Filed under: ANG Chapter Book Projects, Chapter Book Project, Jeannie's Windmills
In 2014, I led the Chapter Book Project from 2013-2014, Jeannie’s Windmills by Pat Mazu for ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter and I never posted the finished bag.
Trish Vine finished this for me since she was still in our area back then and we were both in the ANG Keystone Garden chapter. She did and does fantastic work. It’s my fault it looks a little bumpy because I stitched it on interlocking canvas and used a fabric backing to hide the traveling stitches. I have several of Trish’s project bags including the one she made for MLS’s 40th anniversary gift. She’s on Facebook under Trish Vine Designs.
ANG has been and is releasing new pieces in the Chapter Project Book (6 in 2022, 2025, and 2026). But this and other wonderful past year’s projects going back to 2007 are still available and are free to chapters. Since it is for chapter use, the access to full instructions is limited to chapter leaders.
Filed under: Florentine Fancywork by Toni McKelley, Other People's Designs
There are opportunities in this piece to use color-matched portions of Watercolours 088 Mountain Meadow in the border. I enjoy doing that.
The flowers are the yellow/peach portions while the bottoms are the green portions. I worked from the sides to the center.
And, I have another full skein of Watercolours (different lot but very similar) for the rest of the design to use as it comes off the skein.
I started in the middle of the top border with the Periwinkle in case I had basted incorrectly. But, it was fine. I did make a counting error by not looking closely enough at the Master Diagram which I did correct (after some hesitation).
Normally, I would complete the whole border and Toni recommends the top and left side be done first. However, after looking at the Master Diagram and the stitched piece on the cover, I found definite differences. It took some studying to figure out what was happening because the overall size is the same or similar. Finnally, I saw the biggest difference is the 8 flower motifs spaced 3, 1, 4 on her original stitched piece versus the 9 evenly spaced flower motifs on the Master Chart. She probably thought it would be easier for stitchers to do the 9 but I really prefer the 8. So, I will stitch the side borders later just to be sure no more variations occur.
Also, the flower motifs were not diagrammed with the green stem extending into the flower. So, I am adding an oblong cross stitch over part of the flower in the center. Here’s half done, half not done yet. Which do you prefer?
Sue S and Kathy A got us primed for next month’s penny rug project by having us work on these hearts. The materials supplied were precut felt heart shapes, floss, batting, and a button. The buttonhole stitch allowed most of us to finish prior to lunch. I attached the loop to the batting before closing the two sides.
Unfortunately, I will miss next month’s project.
Filed under: Other People's Designs
My mother’s mother, Mae – Grandma to me was very crafty – into everything (rug hooking, crochet, knitting, ceramics, leather tooling)! Here she is at 62 and it would be about 10 years later when she’d be teaching me needlework.
I’ve posted some of her pieces but realized that I have missed a few.
These appear to be crewel embroidery. And, she probably did the finishing too. The oval ones are dated 1981 (2 years prior to her death at 85 years of age). The square ones are not dated but I think they would be from the 70s.
Great memories of our time together!
I had to cut out portions of Rhapsody to get enough of the purple color to span the top wide area. I used the lighter white portions on both smaller side areas below.
Again, I swapped out French Knots for cross stitches. The 1×2 alternating cross stitches fit nicely in the area with the top cross pointing towards the center as has been done throughout this design.
This is my progress after stitching during my EGA Brandywine’s Quarterly meeting, ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter Stitch-in, and football.
I’ll save the background for another Stitch-in.
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