2023 Stitching, and a lot of it!

As my faithful readers know, stitching takes me to my happy place!  So, this means 2023 must have been overwhelmingly cheerful - seven completed projects, and two more well underway!  Let's go to my virtual sewing room!

In my January 11, 2023 post, I showed pictures of my first blackwork piece in progress, a cross-stitch destined for my oldest sister.  Initially I had planned to give her only the finished cross-stitch, but once I decided that I would hand-carry it to her in October (on the same trip as our daughter's wedding), I was inspired to bring her a fully completed pillow.

This project tested my ingenuity.  First, I wanted to "hide" the back of the cross-stitch.  I devised a plan to sew the cross stitch onto a solid piece of fabric, which would then be sewn to a second piece of fabric to form the pillow case.  Second, it seemed ugly to leave the raw edge of the cross-stitch fabric in full view, so I took a page from some of my past Christmas ornaments and added ribbon around the edges.  Third, I discovered "invisible" zippers while researching how to sew zippers, and I decided to give it a try.   This also meant learning how to change the foot on my Mom's sewing machine to an invisible zipper foot - for many of you long-time sewers out there, this process may seem old hat to you, but I had to call in my local engineer (Spousal Unit) to help me with that one!

The next large project of 2023 was a Christmas stocking for our son-in-law-to-be.  In fact, it was finished the night before we would fly to Cincinnati for the wedding!

This time last year, I had completed a stocking for our daughter (see my December 21, 2022 post).  My heart danced to see both stockings hung on the mantelpiece at their new house for this Christmas!

 

 

 

 

Of course, in the midst of all this I also crafted the wedding handkerchief for our daughter (previously shown in my Wedding Bells post on October 30, 2023).

On one of our recent visits to the UK, I came across designs for cross-stitch bookmarks, and they were perfect choices as Christmas gifts for our son and daughter.

Several years ago, I instituted the tradition of selecting a Christmas ornament design for each of the kids (including our son-in-law).  This year, to commemorate the new house for our daughter and son-in-law, I created a single ornament for the couple.  And the Monopoly ornament is for #1 Son, reflecting our shared love of board games.

And now to works in progress!  As soon as I wrapped up the Christmas stocking for our son-in-law, I embarked on the new stocking for #1 Son.  (I have "child" stockings for our daughter and son, which we have used for years.  Two years ago, I offered to "replace" them with adult stockings, and this is the design chosen by our son.)

Now that Christmas is past, and it is obvious the stocking will not be completed until NEXT Christmas, I am going to take a little break from it, allowing me to return to my 2023 Stitch-A-Long.  I wrote about this project in my January 11, 2023 post.  "During my time in the blogosphere, I have seen many mentions of stitch-a-longs, and viewed creativity in action when my fellow bloggers post pictures.  This year, I finally decided to jump in.   Somebody out there introduced me to Loretta Oliver, and I subscribed to her email for access to free cross-stitch patterns.  On December 29, when the Great Big List of Stitchalongs to Join in 2023 popped into my email inbox, I decided to take a look.  Imagine my delight when I found The Steady Thread Botanical Blackwork Stitchalong.  Flowers AND blackwork, a perfect combination for me!!!  And it's free!"

March 21 marked the last time I took a picture of this project (12 hexagons completed), but at the moment I suspended stitching, I had 36 full hexagons in the design, so that must have been the beginning of September! (Steady Thread released one hexagon per week, so I calculated 36 weeks.)

I have 13 hexagons to go, plus the leaves that frame the pattern.  I chose my own color palette for this project, and so I will also have to think through my approach to the leaves and stems!  As most of you know, I am a "follow the recipe" person, so this is stretching me (just a little!!!!)  *NOTE: when I went to the Steady Thread website to retrieve the 13 remaining hexagons and the leafy frame, I learned that the Stitch-A-Long is closed and there is a charge for any designs I need.  It's not a lot of money, and I certainly don't begrudge the artist who created this lovely design - just a memo to me for the future!

 

I asked for the above book for Christmas, and I leave you with this Navajo song (from Night Chant, for the ninth song).  Praying that 2024 brings you the desires you hold close in your heart.  Happy New Year!

May their roads home be on the trail of peace.

Happily may they all return.

In beauty I walk.

With beauty before me, I walk.

With beauty behind me, I walk.

With beauty above and about me, I walk.

It is finished in beauty.

It is finished in beauty.

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Joining LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for I Like Thursday - prompt this week is: Does your family have a favorite appetizer? Bean dip.  Sausage, Pepper Jack and salsa - need I write more? Can you share the recipe?  See photo below.  Would you rather have buffalo chicken dip or artichoke dip?  Artichoke dip - sometimes the buffalo is too spicy for me.  What do you try first when you go to a party with snacks?  I prefer savory snacks, and I like to try different things, so I would gravitate to anything new that is also savory.

Linking to Thankful Thursday

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching

 

Linking to Needle and Thread Thursday

 

Linking to Mosaic Monday

Munch and Make Returns

As faithful readers know, stitching makes me happy.  Stitching WITH FRIENDS takes me to a state of bliss.  Throw some mouth-watering delectables into the mix?  Practically euphoria!  Munch and make, a craft gathering with neighbor ladies, has returned after a three-year hiatus.  (OK, I knew it had been a long time, but really three years?  Yes, pandemic first and then life, busy life.  Anyway ...)

One friend plied her needle on the table runner you see at left.  And do you know, she gave it to me at the end of the afternoon?  I was SOOOOO touched.

 

How about this quilt?  My neighbor is a prolific quilter and prefers to have one quilt at a time in production.  On the day of our gathering, she was finishing the binding.  You probably cannot see it, but the corners of the quilt have nests with little eggs in them.  Love the plump birds on this incredible work of art.

 

 

 

 

Everyone brought goodies - sugar-free chocolate, oat cookies, lemon blueberry ricotta cake, fresh fruit.  The panda nestled among the munchies was hand-made by another neighbor during our gathering.

 

My project is the cross-stitch for my sister that I first shared in this January post.  It's coming along nicely; I am head over heels in love with the blackwork patterns that make up the flower at the center of the design by Lesley Teare.

 

I hope to have another Munch and Make in mid-March - watch this space!

If you would like to see the previous Munch posts, go to March 17, 2019, April 11, 2019, October 6, 2019 and January 29, 2020.

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I am joining Lee Anna at I Like Thursday this week.  The prompt is "What thoughtful things does your special person do for you, or you do for them?"  Spousal Unit brings me coffee in bed most mornings, a routine that began when I retired.  He has always been the cook in our family - even though it is one of his "responsibilities" in the house, I still consider the effort he puts into cooking overall, and finding new recipes (almost always a hit), to be one of the things about him that I truly appreciate.  Occasionally, I try to surprise him.  A note left in an unexpected place, or candy just for fun.  After Valentine's Day, I perused the on-sale Valentine's candy and was delighted to find this.  It would be a long story to explain the boxer shorts with the hearts, but it has a funny meaning for us!

 

 

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Linking to Mosaic Monday

Stitchin'

I am having fun.  I am stitching.  Two projects underway, and several in the planning stages.  My fellow stitchers, can you ever have too many ideas or creations that you want to make?

Before I show you the current work, I can finally share the ornaments that I made for the kids as Christmas presents.  I love the process of looking for subjects that are suitable for the recipient, and yet not too big for a tree ornament.  Pinterest is fabulous resource, and the convenience of downloading designs for a minimal price is a far cry from the days of thumbing through racks of cross-stitch books at Michael's!

The fiance made his first trip to the UK in 2022, and since the itinerary included London, this ornament was an easy choice.

 

 

 #1 Son is a little more challenging - cats are an obvious choice, but I am reluctant to give him only cat ornaments.  So I took a little bit of an indirect tack this year, and this is all the more appropriate since together we have watched a documentary about how some people still claim the earth is flat!

In this post in December 2021, I wrote about discovering Spanish blackwork.  In December 2022, I finally began my first blackwork piece.  Last year, my oldest sister purchased an RV, and mentioned that she planned to call it "Bloomer".  I scoured Pinterest for cross-stitch designs with that word, or with a pertinent theme.  I was delighted to locate a pattern with many of her favorite colors, and blackwork!  Bingo!  

I will have to add "Bloomer" to the bottom of the design, but that is easy to do.  Over Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to ask her about the font style she would like.  So, I was all set.  Below are some pictures with current progress.  (I think she will use this a pillow cover.)

 

During my time in the blogosphere, I have seen many mentions of stitch-a-longs, and viewed creativity in action when my fellow bloggers post pictures.  This year, I finally decided to jump in.   Somebody out there (identify yourself!) introduced me to Loretta Oliver, and I subscribed to her email for access to free cross-stitch patterns.  On December 29, when the Great Big List of Stitchalongs to Join in 2023 popped into my email inbox, I decided to take a look.  Imagine my delight when I found The Steady Thread Botanical Blackwork Stitchalong.  Flowers AND blackwork, a perfect combination for me!!!  And it's free!

The Steady Thread is very thorough, and at first the detail of the instructions seemed overwhelming, but I took it one step at a time.  I chose the circular hexagon pattern, and decided on ivory 14-ct. fabric.  (In hindsight, I think I would have preferred 16- or 18-ct.)  I intend to put the finished project in our guest bathroom, so I had an idea of a preferred color palette.  (Traditional blackwork typically utilizes only black thread, but given the location for this piece and the botanical aspect of it, I wanted to experiment with color.  It may not seem like a big deal to you creative folks out there, but this is a STRETCH for someone who likes pre-made designs and can't cook without a recipe!!!)

The design has 49 hexagons in total, and each Friday the pattern for the next hexagon is released.  The Steady Thread provides a key for the placement of each week's hexagon, and "hexagon paper" that you can print in order to plan your color palette, if needed.  In the picture below you can see most of my "color design", and the two hexagons that I have already completed.

 And a closer look.

I still have a few questions, such as how participants share progress (I think it's on a FaceBook page) and when we are supposed to complete the leafy frame.  Watch this space!

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I am joining I Like Thursday at Not Afraid of Color.  You can always find something inspiring among this group.  Check it out.

This week the prompt is "Do you use a calendar?  Is it digital and do you like it?  Is it a wall calendar and who's do you have this year?  Is it a diary type that sits on your desk next to the computer?  Share yours, and if you like it, how did you choose that one?  Do you have another system to remember things?" 

I use a classic Franklin Planner (see above) and it has a flower motif.   Throughout my career, this style served me well and I continued in retirement. I use the month pages to keep track of significant appointments and events.  In between the month pages, there are two pages per week, so there is room to write down daily tasks, but not many.  So, I do find I need a separate sheet of paper to capture my very aspirational list of everything I would like to get done in a day!!!

So, as you can tell, I am a very visual person - I tried a digital calendar and just couldn't SEE enough to make me comfortable.  The closest I get is the "notes" function in my phone - I use it to record ideas when I am away from my Planner and to-do list.

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Also linking to Mosaic Monday.  If you like creative photo collages, this is the linky party for you!

Mosaic Monday #192: Summer Farewell

My dear friends, this will be my last post as the host of Mosaic Monday, so it is fitting that I close this chapter with a final set of summer photos.

August featured no less than 3 backcountry camping trips.  Too many pictures for one post, but I can sure show you some highlights.

Our first trip, with an intended destination of Gray Wolf Lake, is a story in itself.  We fell short of our destination, and it rained while we gobbled our dinner, and for most of the night.

Rain is such a unique event during the summer in Montana that we were a bit surprised by this rainstorm.  The thunder and lightning that accompanied the storm ignited one significant wildfire some 15 miles from where we camped for the night.  But I will never complain about rain in the summer, given the extreme drought conditions in the Mountain West!

Between two camping trips, we spent one night in a hotel situated midway from the trailheads.  We were a bit early to check in, so we stopped at a nearby eatery for a treat of coffee and ice cream.

The next day, we worked off that ice cream with more than 3,300 feet of elevation gain in 5 miles.  But this is the reward: Mollman Lake.

The day of these photos also happened to be our 31st anniversary.  I had drawn this card and brought it with me.

"Husband" is just a title every man can have.  But it takes a heart and life to live by it.  You have never failed to show me how much I mean to you.  Happy Anniversary!"

Can you believe we had this whole place to ourselves?  Priceless!!!!

Of course, you don't always have to go far from home to capture beauty.  The next two photos were taken on August 16, right in our own neighborhood as I came home from town one evening.

August brings the Northwest Montana Fair to the fairgrounds, complete with wall-to-wall 4-H competition, food you shouldn't eat and rides that light up the night sky.  I went two days to support the grandkids of my Dear Neighbor Friend, and trust me when I say the kids cleaned up in most of their events!  I continue to learn the finer points of showmanship, and the importance of udders and other body parts on goats, sheep and cattle!  On rodeo night, I worked the funnel cake booth for St. Matthew's Church - I think I can still feel the skim of frying fat on my skin, and smell funnel cake batter in my nostrils.  I took a little time to spin through the quilts/home-made crafts section - always inspiring.

 

In this post in December 2021, I wrote about discovering Spanish blackwork.  I was thrilled to see this example of it at the Fair!  (By the way, I have purchased a design utilizing blackwork, and I am anxious to get started on it!)

At the end of August, rolling over into September, a three-night backcountry camping trip in Glacier National Park checked all the boxes: wildlife, fishing, jagged mountains, glacier-blue lakes.  Let's take a look!

Video of waterfall along the trail.

Video of bighorn sheep ewe and young one.

Back at home, it was wildlife of a different sort and proportion that attracted my eye.  Check out this video of the largest bumblebee I have ever seen.

Grasshoppers pick on the Russian Sage, climbing its stalks and nibbling through the very peak, toppling the lovely, symmetrical flower pyramids.  In the process of hunting the grasshoppers, I spotted this precious little frog.  It is you, my dear, that I hear singing after the sun goes down. 

In early September, we were delighted to welcome my oldest brother and his wife, who flew their "Blue Eagle" plane from Morgan County, Utah, to Kalispell.

Over the five days of their visit, we kayaked on Lone Lake, hiked in Glacier National Park, and were treated to aerial touring in the Blue Eagle.  I was thrilled to provide a garden tour, and Head Chef kept us well fed as usual.  A lovely visit all around.

Flying over the landscapes we see every day, but flat-footed, is a gift.  Is that hill really that steep?  Does Ashley Creek wind in such a serpentine manner?  The area around Whitefish has many more lakes than I realized.  Do they have fish?

I love this video of Ashley Creek in Smith Valley.

The latter part of September has brought wildlife of every description.  One night, sitting in the great room, I imagined an owl calling.  Going out on the deck, I was thrilled to hear Barred Owls echoing each other.  One is a blessing; two or more feels like a miracle.

The cygnets that I featured in this post are growing up.  On September 17, they were swimming together, but without their parents.  And they came so close to me - no fear?

While I was at the lake's edge, Spousal Unit called me.  "Can you see the elk?  It's a mama and a baby, in the water."   I scouted the lake, with the binoculars and without.  Nothin'.  I worked my way north, and then I heard the splashing.  Mama saw me or sensed me first.  The best I got was the baby running away through the woods.

Meanwhile, our neighborhood black bear has been roaming, building up fat for the winter.  We have seen him at least once a week, and in one case, I saw him while running out in the woods ... I took the long way around that day!  These shots were taken as I came home from town one day - less than a half mile from our house.

Thistles are one of the many species that we combat for preservation of the native habitat, but before I cut the seeds off and put them in the trash, I momentarily admire their beauty.  In many ways, they represent the fleeting nature of summer.  Weightless. Perfectly designed for purpose.  Ephemeral.  Majestic simplicity.

And so, we bid farewell to summer and to Mosaic Monday.

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My dear Mosaic Monday friends: I am pleased to tell you that Heidrun @ Soul and Mind and so on will be taking over Mosaic Monday, starting next weekend.  She carries on the fine tradition established by our previous hosts – Mary @ Little Red House through August 4, 2014, Judith @ Lavender Cottage from August 10, 2014 through July 24, 2016, and Maggie @ Normandy Life from July 31, 2016 through October 29, 2018.  I hope that you will continue participating in Mosaic Monday – your posts through the years have inspired me more than you know!

Some of you have asked if I am leaving the blogosphere altogether; I will still be posting occasionally, and linking to Mosaic Monday as well as other link parties.  So, I will see you around, my friends!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter