Fairy Flowers

Who says there are no fairies?  I've seen evidence to the contrary!  First of all, the more magical the environment, the more likely there are to be magical things within it! 

I've emerged from bug hell this summer into a beautiful landscape that occurs this time of year here in the desert Southwest:  Monsoon Season.  The normally dry desert transforms into a lush paradise, if only for a few weeks.   And as in most desert climates, the flowers and foliage tend to be tiny...more to conserve moisture, I am supposing.  These tiny little flowers, leaves, grasses, etc, are enchanting, at least to my eyes.  I'd like to share with you some of the images I've taken of such flowers on my  evening walks down my dirt road after supper.  Then the air is cool and often, a thunderhead is brewing to the east.   So, to set the stage, here is a photo taken just the other evening, around 7:30pm.   Pretty magical, wouldn't you agree?

I should probably clarify that all of the photos are taken with my Droid phone camera.   Often the focus is on the background grasses rather than the flower, because this is a phone, afterall!  Also, because it is dusk, many of the flowers are folding up.  I should go out during the day to capture their full beauty, but the daily temps deter me from that exploration. 

I also need to say that I don't know the names of most of these little plants.  However, that doesn't stop me from admiring them.  I hope you will too!   (My comments on the photos are underneath the posted photos.

            What can I say?  Fairy pink, delicate, so tiny, so detailed!  I love the little stamens!

Look at the sweet little unopened pods on this plant, like Chinese lanterns.  Bear in mind their diminutive size;  these flowers are under 1/2 inch in diameter.

        They have a rather orchid like look, don't they!

The petals on these tiny flowers have a cottony texture.  Notice too, their unopened counterparts on the right hand side....a tiny ball of clustered knots.  Each knot is a petal waiting to be born!

I do know the name of this one:  Fairy Duster!   Of course it is!

This one is my favorite.  The flowers are barely 1/2 " across, and just so precious!  They look like tiny pom poms!  I can see stitching their portrait with a single strand of floss. 

 I know the name of these flowers too.  They are wild verbena, and look very much like the ones you can purchase in a nursery.  Often the clusters get very dense, just mounds of purple/pink!  Love them!

I don't know the name of these, but really now!  FOUR petals?  And how cute are they!

Again, I don't know the name, but so cute, eh?  Those stamens call for bullion stitches, for sure, if you were to stitch them!

                                                      A classic daisy, 1 inch across.

This photo is blurry, but I had to post it.  Believe it or not, this is the unopened bud of the daisy flower featured above.  It is barely 1/4" in diameter, and who would ever guess that color would end up as yellow and white?

Last, but not least, this photo features the flowers of the manzanita tree.  This is not a recent photo, but I decided to include it here because I've long thought of these precious little bells as fairy flowers.  This particular tree is next to my house, and there are many more on the property. 

I hope you've enjoyed "taking this walk" with me today.  The hunt for fairy flowers is just beginning though, as each day, I will be seeing more and more varieties of seasonal wildflowers appearing.   I'll be documenting my discoveries, and perhaps, posting more photos in the future. 
Keep your eyes peeled for ones in your area!

The Perfect Stitch...

I've had blog block for over a month..maybe 6 weeks?  Partly, this was due to my summer battle with
those nasty little false chinch bugs.  They migrated from a field next to my studio, entering the building though the tiniest places; around the windows, under the doors, and even up through the floors.  I cried, I cursed, I swept, I cleaned, I mopped, I vacuumed, I sprayed, and then, I did it all over again the next day, each day,  for the full 5+ weeks until monsoon arrived, heralding their departure!  Oh, and I also fired our exterminator!

The other reason for my blog block is because I've not been stitching very much.  I've been working on finishing princess shoes when not ridding my life of bugs!  That said, I have now and then, added a few little stitches to my swan canvas.  Sitting down at night and filling in a few areas with mindless stitching is just what I've needed to relax.  Tonight, I was doing that very thing, when, (harp music here....) the blog block broke!  Yes, indeed!  I finally had an idea to write about!

This occurred as I was implementing a stitch for the waterlilies in the swan painted piece.  I've always known I would stitch them with a buttonhole stitch, and when I actually did it, omgosh!  It was perfect!  I used the perfect thread, of course, Caron's Wildflowers, with this perfect stitch!  See here if you don't think it is perfect.

I love the way the stitch creates an edge around the perimeter of the lily pad.  I also love that it creates 'movement' and dimension from the center, where all the stitches originate, and form a little bump.  It speaks 'lilypad'!  And the overdyed threads are a real pleasure to use..seeing the way the colors emerge effortlessly.

I believe the buttonhole stitch was one of the first stitches I learned to do as a child.  My mother taught me to sew at an early age, and she taught me this stitch so I could make real button holes in my doll's clothes.  Later, I edged blankets with it, and I think it made me feel like I was creating something important, 'cause it was 'fancy'!

Over the years, as a needlepointer, I've used this stitch often.  I used it on a Nancy Swan Drew piece to create angel wings on a canvas featuring a mother who never gives up on her kids!  Flair was the perfect thread to use, along with a little bead embellishment on top of the ridge.  (One day, I'll get around to actually stitching the whole design.)

Of course, buttonhole stitches make great leaves AND flowers.  Here I created both in my Funky Flowers canvas.

It works for the sea horses in my Coral Sea piece.  These little guys are nothing but buttonhole stitch with a seed bead added for an eye.  Buttonhole stitch works great because it follows curves and fills in spaces all in one step!

Here it is being featured on a desert plant, in my Bougainvillea Wall piece.  This time, it was a detached buttonhole stitch, worked over two long threads which formed each spike of the plant.

Sometimes, just a "little" buttonhole stitch will do, as in the scallop feature along the bottom and at the top of this beehive.  The design would have been sorely lacking without it!

Lastly, I show you the background of 'Cowgirl Up'.  Circular shaped buttonhole stitches form polka dots reminiscent of those found on a bandana.  I think they added just what was needed to an otherwise pretty drab background.

As you can see, the buttonhole stitch is very versatile and useful.  It is an easy stitch to generate, and the results are very satisfactory.  I hope you will look for places to use it in your work, in areas you might not have considered. 
PS...did you notice the border of my blog background?  I didn't construct this, but as you can see, it IS the perfect stitch!

SWAN SONG....

I've been away from blogging for awhile due to 'the unusual Spring' which is, I've discovered, the cause of the bug plague that I've been dealing with for the last four weeks!  It is still ongoing, but I have hopes that when our summer rains come, the bugs will go!  Banish!  Be Dead! 

I learned too, thanks to a friend introduced to me by Sharon Garmize, Neva, that these bugs are called FALSE CHINCH BUGS!  My internet searches have revealed that these particular bugs are swarming all over the Western US, and Southern CA has them particularly bad! 

Today, I bought a product that I am hoping will help me in my battle just to keep them at bay!!  It is called Ecosmart, and is a nontoxic pesticide safe to be around children and pets.  That works for me, and I hope it works for the bugs too!

So..enough about them, and now about me!  Some time ago, I entered a little quilt contest at QuiltingArts.com, where the challenge was to take a photo of a swan with her nest of eggs and create a small quilt inspired by the photo.  I did just that...Here is my quilt entry again:

And even though it is certain that I am not going to be winning this competition, which ends tomorrow, based on the highest number of votes received by an entry (I do not KNOW enough people to solicit votes from!),  I loved the process of creating the quilt and want to do more.  I also decided to put  the design on needlepoint canvas.  Here is the painted canvas:

Naturally, I have to stitch it now.  I envision it stitched with silk ribbons, beads, metallics, overdyed threads.  I also envision using it as a birth announcement for a granddaughter who will be turning 4 her next birthday, and who, like all my grandchildren, have been sadly needlepoint neglected. 

So, in the moments when I'm not hosing down the outside walls of my studio with soapy water, vacuuming the interior walls, countertops, floors, window sills, cracks, crevices, nooks, crannies, desktops, table tops, bookshelves, crying, cursing, and complaining, I've begun to stitch on this piece.  Stitching has been my only sanity!  Here are a few little views.  Not much to show so far, but I have big plans!

                                      The Water:  2 ply Waterlilies, 1 ply Kreinik Holoshimmer

                     Plants:  So far...I'm using 1 strand Wildflowers and decorative stitches.

The whole swan theme is really a charming one, I think.  And as always happens, when I am designing something, I start to see similar things showing up all around me!  Just recently, I was at Home Goods, and look what I found!  A whole display of beautiful little swans who looked like MY swans!  I was tempted, but did not buy any.   I LOVE the large beautiful Soup Tureen!  But, it is sooo impractical!  I DO love it though!

Maybe these are little jam jars? Any suggestions for uses other than foods?  Maybe a jewelry container? 

And look at this adorable little friend!  (see what I mean about seeing 'my' ideas AFTER I implement them?)

To add to all the swan fun, on Saturday, I met my sister for lunch at an antique mall.  We browsed amongst vintage treasures for a little while before we had to both get back to work.  I kept an eye out for swans.  My oh my...they were a popular item in past times!  Here are a few images of, mostly, vases and candy dishes.  Truly, very charming creatures, these swans!

Would like to see this vase filled with pink tulips!

Sorry you have to crank your head sideways to see this pair!  Can you see their reflection in the water?
 

   This guy's neck is naturally cranked!

Another pretty pink and blue flower vase.  I like it!

And get a load of this one!  Doesn't it look just like the Home Goods variety!  Of course, this makes me think the HG's one is a knock off of perhaps some famous and valuable ceramic artist.  I need to go take another gander.  (an appropriate word to apply to swans, don't you think?)

I have more, but at the risk of being boring, I'll end up with one final image.  This is not of a swan, but I loved it just the same because it displays the water features of my swan's abode:  Velvety water lilies, cattails, shimmering water.  This crane is also very happy living in this pond.  I just bet there are swans there too!

Hope your summer is bringing you lots of stitching happiness, swans or otherwise, and certainly, NO PESTS!
Barbara~


    

Summer!

Summer has finally arrived in the high desert, after the strangest Spring.  Until yesterday, May 20th,  it has been unseasonably cool and breezy.  And while the temps are now climbing to their normal stature, the reason I know it is now summer, is because of the arrival of the dreaded flying ants!

They seem to plague only me!  Not my husband, who quietly and blissfully slumbers beside me, oblivious to the drama about to unfold.  At night, while we're in bed, with just my reading lamp on, and a crack in the bathroom window to let some fresh air seep into the room, the flying ants must slip in under the window screen.  Or perhaps they have sneaked inside during the day, unnoticed, when a patio door is opened and closed momentarily.  Then they will lurk behind baseboards, in window sills, in the folds of curtains, until they see ME readying for sleep.   Now, here they come, bouncing and snapping inside the drum lampshade of the bedside light fixture that I purchased on ebay...a circa 1950's mid century style, a tall, slim gourd shaped glass, with the "made in France" gold paper label still affixed on the bottom.

Their hard little hourglass bodies, maroon red in color with glassine wings are repulsive to me!  I snatch them with my hands and crush them between my kleenex protected fingertips.  This is not an easy task, but if I don't remove them, they don't stop their pesky behavior after the lights are out.  In fact, that is when they become really bad characters!

Always there are one or two who have escaped being captured.  With the lights out, and my eyelids finally becoming heavy and my mind finally drifting off to dreamland, I am rudely awakened by a shrieking whine inside my ear!   This, of course, startles me awake, and I angrily swipe away the horrid thing!  I make sure it is dead, and try to settle back down for sleep.   Mere moments later, or perhaps hours later, (who knows!) I am jolted to full consciousness again by the sound of fighter planes dive bombing into my hair!  I wave wildly with my hands, and because I am really tired, do not turn on the lamp to see where they have retreated.  I hope they have 'just gone away.'

Oh, delusional me!  I'm fully awake again as I feel something crawling along the back of my neck.  I brush my neck quickly and decisively with a purposeful hand, and also explore the inside neckline of my pajamas.  Satisfied that nothing seems to be there, I edge towards sleep again.  But this is not to be!  I feel a sharp pinch along a left back rib!  This time, I leap from the bed, flip on the light, and swiflty yank my pajama top up over my head.  I see nothing!  But suddenly, I feel another sharp pinch on my abdomen!  I pull down bottoms, and THERE HE IS!  I HATE HIM!  HE IS DEAD MEAT!  How he got past the elastic barrier of the waistband is one of life's mysteries.  I am pondering this fact, rather confusedly, angry that my journey into sleep has been such a rough one.  I turn to look at my husband, still oblivious to the light, my plight, my fight!  And now, he has reached the huffing and puffing stage of a large locomotive, chugging along the tracks of his dreams.  He doesn't care that I'm upset, angry, and have had a battle with ants!  He doesn't even know about the ants!

I look at him one last time as I gather up my favorite pillow and head for the spare bedroom, because now I have a train to contend with.

❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈

The above was my attempt at prose this morning, after my lingering memory of last night's battle with disgusting bugs!  I don't think all bugs are disgusting.  I do have a blog on Moths afterall, which I have not posted to for over a year.   Mainly, that is due to a non monsoon season last summer.  That is not predicted to be the case this year, so the moth migration should be spectacular! 

I also have designed many canvases over the years which depict various insects.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Faerie Chandelier

If a faerie had one.....it would look like this!

                                                                      June Princess Shoe
This hovering bee is actually needlepointed on canvas!
                                                              

                                                                      Beautiful Beetle
                                                
Wouldn't he make a handsome purse insert?

                                          
 A sweet birth announcement canvas for a baby girl!

Well, now I have the distaste of flying ants purged!  I think I'll go smell the roses!


PS...don't forget to vote for my quilt in the Quilting Arts competition, "Stitch This!"  See previous blog entry!  Thanks!
 

Quilt Challenge...Votes needed!

Hi to my blog friends,

This blog is going to be a plea for votes!  I entered a quilt challenge at Quilting Arts Magazine online, and the prize is a fabulous new Bernina sewing machine, the winner based entirely on the number of votes received by an entry.

My current sewing machine is 35 yrs. old, and while it has served me well over the years, I am ready for a new one with all the bells and whistles!  I have needlepoint finishing to do, plus many creative ideas to implement with a new sewing machine.  What better way to acquire one than by winning!

Here is a photo of the challenge inspiration.

I have found it very inspiring to see all the entries so far, as they are all quite different and reflect each person's imagination in rendering the swan.  It is not unlike a tv show challenge on the food network or HGTV, where one is given unusual ingredients or unexpected materials to decorate a room with.   That said, I think I have figured out why the winner is the result of the highest number of votes:  the magazine acquires possible new subscribers!  Please understand, however, that you DO NOT have to subscribe.  You can just vote.  You may have to sign up on the quilting forum, but can later unsubscribe.  I know it may be a lot of trouble, but it would be VERY appreciated by me!  My entry is titled "Once upon a time..." and is posted by stitchgirl2.  Go to:  www.quiltingarts.com/media/g/stitchthis/default.aspx


So, here is my entry.  I created it in 3 days, and it was a challenge for me all right!  My sewing machine is basic...as are my machine quilting skills!  Nonetheless, I enjoyed creating this very much.  Not sure what I will do with it...maybe use it as an inspiration for a new needlepoint canvas?  Please let me know if that would be of interest to any of you....

Here are a few close ups of the stitching.  I was unable to upload these to the quilting contest website.

I hope my fairy tale interpretation of the swan with nest has a Happily Ever After ending for me with a new machine!  Thanks in advance for your votes!

Again, here is the link to vote:  www.quiltingarts.com/media/g/stitchthis/default.aspx

Cinco de Mayo!

Hola!  Buenos Dias!

Today is a day for drinking lots of beer, evidently....Cinco de Mayo.   According to what I read on ABCnews.com, it is not the day that Mexico celebrates their independence, but rather, it is to celebrate the Mexican's victory over France in 1862, in the Battle over Puebla!   But more accurately......

"The date gained more attention in the 1980s when marketers, particularly beer companies, saw this as a perfect opportunity to capitalize on the celebratory nature of the holiday."
Eric Lurio wrote in the Huffington Post, "It's actually a Mexican-American holiday, which was for some reason very popular in California, and over the years has become the official Mexican ethnic day, as Columbus Day is for the Italians and Polanski Day is for the Poles. In other words, it's a harmless, if totally fake holiday."

Well, okay then!  Here in Arizona, we currently have a shameful immigration law to contend with.  But that said, I will have to join in the festivities and enjoy some tacos and enchiladas today!  I do love Mexican food!  LOVE IT, LOVE IT!  And I adore the color, architecture, folk art, and culture that is dominant in the Southwest where I have lived most of my life!

Sundance Designs, the company which distributes my wholesale canvas designs, had it inception by replicating the utterly charming works of one famous Italian American,  Ted DeGrazia, who portrayed the Mexican and Native American peoples in needlepoint canvas.  Check out their website to see an unparalled collection of Southwestern and Mexican inspired canvases:  www.sundancedesignsonline.com

Below are a few of my own designs, influenced by my roots here in Southern Arizona.  I was born and raised in Tucson....a native daughter, a rarity I understand in this day and age.  Perhaps I shall start stitching the little couple featured below TODAY, just because they have been awaiting being stitched a very long time!  I can see the threads and beads now that I'm going to use.....YUMMY!

                                                               Little Muchacha

                                                                 Mariachi Muchacho

                                                                   Talavera Sun

                                                         Inside the Bougainvillea Wall

                                                                    Mexican Hutch

                                                                       Funky Chicken

    
                                                                         Adobe Gate
  

                                                               
                                                                Sandor's Cottage


Bye for now~ or as they say in Mexico....Hasta la vista!  Adios Amigos!