An FFO - Raven by Nora Corbett

 Here she is . . .  my first completed Nora Corbett design. . . Raven. Try as I might, I wasn’t able to take a photo which truly captures her beauty. Because of the beading, I chose to have it framed under glass which is causing reflections and streaks in this photo. In person, you are able to see the three colors of beads: red, purple, and bronze in the flowing necklace. The skirt is embellished with swirls of bright red beads. The various shades of deep, rich purples are truly lovely.

This was a somewhat more challenging piece for me to stitch, but I have already picked out another Nora Corbett design. Some of her designs are quite large, but for now I’ll stick with the smaller ones. This one measures 10”x12.” It took about two months to stitch, and I am very pleased with how it turned out. :-)

It’s hard to believe that we have not had a killing frost yet; indeed, this week we will have temperatures in the seventies! Remarkable! This tree form hibiscus may spend the winter in my sewing room. 

Another surprise this morning was this blossom on the tiny rose of sharon which sprouted at the base of my sunporch. There is only about an inch or two of dirt between the porch and a row of bricks. Pretty cool!

Enjoy these awesome autumn days. :-)

Moovin’ Right Along!!!

 Yes, I’m moovin’ right along on my large wool applique piece. There are only three more sections to go!

As you can see in the corner of the watering can segment, I have the barn pinned in place waiting to be stitched. Some people glue all the pieces in place, but I prefer to just use pins though with such a large piece there has been a whole lot of stabbing going on. :-) Pinning wouldn’t be an issue with a more manageable size, but I needed to pin all 250+ pieces in place before stitching to space all the elements out.

This has not been a good foliage season. The colors are muted and frankly disappointing. These three brightly colored leaves are the exceptions; most of my yard is covered with brown, dry leaves. There are, however, still spots of color in my yard; I’ll wait for frost warning before dumping out my hanging plants and pots.

We are anticipating quite a bit of rain this afternoon though right now it is calm and dry. I intend to spend this afternoon in my sewing room in hopes of getting a few things accomplished. . . Fingers crossed. . .

Finally, for Emma fans. . . She went to the groomer on Wednesday and when I picked her up, she was sporting this festive bow tie.

Have a wonderful, creative, fun week and stay safe.

Lunch with Abigail and Happy October

On Saturday, I attended a luncheon program put on by the First Church of Weymouth. This church was established in 1623 and to celebrate its 400th year they have been having a number of events. Saturday’s Lunch with Abigail was a one woman historical play written and performed by Laura Rocklyn. Abigail Adam’s father, the Rev. William Smith had been minister at the First Church for forty-nine years and Abigail Adam’s birthplace is within walking distance of the church. I think everyone in attendance was pleasantly surprised when we were served a delicious meal before the performance. 

Wool applique progress . . . two more sections stitched . . . seven to go . . .

If you think this little sheep and butterfly are cute, wait until you see the cow and chickens. :-)

A hint of the color to come . . . This photo snapped in the back of the CVS parking lot while I was waiting for a tow truck shows some of the leaves are beginning to change. Tow truck? Yes, I had spent Monday running errands and noticed my car didn’t quite seem to have its usual zip. My last stop was CVS where the engine light suddenly came on. Horrors!!!  One day and three hundred and forty dollars later the air flow problem was solved. I had been thinking of heading up to Vermont to do some photography. Just what would I have done if the engine light had come on while I was on some lonely, scenic backroad? Cell phone use may be spotty at best in some areas. I may have to give this some more thought.

On my daily walks with Emma . . . I took this shot of a pretty pokeberry weed the other day. It’s pretty but never touch any part of this plant as it can be as bad as poison ivy. And as tempting as the fruit looks, never ever put any in your mouth unless you are a bird.

Just look at this gorgeous hydrangea display in a neighbor’s front yard down the street. Emma loves everyone she sees on her daily walks and in particular the couple who live in this house. :-)

In other stitching news, I have completed the cross stitching on the piece on which I have been solely working for well over a month. I’m presently adding some beads to complete the piece, and I have decided that I will have it professionally framed. 

In case you don’t know about this beading aid, I thought that I would share it with you. Tacky Bill looks like a cd case. Inside there is a tacky surface where you can sprinkle some of the beads you are using. Can you imagine what it would be like to have all these micro beads rolling all over your table or onto your carpet? Tacky Bill thankfully prevents that.  This product used to be called Tacky Bob; I guess Bob must have retired. :-)

One last important item . . . it is now October and time for me to climb up on my soapbox once again to remind the ladies reading this to have their yearly mammograms. I know things get busy and sometimes things slip by us, but this is too important to let slide. As a two time breast cancer surviver (2007, 2018), I can attest that early detection does indeed save lives. For the people you love and for yourself, please get checked.

Covid numbers in our area are on the rise, so be creative and be safe.