More White stuff…

More white stuff…6-8 inches. A great reason to hunker down by the fireplace with my warm blanket, hot chocolate, reading the blogs and stitching! Let it snow!

Stitching & Groundhog Day

I had the best day Saturday, January 30! I was home alone and spent the entire day stitching and listening to blog radio about needlepoint. If you have not found Gone Stitching on blog radio you are missing a great time. Go to the website for the store Gone Stitching [located in beautiful downtown Bergenfield, New Jersey ] http://gonestitching.net/  and click on the Blog talk radio mike. This will take you to 28 shows that have been broadcast since July 2009.  If you listen, you will get to hear about designers and products for the needlepoint community from shop owner Renee Seidman. AND if you are smarter than I am, you can download these episodes to your I-touch or phone and listen anytime. I have somehow managed to download 10 of them to my I-touch but the rest are being stubborn and I am waiting for one of my grandchildren to do it for me or until my I-touch dummy book arrives and I can read and understand it. I have no vested interest in this shop since I live in the Midwest…BUT anyone who helps promote the art of needlepoint or needlework should be applauded and Renee is doing this.

Not to say, that anyone who blogs regularly (notice I did not include myself in this category) or has a website does not also promote the art of needlepoint and needlework. You all need a big Thank you from all of us who learn and are inspired by your works. And since February is National Embroidery Month:

THANK YOU to everyone who inspires and teaches us about embroidery,

whatever medium we choose to use. 

 Also read Mary Corbet’s blog entry today, it is too cute. http://www.needlenthread.com/2010/02/what-do-hand-embroidery-and-canned.html

 And yesterday, I spent the better part of the day making a gift for my 92 year old Uncle who is in a nursing home and confined to bed. Uncle Lowell is the oldest member of our family ever…my mother, his sister was 90 years old and my grandmother, his mother 89 years old. I want him to keep this honor forever…not that I don’t have enough needlepoint stash to outlive 92 years…I just don’t want to live to be that old. Uncle Lowell’s mind is sharp as a tack for 92 but his body isn’t. He is like a second father to me, he was my “Father of the Bride” (mine father had passed away the year before). I can’t remember a time that he has not been part of my life. He taught me about antiques and collectibles among other things. But at 92 years of age you don’t need much. Uncle Lowell loves birds, he had a collection of over 100 birds and red birds are one of his favorites. So when I saw red bird material, I knew I had to make it for him. Gifts are given for love at this age; you don’t keep them for a special day…because everyday with them is special. I had one of my talented Daughter-in laws (they are all talented in their own ways) embroidery his name of one fabric and then I but it together, zigzagged the edges and blanket stitched around it with perle cotton. Tomorrow I am going to give it to him. 

This talented Daughter-in-law I mentioned embroiders (you’ll see more of this at a later),  and makes American Girl doll clothes (http://www.etsy.com/shop/alldolldup) among other things. She is also wife to my oldest son, my oldest (in married years) daughter-in law, and mother to 4 of my eight soon to be nine precious grandchildren. Thanks for helping with this gift

And today is Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow but here in the Midwest we are holding out for South Side Fireplace Wood Co and Woodyard Bar-be-que luncheon to be a bit warmer and more optimistic. This event started 54 years ago and was men only until 4 years ago. It really was one of the last vestiges of men only…but alas, the men realized the folly of their ways and now we woman get to come too. Every year family and friends gather to pay homage to the little beast; it is truly a great time… we have fun, see old friends, share a good meal with grog or two…and best of all support St. Vincent DePaul Society in our area.

So without further ado, I am off to party!

ttfn…sue

Twice in one month

Twice in one month is good for me lately. I want to thank everyone who stops by here to see what I have to say even if it is intermittent at best.

Thank You!

I am starting my third year of this blog, it does not seem that long ago and I still feel like I don’t know what I am doing. I can write for this blog and put pictures in but other that I am a novice. After I feel comfortable with something I am okay and I can experiment. I am comfortable with the program I use to produce stitch guides for myself and others but I am not comfortable with photo editing…I just have not played with the program enough. Someday I would lie to make a new page layout, one that reflects more of a stitching theme. But after taking the web class this fall, I know I will never be a wiz at web designing and it just seems so daunting to me.  I am a person who learns by reading and then doing and most of the time doing again and again. I prefer instructions to be #1, #2, #3…I can do this. But to play around with something, especially electronic things I freeze…what if I push the wrong button, what if …and the list goes on.

But I did not sign on to blog about my blog ineptness…

I have a piece of needlework finished (do you see the happy dancers and hear the symphony playing?)

 I do have a large projects going on most of the time but I just don’t blog about them because the work is sporadic and I am usually doing computer work for others. I only stitch on the large projects when I have long periods of no interruption…this week-end I will have a Saturday where I am all alone (see me smiling from ear to ear…guys going Boy Scouting) and I will work on one of my two large projects (Deborah Forney’s Ho-Ho-Ho! Santa or Tony Minieri’s Chicago du Soir.) Usually in the evening I work on small projects that are…fast, easy and require little concentration.

 But this is one of those big projects I completed last year: St Basil’s, a Carole Lake design. I had it framed and am giving it to my second son, Hugh and his wife, Anne. Both turned 40 years old this month and Anne loves this piece. I do too! This piece is framed under glass; Hugh & Anne have dogs…big dogs.

There are several reasons I do not blog about some of the pieces I stitch… as I said, the work is sporadic and I am usually doing computer work for others. St Basil’s is one of the pieces I helped produce the stitch guide. I do not think it would be ethical for me to talk about these designs before they are released for teaching and sometimes they are not released for teaching or sale. Usually when I help produce stitch diagrams for a piece I feel like I have stitched the piece, even though it is just on paper. Many times, the order of the stitching will change and I will redo page layouts; after a pilot class there are revisions; And yes, even after the piece has been taught there are revisions.

Remember Lucy? Well she is at the framers as we speak… you will see her soon. She’s been stitched for some time I just forgot about her in the busy-ness of last fall.

 Today I am off to work on the computer.

 ttfn…sue

Starting 2010

We are 12 days into 2010 and I am just getting around to posting. This year I am going to make no promises about how often I will post. I seem to get bogged down in self-inflicted promises to myself.

2009 was a good year and a bad year. Seemed like everything would go along just fine and then the bottom would fall out.

Nov 1^st was one of the blackest days of the year. My friend Patty Morrison unexpectedly passed away . Patty was my needlework finisher and friend. It was quite a loss to her family and friends. Patty had the most infectious smile, bright outlook and happy attitude that you could not help but be uplifted by her even if you were just talking to her on the phone. It was a loss that will be felt throughout this needlework community for a long time. I will never pick up a gold thread again and not think of Patty; her company name is “A Thread of Gold”. Her friend and assistant is going to carry on and that is a complement and credit to Patty.

Started out 2009 with computer problems and ended 2009 the same way. This last episode fried the hard drive…bad news…but… good news…I was backing up the hard drive when it happened and so far looks like hopefully 95% of my data was saved. I have encountered a few problems but so far nothing I can’t repair or redo. And I found a computer angel who didn’t charge me an arm and a leg just to look at my computer and then turn it on at an hourly rate. He was so considerate too. Called me with 2 hours of having my baby and gave me the preliminary diagnoses and kept me informed every step of the way about what he was doing and the approximate co$t. I never realized how dependent I have become on this baby to keep me informed, connected and entertained. Now she is home, better than new (she got a memory enhancement too), and is  appreciated more than ever and I have a new angel in my life.

Since Dec24, we have had nothing but snow and cold, cold & snow… I do not mind the white stuff within reason, and as long as it is white and not dirty gray. I would prefer it came and went in small increments of 3-6 inches at a time but this winter it has been 3-6 inches on top of 3-6 inches and still more 3-6 inches. AND if it hasn’t been snowing, it is colder than…well I’ll let you file in the rest…cold and windy, with wind chills in the negative double digits. Here is a picture of my patio over the week-end.

With the wind and the cold it was hard to keep me and the house warm. I even had to get gloves so I could stitch…

 

And Lucy, well Lucy had her own way of dealing with the cold…

You want me to go where?

She gave Stewey at Spinster Stitcher (http://spinsterstitcher.blogspot.com) a run for the blanket. I don’t think she came out of this blanket more than three times a day for three days. And when she did come out the look was too much, I really think she expected me to go outside too (Thank goodness for indoor plumbing) and I know she would have preferred me to spoon feed her. I tried to explain to her that moving around kept your blood moving but I don’t think she believe a woman sitting next to a fireplace, under an electric lap robe with fingerless gloves stitching or reading and sipping warm tea. Oh well, it is a Mom-my-lism (Things your mother used to say, that you are NEVER going to repeat to your children): “A case of do as I say and not as I do”.

We all have survived and yesterday it was a sunny 30 degrees…felt like the tropics of January. Today we are back to gray and 20 degrees…too many people must have been doing a happy dance and getting out of their cabins. But it is double digit degrees in the positive and no white stuff.

And that is the last few months in a blog post. My family all live close (sometimes too close) and are all relatively healthy. My computer is back in the pink. These are all blessings and a great way to start the 2010 New Year and my third year blogging.

ttfn…sue

My Christmas Card

Since I am obviously not getting anything stitched for Christmas I decided to share with everyone my card from the Kansas City Art Institute: http://kcaiholidaycard.com/ It is too much fun.

Right now I am in cookie mode 17 dozen baked at least that many more to go.

ttfn…sue

Halloween Treat

Last year I made Halloween trees for my grandchildren (Yes sons, I did not do this for you…such is life.) I really wanted more lifelike trees but settled for Black Christmas tree like trees.  I would have posted these to my blog last year but we all know I am not the best at writing to the blog…And then too I was busy stitching and finishing. The response of my grandkids was too cute and worth all the work and all the reward I needed. How can one put a price on, “Oh Grandma, I love you!”

I charted one and gave to the local needlepoint shop to give away as a cross stitch or needlepoint freebie…a treat from me and them. Until this year I forgot to finish charting the designs and so they will not be released until next year…too late for this year. But I will share one with all of you…my treat. If you cannot read print the design from the blog, email me (sudu@kc.rr.com) and I will return the email with a PDF file attached. Please put Candy Corn pattern in subject line or you might go to the junk mail and that would be no treat.

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The scissors are Flying Witch Scissors from Uncommon Scissors http://uncommonscissors.com/ although I think I may need (not want but need) to order black cat too, and maybe owl…and… Can one have too may scissors?

 And I almost forgot to bring my Halloween sewing box out…I blogged about this when it came back from the finisher…couldn’t wait to show it off Blog: http://sudukc.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=575)  then and then I forgot to bring it out with my witches.

It is too cute and took me forever to stitch…I am not a cross stitch person but in a weak moment had to have this… I think Just NAN (http://www.justnan.com/) does such cute things and I believe Silver Needle in Tulsa (http://www.thesilverneedle.net/index ) was my enabler.. I’m grateful she does lots of limited additions because I am so far behind the curve that usually they are all sold out by the time I see them. Probably a good thing for me otherwise I would have a box full of Just Nan UFOs and I don’t do much cross stitch.  

Happy Halloween and no tricks please.

ttfn…sue

How are you creative?

I was reading blogs I bookmark this week-end and Jackie at Dog Daisy Chain http://dogdaisychains.blogspot.com/  posted an intriguing statement. “As I work on struggling to regain my creativity and meet deadlines, I envy those who are able to sit and hand sew.”

Do those that are paid for designing needlepoint struggle more with creativity than those of us that just stitch because it is cheaper than a shrink? Do deadline stifle creativity or enhance creativity? Does stitching other designers work or painted canvases stifle our own creativity?

Jackie went on to say that even if she doesn’t like a technique or piece she learns a lesson or technique that she “…promised myself I would return to. Other lessons were learned. Stored up for future use. You learn something with every piece you make.”

I agree, you learn from every piece you stitch. Whether it is a new thread or stitch you are going to love or hate; an idea or technique that helps with that “ah ha” moment for another project that has been waiting for that moment of enlightenment; or just something that does not work no matter how hard or long you try to make it work. I think we can learn from each other in a class, just stitching together, at a guild meeting or online. We are a social group and we learn by association. We offer our ideas and observations but the bottom line is whatever we chose to stitch and how we stitch it is our choice alone. There are no “stitch police” that are going to tell us we can’t do something.

What would needlepoint be like if we were all still stitching the continental stitch using silk or wool? We’ve come a long way and the future is unlimited by our own creativity. So next time you don’t feel very inspired or creative, just remember that someone out there may be inspired by your work.

And most of all remember… learning is being creative.

ttfn…sue

Great giveaway and it made me think…

First, I need to apologize for not posting to my blog…life just gets in the way of my fingers. And sometimes it is a choice of reading all the really interesting blogs I have bookmarked or writing. Since I am more a verbal person the choice is easy for me I would rather here what you all have to say than write my blog.

That said, I found this very interesting give-a-way and it made me think about why I needlepoint…

http://artneedlepoint.com/

Why I Love Needlepoint…Share with us why you Love Needlepoint!
Please let us know three reasons why you like to needlepoint.
How often do you stitch?
Do you usually stitch alone or with other people?

My answer:

I have been needlepointing since I was about 8 yrs old with some time off to be a teenager and a young mother. Being a young mother I needed something to keep my sanity and needlepoint was cheaper than a shrink (reason 1). I tried cross stitch, it was less expensive but not as rewarding. I love to take a blank canvas, combine threads and stitches to make a design (reason 2). Today with all the threads, stitches, canvases and teachers available needlepoint is endless and such fun to do. Guilds, shop stitch-ins or just friends getting together is so rewarding and inspirational (reason 3). I think it is so rewarding to see all the different color and thread combinations that will be produced from a class project or just two people stitching the same painted canvas. Our personalities can shine and it also can be a history of our lives; when we look at our stitching we can usually remember what we were doing in out lives and how we were feeling. I try to stitch every day…A day without stitching is a day without sunshine. I love to stitch with friends but I also love to stitch alone…it really does not matter as long as I stitch!

Why do you needlepoint?

ttfn…sue

 

Keeping track of needlepoint

 Since I am having a spell of Frog Stitching, I decided to set aside and compute instead. I know that the way my week is going this may be risky, but I need to feel productive.

 Back in April…see I’m on top of things…I prefer to think of it as digesting, processing and implementing important information. Anyway Cyn Stitches of Windy Meadow wrote about how she keeps track of her needlepoint (http://cyns-stitches.blogspot.com/2009/04/journalling-needlework-april-9-2009.html) .

I have kept track of some of my needlepoint and am trying to be better about it since I ask my teachers and designers to please write down what they stitch as they are stitching it. It makes it so much easier to remember when you want to write the instructions or stitch guide. I keep a notepad next to my stitching area and try and remember to write down all important info. But like the Cobbler’s children I don’t always practice what I preach.

 This week I have been trying to update my stitching notebook. I have several types of entries.

Some of the older entries only have basic information: I do try to include designer/teacher if it is a painted canvas, kit, or class. 

Others have more: I like to always have a picture of the finished product and an up close photo if needed. I am trying to include area of stitching, stitch used, thread (name, color & number), and number of stands/ply used.

And some even have a stitch guide.

       

I prefer the last two stitch guides but I don’t always do this, but I am trying to be an example to myself and others.

 These are just some of the ways Iam trying to  keep track of my stitching. How do you keep track of your stitching?

ttfn…sue

Time does fly

Time must fly because I know I am not spending all mine. I blink and a week is gone; if I turn around the month has flown bye…can’t imagine what would happen if I fell down.

I have been working on documenting my pulled thread pieces and I’m also incubating ideas for the covering. I’m also stitching tombstone ornaments for my grandkids Halloween trees I started last year. One of my sons suggested I do stockings for them too…I think he was quite surprised when I told him they already exist; but since I do not do Christmas stockings for the little ones I figure Halloween would be a bit much. Anyway, I’m saving their teeth (they would expect me to stuff it with treats) and not stitching stockings.

But today in a blinding rainstorm…it wasn’t raining when I started to the framers and he is a ½ hour away…I picked up the Orna Willis piece I won my mistake last spring (See my blog: http://sudukc.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/finished-laying-threads/

http://sudukc.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/i-lay-i-layed-i-will-laythreads/

http://sudukc.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/sue-is-computing-and-stitching/)

I originally was gong to put it in a box but then decided to frame instead. I really like the way it turned out.

Oh drats, I just noticed I have a mistake in the tombstone…it is not centered.  I will be frog stitching tonight. But do you get the name: Kerry M Off (Carry ‘m off). I have Candy B. Good too… I think the names are pretty good maybe next year I’ll do Congress cloth and some of the epitaphs we have in a book; some are pretty funny. Okay I’m off to the graveyard to frog stitch.

ttfn…sue