A post a week?

 

A week since my last post??  Guess I'm not doing much to write about!  But why am I so busy at home!  Actually, I've been doing a lot of spring cleaning and purging!  That is when Bob isn't around!  He has a hard time letting go of certain items...like 8 pillows we have that we don't use!!!  In Bob's defense, he does have a lot of arthritis in his neck and has a hard time finding just the right pillow to sleep on.  I talked him into getting a new pillow last week AND he did agree to throwing out 2 pillows!  Bob is flying his planes today, so I dropped off an entire carload to Goodwill here in town..no pillows but lots of other 'stuff' we'll never use and someone else could.  I'll pitch some more pillows in the trash next week, hopefully, Bob won't be home!  

I am back hand stitching on my split rail piece I started several months ago.  I do so enjoy hand stitching as it's so relaxing!  

This is before I started any stitching.  When I am finished with all of the hand work, I have something in mind to add to or take away from the darker areas in the pattern.  Not sure if it will work but it's using discharge  paste!  Who knows!  Now to get busy finishing all that stitching!

 

Book Review - The Hand stitched Surface

   

Yep, it’s book review time!  I mentioned in a post a week ago on my winning Lynn Krawczyk’s book, The Hand Stitched Surface.  

My readers know my love of hand work and I’ve posted many of my art quilts filled with hand stitching.  So, I’m not a beginner or novice when it comes to hand work. 

With that said, this old dog can and will continue to learn new tricks!  And that I did with reading Lynn’s book.  First off, I don’t get deep with why I create my work, e.g. inspired by the moons or driven to create by the wind – you know those really deep write ups folks do.  I just have fun and relax with my hand stitching so I was so impressed with Lynn talking about “slow stitching”.  And that’s just what I get from my hand work or my “slow stitching” as Lynn would say! 

Lynn’s book is filled with detailed information on stitching essentials and techniques, which even an experienced stitcher can pick up a new tip or two.  She also has great colorful examples of stitches and completed works.  Again, many stitches we are familiar with but we forget don’t we!  HA 

I was really intrigued by Lynn’s chapter on ‘Creating Your Own Pattern for Stitching’. 

I usually trace some pattern onto my quilt or draw lines/shapes as I stitch.   Lynn has some great inspiration and a technique that I am certainly going to give it a go!  I’ve read these five pages twice! 

Of course, there is also the project section!  Lynn has 8 different fabric projects, which a few look interesting…but I was more impressed with the paper projects she has in the book.  Yep…good old “slow stitching” on paper!!  Now she had my full attention!  Of course, I don’t necessarily want to make all of the paper projects but I’m really, really interested in the Mended Paper Painting project!  You’ll have to buy the book to see this one!   This is a project I do want to play with…among others in the book.

Seriously, I really liked and enjoyed reading (did I mention I actually read most of the book!) this book by Lynn!  It is going to be a reference book for sure!  Thanks again to Ana and Lynn for giving me the opportunity to win this book!  Congrats, Lynn.  You have a winner with this one!

p.s. I did have permission to show pics of Lynn's book!