Stitching Friends Forever

August Post One
Winners of Give Away
Styling with Stitches/Summer
SAL update
Freebie

Hope all of you have been enjoying the summer months.   It sure seems like it flew by this year.  When Mary and I think of the summer, good times at the beach always come to mind so our Styling with Stitches projects will center around a beach theme.   We also have the winners of the Give Away to announce, an update on our SAL's and a new freebie.

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Winners of Give Away:
Outside the USA winner is Martina from Germany
In the USA is Meg from Idaho
Congratulations ladies!!! 

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Styling with Stitches


RJ's Summer Ferris Wheel

I've always loved Ferris Wheels...the bigger the better!   My Mom would tell a story of how she would be walking me in my stroller on the boardwalk down the shore.   She said when she was nearing the Ferris Wheel she would walk a few blocks off the boardwalk so I would not spot it.  If I did, I would start chanting Feffa Wheel, Feffa Wheel and want to go on.   No way my Mom wanted to go on the tall Ferris Wheel at Seaside.   But, when my Dad would come down later in the week he could not wait to take his little dare devil daughter high in the air.   When it stopped to let someone on or off, he would actually swing the seat much to my delight!

That Christmas my parents bought me a painted tin Ferris Wheel that I played with all the time.  Years later when we were stationed in California, I spotted my Ferris Wheel in an antique store.   I went right over to look and it cost $399.   I doubt my parents paid $10 for mine.   I asked the lady why it was so expensive when it wasn't even an antique?   She said those type of toys were big collectibles and that was actually a great price.   I could not wait to call my Mom and ask "Mom is my Ferris Wheel still up in the attic"?   Mom's answer: "Oh no I threw that old thing out years ago".  I did not have the heart to tell her what it was worth.

But from that day forth, I really wanted a Ferris Wheel.   It could be just a tiny one that was affordable but I never had any luck.   Then Mothers Day a big box arrived in the mail from our son, Mike.   When I opened it up, I started to cry...it was a Ferris Wheel.   But only when I was putting it together did I realize that instead of seats it had photo frames.   The first thing that came to my mind was tiny cross stitches.   I could change it out for the seasons too.   So my first Ferris Wheel is for the summer.   Hope you like it too.

Summer Ferris Wheel

Didn't we all have a pail and shovel to dig in the sand?

Love to watch the sailboats in the bay

Favorite footwear at the beach

Loved building a sandcastle with my Dad moat and all!

One of my favorite things is a beach umbrella.

The beach we go to always waves the American flag.

Patterns from Sam Sarah designs
and Country Cottage Needleworks
over dyed threads in stash
40 ct. Vintage Country Mocha linen

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Mary's Beach Stitches

My usual mo-dus operandi is to select my pattern and then find material to display it, this time I worked in reverse order.

While scavenging the streets in my town during "bulk pick-up" week, I found this beachy style frame and knew it would be perfect for my condo in Florida.  ( For those not familiar with bulk pickup week, each Spring the local towns allow you to put your trash/treasures at roadside to be disposed of.)

It is a Spring Ritual for me and many others to peruse the trash looking for "treasures"!!  The irony in this is that I was a yard sale snob and had no desire to buy other people's junk.   But I have now made a complete turnaround in my attitude after my first find of a gorgeous antique bedroom set sitting on the side of the road.   I am now hooked on trolling  the streets for treasures and going to yard sales.

Getting back to stitching, these 2 Cathy Haberman patterns worked quite well for my beach theme. The called for count was 32 which I changed to 36 ct to fit the frame.

Framed Stitches display in NY but will eventually find a home in Florida

Common Florida sight!

Chair stitched with GA Chamomile and GA Evergreen for sign background

Flock Together and On Beach Time
by Hands on Design
36 Country Mocha linen
DMC threads and 2 GA threads

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SAL update
We are moving along on our SAL's and loving every minute of it.   This is such a pretty pattern and the threads are so lovely.   It is called Quaker Handework by With Thy Needle and Thread and we are both stitching them on 36 ct. Espresso linen.

RJ's SAL
This was my first update on our SAL after 11 hours.

And now 14 hours later for a total of 25 hours:

Mary's SAL
My first SAL update after 11 hours.
                                    

Second SAL  update after a total of 23 hours.

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Freebie

                                  

If you would like to stitch this cute crow in the cornfields, you can find the chart at the Victoria Sampler website.  Just go here  


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We thank you for visiting Stitching Friends and hope you will come back and join us again.   Next post will be a Grab Bag which will be a lot of fun. Enjoy the rest of your summer and keep stitching! We will be by to visit with all of you.  If we don't know about your blog please let us know. 

                                             Dance with the waves,

                                             Move with the sea

                                             Let the rhythm of the water

                                             Set your soul free.

                                             Christy Anne Martine