Cherry Blossoms Deux

I am always disappointed that they don't have a fragrance like apple blossoms. But, they are pretty. 

Cherry Blossom Time

Guess who was up before dawn to bring DS to school for a class trip...

Seemed like a logical time to drive into D.C. to take photos of the cherry blossoms. Today is peak.

Just me and 1,000 professional photographers. Boy, was my camera outclassed. 

my LNS haul

Went to Needlewoman East in Falls Church to see what I could find for fibers for embellishing this crazy quilt ornament. Oh la! What a selection of fibers. I must have walked around the spinning racks and walls 20 times.

I originally went in with the intent of matching my Silk N Colors Spotted Cobra. (what I bought this for, I do not know. But it must have been for some reason.) Along the way, I of course changed my mind. I kind of had a piece in the current issue of Pieceworks in my head and started to plan a lily pad, cattail, and blueberries theme. Maybe a pine tree or two. And yes, a spider web.

This entailed buying some Petite Glass Beads, a blue based Waterlilies, a brown Whisper, a pink and a green card of Splendor, 3 colors of Sparkle! Braid, and just to try, a green Mandarin Floss which is by Rainbow Gallery and is a 6-ply 100% bamboo thread. Now to finish up the background so I can start playing with these things. Well, maybe I should just put a doodle cloth in a hoop and have some fun!

Agnes Scott Progress

Since taking this photo I've completed the line of chain stitching under the third band and continued working down the sides. 

After Sorrow

Been trying to post this picture here since the SBQ about stitching over one. This is a Heart's Content kit. Twenty-five colors of silk on 40ct silk gauze. About 2 1/2 by 4 inches. Something like 16,000 stitches. Started it in 1998 and finished in 1999. 

Typing Fettered

Yeah! bandage is off my pinky and I can type at speed again. That was an annoying little interlude.

I knotted up a piece of perle cotton on the crazy quilt ornament I'm doing for EGA on Sunday. I just set it down and walked away from it. Guess I'll deal with today. What an idiot. Meanwhile I've been choosing threads for embellishment. And I have no idea why I have Silk N Colors Spotted Cobra. But I think this is my color pallette. Unfortunately the only other thread I have that matches is a Balger cord. That means a trip to a stitching store. Maybe Needlewoman East because I haven't been there since returning to VA last summer.

still got a band-aid

on my little finger, but at least now I can press down with it and not have a lightening bolt of pain shoot up my arm. Who is the genius who invented fingertip bandages? I'm grateful, whoever you are.

Had a nice chat with a friend from the past last night. I knew that things wouldn't fall apart in a certain group when I left. But I am happy to hear that more people have been joining and that the group continues to evolve. There was a fair amount of news of the "bad" variety. Car accidents, deployments, cancer, and a friend with alzheimer's who is unfortunately leaving this world at a fast rate.

Sometimes a laundry list of things like that would make me depressed. Instead I feel mostly guilty that things are so good for me.

what

or more likely, why?
As in, why can I not post pictures here with Picasa? I've been trying for the past week and it just hangs. Heavy sigh.

No visual aids for me today.

And poor Agnes Scott has been shunted aside for a class project from EGA. Not much I can do about that. Four hours of stitching on it yesterday leads to believe, this is 30-40 hour project. More if I spend a lot of time deciding exactly how to embellish and with what threads.

typing without the letter A

Yesterd@y I bent b@ck the n@il on my left little finger - did @ splendid job - @bout 1/4 inch below the white p@rt. Not good. Silk thre@ds @nd b@nd@ids don't go well together. Typing is out, too, @ my norm@l speed. Just killing time before DS rings me up looking for ride home. Bought gloves so I will be @ble to do dishes. Idiot. Yes.

stitching blogger's question 3/17/06

Do you stitch “over one?” If so, describe your experiences. If not, have you considered it?

LOL
I took 2 SOXS classes in 1997 - one with Paula of Crossed Wing in which we did birds silk on silk gauze - and one with Maureen Appleton - a lily design on 40ct fabric. These were my first exposures to the pleasures of over one. Loved it. Still love it.

After making many bird pins on silk gauze, I moved on to a Heart's Content kit - After Sorrow Comes Joy. Ah. A solid sampler on silk gauze. I worked on this as an alternate to my largest project, the Newburyport Sampler. It was quite a contrast. My favorite place to stitch on this piece was in church on Sunday morning while the choir was rehearsing. The minister would always stop and check my progress and offer to buy it. Told her for $800 she could have it. It's still in my possession. LOL

From there I moved on to various over one projects. On silk gauze and on linen. Some crossed stitch, some petit point. My Celtic Christmas has her face and hands done over one. Looks so much better that way.

I only hope my eyes continue to permit me to work small. So far, so good.