Just a Thought

I just found this darling picture at Pinterest.com. This is a great site. So interesting. You should check it out!

Judy Personal update

I have just finished revising the “My Treasures Workstation” class that I had a few years back. This was a class project only. There was a wooden base for the workstation at the time. I decided that it was time to release it via my JAT store now. To do so I had to design a bottom that you could all finish without needing to have the wooden base (of which I don’t have now). Two wonderful stitchers agreed to stitch it for me and I have added pictures below. Both are beautiful and you can see how the color gives both workstations a totally different look. So for those that were not able to join in on the class you can now purchase this design project through the JAT store. Click on “Shop” in the top menu. If you live outside the USA and would like to purchase this design you will need to email me directly because the store has a problem with overseas orders. I will send you a paypal invoice personally that you can use to order the PDF.

Just in case you have forgotten what the workstation looks like….here are some pictures with the new bottom. Enjoy Oh, I forgot; it reads; My treasures I must leave behind. Remember me if this you find.

IT’S A MYSTERY: On another thought….I am setting up a class on the JAT message board. It is “Shelley’s Treasure Box”. You know, the one I have been talking about forever. Well, I have the front and back stitched and the rest designed but I can’t seem to get motivated to finish it. Sooooooooo…I figured it was time to have a class and let you all help motivate me. The class will be free….yep…I will repeat it. The class will be free. But here is the catch, it is for those of you that have stuck with me while I have been away. Since you keep checking back and/or signed up for my newsletter I decided you needed to be rewarded for all your patience with me. And here is how it will work…I will release it in sections as I complete it. We will stitch it and then we will finish it. And then it will be GONE! Just like that….GONE! So what you have to do now is go onto the message board, scroll down to “classes” and read more about how the class will be run. Easy, Peasy and fun. Oh, I will describe the box to you all on the message board. Interested! I hope so. It is going to be large, beautiful and an original for sure. Just wait and see….you will be sorry if you miss it. But if you do, I will be offering it for retail sale on my JAT message board as soon as the class ends. So, get it free as a group class project or purchase it at a later date. Either way, I guarantee you are going to love this project. Do you trust me…mahahahahahahaaaaa!

Judy New design update

Hello everyone. As I promised I have finally gotten around to adding my Mary Wigham Wardrobe and A Ladies Cabinet to the store for PDF purchase. You may be familiar with the private class I taught some time back but the PDFs have never been released as a singer purchase chart. These will be available for a short time only. I have also added some very hard to find books for those of you that are needlework book collectors. All are in beautiful condition and all are from the original releases and not “later reprints.
I added this picture of Sandi V’s cabinet as I thought it was so beautiful stitched in blue. There are a lot more pictures in the JAT store. Just click on the “Shop” link in the top menu.

I will be adding “My Treasures Workstation” in the store shortly but I need to write directions for constructing the base as it was wood in the private class. I will send you a newsletter notification once it is added to the store.

If you have not signed up for the JAT newsletter you may want to as it is the way I contact my friends with any new news. Just click on shop in the top margin and on the first page you get look on the right side margin. Just add your email address in the “subscribe” box and that’s it.

PLEASE NOTE: I have only one of each “hard to find” book that I just added to the store.

ALSO: If you live outside the United States and see something you like…please email me directly so that I can personally send you a paypal invoice. You can see all the designs and books in the shop but ordering for outside the US is not working at this time.

Further also…. I have no kits available but if you do not want to purchase supplies as you need them, Lois at Elegant Stitch, in Modesto California, will be making kits available to you. You can find her at www.ElegantStitch.com

Judy Personal update

Ok, another ufo in the works. I started this Dimples Design in 2000 and now I feel a draw to finish it. His name is Spike. Isn’t he handsome? And he has such an attitude…thinks he is “Mr. Tough Guy”. He is stitched on 32 count belfast Cream linen. Stitched over one thread. (Again, what the heck…was I nuts back in the day?) This is my last UFO…yep…it looks like I only had two. Can you believe that. So now my goal is to finish Spike, Shelley’s jewelry box, Learned Wife Sampler and my Scarlet letter sampler.

I am starting to look like a normal stitcher again and not a designer. And as I am changing my designs up I am having fun. I got quite a bit done on my Learned Wife Sampler but forgot to take a picture of it before I adjusted the linen on the q-snaps again so I will post a picture of it once I have finished it.

For now….here is Spike…

Judy Personal update

This is my progress on The Learned Wife Sampler. Of course I just had to make a few changes. Strange that I should pick something so blue. I really don’t like blue. Maybe I am changing now that I am retired. Honestly, I am getting really annoyed that I can’t get a picture that shows the true colors of this sampler. The linen is 30 count parchment from Weeks Dye Works and is really a beautiful light golden brown.

I am having so much fun with my “hobby” of stitching these days. I actually think I am getting the urge to change this project out and start on my jewelry box again. I will return….

Judy Personal update

Look what I found!

“One did commend me to a Wife both fair and young
that had French Spanish and Italian Tongue.
I thanked him kindly and told him I loved none such,
for I thought one tongue for a wife too much.
What love ye not the learned?
Yes, as my life, a learned schollar, but not a learned wife.

I love this sampler. It is The Learned Wife Sampler – c.1740 Maybe it caught me on a really good day because for some reason I just had to have it. How odd it is. And even today I am thinking that it will be my next new start. Actually, I think I am going to start a few new samplers and that way when I get bored with one I can just change it for another. So, once I pull threads and decide what linen I want to stitch it on I shall post a picture of my choices.

I am still working on Shelley’s Jewelry Box and my Joanna Warren 1655 sampler. Here is a new progress picture of Joanna Warren. It is slow going as you can see. But it is a fun sampler to stitch.

I am enjoying surfing the internet and checking out a lot of blogs. Gosh there are tons out there and so many wonderful stitching blogs. I bookmark the ones I really enjoy and find a lot of charts I want to stitch. Of course I would have to live for another 200 years.

I hope you all had a fabulous, wonderful, and the best ever Easter yesterday. I did. What a beautiful day. I had the family here and we had a picnic outside. It was just a perfect day. I now have to get busy as I seem to always have cleaning to do. But, hmmmmm….I think I shall do just a bit of stitching first, or maybe, I shall check out some more blogs. Yep, I think cleaning can be put off for awhile longer. Hugs everyone!

Judy Personal update

I am so excited.  Jill Rensel has just completed my FAS framing.  I just love it.  But then I knew I would as Jill was doing the job.  I have not gotten it back yet as she just finished it.  I told her to do whatever she thought would look best.  As a professional finisher I always loved it when I was given free reign to do whatever I wished.  Anyway, here is a picture.  Thank you so much Jill….I truly love it. 

Judy Personal update

Hello again…I’m Back.

Gosh, it’s good to be back. Hugs

Judy Personal update

Once I finished my daughters sampler (minus the framing) I was ready to start something new. So I started looking through my stash. You know I have tons….what stitcher doesn’t? Anyway, I decided to finish a UFO instead of starting something new. I actually don’t have many UFO’s as I started professionally finishing early in my needle work experience. I did not start stitching by working on really small projects…not me! I always jump into things way over my head and just figure I can do it. So here is the UFO I choose to work on again. I started it in 1997. I can’t believe it has been 14 years…scary! I stitched my very first piece in 1996 (not even a year before) so you can see what I mean when I say I had no fear. Now 14 years later I am wondering what the heck!!! Was I nuts. I am trying to figure this out and it is taking me hours to actually get going on it again. I can’t figure out how I did it. This is full of satin stitches, button hole and detached button hole stitches, double running stitch, queen stitches…and where’s the cross stitch????? The chart is a challenge itself. What the heck???? It is for “advanced” and now I know what that means. Mind you 14 years ago I had no idea I had to be “advanced” to stitch this. Dah…what happened?

Anyway, here it is. This is a design I purchased from The Scarlet Letter. It is Joanna Warren 1655. For those that know me, you know I love DMC and hate working with silks. Well guess what…yep…I started using silk. Who knew? I had completed about 1/3 of this before putting it away. So, wish me luck. Hopefully, as I get into it again it will get easier. I shall keep you all updated.

Judy Personal update

I finished the stitching. Isn’t it just too cute? I just love the way it turned out. Now I need to frame it. I shall share with you how I frame it once I have actually done it. I think I know exactly what I want to do but sometimes that changes on me before I have finished. As you can see from the date on the sampler, I am late with her birthday. But, since she lives out-of-town and I will not see her for a few weeks I have time to finish it and she will never know the difference. I shall return with framing instructions for those interested.

Judy Personal update