Stitchin' in the Park

I went to a local park a couple of weeks ago with Michelle, Terry, Mia and Tabby for a free performance of Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well put on by MSU Billings. Naturally, I brought a handwork project to work on (my Bible verses quilt), and before I knew it, all four of the little kids from the blanket next to me were in my lap!

The little girl in the dark pink dress (I’m guessing she’s about 3 or 4 years old) kept trying to touch the sharp, pointy end of my needle as I stitched and she finally told me, "I know how to do that. Wanna see?" They were really sweet, curious kids. I wished I'd had small samples they could stitch on!

New business!

I've got a deal with the neighborhood restaurant to make these pillows - a brainchild of one of the owners. My plan (Julie's idea) was to go there and stitch one day a week... have lunch, then SEW SOME SEEDS (for business) as well as some SEAMS! Well, the owner saw me stitching and asked if I could make pillows for her niece's three children, who call her "Auntie Pillows." While we talked, she thought about registering the name and selling them in the restaurant! So I'll be madly sewing pillows for a while! I'm very excited about this!

The center section is hand-embroidered, and I purposely chose a simple quilt block pattern for the outer portion to cut down the time it takes to complete each pillow since the embroidery takes so long. I'll be changing the design a little for the store owner's three pillows. She requested that I make each pillow with the kids' names on them so they say:

name
love,
Auntie Pillows

This particular pillow will be for display in the store, with a sign that says customers can order pillows in their own colors.

I'm hoping I can sell other items through her shop as well - pin cushions, small quilts, tea pot cozies and napkins, soap, greeting cards...

My Light Table

Here's the "light table" I use to trace my patterns onto fabric for redwork. It's homemade - just a piece of Plexiglas and one of those lights you mount under a cabinet. I started using it about 10 years ago for calligraphy, and what I like best about it is that I can adjust the angle to suit me as I go along. The board rests in my lap (it's not heavy), and I can move it a little or a lot as I trace a pattern. It measures 19 by 24 inches. I got it at a hardware store and it must have come pre-cut because I would never ask for those measurements! The light rests on my desk top (it's not hot), and the bulb seems to never burn out!

When not in use, I store the Plexiglas under the desk and the light on a shelf behind my desk. (It stays plugged in.)

Front view - from over my chair


Back view - so you can see the light fixture better. It measures 12.5 inches long.

Calligraphy Pens and Hand Made Cards

Here is all my calligraphy pariphernalia and my hand made cards. Part of my ongoing project called "Clean Up the Studio So You Can Find What You Need." These things were already in order, but now they're documented, too!

All my nibs (on my closed laptop)



Calligraphy stuff back in the box and the box on the shelf.







Many of my hand made cards are here, in a cabinet in my studio. I keep them in recycled tissue boxes and file by subject (wedding, baby, some all-occasion cards, too) so I can find an appropriate card quickly when I need it.




I keep my favorite dip pen, some black ink, and quite a few cards in a basket I can take to another room. It's handy, portable, useful, and decorative. I usually have what I need in this basket. There are also some other pens, in case I feel like writing with them, but only pens I really like!

Paper Bag Folio for Cards

I was writing a thank you to a dear friend on some lovely stationery and my dip pen the other day. I decided I really didn't like the plastic box the stationery came in, so I made a rustic looking folio from a paper bag, labeled it with the dip pen, and tied it with some selvage from a quilting project.

double-sided tape to stick the sides down.



dip pen and my favorite mug with tea