Crossing paths...

We have been traveling, visiting relatives in New Mexico, this past few days.  I had thought I would find more time to tat...but these two crosses are all that I have accomplished in that realm.

Both crosses are done in size 20 Lizbeth threads.  The one on the left is called sea scape, the one on the right in Victorian red and black.  

The patterns are both from Lene Bjorn's Tatted Bookmarks ~ cross shaped.  This one is Camilla...

...and this one is Monica, which I have done before and is my absolute favorite from the book, thus far.  I tatted this one for my Step-Mother-In-Law...and chose the thread colors with her likes in mind.  She seemed to really be pleased with it when I gave it to her before we left Albuquerque.

I think Pernille is next...the pattern has some interesting possibilities for threads and I like the design...so I am off to tat and visit now...

Jess!'s Lovelies...

Thought you all might be interested in my most recent package from Jess!  I love her hand dyed threads...these are what I ordered for my Birthday last month.  She included one of her pretty little MOBs (Motifs on Buttons) as a little birthday gift...her tatting is beautiful!  The threads are her Mauvelous Rose and Coconut Island...two that I had been really really wanting.  The beads are part of Jess!'s de-stashing efforts in advance of her upcoming move.  They are gorgeous and I am having fun with them...

Another time, Jess! sent me some threads to try...I took a picture, but never shared it...

She was trying to get me addicted to her favorite size 40 thread.  I do like it...it's a nice size to work with.

I have plans for these this week.  We'll see how far I get!

Anyway...here is an update on the fire as well.  This is traveling south on I-25 from Pueblo this afternoon...

It's pretty amazing to see, the smoke plume is impressive.  Still praying they get the fires under control...we need the wind to die and the rain to come.

Orchids and Wildfires...

One of my loves is Orchids...I have (had) 10 plants, I think.

 

With that many orchids, I usually have one or two in bloom.  The two plants currently blooming are both yellow varieties, but I have whites and pinks as well.  I thought you might enjoy seeing them...

 

 

Today, I received a rather impressive box in the mail.  Very light.  From Hawaii (Mom & Dad just visited). Labeled as live plants....

 

This was what was inside, five new "baby" orchids from my Mom... 

 

I have placed them in a "nursery" of sorts...under my glass dome.  They came in the plastic tubes you can see in the bottom left photo above...it was interesting to try and extract them from those without harming the plant.  I did succeed.  I am sure I will need to transplant them soon, but they seem to not have outgrown their small pots as of yet.

 

Four of these are Dendrobium orchids and one is a Cattleya...I have had primarily Phalaenopsis orchids in the past.  I do have one Dendrobium, but have not been successful in getting it to rebloom for me.  The Phaleonopsis bloom a couple of times a year typically, sometimes more, and for as long as 9 weeks at a time.  This will be interesting, the new babies came with detailed care instructions...I am excited and very hopeful that these will flourish under my care.

 

On another note, these are photos of the sunset tonight...

 

 

The sun is so red due to the smoke moving into the area (we live in Pueblo, CO).  You could see the layers of smoke moving in from at least two fires.  We had escaped the smoke until now, making it seem slightly surreal that things were burning so just an hour north of us in Colorado Springs/Black Forest and an hour west in Canon City/Royal Gorge.  It seems real now.  There are more fires, started by lightning today, both south and west of us.  Prayers for rain and moisture for Colorado would be appreciated...

 

Off to load my shuttles...I have a butterfly pattern to play with (May 1983 Workbasket), thanks to Michelle...had thought my day was going to be a calm one and I would get to play with the pattern earlier, but things got busy, and time flew.  I do need a few minutes with my threads before I call it a day though... 

Blue dishcloth...

Another more utilitarian crafted piece...

This is a simple blue cotton variagated yarn transformed into a lovely dishcloth.

I hope it will brighten up the washing up times from my Sister as this also went home with her this past week!

Single crochet and a simple picot edging added...but I love how it came out.  It matches some of the dishtowels I have done for her in the past.

Grandmother's Flutters to Share...

I was sifting through a box of special things and ran across a treasure that I thought I would share...

My Sister sent this card to me in 2000, after Grandma passed away.  The card has made me smile more than once through the years...and what is inside, well...

The card asks "How Are You Today?"

Each time I find this card and look inside, my day is brightened...

How could it not be?

I am not sure where the pattern comes from, though I think I have seen it somewhere...perhaps an old Workbasket?  I would love to know, as I would like to have that as well.  I know I could count the stitches and have a go, but I would like to tat it from the pattern as Grandma may have done. 

Hmmm...I should dampen the pink variegated one and tidy it's antennae and wings and things a bit.

Southwest embroideries...

I don't believe I ever showed these completed.  These went home with my Mother-in-Law weekend before last, but I quickly took a few photos before they left...I really love how these dish/tea towels came out.

Here are the three together, couldn't decide on the indoor or outdoor picture.  The color is better outdoors, but the shadows from the tree are not what I would like...

My favorite remains the roadrunner...

He's a clever little bird, quite emblematic of the Southwest and is my Mother-in-Law's favorite bird.  I really enjoyed stitching this, it was fun to "paint" him with the all the different thread colors.

This is not the end of the embroideries...I have finished a couple of other's and will try to show those as well.  

Red, White, and Blue Candles...

Here are some candle votives that I made with my Sister, her boys, and my girls this past week while they were visiting.  Their's have gone home with them, but here are the three that we three made...

They turn out lovely...and take nothing more than some tissue paper, a plain votive, and some Elmer's school glue.  I have been doing these for years with my girl scout troops and various other groups...we have done them for Fall, Valentines Day, made them into Pumpkins for Halloween...etc.  

You simply spread a side with Elmer's glue (one's finger works well for the purpose) and then adhere the squares of tissue paper to the candle.  When you have covered the exterior, let it dry.  Once dry, spread a nice layer of glue over the top (should look fairly white) and allow that to dry over night.  When it's dry, you have these pretty translucent candle holders.  

This is a nice project to do with children or adults.  The result is pretty much always nice.  The one in the back is mine, Older Daughter's is to the left, and Rosie Posie's  in the front...all lovely.  

Snowfall in summer...

My beloved sister was visiting this past week and these beautiful little flakes went home with her.  They were intended for this past Christmas...but I wanted to finish the "set".  Someday, I will get to it and she will have the remaining designs too.  There is one on the shuttle, somewhere, with the instructions I had printed...someplace about...I really do need to get back to my challenge of finishing things!

  These are the 1st 4 of Diane's doodad snowflakes that she designed this past winter...there are 7 designs there, 8 total if you include the snow crystal she also designed.

There you have it, a bit of a snowfall in June!

Practicalities and utilitarianism...

I might wish I had something astoundingly creative to show for my efforts the past couple of days, but my sewing / crafting has been much more utilitarian.  

I love my swiffer sweeper, but the use and throw sweeper pads are really not in the budget nor particularly ecologically friendly.  I have been contemplating ways to create some kind of reusable pad...via crochet or some other method.  I found a variety of patterns, but in the end it just seemed a great deal of effort for something with which one wipes the floor.  Then, while cleaning out last week, I ran across a package of pre-fold diapers that I had been given when older daughter was new...and the thought occured that half of one would make an ideal swiffer pad.  So, I cut half of the 12 diapers in half and we (older daughter and I) sewed around the edges with a zigzag stitch...

I now have a dozen ideal swiffer pads, for no additional expense.  They work wonderfully, but I am afraid that I don't care to show you the bottom of the pad and what all it has picked up!  An additional benefit is the fact that Rosie Posie finds it highly amusing to swiffer the floors for me and it is keeping her well entertained...much to my delight and amusement!

Next up, some rather utilitarian bags.  These are for a ministry that the churches in our area do each summer.  The farms in the county draw a good number of migrant workers to do the field work each summer...and the churches put together bags with a towel, comb, soap, washcloth, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. to give to the children for their use.  I am told that these are quite appreciated and that the kids use the bags for their belongings, swimming things, and what-have-you after the fact.

Older daughter and I sewed up 32 of these bags over the past 2 days for our Church's use in this ministry.

So there you have it, 3 days of practical and utilitarian sewing.  I snuck in one bit of embroidery, which I will have to show you...but not a bit of tatting I fear.