Sunday, October 25, 2009

A big surprise, finishes, and a get away!

A surprise from my dear blogging friend, Jolene!

I got the most wonderful surprise in the mail on Friday. Jolene, one of our sail away members, sent me a gift of orange, rust colored stork scissors and a darling card. I was so blown away by her kindness! When I opened the card these wonderful Fall leaves floated into my lap. It was like getting little hugs from a friend. I've never met Jolene, but can you just tell by how generous she is with others, that she is one sweet, kindred friend. I hope to be a friend like her. She makes you feel good and loved, which is a true gift. Thank you a million times Jolene! I can't wait to meet. There are so many bloggers that I feel this way about. To all of you, I thank you for your comments, and inspiration in helping me be a better person. By the way, Jolene is having a fabulous blog give-away. You will definitely want to check it out.
Spooky Sheep by Shepherd's Bush. One of the few finishes I've done lately. Made perfect with Jolene's sweet gift!

Flea Market Find by Blackbird Designs
I've managed to finish another work in progress. I changed the colors of the fabric, and stitched the vine on the right side of the house instead of the left. I also added the date, a couple more motifs around the house, and the mother-of-pearl button. I'm still trying to decide if I like it the button. What do you think? Does it need more buttons to even it out?
I stitched spider-web roses on my vine, and added a few more motifs. I also changed the color of the stem and leaves in the third block to GA Dried Thyme. It went better with my fabric color.
This week I have been trying to make some progress on Sail Away. I'm hoping to finish soon, so that I can work on another Shepherd's Bush Design, Baby Bug Ball.After about a half of an hour of frustration, and staring hopelessly at this project, I discovered why I was off one thread. Can you see that stitch right in the middle, that I went over one thread instead of two? When I discovered it, I just about died! At that moment I certainly wanted to! My kids wanted to know why I was talking like Yosemite Sam! This screw up could not have been in a worse spot since I had completed the water and lighthouse section already. To fix it, it would have meant ripping out half of this section. Thankfully I was cheered up by Jolene's gift, and decided to try and figure out a way to fix the problem. I am stitching the entire hillside over one thread instead of two. It will take twice as long, but it's better than the alternative of ripping this whole section out. Shepherd's Bush, Baby Bug Ball.
I'm stitching this with Jane, my blogging friend from Australia.

Another dear blogger that I love to read, Miss Jane's Stitching, is starting Baby Bug Ball. I asked her if she minded a tag-a-long stitcher. I always work better on something if I can be inspired by someone else's photos. She is on board, and I'm thrilled to be able to stitch this with her. I actually started this about 3 years ago. I worked on it all night, and this is how far I got. I remember being so proud of myself that I got so much done, and then, for some unknown reason, I put it away, and there it has sat in the back of my closet ever since! I have it on my UFO finish list for 2009, so with Jane's incredible photos, and support, I hope to get it done in a timely manner. Thanks so much Jane! I'm excited to stitch with you!
Inside the American Girl museum, Los Angeles
Last month we snuck away to Los Angeles for the day. DD and I wanted to go before Christmas so she could pick out her doll. It was a really quick trip. We were there less than 24 hours. I've been sewing like mad to get some outfits made to put under the tree. It has been a fun endeavor for me! I love sewing doll clothes. I won't show you a picture yet, but I promise I will when it gets closer to the holidays.
Lining up for the doll salon. We did not do this, but I thought it was cleaver and fun!Julie, the doll my DD had her heart set upon!
I was prepared to lay out a lot of cash at this place, but the only thing that my daughter wanted was the Julie doll, and a black fan. I told her she could get an outfit or two, but she was dead set on just having the doll! Now these dolls aren't cheap. I had to do a heck-of-a lot-of- talking to get my husband to agree to buy a $95.00 doll in the first place, so he was thrilled we didn't buy more.Riding the trolley outside of the mall where the American Girl Store is. What a beautiful California Day!
DD made out again at the hardware store last week, when I had another moment of weakness and my husband and I bought her a bunny. Twenty minutes after leaving the store I was wondering what in the heck I was thinking! I don't need more stress with another animal! This little guy is really friendly, and loves to be held like a baby. He hardly gets put down between husband, DD and DS.
A Vintage Christmas By Bunny Hill
Last but not least, I've been working on A Vintage Christmas by Bunny Hill. It is a darling quilt that I've started with my Mom and Sister-in-law. We got together on a Friday last month, and pooled our stashes together to get a quilt cut for each of us. We did buy some of the fabrics that were used in the original, but over all, we saved a lot of money by sharing stash. I am pumped over this quilt! It is so cute. Hopefully I can get it done for Christmas. I am using the "spray starch method" of applique.

Thanks for stopping by to see me! I'm so grateful for my dear blogging friends. I hope all is well with you. Thanks for your sweet comments. I love hearing from you.

20 comments:

Melissa said...

Dear Loraine!

My goodness what a lovely newsy post. I love all your stitching, and the quilt pieces. I am sorry to hear about the frustration with the Sail Away piece but glad to hear you will be stitching Bugsy with Jane.

I love how you did Flea Market Souvenir. I am not a button person myself so can't really help you.

That was a lovely gift from Jolene, but one well deserved I'm sure!

Have a lovely week, especially with Baby Bunny!

Glenna said...

Wow! I love Flea Market, and I don't think it needs a button(s)--the lovely stitching says it all. And you're doing beautifully on Sail Away--ingenious to stitch over 1 to solve the problem.

I love the American Dolls--beautiful classics--I used to work in NYC, and they have an AD store there, and at Christmas I enjoyed looking in the window.

The bunny! How cute! What's hisr name? Most important things: get him fixed by an "exotic" vet. They behave much better (less peeing and it doesn't smell so strong) if fixed and also are less "wild." Second most important is an enclosure. Young bunnies are terrors with the teeth, and like little kids, they're into everything. My buns are closed in the huge master bath (tile floor) during the day, because they can't be trusted. They get bunny run-around at night when I supervise. They will eat woodwork and dig in your carpet. If they have a regular place to live (a single bunny can live quite nicely in a large dog crate), they will also learn to use a litter box full of bedding or hay (don't use clay litter). Very important also is for the bunny to get a daily helping of timothy hay (you can get bags of it at petsmart). Without lots of hay, which gives needed roughage, bunny could get GI stasis, which is potentially fatal and expensive to treat. They're sweet pets, really, but a lot of trouble!

Jolene's gift is so thoughtful, and I love the leaves! And Bunny Hill--I love their site--makes me wish to take up quilting again.

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri ~ Boog) said...

Dear, Loraine! What an awesome post! I love your solution to SA - the over one will give the hill a whole new dimension and very special look!

BBB is a wonderful piece - I've not stitched it but I've seen it done and it's adorable. I'll enjoy watching you and Jane stitch this sweet piece.

And talk about sweet! How cute is your daughter!? She's an absolute doll. I know if I'd had a girl I'd have been a big Amer. Girl fan, too! Love the pic of her holding the new bunny - what's his/her name?

I love the button on your FMS - I wish I could pop mine out of the frame and add a button as well. I like it with just the one and I love the roses you stitched - gorgeous!!!

Jolene is sure a sweet gal, isn't she? It seems like she's always doing something super nice for someone - love what she sent you!

Your quilt is awesome - I can't wait to see it completed.

This was such a great, newsy post! I hope you have a great week dear friend!

Deb said...

Oh my goodness Loraine, I don't even know where to begin. But what a wonderful surprise from Jolene. That girl is a great one with surprises! What she sent you is wonderful!

I really love what you did to you Flea Market piece - all the added things! I especially love spider web roses you did - I think it really gives the piece just that added bit of character. And I like just the one button too.

So glad that you came up with a solution to Sail Away. UGH, what a thing to happen. But you know, if you look at something long enough there usually is a way to fix it without having to frog everything around it all out!

And your daughter is adorable!!! And how lucky for her to get the doll. I've been to the AG store in Chicago, and my daughter had to have both her dolls hair done and of course, an outfit. DH didn't know how much we had spent already and went and bought her a cabana that she was talking about. You can imagine his surprise when he got that bill! LOL What we don't do for our kids, uh?

Love the buggy and your wonderful post. Drop me an email soon. I can't find yours on my gmail list (where it went, I don't know). I received the needlebook and wanted to thank you.

Take care.

Margaret said...

What a great post! Such a lovely surprise from Jolene! Love your Spooky Sheep finish and your Flea Market Souvenir finish too. I actually like the piece with just the one button. :D Such a bummer about that mistake on Sail Away. I hate when that sort of thing happens! Your solution is a good one, although I admit I'm not sure I would have opted for all that over one. lol! I love Baby Bug Ball -- that's another on my todo list. I'm ashamed to say I still havent' even put the final stitches in Sail Away yet. Sigh. Your daughter is so adorable. I bet she's excited about her new doll and the clothes she'll be getting for Christmas -- what a treat that must have been too, to go to that store! And your quilt! So lovely! So are you each making your own quilt? Otherwise you'd have to fight over who gets to keep it. :D Bunny Hill makes such cute quilt designs. So appropriate for your new bunny too. Hope you all enjoy the little guy!

Katrina said...

Looks like a fun day with your daughter and the bunny is so cute.

Love your BBD piece, I think your changes are perfect and I love the button. I would be frustrated with Sail Away too, glad you figured out a way to fix things.

Nice exchange gift too. And thanks for pointing out Jane's blog, it's new to me. I alway enjoy finding new blogs to follow.

Sharlotte said...

Love all your stitching and the quilt blocks. Send me an email my way with your name and address. You won the giveaway for LHN Hometown Gameboard.

geneaogrl@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

So much lovely stitching! Your Spooky Sheep is just darling! And, I really like your Flea Market piece - I like the button - it adds a dash of whimsy. Sail Away is coming along nicely - I am so glad you found away around your error - nothing's worse than having to rip out a whole section!

How fun to have a stitch-along with Jane - I just love her blog and hse takes the most amazing pictures.

A bunny - how fun for your children! Your daughter is just beautiful and she looks very happy to have her doll!

Love your quilt - it is just beautiful! The detail is just amazing - I can't wait to see more of it.

Enjoy your week.

Ranae said...

Love the BBD finish, and the one button looks faab to me.
We love American Girls although kellie thinks she is out growing them. We love to look at all the neat things. We have a store in Chicago.
Jolene is a sweetie.

Jan said...

Goodness, Loraine, you have been so busy!! Loved reading your post! That was really sweet of Jolene to give you a special gift!!

I love your Flea Market, I have that one started...ahmm..but not finished! I love your changes, you are a great stitcher. I really don't think it needs a button, perfect as is!

Sorry about the situation with Sail Away, but I think your alternative is a great one.

Your daughter is so sweet and pretty! Lovely doll too, looking forward to seeing the clothes you make for her!!

And that bunny, how sweet! She is a really lucky little girl to have such loving parents! Enjoy all of those bunny cuddles!

Jane said...

Wow, what a busy girl you've been lately! Your Spooky Sheep's turned out fantastic and I just love your version of Flea Market. Sorry about Sail Away and being a thread out. I can feel your frustration! So annoying, but your solution sounds great. Keep at it and you'll be so pleased when it's finished. :)

Looks like we're at a similar stage with Bug Ball. I'm looking forward to stitching with you also and I'm hoping to get some inspiration from you with it. I've slacked off a bit lately so I need a little nudging to get back to it.

Enjoy your week!

woolwoman said...

What a great post Loraine - Loved hearing about everything you've been doing - WOW what a whirlwind trip to LA - so fun and what memories for you and DD going to the AG store. She is a doll - so sweet with her new bunny. I always wanted a bunny - even bought one with my own money from some people in my neighborhood who exhibited a certain breed of rabbit - they were a gorgeous rich red color - Of course Mom made me take it right back to them LOL - I have also misplaced your email and could not find it anywhere - you wanted to get in touch with me - just email me at mbryan10@comcast.net if you still need to reach me. Love your Sail Away - great solution for a sticky problem. For some reason - Just could not get into it even with all the wonderful inspiration and support for you and Terri. Oh well - I'll try again sometime. LOVE your BBD piece - love the button and special additional stitches you added. Be sure and show us how you finish it. Cheers! mel

Siobhán said...

Loraine, your daughter is BEAUTIFUL!! What a fun day it looks like the two of you had together. I miss those American Girl days with my girls. I'll have to see what era Julie is from. My older daughter had Samantha & then my younger daughter had Kit & Josefina. She--my daughter with the super white skin that looks like she's wearing white tights in summer--was convinced that Josefina was the closest in appearance to her. ;) We thought it was cute--and Josefina came to live with us.

Your stitching is FAB! I say go with the mistake in Sail Away and call it your own, your Amish mistake--you know, because only God is perfect. If you didn't point it out, I doubt anybody would notice. It'd be easier for me to find a project that I didn't have a mistake in than one in which I didn't have to fudge.

Your Flea Market is SO pretty. I love the button--I'd keep it. I think it looks great as is, but if you add more, I'd go with an odd number... you know, that rule about how the eye looks for pairs of things.

Enjoy your new bunny! ;)

tara said...

Great catch up post.
My husband came home with 2 bunnies a few weeks ago.
Sweet Bunny Hill pattern.

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Congrats on your bunny! your life will never be the same, of course that's what they say about having children too. Here's a good link to rabbit care and such http://www.rabbit.org/ LOL now you can do a home school unit on rabbit care etc......

Mylene said...

Congrats on finishing the BBD, it looks great! Sail away is looking wonderful, sorry though about the mistake hope you'll find a way to fix it.

Beautiful pictures of your daughter with the doll and the bunny. Looks like you both had fun in LA.

Jennifer said...

Hi there, great to see your pics . I have a daughter that loves that place too. We have pics from the NY store from this past summer on my blog. Last year we went to the LA store. Love all your finishes and starts. Have a Happy Halloween with your family!

Andrea said...

Oh my goodness, what a terrific post!! I just loved reading and seeing everything!
Those little scissors are just wonderful! I agree with everything you said about Jolene, she's such a kind a generous lady!
Your Flea Market Souvenir is gorgeous!! I love the changes you made and I wouldn't change a thing if I were you, it's perfect!

Your SA is gorgeous too, and your solution sounds perfect! Little mistakes like that can drive us crazy but it's usually only US that can see them! It'll be OK....don't worry too much over it!

what a sweet bunny! We've had buns for the past 10 years or so...our latest one, Tober, is a boy bunny and he's such a lover! The girl one we had was meaner than h*ll, but she lived a looooong time :-)
Tober is so sweet and lovable, so different than the girl bun. I hope you enjoy him! If you have him "fixed" don't do like I did and take him back to the vet to get the stitches put back in after he rips them out. Total waste of money! (The one thing didn't work on him cause of the shape of his head). Thank goodness, the second time he ripped them out, he still healed up just fine. Oh, and my girl bun didn't do well on the hay, she was allergic to it! She did just fine for years without it.
They both love cilantro and that's their daily "green" meal, in addition to the kibble and other treats now and then...

Your daughter is a doll herself and the doll she picked out is cute too :-)

Love the Baby Bug Ball....need to stitch that one up someday!
xoxo

Andrea said...

That should've read the CONE thing for the bunny, sorry!
(I am getting really bad about typos)

doris said...

Love your projects and your finishes. I've wanted to stitch Baby Bug Ball for a friend, but I haven't gotten around to it. What a surprise!