Flosstube #69 Show Notes

Happy Flosstubesday!!!

Best New Thing: 

• Theresa Vennett, KittenStitcher, her  Zine is out! It's called Samplers Yesterday & Today and it's FANTASTIC!! (of course!)
  

Click on the link above the picture and go get yourself a copy. You will thank me. ;-)

FFOs: (none this week)

Finishes: 

• My contribution to Wendy's #CountryStitchersRR piece is done!! I'm not showing any pictuers in case Wendy wants to be surprised but once again, my motif is from Blackbird Designs Quaker Garden: 

WIPs (Works in Progress) SO MANY this week!! Thanks #ArbitraryAugust!

• For the #JMDSturns5 SAL on Instagram, and then rolling into #ArbitraryAugust, I worked on something different EVERY DAY. Here. We. Go. 

• August 1: Skeleton Crew from the Cricket Collection:
  

Here is the before:

And here is my after: 

I'm in love with this (and everything that I stitched on this week). The fabric is a piece of bespoke 28 count Lugana from Fabulous Fabrics and I'm stitching it in an overdyed conversion that I'm coming up with one floss at a time. Right now I can tell you that the sails are stitched in WDW Baby's Breath and the pumpkin is a combination of Weeks, Gentle Arts, and Victorian Motto flosses.

• August 2: Scary Mouse from Brenda Gervais: 
  

Here is what it looked like before August 2:

And here is what it looks like now: 

I started this for 15 minutes on December 31 so that it would be eligible for Year of WIPs (that rule has since been done away with). I started stitching it 2/1 on 18 or 20 count Aida that I dyed with Pearl Grey Rit, but when I was stitching on it this time I stitched with one strand. So..... the 2/1 had to come out. 

• August 3: Here Lie My Needles from Shakespeare's Peddler: 
  

And here it is before:

And now: 

This was also my travel WIP for the week and I think I may keep it as a travel WIP for the month because I'm SEMI close to a finish and I'd LOVE to have this finished and hanging up in the house.

• August 4: Alice Under the Dreaming Tree from HAED: 
  

Here is where I was with it prior to today:

And now:

• August 5: Halloween Quaker from Lila's Studio: 
  

I started this on January 1 and I haevn't touched it since:

But here it is now: 

I'm obsessed with this fabric. I dyed it for myself and Heather, the Imperfectly Perfect Stitcher, and it came out more wonderfully than I could have hoped. I also want a tattoo of this blue motif. <3 <3 

• August 6: Brocade Boulevard from StoneStreetStitchworks: 
  

Here is it is with 15 minutes of work from December 31:

I put a LOT of time in on this yesterday, and here it is: 

This design is everything I thought it would be. And more. I love it so much and I'm frankly shocked at how quickly it's stitching up. I'm using the called for DMC. 

• And up next!! Per the Tiny Decisions App, is NOT Blessings Abound like I said! I had the name and the designer wrong. It's October 31 from Kathy Barrick: 
  

Thrifting:

• Two AMAZING finds for a total of $5 at the Goodwill in Salem, Oregon: 
• FFO Santa, designer unknown (help a sister out) 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• A really pretty if slightly dinged up sewing box. Love it. 
  

Purchases: 

• August Floss of the Month from Julie at Gulf Coast Stitches:
  

• Push Stitchery, curated by our own Jamie, Mr. X Stitch: 
  

This book is WELL worth picking up. Some of the images are suggestive, but not by any means all of them or even half. Click on the picture above to purchase it via my Amazon Associates link. It's well worth the price.

• Kathy Barrick is putting a few of her designs out of print, so I picked up a couple from her Etsy Shop:
  
  
  
  
  
  

• ACORNS & THREADS!!!
• With some help from JoLyn, I picked up some 36 count Confederate Grey fabric for the Blackbird Designs Tis the Season SAL: 
  

• I grabbed the next two months of the By the Bay Harbor Haven SAL: 
  

Here is what it looks like finished:

• I also picked up the first three charts for the Jeannette Douglas Letters From Mom Series, September, October, and November: 
  

This series is going to be amazing and each month comes with a special Cottage Garden Threads color that is featured in the design, usually in the border. 

• And to keep the Jeannette Douglas love rolling, I picked up the first four designs in the Box series and the FANTASTIC spinny box holder: 
  
  
  
  
  The box is from Cabranmary Woods in Wisconsin. And their work is STUNNING. I highly recommend checking them out and buying one if you want it. 

Happy Mail/Gifts: 

• From Debbie, stuff for the Alzheimer's Sale and the CUTEST needlecase: 
  

• From Sarah, an ATC and some AWESOME charts!! 
  

• From Gina, Alzheimer's sale donations for you and a tiny little Christmas chart for me: 
  
  
  
• My own Alice in Wonderland bag from Bagz Plus, Corina!! 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I LOVE these bags. I'm an American Distributor for Corina to keep her customers' shipping costs down. Check out her Etsy Store here and her Facebook page here! 

Flosstube Shoutouts: 

• Tania, Zen Stitcher
• Lottie, Kerry In Stitches' Daughter, my new favourite Flosstuber!!! 

Books: They weren't in my video (too long anyway) but I finished two this week:

• Bring me Back by BA Paris: I'm going to guess that this one was recommended by Danielle, Stitcherista. 
  
  I gave this book 4/5 stars. It was good. It kept me guessing and although the ending was abrupt and the author used a letter to resolve the plot, it was still a satisfying resolution. Click on the picture to go to the Goodreads page. 

• I, Alex Cross by James Patterson. It's part of the PBS Great American Read, although I cannot figure out why: 
  

I gave this book 2/5 stars. It was occasionally interesting but it was formulaic down to the descriptions of the people involved. I guess that's probably what you get from #16 in a series.... 

Instagram Auction Items!!

• Auction will take place today through Tuesday, July 24 at 0600 PST on @michellebendy on Instagram. Here's an amazing diagram describing how to bid: 
  

Under the picture of the item that you'd like to purchase, you put your bid in $1 increments AND you tag the person who bid above you. Only the person who bid DIRECTLY above you!

• Here are the winners of last week's auctions: 
• They ALL include a one year (4 issue) subscription to PNPS magazine PLUS....
  
  
• PNPS and Silk: it's a 4 issue (one year) subscription to PNPS magazine (print or digital for US subscribers; digital only for international subscribers) PLUS two skeins of Dinky Dyes and five skeins of Gloriana: won by Sharon!
  
• PNPS and Fabric: it's a 4 issue (one year) subscription to PNPS magazine (print or digital for US subscribers; digital only for international subscribers) PLUS a 22"x13" piece of  28 count Cashel linen in Dubloon from PTP (donated by Theresa KittenStitcher) Won By Sara!
  
• PNPS and Finish:  it's a 4 issue (one year) subscription to PNPS magazine (print or digital for US subscribers; digital only for international subscribers) PLUS the ORIGINAL shop model of Raise the Roof November Angel donated by Theresa KittenStitcher. Also won by Sharon!!
  
  
  
  
• PNPS and Chart:  it's a 4 issue (one year) subscription to PNPS magazine (print or digital for US subscribers; digital only for international subscribers) PLUS the chart Adam & Eve Revisited from Kathy Barrick. won by Lis!
  

• And the new auctions: These will end on Tuesday, August 14 at 0600 PST. This week's theme is KITS!
• Plum Street Samplers Heritage Sampler kit, with all of the called for flosses and 32 count Olde Town Blend Linen from R&R, donated by Darleen B.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Next up is The Jane Coates Sampler from The Essamplaire, full kit with 30 count linen and DMC, donated by Barbara: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Next is a FULL kit with finishing items of Basket of Red, White, and Blue by Shakespeare's Peddler, including the called for linen, flosses, button, and the Hobby Lobby drawer to finish it in. All donated by Theresa Vennett:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Finally, a FULL kit and finishing necessities from Nikki at Kanicki's Prims and Whims of her Winter Wonderland Belsnickle Santa design! You'll get a gorgeous piece of her Sepia Trees printed linen, all of the flosses you need, foam core for mounting, AND the wood slat mounting board that Nikki's husband makes: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Outside Links:

• Acorns & Threads
• Reflections Framing & Stitching
• Gulf Coast Stitches
• Starlight Stitchery
• Punch Needle & Primitive Stitcher Magazine
• XStitch Magazine
• Kaniki's Prims & Whims
• KittenStitcher.com

Flosstubers Mentioned

• Theresa, KittenStitcher
• Liz & Deb, Country Stitchers
• Vikki, StitchNButton
• Sarah, StitchinMommy
• Audrey, StitchyWitch42
• Michelle, Romantic Tangle
• Lynda Jo, Pretty Southern
• Lolly, LollypopStitches

And I FINALLY have a date for the Alzheimer's Live Sale on my YouTube!! Mark your Calendars!!! And please, please, click on the picture to fill out a Google form to pre-register for the sale; this will help me a BUNCH!