To Nora....With Love

I was sad today.  Nora Ephron died yesterday and I will miss her.  I did not know her but she knew me and you and our sisters and mothers and friends.......she knew us from the inside out.  When I needed to cry I could count on her to help me feel whatever it was that troubled me.  What a great gift she was to us.  It is one more reason to believe that God may very well be a woman! 

I spent a wonderful weekend with a group of women friends.......we are all different and the same......perhaps, for me, that is why I feel this loss of Nora Ephron....she would have fit right in with us.....she was every woman, any woman, and all women. 

Although I am sad, I celebrate her life and am grateful for her being among us.  I hope she went with peace and wish I could hold her family safe.  I hope she had daughters. 

When you are with the women in your life over the next few days, remember to tell them you love them.  I give my love to all of you..................

Tradition

There is a Tradition ...one might even call it an old wives tale.  It has to do with knives and scissors.  I heard this first at my sisters wedding shower, almost 40 years ago when our cousin Phyllis gave my sister a great set o knives and then gave her a penny.  We all asked what the penny was for and she told us "When you give something that will cut...there is a belief that it will cut the love or friendship so you must always give something round at the same time".  After that, as is often the case, I heard the "old wives tale" everywhere.  A few years ago I visited a wonderful family at a scissor factory in France.  The were very kind and gave us some beautiful scissors that day.  When we were ready to leave I gave the mother and her two sons each an American penny.  Marie Claire hugged me and said "You know the tradition!".....it was a special moment.  So when I design kits that will be used with scissors, I include a penny for you to put inside so if you ever loan them to a dear friend or loved one,  the penny will keep your love and affection safe. 

It's About Time......

I know it has been forever since I updated my blog. I have been busy. I showed the first of my designs and kits at the Nashville Cross Stitch Show in February. The kindness shown to me by Pat and Ann of Dyeing to Stitch is more than I can ever repay.....the kindness of the women at the event was overwhelming.


I will always be grateful for the guidance that came to me in so many ways. Helping me make contact with new opportunities for raw materials and opening new avenues to meet people who are just so gracious and giving has been a true gift.

I could not have put this together with out the help of my wonderful daughter and the sister of my heart!

Many shops across the country have ordered these kits and if you need to know who is in your area, just send me an email at purplethreaddsgn@aol.com and I will be happy to give you their names.....


This box has all the "ingredients" to make this needle book that has several storage pockets on the inside, the "fortune cookie" shaped fob and the little pin keep.....what may be showing as black on your pic is really navy blue and looks super with the green. The edge of the box is covered with navy twill and the tail is how you open the box.....

Coco Chanel was one of the great women of her generation. And I love all of her black and white designs. She was a needleworker of a different kind....and yet it was her talent and understanding of needle art that let her to her success.

This scissor fob was inspired by the scissors shown with it and they are a treasured gift. The back side of it is also stitched with black thread and although the button on mine is from my vintage stash, the kits have a button of the same size.

My little Strawberry Bleu tells the story of my Sister, Mom and I spending early mornings picking Strawberries for Jam. They are precious memories and I look forward to many strawberries .....hopefully, a basket full of these designs.

This one is named Close to my Heart and is two of my favorite colors.....Green and Purple.....actually, the fabric is lighter than it is showing here and the purple is less blue than it is showing here. I really have to learn how to adjust the colors in my pics.

I hope you like all that you see here!

Who Invented......................

Who invented prestitching as part of a Teaching Getaway Weekend was a "show off"....of the worst kind. As you all know, I am a lover of the projects of Jackie du Plessis...I truly believe our ancestors will be fighting over them in antique shops as the design and quality they all seek......Having said that....In late June I was at a class in Albany for a new project Jackie was introducing. There was no prestitching....it was a gift from the gods.....Everyone approached this class with a relaxed and really wonderful attitude.....


Jackie's projects for nearly a year are showing an abundance of freedom to create from her heart. I am not showing pictures yet of the new project .....but I want you to know the things we worked on over the weekend put us ahead in the finishing of the overall project and now the stitching will simply add to it's grandeur.......It is my intention to stitch this and have my Mother stitch on it as well and then gift it to my daughter.....3 Generations......

Of course, I had to take gifts to all my friends in the class. The stack of boxes you see at the top is a pile of the gifts. The top is a design I created and then printed on paper that matched the box. It was cut to size and glued to the box top. Then I punctured each side, put through a ribbon and attached to the top with some cardboard punched shapes from one of the craft stores I haunt!

Inside the box was a pin cushion I made.....traditionally, I make each of us a pin cusion of what ever design has struck my fancy that year. The White Paper Bobbins have a stamp of my favorite "zen" leaf. And the pouch....

The pouch contains a picture and all the ingredients to make the little scissor fob below.......the pattern is from the box top!

I hate to admit it but making

this whole thing was more fun than you can imagine.....

On the Thursday of our time together, we made a Bobbin holder. Mary dyed the things we used and provided everything we needed to finish.

Which as you know if you have ever attended one of these is a fabulous thing.....to go home with something finished......Each persons has the same beginnings but a completely individual end!

I am roasting vegetables today for a Quiche for dinner and the smell through the house is marvelous.....one would think I have 10 people to feed instead of my 1.......

BonJour

J'ai décidé d'être français aujourd'hui.

Which says, I have decided to be French today. This is being accomplish by my surrounding myself with sweet things that I love and sharing them with you. First the flowers on the right are perfect shades of purple and green. You can see in the upper right hand corner of the picture that the river is beautiful and calm this morning. This picture is in my sunroom/studio. It is filled on 3 sides with windows and faces the mighty Delaware river. What you can not see because of my clever photography, is the Dupont Chemical plant across the river. I have only lived here when there were leaves on the trees which mask the stacks perfectly. It will be interesting to see the view when the leaves are gone.

I live in the southern part of New Jersey. It is very rural and filled with farms. I am about 20 miles from the heart of Blueberry country.....I went to the farmers market last evening and bought a bit of all the fresh NJ fruit they had. Peaches, two kinds of Cherries (Rainier and Bull Hearts), Blueberries, and, believe it or not, the last fresh local strawberries. This morning I cleaned and sliced all of them, squeezed a lemon and zested it into the bowl, added some splenda and bisquick (because I did not have any flour or cornstarch) tossed gently. Put it into the Pie Place and covered it with a combination of Oatmeal, brown sugar splenda, bisquick, and toasted coconut.....see the pick below.....after about 40 min at 350 degrees...here is my French Fruit Tart

I spent several hours in the car yesterday and when that happens, I often chat with my mother. Yesterday, we were trying to decide what we would make for meals over the weekend......Poached Chicken Breasts popped into my mind to cool and use in a fresh salad. So, in keeping with my being French today, I gathers fresh herbs from my herb pots, sliced some onion, carrots, celery, and two garlic cloves. Put all of this with water and the chicken breasts (bone in) into a pot and simmered away....the smell was magnifique! The herbs you see in the picture are parsley and sage. I think it is a very pretty broth I have from the poaching.....

These breasts are cooling on the counter as I write this and will then be chopped for a salad for dinner.....not sure what else will be included. Any suggestions??????

I am going to spend some time sitting in the sun reading this morning. It is on my list. Then a bubble bath and an afternoon of stitching. My evening is going to be matching finished stitched projects to their perfect fabric matches BECAUSE tomorrow is going to be a finishing Sunday.....that is when I set up the sewing machine very early - attach things together and then spend the day hand finishing them all.

Almost Any Excuse......

This post is going to be varied and a bit random as my daughter would accuse me of being.....



First the picture depicts my feelings about certain behaviors.....Last Sunday a calamity of errors caused me to make an illegal U turn and the "Well Behaved" line became my reason. Having locked all my keys in my car and having promised to take my friends to the airport, it was a hectic morning......My Friend Connie saved the day with her AAA membership and it took 2.5 seconds for the mechanic to open the door once he arrived 45 minutes after he was called. These things happen and they are the fodder for a life well lived.

COOK BOOK REVIEWS

SIMPLY FRESH soon to be published is simply unremarkable. Beautiful photography and despite the adage that we eat with our eyes first , there has to be a reason for the second step. And yet, it might be a perfect "First" cookbook for a beginner who wants to entertain with simple recipes, no challenge, and ingredients easily purchased at the local supermarket.

AMISH FRIENDS COOKBOOK: DESSERTS Oh, My.....COOKIES, as the Monster shouts. The cookie recipes in this book make my mouth feel the crunch on my teeth and the spices on my tongue. AND my mind wonders to the milk in the refrigerator. The ingredients are unusual and yet easily found. Ever had a rhubarb cookie? You will not find these recipes in a wee book at the grocery store check out counter. My only question, is regarding the quantity some of the recipes make.....will it be enough!

The PIES....I am a woman who does not get a birthday cake, I get birthday pie. The crust recipes will rival my Mothers perfect crust. There are pie recipes here that are company worthy!

I wished for more pictures. When I closed this book, I headed to the kitchen to look for the brown sugar. Buy some on your way home from the bookstore!

I look out the window beside my computer and it is a beautiful sunset across the Delaware River. The sparkling water moves in the breeze and the leaves move like a .............well, like a leaf in the wind....
I am honored and most fortunate to be anAmerican. Celebrate this July 4th with a song in your heart!

In the Mood.............

My friend Barbara Anne was supposed to visit for Brunch today but she got caught up in a Bid Deadline and had to reschedule. I had all the ingredients for this Quiche so I decided I deserved it anyway! The peas are from the local farmers market and I shelled them myself. The Vidalia is always a welcome addition to any dish. Shrimp are a favorite and these were just sweet and perfect. The Strawberries and Blueberries are some of New Jersey’s finest. A great bonus to living here in the rural part of SNJ.








I think pictures of food are just the most fun…..maybe in my next life I can be a stylist for food pictures. Do you love the little pea pod salt and pepper shakers? I am not a ceramic salt and pepper shaker lover but I think these are just too cute. And they take up little room on a table. The napkins and place mat are antique linens for my meager collection……they are hand stitched and I always wonder - first about the woman who put each stitch in the fabric AND about the stories they have heard as they sat prettily on the table.

I am visiting some friends at the end of the month in New York. I am making them some gifts and it is a perfect Sunday to finish them……look for pics after I my visit.