It's Tuesday......time for Crazies!

That's right......it's the first Tuesday of the month so I am off to join my "Tuesday Crazies" friends for lunch and some stitching fun! We are meeting at Adella's today and it's also a celebration of her birthday which was yesterday, and Kate's birthday which was May 1st. There are gifts for them in the picture below. There are also gifts for Pandora, Sue and Laurie because I forgot them when we met at my house last month. I was so busy worrying about lunch and getting my house clean for their visit that I totally forgot birthdays. I mean, totally! Got it covered this month! ........Now,......... Pandora, Sue and Kate read my blog, so gals..........I didn't put the cards with the gifts so you will just have to guess which package is for you. :-)

All the gifts are wrapped in birthday print fabric that I found at JoAnn's on clearance, of course. So was the ribbon. I got three reels of ribbon that have 100 yards on each reel for just $1.00 each. I had to ask the store clerk if the price was right and she confirmed it was! I love it! Wait til you see the deal I got on rick rack at the Thrift Shop last week......wait that's for tomorrow's post.....

So what am I taking to stitch on today? I'm taking this piece of vintage wool work. Over on Pat Sloan's blog last week, she featured Jo Ann Mullaly who has authored the book "Wool Crazy". If you go here , you'll find Jo Ann's blog and lots of information on her book and groups who are doing her project. I've not seen her book in any of the shops I've been in recently but when I do, I'm sure I'll buy the book. I have every title that is currently available on crazy quilting and share them with my Tuesday friends and our evening crazy quilt group. So, as I listened to Pat interview Jo Ann last week, I remembered this piece of vintage wool work and I had an "a-ha" moment. I remembered that my mother had given me this piece (another item that was in a box of fabric items that she purchased at auction) and it was unfinished. It's all wool and the maker handpainted those leaves and the tiny flower. The pieces are stitched on an old flour or feed sack and I can make out the words "Waseca, MN" and that's it. I never knew quite what to do with this piece.....should I leave it as is or should I embellish it and make it a finished piece. After listening to Pat's radio program, I knew it was time to make this a finished piece!! Thanks to JoAnn and Pat for the inspiration needed to get this piece out and start finishing it!

The floss colors that you see laying across the wool piece are from Gentle*Art*Threads. I love their floss and use it on my penny rugs and wooly things. Once I found it, I was hooked on it! The floss in the photo is all wool and the colors are just perfect for this ..... just like they were "meant to be". I recommend their threads to my students and demonstrate stitches with their cotton floss when I teach. This will be a nice piece to demonstrate working with the wool floss. I'll get this started today and will be able to share it at my "Wooly Wednesday" class next week. I folded it up, then tucked it and the floss in my covered sewing box and I am ready to go..........

The box is just one of those paper-mache boxes that I painted, then my husband added grommets for the rope handles. I covered the top with wool-felt scraps that I stitched together by hand, then added it to the lid of the box. This could be a tutorial so I'll add it to my list. I could use a new one as this one is beginning to look a little worn as I have carried it to classes for several years now. I can grab this box and this will be my "take-along" project for the next few months .... no pressure, just plain stitching fun!

Later then........
Sandi

P.S. I have some blog comments that need answers and will be replying to those in the next few days. :-)