Week-endwithout stitching ;-(

Friday since stitching was out (eye was watering and didn’t want to strain eye on computer or stitching), husband was home, and the weather was beautiful; we decided to take the afternoon off and go looking. My eye was watering but I could see and what a better distraction than shopping.

Kansas City’s West Bottoms have become a mecca for antique shops and spook houses. First noticed these antique shops while taking grandson to work at spook houses this fall…Yes, I had an awful looking character living with me. (sudu note: forgot to include picture, added couple hours later)The hours were awful, the pay lousy but he had fun and a ride home on late nights…a few nights were 3 AM L.  BUT my husband and I didn’t hear him come home and garage door is below master bedroom…Scary. But that is over and never to happen again…and I digress.

The antique shops are only open on First Friday week ends (http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/05/3355042/antique-shop-is-opening-friday.html). First Friday in the Crossroads happen the 1^st week end of the month; Kansas City artists have their openings and shows (http://www.kccrossroads.org/); it draws a large crowd to downtown. So off we headed to look, 1^st stop Restoration Emporium the newest addition to the West Bottoms. And of course we were not 12 feet in the door when we found handle for our antique Fire King pans we’ve been looking for to replace our makeshift one. Then DH found 3 pans he could not live without. After touring about three of these establishments, I told DH you know your old when the antique shops are selling things you remember having, using or still have nd are using.

We also found a man who makes furniture…I think I have a couple projects for him…You can see him on this website: http://kcjewel.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/first-first-friday-2012/.

Then my DDH suggested we drive to Parkville, Mo, it’s just over the river and down the road a bit. There is a shop I have wanted to go see for a long time. I agreed without hesitation…OH MY, a great place…I could still be there! Eye Candy everywhere! Florilegium (http://florilegium.com/index.htm ) I will be going back! Notice the Paternayan; they had a good supply in hanks. Gretchen, the owner dyes her own ribbons and they were beautiful! I was in this store two hours and DH had wandered the entire shopping area 8-10 shops and even decided where we should eat. I brought up the website last night and oooh-ed & aaah-ed again for a long time. I will be going back!

Saturday I found these at Pier 1…bought the sudu. I feel a new collection beginning. Also managed a trip to LNS…if I can’t stitch I can look and pick up threads for later. Tonight I think I might try to stitch…eye still a bit watery but I THINK I need a stitching fix. You know stitching is addicting and you crave it when you’re not doing it!

That’s how I spent my week-end…if I can’t stitch I shop!

Hope everyone has time to stitch today!  ttfn…sue

CBS visits Royal School of Needlework

I always like to watch Sunday Morning, just for the different suns they show. I wish CBS would publish a book of them…they could donate the money to different charities

But in case you missed this morning: The sun was a poor example of stitching especially since they were talking to the Royal School of Needlework…had they asked I would have whipped one up.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7363014n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Thought the whole segment was interesting. My favorite part…The robe for Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation has 18 kinds of gold and the women who worked on this robe were sequestered for 3 months while stitching…no leaks here.

Back tomorrow. I gardened all day and now off to stitch until I fall asleep.

Hope everyone has time to stitch today! ttfn…sue

Jerry M. Kreinik

Last week we lost another pioneer and innovator in the needlepoint world. Until Kreinik threads came along we stitched mostly in wool. Those really adventurous stitches might chose silk or cotton but metallic threads? …unheard of in the late 60’s and 70’s. 

I never met Jerry Kreinik but I remember the first time I saw the Kreinik threads.

We have always had at least two needlepoint shops in town, sometimes as many as 4 or 5 shops in the 70’s. At one shop in particular, they still hold needlepoint in their hands (no frames) and as a friend of mine once said: they have the most Paternayan wool (tapestry and rug) of any shop she had ever been into. At one point in time (70’s) this shop was the best game in town and it was also closest to my house. They had walls of wool, a spin rack of DMC threads (maybe 30 basic colors of floss and perle) and the silk was in a bag in the back room and a basket on the cash register counter with Kreinik threads in gold and silver.

This is where I first saw and bought a Kreinik thread. I had gone in to purchase thread (wool) to make my sons’ school Christmas ornaments…I made a simple Christmas ornament for every teacher who taught my kids (sometimes 20 ornaments…I had 3 sons), the school principal and his secretary (she has a complete set of ornaments I made over the years).  As I was paying for the wool I saw this basket with metallic thread; I thought the gold thread would be a bit of sparkle for the ornament and I could also use a piece of it for the hanger. The then owner of the shop told me I really didn’t want it, the metallic thread would discolor and then I would have black marks on my needlework.  I bought the thread anyway!

I never pick up a spool of Kreinik thread (remember when it on a heavy cardboard spool?) that I don’t think of this shop owner…little did she know that this thread would change needlepoint forever. No longer were we limited to wool, cotton or silk now we could add sparkle!

Jerry Kreinik was an innovator who allows us to think outside the box, to try something other than basketweave in wool and to add sparkle to our art.

Thank you, Mr Kreinik.

Hope everyone has time to stitch today with some Kreinik!  ttfn…sue

What a week!

The old saying, “Time passes quickly when you’re having fun.” is apropos for this week.  This was the week that was…and truly it went by much too quickly…I’d like another, thank you very much. If nothing else was going on this week the weather was beautiful…and I caught a sever case of Spring Fever!

I could barely keep myself inside this week and had the doors open on several occasions…in February! Lucy sniffed every blade of grass in the yard and even wanted to play soccer. From 2 feet of snow on the ground to 70 degrees, love that Mother Nature!…but Jack Frost will be heard from again and not in the too distant future I’m sure.

It was also Valentine’s Day this week. My valentine bought us a picture I have wanted for a long time…Thomas Jefferson painted by Bob Holloway a local artist. I have several of his pictures and love them all. http://www.bobholloway.com/

I also purchased supplies to try needle felting. It looks like fun and something that could be applied to needlepoint as embellishments. I made a ladybug just to see if I could. Since I am not sure yet…was searching the internet last week and bookmarked several stops but haven’t gotten back to them yet. There will be more to come about needle felting I’m sure.

I also picked up a couple packages of rick rack to make rick-rack flowers. Kathy’s blog Shakl http://www.shawkl.com/search?updated-max=2011-02-11T09%3A21%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=10 told how to do them and I thought they looked like fun and something else that could embellish a needlepoint. When I was a the store picking up needle felting supplies I also picked up two packages of rick rack, I didn’t read the blog close before I left home to know which size to buy. I also bought a rick rack that was one sided (painted). I just had to cut my rick rack and make a couple adjustments. It would have been easier with one color but these turned out just fine for my first try.

Also made a large temari ball. I thought I might participate in Barbra Suess challenge but I may not have enough time since I played this week. You can read all about it and see Barb’s beautiful temari on her blog http://temaribarb.blogspot.com/  or her website  http://www.japanesetemari.com/ . But at least now I have one very large temari ball…unstitched

And poor bunny…well, he is still on the stretcher bars. All the black (except ears) is stitched. Started working on the turkey tuff tail but between the nice weather; trying my new projects; and oh yes I am suppose to be doing computer graphics for a teacher (sh-h-h, maybe she won’t notice it is taking me forever) I haven’t made much progress. I tried to stitch six thread lengths a day but I am about 24 threads behind this week…but who’s counting.

And that’s the week that was in the Midwest…and now I’m off to enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. Lucy and I are taking a walk and then we are cooking on the grill tonight. If Mother Nature wants to tease us, we are going to enjoy every moment!

 I hope everyone has beautiful weather too and if you can squeeze it in…time to stitch!  ttfn…sue