Down here in southern Florida, the seasons do not change. Not in the way they change in other areas of the country. Hurricane season a real here, but not in most of the US. Anyway, the transition from summer to fall is the change I miss after living for many years in upstate NY. Of course, many polls show that the majority, not all, of people list fall as being their favorite season. My sister and I love just about everything that has to do with autumn: the cooler temperatures, sweaters, the aromas associated with fall, and, yes, we love our pumpkin treats and our pumpkin spice drinks! Do not forget the color palette!
There are a couple of fall projects in my WIP pile. The first one that comes to mind is “Pretty Pumpkins” by Glendon Place. The pattern is so gorgeous with a rich variety of burnt oranges, russet reds, and sage greens that I can see it being a year around fixture on a wall somewhere in the house. The instructions note the finished size using various fabrics, both linen and Aida cloth (in the different counts). Another WIP would be for Halloween: “Trick or Treat” by Imaginating. The colors lean more toward those in a 24 count crayon box and invoke the childhood magic associated with Halloween. Paired with the simple design, it looks like a quick project. It is not kitted out, but that is easily remedied. I got both of these from Lisa at Golden Needle. I couldn't find them on her website but if you contact her, she'll get it for you! Looking at my pending WIP, I sometimes think that I really need to start working on completing projects faster than I do. Then the realization comes to me that I am not going to feel guilty, however I can put these two close to my stitching area to encourage me to work a little longer each night on my current project, which is still Dimensions Christmas Beach Chairs.
Blooming Daisies Craft News:
Blooming Daisies Crafts has plenty of new product in the queue:
For Grime Guards and WIP bags look for Glow in the Dark Black Cat and a Patriotic Gnome fabric,
Nurses Caps - Glow in the Dark Ghost, Bees on Pink Fabric, as well as a few other ones.
Please note: The holidays are quickly approaching and, due to the holiday demand, Blooming Daisies Crafts will soon be cutting back on introducing new products. If you have a special request, let me know. Some requests take more time than others.
In other areas of interest, the marketing team of Blooming Daisies Crafts (read that as “my sister and I”) are looking into producing “beginner” cross stitch kits. Ideas include:
Simple designs in maybe 5 different choices.
Kits might contain Aida cloth, a hoop frame (quality enough to be used to frame the finished product), a coordinating Blooming Daisies Crafts Grime Guard, a small Blooming Daisies Crafts Needle Minder, the required DMC floss, a needle, and a custom design with beginner instructions.
When Grandbaby #4 decided to begin cross stitching last summer, the lack of introductory kits was apparent. Then the obvious question was asked: How can this fun and relaxing hobby be made appealing to interested people? Not just to the next generation, but to all ages. Cross stitch is a fun hobby but if a novice chooses a difficult design and becomes frustrated, they could possibly stop and never pick it up again. And because of the introductory designs are very simplistic, beginners may opt for those more advanced kits. Blooming Daisies Crafts believes that the first time kit designs need not resemble a MineCraft character. What are your thoughts? Please leave them in the comments! Obviously, this will not be an easy venture but it is a product needed in this craft area.
In other adventures of Debbie and Kimberly, Blooming Daisies Crafts President and “window washer”, Debbie, is designing a cover for our little Craig Cat boat. As discussed above, southern Florida does not have much in the way of a change of seasons, but it does have sunshine. And with the sun beating on the catamaran, the seats and the platform are starting to show signs of bleaching. A search in one Craig Cat forum showed that another owner had recently purchased a cover for $450. Being a seasoned seamstress, I feel that I can make my own for less. And perhaps I will see about selling the pattern online. My daughter in-law has done something similar before. She made a custom smoker cover and then posted her pattern online. When my husband and I visited a couple of weeks ago, she was a wealth of information. The fabric she chose was awesome. She recommended that I ask for samples, so I did thru Big Duck Canvas. The company is very helpful. The customer service representative asked about the project that I am working on so that they would send the fabric they believe would be best. I received their package promptly and found that they sent me 6 different samples! I have picked out the fabric and will use the thread that Big Duck Canvas recommends. Now to just master the pattern! I plan to post pictures of the finished product.
Make sure to look for my talented daughter in-law at ModernDayMaker!
Kimberly acquired a “new-to-her” quilting machine! OMG! To say, “She is excited!” is such an understatement. No, she will not be stitching quilts commercially at this time. However, we never say “never”! She enjoys collecting fabric, looking for patterns and coordinating material, and sewing quilt tops. In the past, she has set them aside as the cost of getting even a baby sized blanket quilted was climbing. With the addition of this “dream machine”, she will now acquire a new skill and have the ability to quilt them herself. My sister and her husband have been looking for just the right machine for a year or so on Craigslist and FB Marketplace. This one came up one day, was priced to sell, and located within 15 minutes of her house. It was meant to be! I cannot wait to see pictures!
This week’s featured product: Game of Thrones! This Blooming Daisies Crafts product is from the original series but with the “spin-off” due to air soon, it seems appropriate!
Q-Snap/WIP Bags:
Grime Guards:
Game of Thrones-matches the bag above
Needle Minders:
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