Spring has Sprung (and other things)!

One of the many things I like about living in Arizona is being able to grow geraniums in March!  After the very cold winter we had I am thrilled to start seeing flowers and buds in all of the pots.

 

The orange tree that I thought was dead has leaves all over it giving me high hopes it will make a come-back.

 

We shipped our new patterns to distributors today and I updated the LHN web site.  While looking at the back of the "Thirteen Colonies" pattern I had a laugh.  There is a typo I didn't catch. . . .  the fabric is 32 count, not county!  I do a lot of genealogy work on the computer and my fingers automatically type county more often.  So don't let that confuse you!

This is a photo of Gracie taking a little snooze in the living room filled with drop cloths and plastic.  We have been painting the walls inside and had been living in fear that Gracie would step in a paint tray or stick her nose in a wet brush.  As you can see here she became bored with the whole thing early on and we had no troubles with this one year-old.  Ahhhhhh. . . . . . . . .

Old Photos

Remember the cubby that was filled with LHN ornaments?  Well now that spring is knocking on the door I removed the ornaments and added old photos.  Rather than looking for small frames to fit the openings I came up with an idea that may work for you in various ways in your home. 

I started by scanning the photos and resizing them to fit the small box areas.  They were each printed on matte photo paper and mounted onto scrapbook paper that has the weight of card stock.  I didn't use glue.  I used that sticky tape that rolls out of a dispenser because I didn't want the liquid to bend the photo.  The decorative paper was trimmed to make a small frame around the edge of the photo and then the finished pieces were propped to stand in the openings.  Quick and easy!

 

The keepsake silhouette in the top center box is that of my dad when he was a young man. I filled other boxes with my summertime Boyd's Bears, greens and what-knots.  Hanging off the foot of the baseball bear is a finish from "Heart and Home", an LHN design.

I had a lot of emails after posting this cubby the first time.  For anyone still wondering you can get it at the Pottery Barn online.  It comes in a lighter finish too.

Diane

Thirteen Colonies

"Thirteen Colonies" was a true labor of love.  Once I had designed 90% of this piece I turned to my mom and together we talked the rest of it out, worked on finishing it together, and chose threads together. 

Thirteen stars frame the names of the colonies and the center scene, all of which come together to represent the "beginnings" of this country.   The dates represent the first and last colonies.  You will also see a crown which is the symbol of England, the country that governed the colonies before their separation.

My mom Carol is the one who stitched it which makes this design even more special for me.  When I said it is my most favorite LHN design, it is all of the above that makes me feel the way I do.  I hope you like it too!

This is one of "those" charts that will keep you busy for some time! 
Happy Stitching,
Diane

Liberty - 1776

Release #2 this month is "Liberty - 1776".   Don't you think the frame matches the design well???  I was thinking that if you wanted to, you could put actual buttons in the center of the stars and make it a dimensional design! 

 

The last design, "Thirteen Colonies" is coming next!

Happy Stitching,

Diane

Deck the Halls!

We are decking the halls with a peppermint tree!  "Deck the Halls" is the newest ornament in our 2011 series.  The stitching and  finishing is by Vonna at the Twisted Stitcher.  I'll put the supply list up on the LHN web site soon!  I'll have two more patterns to show you this week so stay tuned!  All of the new patterns will ship next week so don't start looking for them just yet.

Happy Stitching,
Diane

French Knots!

Most people don't like making French Knots.  Every once in a while I put a few in a design so I thought I'd show you how I make them.

Most of the time I make a French Knot by wrapping one strand of thread around my needle twice.  Once I do this I insert the needle back down into the fabric where I want the knot to be.  I then slide the wrapped "knot" down the needle to the fabric while keeping the length of the thread taut.

Reach around to the back of the work and pull the needle through slowly so that the knot stays firmly on the needle and doesn't loosen.  The key is to push the knot down to the fabric before pulling the needle through.  The knots stay uniform and small.  Let me know if you have any more tips to add!

And yes, you've seen a preview of a pattern we are releasing in April!

Happy Stitching,
Diane

Gracie then. . . . and now

Some things never change.  While so much of our landscaping died in the many hard freezes we had this winter, this vine did not.  When Gracie was a little puppy she'd head out to the vines and just lay down in them forcing them into flat beds underneath her.  Yesterday spring was in the air and she did the same thing only this time she is soooo much bigger! 

As you can see, the vines are in bloom and our warmer temperatures are here now.  It's one of my favorites times of the year.  I think Gracie likes it too!

Happy Stitching,
Diane

Project Box

Here is a quick project I wanted to share with you. . . . . . Last year I bought a book/box at Michael's.  It was very sturdy and had a magnetic closure which made it even nicer.

I also bought a new magnetic board which I hot glued to the inside flap of the book/box and then lined the interior with a small piece of quilted material. The board fell off a few times but I realized I wasn't letting the glue get hot enough.  Once I did that it stayed in place.

The box is big enough to hold my project keeper which holds threads and scissors and also large enough to hold full sized patterns, hoops and of course, your stitching.

I can sit on the couch and have the lid propped up with a pillow so that I can see the chart.  When I'm finished I close the lid and set the "book" on the coffee table.  I have seen these boxes at Michael's again this year so if you'd like to have a project box like this one you can with very little crafting!

Happy Stitching,

Diane

Weathered Vine

You might think I'm talking about what my vines look like after the numerous hard freezes in my back yard but I'm not.  Weathered Vine is the first Belle Soie (silk) in the seasons thread pack from Crescent Colours that released this month (see posting below).

I l-o-v-e stitching with silk but I have heard that some of you are afraid of it.  Trust me. . . . . there is nothing to fear.  Belle Soie comes with five strands attached to the card and within each strand are 12 ply of silk.  That is double what comes in overdyed cotton or DMC.  You simply tap-tap the end of the strand and pull one thread and then the second.  I stitch with two strands on 30 and 32 count but some people stitch with only one on 32 and the higher counts of linen.  You get REALLY good coverage with silk.  It's plump and soft. 

You can see there is variation in the silk so if you are one of those people who don't like striping in a design, simply switch the direction of the second piece when realigning them.  Sharon did this and then I tried it myself on an upcoming design and it is beautiful.  You get an aged appearance without stripes.  I like the stripes/banding on rooftops and some other things but now I am sold on this other way of using overdyed as well.

Another tip. . . . . . . use a good needle!  If the eye of the needle is rough you'll have problems.  And too, cut the length in half if you don't like stitching with long pieces.  When it is time to "lengthen" your thread in the needle don't pull on the needle.  Instead move the needle by hand up the length of the silk.  All of these tips should make stitching with silk super easy and give you beautiful stitches that sit nicely on top of the fabric.

One more thing. . . . . that is a look at the cocoa linen in the background.  I love it!  It also comes in 35 count in which case you would use one strand of the silk.

Happy Stitching,
Diane

Worth Mentioning. . . . . .

If you think you may want one of the Nashville sets, "Fresh From the Garden" (see below), contact your shop owner so that they can be sure to get you a set before they are sold out.  The sets are limited! 

If you need to locate a shop that can order it for you, try this link at the distributor's web site: 

http://www.hoffmandis.com/mainmap.htm

Happy Stitching,
Diane