Another Wayback Wednesday

This Wayback Wednesday post is related to last week's.  Remember how I mentioned I was cleaning out an old jewelry box and found the old Online Stitchers pin?  I also found this gem in there.  I used to go to the cross stitch festivals that were held in the early 90's and a group of us decided to make name badges for ourselves.  They were supposed to depict things that were important in our lives.  So I designed this name badge and stitched on it all the little things in my life that made me happy (okay, maybe not all the things but let's face it, it's a small badge).  The little kitty is my gray tabby, Tiffany, the dog represents Sam & Lady, our two loveable mutts, and I used to have an aquarium, hence the fish.  I also loved reading (still do) and of course, cross stitching.  I lived in Central Pennsylvania at the time so I had to include the little map of the state and the name of the town I lived in.   And let's not forget the little Prodigy symbol stuck up in the corner.  The fun thing about this badge is that I designed all the motifs myself except for the cat and I'm really kind of proud as to how it turned it.  It's stitched on perforated plastic (I figured it would hold up better and boy, was I right!) with DMC floss.  So this is just a little bit of nostalgia that's going back into storage.  But it was fun reminiscing about the past.

Wayback Wednesday

Okay, I've been doing the commuter/stitching things for a long time now.  I just never realized exactly how long it's been.  I found this last weekend when I was cleaning out an old jewelry box.

From the 80's!!

Way back in the 80's, when Prodigy reigned supreme (anyone remember those days when they gave you a floppy disc to load on your computer?), there were a group of stitchers who corresponded via a REC group.  We eventually coalesced into a semi-formal group calling ourselves Online Cross Stitchers.  For a couple of dollars you could buy the pin.  That way when you met up at a stitching festival, you could identify with someone you might have met on line.  Times sure have changed!  Nowadays with all the different Facebook groups, message boards, and bloggers out in the world, there probably is no need for a pin such as this one.  But it's fun to look back and see just how far we've come in the world of cross stitching.

You've Got to Be Kidding Me!

Okay, I know it's spring.  It's supposed to getting warmer, the birds are supposed to be singing, flowers blooming, yada, yada, yada.  Yet what do I see outside my window this morning?  This!

My backyard

A spring snow!  Now I know Colorado really needs the water so I am grateful for that.  But I'm so used to wearing shorts in April in Phoenix that I was really taken by surprise.  People have told me that if you don't like the weather here, just wait an hour and it is so true.  I had an appointment at 9am and a drive that would normally take me 10-15 minutes took me over half an hour.  It was so foggy you could only see about 100 feet in front of you.  And it's cold!  It went from 70 yesterday to freezing today.  I just had all of Annie's winter coat taken off yesterday and I felt so bad this morning when I had to let her out.  It's still snowing and it's predicted that we will get 3-6 inches more tonight.  Now I really understand how people become snowbirds.

Have Your Tastes Changed in the Last Several Years?

I know mine have.  When I started out cross stitching some 35 years ago (yes, it's been that long), I had very simple tastes.  I think the first cross stitch I finished was a Precious Moments.  After I stitched that first one, I bought all the Precious Moments charts I could find.  Now I'm not even sure where most of them are any more.  Then as I got a little bit more skilled (okay, a lot more skilled), I started stitching samplers and discovered Just Nan.  I bought every pattern she came out with.  About 5 years ago, I discovered I hadn't stitched any of her designs in several years.  I wasn't buying to stitch, I was buying to collect.  And honestly her designs have become a LOT more expensive then they were.  I love the old style Shepherd's Bush.  Here's their Noah's Ark that I did about 10 years ago.Then they changed their style of writing and I really haven't found any of their new designs I would spend money on.  Thank goodness I still have a bunch of their older kits still to be stitched.  

Noah's Ark

Here is another of their designs that I really like.  I have to admit I did not stitch this.  It was a model in a LNS that I bought when it went out of business.  It was only $13.00 and let's face it, the kit by itself was more than that.  When you're able to get a deal like this with it framed with the hand painted mats, you'd be crazy not to jump on it.

My Garden

There are a few designers that I have loved from their beginning and still love them.  Lizzie Kate and Prairie Schooler are two that come to mind.  I love Lizzie Kate's use of color and I really like Prairie Schooler's modern primitive look.  I'm still drawn to their designs after all these years.

So while my tastes in designs have changed, one thing hasn't after all these years (really, 35?!).  And that is my love of the art of cross stitch. 

Another Thing I Do

I have found over the years that I basically love any kind of needlecraft.  From hand embroidery to knitting and crocheting, needlepoint and counted cross stitch, I love it all.  Obviously I love counted cross stitch the best.  But needlepoint comes in a close second.  Especially counted needlepoint.  Once again it's taking that blank canvas and painting with fibers.  Granted I am usually using someone else's pattern, but for the most part the work is mine. This piece is one of the first counted needlepoint pieces that I stitched.  We were allowed to choose our own colors and as you can see I went with an autumn hued palette.  I loved working with the different stitches to create different textures.  I was really pleased with how it turned out.    It's hard to believe it's been 8 years since I stitched this piece.  I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.