~ FAREWELL SWEET SUMMER ~

Dear Summer ~ You've been simply grand this year, mild and comfortable weather, bountiful beyond expectations and gentle on my soul. Even made a couple new dear stitchy friends, ahhhhh ~ the best! It's been nice having you Summer, please do save some time for us again next year, we'll be waiting for your next sweet visit...

Yesterday was my first attempt at Tomato Pie, before and after. I figured with so many tomatoes, how bad could it be! Turned out fabulous, was oh soooooo easy and vanished in one night. Served with chicky sausages, mac salad and garden veggies, the men were in heaven, that makes me happy:)



Sweet Stitchin....

Tootles, Sue

~ FREEBIE FRIDAY SURPRISE ~

Hi there! After pondering my next project - which chart, which fabby, which color and which floss, my brain is ready for a break. The best way for me to clear my brain is to stitch a simple one of THESE.

If you love simplicity as much as I do, feel free to leave a comment:)

Hope you're all looking forward to a simple weekend full of glorious stitchin'.

Thx for poppin' in and Sweet Stitchin' to you...

Tootles,

Sue

~ FLOSS CONVERSION HELP PLEASE ~

Hi there! Am kitting up LHN Strawberry House. My stash lacks Crescent Colours flosses. Does anyone have DMC conversions for: CC/Ladybug and CC/Caterpillar?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Sweet Stitchin...

Tootles, Sue

~ PRIM PINKEEP FOR AUTUMN ~

Hi there! In June I finished Emmalee's pinkeep and included 7 little x's for her birthday age, as a secret message between she and I. Turns out Emmalee is so thrilled about our secret message that she shares it with everyone, cute:)

Here's a pinkeep I finished for dear niece Autumn, she'll be 9 this week. I stitched the same secret message for Autumn's pinkeep, nine little x's on the back (same color as fabby) to signify her ninth birthday and filled it with crushed walnut shells. The German verse translates to *I Love You*.


Sweet Stitchin...

Tootles, Sue

~ AUGUST 21 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE ~

Hi there! My beloved MIL *Katie* left us in April 2009, today would have been her 89th Birthday.

Katie was born in 1920, the same year our 19th Amendment was ratified aka the Women's Right To Vote; a college grad in 1941 with a teaching degree (a time when a woman was, well... politely put *a slave* and women's education was the exception not the rule); a mentor to many; devoted mother of my DH; a fellow stitcher and kindred spirit; the original Prairie Schooler collector from day one and one of the original *Big Shouldered Broads* (a true compliment).

When you finished a thoroughly lovely visit with Katie ~ you knew more, felt better about the world and yourself and never walked away confused. Wish there were more people like her ~ humanitarian, direct, expectant, honorable, gentle, kind and nurturing. While planning our wedding, Katie insisted the napkins be linen, and white, and have needlework, and they did:) I'm glad she insisted, she knew better than me, she was right.

I'd like to share one of the last pieces she stitched. I finished the back for her in a simple drab green wool and handed it back to her (her eyes and hands failing from many years of doing for others). She then handed it back to me.

I miss you every day Katie. Tonight I've made your boy his favorite dinner ~ meatloaf, taters, green beans, all from scratch, even the beanies are from the garden. Don't worry Katie, I'm taking really good care of him and will until it's my turn to leave.

Off to grab a tissue, thanks for your friendship dear friends and for reading this special post...

Tootles, Sue

~ FREEBIE FRIDAY SURPRISE ~

Hi there! This is simple, cute, quick and next on my ever-growing *To Do* pile:)

Blog is French, when you click on hyperlink, chart loads in pdf format, click HERE.

If anyone has trouble and would like help, kindly leave your email in this posts' comment.

Sweet Stitchin......

Tootles, Sue

~ CONTEST FUN AT VONNA'S BLOG ~

Hi there!

In case you haven't heard, Vonna at The Twisted Stitcher is having a blogiversary contest for a couple beauties she's lovingly stitched.

Good Luck and Sweet Stitchin...

Tootles, Sue

~ A GALLERY OF SAMPLERS BLOG ~

Hi there!

I ask each and every one of you DEAR stitchers ~ hmmmmmmm, who knew about this blog and didn't share??? Sometimes I feel as if I'm the last one, on the last bus ~ LOL:) Stumbled across this blog, and of course LOVE IT!

If anyone has a REALLY good reason why they didn't share this blog with me, kindly leave your detailed reason in this post and you may be forgiven. Otherwise, I'll assume you're ALL out to get me ~ LOL!

Seriously, if you've not yet visited this blog, please do so. Kick back, relax and wait for the joy in your heart to envelop you at A GALLERY OF SAMPLERS.

Am feeling a bit silly and witty today, this post was of course ALL IN FUN! Well.... except for the blog part:)

Sweet Stitchin...

Tootles, Sue

~ THE DAILY MEL'S BLOGIVERSARY... ~

... and a fun giveaway! To enter and congratulate Melissa on her 8th blogging year, go HERE.


Good Luck and Sweet Stitchin...

Tootles, Sue

~ FEATURED STITCHY BLOG - *UPDATED* ~

Hi there! Blogger *Liz* in N.Y.C. has a *reveal* scheduled for Sept. 7, 2009. Whether American or not, treat yourself to a glimpse of this WIP. Liz has dedicated her blog to only one project and it's, as they say, sure to go down in history.

You'll surely enjoy THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN SAMPLER.

Tootles, Sue

~ FREEBIE FRIDAY SURPRISE ~

Hi there! We all rise and shine in different ways don't we:) Sometimes it's running water, the rich and wonderful aroma of brewing coffee, the little ones or furbabies, Mr. Alarm Clock or the bugle if we're in the service.

For a peek at how we rise and shine in our house, meander over HERE.

Wishing you Sweet Stitchin and a gentle summery romance novel kind of weekend...

Tootles, Sue

~ FREEBIE FRIDAY SURPRISE ~

Hi there! A bit of summer for your stitchin pleasure is HERE.

Wishing you a whimsical summery weekend and Sweet Stitchin.

Tootles, Sue

~ NOEL ~

Hi there! This small French prim piece worked up nice, I especially enjoyed working with the variegated silk. Discovered chart had a missed stitch, fixed and finished it easily last night. Chart called for a charm between the two flowers, but a snowflake worked well too. Will back it (wool or fiddlers), and fill with poly pellets or crushed walnuts (or maybe polyfil for a wee pillow), then find a place for it ~ Oui Oui:)
Materials: Fiddlers cloth 18 ct., Silk floss is Waterlilies by Caron-color Umbria, stitch count 75 x 63.

Thanks for looking, wishing you a sweet summery day.

Tootles, Sue

~ PICKLES AND BLUEBERRIES ~

NO-NO ~ I'm not pregnant LOL! Hope you all had a great weekend, some time for yourself and loved ones too. For those a wee bit disappointed at my obvious lack of stitchy news, please do forgive. When the summer bounty is abundant in New York State, I'm compelled to fetch my apron and get feverishly intimate with all food that is summer!

So, here's my Sweet Refrigerator Pickles (much too hot and rainy here for hot water bath canning). Recipe calls for 7 cups of sliced cukes (luvin my Cuisinart and its' speedy slicing), makes about 4 quarts pickles, *must* be stored in fridge and must be *eaten* within a month, at least that what the recipes says. The month thing is never a problem here... This recipe is sweet, REALLY sweet, quick, simple-stupid and very yummy. Did I mention *NO canning*:) If anyone's interested, plz leave a comment and I'll happily share recipe, as it was once shared with me.

Seven cups a mixin...
After bathing in the fridge overnight, about half the size...
And here's a few jars, have already given away a couple...
This is a new Blueberry Bread recipe I tried Sunday, NOT sweet, no yeast, bakes like a quick bread but not sweet, really lets the blueberries shine, rather than the sugar. Recipe makes 2 smallish loaves, which is what I wanted, so we could try one and freeze one for later. Whew, this stitcher is exhausted and needs to put her footies up, but we won't tell those Pesky Cukes that keep multiplying in the fridge ~ I think they're being secretly coached by the Zucchini Army:)

Nighty-night Pesky Cukes...
Thanks for poppin in, hope this put a giggle on your lips dear friends and Sweet Stitchin...

Tootles, Sue