kerrykatiecakes

Some time ago, I posted photos of the ATCs I made for the Embroidery Association of Canada annual ATC swap.  I had forgotten all about it after that so was delighted to open my mail yesterday and find the cards I received in return.  Without further ado, here they are! Believe it or not, I think this one was made by one of the Youth Members of Starfish Stitchers in Newfoundland.  Her name is Hannah Freake and she needlefelted this gorgeous heart and then embellished it with embroidery and bling.  Isn`t it great to see the tradition of embroidery being carried on in youth? This ATC is entitled "Candlewick Strawberry" and was created by Connie Cook, a member of Norfolks Own Needlearts Guild.  I was so happy to receive this and see all the beautiful knots.  It kind of ties in with the TAST stitch for this last week although I think they are colonial knots instead of french knots.  Either way it is a great example of what can be done with this stitch.  "Shimm

Here is the stitch I have chosen for this Build a Seam (BAS) Challenge.  I was browsing through some old embroidery books and came across a whole series of faggoting stitches.  If you aren't familiar with faggoting, it is the term given to joining two pieces of fabric by means of an insertion stitch.  In this case though, I decided to use this particular stitch, a triple buttonhole stitch which switches back and forth across the gap between the fabrics, as a means to couch down a gold cord instead.  You can read more about Faggoting at Victorian Embroidery and Crafts .  You will find more about the history of faggoting as well as a variety of stitches with very good diagrams.  So, the challenge this time around is to adapt a faggoting stitch to use it for couching instead, either this stitch or another one.  Have fun!

Well, no stitching this weekend yet and now my hands are so sore I don't know if I will be able to do any - BUT I haven't been idle!  I put on my Ms. Handyman outfit first thing Saturday morning and replaced this nasty old thermostat.  Much better, right?  And this one even seems to work properly.  Of course I still managed to add something else to my list since the old one had mercury in it so I have to find somewhere safe to dispose of it in a suitable manner.  One thing off the to-do list and another added on.... story of my life!  If you see me on facebook, you may have followed the most recent bloodhound saga.  This is Dexter, the youngest of my daughter's two beautiful bloodhounds.  Dexter recently took it upon himself to eat three rocks, each a little bigger than a golfball.  Two were in his stomach and one in his intestine where it lodged and started his symptoms - vomiting, lethargy, etc.  DD rushed him to the Emergency Vet Clinic in Calgary where they operated,

First off, Suzie in Idaho - please contact me with your mailing information or I will draw another name. Thank you! Secondly, the winner of the last giveaway for Making More Beaded Jewelry is Mosaic Magpie!  Contact me and I will get this out to you! Thanks for entering everyone!

Here are the photos again, just as a reminder of what all was in the little lace package giveaway.  The Random Number Generator chose #3 as the lucky winner this time and that comment was made by Suzie in Idaho: Anonymous said... These are just so beautiful, I would love to win them. You must be making more room for goodies in your stash locker! Suzie in Idaho April 2, 2012 9:08 AM   Suzie, I do not have your mailing information, so could you please get back to me with that and I will send these goodies out to you. Thanks!

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter and that you will have a smile on your face all day, like the one I got when I saw the cupcakes my daughter, Katie, made for us!

This is very exciting news for all the supporters of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative - the 10,000th quilt for donation has just been registered!  If you would like to take a peek at the quilt that is causing so much excitement you can check it out here at the AAQI website! Oh heck, I can't resist showing you a sneak peek of it... “Shhhh….” was made by Kristin Shields from Bend, Oregon and features a sleeping butterfly. It is dedicated “to the caregivers who might need a little rest.” Kristin’s quilt measures 8.5″ x 8.5″ and was made with linen, cotton, and silk fabrics. It is machine pieced, hand appliqued, hand embroidered, and hand quilted. Her original design was inspired by a class she took with Jude Hill . Kristin has made 16 quilts for her $1,000 Promise, raising more than $800 for the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative. She is also a member of the AAQI’s Quilt-A-Month Club having made or purchased at least one quilt every month for the past 14 months in a ro

Here is another Rainbow Disk book on disk - Making More Beaded Jewellery.  There are 50 projects in this one - enough so everyone will find something they would like to make.  You can read all the details on the Rainbow Disks website here . This giveaway is the same as the others - you have to write a review of the disk after you have won it and had a chance to look at it please.  You can have one entry for telling me your favourite type of bead and another for telling me you are a follower.  You have until Wednesday, April 11th, to enter this one.  I asked in the last giveaway for people to guess why I was doing all the giveaways. Well, there were some good guesses and they were all right to some degree.  I am de-stashing, I had extras of these disks, I passed the 200 followers mark, etc.  Mostly though it is because  I have been down and out with a rotten virus and broncitus so haven't felt like stitching and had nothing to post about as a result!  lol  I hate to not be yakking

Congratulations Deb (Mosiac Magpie)!  According to True Random Number Generator, yours was the winning comment so Creative Fabric Techniques is on its way to you! My last giveaway is still open if you would like to enter - this is a sample of what is in the lace package I am giving away and you can enter by scrolling down to the bottom of the post here .  You have until Sunday midnight (Mountain Standard Time) to enter.  I will be announcing my next giveaway later today - stay tuned!

Well, here I am babysitting the dog after his surgery and messing around looking for something to do so out came some of the things I have stashed away. I have vague ideas of decreasing the amount of "stuff" in the house.  This one is not crazy quilting, and not even stitching, so may not be interesting.  It is more in the glue gun and Styrofoam ball realm of crafting... I am going through my daughter's long abandoned stamp collection and deciding what to do with it.  If you have read my blog for awhile you may remember that I take part in a nativity scene display every year at one of the local churches.  They have hundreds of creches on display and I always go because it officially puts me in the Christmas spirit at about the right time in November.  I get a kick out of having my own creches in the display and I try to add something new every year.  All of this group of stamps are Christmas themed and feature nativities so I thought I would do something with them. Ea

The winner of my first giveaway is Linda M (Quayceetatter)!  Congratulations Linda!  I have sent you an email and as soon as I get your mailing information from you I will have this off in the mail.  Thank you to everyone for entering! Just a reminder that you still have until Wednesday to enter this giveaway for Creative Fabric Techniques!  Scroll down and you will find the post where you can enter for that giveaway. And now for the new Giveaway!  This one is for a lace package and there are three bits and pieces up for grabs, all for a single winner. First off there is a vintage embroidered doilie, some venise lace motifs, a battenburg lace doilie and a large crochet doilie.  All of these will be great for use in crazy quilting or maybe making that boho bag you have been thinking of constructing! The second item is a lace panel with hanger.  This is a new item which would make a lovely gift for someone.  All you have to do is remove the demo photos and use the sticky bits th