Stitching Friends Forever

February 
Styling with Stitches/Love
French Village Update
Valentine Freebie 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  Hope you get to spend time with the people that are special in your lives.   It's a great day to show love and kindness to others. Sometimes a smile can make another's day.  So sending smiles to all of you!


RJ's Music Box

I had a bigger project planned for today but then fate stepped in.   I was cleaning out a craft cabinet a few weeks ago that was filled with old crafts and things I don't really use too often.  But, towards the back there was a shoe box that was labeled "cross stitch".   I opened it up and I spotted it...a tiny music box!

I looked at it and my eyes welled up with tears.   It was more than 30 years old.  My parents had come to visit us in Alabama. Mom and I went out to pick up a few groceries and she spotted a cross stitch store in the strip mall.   Well, you know we had to go check it out.   It was the first real cross stitch store for both of us.   It was such a sweet store filled with many neat things to use for your stitches.   My Mom spotted the music boxes and said we both need one of these and put them in her basket.

Less than a month later, we were packed and moving to San Antonio, Texas for our next military assignment.   Before I even got my boxes unpacked and had the house settled, I got a call from my Dad that my Mom was very sick and to come home.   I spent nine months caring for my Mom until she passed on Valentine's Day at a very young age.   I didn't stitch for some time after getting back to Texas and I must have forgotten about the music box.

I had even forgotten the song it played.  It turned out to be "As time goes by". My husband is a big Bogie fan and Casablanca is one of his favorite movies.   I knew immediately I would put a stitch in it for him.  I used a sweet Shepherds Bush stitch that fit the box perfectly.   I smiled the whole time I stitched it remembering how happy my Mom was in that cross stitch store and finding these tiny music boxes.   This little project is filled with a lot of love...a Mom's love for her daughter with increased love for a special man.     

George's grandfather's pocket watch to go with "As Time Goes By" music box

Closeup of "Be Mine" cross stitch

Be Mine Kit
by Shepherds Bush
blush linen
silk threads included
bee button included

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Mary's Covered Box

I chose V is for Valentine by Heartstring Samplery for my stitch.  I wanted to mount it on a round wooden box.  After coming up empty handed for a wooden box, I resorted to a paper mache one.    To my surprise, the box took the chalk paint and waxing just fine.  I lined it with a pretty fabric and used sticky board to attach the stitch.  Black rickrack shows off the stitch.  It looked "blah" without it. Finishing is always a work in progress!!!

Does anyone have a tip on how to cut sticky board in a circular shape?  It was very difficult to cut with scissors and as you can see it's not perfect.

What Valentine's treat will my husband find in here? 

V is for Valentine
by Heartstring Samplery
called for threads
mystery linen

                                                        💝💝💝



RJ's French Village Update

Stitching these fun shops has been a totally enjoyable time.   I have three more to share today. I decided I needed a "boutique hotel" for my little French village.   I looked through my older patterns and found the Poinsettia House by LHN.   I thought with some tweaks and additions it would work well.  I think this would be the perfect spot for Vickie to stay.

To make it work, I lowered the windows a bit to fit a sign that said Le Poinsettia which means The Poinsettia.  I added little shrubs on the front, Christmas trees with little fences on the sides, and a small hanging sign that says HOTEL.  I used the same color Wild Berries for the bows to match the color of the Poinsettia wreath.   I think it worked. 

Le Poinsettia Hotel

The second stitch is the train station.  There were not too many changes to make here.  A black sign was added with the word Avignon.  I added an extra row to the boy's pants and a row to the boy's shirt to make him just a bit taller to match the taller station.  Two added rows to the bottom of the engine, two extra rows at the top and two extra stitches to the smoke stack made it the same height as the station.   I left off the trees on the right to keep it a smaller size for an ornament.

Train Station in Avignon

My newest stitch is probably my very favorite because of all the changes I made and how much fun it was to come up with ideas.  This is actually LHN's coffee shop that I didn't think I could use because it just didn't look French to me. But, it bothered me that I was not using a brand new pattern so I pulled it out again and decided to make it something else. 

It is now an antique/second hand store.   There were a ton of changes on this one.   I started with making it olive instead of brandied pears.   I added a painted flower instead of the coffeepot in the peak.  A sign that says Brocante was added.  I changed the awning to reds and creams.  Then, I added different benches to the front of the shop in hickory sticks to look like iron.   At first they were not showing up...so I stitched over them again.   It made the color pop and they have a bit of 3D look as they are thicker than the rest of the stitch.   But now the real challenge came.  What do I put in those windows?   I had no little antique stitches in my stash.   My first thought was an antique quilt hanging in the window.  So, I stitched an iron rod across the window and began to stitch a block quilt checkerboard style.  Then, I thought why not put flowers on the white blocks. That worked.

But, there was the other window and I was at a total loss what to put in it.   Alot of the other shops had Christmas trees so that seemed like a good idea.  I used the one from the clock shop but made it taller and wider.   I then thought of my husband's antique standing radio.   It had a simple design so I gave it a try.   I basically made a rectangle and rounded off the top.  Then, I made a screen in white and dials with French knots.  And, then a lighter color for the fabric that covers the speaker.   The window still did not look full enough to go with the window with the quilt.   I thought of alot of different things but settled on adding garland to the top of the window.  Not done yet!!!  Now, the windows needed to be wider and longer to fit the quilt which meant the door had to be adjusted too.   I put a big header in cream and added windows to the door and changed the color to red.  The final touch was to add steps and snow and I had myself a sweet Brocante that I love. It's now my favorite French shop.

The Coffee Shop becomes an Antique Shop

                                           
                                                          💝💝💝



Valentine Freebie
We have a little freebie for you.  This is a complimentary chart from Hands on Design.   You can find the pattern here    Hope you enjoy this sweet stitch from Cathy.

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Thank you so much for your visits and kind comments.   They really mean a lot to us.  We have a "grab bag" post coming up  next.   Lots of new projects are coming in the near future too that we hope you will enjoy.   We look forward to coming by and seeing all of your new stitches and crafts too.  Happy stitching!!!
                                                 
                                                   Stitching Friends 


                               Life is the flower for which love is the honey.
                                                           Victor Hugo