Happy 150th, Bucilla!

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Heather

Did you know that Bucilla is turning 150? (Hey, they’ve been around as long as Canada has been a country! How about that?) I’ve made lots of Bucilla kits over the years, like felt stockings, bookmarks, pictures, and more.

The gallery above contains pictures of just a few of the Bucilla items I’ve made over the years. (I apologize for the potato quality of some of them; some of the pictures are rather old.) And I have lots more Bucilla projects to make! In fact, Bucilla was kind enough to send me two new projects to work on.

Sunny and Butterfly kits from Bucilla

The first is Sunny, a large fully stitched piece featuring a sunflower and bird, and the other is a little kit called Butterfly that includes its own frame. I’m looking forward to working on both of them, and I will be doing a review on them shortly.

I’m also looking forward to trying out some of Bucilla’s newer products, like their String Creations blanks. And I have always, always, wanted to do one of their table cloths. One day! And do you remember the Knit Wit? That was Bucilla too!

Thanks again to Bucilla for all the wonderful projects I’ve stitched over the years, and also for providing me with these two new projects! Happy 150th birthday!

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6 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch, Reviews | Tagged , ,

Broken Needles

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Heather

Today Hari Kuyo, the Festival of Broken Needles, in the Kanto region of Japan. Women take time on this day to visit shrines and temples to give thanks to their needles for their year’s worth of service and also to pray for a defter hand in the coming year.

A Broken Needle ceremony at Awashima Shrine. (Image courtesy θ±Šη€¬ζΊδΈ€ via Wikimedia)

Women dress in their kimonos and take their needles and pins to a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple to be carefully placed in a soft block of tofu. The needles have worked hard and they deserve to rest in a soft, gentle surface as thanks for all work and burdens they have carried. It is believed that the needles absorb the cares and sorrows of the needlewoman as she works, so they have more than earned their rest.

Hari Kuyo is a way to honour one of those small tools that we use every day but don’t really think about it. Needles may be an inanimate object, but they do bring so much pleasure to the lives of those of us who are lucky enough to stitch and sew for enjoyment. And, if your livelihood is made via your needles, they are even more important. So, if you have a chance, say thank you to your needles today.

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11 Comments | Posted in The Outside World |

Fluffy Meringue

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Heather

Caron Cakes, a new-ish yarn from Yarnspirations, was created last year in celebration of Caron’s 100th anniversary. It is a beautiful self-stripping yarn (20% wool/80% acrylic) that was meant to be available exclusively at Michaels for only a short time. But, people fell in love with it (me included!), and new colours were released this spring.

Caron Cakes in Funfetti (top) and Rainbow Sprinkle (bottom)

The Crochet Crowd is a big booster of Yarnspirations yarns, and they have been sharing tons of projects made using Caron Cakes. Now, I have trouble with wool, even with as small amount as 20%. My nose runs, my throat itches, and in some cases I have a lot of trouble breathing. But, when I saw the Fluffy Meringue Shawl crocheted in the Bumbleberry colourway, I knew I had to make one of my own.

Fluffy Meringue Shawl, designed by Laura Jean Bartholomew (unblocked)

The Fluffy Meringue Shawl was designed by Laura Jean Bartholomew of the Crochet Crowd. She based it on the Yarnspirations Fluffy Meringue baby blanket. The pattern is free and there is even a nice long tutorial on the Crochet Crowd website.

Working with the yarn wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be, but it probably helps that I was completely stuffed up with a cold for most of it! The pattern work up very quickly, and I love the final product. I did the larger version, using almost two full balls of Caron Cakes. Unblocked, the shawl as about a 152cm wing span and is about 76cm long along the spin. It is huge! And I adore it!

I’m not sure what I am going to do with my other three balls of Caron Cakes. But, I’ve got time; I just need to wait until I get another cold. πŸ˜‰

 

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9 Comments | Posted in Crochet | Tagged ,

Smalls SAL – January 2017 Check-In

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Heather

Hello, Smalls Stitchers! Welcome to the first check-in for the Smalls SAL 2017.

If you are new the Smalls SAL you can find all the details right here. Simply put, the Smalls SAL is a monthly stitch-along for stitchers who like to stitch little designs. Stitch something small and then head over here on the last Friday of the month to share your finish. That’s it! If you don’t manage to get a small finish one month (or two, or three…), don’t worry! Participate when you can, as often as you can.

I decided to start off the year with something that will something that will serve as a great reminder for me: Time to Stitch by Needle Work Press.

Time to Stitch, designed by Needle Work Press

I stitched it on Dijon Lugana from Enchanting Lair using two shades of Sampler Threads from GAST: Royal Purple and Hyacinth. I finished it by placing it inside a Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Assemblage Alarm Clock. I removed the glass because I prefer that look.

So, what did you stitch this month? I honestly can not wait to see all the wonderful finishes! Please go to the bottom of this post, click on the “Add your link” button, and leave your link in the little form. If you have any problems just leave a comment or send me an email. I’m very happy to help you out. Please remember to use the permalink for your post and to use a picture of your small as the thumbnail.

The link list will remain open to new entries until about midnight Eastern time on February 3rd, 2017.

There will be another end of the year draw. For each month that you leave a link to your finished small you will get one entry into the draw. I will pick the winner in early January 2018 and share the results in a blog post here.

Next Month – The next Smalls SAL check-in will take place on Friday, February 24th. The post should be up on my website by about 7am Eastern time. I know that that will actually be very late in the day for some of you, but do remember that the link list stays open for around a week. Take your time and check-in when you can!

Thanks again, very much, for stitching along with me this year.


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WIP Wednesday – Parliamentary

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Heather

Hello, Stitchy Friends! Where has the week gone? We’ve had some very unseasonably warm weather, so I’ve been out walking rather than stitching. Of course, when you love stitching, it is hard to resist the siren call of the needle. πŸ˜‰

O Canada Sampler, designed by Thea Dueck of Victoria Sampler (WIP)

I’ve finished up the parliament building and the wheat row. Our parliament building is the home of our federal government. It is located on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, our capital city. The parliament buildings are actually three separate buildings. The centre block (pictured in the sampler) is the home of the House of Commons and the Senate chambers, as well as many offices and the beautiful Confederation Hall. Construction began in July 1916 and was completed in July 1927.

Unfortunately, the colour on this picture is pretty far off. My fabric is much more yellow, and the colours are a bit brighter. I shouldn’t have waited until after dark to that the picture. πŸ˜‰

Smalls SAL – The first check-in for 2017 is just around the corner! Be sure to come back on Friday to leave your link. I can’t wait!

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WIP Wednesday: Sesquicentennial Edition

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Heather

Hello, Stitchy Friends! Three posts in one week! I’m on a roll. πŸ˜‰ And, because it is Wednesday, I thought I would share with you the project currently under my needle.

O Canada Sampler, designed by Thea Dueck of Victoria Sampler

This is Victoria Sampler’s O Canada. It is quite an old design, originally released in honour of Canada’s 125th birthday. In fact, I’m stitching from one of those early charts, with the hand-drawn symbols and the Lamplight Designs branding and all. This original chart has the number 125 in the alphabet (following the world Canada), but I will be changing it to say 150 in honour of our sesquicentennial this July.

This is a pretty special year for Canada. I know there are lots of countries much older than us, but then again Canada has actually been around as a thing since at least the 16th century. (Of course, First Nations people were here well before any Europeans.) To simplify things, we were part of British North America, and then became the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867. In 1931 we more or less became independent from the UK, with the final ties to the UK parliament being removed in 1981. However, Queen Elizabeth II is still our monarch (one of her titles is indeed Queen of Canada), and on her death (she will never die, shame on you for thinking she might!) her heir will automatically become our monarch.

I have a couple of other Canadian-themed projects I hope to get to this year, and lots more Canadian trivia to share!

7 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , , ,

SALs and Mental Health

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Heather

Oh, the best of intentions. Back in December I wrote about what I was planning to stitch this year. And, now that we are just over two weeks into the new year, my plans are already changing. I started stitching Liz Almond’s Sublime Stitches, but I ultimately decided it wasn’t for me. πŸ™

Good news, though! I’ve found a new (almost) yearlong SAL to stitch! Stitchrovia’s Quotes to Live By is a 9-part SAL in support of the UK charity mind, which provides advice and support to anyone experiencing mental health issues. Each chart costs just Β£1.99 (well within my $25/month Stitch from Stash budget), with proceeds going to mind.

You can find out more information on the SAL Facebook page right here.

And, speaking of supporting mental health, this coming Monday (January 25th), is Bell Let’s Talk day in Canada. Bell Canada is one of our largest telephone/Internet/cable companies, but they also support many charities like Kid’s Help Phone. On Let’s Talk day, Bell donates 5Β’ for every tweet, Instagram post, etc with the tag #BellLetsTalk. You can find out all about it right here.

If you need help, check online for a program like mind or Mental Health Helpline in your country.

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