Dusting It Off, Picking It up, Starting All Over Again!

Remember when I used to post here?

I wrote about food, family, friends and stitching stuff?

I'm back.

But I am going to throw in politics now. 

I hear ya groaning. It's not for everyone. But...

I was raised in the legendary, smoke filled, back rooms of the Democratic Party. 
My first words were "Bote Kennky!" which I repeated on cue as my Daddy took me around our staunchly Republican county in northwestern North Carolina while he campaigned for local, state and national candidates. I was less than a year old when I joined President Kennedy's campaign!

This evening as childhood friend of mine asked if I could give her a statement and share some pictures from yesterday's Women's March. She lives in our hometown and writes for the local paper. I marched in Raleigh, NC where I live now.

Here's what I wrote for her:

There are so many reasons to participate in events like the Women's March NC. I marched to honor my wonderful Grandmothers, Holbrook and Porter, who taught me to always be truthful and guided me to think for myself and be strong in my beliefs. I also marched to protest for rights of those who are and will be marginalized by our state and national governments' policies — women, LGBTQ, minorities, immigrants and the disabled. I am terrified by most of President Trump’s choices for his cabinet. They hold strong beliefs against people I hold dear. I have marched before, attended a few of the Moral Monday rallies and will continue to do so. Nothing is ever solved by marching but much can be learned from one's fellow marchers and from the folk who address the gathering. It is exhilarating and comforting to be immersed in a group that wants to affect the world through their words and works.

(Not me - just some nice ladies we met along the way.)

I have always been quick to say what is on my mind. I have always stood up for myself and others.

But I have also kept quiet out of a sense of decorum,
out of fear,
out of ignorance.

No more.

I will NOT sit still and let others suffer.

I will speak out.
I will act out.

I will still post stuff about food, family, friends and stitching stuff.

What's On your Needles? Super Secret Stitching

 I love surprising folks with gifts. 

Especially gifts that I make.

It can be nerve racking though.

Will they like it?

Did I do a good job?

I belong to a world-wide embroidery group.

Several of us are participating in a grand swap.

We started with an embroidery on our own towel, table runner or apron.

Some stitchers picked designs that represented where they live - like New Zealand!!

Others choose one design for everyone and then customized it for the recipient.

That's what I did.

I used this pattern that 

I found this on doe-c-doe's blog long ago.

 

Then each of us mailed our towel off to the next on the list.

We embroidered on each piece as it came to us.

Here's how I started my towel.

Looks just like me, yes?

It was supposed to take a couple of months but as you know, crafty folks have stuff to do.

I am one of the guilty ones that held up the round robin of excellent stitchery!

Almost a year later, folks are getting their original works back.

This is the one I did for Pam aka KittyKill.

We share a love of wacky, supposed to be 

scary movies 

and all things Tiki and Psych!

  

This is what I crafted for my pal Lisa who LOVES tea!

This is her towel with others' stitcheries. 

The Bigfoot was customized on everyone's towel by Tara. 

I'm only giving you a glimpse of this one. 

This towel is for our group's founder.

I'm mailing it to her tomorrow.

It's finished.

I haven't looked at any pictures of my towels 

as they have been posted.

I love a surprise! 

Please check out my friends' blogs that I stealthily linked here. 

They write good stuff!

Fabulous Friday: Learn How to Embroider

(I set blogger to post this yesterday at 8am. Wonder why it did not?) 

Embroidery is like painting with thread. Don't know where I heard or read that, but it is true. 

It can delight, frustrate, calm, relax, and allow one to express themselves in an age old medium. Ancient civilizations used embroidery on garments.

There are almost as many styles of embroidery as there are brands of threads and fabrics from which to choose.

There is basic embroidery that can be utilized to create simple 

 or elaborate works.

(Sorry, that's sideways)

 These are some I've stitched.

There is redwork, blackwork, and chicken scratch.

There's the whole 'nother category of Cross-stitch which can be counted or not.

Yeppers, stitched this one too.

And there's crewel embroidery that usually means using wool or wool-like yarn for your stitching.

Whew!

It is always wonderful if you have someone to teach you - as my [Grand]Mama taught me. But, if not, there's a plethora of resources available!

Books are good - like any of the books written by Erica Wilson - THE Queen of Crewel Embroidery

Or by Jenny Hart - THE Queen of Embroidery's current revival!

I also like online tutorials.

My pal Wendi Gratz is on a mission to teach everyone how to sew but takes time to add embroidery to the fun!

http://www.dmc-usa.com/Education/Technique/Embroidery.aspx

http://www.sublimestitching.com/

http://wendigratz.blogspot.com/p/embroidery-lessons.html

Stop in next Fabulous Friday, February (already!?) 1st 

for some more resources, tips and 

some vintage patterns!!!

Have a Fabulous Friday and Weekend! 

What's on your Needles Wednesday?

What's on Your Needles?

It's Wednesday. 

Whatcha workin on?

I know how your crafty mind works. Just like mine, right?

You have more than one project going at any given time, right?

If you're not crafting, you're thinking about crafting. 

Unless you're thinking about stuff I don't really want to know about. 

Okay - eeewww - keep that to yourself. 

Please. 

Currently on my needles -

a super secret embroidery,

an afghan, 

 

and a shoe hanger/storage thingy.

I'm making 4 of these for us. E'er day I'm trippin over shoes!

Recently finished - 

A blankie for my childhood friend's newest family member, Maegan Gabrielle.

 I used vintage animal designs that belonged to my Great Aunt Pearl. 

I also sneaked in my Clempzin Tiger colors on the cat. heehee

 The back is this Democrat fabric. 

I stitched/quilted 3 little donkeys in each corner.

A Redskins knit cap - toboggan, as we call it in The South.

 Yeah, I finished knitting it late one night and had to get a pic right then!

Like my bright blue flan`nel gown?

And a purple sweater for Rosie.

 Oh heck, have you been introduced?

This is my new baby, Rosie.

Brought her home from the Wake County Animal Shelter last Fall.

.

She's a Terrier mix, maybe 5 years old, about 12 pounds and I loves her!

So, what's on YOUR needles?

Opening In September - Mrs. Becky's School of Sewing and Needle Arts

I'm gonna do it!

Come one, come all!

Old, Young

Male or Female

Beginners

Intermediates who needs a skills refresher

In honor of National Sewing Month,

which is September,

May I present to you

[drum roll and trumpets please]

Mrs. Becky's School of Sewing

and Needle Arts

I offer classes in my home.

Monday - Thursday

Choose from 3 daily time slots

10 am - Noon

2 pm - 4 pm

5 pm - 7 pm

Learn the very basics about 
fabrics, 
needles, 
threads 
and more.

Choose from a 2 hour refresher class or a one month package of four 2 hour lessons.


Open to boys and girls, men and women, old and young, Moms and kids, Dads and kids.
Grandparents and Grandkids.


Sorry I haven't quite figured out how to get cats and dogs to sew yet. But I am working on it!

(photo from - http://cutestlife.com)

Class packages include printed materials and some supplies.


 We'll begin with small hand sewn projects, 
learn basic embroidery skills.
then graduate to learning about and 
using a sewing machine. 

I was blessed to have had a very patient [Grand] Mama who taught me to sew. 
She encouraged me every step of the way. 


What qualifies me to teach?
40+ years of sewing
Both personally and professionally.
And patience.

  My goal is to spread encouragement and the skills that will enable you to use them for a life time.

Message me here or at beckysews@hotmail.com for rates, dates and more info.

There's No Business Like Show Business!

Cue Ethel Merman!!!

Cue Roy Scheider!

Spring time + Summer time = Show time folks!

Sew in Stitches has been on the road.

I've been sewing my fingers to the bone.

Embroidering as fast as I can. 

Trying to keep stock in my etsy shop.

Ethel has been working hard showing off aprons.

But most of all -

Having fun!

I love meeting other crafters and vendors.

I love meeting the customers.

Here's a happy Customer at this years BathFest.

She's wearing her brand new Gathering Apron!

FUN!

Look to the right to see where Sew In Stitches will be setting up next.

Hope to see you there!

It's National Embroidery Month!

February is National Embroidery Month!

Who Knew? Not me.

But I read it on Facebook so it must be true!

I love embroidery.

I love to embroider.

I love to peruse patterns.

I love to combine patterns.

I love to play with the colors of embroidery floss.

From wikipedia:

"Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. Embroidery is most often recommended for caps, hats, coats, blankets, dress shirts, denim, stockings, and golf shirts. Embroidery is available with a wide variety of thread or yarn color.

A characteristic of embroidery is that the basic techniques or stitches of the earliest work—chain stitch, buttonhole or blanket stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, cross stitch—remain the fundamental techniques of hand embroidery today."

Embroidery has been around as long as humans have worn clothing or thereabouts.

Evidently there are samples of embroidery that have survived since the 5th Century BC! 

I couldn't find pics of that.

From The Textile Blog's flickr site - this is from the 

Bayeux tapestry circa 1099!

Embroidery was often reserved for the wealthy and for clerical garments like this from the 1200s: 

 

As time passed more folks caught the embroidery bug and created practical mementos and beautiful works.

Samplers were especially popular like this one from 1805.

 

All of these photos and many more can be found on 

The Textile Blog's flickr page.  

Check out their blog and flickr pages. 

Prepare to be amazed.

My [Grand]Mama taught me how to embroider by hand before I was allowed to even think about touching a sewing machine.

I still have a big denim pocketbook on which I embroidered my initials and a huge snail - way back in the early 1970's!

(It's around here somewhere. Will find it and post a pic.) 

Come back Wednesday and I'll jabber about different styles/forms of embroidery and where you can learn how to or brush/renew your skills.!

Friday, I'll list some of my favorite shops that carry patterns, threads and finished products!

Let me know if you have a fave shop and/or instructional website and I'll share that too.