No matter how I try I seem to forget about writing a blog. I was never a journal writer or diary keeper, so blogging is going to be a difficult task for me. And even once I start to write, it takes me forever to get my thoughts down. I am a verbal person not a writer.
I have finished my February TIFs and have posted them. I am going to try and put together a “how-to” for temari but it will be brief. There are many good web sites out there and I will mention two and then from there anyone can dig deeper into this great art.
I liked the color palette for February, but then I can’t imagine a color palette I will not like. This is a complementary color scheme and one of my favorite color schemes. I had lots of ideas but decided to stay with Temari Balls because they are quick and easy and that’s what I think these challenges should be. When I first read about this challenge I wanted something that would stimulate my imagination, inspire me and that not necessarily require a finished project. I have always thought that a group to brainstorm would be stimulating and rewarding. I love looking at the interpretation of the month’s challenge and reading how these challenges have been interpreted. A challenges need to stimulate your imagination, keep your imagination working and even give you food for later thought. I have several ideas also for needlepoint, but my incubation of a needlepoint design is longer than Temari balls, therefore my goal is to keep doing temari balls as monthly projects.
The other part of the TIF challenge for February was “What I am old enough remember”…
I think this challenge should have said “What I am old enough to admit to remembering.”; but I think I am secure enough in myself to admit that I remember our first TV. We had one of the first TVs in the neighborhood; it was a black and white set in a big mahogany piece of furniture. The piece of furniture was nicer than the TV, the picture tube might have been 13-15″ but the furniture was at least 4 feet high and 3 feet square. I remember watching the test pattern and thinking it was a great design. I remember running home from grade school to watch, Howdy Doody, Hopalong Cassidy, and the news. TV was one station and I don’t think it was aired more than 6 to 9 hours a day when it first started. I remember lots of highs and lows of early TV, remember many programs were live. When TV became color TV, we had one of the first in our neighborhood also. I remember one of the neighbor girls just sat there and stared at the color TV and when I asked her why, her reply left me wondering if this girl every looked at anything. She was watching a commercial and said, “The Folger’s (coffee) can is red.” No kidding, it always has been red! I remember thinking I must have a vivid imagination because I visualized clothes in color before color TV and sometimes I liked my visualizations best. I still enjoy watching old black & white movies and I still visualize in color. Sometimes I will see an old movie that has been colorized and will think “That’s not the color I visualized.”…color is truly subjective
I also remember my grandmother kept coloring books and new crayons in the hall closet of whatever house we lived in. When I was small it was always a treat to have her get a new coloring book and a new box of crayons was a true gift. She always had the biggest box of crayons available. I don’t every remember not coloring every page, nor do I remember subject coloring books (Barbie, movies, etc) they were themed (farm, princess, Mickey Mouse and friends, etc). They seemed much simpler and certainly had no dot to dot, puzzles…I remember when coloring book was a coloring book. I still enjoy a coloring book and especially when you can find one that is simple and fun.
I also remember …
The treadle sewing machine (learned on this) that I could make run as fast as the new electric one we had.
Angel Food Cake meant 13 egg whites and not Pillsbury, Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker.
Dial phones and a voice on the other end when the phone was answered.
Mail and milk was delivered to you front door…hucksters with fresh fruit and veggies came by…and bread was delivered too.
…when life seemed simpler, and certainly less scary.
I know I have been gone almost two weeks but I have trying to get everything converted over to the new laptop…long, arduous, boring job, but I don’t want to leave anything behind. This picture looks like dueling computers and some days that is how it feels. And of course one thing leads to another and then you are off on a tangent to remedy that problem before proceeding. I thought I would fall off my chair when DH announced he thought in the next day or two he would have everything transferred over to his new laptop…I should be about a month behind him but I was thinking all I needed was one program purchase and my email. Tonight I want my DH to explain the new email system to me because I do not think I am getting my emails as I should. I did manage to transfer all my contacts from one computer to the other with import/export 
and my DH did it all by hand. I’ll keep you posted; this process has been like major house cleaning and trust me, I rather be stitching.
But of course, I have been stitching too. This week was the last of Laura Perin’s, One Long Panel (http://laurajperindesigns.tripod.com/index.htm) class at the shop. It has been a fun class and interesting to see how everyone has kept up. I went by the evening class and took pictures so you can see all of our hard work. I think I am probably the most behind of all of us and many of my friends 
are taking great delight that I am not one of the first to be finished. Notice the pink color-ways, mine is on the left and I cut the green out. I put them side by side so you can see the differences.
Thank you for stopping by and spending a few moments with me; hope you have time to stitch today! ttfn…sue
