Second Chances

True Confession:  I am more than a little envious of those who have great thrift store finds.    Seems like I am constantly seeing great finds either on floss tube, Instagram or blogs.  Second hand stores, consignment shops, antique stores are some of my favorite shopping places.  I think I need more time and patience to successfully find great items.

Last Saturday, before meeting up with the Homespun girls, I had some time to kill and thought I would shop one of the local Good Will stores.  When I saw this basket, I said to myself:  "that basket is handmade."  

When I turned the basket over, sure enough, Viola had dated the basket with her name and March 10, 2006.  It brought tears to my eyes.  Am sure Viola had worked hard to weave the basket and hopefully she never thought it would be sold at Good Will for $1.99.  The basket reminded me of the New Beginnings Prayer:  Oh God of second chances and new beginnings, here I am again.  Viola's basket deserved a second chance and a new beginning.

The pewter plate sits on our kitchen table, holding our salt and pepper shaker and reminding us to give thanks.  The cut glass relish tray will be used at future gatherings.

With these finds, I am encouraged to give thrift stores a second chance.

The Box

Yesterday was Gathering Day for the Homespun girls.  Late last year, one of the girls had suggested we participate in a box exchange.  The idea was to choose a box and fill it with twelve stitching goodies:  something fun,  our favorite color, something sharp, an accessory, an embellishment,  something patriotic, etc.

The exchange was played like dirty Santa.  All boxes were carried into the Gathering in a brown paper bag so no one knew who brought which box.  

Who doesn't love chocolate?  and Godiva chocolate?  The box was beautifully tied with a chocolate brown silk ribbon.  I was number two selecting a box and I kept my fingers crossed while all the numbers were being called, hoping no one would steal my box.

Just look at all the goodness inside this box!  This Grasshopper felt like she had choose wisely.  I knew that Godiva box would be filled with stitchy goodness and boy, oh boy was I ever right.

The beautifully stitched scissors pillow (with a Stacy Nash design) had a pocket on the back.  Inside the pocket was this beautiful pair of scissors.

The patriotic strawberry was stitched with the finest of tiny stitches.

A patriotic, coverlet biscournu for my dough bowl.  Great finishing job--and the maker's first time finishing a biscournu.  Check out that chicken made with French General fabric and tiny beads for eyes.

Pom pom trim from Lady Dot, beautiful threads for Christmas or maybe a flower and vine.  AppleJack has his eye on my magnet wand.  Shh, I already put it in my traveling stitching bag.

So who was the gifter/maker of my box?  The same stitcher who just finished Sarah Braizear, the 2018 Queen of the May sampler from Hands Across the Sea in record stitching time:  Judy!

Judy calls the sampler one of her tablecloth samplers--it is big 27 x 27.  There are not enough words to describe the beauty and skill in this sampler.

Thank you Linda for suggesting the box exchange and thank you Judy for my box.   Beautifully stitched and finished projects.  I hear this all the time and will never grow tired of hearing "stitchers are just the best."  

Juliana/Julia Ann

Julia Ann Fletcher 1847

The Scarlett House/Tanya Brockmeyer

Released at Nashville Needlemarket Market March 2019

stitched on 40 ct Old Massachusetts linen by The Primitive Hare

AVAS 4531(lamb) Needlepoint Ink Silk 209 (dress) and 877 (white in dress) the black is Gloriana India ink

This is the Julia's needle roll--love the repeating letters.  

The black fabric is for backing, the red check fabric is for the needles and she will be tied together with the ribbon.

When Julia, the pinkeep and Julia the needle roll are FFO'd they will live in this Robert LeHays Shaker carrier.

A little history about the two Julia's.  Juliana Steinz Shultz was my fifth great Grandmother.  She married Johan Martin Shultz at Christ Luther Church in Lancaster Pennsylvania. Julia Ann Shults was Martin and Juliana's youngest daughter.  The family moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina to the western territory of North Carolina (which would become Tennessee).  

Julia Ann married Richard Regan in 1796.  Timothy, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Daniel, Jane, Aaron, Nancy and David are their children who survived to adult hood.  They had three children who died in infancy.  They lived and are buried in Emert's Cove, Sevier County Tennessee.

Thank you Tanya for a great design and inspiration to stitch more of my family history.