Biscornu - Received

Happy Dance!! I received this BEAUTIFUL biscornu from Gaby as part of the Tiny Treasures Exchange. I LOVE IT!!! Gaby used Dinky Dyes to stitch “Spring Fever”. Don’t the colors just remind you of fresh blooming flowers on a beautiful sunny day? The yellow flower button in the center is perfect.




On the reverse she stitched our initials, the exchange name, and the year which makes this so very, very special.






Gaby included this postcard of a bear in a flower garden holding a bouquet. She also included a chart to be stitched on a linen band entitled “Sommer” including a sailboat and anchor. I love this Gaby!! Thank you so much!

Biscornu Sent

As part of the Tiny Treasures Exchange here is the biscornu that I sent my exchange partner, Cathy.

I used the rabbit motif from Nature’s Beauty by Little House Needleworks, one of her favorite designers.

This side is English Cottage Sampler, a freebie from Teresa Wentzler. I used 28 count fabric, DMC floss & RG Wisper for the fuzzy bunny tails, various beads for embellishment and for the pins that I made to go along with it.

Finished at last

I am so proud of myself! I love to stitch but when it comes to finishing (moan, groan) I can really put on the brakes and procrastinate. But I went from this (in August of last year, that’s right, 2000 and 8, more than 6 months ago) --

after pulling it out about every 2 months – looking at it – reading the directions - and putting it back – I finally did this. . . today

Bee’s Rule by Milady’s Needle
40 ct Park City Blend (R&R)
Crescent Colors floss

It really wasn’t difficult to finish (I just thought it would be). The directions were clear and easy, I followed them exactly, and the stitched piece fit perfectly into the Lucite ruler.

The back of the stitching and the ruler is lined with a piece of scrapbook paper and enclosed front and back by the plastic ruler. This patterned paper won out over 4 others but I can’t explain why.






Here’s a close-up of the back. It’s sort of glittery and sparkley.






You know, the more I look at it -----
Do you think?
Could it be?
Am I imaging things?
Do these look like little bees



with stingers????!!




I’m thinkin’ SPRING!!! Bee’s a buzzin’, flowers a’bloomin, bring it on! Tomorrow is officially the first day of Spring here.

(PSST!! One day I'll show you the project that took me 10 years to finish!)

Mini Sampler - March

The March mini sampler from Periwinkle Promises has been finished - shamrocks, lucky horseshoes, a rainbow, and a pot of gold.

Mini Sampler - March

Pot of Gold by Praiseworthy Stitches

(28 ct raw Cashel linen & silk)

GOLD?

(I wish)

oooooooooh

I could buy more stuff to stitch!

Biscornus

BISCORNU! BISCORNU!

Funny name, funny shape. So far I’ve made 4 of these quirky little biscuit-looking thingys and plan to make more because they are so much FUN! I love to watch them take their 8 corner-shape. The first one I stitched has a fall design on one side and a winter design on the other and a beautiful button in the middle pulling the two sides together.

Seasonal Biscornu Fall & Winter Face

collaborative between Giulia Punti Antichi & MTV Designs

32 ct cream linen, overdyed floss, beads, and buttons

The second biscornu uses 2 different fabric colors (can't tell by the photo) and, also, has different designs on front and back with a heart and a bead pulling the 2 together.

Just Nan Biscornu
When Barnabee Met Bella

30 ct linen, silks, beads, charms

The third is part of a set of the Cheetah Needlework Accessories free designs from Cross Stitch Happy.

Cheetah Biscornu front and back from Cross Stitch Happy .

36 count cream Irish linen, cotton floss, beads

And the fourth is a mini biscornu turned into a scissor fob.

Mini Biscornu 2 from Aurelle

I'll soon be stitching another biscornu because I'm a member of the Tiny Treasures Exchange and we are exchanging biscornus. If you haven't made one of these funny looking things, maybe this would be an exciting adventure for you. There are many good tutorials available with excellent photos to lead you step by step. I found advice here to help with the pesky corners.

And Even More Hearts . . .

Just a few days left in February so here are some more hearts to share:

CROSS STITCH Hearts

These are from a band sampler. I think they are pretty in their simplicity.

FROGET-ME-NOT Heart

I found this not too long ago in my pile of 'stitched-but-unfinished' projects. Years ago it was stitched on 28 ct amber linen with DMC floss and Mill Hill beads with a little shank button on the bow. It's crazy quilt look and nostalgic feel was appealing to me. This could have been made into a pillow or even framed. Instead I tacked a narrow tatting-like lace around the edge, backed it with muslin and put a little pearl cotton hanger on the back.

I’ve toyed with the idea of turning this into a card and putting a message on the back like “Remember Me”, or “To” and “From” written in colored ink . I can even see this with a pocket on the back to hold special cards. It could even go on the front of a picture or scrapbook album. The pattern is Victorian Elegance “Forget Me Not” by Homespun Elegance No. 122.

COUNTRY Hearts

I’m partial to the watermelon heart; how about you?

LOVE BIRD Heart

And for all the love birds out there (I see that smile!) – two love birds surrounded by a heart!

I enjoyed sharing these hearts with you; I hope you liked seeing them.

Tip to Share: No More Dangle-Tangle!

Have you ever worked on a project that involved a lot of thread changes (HAED, for instance) and you just let the threads dangle, hoping they wouldn’t get tangled or dirty? I discovered that a tiny plastic bag can keep these threads clean and separated. This bag came with a garment I purchased that had an extra button and thread in the bag. Several of these could be used at once without creating a weighty drag or bulkiness while stitching.