Averyclaire » averyclaire

Merry Christmas and a Special Note

averyclaire — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:01:12 +0000

A very special Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season to all of you. I pray that all your wishes and dreams come true and that you continue with all of your wonderful stitching, needlework, quilting, sewing, crocheting, and other fine art projects.

I wanted to let you know that I will not be posting anymore and my blog will be temporarily closed. There is not a set time for my return. This past year has not been the best for me healthwise and it has been difficult to keep up with everything. So, it is with great sadness that I have decided to close my blog. I will keep it as it is now and hope that one day I will be up to posting again.

However, I do plan to lurk in the shadows of your blogs see what is new in your cyberspace and celebrate with you all your beautiful accomplishments.

But for now……I will miss our little notes. May you be truly blessed this Holiday Season.

Amities, Averyclaire

It’s My Birthday…Yesterday!

averyclaire — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:46:34 +0000

When one gets to be an “older” woman….one prefers to pretend one’s birthday is just another day. However, secretly I am deeply grateful to my friends and family who went out of their way to make this a very special day.

I received some lovely emails today from some dear friends all the way from France and Belgium, a lovely note from my son and his wife, some from my nieces, many from needlework and quilting friends, other long-time friends, and sisters, Barb & Bonnie, Barb even sent me a some special internet gifts. And there were lots of special phone calls too and a video message from my new 4 month old granddaughter, Maya. I am SO humbled and grateful. Thank you to each of you.

I share with you some photos of other gifts I received in addition to the beautiful Eiffel Tower scissors and books I showed you last post. The other gifts must remain anonymous! Shhhhhh…I’ll never tell….Smile.

My SIL Judy, and friend, Kay, sent me this lovely teacup bouquet to brighten my day. Thanks again, Judy and Kay.

And what a surprise when Southpaw Stitcher made this lovely pincushion for me. It really says a LOT! Thank you so much Pat…yes, friendship DOES grow.

And My friend Jodi equally surprised me when she presented me with this lovely pincushion (filled with sand) handmade by a friend of hers. This one came all the way to me from Washington state. And isn’t this a beautiful card. Thank you Jodi…how kind and thoughtful to think of me while you were away!

I still do some computer work at home for the Augustinian priests and brothers and my boss, Fr. Mike, thoughtfully, sent me this plant with lovely lavender flowers along with a promise of prayers and Mass celebrated in my honor. Thanks so much…I miss all of you.

So you see…..amidst all the “to do” that one really doesn’t want to remember that one is ANOTHER year older…..it is really nice to be remembered. I SO appreciate all of the good wishes and prayers and gifts.

And I plan to keep on celebrating my birthday all month long. After all it comes only once a year….so celebrating for one full month is certainly in order!

Gratefully, Averyclaire

HAPPY HALLOWEEN……..

averyclaire — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:21:09 +0000

I absolutely love Halloween decorations…the fun that the children (and adults) have in dressing up and partying…the chocolate candy. Alas I did not have a lot of time to do many new Halloween needlework pieces, but here is one of my favorites finally mounted and finished. I found an unfinished box at Hobby Lobby, painted it black and roughed it up a bit to look antique.

I found the cutest tiny fuzzy ball trim to go around the mounted cross-stitch work. Sorry it’s so difficult to see.

And the grandchildren just love the surprise inside!!! And I love the orange paint!!!

My birthday is coming soon and my dear French friend, Maggy, sent me the most BEAUTIFUL pair of “Eiffel Tower” scissors!! I absolutely adore them. How did she know that I have wanted a pair of these for a LONG time? Thank you Maggy.

She also sent me two French Patchwork magazines and a watercolor book on scenes from Provence. This will keep me busy for sure.

Remember the Stumpwork workshop I attended….well I had finished the needlework itself, but now I have completed the finishing on the ornament. Don’t you just love the look of the Dupioni silk?

It was great fun doing the little spider.

And whoo hoo….I have finished the quilt top I started on retreat last weekend. Now it just needs to be quilted.

It turned out larger than I had expected…isn’t that nice!!

Hope everyone had a fun weekend and a laughter-filled Halloween Day.

Til next time, Amities, Averyclaire

A Quilting Weekend

averyclaire — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:45:56 +0000

Last weekend I went to Shalom Retreat House in Dubuque, Iowa for a four day quilt retreat. My SIL, Judy, and her friend, Kay, inspired me to come along. Their quilt shop in Cedar Rapids, IA sponsors this event twice a year. It was great fun, filled with lots of laughter and LOTS of sewing. Here are the photos from this productive weekend.

Monica w lovely purse

Monica's almost fnished quilt top..great colors

Patty with her Noah's Ark quilt

Patty's "circle" blocks (Libby Lehman pattern w Ricky Tims Fabric

More of Patty's circle blocks

Patty's duck baby quilt

Kathy working on Backyard Safari quilt

Kathy's lovely purses for the grandchildren

One of Kathy's many finished projects....Beautiful for any little girl

Lisa made a beautiful purse for someone who just learned of a serious illness

Lisa's lovely quilt top finished

Theresa with a small Halloween pillow cover

Theresa's Mom hand pieced this quilt a long time ago. Theresa had it hand quilted by some Amish women.

Betty Jo and Joanna enjoying the day

Betty Jo and the cute boxer shorts she made

Batik Purse made by Betty Jo

Betty Jo sewing a labor of love (buggy barn style) for the family of someone recently passed away

Terese working on a Paris Flea Market scrap quilt

Sue and her batik quilt...she was making LOVELY borders for this one.

Connie working on her Christmas Card basket

Connie and her monkey baby quilt....what a fun piece

Kay made this lovely table runner as a gift

Kay made several of these lovely purses, two with her Dad's ties

Another purse with a tie

Kay's lovely blue version

Kay also made this lovely table topper with tiny, tiny pieces

Kay also did this lovely fish (going to be a pillow)

Andrea sure is enjoying the creativity

Andrea's Rocket ship almost done

Rosie made this lovely sports quilt for a special needs friend

Heather working on fleece pants for her son and several neck warmers

Judy's beautiful batik fish quilt

Judy's Zen quilt

Jill's homespun quilt

Jill's red and white beauty she quilted this weekend

Jill's blue and brown all finished quilting

And LAST…BUT NOT LEAST…I did finish one quilt top…my Summer Nana’s Garden quilt. I also did a star quilt, but have not taken photos….next blog I will show you.

Averyclaire's finished summer scrap quilt

Hope you enjoyed the photo show. If you have never been on a quilt retreat or a needlework retreat…you really must go. It is a lot of fun, very relaxing and quite inspiring.

Amities……Averyclaire

So Much to Do…So Little Time

averyclaire — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:17:03 +0000

Stumpwork

Last weekend I went with a friend of mine to a Needlework Class in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was sponsored by the Indianapolis Chapter of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America. We belong to the chapter called Needle Artisans of Northwest Indiana (NANI) that meets in Munster. Once a year they have an event called State Day in various locations around the State. Last year it was sponsored by our Chapter here in Munster.

This year’s class was a lesson in “Stumpwork”…it is a style of embroidery where the stitched figures are raised from the surface of the work to form a 3-dimensional effect. It was a very beginner class, as I had never done anything like this. After one prepares the foundation by layering pieces of felt, the finished bird (or whatever you are doing) is painted with one strand of embroidery floss (needlepainting) in various colors. I very much enjoyed the process. Here is my cardinal which I finished embroidering Sunday after the class. I plan to turn this into a Christmas ornament. The finished ornament will measure only 2.5 x 3.5…so it is a VERY small cardinal.

The designer and teacher was Marsha Papay-Gomola. She is an excellent teacher and taught a fun class. She has a website here. Her class was delightful and I would encourage anyone interested in learning something new, to check into her classes. I did take photos of some of her samples she brought to the class, including the step-by-step proces for our cardinal. I think her work is magnificent.

She even showed us a sample of leaves for us to have ideas in how to make a choice in finishing our cardinals.

It was one of the really FUN weekends. Southpaw Stitcher has many more photos on her website, so please check them out if you have not done so already. She is a GREAT traveling companion with a super sense of humor. We even did our own shop hop on the way down visiting Persnickety Stitchers in Zionsville and Needle Fever in Indianapolis, and even stopped at a quilt shop nearby, Quilts Plus.

Home Dec Project

Last post I mentioned that I was working on a home dec project for my daughter for her dining room. Here are a couple of photos of what I have finished: Six antique dining room chairs were recovered. Three cushions for the window seat with zippered custom covers, six large pillows with zippered covers, one hand embroidered pillow for the center of the window seat. I made this black velvet pillow out of leftover velvet from a dress I made her MANY years ago for a dance. Thought it would be good memories…then I cross-stitched a deisgn with a monogram with their last initial.

Still have to make the draperies and the table and buffet runners. So it’s not done yet……the story of my life!!!

Halloween Cross-Stitch

I have been diligently working on a Halloween Fairy (Nora Corbett) cross-stitch. It is from one of the cross-stitching magazines from a year or two ago, I can’t remember which one. A friend of mine stitched it and graciously donated her leftover threads and beads to me. I couldn’t resist doing this one for Halloween. I hope it will be done (even if it doesn’t get framed on time). Unfortuantely, I still have a ways to go. I have been really slow on this one.

Am I Lucky or What???

And last, but not least, I went to a neighboring quilt group meeting, Pieces and Patches. They had a very entertaining speaker that evening, Amy Walsh. She and Janine Burke have been publishing patterns under the company name, Blue Underground Studios, since 2005. The patterns are more modern than my usual choices, but they are absolutely lovely. And lucky me, I won their favorite pattern, “In and Out.” I can’t wait to try it. They tell us that their patterns are easy and quick to make and great choices for using up your stash of fabric.

And from Inspired Needle Blog, I won a lovely patriotic needlework pattern. Please visit her website as well as the blog. I will save this one to work on for next summer!

Hope you have enjoyed my photos……….until next time……………Amities, Averyclaire

Thank You

averyclaire — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 06:05:08 +0000

Here is an award I received from a delightful lady. Whimseytopia blog is delightful to read and Patsye is a delightful person to know. Did I say this is a delightful place to visit? She is an extremely creative person and she created this award herself. I am honored to be one of the first to receive it. Please visit her blog and get to know her yourself.

Another blog that has been around since the beginning of the year, also delightful with a great sense of humor, is Southpaw Stitcher. I have not posted regularly for quite some time now and have neglected to mention this one as one of my favorites. So check it out. She is an expert needleworker and a new quilter (doing quite well I might say). Please visit her blog as well.

I have been extremely busy with home dec creations for my daughter’s dining room, so I will post more creative things with photos later.

Thanks for continually visiting my blog space.

Amities, Averyclaire

Stitching and Sightseeing

averyclaire — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:48:35 +0000

I know I should be working on Christmas things (because it’s RIGHT around the corner, but I have been busy with some little Halloween pieces. A couple of small ornaments (“Boo” from Waxing Moon and “in progress” is “Full Moon” from Ink Circles–Halloween Just Cross-Stitch Issue 2010) to hang on hooks and knobs around the house, and another lovely Halloween piece from Drawn Thread. I LOVE Halloween. Guess I am a kid at heart.

I DID do a bit of Christmas (only because this project takes a LONG time)! Another finish for me this week was the Christmas stocking I was making for my daughter’s husband. She has a felt stocking from when she was little and each of her children have one, so she asked me to make one for her DH. Voila! I thought “Santa’s Workshop” was appropriate for him. It had a “zillion” pieces, but it was fun to make.

This past week my DH and I spent a day in Chicago’s downtown area and I thought I would share a couple of photos of some of Chicago’s famous artwork. In 2004, the sculpture “Cloud Gate”, dubbed by Chicagoans as “The Bean”, was unveiled in our new Millenium Park. Creation of British artist, Anish Kapor, “The Bean” is 66 feet long and 33 feet high, weighing 110 tons. Made of steel plates polished to this shiny finish, it looks like a big drop of Mercury. The skyline of Chicago can be seen in it’s reflection and everyone loves the reflections that are like a funhouse mirror. “The Bean” and Millenium Park has become a destination for school trips and people of all ages.

Also downtown, but on our “Magnificent Mile” is the “Forever Marilyn” statue created by artist J. Seward Johnson. It was unveiled in July 2011 and will remain here until Spring of 2012. Marilyn Monroe (26 feet tall) is posed in her famous stance from her movie “Seven Year Itch”. It is fun and interesting to see. There are mixed emotions from the masses regarding this statue. Some people say it does not depict a dignified enough image for Chicago…that it is too obscene. I thought it was delightful. (Everyone goes underneath it to see her panties.)

And last, but NOT least, I went with a friend to visit “The Farnsworth House” in Plano, IL about 1-1/2 hours west of Chicago. It was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed around 1951 for a physician who was single and wanted a weekend get-away house for the weekends. An interesting architectural experience, it sits on lovely acreage along the Fox River. All the walls are made of windows. While I do not care much for modern things, I could live in this house in a minute because of the surrounding woods and beauty. However, being near the Fox River, it has been known to flood, so I think I will stay where I am at!! Anyway…it was a SUPER fun day to spend with a good friend.

Til next time…Amities, Averyclaire

Update

averyclaire — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:34:02 +0000

Warning: This is a LONG post…after three months of absence.

On July 6th we welcomed a brand new baby granddaughter, Maya, into our family. She is precious. Of course that meant “another” trip to Colorado to see our new little bundle of joy. Her parents are thrilled to say the least. It is SO hard to be so far away from them.

In May and June I caught the quilt bug! All I have been doing is working on quilts. First I would spend some therapeutic and meditative time in my garden weeding, then would have my shower and get to it! Last post I showed you the first two blocks of an applique quilt I am working on. Here are photos of the next six making a total of eight completed. Number nine is in process. (There are 16 total, so only halfway there.) It’s an easy applique pattern from Edyta Sytar called Sweet Sixteen.

I am committed to finishing projects this year. So here is a photo of a pinwheel quilt in process. Have the bug to use up old fabrics using half square triangles….hence the pinwheels.

Next I have a photo of my Japanese bento box that is still being hand-quilted by yours truly. I have only about a third of the sashing to quilt….but it seems to take forever. And when one has a million hand projects to work on….which one does one choose? (I even have one of those felt Christmas stockings I am putting together at the request of my DD.)

And last but not least I have made another 25 baby blankets with matching teddy bears. These are for my large quilt group Holiday Boutique which happens every year in November.

So between my garden, three active quilts in process, a Christmas stocking, 25 baby blankets and teddy bears, and a stabbing effort to get the laundry, cooking, and cleaning done….well…it’s a crazy fun world for sure. I did do a tiny bit of cross-stitch and taught my granddaughter, Sophia (age 9), to quilt (she made a small quilt for Maya); she learned to cross stitch; and learned to embroider (made two pillows).

And in the midst of all of this I was ill for five months…..April, May, June, July and August. In April I thought I got food poisoning. Not so. The painful attacks after eating, hanging over the commode, would last for four hours at least three or four times per week. After lots of doctoring, lots of tests, and my own experiments trying to be “fat free”, “lactose free”, “gluten free” nothing worked. Even the specialists at our wonderful Northwestern Hospital in downtown Chicago are mystified. However, I did learn after charting my food for weeks, that I simply cannot tolerate any kind of complex carbohydrates…no rice, no pasta, no breads of any kind, no crackers, no carrots or beets, anything with high carbohydrate content. There seems to be no name for my condition and no cure….but now I finally have no more illness so long as I don’t eat those things. I did lose a LOT of weight during this time (not such a bad thing…a bonus for me). Guess I just have to live and eat differently now. Golly I miss my junk food!!!!

For now it’s good to jot out a fresh blog post. I have silently lurked amongst all of your blogs in the past three months and they are wonderful. Thanks for visiting. Amities, Averyclaire

Happy Memorial Day!!

averyclaire — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:18:52 +0000

A very special thank you to all the men and women serving our country and helping to keep us safe!!

It’s been a LONG couple of months. First we were away in Colorado for some time, then I was ill, and then finishing up on some projects and a lot of work in the house and garden. Time heals all.

My DIL loved the quilt I made for the new baby-to-be (only six more weeks to go). Helping them set up the nursery was truly fun. And the baby shower was wonderful. Her friends made these scrumptious cupcakes…..delightful to look at….”almost” too pretty to eat!!!

It was such fun creating this secret gift tote for my friend, Maggy, with whom I do an exchange for Les Muguets Day (Lily of the Valley Day which is May 1st in France). Her favorite color is purple.

She, in turn, made for me this LOVELY, Japanese folded origami pocket. I adore it. It has THREE little pockets, perfect for sewing supplies, nail items, etc. Her sewing is exquisite. Already I have put it to good use to carry my nail files, etc. in my purse. Also…a generous friend of hers, Elaine, decided to make for me a lovely French apron. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful friend of a friend!!! Thank you so much Maggy and Elaine. [Correction: Maggy also made the apron...but her friend did some decorative stitching on the pockets. I love it Maggy and Elaine...thank you]

After recuperating for some weeks, I finally completed my scrappy tablecloth quilt (about 62 inches square). It is machine pieced, hand appliqued, then straight line machine quilted by me…and the applique border I free-motion quilted around the applique by adding lovely leaves whereever they would fit. I used a thin cotton batting. It is perfect on my kitchen table and will certainly warm my kitchen during Autumn.

And last, but not least, I have been working on another applique quilt. So far I have two of the sixteen blocks completed (16.5 inches square). I do love handwork. Although I have spent all of my time on the quilts and, alas, have not completed any “needlework” projects. But the applique blocks are fun and a change of pace for my fingers.

That’s all for now. I know that’s not much news for two months of absence….but I did miss all of you and am happy to be back.

Til next time….Amities, Averyclaire

Happy Spring…

averyclaire — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:33:04 +0000

Yes…it’s been six weeks…going on two months. I’m just not good at posting often. I hope you will all forgive me for the times you visited and found nothing new. But….I HAVE been enjoying my retirement.

I am slowly working on “Briar Rabbit.” Love him, but he’s really tedious. It’s a Cedar Hill pattern (I love their patterns), but can’t wait to have him done and framed. I wanted to do a rabbit for Easter, but I must not be in the mood. Perhaps my focus has been more on quilting lately. Ahhh…whereever the spirit pours out the creativity I guess.

Here’s a peek at the quilt top I have created for our new baby granddaughter-to-be due to arrive in July. Her name is going to be “Maya” and her Mom likes Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit……so……here are some of the blocks. Here’s Peter….with an embroidered flower garland….

and here’s Johnny Town Mouse, Hunca Munca and Tom Thumb….

and some pretty flowers….

and here’s Nutkin smelling the embroidered flower…

and some hearts and birds and pretty scrolls….

and here’s Jemima Puddle-Duck and friend….

along with a lunch basket and some carrots…

another flower…..

and voila…..the quilt top waiting to be quilted.

The block patterns came from the book “More William Morris Applique” by Michelle Hill. Her pattern was made with William Morris fabrics. I wanted something more pastel and I wanted to make it larger. So I added sashing where there was none….and I added the blocks with the letters to spell the name “Maya.” I drew the letters by hand. And because it was so very pastel I also added the flange cording around the blocks and sashing. It helps to separate something so pastel that does not have a lot of contrast. The blocks were machine appliqued.

There will soon be a baby shower and I hope the top is quilted and complete in time for the big day. It was a lot of fun to make and prodded my creative touch with the changes I made to the pattern. It now measures about 40 x 50.

And last but not least….I made a new cushion (approx. 16″ x 50″) for my son and daughter-in-law’s foyer bench. A request that somehow remained set aside for more than a year. It feels good to check things off the to-do list.

I pray all of you are enjoying warmer weather and hints of Spring. My walks on these warm days are delightful and inspiring. Back to the rest of the “to-do” list….

Til next time……Amities, Averyclaire