The Mother-Daughter Book Club

These. Are. FABULOUS!!!

They're all about these girls (Jess, Emma, Megan, Cassidy, and Becca) that attend a Mother-Daughter Book Club! (A Mother-Daughter Book Club, if you don't know, is one of those cutsie things that you read about and never actually do, like baking extravagant sugar cookies or sewing expert dresses all day.)

First book:

This is the entire series (and rumor has it that a new one, the Mother-Daughter Book Club Cam, is coming out on May 2 of 2016!

#1. The Mother-Daughter Book Club

#2. Much Ado About Anne

#3. Dear Pen Pal

#4. Pies and Prejudice

#5. Home for the Holidays

#6. Wish You Were Eyre

They're all written by Heather Vogel Fredrick.

-Avamae

#cutsiethings #motherdaughterstuff #wishyouwereeyre

haiku, couplets, odes, oh my!

I'm the dork who loves poetry. I love writing it about as much as most people hate writing it. Recently, I've been exploring the different types of poetry, and have been noticing similarities in the way people write their poetry. (I know, you probably think this is boring.)

For example, William Shakespeare always wrote his sonnets as four quatrains and a couplet! Personally, if I were him, I would throw everyone off and write Sonnet 155 (I did my research - #154 was his last, I think) as a random haiku:

I am Will Shakespeare
I am a poetic guy
I love glaze doughnuts

(Do NOT tell me he did not love glaze doughnuts! I KNOW he did, even if they were invented 200 years after he died!)

ANYway, back to the point. here are some AWESOME forms of poetry!

Haiku: Three lines, the first consisting of five syllables, the second of seven , and the third of five. (They don't have to rhyme.)

Limerick: This limerick goes in reverse
  Unless I'm remiss
  The neat thing is this:
If you start from the bottom-most verse
This limerick's not any worse

(NOT written by me!)

Sonnet: A poem consisting of 14 lines, with a strict rhyme scheme. That I don't want to go into.

And there are so many more! One of my absolute favorite poems is written by Emily Dickinson:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

The only weird thing is the hyphens. But it's still a REALLY cool poem!

Anyway, I hope you are...somehow...benefited by this post!

-Avamae

#poetextraordianaire

1 celery stick, 1 olive, 1 date, 1 egg

One of my friends just posted on her blog about a code. So I decided I would TOTALLY copy my friend and tell ya'll about MY favorite code!

THE SHOPPING LIST CODE!

I'll give you a sample:

1 hot dog

1 egg

2 lamb chops

1 olive oil spray can!

1 mayonnaise jar

1 yam

1 nutmeg packet

1 applesauce container

1 macaroni box

1 eggplant

1 ice cream cone

1 soup can

1 apple juice

1 vegetable

1 apple

1 marshmallow (I know, who buys ONE marshmallow?!)

1 angel food cake 

1 egg nog jug!

Do you know what it says?

Hello! My name is Avamae!

Each line represents at least one letter. (In this case, all but one.) If it starts with the number 1, then it is only one letter. If it starts with the number 2, then it is two letter, etc.

The actual list is pretty to understand, so you can modify it by switching the spaces, or reversing the letters, or even putting down the word with the letter before the actual letter...(Don't feel bad if you didn't understand that last bit. I barely did myself.)

Maybe this post will benefit you...somehow...in some way...

Until next time!

-Avamae

#I'mstartinganewhashtagthing

my addiction to "sisters grimm"

I don't know about you, but I LOVE to read. One of my all-time favorite book series is called The Sisters Grimm. It's about these two siblings, Sabrina and Daphne. Their parents died (I know this is the start of about half of all fiction) and they've gone from house to house, staying with one deranged psychopath after another.

(That is really not the story - it is basically the prologue, but I wrote it just to give you the idea.)

Anyway, it's filled with absolute awesomeness and packed with adventure. The first book in a series of nine is:

Here is the entire series:

#1: The Fairy-Tale Detectives

#2: The Unusual Suspects

#3: The Problem Child

#4: Once upon a Crime

#5: Magic and Other Misdemeanors

#6: Tales from the Hood

#7: The Everafter War

#8: The Inside Story

#9: The Council of Mirrors

Best. Books EVER! 

You disagree? Why don't you read them and find out!

-Avamae

(OKAAAAY, fine, that WAS pretty cliche.)

minute mysteries

I learned about this super fun "game" (I suppose you could call it) from my friend! The name, "minute mysteries," is very misleading because some take a second and some take, like, an HOUR!

Just type in "minute mysteries" on your computer (but be warned, some can be rather...violent). You wanna do one?

First, you read off of whatever website you're using the mystery. (NOTE: This involves two people.)

I'll be the person reading it, and you be the "detective."

MYSTERY:

Joe leaves his house, wearing a mask and carrying an empty sack. An hour later, he returns. The sack is now full. He goes into a room and turns out the lights.

The "detective" now asks yes or no questions. The reader, who is the only one who has read will answer the questions, often with the response: It is irrelevant. 

How about you start asking questions?

YOU: Is something dangerous inside the sack?

ME: Nope.

YOU: Is Joe bad? [Most of the mysteries are pretty violent, so don't be surprised by the questions.]

ME: Nope.

YOU: Is the "an hour later" part important?

ME: No, but it can lead you to the answer slightly. Slightly.

YOU: Why is he wearing a mask?

ME: Yes or no questions.

YOU: Uh...

ME: Want a clue?

YOU: Yeah, sure!

ME: The day is important.

YOU: Is it a Sunday?

ME: That is irrelevant.

YOU: Is it a holiday?

ME: Yes!

YOU: Is it an important or widely celebrated holiday?

ME: Yes!

YOU: Is it Christmas?

ME: No...

YOU: Thanksgiving?

ME: No...

YOU: Halloween?

ME: YES!

YOU: Is Joe a kid who is trick-or-treating? 

ME: You got it!

THE ACTUAL ANSWER, WHICH I SAW BEFOREHAND:

Joe is a kid who goes trick-or-treating.

Fun, right?! You can also play with a big group, everyone guessing and one reader answering all the questions. 

Once I found one that said:

MYSTERY:

A woman walks up to a door and knocks. Another woman inside answers the door. The woman outside kills the woman inside.

MYSTERY SOLVED:

The woman outside is a psychotic librarian. The woman inside has an extremely overdue book. 

Weird, huh? Some are super detailed and tell a full-on story about two guys on an island...

A minute-mystery expert,

-Avamae 

The Back Stitch/Pekinese Stitch

The back stitch is an EXTREMELY commonly used stitch. It is perfect for letters, borders, anything! The back stitch also creates a thin line great for details. The Pekinese stitch is a back stitch with a supplement.

To begin the back stitch, make a stitch about 1/4 inch long (sorry about the shadows - the lighting was pretty terrible).

Enter 1/4 inches away from the end of the first stitch.

Exit at the end of the previous stitch.

Reenter at the end of the last stitch, and redo the last four steps.

This is the completed back stitch.

Now for the Pekinese Stitch - a surface stitch.

First, enter either right under or right over the first back stitch.

Slide under the second stitch and tighten ever so slightly.

Enter from the top through the first stitch, under the floss, and tighten slightly.

Next, slide the needle under the third stitch. 

Enter through the second stitch, to the right of the last loop and under the floss. Continue doing this until your line is finished!

(I will upload the picture of the completed project later.)

-Ava......MAE!!!

Orange Bullion Knot Rose

My friend Lauren completed an adorable orange rose as her second project. :D

The petals are made of bullion knots, the stem is embroidered with three layered stem stitches, and a fishbone stitch for the leaf. 

By the way, kudos to the determined Lauren - she used five different types of floss for the petals, and completing five trillion bullion knots is no easy task!!!!

Here is the close-up:

-Avamae...and Lauren!!!

Bible Book Cover

To keep you guys interested in my blog (which is gonna be pretty hard, seeing as I'm already BORING you to death with BORING posts about BORING stitches), I am gonna post about... drumroll please...

A BOOK COVER! How exciting, right? Anyhoozle, if you wanna make a bible book cover, or just a book cover for any book, you can...drumroll please...

LOOK UP DIY BOOK COVERS! 'Cause I am not gonna teach you. :( As I mentioned previously, you're probably BORED to death with BORING tutorials! (Here is the link to the diy version: http://makezine.com/2009/08/25/how-to_sew_a_simple_fabric_boo/ )

Here is the book cover...

For the "Holy" part, I couched a gold thread onto the turquoise fabric. I used the Split stitch for the "Bible," and I used the Back stitch for the "The." 

Here is the back side!

Happy stitching!

-Avamae

Bullion Knot

The bullion knot is the hardest knot I know how to complete. It is absolutely beautiful for flowers (Look at the third pink blossom in http://www.avabethmae.blogspot.com/2015/06/three-large-embroidery-flowers.html) if you like them to pop out more, like French Knots.

First, enter 1/2 inch away from the beginning of the line.

Exit at the beginning of the line, but do not pull through.

Reenter where you began.

Point your needle where you exited in step 2 and twist the floss around it about ten or twelve times. (Sorry the pictures are so blurry!)

Pull your needle through, making sure to run your fingers up and down the working thread to make sure that there are no knots. (TIP: pull out the thread that is not the working thread)(the lazy thread)(quickly. It will make it much easier to pull through.)

Tighten.

Exit right under where your string protrudes.

Tighten.

To save thread, enter instead this time next to the right side of the previous bullion knot, and embroider it the opposite way. Honestly, you could have began at the beginning of the line the first time - it makes no difference.

To continue, go back and complete steps 1-8.

Here is the completed line of bullion knots.

-Avamae

Whipped Stem Stitch

The stem stitch is a commonly used stitch, great at creating curves or the stalks of flowers.

First, make a loop by exiting 1/4 inch away from where you entered, but do not pull the loop through.

Reenter through the middle of the loop, making sure that the loop is facing the same way each time.

Pull through.

Exit 1/4 inch away from the last stitch, but do not pull through.

Reenter where the last stitch ended, as shown:

Pull through.

If you are a more experienced embroiderer, try this technique (called the sewing method) to complete the stem stitch faster:

When you are at the end of the hoop, exit and pull through.

Here is the completed stem stitch.

Now, we can begin what I call "surface stitching" - stitching onto the finished stitch, rarely touching the fabric.

Enter on one side of the end of the stem stitch, and slide through the first stitch.

Pull through.

Slide through the second stitch the same way.

Continue looping around the stitches until you've reached the end. Exit next to the last stitch.

-Avamae

Chain Stitch

The chain stitch is a variation of the blanket stitch, used as a border or even for filling.

First, make one line across your material with your fabric pencil. If you are a beginner, make two lines really close together.

Enter through the line with your threaded needle and pull through.

Exit right next to where you just entered, but do not pull through.

Reenter 1/2 cm to 1/4 inch away from your starting point, but still do not fully pull through.

OK, this gets kind of confusing, but stay with me! Reenter just like you did on the last loop - right next to where you entered, but do not pull through. Pinch the loop you just made and pull so the previous loop is taut.

Reenter 1/2 cm to 1/4 inch away from the first loop, exit a small space away, and pull the loop to tighten the last one.

Create and tighten these loops until you reach the end. Then, when you enter, do not exit and make another loop.

Make one more stitch on the other side of the loop to lock it in place.

Here is a picture of the finished chain stitch:

-Avamae