Guess Who is Having a Birthday!

Stash Downsize Project
Originally uploaded by lasassone

Well, here you see what I've been up to lately. This is a folding banquet table that I'm working on in our dining room.I 've only got 3 more color drawers and the metallics to go. You can just see a glimpse of the yellow drawer on the left and the cream and green pile on the right. I had to stand on a high stool and put the camera on the ceiling to take this picture. Got it on the 4th try! LOL Seems like I've been sorting, pressing and cutting for months now, but it's only been about 3 weeks with MANY interruptions.

All this is because space in this tiny house is at a premium and I need the room. In order to make room in these drawers for my "reads-as" color cotton fabrics, I have decided to seriously downsize my fancy fabric stash again. Mind you these fabrics are the ones that I selfishly kept for myself when we were planning on moving to a larger place. So, there's a lot of wonderful things in there and many one-of-a-kind pieces.

Now for the surprise I promised. Today is my birthday (and AllieA's as well)! If you leave a comment on this post until May 5th, I will enter you in a drawing. Remember, you have to leave the comment on THIS message. And I must be able to click on your name and get a link to your email unless you include it in your comment. I'd also like you to tell me your favorite color and why it's your fav maybe. I'm curious!

#1 winner will get a hand picked just-for-you Stash Stretcher packet.
#2 winner will get a combo packet of 10 fabric cuts & embellishments.
#3 winner will get an embellishment package in his or favorite color.

I sell Stash Stretcher packets for $12.50 and that includes first class shipping. Postage for multiple orders varies.

Stash Stretcher packets contain 25 pieces of fancy fabrics cut approximately 6" x 10" because I and my students have found that rectangles work best for cq piecing. Less fabric is wasted and we NEVER want to waste fabric, right?

I also include a surprise in each packet. The surprise could be anything from a little ziplock of beads to trims to mother of pearl buttons.

So! Now I'm done workiing and I will spend the day relaxing, reading & stitching maybe. Perhaps I'll also eat light to prepare myself a bit in for the dinner out G has planned for this evening!

Stitch on!

Further Catching up - April Free BOM Design

April Free BOM Design
Originally uploaded by lasassone

Well, it's the 29th of the month and although I've had this design ready for some time, I just now have time to get it up here on my badly neglected blog.

Been super busy with a lot of things. G's best friend had a stroke and has now been moved to a rehab factility that is a 30 minute drive away. His wife cannot drive, so there has been the necessity to get her there each day and pick her up as well.

Secondly I've been busy cutting up all my crazyquilt fancy fabrics in order to make up Stash Stretcher packets again. The packets will be the same as I sold before when were planning to move. Space is at a premium, but as long as we must stay longer I decided to majorly downsize my cq stash in order to make some shelf space to display my doll collection.

No sense even HAVING a doll collection if I can't see it, right?

So, my need for space will benefit others who may not have been collecting fancy fabrics for 13 years. Keep in mind these are the fabrics that I selfishly decided to keep for myself when I did the last downsize! There are some real goodies in there!

That said - IF you too like fabric, be sure to come back here tomorrow for a SURPRISE!

Now about the Easter Mouse design. I was just going to do a decorated egg or perhaps a bunny. I did this design because I have a close friend who loves mice and I thought perhaps she might be inspired to actually DO some embroidery if she had something to do that amused her. She has seen the design and says she really likes it!

Will you do it in colored embroidery? I think I will, but I also think perhaps that my mousie might just become the first in a 12 month series of embroidery designs.

Meanwhile, don't forget to come back tomorrow! It's going to be a SPECIAL DAY!

Stitch On!

P.S. I forgot to mention that you can click on the design to print it and it should be about 7" wide. Also you can go to:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14575046/April-BOM-Design and print it from there!

Catching up - March BOM Redwork Embroidery Design

March BOM Redwork Embroidery Design
Originally uploaded by lasassone

This is my free BOM offering for the month of March - offered up late as I warned you all.

The box around this design was drawn 7" x 7" - just so you know it's original size. This flower (or weed, if you prefer) is the Contra Costa Wallflower. It is an endangered species of Spring wildflower that almost exclusively grows here in our county.

It appears always sometimes in March and has yellow blossoms. They compete in early spring with the wild mustard over our velvet green hills. That is to say the hills are green IF we've had enough rain. Weather people say we haven't actually HAD enough rain this year, but our hills did turn to green velvet while I was gone to AZ.

This is a design that will provide challenges for a beginner embroiderer for many reasons. One is the interesting angles of the leaf tips. Getting sharp angles/tips is always hard when you first begin. How do YOU handle it?

Do you make each tip a fly stitch? Do you go down at the tip and come back up a ways down the other side of the leaf?

Enjoy the design! Stitch On!

P.S. I forgot to mention that you can click on the design to open it, but you can also go to:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14460717/March-BOM-Free-Design and print it from there.