shorts, tshirts and all kinds of casual clothes to pack. Noticed I said stitching first? I am starting a new Pische Pocket, actually this one is for my sister, so the plan is to hopefully finish it while I am there and leave it behind. I think that I have given myself high expectations of speedy fingers being that I haven’t put one stitch in it yet! I won’t be taking the Deeva Easter Egg House or Sharon G’s Cat’s Night Out or Maggie’s Guarding the Village with me since I have my work cut out for me with my Pische Pocket.

In case you are wondering about this canvas seen here, it is by DJ Designs and is a snippet from the larger stockings that are in the line. It is just an ornament size and it came from Annie and Company in NYC.

I have thought ahead and worked to photograph and load a variety of pictures on my computer, so that I can keep the blog going. It might not be as often while I am gone and it might not be a stitching report every time, as you might get rather tired of the slow and steady progress of a Pische Pocket. Just in case I finish the Pische Pocket for my sister, I have another one for myself! yes just like I need another bag, but when Susan Portra said beads, I gave in. Oh well, what can I say? I just may take a heart with me too.

The cats will not be pleased with me, especially AlleyCat and trust me she will voice her displeasure when I get back. Rose, who takes care of them when I am gone will be busy keeping them entertained. I was giving some of the plants a little drink of water yesterday and Miss BB, better known as Miss Busy Body couldn’t figure out what was going on! and until next time…keep on stitching

Decisions! decisions! ooh such a tough choice what do I want to stitch on next? Too many canvases and definitely not enough time. This is one of the new Needle Deeva hearts, A Day of the Dead Sugar Skull. I love this one so much that I am going to stitch it in two different orientations! The first one will be stitched in probably mostly basketweave and then…and then I asked for another one to be painted so that I can bead it entirely.

I was planning on a road trip yesterday for beads and threads for all of the new hearts, but halfway to the freeway on ramp, I changed my mind, turned around and came back home. Too much to do in the house and well to be perfectly honest I really wanted to watch the Yankee game yesterday! A very special game it was indeed and also I accomplished what I wanted to do around the house. Later in the afternoon I rewarded myself with a quick trip to Needlepoint of La Jolla where Michelle and Bill helped me select threads and talk stitches.

Here are some of my other choices!

The Deeva is busy! busy! busy! designing even more as we speak. There is another Halloween design on the painters table and even more on the computer.

Sylvester was busy overseeing my stitching last night. AlleyCat, where are you? and until next time…keep on stitching

You know I never met a cat I didn’t like! Cats in my house, cats in my needlepoint, cats all over my house in pictures, pillows, statues, vases, blankets, jackets, clothes and whatever else you can think of. Yes there is no hope for me…

I just love these Needle Deeva Hearts! From start to finish it is usually under 6 hours. This one would have probably been even quicker, but I restitched the center blue section, it was just too busy and I didn’t like the way the compensating stitches fell into place. See I am really fussy about that and will sometimes count out the stitch and if I can’t get it to flow smoothly in areas where there are lots of those compensating stitches, I will look for another one! This heart is stitched in Burmilana, Anchor & DMC flosses, Mandarin Floss and lots of Kreinik! Four colors of Kreinik I think and of course we can’t forget the beads! ooh the beads and that is my favorite part. If you are not a bead person, I am sure that French knots would work or you could even just stitch the stars and the moon.

Needle Deeva has been busy designing more hearts for us. Actually I have 5 or 6 more in my hot little hands right now! I feel like a shopping trip today for some threads and beads for my new little hearts. Yes I know that I have other canvases that are ahead of the hearts, but these are such a quick stitch, how can I say no? My goal is to have as many stitched as I can for the Baltimore show next month and who knows if the painters have quick hands, we might even have some canvases there for cash and carry!

AlleyCat continues to convince me that position is really everything in life. and until next time…keep on stitching

My fingers are really itching to start my Maggie canvas, but I know that this Needle Deeva Easter Egg House canvas is sort of on a deadline. Not a tough deadline, but there is a specific time when it needs to be completed, whisked off to Elizabeth so she can work her magic for a photo shoot in Needlepoint Now, stitch guide to be written and then be ready for the finishers.

I have finally decided on my threads for the lower part of the house which is a combination of Soie d’Alger, Splendor and Dinky Dyes. Dinky Dyes you say? It is a wonderful Australian hand-dyed silk in the most amazing colors. Actually the name Dinky Dyes is a play on words of dinky die meaning genuine or the real thing. There are silks, perle cottons and silk ribbons in their line with numerous colors, many of which are named for native Australian things. Some of the color names that I am using are hibiscus and warratah. The latter being a gorgeous plant indigenous to Australia that you can see here.

I am enjoying working with the Dinky Dyes very much and I would love to acquire more for the stash. I think that I saw them listed as a vendor for the Baltimore TNNA show next month, so I will need to pay them a visit!

Speaking of stitching with overdyes and there are others in this canvas that I have enjoyed stitching with just as much. There is Gloriana Hydrangea for the sky, which is such a great sky color; Gentle Art Sampler Threads for the grass and a little ThreadworX for the roof of the house. I have some overdye silk ribbons to work in among the flowers with beads and flosses, but maybe might need a little class time with Susan or Brenda to inspire me!

My stitching assistants were hard at work last night. and until next time…keep on stitching

I have always loved this canvas! It is a Maggie canvas and a black cat…need I say more? Well this little feline purrson is “Guarding the Village” but I think that he is just trying to keep himself cool on a hot, steamy summer day. I know that this is not AlleyCat in this canvas as she is just a bit thicker around the middle.

Speaking of keeping cool in the neighborhood…even though I live in America’s Finest City as they say with picture perfect weather, blue skies and cool ocean breezes almost every day, there is an unwanted guest in our “hood.” That would be all this humidity! and just where did you come from? It is making the days and night a little challenging to keep cool, calm and collected.

So I thought of this canvas that has been lurking in my stash for ages and just looking at all these trees helps me think cool. Like I really need to start something else, but why should I be any different form the rest of us? The shade, the trees, the great expanses of color, the beautiful blue skies! Ooh I am so anxious to start digging through my threads for color choices. I am thinking Gloriana’s Hydrangea which is always the perfect blue color for a sky and maybe Thread Gatherer’s Old Gold for the foreground. Of course a little black burmilana for the cat.

I had taken this to a canvas enhancement class ages ago and never really did much with it. I am not normally a speedy stitcher in class, I would rather listen to the teacher and take everything in and then go home and stitch. I was thinking of retiring this canvas, never to be stitched on again, but when I was at the summer TNNA show in Columbus, what do I see hanging on Maggie’s wall? This canvas! I studied it all over again and remembering how much I really do love this canvas. Thought about how I enjoyed every stitch on the Rainbow Birds, and why wouldn’t this make my heart sing with all of that color?  I need to get this on bars and start looking for threads and stitches so I can start this over the summer.

AlleyCat is trying to keep cool too…so cool that I think she was sticking out her tongue at me while I was taking the picture! and until next time…keep on stitching

My virtual reality tour of the beach that is! Just can’t get that sand in my stitching, just wouldn’t! I hope that everybody had a enjoyable 4th of July weekend. I know that I did as I worked, I played and I stitched, what could be better than that?

The stitch guides for the pixies that I finished for Ruth Schmuff are winging their way east as we speak. The issue of Needlepoint Now for the September/October issue continues to keep me very busy even though I did take the weekend off from the Mac. I enjoyed dining out for breakfast a few mornings at The Cottage in La Jolla and a little shopping in the village as I took in the amazing views of the coast. Lots of stitching and allot of baseball.

Now that the curiousity, just like the cat has gotten the best of you…you wonder about this canvas that you see here. The Happy Hearts series from Needle Deeva has been so successful and I have been driving the Deeva absolutely wild by asking her, no begging her over and over for more hearts! please more hearts! ooh please! So she has given in and been designing at the speed of light. This was the first one she did, which I think is in honor of Miss AlleyCat. There are more being painted right now and even more on the drawing table! I am so excited.

The threads and beads have been selected for this one and I am ready to start stitching away! I will look through some needlepoint books for a few ideas for small stitches for the background. I have a few in mind, but I want to see if I can find something new and exciting. I have been stitching away on the Needle Deeva Easter Egg House and my goal is to have it all finished except for the flowers very soon.

My orchids and succulents got some tender loving care early yesterday morning. Every so often the orchids take a journey over to the sink so that I can give them a little extra attention, dust & check the leaves and trim the bloom stems when needed. Of course Miss BB and that would be Miss Busy Body was right in the middle of it all in her best supervisory position. and until next time…keep on stitching

Well not really, no, not me… what are you crazy? How can I stitch at the beach, with suntan lotion, sand in my toes and fingers, sun in my face and way too many people? The weather report for this weekend is warm and sunny, just picture perfect weather in America’s finest city, so I am sure that the beaches will be packed. How can you not think of the beach when you look at these flip flops? even if the palm trees are covered with Christmas lights and presents under the tree?

This canvas is from Associated Talents and after the finisher worked their magic, I now have a pair of flip flops. There is a bead packet that comes with the canvas to make the straps. I couldn’t find the beads for months, so I finally gave up and sent them off, figuring that I could add it later. Of course now that they are finished, what do I find the other day?

Looking for my best red, white and blue… One of my favorite books by Brenda Hart!

How can you not stitch with a magnet on your canvas?

Missy, this one is for you! Berries with Tequila Cream compliments of Southern Living

or how about patriotic strawberries?

Fireworks on the 4th over looking the bay. Now this is not just a single display of pyrotechnical oohs and aahs, it is more than one that go off simultaneously at 9PM up and down the coast. The best spot to view see all of this is a top row seat at the baseball game, you know the nosebleed section.

The kids and I would like to wish you a safe and happy 4th of July! We have decided to take the weekend off, so much to do and so many places to go. and until next time… keep on stitching