Ooooh, pretty!!

Today I thought I would show you some of my sewing pretties. I like pretty things, and nice tools, and my opinion is you should have the best and enjoy it too. I know I could use a bamboo stick, but isn't this rosewood stiletto prettier? (I got it from Wendy Schoen Designs. She carries a lot of pretty needlework tools) The thimble holder I found in a local yarn shop. The pinwheel was made for me by my friend Terri, in Australia. The dragonfly is embroidered onto silk duppioni. The other side is plain. Isn't it just darling? Calvin likes it a lot too, and likes to take it and play with it.

Here are my embroidery scissors. Terri gave me the scissors with the tassels for Christmas this year. It was so much fun opening the box ("Ooh! Ooh! Pretty!"). She made the tassels, and also gave me a book on tassel making. I hope to get some ones made for my regular shears. The cheetah enameled embroidery scissors were a treat to myself a few years ago. I love animal prints, need I say more?

The little tin is where I keep my extra pins (I have a pincushion, but it's boring. I hope to make a dress form pincushion someday). It's cute, with designs on the inside as well as the outside -- the boys always like to find the little mice hiding in the straw on the inside. Terri also made the stumpwork butterfly in the jar lid. I use the jar to keep my open safety pins for quilt work. She loves to embroider (she also sent a stumpwork berry design that I need to make into something. Or just frame it), and I really wish she didn't live on the other side of the planet. I would love to sit with her and have her teach me all the pretty embroidery.

I like to sit and do handwork, and the pretty tools just make it that much more pleasureable for me. Terri -- thank you so much for all the lovely things. They remind me of you every day, and put a smile on my face. :)