Stars Update and GaRon Stitchery Grand Opening

There isn’t much to show in the way of stitching or sewing this week.

I managed to decide on a layout for Gene’s Flying Stars. This will be a runner for the top of a couple of IKEA cabinets.

I’m going to add a narrow border using the same background fabric and then a scrappy binding.

Stitching and sewing took a backseat to baking last week.  I spent two nights baking cookies.

Yes, these sour cream cookies have green buttercream frosting. You’ll see why further down.

I also made, but didn’t get photos of, snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies.

I took a whirlwind trip to Alabama last weekend. 

While there, I attended the grand opening of GaRon Stitchery’s brick and mortar store. I’ve shared with you before that Gary and Ronny’s website is my ‘go to’ for cross stitch supplies. You can imagine how excited I was to help them celebrate this achievement.

 

Since I arrived on Friday, Ronny invited me to their home for a visit before we went to dinner.

 

I got to meet and get puppy kisses from their girls.

Ginger demanded many pets

Princess Leia just demanded

Gary showed me the amazing Merman in Blue. He cross stitched this a few years ago and it is incredible. 

This is a chart by Tilton Crafts, which I believe is no longer in business. I teased and asked if it is a self-portrait. 😊 I mean, look at the hair!

The doors opened on Saturday. There was a parking lot full of people waiting to get in.

We were greeted by a table full of….you guessed it…cookies!

Gary enjoying a green cookie.

People came from Missouri, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and other states to show their support. There were also many local stitchers.

I met a couple of friends there. 

Ronny's Girls

Andrea (left) and Becky (right) drove over from Memphis. We’ve attended a few retreats together. I’ll see them next at StitchCon in June. (more on that later)

 

Of course I had to get a photo with Gary and Ronny before I left.

I would have gotten more photos of Ronny except that he was busy running around keeping customers happy. He is the epitome of the energizer bunny. He fixed me a nice cup of coffee for the road and I was home just as the sun was setting Saturday night.

You will get a better recap of the grand opening weekend on the GaRon YouTube here. They typically post videos on Friday. Please check them out and if you are inclined to leave a comment, let them know that I sent you.

Hubby and I took a nice walk around the lake on Sunday then enjoyed lunch downtown. As we were walking down main street, I spied something new in the niche beside the General Store.

It is a Little Library. 

Things I Love About My Hometown
Little Library -- Mast General Store

I can’t wait to donate a few books to it.

I think this may be a new feature on the blog…Things I Love About My Hometown.

We are off to Alexandria, VA this weekend for a wedding. I’ll recap my April stitching stats next week when I share about the trip.

I’m still working my way through my friends’ blog posts from the last week. I apologize ahead of time for the abundance of comments 😊

Enjoy your day!

 

FNSI -- A Start on Autumn Basket

Many thanks to Wendy at Sugarlane Designs for hosting Friday Night Sew In where many creators virtually sew or stitch together.

Even though we were camping, I was able to get a start on one of the Autumn Basket charts by Hands on Design.

I mentioned in my last post that I am stitching this along with Nichol Spohr on YouTube.

 

I made a little more progress Sunday.

We were busy de-winterizing and cleaning the camper. I was happy to get a nice start on this project.

Our campsite backed up to a little creek that was pleasant to listen to at night when the campground was quiet.

The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed a nice campfire one evening.

We are home, the laundry is done, and everything unpacked. So now I’m off to enjoy my coffee and catch up on what everyone else got up to during FNSI.

 

Enjoy your day!

 

F.N.S.I.

It’s the third Friday of the month which is Friday Night Sew In hosted by Wendy at Sugarlane Designs.

Hubby and I will be leaving late this morning for a long weekend of camping in Arya the Airstream.

Here is what I am taking to stitch tonight and over the weekend.

 

Hoping to make some progress on May Calendar Crates by Stitching with the Housewives.

And I’m starting a new project. This is a Stitch Along (SAL) hosted by Nichol Spohr on YouTube.  She is celebrating her Flossiversary by stitching one of the seasonal basket charts by Hands on Design. Nichol is going to teach us how to fully finish the stitch into a biscornu, even though the chart is not designed for such a finish. I’ve never attempted this before, and it looks quite daunting. However, Nichol assures us that we can do it.

Image borrowed from Rainburst Embroidery on Etsy
Sample of a Biscornu Finish

I’m stitching the Autumn Basket since I already have the chart. I pulled the DMC floss and some fabric from my stash as well.

Since the campground we will be at this weekend is further up in the Smokies, I won’t have connectivity. So, please come back on Tuesday to see my progress.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Sewing, Stitching and Baking

Hi, Friends.

Is it my imagination or do the weekend days pass more quickly than the weekdays? Or perhaps I try to fit in more on the weekends?

There were a lot of domestic duties that had to be fulfilled last weekend; a trip to the farmers market, bakery, clothes shopping for an upcoming wedding and major league baseball games to watch. Maybe that last activity can’t be classified as domestic but it is a necessity this time of year.

 

I enjoyed time sewing up my Gene’s Flying Stars.

I’m using a layer cake of Miss Kate by Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics. I’ve had this for a while, and it makes me smile.

I’ll have to put these aside (not back in the box) for a few weeks.

 

In the hoop is May’s Calendar Crates by Stitching with the Housewives.

 

This is the monthly cross stitch piece that is placed on the board next to the garage entrance. 

I have to stitch and fully finish May, June and July. All other months are stitched and fully finished.

 

I also baked some of the best cake-like cookies we’ve ever had, and you KNOW I love good cookies. They are sour cream cookies with buttercream frosting.

You can find the recipe here at Preppy Kitchen.

 

As we were sitting in the downstairs family room, watching baseball of course, we noticed a rather large bird at the feeder. He was actually eating off the ground underneath the feeder.

I suppose he thinks it is safe since Thanksgiving is still seven months away.

 

I’m also very happy to report that I didn’t kill the hydrangeas.

I hope their blooms will be as impressive as their leaves.

Spring is finally sprouting here in the mountains.

 

Speaking of spring, hubby and I are off this weekend in the Airstream to get her de-winterized and cleaned up for the camping season.

 

I’ll be away for the next five weekends on some trip or other. I’ll do my best to share the journey. This most likely means that there will be more cross stitch and less sewing to show, but you never know.

 

I sure hope you are having a great week so far. 

Best Wishes!

 

Sawtooth Stars – Gene’s Way

Hey Y’all!

I’m excited to be back at the sewing machine and excited that I’m getting reacquainted with some older projects.

When my Mama helped me organize my craft room recently, I found a box labeled “Gene’s Flying Stars.” I shared about this project a long time ago so I’m essentially going to start over.

My friend Gene Black has a way of making the Sawtooth Star block using flying geese. He calls this block Flying Stars.  And since I’m making them, I call them Gene’s Flying Stars. He taught me through his YouTube video how to make them, so he gets ALL the credit.  Check it out here.

The box was filled with fabric precut to make several blocks.

Gene suggests chain piecing, but I wanted to make a test block first. I needed to check my machine settings, which foot I used, etc.

Well, I’m glad I did because the first block was a failure.

I adjusted the machine settings and changed the foot I was using. It worked because the next block came out much better.

I took a photo of the machine settings for future reference.

Then I prepped the remaining fabric for chain piecing.

Now you know what I’m doing tonight. I have an idea what I’m going to make with these blocks but need to do a little math first.

What are your plans for the weekend? Anything creative?

Whatever it is, I hope it is enjoyable.

Framing, Tomatoes, Strawberries and A Loaf of Bread

Hello and Happy Monday, dear friends.

If I cross stitch something and feel that it needs to be framed, then I like to do it myself. Sometimes, a piece finishes in a size that doesn’t fit a standard frame that is readily available to me.

 

Flea Market Flowers is such a piece. I recently took advantage of Michael’s big framing sale and had it framed by them.

I chose a frame that closely matched the outside border.

It is stitched on 25 count lugana, Vintage Cloth by Lori Holt, using the called for DMC thread. Lori Holt also designed the chart. This is a poor picture…sorry!

I cross stitched so much last month that I got a knot in my back and shoulder, so I put down the hoop and rested throughout the week. It was killing me to not be creative, so I turned to finishing.

I wasn’t sure if I should use the perfectly colored (but difficult to work with) chenille or rick rack on the Keeper of the Pins pillows.  I put a poll in my Instagram stories and the rick rack won.

I placed them in Mama’s sewing box. She decided she didn’t need it any longer and was going to throw it away.  Can you see me now, having a fit?!? Well, I kept it…broken and all.

While I was waiting for the IG votes to come in, I sorted through some cross stitch kits that needed to be put away. I found a kit for a cute little strawberry that I received at a retreat a couple of years ago. 

I attended a stitching event at The Silver Needle in Tulsa, OK and Samplers Not Forgotten was one of the featured designers. She had given us this and I figured I may as well finish it up.

Well, that turned into a few more…and there is going to be so many more to come.

It sure felt great to be back at the sewing machine again. I had intentions to do a bit more sewing Sunday but then my sweetheart and I went out for a loaf of bread.

There is a fabulous place in Asheville called Crust Never Sleeps Bakery that has delicious sourdough bread. Well, they also have pretty tasty morning buns, pretzels and other stuff.

 

We decided to take the Blue Ridge Parkway home…

It will be interesting and fun to see how the mountains change over the coming weeks.

Have a wonderful and blessed week everyone!