Carole Samples Dream-a-Seam Templates

I have received comments and emails asking "Where did you get the templates? Do you also have Carole Samples' book The Treasury of Crazy Quilt Stitches"

First of course I have this book... It is and always will be a classic "must have" for crazy quilters... Both the book and the templates are not found at your neighborhoods fabric store but they are still available through contacting Miss Carole herself... (who BTW has been using the word "retire" so I wouldn't procrastinate) and notice the words "dwindling inventory)

She sent me this message this morning:

"If the ladies who are interested will simply email me here at
http://us.mc636.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=fancwerx@inebraska.com,
I will email to them the Vendor-AD attachment with the color pixures & all of the specs. for the Templates (along with other print ADs for my eight Stitch Guides and for my dwindling inventory of remaining CQ books & patterns & notions). I prefer to do things this way because it gives me a chance to tell everyone how best to place an order with us. There are two little steps to take that are different for us living in the inner city Our full mailing addy and current pricing and posting rates are in the Vendor AD. It is truly safe to open as an attachment."

I have a "dream list" of legendary CQ artists that I would love to "sit and stitch" with and Carole is right up there.. I tried to arrange things to get to the Victorian Fancywork Retreat where she was teaching this fall but couldn't do it.

There's a comprehensive article about the templates by Sharon Boggon in CQMagonline Quoting Sharon: "For anyone who is stumped for fresh ideas when it comes to combining stitches on seam embellishments, Carole Samples set of 33 templates will provide enough inspiration to keep you busy for years! Just think of the math, in this there are 99 edges. Each edge can be duplicated, flipped and repeated in various ways. Each edge can also be combined with any other edge, which as a combination can be duplicated, flipped and repeated. More than two templates can be used together, which makes the number of available combinations endless."

There's a mouse in my house doing a happy dance!!

DH keeps the sunflower seeds for his birds in the wood shed... Today when he went to feed birds he discovered a mouse in his seeds.. He decided to dispatch it with a hoe...Since there is no light in the shed he brought the hoe and the can into the kitchen...

As you can probably guess when he put the hoe in the can the mouse ran up the handle and jumped out and ran under the kitchen stove... We are up to our knees in new snow and the temperatures are dropping below zero... I swear I can hear that mouse singing "Oh Happy Day" under the stove.... I just hope it's not pregnant.....

Seams & Snow

I finished the seams on Meg's block in the Seams RR. I used 3 templates I haven't used before and 2 immediately jumped onto my favorites list ("never let anywhere near Morris" list). I have been experimenting with combining the templates with very interesting results...

I don't always love or even really like every new seam but at least every seam is new and I'm finding that it's I'm always wanting to carry seams one step further... a big step for my "year of seams."

I wish I had been more careful placing them on the scanner so all the numbers were correct... The first one (23 B) is already a favorite but I used the A side for the first time and combined it with parts of 31 to get the seam in the middle of the block... #31 template is going to be a real jewel by itself and combining it with other templates... The little cutout on the end is so versatile

It was the first time using #30 and it was a large shape... larger than I am comfortable with... I will probably just use parts of it next time...

But this last one #29 is going to be used over and over... I had never realized the possibilities... All the arches and spans are just the same...only the height is different so it is great for stacking. PLEASE note:::: The seam on the lower right is so small and anything done to it would look like it was falling off the block... But by stacking the shapes of this template it gives the little seam substance and brings it back into the block... I did a little happy dance when I realized all the possibilities for this template....

Finally we had 12" of snow in 9 hours yesterday and we are completely snowbound again... I got up early and made scones for DH to ease his decision between chaining up or walking out... BUT ME!!! happy... happy happy... Not only can I not get out... no one can get in and NOBODY can expect me to get out.... I will have a fire in the fireplace, dye lace, paint buttons, stitch and start doing a much-needed database for my Etsy...

Sounds like a perfect wonderful, healing day for Morris and myself.....

AAQ Entry...moving right along

I'm getting ready to baste down the last two images in the center of the block... I love the juxtaposition of these two photos with the men all facing backward the women facing forward. Once basted, I can start adding the top layers of lace, buttons and ribbon embroidery. I have soooooooooooo many images collected for my suffragette quilt it is going to be hard to choose which to use...

It looks a little cluttered and chaotic at this stage but the last layer of lace and embellishment will bring it all together...

I finished the top corner and is that seam to die for or what...??? I have to spend a good part of the day tomorrow at the clinic while DH has a procedure and will spend the time finishing my "seams only" RR. I really am having fun with the seams on it also....

I edged this replica of an old poster with some ticky-tacky copper ribbon which by itself was far too gaudy....but once I ruched some brown ribbon on it and added beads, it adds a nice touch of bling.

Finally this campaign button was basted down with a running stitch and then beaded... Sorry about the focus...

AAQ block and mini tut on curved lettering

I'm going to start with this upper right corner... I just love this textured black.. It is green on the other side... I've known from the beginning that I want a banner in this corner so I don't want to finish embellishing the seam until I can see where the exact position.(Just a side note: the brown flat beads on the lace are from a necklace similar to my giveaway recently)

I used TAP (transfer artist paper) on muslin to get an aged look... It worked fairly well on this larger banner but on a small one the transfer began peeling... but I can use this one.. I had changed the black and white image to sepia tone in Google's wonderful free program Picasa....

With it pinned in place I can see what else I want to use to fill that space and where to finish embellishing that seam... I hate beading a seam only to discover it is going to be under an image and make a bumpy image. The cameo needs to be antiqued yet. It is not set in a backing and I will just bead around it. It was part of a mixed lot I got cheap at a jewelry site long ago...

Now the letter tut... Every so often I find a situation where I want to have lettering conform to a particular shape.. in this case a banner. I paste the banner into photoshop (or similar program) and begin placing each letter in individually. I do them individually rather than typing the entire word so I have control over the spacing between letters...

I set each letter right on the curved line of the banner. I continue until I have all the letters on the line.. Then I lower the banner just a tad until lettering is centered on the banner and like magic the lettering conforms to the banner.

This work well also if you wanted the wording along a curve without a shape. Put in your curved line....place the lettering along the line and when finished remove the line... I've done this on blocks by basting the curved line, stitching the letters and then removing the basted line...

This would be very time consuming if you had a great amount of text but for something like this is is perfect!

AAQ Entry Progress

When I came home last night I either had to stitch or collapse so I put in a DVD movie and stitched until 1a.m. and got up and started again this morning.. All the animals are calling so must stop and feed everyone.

This is the same fabrics as my suffragette quilt and is a trial run for choosing threads...The theme is "Alliances: People, Patterns, Passion", celebrating cooperative relationships that work towards a common goal so it fits in with what I'm doing and I'm using images from the suffragette file. They are just PERFECT!!!!

All the laces and braids are on and some seams are embellished but I don't want to go any further until I do the images....which I will do this afternoon and show you a photoshop trick that help with edges on images....and a trick type on a curve....

Carole and Cathy - Friends In Deed Indeed!!!!

Recently I received an email from Carole Samples: regarding dear Morris and the favorite DREAM-A-SEAM template... "I really want to replace that piece and help to bring Morris back out of his literal "dog house" -- or is it better referred to as "solitary confinement," hm-mmm? Bless his sharp little toothies! . . ." I am so happy and grateful and Morris is also.....at least he should be...





Also arriving yesterday was a marvelous package of black goodies from my dear friend Cathy K. Ordinary CQers have stash, Cathy has treasures and shared them generously.. These are all vintage and so unique.... I opened the box in the car and fondled them all in the post office parking lot... I will use every one on my suffragette quilt...

PRICE REDUCED 50% -

When I have the time I love making these pincushions..they are soooooooooo gorgeous... I am taking them off the Esty shop.... The two middle ones have sold. The price on remaining ones listed has been reduced from $40.00 to $20 to clear out these pincushions.

Check them out! There are only a few left. If you wish to send one as a gift for a special needlework friend, just let me know and I will wrap it and mail it for you... If you know of someone who might be interested, would you pass the link along....? Thanks

Update: The sheep have gotten a reprieve and Wil helped me rig up a temporary shelter. I have been busy finding another unit for Mom and we will start moving her again tomorrow... Getting her resettled again will take all my time for the near future...

Where are those "big girl panties?"

A couple of updates..... I'm getting all of the laces and trims on two blocks... so I can stitch... A slight change of plans... I had made an extra block for the AAQ contest which last year had a deadline of May 31... This year it is March 7th...a big difference.. So I will do it first so I am certain of meeting the deadline.. I noticed that 95% of last year's entries were simplified with large borders and machine stitching... I was WAY too ambitious last year with my entry so am taking keeping that in mind this year...

Next I am making time to paint and continue to work on my celebrity pets. Only Morris is done (who is back in my good graces again.) I started this as a test to see if I might add pet portraits to my Etsy site....I've learned two things... It is too time consuming to be profitable and I don't like to paint fur... Another thing I learned is even though I thought it would be easier for me to paint dogs, the cats are much easier to paint... Doing their fur is much like painting bird feathers...very directional and following body contours...

I go to the dentist today and get the new crowns put on and then it's the "panties" part. The lambs need to be butchered... and the meat processor can't get here until Jan. 16. Since their shelter collapsed I can't leave them that long with no shelter... The alternative is for me to kill and bleed them myself and deliver them. It has to be done and I KNOW I have to do it... so the sooner the better...but it makes my heart hurt. Also I wish I could say all is well with my mother's move but is isn't and again I am having to find those "panties" and find a way to take it all in stride... Thank heavens the days will soon be getting longer...

"Speak Up First" and the tiny fan ornament!

At thrift stores I'm always on the lookout for necklaces or bracelets made from flat irregular beads... (or any flat beads) The white and off white one are nice because you can dye them... I found this one yesterday and because the edges are red and they are rough cut, I think they would be perfect for a whimsical block such as a Raggedy Ann block or even a country kitchen block with red gingham in it...

Anyway there's enough for me and two other people... Rather than the hassle of a give-away these charming beads will go to the first TWO people who "Speak Up First" leaving a comment that they would like them... That worked well with the cigar boxes I had to give away..


Yesterday was the needlework guild Christmas luncheon and if you read my blog you know I was a little nervous about giving a CQ gift to a bunch of cross stitchers... Well the little CQ fan was a huge success and there were lots of oohs and aahs over it... And if I could have chosen who would win it, the perfect person did.... She is my first choice for who I might convert to CQ... Here is the little cross stitch roll I won... The selection was done in a way new to me... We all (33) stood in a circle and a narrator read "The Night Before Christmas" and every time the word "the" was read the wrapped ornaments were passed to the right...

The person in charge of the luncheon had a little box for each attendee... In the box were a little needle book, a thread picker, a scissors fob, a spool scissor caddy, and a little bag to carry it all... She handmade all 33 of them and they were so beautifully done... They may be cross stitchers but they are also a REALLY a nice bunch of ladies. I had a great time...

Okay remember to "Speak Up" if you would like these beads.. They go to the first two....

Marty and Laurie were the first two so e-mail me your address and off they'll go...Sorry Darlene you missed by 6 minutes...

Being cute only goes so far...............

Morris has been moping around all day whimpering and looking pitiful.... trying to make me forgive him.....not yet anyway... I forgave him when he chewed up DH's cell phone... I forgave him when he chewed up DH's prescription sunglasses..... I even forgave him when he chewed up my favorite slippers... but no cuddles today and he had to nap in the laundry room by himself because...

last night he chewed up my most favorite, my most used, my most loved Carole Samples' template...

On a happier note...we discovered when the dryer died that the dryer plug had melted to the outlet (arrow) and the interior of the outlet was all charred and burned... It was in the older part of the house and ungrounded... Needless to say we've had an electrician out to put things right... The joys of living in a 105 year old house.. It's actually a miracle it hasn't burned down before this...

Fool's Gold (a.k.a. ticky-tacky Christmas trims)

This is just a reminder that it's the season to hit the fabric, hobby and dollar stores for Christmas trims... Most of this stuff is ONLY available at this time of year... in fact lots of them have brand names like "Christmas Traditions." And near the end of the season it's at clearance prices.

This is my "Fool's Gold" drawer and it contains ribbons, braids, cording, rick racks, sequin trims and odd gold lace and tulle. I have another small drawer containing only cording of all sorts... about 20 different thicknesses and textures. Some of it REALLY looks cheap and tacky but once you start beading and embellishing, it can be spectacular... Also it can be antiqued easily with a little brown or black acrylic paint or antique gold paste. I do this A LOT!!!!! In fact I antiqued the gold braid I used on the tiny fan ornament.

This is the start of a piece I did this summer using gold work techniques. The circle has 3 different cordings and a braid... all couched. The dragonfly cutout helps me with positioning as I was using the wing to hide the beginning and endings of the gold stuff for the circle...

For me this was just an experiment with gold work techniques and I definitely want to do more... My favorite book is "Goldwork Embroidery" by Mary Brown and there is a wealth of information on the Internet...

This is the finished block for Leslie... The dragonfly wings are actually wide wired-gold Christmas gift ribbon with sparkly edges...dreadful stuff... I smooched the wire into wing shapes and sewed and trimmed the excess. In the upper right hand corner is the most gaudy ever gold rickrack but it becomes elegant when beaded with bugle beads... I love all the couching and it certainly carries over to other work... in fact I use some gold in almost every piece I do.

Get out there and hit those sale bins!!!!

Pincushion and "Big Tip" of the Day

I entered a pincushion swap at Pigtales and Quilts and today is the deadline for posting them to her and then she will remail them.... She didn't say anything that I remember about not putting up pictures so here is my entry... I don't often do swaps because I struggle with deadlines and this was no exception.

Now for my big tip of the day just in case someone besides me is hauling water through the snow to their sheep!!! If you have a vision of me trudging through the snow with buckets of slopping watter, it's not happening!

I buy these huge 20lb jugs of kitty litter with screw-on lids... I fill them with water, screw the lid tight, tie a rope to the handle and they slide right along on top of the snow slick as a whistle.... If it's soft or smooth snow I can pull two at a time... Since I have no cats I'm lucky to have some cat-owning friends to give the litter to.......

I'm home today waiting for the power company to fix the line to the pump house and hope to get some lace dyed and more button painting done.... I'm also absolutely dying to get the first stitching done on my quilt...

My wonderful healing day!!

Yesterday started with the delivery of my new dryer (no dryer for 3 weeks) only to find out I needed a new dryer outlet and then the delivery men backed out catching the power line to the pump house on the top of their truck and kept going until they broke the guide wire and the day went down hill from there.

I was so dispirited by evening all I could do is just sit like a lump... So since I got to be home today I went to bed making a list of all the things I could do to make today a healing day... Well finding wild turkeys at the feeders in the morning wasn't even on my list but a perfect start... They hung around with the lambs all morning since Morris wouldn't come out to play...

Then I whipped on an apron and baked 4 pies...2 apple and 2 pumpkin sour cream so the house would smell heavenly all day... We went out to do chores with the sunshine on the snow...no wind and just breathtakingly beautiful... For lunch I fixed myself a grilled ham and cheese sandwich...how's that for comfort food? Then Morris and I settled down for a long snugly nap which have been few and far between the last 6 weeks.. and not just any snugly nap... lots of tickling his big ears and massaging his toes...which he loves....

When we got up I started a fire in the fireplace and started to paint... I've been wanting to paint celebrity CQ pets for a long while and have 6 picked out.... 3 dogs and 3 cats. I know I can paint generic dogs and cats but wasn't sure I could paint some that actually looked like specific pets and started by practicing on Morris.. The big decision was whether to go for the big guy look or the puppy look....decided on the big guy look.

I have the base coat done and will do more with the fur tomorrow when the base coat hardens... I noticed there are several U-tube videos on painting fur and will watch them... Since I think it will actually look like Morris when I'm done... I'm going ahead with the others..

After supper of more comfort food... spaghetti with homemade meat sauce I pulled out the suffragette blocks and started picking out threads, beads, laces and trims.. I will start on two blocks but then will bring them all along at the same time. I know from my own experience that for me it will keep the blocks looking evenly embellished and balanced... I have ordered several types of transfer sheets to experiment with.

Finally Susie W. sent me some large elegant lace bows... There are four of them and they are too large to use whole on a block but I love their structural quality and decided to cut them up so I can use and mix parts on all the blocks...they will make wonderful elements to carry the eye around the quilt... Since the pictures on this quilt have a story to tell I will have to be careful what I add....

So now it is almost 10:30 pm and it has been a very healing day... and I can deal with whatever's ahead a whole lot better.

Wil to the rescue....

The official total of 25.9 inches of snow was measured at Spokane International Airport in November, breaking the record of 24.7 inches set in 1955. ... and what a mess because it warmed up yesterday and the snow soaked up the rain and was impossible to walk in or drive in.... This is the 1/2 mile drive into our farm and if you look closely you can see our truck stuck about one half way in with the chains on....
DH couldn't get it out yesterday or today and finally a neighbor came today and pulled him to the house with a big tractor... Someone is coming tonight to try to plow us out...

Addendum: The snow plower came in with a big monster truck and got stuck and had to chain up.....












Remember Wil. my wonderful handy helper from last summer? Well he had no school today and came over to help me get the heavy snow off the big greenhouse and the gazebo.. The weight of it brought down the lamb shelter and so a huge pile of snow, lumber and roofing blocks access to the feeding and watering stations for the lambs and the other sheep.. We had to move sheep into different pastures and move watering bins and now all the water will have to be hauled in buckets until spring.. Wil got them full for me so it won't be too bad...and when we have this much snow I can just shovel snow into the bins and it melts (there are heaters in the water) No stitching tonight.....just bed... And of course Morris was sooooooooooo much help...he just loves the snow and with every leap he sinks in up to his chin...

Ornament and New Record!!!!

The tiny CQ fan ornament is finished and I don't need it until Dec. 20..... Sorry the focus is a bit off. Since all the gals are cross stitchers I hope whoever gets it likes it..

The most snow in November was 2' 7" in 1955... As of 9 pm last night we had broken that record and all in the last few days... Since it snowed all night I haven't heard the final figure but they had predicted 7 more inches last night... 20 days until the days starts getting longer (I don't count today as it's gone)

An apple a day ... or more

The sweet apples on our most prolific tree start falling in September and from that time on Morris is scarfing up at least a dozen apples a day.. He eats them seeds, core, stem and all... At about 60 calories an apple Morris is starting to resemble a pot-bellied pig... I took this photo just before the big snow when we had had strong winds and hundreds of apples came down... Of course the deer are there all day and they look fat and healthy also...

This is a huge tree just across from the house.. The apples are small and kind of mealy and since we have other much better apple trees for us, this one is for the wildlife... It sets thousands of apples and even though they have been falling for three months there are still a lot hanging on the tree.

I took this shot yesterday and if you could zoom in really close, here is what you would see...

The tree is full of quail eating the apples that are still hanging on the tree.. Not only the quail but the finches and other small birds dine "on tree" also... Before the winter weather set in I'd see both squirrels and chipmunks eating apples also... Even our chickens eat the ones fallen on the ground..

But the sweet apples are by far the favorite for all the critters and they consume every last one. Meanwhile there are numerous crab apple trees that are just as loaded with apples... But they are very sour and are not eaten until all else is gone... Not a bird in this tree now.... Wait until January though.

Making the most of my mess....

Since I had all the fabrics spread out everywhere for the suffragette quilt I decided to make the most of it... Besides the nine blocks for the quilt I made an extra block to use for the AAQ contest and also this little fan.

It is going to be an ornament for the Needlework Guild Christmas ornament exchange... Since every last member is a cross stitcher I felt obligated to do some VERY CQ... and what is more CQ than a Victorian fan...

Rather than cut out tiny fan pieces I drew the fan on muslin and did it "flip & stitch" working from the back and trimming as I went.... much easier... I plan to do the seams, embellish with beads, add SRE and lace...

I also ended up with a nice pile of "crumbs" of these fabrics and will do a Allie-style crumb piece later... Although I am in love with all these dark fabrics at the moments. I'm sure by the time I finish all these I will be ready for something pastel or bright and cheery... These colors suit my winter mood and only 27 days until the days start getting longer. All the mess is cleared away and DH can actually eat at the table again.. for a while anyway...

We will move Mom into assisted living tomorrow...in the midst of a snow storm... and spend the next week finishing up at her old place and getting her settled in the new...

The other doll and bags

This was the second doll... She's the same size, floppy, and has a hand painted face ...She also has some lovely petticoats and a stylish hat...all in her own colors... I am still amazed I did all that work on these dolls and forgot them...They have to have been in the trunk for 8-9 years.

This doll had beaded bloomers and beaded shoes... The comments are right I should give the girls the option... If they don't want them I will put them in a charity auction... which is a much better plan than sticking them back in the trunk until great grandchildren...which may be a long time coming..

Also in the trunk were 4 tapestry totes that I can really use right now...

Then after I rearranged all the furniture I didn't like it and as soon as DH got home he helped me move it all back where it was.... but I wouldn't have found the dolls otherwise... maybe I should deep clean more often.......................maybe not!!!