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Saturday, June 22, 2019


June Post One
Styling with Stitches
Sal Update with Meg

Happy Summer everyone!   We hope you are all enjoying good health, good weather and good times as the summer season begins.

It's been awhile since the stitching girls have been on.   Here is the lowdown. Both of us went on vacation during the month of May and early June. We thought we could post on the road but coordinating two people's posts away from our computers did not work well. But, we are back now refreshed and ready to go. Mary was able to have a relaxing and fun trip at the beach in Florida.  She got to visit with cousins, took a trip on a ferry to a beach island and did lots of shopping. I drove out to Texas with my husband to see our son Mike. We enjoyed golf, shopping, more Tex Mex food then we should have and a great visit. On the way home, we visited with good Air Force friends in Alabama for a nice stay and rehashing old memories.
                                                                   
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Styling with Stitches

Our Styling with Stitches project this month is bulletin/message boards. Remember our seasonal wreaths that we made in April using the "Basketful" series and the "Hello" series for Spring.  Well, this new project is using the Summer patterns and we switched charts.   So Mary will be doing all of her message boards with the "Basketful" series and her wreaths with the "Hello" series.   And I will be doing the opposite.   I will use the "Hello" series for my message boards and the "Basketful" series for my wreaths.   This way we each will have a wreath and message board for each season but they will be different. 

                                                       ☆☆☆


RJ's Styling with Stitches

I've always wanted a large message board for my craft area up in our bonus room.   I think it will come in handy to leave messages on what flosses I need, to tack up fabric pieces for small projects, and ideas for future projects etc.    I found a nice sized frame while out in Texas.   In Kohl's, I came across a large 16 by 20 frame marked $50 on clearance for just $9.99 and when I got to the register the lady gave me another 20% off on my whole bill.   So this pretty cream frame was only $8 Kohl's frames are always nice and deep and perfect to add a stitch to.   I was off to a good start.

I added blue ticking to each side of the "Hello Summer" stitch and then added lace underneath.   I stitched this to a big piece of blue paisley fabric and then hand stitched the cutest, vintage buttons on the lace.   After that I attached it to foam board and put it in the frame.

For the tacks, I used wood letter tiles glued to thumb tacks.  This was an easy way to have custom tacks and inexpensive too.

Stitching "Hello Summer" was really a joy. It is such a pretty pattern. My husband retired as a full colonel and his rank that he wore was an eagle so I loved that this stitch included that regal bird.  And, the flag is very special me.  I love patriotic patterns of any kind but this is a real favorite of mine.
Love the eagle and flag on this stitch

Closeup of vintage buttons and tacks

Messages added 

Hello Summer
by Plum Street Sampler
40 ct. vintage mocha linen
Called for floss
Frame from Kohl's
Fabric from Joann's
Letters from Michael's


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Mary's Styling with Stitches

Basketfull of Summer by Brenda Gervais was a delight to stitch and I am looking forward to stitching the rest in this series.

My town has a "free day," donations of anything in good working order are accepted and volunteers organize it all by category on day one.  The following day it is opened up to the public and you can take anything you want for free!!!  I found this metal sign and thought it would be perfect for a bulletin/message board. A quick coat of DecoArt's Dazzling Metallics  in rich expresso was all it needed for an update.

This is my second "Priscillified" finish using magnets and washers.  I was fortunate to have fabric in my stash that worked so well with my stitch.


I updated magnets to coordinate with the stitch
Who doesn't love a dog carrying a flag!



Basketful of Summer
by With Thy Needle and Thread
40 ct. Summer Khaki New Castle linen
Called for floss
one over two


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SAL Update

We are all enjoying stitching the Summer School house series by With Thy Needle and Thread.   We love the soft colors and the pattern images.  They are all being stitched on 28 ct. mushroom lugana over one and we are using the called for floss. It's been awhile since we updated our SAL's so we have a lot to show.   Having Meg from "I live to stitch" join us has been such a joy. If you have not seen her lovely blog yet, you can visit her here You are in for a treat. 


Mary's SAL's

Mary has part one and three done and is on her way to catching up in our SAL challenge.   She just needs SAL two and she is already stitching it.
SAL one completed
             
SAL three completed too!
                 

Meg's SAL'S
Meg has been quite industrious and has completed one, two and three plus has started four.   Way to go Meg!!!
SAL two completed
SAL three competed too!


And even SAL four started ... looking good!

RJ's SAL's

I completed SAL two and three since our last update to join number one.  I'll be starting number four tonight and can't wait.   I did make a mistake on number two.   I didn't notice I was stitching the girl's dress in the wrong color until it was done.   It was supposed to be Lexington Green instead of the Mountain Mist I used.   It is so hard to rip out on 28 ct. over one and the two colors are so close in shade that I just left it.
SAL two completed with slightly darker dress

Sal three all done to join the others

Here are the first three parts to our Sal (it was hard to get them all in one photo)

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Thanks everyone for stopping by for a visit. We really appreciate all of you. Can't wait to catch up with all of your blogs and see what you have been up to while we have been gone. It's hard to believe it is summer already. Hope you all have special outings planned and are enjoying your newest stitching project. 

                                                  Stitching Friends




34 comments:

  1. Yes vacation must be and it sounds great, nice if you can visit many friends. Such memories will stay forever.
    I like your work with the boards very well, great idea and great finishes.
    The progress of the SALs can also be seen. Great work, you three.
    Hugs to all of you, Martina

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  2. How nice you both could take such long and pleasant holidays.
    Beautiful stitching and fantastic finishing ideas
    Have a lovely weekend

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  3. So happy you are back , with your lovely blog .
    Love your noticed boards the finishes are wonderful.
    Your SALs are also simply beautiful.
    Hope you are both rested after your holidays .
    I can't wait for mine but I have to wait a little a while yet .

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  4. Glad you are back. Hope you have a nice holiday with your family and friends.
    Your stitching finishes are so perfect. I love your board very much, RJ. Great Idea.
    Good progress on your SAL stitching. I love this Schoolhouse Sampler Lesson. Next month I will start it as well.
    Enjoy the Summer, Hugs, Manuela

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  5. Gad to see that you are back and both had a good vacation.
    Both your & Mary's projects are so pretty.
    And it looks like all of you are enjoying the WTNAT series, we love seeing all of them too.
    Have a great weekend!
    Marilyn

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  6. Carol, your frame at Kohl’s was such a good deal, they nearly had to pay you to take it off their hands! Lovely what you have done with it!

    Mary, “Priscillified” is a good word and I’ve been coming up with my own versions of her style as well. Your work is wonderful!

    It's good to have you both back. I thought it seemed a little quiet in your corner of Blogdom!

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  7. Glad you both had some quality time away, but am happy you are back with a post. Your Stylin' pieces are both incredible!!! RJ, I like your use of the "scrabble" tiles and have been on the hunt for old scrabble games at yard sales. Mary, the metal board and magnets is a great idea. You know I love the SAL pieces...keep 'em going!!!!

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  8. Love these finishes Ladies. So glad you both got some time away for rest and relaxation. We all need our batteries recharged every now and then.

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  9. Your styling with stitches ideas are so adorable. I love both of those series of stitches and you have a good thing to trade out now with. I love the school house series...I am going to go back to it at some point too. You have all made great progress. RJ, I would have never known you swapped colors. Those two colors are so close. Vacations are good for the soul. Enjoy summer.

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  10. Tus bordados son preciosos!me gusta mucho los colores que usas queda muy fino y me parece una excelente idea de enmarcarlos.
    Besos

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  11. Hello there, RJ and Mary! It was good to see your post this AM. Both of your styling with stitches look great. Good for you all on your SAL stitching! It sounded like you both had relaxing vacations. Happy Saturday!

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  12. Both your message boards are very nice and speciali ... well done!
    I never stitched a message board, but seeing yours now I'd like to do one. Greeting from Italy!

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  13. Love both message boards... tempting me to make one also. Beautiful stitching by both of you. Thank you for stopping by my blog and for your kind words.

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  14. Mi piacciono molto i tuoi lavori pattriottici e tu ricami molto bene. Condividiamola stessa passione per il ricamo. Complimenti.
    Buon week end

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  15. Hi, RJ and Mary!

    Your "Styling with Stitches" projects are genius! Love them! Great idea. RJ, I love your Scrabble-tile push pins, and thanks for letting us know how you made them. I have a container full of push pins, and now I know what I can do with them. :-)

    Love the projects you both chose for the boards, too. I have been eyeing the "Hello" series for quite a while, and they are definitely on my wish list. And that doggie holding the flag is darling, Mary!

    Great work on the SAL! RJ - I think the girl's dress in Mountain Mist is fantastic. I love that color. Happy accident! And I agree, frogging on over-one stitching is NOT fun. Thanks for the shout-out!

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  16. Good for you two getting away so long! :)
    RJ your message board is so beautiful!
    Mary!! I am in love with your free message board! And that dog! :)

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  17. First of all, let me say how good it is to have you both back--we missed you! Funny how you can easily detect the absences in our little community so easily...

    I love both of your stitched pieces and have both charts in my stash. I seem to be concentrating on older charts these days, but will definitely stitch these up one of these days :)

    Your message boards are so very different, but I love each of them. I have a blank area above my sewing machine that may just be calling out for a bulletin board like yours RJ. I have a plain old bulletin board there now, but I love the idea of finding a large frame and jazzing it up with stitching, fabric, and lace.

    Sure wish my town had something like your free day, Mary--I'm sure you've found some special treasures through the years :)

    Great progress on your SAL with Meg! Will look forward to seeing your progress in your next post! Enjoy your weekend! ♥

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  18. Mary and RJ: WE have missed you both so much, I am sure I am not the only one checking almost daily to see a post from you both.
    Your Message board RJ is beautiful. Mary you are right who does not love a dog carrying a Flag.
    All you work Ladies is lovely.
    I truly enjoy reading your blog posts.

    Catherine

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  20. Welcome back! You both had lovely long holidays, that must have been so nice.
    The bulletin boards look great, beautifully styled.
    The girl's dress looks fine in the alternate colourway, unique to you too.
    The SAL is wonderful too, I adore over one stitching myself.

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  21. Nice to see you ladies back! Glad you had nice vacations. I enjoyed the pics of your lovely projects. Have a great week.

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  22. Bentornata! Adoro i ricami, sono splendidi e anche le rifiniture!

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  23. Loving the bulletin boards, both so different but so beautiful and useful
    SAL's are coming along nicely.
    Nice to have you back after your trips

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  24. Oh no, no, no one can ever have too much TexMex food! Glad you both had wonderful family vacations. It's certainly helpful to drive to your destinations because you never know what you'll find that won't quite fit on an airplane hah~

    Lovely bulletin pieces for you both. It's nice to know Kohl's has such deep frames. There's one near me but I haven't been in it once! It really does make for a great board though.

    I must say I like the idea of a freebie day! I feel like I would go a bit nuts if there were a craft section haha. The metal frame is a neat find and works so well with Mary's stitch. The little Flag Dog is cute.

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  25. Glad you two travelers are home again! Sounds like you both had a great getaway and sometimes that is just what someone needs to get energized again.

    The bulletin boards are spectacular and if I had to I could never pick between the two; love this idea!

    The SALs look great and RJ you just made your's an original by using a different color. She still looks awesome.

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  26. Beautiful stitching by both on the SALs and I love the bulletin boards a great way to display a pretty design and very useful wherever - I had one in the kitchen for years.

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  27. Hello there,
    hopefully you have had a good rest during your holidays and have replenished your batteries for everyday life.
    Your boards are great both, so loving details can be seen on the photos, beautiful.
    I'm impressed by your embroidery progress on the SAL's, wonderful!
    Many greetings from Berlin, have a nice summer at home, Jutta

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  28. It looks you both had a lovely time! Welcome back!
    Wonderful stitching!
    The stitch-a-long is so very pretty!

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  29. Oh my goodness, those finishes are lovely! And very inspiring. Glad you both had good vacations. Love your stitching!

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  30. Your vacations sounded glorious. RJ and Mary, love your finishes. The SAL pieces are just beautiful. That Brenda Gervais never disappoints. Just beautiful. Judy

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  32. The notice boards are a brilliant idea. Both are just wonderful. The SAL pieces are beautiful.
    So pleased you both had great holidays.

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  33. Both your summer stitches are so cute! They are really nice and look so cheery! Well done with your Schoolhouse set too, those are such beautiful pieces!

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  34. It sounds like you both started your summer off right!
    I love both of your boards, they look fantastic and so original.
    Mary, your town's "free day" sounds like a great idea, I wonder if it could catch on here?!
    Wow, the SAL is coming along beautifully. RJ, the "mistake" in the dress turned out lovely!

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