Starting An Embroidery Project

I've had an empty spot on the yoke of a denim shirt for ages and haven't been able to make a decision on what to put there. It's the spot to the left of the Queen Anne's lace and bee.

This is on the other side of the blank spot.

I was looking through some stuff on my desk and found this pattern that I had purchased on Etsy all printed out. 

I scrounged up some Sticky Fabri-Solvy and printed the pattern onto it, rounded up a 5" hoop, and picked out all the colours. Then I set to work - first stitching the stems. I'll finish up with the blossoms. I like surface embroidery like this because there are no threads to count. The printable, water-soluble stabilizer makes transferring the design very easy. it will wash away/dissolve once all the stitching is finished.

 I got this far before my eyes got too tired and it got too late. I'll carry on tomorrow.

I did some more work in the garden. I found some Round Up concentrate in the garage so mixed it up and sprayed all the weeds I want to get rid of in some of my flower beds. I don't know how long it will take to kill the weeds - hopefully not long. Since the concentrate has frozen and thawed through a couple of winters in the garage, I'm not sure how effective it is either. 

I dug out a couple of hostas first which I'll transplant in the front garden once the weeds are dead. I also planted the anemone corms which I'll have to remember to water regularly. I think I killed all my zinnias I grew from seed due to lack of watering. Darn! I may have more seeds left which I will plant directly in the soil. 

I've been on the mailing list of the ukulele class I took pre-COVID. My friend, Alexa, took the beginning ukulele class this spring. So she, and another ukulele friend, Catherine, and I attended the ukulele play/singalong at a local diner this evening. My fingers are sure feeling it. There were 24 songs in the set list including some where I got to play my kazoo. The next event will be July 8. Then I'll get to play again at music camp.

Speaking of music camp, I received confirmation of the classes I signed up for and in addition to ukulele, choir, madrigals, and concert band on my oboe, I got into the very limited enrolment handbell class. Jen1 is also coming this year so we'll have our own rooms but will share the bathroom between our rooms. It should be lots of fun.

Sashiko Sakura

 I was given a Sashiko piece and thread for my birthday. It is the sakura (cherry blossom) pattern and involves a LOT of stitching.

Looking at the package, I'm worried the one spool of thread won't be enough. Now that I'm actually reading the information on the package, it looks like this pattern requires five 20m hanks of thread or two 80m balls of thread. Oh dear. I just checked the spool I have and it only has 30m of thread so I definitely will have to source more. Probably three more spools. 

A little later...

I found the same thread and colour on Etsy from a seller in Hong Kong and ordered them. Arrival time will be between June 19 and 27. Shipping was only $8.38CAD from Hong Kong. Shipping the same items within Canada would have cost about $25CAD. I already had sashiko needles. 

It's already looking really nice.

There are English instructions on the accompanying sheet and diagrams. First, all the stitches are done through both layers of fabric back and forth. Once all horizontals are done, then I'll do the vertical lines. 

I'm simply covering the printed lines with the thread.

Then all the diagonals are stitched on one slant, (edges of petals, lines near centres of blossoms) then on the other slant.

Once all the stitching has been done, it is rinsed in water so all the printed lines will disappear. I think it's going to look really spiffy. It will just be a decorative cloth.

Peel Stitch-In May 2026

Barb, Judy, Jeanette, and I attended the Peel Stitch-In yesterday. We carpooled with Jeanette as our capable driver.

We all were pretty excited for another stitch day.

Since the usual venue in Port Credit is under renovation, the next couple of Stitch-Ins will take place at the Meadowvale Village Hall. 

I'm sure at one time Meadowvale Village was a quaint little hamlet on the 2nd Line near Mavis Road in Mississauga,  but now it's a very chi chi poo poo community of enormous, stylish homes. It was very easy to get to from the 401. 

The start time was 10am and we got there well ahead of time. As is her custom, Barb got a spot near the front of the lineup so we could be among the first to get a good table.

Once inside we got set up. Roger and Charlotte supervised Barb's stitching.

We were in the back corner (front right in this photo), adjacent to the hall leading to the back room where the vendors were; Kimat Designs, Tiny Modernist, and Hand Dyed by Rolanda. There were two accessible washrooms by the front door.

I did have a moment of panic, though. When I started getting my spot organized, I couldn't find Ernest. I went back out to the parking lot and sure enough, he was lying face down beside the car. Poor little guy! I picked him up, dusted him off, and took him inside to be reunited with Thomas. Crisis averted. 

Ernest and Thomas kept me on task. We were beside the huge windows so the light was so good we didn't even need our lamps.

Those of us who didn't pay in advance by eTransfer were able to give the $10 cash to the organizer, Cathy. Each of us (humans) were given a door prize ticket for later.

A 'show and share' table wasn't originally planned but a few folks did bring items for display.

As well as the Tomato Tomahto project I'm working on, this one by Hands On Design was on display and ended up being one of the door prizes! I just might have to acquire this pattern, too.

Two of these 'Little House Needleworks' pieces were on display.

This was Ika's Round Robin piece from the Toronto Guild of Stitchery. A round robin is started by a participant and is passed around monthly to other interested stitchers. The originator decides the format, and colour scheme. Each subsequent person makes a contribution using those parameters.

This piece was HUGE; 365 stitches x 429 stitches or about 23" x 27" on 36ct fabric over two threads. A Google Lens search tells me it is 'Pandemic' by Long Dog Samplers. Understandably, it was released during the COVID-19 epidemic as a large-scale pattern for stitchers worldwide. 

Everything had to be cleared out of the hall by 5pm sharp so we decided to head for home by 3:45. After realizing the 401 was too slow, we made our way up to the $$$407$$$ for a much more enjoyable drive home.

I stitched most of the time but looking back I didn't accomplish a whole lot; lots of gabbing, I guess. On stitch days like this, I do try to get a bit done on two of my long-time UFOs.

I did a wee bit on the turtle's flipper. I started this project in the fall of 2020. It came with 16ct Aida fabric but I'm doing it on 30ct antique white linen.

There are a LOT of blended colours on this project so I picked a colour that wasn't blended - the dark purple on the lower edge of the flipper. I'm using 2 strands over 2 threads. The grid lines are done with sewing thread that will easily pull out when I'm done. Grid lines are so helpful on big projects like this with so many colours.

I also like to do a bit on my 'Newcastle Bouquet' on stitching or retreat days. Yesterday I completed the 'S' and began the red flower. This UFO dates back to when I started it in the summer of 2020.

I finished the grass on the 'Over the Garden Gate' project, did some brick work, and started a couple of the flowers. I substituted a brighter green for the called-for colour. I also added more 'structure' to the greenhouse as it looked somewhat incomplete to me. 

I was very happy to have this activity on my calendar yesterday to give me something fun to do on the second anniversary of Skip's death. I really appreciated all the kind messages I received. 

This morning my neighbour, Pam, treated me to brunch to honour Skip and her husband, Kees, who died exactly one year to the day before Skip did. We enjoyed a nice meal, pleasant conversation, and made a toast with our coffees to our beloved guys who will be:

Always missed.

Always loved.

Always with us.

I Don't Do This For Just Anyone

After seeing the cuteness of Thomas, 

Barb asked me to knit her kitties to match her ginger kitties, Charlotte and Roger. She provided me with the yarn and very specific instructions about the features she desired.

I knit them on 2.75mm needles so they were proportionately smaller than Thomas who was knit on 3.25mm needles with the same weight yarn.

Of course, I had to have some fun with ChatGPT and created a photo of them going for a walk,

then sharing a plate of spaghetti in the style of 'Lady and the Tramp'.

Then a Blue Jays Fans photo was requested.

The designer Esther Braithwaite has created many patterns of animals:

Fox and Wolf,

a bunny you can dress, (I just might have to buy her 'Dress Me Teddy' pattern)

a mouse and chipmunk,

Pasture Pals cow and horse,

Pen Pals sheep and pig,

Jungle Buddies tiger, monkey, elephant, and zebra,

more Forest Friends with badger and owl,

Most of her patterns are $3CAD. So much fun for so little money! 

Any weight yarn is fine as long as the whole critter is the same weight and needle size. It is recommended to go down a couple of needle sizes than usually recommended for a tight knit and so the stuffing doesn't show through.

These little guys fit nicely in anyone's hand, pocket, purse or backpack. I imagine any little kid would love any one of them, too. I believe the easiest ones to knit are the kitty cats and tiger as they're just a tube, grafted at the top. No ears to knit and add. No shaping for the head.

Have fun!

Scarborough Needlearts Guild's 50th Anniversary Celebration

Members of the Trillium Embroidery Guild were invited to the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Scarborough Needlearts Guild held at Scarborough Bluffs United Church on Kingston Rd at Scarborough Golf Club Road. It was a stitch day which also included a catered lunch. Many of our Trillium members also belong to the Scarborough guild. 

Several of us attended: Marilyn, MaryK, Jeanette, and Bev from the east of Durham, and Judy, Barb and I from the west of Durham. We carpooled and all arrived at about the same time.

I didn't get any photos of people - just the displays.

This is 'Cotton Quartet' designed by Mary Corbet. I'd seen Jeanette's made into a needle roll and after my Why Not Stitching intro piece, I'm really inspired to stitch this myself.

Trillium Challenge

Alphabet band samplers. I have one half finished somewhere - abandoned at about 'q r s t u'.

Punto antico by Marion.

This collaborative banner depicts many 'Scarberian' scenes from the past and present.

Deputy Mayor Paul Ainslie was present to present this certificate to the guild.

There were also archivists from Scarborough and the city of Toronto who spoke of the importance of maintaining archives for the research for future generations.

Of course, Thomas and Ernest joined me and supervised my stitching. Because my birthday was closest to the celebration day, I got to take home the begonia against which Thomas and Ernest are propped.

Judy safely got us home at the beginning of rush hour traffic.

We all enjoyed a very fun day of stitching and celebrating.