Life is better at the lake...

I snuck away for a little birthday girl getaway at Lake Winnepesaukee last weekend. Did you miss me?

You might wonder why, when you live on a lake, you would visit a lake for vacation... yes, I kind of wondered about that, too.

The reservations were kind of last minutesy, but I got a couple of nights at a really beautiful resort in Meredith, NH, called the Inn at Mill Falls. Our room was in the building to the far right, (Location: 14), and as it turned out, all the action was at the building to the far left, (Location: ONE) but it was beautiful walk over there along a boardwalk-- you can see it in brown below. 

The grounds were just gorgeous-- you know how I love gardens!

 

This feature definitely got a lot of use! 

But, it was honestly just too beautiful outside to try this one.

I wonder if this is a popular place in the winter?

Our building had the advantage of being closer to the little town--

there were all sorts of shops, none of them chain stores, which is pretty unusual in this day and age. I wish I had taken more pictures of this, but I was too busy... shopping!

Our hotel was on "Meredith Bay,"-- it's just a tiny finger of the lake, so the second day, we decided to drive around part of the larger lake. The WHOLE drive is a long way... ninety miles, and believe me, you can't drive it at sixty miles an  hour, so we just took a little spin 45 minutes south and back.

They had "Scenic Overlooks" along the way-- but we should have known, when no one was parked at them, we were getting snookered! I know the trend is NOT to mow down trees in this day and age and I understand that, but the greenery was so tall and full, I had to stand on top of a rock on my tippy toes to get this picture!

When you look at a map of the coastline, I'm not sure a sweeping view across the lake exists anyway.

Honestly, nothing about the entire trip could have been disappointing-- with my beautiful sister and my daughter, we were just laughing the entire time!

For dinner both nights, we went to this restaurant with a camp theme-- it was decorated like a lodge. Again, I wish I would have taken more pictures of it, but I was too busy.... EATING!

 

The colorful jet skis had our names on them-- but alas, time ran out.

I hope you enjoyed the trip! I'm not a big traveler, but after being stuck at home, I can't say enough how I enjoyed this little road trip... maybe there are adventures beyond what the sewing room offers. So who knows, when this crisis is over, I might be boarding that big ol' jet airliner!

This was our last big night, at the Tiki bar on the bay-- 

definitely a happy ending...

 But also, another happy ending when we returned home-- my new Block of the Month has arrived!

Happy trails!

xox

Carol

And sew on, and sew forth...

 It's been another incredibly productive week here at craftopia!

Stitches of the Sea now has eight blocks, with the addition of "Back to School"!

When I started this, I thought the circles would be a fun shape to work in-- also, they reminded me of "portholes" on a ship. The intention was to make some sort of sashing to connect them all.

I soon realized that the connecting shape was impossible...

Can you imagine trying to stabilize the points on that red shape!

Of course, by this point, we were well into into it-- after this discovery I just had a SICK feeling inside! What to do, what to do....

Thank goodness I helped with my sister's move, unpacking this fabulous rug...

Apparently, my sister has had this Walmart rug for years and I must have stepped on it a thousand times before having this epiphany...

if the circles are spaced out a bit, you have a fabulous cross piece.

I am envisioning pretty seaweeds and shells in a border around the circles, and then some accents in the middle of these shapes like a larger shell or a mariner's compass. I'm excited about it... it is really such a pretty shape with tons of possibilities. Something we've never done before.

 So excited that I...

STOLE THE RUG... heehee.

In other craft news, I finished the second Mill Hill Halloween magnet.

Such an enjoyable and quick stitch! There is enough floss and beads to just about make another one... I had a giveaway of the leftover kit a couple of blog posts ago, and the person that won never checked back and got in touch with me. So now there are TWO kits of leftovers-- if you would like to get a little something in the mail, just email me this time at admin@sanfranciscostitchco.com and I will have a drawing for the remainders of the two kits-- just put "Mill Hill Giveaway" in the subject line. Then I can get in touch with you next week if you win. It would be such a shame to just throw them out.

Here is my next UFO-- this dates from 23 years ago and is about 1/4 finished. I checked and the black tray it was designed to sit in is still for sale! So I may buy it if it looks like it could get finished--it's a bit pricey-- why did I not have the foresight to buy it before!! LOL I can't tell you the enjoyment I have gotten out of working on these dear old things that have been with me for so long-- you should do the same. xox

One thing I noticed, that even with sitting on a commuter train while doing this, my stitching is impeccable! I'm not sure I still have that in me, but I'm determined to soldier on. It breaks my heart to think of all my unfinished work ending up in a dumpster years from now.

This is a newer thing-- my Frivols kits. This is #5 of 12 I am finishing. I may gift this one-- they are great gift sized projects.

I had a bad case of deja vu when I pulled this out--
turns out I had bought the fat quarter set of this fabric!

It is Little Miss Sunshine from Lella Boutique, and it took every fiber of my being to not turn the Frivol kit into a king sized project-- I succeeded.

I do love this fabric though, so I may pick another pattern-- maybe a cake mix, to use it up. There's a lot of it on the back of various embroidered mug rugs already!!

And I'll leave you with the "comical stalk."

It has now sprouted a comical stalk of it's own.

I'm sure there's a metaphor growing in my front yard...

and whatever it is, it is beautiful.

Have a lovely day.

xoxo

Carol

Sneaky peeks and fall fun!

 I am the last one to rush away summer, but have you noticed, even if the temps are still unbearable, that it's getting a little darker at night? And the crickets are getting just that little bit more loud? And here's a very certain sign of fall, even more compelling than the leaves losing their grip on the trees...

This means it's time to gear up for fall sewing! We have spent some lazy days over the summer gathering up some nuggets of fun for you. First up, we are making up a smaller Halloween advent calendar-- one that doesn't require candy-- because I think we're all struggling with our waistline days after sitting home so much. This was our big calendar from a couple of years ago--"The Creepy Crawly Countdown." Remember it?

It can hold quite a bit of candy corn-- 
even more, I bet, if you anchor it solidly to the wall!

The new one is a petite little 9" x 14"-- perfect for kids, yourself, or small enough for a loved one in a nursing home-- so many of you have written to me to tell you that's who you make these things for. 

<3

This is what the base looks like:

And here are the little pieces you will stick on each day
with Velcro dots:

I really enjoy little projects of this type-- it is absolutely no problem to think up 31 cute designs, and I'm hoping to release this shortly after Labor Day so you have time to make it for October 1st.

I have thought of doing an "advent" calendar for every holiday, but some of them are a moving target-- like Thanksgiving-- it just wouldn't work. 

Would you like one that is a perpetual calendar? Most of the pieces would be the numbers 1-31, but there could also be birthday cakes, and special pieces for Valentine's Day and all-- you would reset it the first of each month. I'm thinking of doing this as a Christmas present set. Let me know what you think.

And next up, Road Trip!

I have easily worked my way through the first three states, so I'm pretty committed to make this journey with you. 

xoxo

After much soul searching, I decided I just can't do subscriptions--

For one thing, this might take about 18 months to work our way through-- so it would be too overwhelming to take that much money upfront. 

The other problem is-- those pesky email deliveries all have a habit of disappearing, and for 18 months after that, we will have daily requests such as " I am missing North Dakota, the third email, and the one with the mockingbird on it--can you please replace them?" So I would probably have to charge more than I'd like to cover customer service.

Instead, I am going to do ten releases of five states each-- and we're going to mix it up-- like the first five are alphabetical, but the next five will have some other theme-- like Great Lakes, or largest (or smallest) land area-- that will make it more of a mixed up and madcap adventure -- much more enjoyable in my mind. 

Adventurous!

Of course, you can just buy a single.. or make your own journey-- some have mentioned just doing the states they have lived in or visited. 

The going might be a little slow through the Christmas season, but I'm convinced I can really rev it up when the Cottages of the Month and Stitches of the Sea sets are complete at the end of the year. Look for a first release also after Labor Day-- with a nod to Gordon Lightfoot, we're calling it

"Carefree Highways"! 

Finally, I've been sketching and digitizing Cottage finishing kits- I did decide to go with just ONE cornerstone design. The 20 I had in mind just looked way too overwhelming and confusing-- we're supposed to be looking at the cottages after all.

I know some of you liked the different ones, so I may release that just as an add on, or actually it could be a set unto itself.

The sashing part is being worked on, and I'm hoping we can have that in September as well. It will be sew fun to start sewing those cottages together! My set looks GREAT... September is back-to-school, so next month's theme is WISDOM. After that there are only three to go-- do you have a word you would like to see?

There's sew much to look forward to next month, but let's not wish away summer took quickly.... here's another look at my "comical stalk"--it has now rewarded me for not snipping it off with a beautiful flower!

A great week to all...

xox

Carol

Craftopia

 I promised myself no more pictures of Sew In Love until it was finished and here it is!

I missed my Sunday deadline to post for #capehangaquiltday, but if you told me I would have a year-long block of the month finished in three months, I wouldn't have believed it.

I don't enjoy sewing together long rows, so I worked very patiently while it gained weight, continually slipped off the table, pins and more pins, etc. etc. I even graciously stopped to help my dear daughter mend her favorite pjs, taking the time to hand her a safety pin.

I will get a more glamorous picture when it is done, done-- quilted. It is beautiful, and all the credit goes to Laundry Basket Quilts and the lovely Editya Sitar. <3

I had another finish this week, too!

It is my Mill Hill Halloween ornament! If you ever have the hankering to once again try cross stitch, I highly recommend these cute little mini kits. The kit had everything I needed-- fabric, needles, floss, beads, instructions, and even a cute little "treasure"-- who doesn't love treasure-- a tiny glass pumpkin.

This was about a two week project-- and there really isn't any opportunity to accesorize it and make it into a four year project as I so love to do, heehee.

There is almost enough floss and beads left to make a second one-- if you'd like to get a little something in the mail, just comment below that you'd like to make one and I will have a little drawing for the leftovers. The only thing missing is the glass pumpkin, but I will even throw in a piece of Aida to make your own. It's just a little something to thank you for reading my blog. Just check back on Monday to see if you won. xoxo

I started right into the second ornament-- these were sold as a pair.

The "treasure" this time is a black star button-- it's a bit hard to see in the picture. I have tiny frames for them and am scouting a location in my house for a Halloween display-- they might even stay up longer, they are just that cute.

Since the pandemic, the projects here just keep multiplying, especially with the ability to go back into stores. I was there the day Michael's opened for the first time in months and the love and camaradie with my fellow shoppers was truly touching.

In that spirit, I could no longer pass this chunky yarn up.  I'm sure you have seen this in Aisle 12... size 50 needles are required.

It is a universal maxim that little things are always cute, but this proves chunky, fat things are just as cute, too... a very comforting thought during quarantine!

It's not as cute to knit with though-- for once, I need bigger hands. I had to restart three times before turning the project over to my daughter. It's just a big rectangle that folds into a pillow.

All this activity has caused Mr. SFO to rename the house "Craftopia," and in that spirit, I give you this last finish...

This one, my daughter found in Aisle 3... I LOVE IT!

It is a giant Perler bead design-- never, I repeat never, has a huge ironing board surface come in so handy!

Now let's get out there and make those crafts!

xox

Carol

True Stories from My End of the Summer Garden...

Summer is in danger of wearing out its welcome... we get to this point every year, when it's too hot, too sticky, and the joys of working outside have become a chore. I left this topic in June, when you remember, I vowed to match Mr. SFO's manicured grass with equally lush gardens. For a while, I did keep up-- then two weeks of blistering heat and humidity kept me inside. This is what I found when venturing out yesterday:

Whatever weed took over my caladium garden, I'd like to transplant to flats and sell it. A more uniform and hardy ground cover, I have never seen.

When I bought this new rose bush to try in the front, I'm pretty sure "a sense of humor" was not listed on the tag as a characteristic of growth. Since "a sense of humor" is listed on my tag, I'm leaving this comical sprout until Mr. SFO mentions it.

In this part of the country-- two front doors is a "thing." I don't get it-- but one is theoretically a mud room entrance and one a formal entrance. I guess our people are all mud room people, because that's the only door we use. Occasionally, a more genteel visitor rings the bell at the formal door-- in this case, it was our septic cleanout guy. When I opened the door, instead of looking at me, he was glancing to the right-- no doubt admiring this amazing beanstalk that is hidden from my usual view. Thank God he did-- in another week, it would've taken a chain saw to pull this baby out.

So that's the front yard-- I'm afraid to visit the back-- but a storm is plowing through tonight, hopefully bringing in some cooler weather-- so no gardening excuses anymore. I am very ready for fall.

Did I say that I might spend an entire day finishing my Sew In Love quilt? If you believed me, you got taken for one big long ride! No doubt due to some undiagnosed ADHD, it's not really possible for me to stick with one project for that long. Final assembly has commenced, however-- it is still conceivable it may be done in time for my quilt guild's Hang A Quilt day next Sunday. 

I counted 54 pins in just one row to match the points... 

Then there are two borders... the finished size is 75" x 75" which is about as big of a thing as I would make. Still not a fan of pink-- but it is BEAUTIFUL-- really, even the pictures in the book, no doubt taken by a professional photographer, do not do it justice.

My little Mill Hill Halloween ornament is all stitched and I have started beading it-- it's going well-- no seed beads down the back of my couch yet.

And then, since this is supposed to be an embroidery blog, I will tell you the Kindness Cottage is ready for a first test today-- it is an adorable farmhouse-- "ALASKA" is sketched-- I'm still going in alphabetical order for now, while deciding if ADHD and a 50-state series make for happy road trip buddies-- and I have all 30 Halloween icons drawn for a new advent calendar.

Now, let's get out there and stitch!

xox 

Carol

Happy August!

August is my birth month-- yes, why celebrate for just a day! I try to keep it going for as long as possible.

For the monthly programs, I usually do something that is extra special to me-- in the past, this has been California quail, beach roses, ships in full sail, and caladiums. For Stitches of the Sea, it is definitely going to have to be a dolphin, and for the cottage-- it will definitely have to be a farmhouse, since the DH and I fell in love on his dad's farm. None of this has, unfortunately, made it on to paper yet, but with the blazing heat outside, chances are that it will today.

This a pretty shadow box I made with one of my August Mug Rug sets... I stitched on a lattice made of fabric, and added some ribbon leaves and little seed beads in the sand. DH made me a lovely frame from driftwood... We are so perfect together--  he does woodworking while I sew, and occasionally the two pasttimes meet!

This week, I did an experiment-- you may have seen it on Facebook or Instagram. I always wanted to visit the 50 states, and since that can't happen right now, we could stitch them. Alabama came out well, but before I start this, I'd like to get at least a little ahead, and make sure I'm good for all fifty! Originally, I was going to go in alphabetical order, but my customers from Wyoming and Wisconsin nixed that idea-- so I may just go with pulling names out of hat. It kind of makes it more fun that way-- you'll never know where we end up-- a crazy, mixed up road trip with lots of wrong turns is more like the one I would really have!

Halloween is my favorite holiday-- it's all about the candy-- and the only thing scary about it is how much I eat!!  I'm thinking of a cross stitch advent calendar-- a really small one. Here are some of the little pieces you would attach for 31 days-- these are sew fun and easy to do. It's no problem for me to think up 31 of these!

I showed you this-- it is my new morning hand stitching project. I bought this last year-- I saw these Mill Hill kits at a quilt show. I really recommend them-- they are well designed, and they even include beads and this one has a tiny glass pumpkin to stitch on. I'm making quick progress-- it is now time to backstitch-- I'm a little afraid of the beads-- I've never sewn them to a cross stitch project like this before, and I can just imagine spilling them all over the floor!

While cleaning up last weekend, I found a perfect little frame for it.

Don't you love when you can finish a project without buying anything else? It's supposed to be a magnet, but magnets are a thing of the past-- nothing sticks to these stainless steel fridges-- did you notice? There's also a second matching design with a black cat. It's wonderful to work on things that don't take six years to finish.

 

Sew in Love quilt-- one block to go and I am sad to say, no progress on that this week! Is this the point where I stick it in a drawer for 20 years? I sure hope not.

 

Instead of the annual quilt show, my guild is sponsoring a "Hang Your Quilt" out day-- it is next Sunday. I may just take a day to finish it-- working an hour at a time will sure give you progress, but I feel like I just need one big push-- a deadline-- to drag it over the finish line. We live in the woods, so if I Hang My Quilt, only the squirrels will see it-- but you can also take a picture and upload it to social media with the hashtag #capehangaquiltday. I definitely want to support them-- so I'll remind you, too, and we can see what people do and give them "likes."-- it will be fun.

So that's just a fraction of what is going on in the studio this past week-- thanks for reading-- now get out there, and enjoy this beautiful day!

xox

Carol