hello stitchers! i’m in a “Hocus Pocus” kind of mood…Winnie just cracks me up! (we are both the oldest so there is that!)
the time has come! we’ve transformed the porch into a spooky little alcove…channeling some Gothic romance and mixing in a little farmhouse and cottage style.
we’ve got a mixture of Web of Roses, Cozy Up, Kitty Corn, and Ghostly Greetings. Mixed in is some cross stitch, embroidery, wool, and home-goods from Tinselwood Farm…we are burning a melt and omg…it smells AMAZING!!! i wish these pics were interactive…you can check them out here…or pop in and check them out.
so…time to grab your hot coffee (or wine or whatever)…a ding dong (or cookie or cupcake) and take a moment to pop onto the porch.
i’ve posted a reel over on instagram of the porch in all its cozy, spooky-ness…our handle is @sweetgirlstudio…you can also see the reel on facebook…i think…
all our halloween goodies can be found over on the website…here.
okeedoke…now…i’m about to settle in for some 20/20 and peppermint kites.
as we near the end of october (one of my favorite months of the year) i thought i better do a post highlighting all the autumn we have sprinkled around the shop.
i thought i would start with one of my favorite displays in the shop right now. it highlights almost all the extra goodies we carry…a little quilting, crochet, embroidery, and cross stitch.
i got really into cross stitch during and after the Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop…i wanted to change it up a little so i did some cross stitch…
halloween
which witch?
winds of autumn strawberry
the raven
waiting for the harvest
next up…the porch. we opted for simple and classic autumn. a few white pumpkins to accent the gorgeous Garden District quilt that features Jardin de Fleurs.
ring of roses (left) and garden district (right)
i can’t enough of this soft, peachy pumpkin…
peachy pumpkin
the bed in the window. Summer Breeze shines with Figs & Shirtings prints and that black and grey give it that extra somethin-somethin…i love it piled with pillows and a classic and simple tray with a silvery pumpkin and milk glass vases.
summer breeze
farmhouse autumn
Kitty Corn…Urban Chicks skipped a large panel applique quilt for Christmas this year and opted for a sweet number for Halloween.
Kitty Corn
i loved the greens in Kitty Corn.
kitty corn greens
Folktale…Lella Boutiques’ collection from 2020…which is still a favorite in the shoppe and absolutely perfect for the autumn season. we’ve whipped up some color bundles with what’s left if you are looking to add a little color to your stash or stitch up a autumn-toned runner for Thanksgiving.
folktale
exquisite…delectable and rich…the cheater print is the perfect topper…can’t get enough of that sweet pumpkin spray.
exquisite
Sweet Beginnings…we haven’t had a chance to make a project out of this gorgeous grouping…but we have plan…which sometimes is half the battle. I love it with this single white pumpkin. The palette is perfect for Christmas as well…red, yellow, green, grey, and creamy white…can’t go wrong.
sweet beginnings
that’s it for Autumn…we’ll be changing over the shoppe for Christmas over the next week or so…so be sure to join us for the Hometown Holiday Road Trip…Thursday, Friday, & Saturday, November 11th, 12th, & 13th.
you can find kits for everything in the online shop here. let me know if you have any questions or are unable to locate an item.
Happy Halloween!
-april&mickey&gabby
PS…still waiting on Tilda’s Windy Days, Tilda basics and Urban Farmhouse II by Primitive Gatherings.
good afternoon! we are spending the day ooohhhing and aaaahhhing over the new broderie panels that have just arrived. these lovelies may just get stitched up this weekend (or the stitching may start…maybe not finish).
i am planning on doing some thread collections for these…but we’ll see how long things take…everything seems to take 100 times longer to do when you want to do a million things.
broderie
these are just THE prettiest samplers…i’m kinda loving the sampler style one…but the patchwork one and these little sampler squares and all over vine…ummm love!
good afternoon! working from home this afternoon…the windows are open, the soft wind chimes outside the window, the overcast sky. we have a winter weather advisory that starts this afternoon…so mom is outside tidying up some of her flower beds before the rain comes.
we have some new books that have arrived…perfect reading material while we spend the month hanging in our sewing studios and ordering online goodies.
right now may favorites are…
Civil War Quilts…yes that is Dear Jane…no there is not a pattern for it. however it is full of historical information along with gorgeous pictures of vintage quilts from the era…even some quilt block patterns to get you in the spirit of the times.
Embroidered Country Gardens…delve into a world of embroidery…dig out those long forgotten DMC skeins, that let’s face it are probably in a big ball, and get stitching. these designs are absolutely gorgeous and work well for adding a little embroidery to bags, pillows, fobs, scissor cases, and framed pieces.
Patchwork Gifts…sweet little projects to fill your days…make a bowl of mushrooms, a little bag, baby quilt, or coaster set.
it would appear that life will be generally slowing down for awhile. there seems to be no better time to take up a new hobby or return to a favorite.
i love handwork. i always forget how much i enjoy cross stitching until i am doing it. then i just want to cross stitch every project i come across…i want to make at least one project out of every book, and all the projects in the different groups. i always envision doing one a month and pretty soon its been 6 months without a new project. so it goes…
we are building our cross stitch section…lots of new projects from The Pinkeep, Blackbird Designs, La-D-Da, Plum Street, and With Thy Needle and Thread…along with lots more on the way arriving at the end of the week.
i did get in our order of linen…lots of wonderful new colors…can’t wait to get started on a project so i can use some of these yummy colors.
linens from the top down are Sanguine, Havana 36 count, Confederate Gray, Chestnut, Iced Cappuccino, Ligonier Latter, Linen, and Old Towne Blend…all are 32 count linens (other than Havana).
linen
linen
look at how gorgeous these are!
linen
i’ve also been ordering in some fun springtime/Easter themed cross stitch (which i’m almost positive you’d be able to finish before Easter arrives if you end up staying home). these are just a sampling of what we have right now…with fun new patterns coming the end of the week.
springtime cross stitch
cross stitch patterns and linens are available here.
hopefully a little happy mail has brightened your day!
good afternoon! we hope you are having a wonderful weekend. our Medford Quilt Show has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic so mom and i will be hanging around the shop for the foreseeable future (hopefully when we start airing out the house and do all that spring cleaning stuff we can get back to business as usual). Until then though…i will be working the shoppe (sometimes with mom…depending upon how dad does with therapy and how the healing has been.)
we are still doing machine quilting so if you have some projects that need that final finishing…we can do that for you…so you can get the binding on those lovelies!
it seems like no time like the present to start something new…maybe pick up a basic or Brazilian embroidery project, try your hand at EPP, whip up a sashiko piece or collect all your fancy fabrics, threads, lace, and pretty threads and nab yourself a crazy quilt book.
Nothing makes a house a home like a little bit of handmade goodness…be it a piece of furniture, a crocheted afghan, a cozy quilt, a flannel pillowcase, or framed artwork (paint on canvas, thread on fabric, mixed media).
if we truly are looking at an extended period of time being a little more of a homebody…doing a little less socializing…then it seems like the perfect time to do a little bit of “homemaking”. baking some bread, whipping up a batch of cookies, putting on some soup, then relaxing with pandora streaming a nature station (i love the sound of rain with far off thunder) and cozying in with a beverage and a good book, handwork, or even instagram or your favorite blog.
if you are into Brazilian embroidery or want to be…we have a whole section devoted to Brazilian Embroidery over on our website. All kits include full instructions, preprinted fabric, threads, and needles. EdMar have the best instructions…mom and i are both self-taught Brazilian embroiderers using their instructions. They are very easy to follow and if you have some knowledge of embroidery that would help immensely…otherwise, there is youtube…
these projects which have lovingly been made with your hands over the course of some time can be framed, put in a hoop, made into a pillow, centered in a medallion quilt, or stitched into a bag.
we just received our EdMar order…so several new and gorgeous Brazilian Embroidery projects have been added to the website. my favorite of the new projects we received is Fuchsias and Butterfly…i love that flowing fuchsia and the floating butterfly.
fuchsias and butterfly
be sure to pop over and take a look at all the Brazilian embroidery projects…here.
another favorite that i’ve added to the list is the 9-flower sampler. look at those threads…um gorgeous!
9-flower sampler
+++
–april&mickey&gabby
gabby-goo says hi!
gabby-goo graduated from puppy classes on wednesday.
happy spring! with the days now getting longer, spring forward, and some sunny days…it sure feels like spring is on the way. i haven’t seen a robin yet…and we know they get snowed on at least 3 times.
mom and i are busy getting ready for our Medford show next weekend. the storefront will be open…
i thought i would pop in quick and share with you our newest sashiko project. i have it finished just not truly finished. the stitching is done and i love hexies so this is perfect!
These 3 Sashiko projects are from Tulip’s Sashiko World, America collection. we have 3 of them and i want to do all 3 and frame them and hang them in the shop…cuz they fit right in with our decor plus i really want to eventually have a WALL of hand work things…cross stitch, ribbon embroidery, epp, wool applique, Brazilian embroidery, crazy quilting…not sure what wall this will be on, but it’s a life goal. anyways…if you are looking for some stitching to get you in the mood for spring…maybe a little Easter topper.
Sashiko World…America…Grandmother’s Flower Garden
Sashiko World…Grandmother’s Flower Garden
Sashiko World…America…Flower Baskets
Sashiko Wrold…Flower Baskets
Sashiko World…America…Sampler Square
Sashiko World…Sampler Square
sashiko is quite fun. i love the classic running stitch and the designs are just fantastic! if you would like to give it a go…you can grab a sashiko kit here.
also…we’ve been jazzing up our shoppe entrance…this sign is our newest addition.
our happy place
that wraps up today…thinking i’m going to see if i can cut up some new civil war color bundles…
we’ve been pottering around the shop this week…ordering in some yarn…doing a little cross stitch…a mini floor move.
our cross stitch order arrived bringing in some new Blackbird, La-D-Da, and With Thy Needle and Thread patterns…mostly Christmas with a few Halloween mixed in.
christmas cross stitch
christmas strawberries…never knew i needed a bowl of them until this darling book arrived…
–i also didn’t know i wanted 3 stockings for each month either…but i do now…seriously debating the idea of just doing them ALL and putting them on a tree together and having it up ALL YEAR LONG…hmmm…
La-D-Da has a definite look…and i love it…a lot! that little Emmanuel pocket…perfect for little trinkets, small pine boughs, your favorite bulbs, sprigs of holly or mistletoe…or make a set and hang on the mantle.
la-d-da christmas
la-d-da halloween…
doesn’t matter the time of year…i love the crows and the pumpkins. these cross stitch beauties look like they came over with the pilgrims which makes them all the better…maybe a Salem witch was stitching one.
you can nab your next holiday cross stitch pattern…here.
Yarn has arrived! we started off with a little sock yarn and a queensland collection that was used in a Market Bag. i’m putting Tina to work knitting…since knitting is not my jam. We also dropped off some mini skeins of Bee in My Bonnet with Mel in case she decides she wants to do a little crocheting on these chilly winter evenings…(i love crocheting…however, there is only one of me and i really want to finish up a couple of the vintage flower gardens…i’m itching for a quilty finish…hopefully before thanksgiving…still debating which stitchery project i’m going to tackle.)
sweetwater yarns
i LOVE LOVE LOVE the splotchy goodness of those sock yarns ( i love splotchy and speckled so be prepared for lots more of that in the future)…the 2 top middle skeins are perfect for some fall socks! hopefully tina can kick out a pair before thanksgiving cuz i’m thinking my tootsies would love to snuggle in the for the day in a pair of them!
knitting needles and crochet hooks will be arriving on monday…i’ll pop back with piccys of them…check out our current stock of yarns, crochet, and knitting goodness here.
our next order of yarn is supposed to arrive early december…perfect for hostess gifts, gift giving, stocking stuffers, or just-cuz!
good afternoon! mom and i have been winding down after the Hometown Holiday Road Trip. We had a marvelous time and loved catching up with hoppers as they came and enjoyed the lights, snacked on christmas cutouts and picked up projects to keep them busy this autumn/winter.
we have finally ordered in some yarn! our first order should be arriving within the next week or so. some yummy sock yarn to start along with needles and crochet hooks to get you started. i don’t knit but i love crochet so it only made sense to have both…Tina is over the moon that we’ve finally dove in to yarn and is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first order so she can start whipping up the first project on the agenda…A Market Bag…i’ll get more deets on it once it arrives. As far as the needles…they are wooden and amazing! unfortunately we didn’t take a single picture of anything so i have nothing to show you in the yarn department.
a far as embroidery…there is always something new…our embroidery sampler kits have arrived…scrummy printed linen and Cosmo embroidery threads along with a stitch guide. 4 different embroidery sampler kits…each with its own palette of threads.
broderie francaise
fleurs des jardins
un petit bouquet
lastly my favorite…it features all of my favorite things…Sampler (check), threads (check), pretty tones of dusky pinks, blush, bruised peach, and greige (check)…and i’m thinking one of these kits may or may not accidentally (on purpose) come home with me.
jolie petite fille
grab you chafarcani embroidery kit…here. each kit includes the preprinted linen, 6 Cosmo embroidery flosses, stabilizer, color and stitch guide…linen measures 15 x 12 inches.
happy stitching! time for me to start wrapping up the day…
sweetwater cotton shoppe 