Thimble Thursday--Wisconsin

I got this thimble this summer on our way home from the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee. DH, DD1, DF Karen and I were driving back from spending way too much at the show, and we stopped at the Cheese Castle, which turned out to be a wonderful place for thimbles, for the magnetic states you put on your fridge, and for cheese. I do have to admit that I didn't care for the chocolate cheese we picked up. Everything else was delicious, though.



This was such a fun thimble I couldn't resist. It's udderly cute! (I can hear the groans from here.)



We had so much fun that I really want to go again next year.

I love the Internet!

When I posted about the ñandutí last summer, Marie very kindly contacted me, and offered to buy a couple of examples and send them to me when she was in the US this fall. After arranging all the details, I sort of forgot about it, so you can imagine my surprise and excitement this week when I received a package with these two. Thank you Marie!


This first one was worked right on this fabric. (If you are interested, I could take a picture of the back.) I love the vibrant colors on black. The center motif is a octagonal grid with double threads, with woven flowers over 3 threads, and circles made with coral knots (or something similar). There are three patterns in the next ring, mostly needle weaving, but there are coral knots on each one also, outlining the center and in one pattern, defining the petals. The base thread in the outer ring is all the same, variegated from peach to orange, and each "palm leaf" is woven in a different color. The variegated color gives such a sense of liveliness! Also, if you didn't know, it comes from Paraguay. It came mounted on a wooden frame.






This piece didn't photograph as well, but it is also beautiful. The color is all in the background thread and the weaving is all in white thread. The butterflies in the alternating motifs are really what attracted me to this piece in the first place.






Thank you so much Marie! I'm also so happy to know that this needle art is not dying out, but is continuing to evolve in new and exciting ways.

Beautiful scarf

After bringing back the last scarf, my former boss traveled through Jordan, and picked this up for me. I love it! It is rayon thread (a pearl 5 weight) cross stitch on (I want to say) a camel hair base. The embroidery is bright and shiny, but the base fabric is gauzy and rough. When you look at the back, it is very clearly hand-made.



This is the label on it; this lady is very proud of her work (as she should be)!



I haven't worn it very often. The pastel colors aren't quite me, and I worry about the embroidery coming undone. The ends are woven through on the back, but only through one or two stitches. Having worked with rayon, I know that if the ends do come loose, it will be difficult to stop the embroidery from unraveling.

I thought I was done with scarves, but I have 3 more to go. Then I think we will move on to Chinese knotting, and I will try for a thimble post on the right day.