Stitching Friends Forever

February Week One

Styling With Stitches
What's Stitching
Invitation to a Party
Something New
SAL Update

Free Pattern

Happy belated Valentines Day to all!   You can call us the "day late - dollar short" girls.    Since the new year, we have been running late but we do hope you had a lovely day yesterday with your loved ones.   Our planned Valentine Day post is today!  This is a pretty jam packed post after missing last week so we hope you enjoy. 

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Styling with Stitches
This month's styling with stitches project is decorated Mason jars.  It makes a thoughtful gift for that special person on Valentines day or any day actually.  You can tuck this idea away for future years or use it anytime during the year with another stitch design. 

RJ's Mason Jar
I used my first Shepherd's Bush kit for this project.   Have you tried one?   They include just about everything...hand dyed linen, silk threads, a charm, a bead, the chart and even a needle.  It was a fun and quick stitch!  I did change one color.   It had a mauve thread for the heart and I changed it to Poison Apple red.

I attached my little cross stitch to a pretty, tiny heart fabric with a running stitch.  After filling my jar with chocolate kisses and hearts, I tied the fabric to an antique Mason jar and added a double yo yo button.   I want a piece of candy so bad but I gave up chocolate for Lent...what was I thinking? 

Valentine centerpiece

Closeup shows tiny bead, garden tool and running stitch to attach to fabric

Grow Love
by Shepherd's Bush
silk threads
hand dyed linen
charm and bead

Mary's Mason Jar
I  have always appreciated anything handmade and when I saw this pretty doily at a yard sale for 25 cents I could not pass it by.  When RJ and I decided to stitch something for a Mason jar I thought of my little doily to stitch.   I think this linen was 50 count. I nearly went blind stitching it one over two!  A tiny ribbon and heart button from my stash finishes it off.

My jar is filled with filled raspberry Christmas candies.  These were a favorite from childhood and I haven't found them in years.  What a thrill when my sister brought a bag to me at Christmas, and yes, they tasted just as good as I remembered them! 

Valentine arrangement

My 25 cents doily added so much to this project

free stitch
find here
DMC 3777
up cycled linen doily

                     

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What's Stitching
We would like to thank Jo of Serendipitous Stitching for choosing us as bloggers of the week.  You made it alot of fun!   My interview is there this week and Mary's will be next week.   If you would like to read about us including a question asking for a secret you will find the interviews here



Birthday Party
We would like to invite everyone to come to our stitching party to celebrate our first year of blogging.   If you would like to attend, all you need to do is to send us a photo of  a stitch by one of your favorite designers.   It can just be the stitch or finished...your choice.   You can stitch it this month or it can be one from the past. The party will be the last week in March so we need them to come before March 25th.  We really hope you will attend.

Please send your photo to rjgator96@gmail.com   



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Something New
This is usually a smaller stitch and it can be finished any way we like but usually we make new themed ornaments or bowl fillers. 

RJ's new stitch
I chose to do a bowl filler this month.  Eventually I hope to have enough Valentine stitches to fill a dough bowl but this is my first one so I have a long way to go!   It's a cute primitive pattern that has a Victorian feel.  A small heart fabric was used for the front and ticking for the back.  I added a real tiny silver heart to her belt.   Lace, vintage buttons and a bow with a heart charm adds to the  finish.   

New stitch added to centerpiece

Closeup of finish with tiny heart charm, bow and charm, lace and buttons

Hearts Unite
by Shelly Auen
Primitivestitchin on Etsy
over dyed threads
40 ct. flax linen

Mary's new stitch
My stitch is called Crow in Love by Theresa Murgida.  Her Primitve Acorn shop can be found on ETSY. 

RJ bought this pattern for me as I am fond of crows. I think they are very intelligent birds and I enjoy watching their antics. This was stitched on a heavy, mystery linen that RJ sent me also.  I eliminated the heart on the crows chest  as I wanted to add a key and bow to his neck.  

My Shop Rite flowers with my crow stitch

Closeup of the sweet crow.

Crow in Love
by Theresa Murgida
called for threads
32 ct. linen

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SAL Update
It's time to show our SAL progress after two weeks. We are really enjoying this project.    Stitching them with the called for silk threads is such a pleasure.  They go through the linen like butter and never seem to knot like cotton.  Here is where we are in a total of 22 hours.

RJ's SAL

This is where I left off after 11 hours of stitching

               

Deer, words, cardinals and potted plant are new since our last update.  This is after 22 hours.

Mary's SAL

This is where I left off after 11 hours of stitching

                       

Deer, basket of fruit, cardinals, tree on right and flower are new since last update.  This is after 22 hours.

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Free Pattern
We hope you enjoy this pretty free pattern from Glory Bee.   It's very sweet and looks like it would stitch up quickly.  This pattern can be found here

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Thank you so much for your visit.   We really appreciate each and every one of you. If you have a blog that we don't know about, please let us know.   We would love to come and visit.  Next week will be our new grab bag and recipe post.  Until then, we hope you get the time to do lots of stitching. 

                                                                      Mary and RJ


                        Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart
                                                          Anthony J. D'Angelo