Tuesday, May 7, 2013

It's Great To Be Back!


Hello dear stitching friends......
It's good to be back with all of you in blog land after my long, unexpected absence. As I'm sure we might agree, life has a way of changing abruptly and in its wake, we sometimes find ourselves stunned and confused facing unexpected crossroads.

Such is what happened to me and my family recently  but we are blessed by God, strong and continuing on together. My daughter and 3 sons have certainly been blessings to my dear husband and myself.

My husband suffered a very serious injury last year and it has taken a full year for his miraculous recovery. Thank you for your prayers, emails and cards. We sincerely appreciate your thoughtfulness.

As for my stitching..  my time and interest for it have returned!  I usually prefer stitching smalls and an occasional "big" project. Well, I've done a little bit of both.


Once the "bigger" piece is finally finished, don't you just feel a sense of accomplishment and pride, even though it takes a while (and sometimes stamina) to complete? 

When I started this post, I realized that the 3 finishes shown here are framed. While most of my stitching isn't framed, these 3 pieces did lend themselves to such a finish.


My latest "big project" is My Shade by Erica Michaels. The verse is taken, in part, from Psalm 121.

My Shade
I stitched this as a birthday gift for my second oldest son who is in the novitiate studying to become a priest. Ironically, I started stitching this before my husband's accident and it's message has brought hope and comfort to all of us as a family. Yes, God is Good!

It is stitched on 32ct ivory linen with the suggested Weeks and Gentle Arts threads.

This piece was a joy to stitch and although it had many specialty stitches (none too complicated), I looked forward to completing each section. Among these were smyrna crosses, padded satin, lazy daisy and modified Rhodes, just to name a few. Each one gave the piece such depth and variety.
My Shade

I chose to omit the animals and birds as charted and added two of my own details (seen in the larger picture)...AMDG is the latin translation "For the Glory of God" and is the motto of my son's religious order.  I couldn't miss to add my signature "xo" (the hugs and kisses that I have always sent on all of my treats to our children)
I chose a simple brown frame with white trim and a green mat that seemed to offset the stitching perfectly. My camera wasn't cooperating so the pictures are darker than I had hoped.

We were fortunate to have a visitation day with our dear son to celebrate his birthday!

He found the perfect place for his gift on his bedroom wall.....xo


A Very Happy Birthday

Time Has Flown By.....

Speaking of Erica Michaels, Peace was the next finish on my list.
Peace
This reflects simple beauty and peacefulness to me. I stitched it on 28ct raw linen with the suggested threads. I added flecked blending filament to the threads and interspersed tiny beads on the snowflakes.The snow just seems to glisten with the added fibers. I framed it in a very simple brown frame.  Doesn't it remind you of a quiet snowfall?


Another framed finish that I completed was a birthday gift for my dear friend, Carol

This is Happiness by Brooke's Books, a part of the Bride's Tree Collection.
Happiness

It is stitched on 32ct Patina Lakeside Linen with the charted Weeks and GA flosses. I omitted the heart on the nest and opted for tiny clear beads dotted throughout. Tiny white and pink centered beaded flowers replaced the stitched ones on the chart. 
 I chose a gold, branched frame with a green mat.  
Carol seemed to enjoy her gift as much as I did stitching it for her.


Happiness


And now, may I introduce you to Rosie. Isn't she sweet?  My oldest son bought her as a SURPRISE birthday gift for my husband, not to mention ME.  My husband had a St. Bernard from high school through med school.
Rosie at 7 weeks

Our previous pets have been Labs and now Rosie has full run of the roost as our other pups have passed on. What a sweetheart she is but a powerhouse of strength. I really believe that she doesn't realize her strength OR her size! She can walk me and if a squirrel comes around, all bets are off...and so is Rosie!

Rosie is now 135 lbs of pure, sweet disposition, very similar to our other dogs except in size!
She is a constant, adoring  and fun companion for all of us. Good things DO come in bigger packages :) 
Sweet Rosie

I look forward to getting back to following all of your blogs and seeing your beautiful stitching.

Welcome to my old and new friends. 

It's good to have you visit me here in my little corner of the blogging world.

Thank you for your kind comments and emails. I appreciate each one and invite you to stop by often. You can also follow me on Bloglovin'

See you soon with some new spring finishes!

HUGS and STITCHES,

Mary

18 comments:

  1. OH Mary, it is great to have you back among us and blogging. I have missed your posts so much. Your finish is just fabulous. I know your son loves it. Rosie is gorgeous and so BIG! Hugs, to you my friend.

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  2. YAY!! You're back!! I'm so happy to see this post and your beautiful piece for your son. What a treasure you've made for him... And, of course, I'm lucky enough to own that darling Brooke's Books creation that you made for my birthday--I do love it so very much :)

    You've been through so much over the past year and a half, but you've come through it with courage and grace and an acceptance of a "new normal." I hope that from now on things will be brighter. Sending a warm hug across Pennsylvania to you...

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  3. What a sweet post of God's grace and what a sweet new furbaby (furmonster??) you have! We had a St Bernard visit our classroom when I was in Kindergarden and it fell asleep with its head in my lap. I've loved them ever since!! So glad you are back in blogland!

    Tricia

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  4. Lovely post Mary ,your stitching is just beautiful, and so is sweet Rosie .
    I do miss my little dog poppy , and would love another one.
    So happy for you and your family that life is much sweeter for you all.
    big hugs to you all.

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  5. I really enjoyed the blog. I'm glad you joined mine so I could find yours. Your stitching is truly beautiful! There is a whole lot of dog to love there.

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  6. so good to see you back....I have missed talking to you. Loved reading the update...
    truly love how you very clearly showed that your faith has brought you thru the past year!!

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  7. Mary ... good to see you back. Beautiful stitching. Rosie ... well what can I say ... hasn't she grown!

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  8. Welcome back Mary. It is lovely to see you back. Your finishes are beautiful.

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  9. Just found your blog. Your stitching is gorgeous, and Rosie is adorable!

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  10. Hello Mary, how lovely to see a post here from you. A very special and beautiful birthday gift for your son, he looks a very lovely young man.
    Rosie is adorable.

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  11. I am a new follower as of today. Your stitching is beautiful and your son looks very proud of his birthday present. Sweet Rosie looks like a sweet dog.
    Happy Stitching
    Denise

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  12. Hello!
    Mary am a new follower of Your blog.
    Thank You for sharing with us the story about Your DH and his recovery.

    You have done georgeous stitching ,they are all really masterpieces !
    Rosie looks like a nice and loyal companion to You and Your family .

    We have a puppy too-she is just a little baby a Chow Chow called "Misty".

    Excuse me my funny english and the bad grammar.

    Greetings from Finland ,

    Maija = Lumiruusu( the Snowrose )

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  13. Hi Mary! I am your newest follower. What a wonderful, perfect gift your your son. How proud of him you must be.
    Wow! Rosie is so sweet. We have two toy poodles. Henry is 4 lbs!! http://astitchersstory.blogspot.com/

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  14. Good evening Mary. Thx you so much for stopping by my blog. I had wondered about you and how you were doing.
    I've just finished reading your post and I am so sorry to read about your DH. I sincerely hope he is better. I am sure the stitching of "Your Shade" brought a sense of calmness while you traveled the journey with your husband, because I felt the same calmness in reading about it, although you've made it for that handsome son of yours. In the end, everything is relative and inter-connected. Don't you think so? I certainly wish your son well on his endeavor to become a priest and with your support and guidance, he will be successful.
    Your "Peace" project is quite the beauty and now that summer is holding in the wings, the snow looks inviting. Very pretty Mary.
    Oh my! What another beauty you've created for Carol. I know she is very appreciative of such a gift as she is a fan of feathered friends. I am so glad I have been able to get to know both you and Carol through your blogs. You are both such fine "gentleladies;" and I say this with sincerity.
    Rosie is a beauty! She looks so healthy too.
    Mary, TFS your story with us and I wish you and your family much strength and your DH a healthy recovery. Please do send my regards to him.
    Take care and hugs,
    Jackie

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  15. Lovely finished pieces! Sorry to read about your husband's injury. I hope life settles back down for you

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  16. Beautiful stitching and Rosie is adorable.
    Sorry to hear of your husband's accident and I hope everything goes well for you.
    I love the photo of your son next to his sampler.

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Thanks for visiting today!