stitch by stitch...

In between playing with my grandbaby, 

a little stitching on Blossom.

Sometimes a groan comes from my stitching spot. I'm loving the play of the Memory Wire. Love the beaded background of the light green area. Don't ask me what I'm going to do with the big dots yet.  Underneath the coil is a smooth spiderweb that didn't turn out the way my minds eye saw it. The coil is fun but will lose its fun'ness' when I attach it with couching.

I'm also obsessing over the red dots. I've lost track of how much ribbon I've wasted. Right now they are worked in Montano Ribbon Knots. Basically everything I've ever taught anyone about making a French Knot, FORGET.
Many loose wraps,
do not hold the end of the thread taut...
DO NOT pull firmly.
They are to be fluffy, loopy knots. 

Beginnings.
This tiny dancer will be a companion piece
to my 'Emma's Pillow' design.
This is what I do when stitching frustrates me,
grab my pencils!

sensing a trend here...

bubbles...I seem to really like bubbles! 

I use to always have a bottle of bubbles around, 

even had a bubble machine at one point or another. 

Dream Glimpse©
from this....

Too this...

TaDa! To this....

...goes with this, of course :-)
'Dream Fragment'©2014

'Flying Jewels'©
I seem to like pretty winged bugs too...
along with bubbles!

'Tree of Life'©2013
Because everyone needs one!
This tree has cute little birds and decorative bubbles!
Life and it's busy'ness' will see where this one leads me.

thinking...

 

Provence Purse
Just the beginnings, always enjoy having a 
basketweave piece going.
You saw this previously as a computer generated piece in the colors of it's Biscornu parentage. My head was in an orangey coral aqua green place the day it was painted...and I'm loving it.

The problem is, you think you have enough time.

I'm not sure right now who's quote this is, but it rings in my monkey mind almost daily!  

Often, when I crash into bed at night, I start to create this mental list of what I want to accomplish when a block of time opens up for me. Just as often upon waking, my morning is full of chores, dog to feed and walk, laundry, oh cripes, I need food, picking up, slicking up of my space and before I know it, NOON and I've accomplished nada thing on my list.

At noon, when I'm home ... and the sun is shining ... I want my 20 minutes of vitamin D outside. Back home, now I'm starving, and the day is creeping by. Often I find I'm not sitting down at the paint table until late afternoon and then working late into the evening until my eyes give out with the lack of natural light coming in my window.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, maybe wishing I was a morning person, but I've tried that many times. Why set myself up for failure, mornings don't work for me. I'm not grumpy, I just don't move that fast, not in an I'm super old creaky sense. More like, she's really not awake, it just appears that way because she's vertical. 

My furbaby Chance
... maybe she won't see me back here.

So last week I sat myself down to make a 'monthly' goal list of 'todo's. Day one found me working on something that was totally not on the list anywhere. But, oh happy day, I finished it! So I added it and then happily scratched it out!

'Mondays Belt'
Ready to ship off to the finisher, yay!

I also finished one other lingering project, a super adorable knitted cardi and cap for our 'Little Miss' Emma. She nor her Mommy have seen it yet ... so no pictures. I don't knit much anymore but thoroughly enjoyed working up a sparkly little bit for the cutest grandbaby girl ever. 

Love this picture of her, my current favorite.
She's totally focused on her new found toys,
fingers and toes are the best! 

National Dog Day...

 ....who comes up with all these 'national' days? They are fun and tend to break up the week with something different. Whatever, Chance seems to be aware of the fact that he should get extra spoiling today.

'We' are calling this pose 'Downdog Lotus',
hard to meditate with so much cuteness sitting on your lap!

'Blossom' progress this week.
PILES of bullions!

Lots of loopy ribbon flowers too!
Not to mention 'random' Herringbone
on the pink stripes of the trunk.

ribbon and bullions...

Yes, having fun here with ribbon work and piles of bullions!

'Blossom'©
Fun right from the start!

If you'd like to meet me...

... and take a class featuring my 3 dimensional dragonfly 

"Flying Jewels"© 

It can happen, Ruth has a class time set for November.  

Sign ups have already started!!  Yay!!  

I know we're going to have a blast 

at the shop with the lime green walls!! 

To sign up follow the link to Ruth's place for more information. Dates/times/the whole nine yards. 

Bedecked and Beadazzled [scroll down page] 

it's happening...November 8 and 9!

Beyond the very cool 3D copper mesh wings,
there are the top and bottom borders. I've explored all kinds of different stitch techniques, to keep you going on this design.  Threads run from simple cotton to plied silk to wool/silk blend, silk perle, metallics, and just a few beads! 

I love teaching classes as it gives me the opportunity to meet so many of you and have a more personal connection to what all of you are wanting in your stitching.  

So I hope you'll join us for a weekend of sheer 

delight in stitching fun.

If you need me...

 ...I'll be here working for the next few days. Love blocks of time, my head seems to need reassurance that there is actually time to finish something in order to focus on it. So back to my pencils/markers for a few days. 

Pretty round shapes filled with treasures forming here...background to take shape soon.

genuine...

If I had to put the last week into one word...it would be 'full'.  Not just the normal, wow, I've been busy full. 

My Mom and I quietly began our journey home to the mountains of North Eastern Pennsylvania last Friday. As we arrived at our gate and found a nice spot to sit, the attendant at the gate announced that she had the 'sad privilege' to announce that our flight had brought home a fallen soldier, a young Marine.  The entire population at the gate stood and proceeded to the windows to watch a full color guard carefully guide this young mans coffin off the plane. 

This in and of itself was amazing to watch.  To my Mom and I it was all the more heart wrenching as we were taking a veteran of our own home to rest.  My Dad's ashes being neatly held in our carry on. So this began our journey.  I have no pictures of this event, it's all in my heart neatly stored away. 

Once home we dispersed, as my dad would have put it...the tree full of birds was shook and we all flew in different directions.  My brother and his wife were taking a longer route through NEPA and arriving the following day.  My Mom's best friend from high school folded her into their beautiful lake house with grand views of the mountains.  I found my favorite spot at the Lake with childhood friends.  

The path...which has been upgraded.
As a kid it was flat rocks strategically placed and I don't remember a handrail.

Lake Winola as seen from the porch of Sunset Hill.
aka. The Shebby's 

Porch sitting and stitching, can't get any better than this for me.  

Sunset Hill

Genuine

Lynore, Lenny, and me.  We've been a set for many years and never miss a beat when we manage to be together. Mom Shebby referred to me as 'the third twin' growing up and still does. Being home with them for even just a day or two was a gift.

The weather man threatened the entire time to deluge us with rain and happily, he was wrong.  We had a wonderful day that started with handmade floats for the Lake Regatta. Throughout the day we watched as the next generation took over the making of the dock display for the nights events.  A huge tarp was painted and signs were made, music was arranged, costumes put together and in the end...it was a huge Gameboy display commemorating 25 years.  Can you believe it, no wonder that song never goes out of my head entirely!  They had a blast and the hard work paid off in a first place dock display in the animation category.  Below are the two lead characters.  I call them 'the newlyweds' as they happen to be Lynore's youngest and his new wife. 

Mario & Luigi aka Amy & Jacob.

Dark of night and bright spots made it hard to
photograph these two in action.

This is a longer post than normal and not much to do with stitching.  More of life and what comes and goes. Our time was full as I wrote above.  The tree of birds came back together to celebrate our Aunt's 80th at a local restaurant called Twigs. We had a wonderful time 'full' of laughter and old stories. As well as, 'what have you been up to' news was shared.  Family and friends, it's good.   

Our small town has only changed just a little, which thrilled me. So many places I've lived changed so much they are no longer recognizable. Not so with Tunkhannock, main street shop fronts have changed but the layout is pretty much the same. There are not a million stop lights and the urban sprawl is not like I've seen elsewhere. All of this comforted me, I like that it's stayed small. The area is lush and green, the trees tower and the mountains hold it all together.  

All of this made the end of my stay easier.  As we laid my Dad to rest a Hawk called out above us and soared off towards one of those glorious mountains.  

Travel....

When planning a trip...

What do you check out first?  The weather, things to do, what should I pack to wear, do I have a travel size shampoo/toothpaste?  Or...are you like me?  What will I take to work on, next would be something to read. The clothes, the weather, the toothpaste can all be dealt with but if I don't have a 'no brainer' piece to stitch and something to read, I'm in trouble.  And as it happens, I just finished my last basketweave piece.

Yesterday I realized this and I fly tomorrow!  Brain is racing and lands on an older idea.  All those biscornu designs I did fabric for...I have all those computer drawn images!  GO PLAY!  What transpired is the first image below. 

'Provence Purse'©

The colors will be different as you'll see in the next image below.  Use what you have in your stash when your flying out the next day. Get drawing and get painting! I'm excited!! Bet you couldn't tell that at all?

Fun pile of thread, center panel drawn in, love my colored sharpies. Today I'm painting in between several other 'todo's. Like laundry and packing.  

My Son

Another one of my creations!  I've posted many a picture of my beautiful daughter and just a few [haha] of my new grandbaby...but none of my handsome son. He's pretty much forbid me up to this point, not a big fan of social media.  Avery was here to visit recently while on a walk one day I mentioned this lack to him.  He agreed it was a little one sided and gave permissions, hence the picture above. Please let me introduce my son to you all. He's super talented and out of my two, he is the one that enjoys stitching! He draws up his own pieces and off he goes. I'm not saying that he's big on finishing any of them but he has a great time getting started. He's recently finished welding school and just landed a job that he is so far, pretty stoked about. Proud mom I am.  

Emma's Pillow!

Emma's Pillow!!  Cest fini!
All in basketweave...for my friend that counts stitches...5,928 stitches!!  I could not bring myself to count as I stitched, the number was figured when complete just this morning.

I stitched constantly while waiting for our little bundle of joy to arrive.  Passed several hours in hospital with threaded needle zipping along.

Whitney [my amazing daughter] titled this little picture of Emma 'my favorite little human'.  I know I'm just a tad over the moon with her but isn't she the most adorable granddaughter!!  I started the design of her pillow after I read a blog post of Whitney's that referred to Emma as 'our little bird'.  It soaked deep into my head and brewed for a bit, then I started collecting photos of birds.  I'm not sure how many sketches I had going before the above finally arrived on my canvas.  

If you'd like a canvas of 'Emma's Pillow' to stitch for your own little bird, it's available soon.  Have your local needlework shop order through Ruth Schmuff Designs.  

This design is also available in a petite version without the ladybug border or as a belt with just the ladybug border. Pictures should be up on the website soon.  Happy stitching!  

Next up.....

'Blossom'
a Kimberly design©
Next up on the list for stitch guiding.

Just blooming with ideas for this and...
I can't find the bag of threads!!

Just beginnings of something new and cool, very organic.

I've got to fly....

and away I went!  

From the humble beginnings of an idea.  I promised a great friend a piece to stitch, something I would design with an amazing dragonfly.  I sketched and for awhile it sat, then I sketched some more.  Then came a chunk of time that I could run with the idea.    

Initial drawing on canvas before painting.  

"Flying Jewels"©2014
a Kimberly design©
Remember the border with the little dragonfly motifs I posted a few weeks ago...It's along the top, along the bottom is the line up ready for take off.  
Here you see it all!!  Hand painted piece measures approximately 12" square on eighteen count canvas 

Voila!  Check out my fabulous dragonfly!!  

This could not have happened without the support of Kreinik Mfg. I was on a tear looking for copper mesh.  I knew it existed but finding it proved to be a daunting task.  I could find ugly gray screen at the hardware store, I explored the net and exchanged emails with someone in China.  

Then I had one of those blinding flashes of brilliance...they do happen! The inner voice shouted at me....'KIMBERLY, YOU NEED METAL, CALL DENA AT KREINIK'.  After all, they have provided me with beautiful metallics to stitch with throughout my career as a designer.  Dena responded within a day that YES! Doug has a source, then Doug emailed, YES, what do you need...I replied, he wrote back, I answered, then asked, 'are you going to carry it', YES!  WOW, I was doing a happy dance! 

Of course, the copper mesh arrived and I had stitched the rest of the canvas to be ready for it.  

But...what if it didn't work, so I stared at it for a couple of days...then dove in.  I cut out the shapes, scored the veins in, edged it with metallic thread, attached the wings and my dragonfly came to life!  Then I stared at it again for awhile, it's just so nice when a plan comes together.  Pretty sure this all occurred late in an evening, pretty sure I was snapping pictures and texting with Ruth to say, 'Hey, look what I did!!'  

They really do come in this awesome color!
Not the greatest picture...crazy bugs move pretty fast.  
I was lucky to get this.  

"Flying Jewels"© is available as a painted canvas
with awesome stitch guide & copper mesh

Have your favorite LNS contact
wholesale  from Ruth Schmuff Designs
or
Bedecked and Beadazzled

Have to add a P.S. here.

I belong to an amazingly talented group on FaceBook with the pin name "Needlepoint Nation".  When I commented on my fruitless treasure hunt for copper mesh one of the members private messaged me to say she had some screen and would send it to me. She was thrilled to lighten her stash and help me out.  Sadly it was too large but the generosity of Andrea truly touched me. Thank you so much for reaching out to help a fellow stitcher in need.  

Oh, and for those who comment, 'wow, that's a dying art', let me tell you that this nation is growing daily.  Last count I saw was 5,350 members with more knocking at the proverbial door!  Talk about a support group!

what...

what what what to post this week???  I had a blast celebrating my birthday last weekend.  Finished up my big project before heading out of town and now this week I'm staring at my screen working up the stitch guide for it.  

Of course, YOU CAN'T SEE IT YET!!  

Just a peek for you!
Wait until you see the rest!!??!!

My Mom and I visited St. Petersburg, Florida this past weekend.  We toured the Salvador Dali Museum, it was so real. How awesome to be able to see his work up close.  Even the building is cool.  

'Sentinels'
Perfectly positioned, wouldn't you say?

Mom caught photo, gazing at the incredible ceiling.
Odd pose but appropriate to the environment. 

What I was gazing upon.
Spiral is a staircase leading up to the galleries.

And then...the next day...we strolled the downtown area of St. Petersburg.  Which happens to include a Dale Chihuly Collection gallery.  I've seen his work before but would never turn down an opportunity to see more!  

Chihuly Collection, St Petersburg, Florida

These were very hard to photograph!  The center stamens are actually a beautiful orange color.  Even playing with the image in photoshop didn't get that color pop! 

Still a cool image but not what it was for real.  

Chihuly Collection, St Petersburg, Florida

This reminded me of an up coming piece 

I have on the paint table! 

Part of my 'Dreams Trilogy'.  

Chihuly Collection, St Petersburg, Florida
Here you can see the orange center much better.
Still a bugger to photograph, for me anyway.