Saturday, May 26, 2012

Still stitching...


It seems like I’m always saying how busy I am! Well, I usually have lots of things going on but I like it that way. I find I don’t get nearly as much accomplished when my days are unscheduled.

This last weekend we had our guild retreat at Camp Wapo in Amery, Wisconsin. If you are anywhere near the area and in need of a retreat spot, this is a great place. You provide your own linens and towels, but they do the cooking. Our building had 12 rooms, each with its own bathroom and shower. We bring treats to share and then have the coffee pot going most of the weekend. The location is idyllic- right on a lake with lots of lovely trees.

We had a great time stitching, chatting and laughing. Here’s a photo of one of the little “surprises” I gave to the retreaters. They are ort boxes and are very easy to assemble. Click here for the directions I used.
I worked on my Mary Wigham. She had been feeling quite ignored lately. I stitched about two and a half motifs and then moved on to work a little more on the grassy area of Whale Hunting. You can’t really see much progress from my last photos so I’ll wait to post a photo update.


I also started a piece designed by ByGone Stitches called One Nation. I must say that I walked right past it at the shop but then saw it framed and it was gorgeous! I walked back to the other side of the store and picked up the chart. It doesn’t look like much yet, but you can get a sense of the size. Sadly, on the day I left for the retreat, I learned that Gail Reinhardt, ByGone Stitches designer, had passed away less than two weeks after her cancer diagnosis. 


I also continued working on my first pair of socks. I knit when my eyes will no longer focus on the evenweaves. I should be finished with the second sock by the next post so will update you then with a photo.

The last couple of days have been spent working on the model I am stitching. I am still really liking the colors and it is turning out very nice, if I do say so myself!

One last thing before I go…By the Bay is starting a fun summertime project. The “prep” is posted now and then each Friday in June there will be a posting of ¼ of the chart. It is a 4 x 6 design so isn’t an overwhelming size. 

OK, one more thing! Don't know how many of you use Pinterest but today I ran across this museum posting that has a lot of wonderful samplers to drool over. Even if you don't have a Pinterest account you should be able to see them.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Several updates...


This has been a busy week but I have managed to work on a few projects.

One of my current projects is a fun little item I am making for a “giveaway” at our upcoming stitching retreat. I’ll share photos and a link to the instructions after my return from retreat in two weeks.

Right now I’ll share with you a link for a great way to finish up some of those small projects that I found on the Little House blog. (Should the link stop working, just search her blog for the May 2, 2012 post.) It’s a nice way to finish off those smaller projects and doesn’t involve yet another frame! While you’re on her blog be sure to check out her designs.

Saturday was our local EGA chapter’s luncheon. We had a wonderful guest speaker, Susan Stein, who inspired us with her many ideas for manipulating fabric. She is a former quilt shop owner and a published author. Her projects have a very contemporary look to them. I enjoy looking at them but they are a little outside of my usual stitching box!

By the time I arrived back at home it was 3:30 in the afternoon and my husband wanted me to go with him to buy new slacks. So off we went and by the time we returned home it was after 7 PM.  I did a few things around the house and then decided to work on the model I am stitching. One lesson I learned this week is that you really shouldn’t try to work on a counted project when you’ve had a full day, no matter how good an idea it seems at the time! I spent an hour working on it and was at the point where I was turning a corner when I realized I wasn’t at the corner. I had been carefully counting and checking the graph only to discover I had been working one motif to the left of where I was on the chart! Sooooo, out those stitches came. Sunday was also a very full day so I wisely did not pick it up and instead worked on it again yesterday when I was fresh. And yes, I made the corner with no problems this time.

It is a grey and rainy day today so I am preparing my little nest and getting ready for more stitching!