Machine Embroidery on Hoodies and Happy New Year's Eve

Dear Friends,
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and are now gearing up for the brand new year.  A time for fresh beginnings awaits us.

I received some wonderful machine embroidery items for Christmas (will share with you in an upcoming post) but my most favorite gift of all was having my family all together.

You see, I was not expecting Katie to be able to come for a visit as she is in the Air Force.  Mike and Katie had other secret plans as Katie had a couple of days off.  It was two days before Christmas and we were all sitting in the living room.  Mike says he has an early Christmas present for us and we are to close our eyes.

I jokingly said, "Is it a puppy?"  I knew good and well it wasn't a puppy.  We all closed our eyes and our beagle, Cindy, starts yipping excitedly.  I laughed and said, "It IS a puppy!" 

Mike says to open our eyes and sitting before us was KATIE!  He flew her in for a couple of days!  What joy!

I was still in need of getting a few groceries for our Christmas meal.  I rushed to our Meijer  which is a one stop grocery/department store.  It was a cold and snowy day.

Along with the groceries, I grabbed a few things to wrap for Katie so she would have SOMETHING under the tree.  First, I got us all matching jammies.  Then I also got her a warm hoodie and a robe.  (I had mailed her Christmas gifts earlier)

Upon opening the hoodie, Katie asked for a bit of personalization on her hoodie which I happily agreed to.  Katie loves horses.  The font and swirl designs are built into my machine, Brother 1250D.

 

It was sad for us to say goodbye to Katie.  She deploys early March to Kuwait.  Please keep her and all our service men and women in your prayers.

 

I hope each of you had a very Merry Christmas.  Having all our family around the table and going to church made it simply perfect for me.

 

With loving New Year's wishes to you all,

Nancy

Machine Embroidery on Cards

Dear Friends,

The beautiful Christmas season always brings it's own form of busy to our lives.  That means I have time for only the quickest of projects right now.  I'm sure you understand.  :-)

I've made sets of these snowflake cards to give as gifts.  In the previous cards, I rubberstamped Christmas wishes.  This time, I've left the inside of the cards blank so that the recipient can use these cards for any occasion.

The snowflake design comes from Needle Little Embroidery Yahoo group. 

The step-by-step directions on how to make these little cuties can be found HERE. 

 

Have the very Merriest Christmas Ever.

Love,

Nancy

End of the Year SHINE Update

Dear Friends,

If you remember at the beginning of the year I had selected the word SHINE to focus on during 2013.  It was a word I had felt placed on my heart and I felt I was being called to shine in my words and actions.  That post can be found HERE.

Over the course of this past year, that word has helped me keep me pointed north, meaning that it has guided my way through situations I've encountered.  2013 has been a very difficult year, plus it has been an extremely busy year.  It truly has been a year for me to serve others (which isn't a bad thing and what we are called to do).  A year of service and a year of busy creates a weary Nancy and I have felt like life was out of balance.  It has been through those times I would repeat in my head, "just shine Nancy, just shine."
 
God used this word in me in ways I didn't imagine when I first selected it.  I didn't realize I'd be called upon and called to serve like I had this year.  I've said many times in my life, "We do not know what tomorrow will bring," and that has rang true over and over this year.

Despite the difficulties of 2013, this year has shown me many blessings.  I can also say that the struggles of this year have brought to light blessings, things I'd taken for granted.  I feel more in tune in that I notice God's beauty showing itself the many things around us.

God is great.  He truly is.  I have full confidence that 2014 is going to be an amazing year, especially considering the words that have been placed upon my heart to focus on.  I can't wait to share them with you and will do so January 1st. 

 

But for now, Emily is home from college.  It has been the first time she has seen our new home, first time for her to be in Michigan, and it doesn't quite feel like home to her yet, but it will.  There is a lot of beauty out there in that snow today.  God's love is good and everlasting.  I am thankful for my blessings, and I am thankful to all of you who are out there reading this blog.

 

With love and God's blessings, may you be enjoying the beautiful Christmas season.

Nancy

How To Do Machine Embroidery On Cardstock - Sweet Christmas Cards

Dear Friends,
Last night I had a little fun doing some embroidery on cardstock to make these sweet snowflake cards.  Have you ever tried embroidering on card stock?  It really is a lot of fun and I've made up a whole box of cards that I have ready to send.  Paper crafting is something else I enjoy so it is a great way to use up those extra scrapbooking and paper crafting supplies.

First choose your design.  This beautiful design comes from Needle Little Embroidery.  It is a free design that was just posted on the Needle Little Embroidery Yahoo group which is open to anyone.  The design you choose should be pretty light.  Most red work designs work well for stitching on paper.  If you use a dense design, chances are your paper will tear due to the many needle penetrations.  If you have a design that you are concerned will tear the paper, Iron on a piece of light weight tear-away stabilizer to the back of the cardstock and this will help prevent tearing.  I did not do that on these cards because the design is pretty airy.

As for the needle I use, I personally choose a 75/11 needle size as that is a smaller needle thus making smaller holes in the cardstock.  Here's a TIP:  You know those needles you have that are only partially used?  By that I mean, when you start a new project, especially a large project, you should always start out with a new needle.  So you replace your old needle thinking that the old needle still has a bit of life left to it.  Save those old needles and get one out now for making cards and doing paper embroidery.  They work perfect for this!

Hoop a piece of light weight tear away stabilizer.  I personally use pattern weight stabilizer that I get at JoAnn's.  It is inexpensive and just right for a project like this. 

Float the cardstock on top of the stabilizer.  (Don't hoop the cardstock)  Stitch your design.  NOTE:  Now, even though your stabilizer is tear away, CUT it away.  Do NOT tear the stabilizer away.  Tearing away the stabilizer can easily tear your cardstock and you don't want that.  Two side notes here.  The red card is stitched with silver metallic thread.  The metallic thread stitches easily and looks stunning on the paper.  Also, I slow my machine down to stitch at a slower speed again to help prevent paper tearing.

Next, glue your design to a piece of folded cardstock and embellish as desired.  Gluing it to the folded card hides the back side of your stitching and the stabilizer.  On the red card, I paper punched the top edge.  I've also rubber stamped a Christmas saying inside the cards so they are ready for me to add a quick note and send. 

Everyone I've given stitched cards to loves them and I get lots of ohhh's and ahhh's and 'how did you make that?'  Keep several on hand with birthday designs and for thank you cards. 

These cards stitch up super quick and make great gifts and are also perfect for selling at craft shows.

Stay warm everyone.  We got 4" of snow yesterday and got to try out our snow blower for the first time.  Brrrrrr....

Blessings to you all,
Nancy

Thanksgiving Freestanding Lace Bookmark

Dear Friends,
Time stands still for no man and it certainly isn't standing still for me.  In fact, I think God has put time on double speed for me as 2013 has certainly flown by.  It has been a busy year, rough in many ways and blessings in others.  The fact that it has passed by so quickly, I don't think I really got to appreciate all the blessings I've received.  I must say I am praying for a slower 2014.  We never know what the future holds for us, but I have been making plans and those plans include things that are good and beautiful and just in line with God's design.  It includes slowing down so that I can take time to smell the roses or as with Thanksgiving, smell the turkey and pumpkin pie!  That said though, He, may have other plans for me and if that is the case, I will accept what He brings my way and count my blessings.  I just hope His plans include plenty of machine embroidery because mine certainly do.  :-)

I L-O-V-E Thanksgiving.  I think as I've gotten older it has become my favorite holiday.  I like Christmas a lot too, but what I love about Thanksgiving is that it is a time for family to get together and just be.  Just be ourselves, just be together.  Yes there is a whole lot of cooking going on, but there is not the hustle and bustle of buying gifts, wrapping, decorating, parties and on and on and on.  It is about just family, gratitude and just being.

Have you read the book 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp?  I've read it a couple of times now.

She blogs over at A Holy Experience and I've been reading her blog for several years.  You can read her story in her book, but a quick synopsis, in the book and on her blog, she challenges us to see the gifts, the beauty God gives us each and every day in all the little things in our lives.

I have so many things to be thankful for and Thanksgiving is a very special day in my year to celebrate my blessings.  I am thankful for you, my readers, that you take the time to read my blog and say Hi to me.  Thank you.

May each and every one of you have a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving.  We will be spending it at my brother's home and it will be full of family.  I have missed my girls so much, I can't wait to see them in a few days.  My dad and mom, with her new knee will be there.  My sister-in-law will be doing much of the cooking and I will jump in the kitchen and help out any way I can.  As a thank you, I made Shawna this bookmark so she can keep track of her recipes.  The bookmark is from Anita Goodesign and it is from the Lace Bookmarks cd.  You all know I'm fond of FSL projects.

So a very Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you.
Love and blessings,
Nancy

I'll be back late October or early November

Dear Friends,
As you read this, (I've prewritten this post) instead of being at the extended stay hotel, I am in Kansas helping my parents for a week as my mother just received a new knee.  I have a week before we get into our new home so I feel my time is best spent doing all I can to help mom get up and around.  My mother is 83 and my dad 85 and they have been married 58 years! Mom is a breast cancer survivor and dad has been dealing with prostate cancer for 18 years now.  They mean the world to me.

The above picture was taken two years ago at Thanksgiving.  You can see all my kiddos here with my parents.  It is a picture I love.  I come back on Thursday and we get to move into our new home on Friday.  Hallelujah!

On Saturday my in-laws arrive and are bringing us our beagle, Cindy.  How I have missed my sweet four legged companion who follows me everywhere!  Mike's parents plan to stay about two weeks to help us get unpacked and settled.  Oh my goodness I know I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

So with that, I hope you all are enjoying the cooler months.  In Michigan the leaves are turning and the views are stunning. 

With love and blessings,
Nancy

Grand Rapids Art Prize 2013

We are moving to Michigan at the right time to enjoy a big event here in Grand Rapids.  It is Art Prize, an art show that brings artists from around the world together competing for a grand prize of.....wait for it....$200,000.  Yes you read that right, $200,000.  Total prizes given are $360,000!

There are over 1,500 pieces of art located in different venues covering 3 square miles in the downtown area.  We've been downtown twice to see as much as we could as this competition has continued for three exciting weeks.  The weather has been great and I've got to tell you how nice it has been to see a community come together.  One of the exciting parts of Art Prize is that the community votes on their favorite pieces.  That means Mike, Tim and I all got to cast our votes for our favorites.  It's not hooty tooty art critics voting, it is the people visiting and voting for pieces that speak to them.  We've seen all kinds of crazy art from a fire breathing dragon made out of metal to sculptures created out of every medium you can think of.  Of course there were many paintings and drawings as well.  During the first round, you can vote for as many pieces of art you like.  All four pieces I mention below were ones I voted for.

There was no machine embroidery in the competition, at least none that I'm aware of, but there were two quilts.  Three, if I count the quilt carved out of wood and painted that looked so real you had to get up close and have the artist knock on it to know it wasn't fabric.  Truly, in the picture below, you are looking at a trompe l'oeil wood carving and not a fabric quilt.  This art entry made it into the top 10.  It is about five feet across and was done by Fraser Smith of St. Pete's Beach, Florida.  I got to speak with Fraser and he titled this wood carving "Finding Beauty in Bad Things."  It was based off a plant he found that produced berries of different beautiful colors.  He soon discovered that this vine was invasive and choked out many desired plants so hence the work of art got its name.

 

Another entry that made it into the top 10 is this one, titled Sleeping Bear Dune Lakeshore.  This entry is an art quilt made from batiks and hand dyed fabrics.  It is a true work of art created by Ann Loveless who is a textile artist from northern Michigan.  She created this quilt, done in four panels, by looking at a photograph and it is 20 feet in length.  Ann used batiks and hand dyed fabrics to create this.  She started with a basic sketch from a photograph and then just cut her fabric on the fly to piece it together.

 

The final quilt entry into Art Prize is called The Loading Dock by Mary Buvia.  This quilt is made out of over 100 different colors of fabrics in different gradients of value and is so fun and whimsical.  I also got a nice amount of time to speak with Mary and her sister who was helping there helping.  It took Mary over 10 months to create this quilt and it was designed while she was with her husband as he received chemo treatments.  Sadly, Mary's husband passed away in 2010.  She has put her pattern for this quilt into a pattern book produced by the American Quilter's Society should any of you want to make one.  As much as I like this quilt, it looks quite daunting to make.  That said, I did get the book and Mary autographed it for me which was a highlight. 

 

Finally, last night the winners were announced in a 2 hour television special.  Mike and Tim both had a favorite piece.  It is this one titled Myth-or-Logic  It is a griffin made out of hanging pieces of bamboo that sway with the slightest breeze.  It was amazing.

The griffin above came in 7th place and the artist received $5,000.

The wooden quilt, Finding Beauty in Bad Things came in 8th place and also received $5,000.

The Santa quilt, The Loading Dock, I don't believe made it into the top 50.

Now you want to know the grand prize winner of the $200,000 don't you? 

 

Yes!  My favorite in the top ten, Sleeping Bear Dune Lakeshore won!!!!  It was absolutely stunning and an amazing piece of work.  Congratulations to Ann Loveless!