Back-to-school bookish apple and worm

I miss working on my needlepoint, so, despite the mountains of work waiting for me even on a Sunday, I couldn't resist whipping up this back-to-school pattern for you. Thanks to the Microsoft free clip art, I found this cute apple and worm (MC900438366) to which I added the glasses for a fall touch for your personal non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Enjoy!

Contemplating a new project...

Back from the holidays, and contemplating a new project. It will be a gift.

How about you?

In the meantime, here's a question mark pattern for your personal non-commercial stitching pleasure that I created with StitchPainter out of an image I found on the Solarfeeds.com web site. Always like to give credit where credit is due!

Time to get sewing new clothes!

Like to sew, or know someone who does?

Here's a cute sewing-themed pattern I created in StitchPainter for your personal non-commercial stitching fun out of the freebie Microsoft graphic MC900233820. Thanks, Microsoft, as usual!

Enjoy

September's just around the corner...give me a ring!

Phones will be ringing once again...summer's almost over--boo hoo!--and it's back to work and school for us.

Here's a chipper red telephone I found on a Facebook page then imported into StitchPainter for your personal non-commercial stitching fun.

Enjoy!

It's still summer, but are you thinking of all you have to do in the fall?

If you're already making "To Do" lists for the fall, here's just what you need!

A pencil and paper note set to needlepoint or cross-stitch.

I imported the freebie MC900232958 image into StitchPainter, then turned it into a bmp to share with you for your personal, non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Enjoy!

Want to give someone a gold star?

Want to give someone a gold star? Well, here is a great one from aaa.com imported into StitchPainter and created for your personal, non-commercial stitching fun.

Enjoy!

More summer time stitching fun...balloons!

Images created with simple strong graphics are more easily translated into needlepoint designs, even with the marvelous "StitchPainter" program, which I used to create this happy bunch of balloons out of an unknown balloon image (but it looks like one of the Microsoft freebies) for your personal, non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Enjoy!

Want to needlepoint or cross-stitch on the beach? How about doing a beach chair?!

Summer's here, already, and it's sooooooo hot.

...More...... I'm not much of a sunbathing fan, but the cool breezes coming off the ocean sure do sound enticing.

If you're at the sea, or a lake, and want to do some needlepoint or cross-stitch, what could be better than a beach chair?

I captured this image from the freebies on the Microsoft web site, n. 900335754 (thanks, Microsoft!), and uploaded it into StitchPainter to create this free design for your personal, non-commercial stitching pleasure.

Enjoy!

Owen Jones' principles: n. 37, the last

Owen Jones' last principle, n. 37, sounds a bit self-serving, but no less true for it:

PROPOSITION 37: No improvement can take place in the Art of the present generation until all classes, Artists, Manufacturers, and the Public, are better educated in Art, and the existence of general principles is more fully recognized.

Ponder the profound truth of that comment coming out strong and clear for manufacturers to be cultured, for the buying public to learn what good taste is and for artists to be production-wise. Each side has to take the other into account, if products are to be of good design.

Think this isn't still necessary?...More...... Think, again...each time my towel or bathrobe falls to the floor because of the beautiful, modern, but highly unpractical so-called hook, I curse designers who pay more attention to what the product looks like than making sure it actually does what it's supposed to do. Ditto for when I lived in a house without any closet space...literally...and not even a place to hide a broom, though there would have been, had the architect been thinking practically instead of about how nice that door looked centered on the wall.

It also makes me think, positively, of the work of Susan Lazear, a teacher of textiles and clothing in San Diego and the inventor of my favorite embroidery program, StitchPainter, whom I had the privilege and fun of meeting during her trip with students to Milan a few months back. Interested in her work? Here's her blog about creativity: http://susanlazear.blogspot.it/.

Susan's computer program company, Cochenille, has not just StitchPainter, but also a very popular program called Garment Designer, for designing your own clothes and accessories patterns, as well as a stock of patterns available. (As usual, I get no kickbacks of any kinds from talking about my favorite products!)

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to me! (to my blog, anyway)

Hello there! Were you wondering where I was? I'm here, just workin' like a dawg, but couldn't miss sharing the joy of my blog's second anniversary with you.

To celebrate, here's an adorable little gargoyle-like stone decoration on Via Boscovich in Milan.

Want to know more about it? See my blog dedicated to Milan, "My Milan (Italy)": http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.it/2012/02/neo-romanesque-fun-on-via-boscovich.html

Enjoy! (confetti thrown here!)