Okay. Another day of progress, both in improving health and stitching. Maybe by the end of the week I'll be back to walking 3 miles?
The facebook suggestion for my tunnel doorways was skip tent. Well, yippee skippee. That worked great. Easy, fast and I'm happy. Today I'm contemplating the tree top.
Anna pointed out yesterday that my putting this canvas down last year may have been the problem with the Red Sox. (Us baseball fans are avery superstitious bunch. Like what we do can influence how the team does...but still.) Don't think I didn't think of that in August. LOL Trust me, this will be stitched and finished this year.
I am slowly improving healthwise. It would be great if the coughing fits would go away. But my sinuses are much improved this morning.
Coming out of my long stitching lay off I have picked up this canvas from the bottom of the pile. I bought this more than two years ago. Started it (barely) last year during spring training. Apparently I knew what a disaster the 2012 season was going to be for the Red Sox because I immediately put it down and did not pick it up again.
I find I really have to think with hand-painted canvas about what I am intending to do. I'm not a basketweave everything kind-of-stitcher. Which means being willing to change threads when the stitch I choose doesn't work with the thread I chose.
I truly had no idea what to do for the doorways except basketweave. So I just asked on the Needlepoint facebook group. And as quick as a wink, I had a good suggestion. Doorways are now skip tent which will move along faster. I love instant feedback.
For now, it's all about the cars. For the past week things didn't get done that should have. So I'm off to inspect a vehicle, oil change, rotate tires. That should give me a little public stitching time.
Never start congratulating yourself for having avoided the current sicknesses making the rounds because you will get it.
Lack of posting due to horrid, horrid cold that struck me more than a week ago.
Hoping I am on the mend now.
Could not even stitch. No sense trying because I would have had to rip everything out.
But here's a peek at something I was working on earlier in February.
It's part of a quote by Monet.
Fitting.
I thought I'd post a couple of answers to questions this morning.
I was asked if I had links to facebook groups about needlework. My advice is to log onto your facebook account and use search. Type in things like embroidery, needlepoint, or needlework. You'll find many groups. I just lurk at first to see if it's a good fit for my interests.
I was also asked if I would post my colorway for my Kimono. Short answer - no. If you were in the Shining Needle Kimono class, it's available there.
But I will say how it was created. The teacher, John Waddell, instructed us to pick three overdyed threads that played well together and then pick colors from those.
So I have an overdyed silk in greens, one in blues, and one that's purple to blue. Everything else on my piece is Anchor floss or Kreinik braid.
This is a great method for choosing colors especially if choosing your own colors makes you nervous. Just pick an overdye that you like and pull the colors from it. Someone else has already found colors that work together.
Promises = photos!
First, Happy Valentine's Day. This is a non-holiday at my house as it falls right between my birthday and my son's birthday. And speaking of my favorite little scamp, there is a facebook page for his training company at Fort Benning. Occasionally we get to spot him in a photo. As my daughter says, it's like playing Where's Waldo. Spot the guy in the uniform wearing the BCD glasses. (BCD = birth control devices because they are that unattractive.)
That's him on the left. My daughter-in-law and I are happy to see these photos. For those that haven't been through this, the only means of communication is by letter. Can't wait to find out what was harder - having to give up his I-phone or his several cigarettes a day. The Army no longer has a smoke 'em if you've got 'em policy. Which makes me very happy.
Now back to regular programming.
Back in January when I went to Camp Wannastitch at Ocean City, I worked on two things. One of the them was my long-neglected Kimono. While there I finished 7 sections which means I'm done through the month of May.
Here's a close-up.
I love this so much you would think that I would never put it down. But I do.
My goal (look, Anna, I am stating a goal - a very rare thing for me) is to finish this by the end of next November. Which would be a year behind the original class schedule. I so rarely pay attention to deadlines. Why start now?
While on this wonderful weekend I managed to pick up a little tiny bit of stash.
The raven canvas just makes me giggle. It's like a warning to avoid those hangover days. And the zebra? I have some plans for him. I bought these at Sea Needles in Rehobeth Beach. Nice little shop full of many things.
These Halloween canvases jumped into my arms at B's Stitches in St. Michael. They were in the bargain bin. And I have this thing about rescuing canvas. I really like that goofy cat.
Now go on about your day. Enjoy some chocolate. Maybe some champagne. Indulge in some stitching time. Buy yourself some flowers. I'm going to.
I have no idea how many of you are on facebook. But if you are, you might want to check out some of the facebook stitching type groups. I have three in particular that I check in on every day. One is needlepoint, one is samplers, and the other is surface embroidery of a historic bent.
The reasons I check in every day several times a day is the photos. Lots and lots of beautiful photos. I already know from blogging that I'm not alone in chosing to spend my time with a needle in my hand. But these facebook groups confirm that there are thousands of us who love to stitch in one form or another.
More and more shops and designers are also finding their way to facebook. I've liked shops all over the country. You never know where I might go next... And the designers like to show off bits and pieces of new things and ideas. Did I mention the photos? Lots of photos.
This is something I found yesterday on one of the groups. It's information about Japanese thimbles made of fabric, paper and silk threads. Gorgeous little things. The original link led me here to Embroidery for Ducks: Japanese thimbles
Her post led me here to the Ma Mercerie blog with instructions: Instructions Scroll down and click on the different links. There are instructions for how to make the rings first. And then how to do the designs. Like these.
Photo from Ma Mercerie.
Then go back and look at Embroidery for Ducks today. She's just finished a bellpull that she plans on entering in Woodlawn.
Which reminds me. This weekend is the deadline for entering Woodlawn in person. Hie thee off to the plantation with your best beauties and your application and check. It's the 50th Needlework Show. It's promising to be fantastic.
This post is because some of us don't have enough reasons to visit Target...
My reason for visiting Target is now at Ft Benning learning to become a soldier, but that's another story altogether.
So the other day I decided to pop on in because I hadn't been in a while. And I found a new gadget. A useful stitching gadget.
By now most of us have at least seen the pretty pictures of those snap trays. Machine embroidered with snapping sayings or at least our initial. Like these:
I haven't gotten around to spending my stash dollars on one of these. Yet.
But I did find these interesting things at Target in the organizing section:
This box tray thing is made out felt. It's sides and bottom are reinforced. It does not fold like the snap trays. You can see its size by the pen and my new bracelet that hubby gave me just because...
And here's how it's useful. I've got my threads for a particular project where I need to see my threads to pick my colors. Orts stitck to the sides! And you can stick a needle or as many needles as you want in it.
Only $3.99 and available in 4 different colorways. Just in case you happen to be stopping by your Target. Or in case you needed a reason to stop by!
