I stitched this canvas and gave it to my childhood classmate in honor of celebrating our 40th high school class reunion. It's an insert in a photo album; thought that would be appropriate in the unlikely event either one of us was found in front of the camera. Isn't that a shocking number of years to be "post-high school"? Yikes, it can't be true, I never was good at math, I'm sure it's just another one of my algebra errors.

I thought it depicted my girlfriend and I enjoying life, naturally ignoring the reality of our current size, shape, hair color, clothing choices. This is actually a depiction of how we thought we would look 40 years later. And given the state of our eyesight, it appears fairly accurate.

I did have fun with this fantasy canvas, that's me on the right in that suede fringed skirt, oh so 60's style. My friend, Marilyn, is perusing all her old past beau's in the yearbook.

Whatever happened to Marilyn? After many years we found each other once again through the miracle of google, people search, classmates! She lives in our hometown of Phoenix with her husband, ahem which by the way was my boyfriend in the 5th grade, hi Gary! It's comforting to know that we will never lose sight of one another again. Thanks for stopping by today!

Things are getting.....

busy around here. Scurrying to finish my year end projects, holiday gatherings, lunch with friends and, my favorite, stitching with my peeps! Not long ago I signed up to participate in an ornament exchange. I planned on giving and completed a darling needlepoint ornie; then it dawned on me that it was through a cross stitch group. Just sign me up for the famed HSS (Head Slap Society). I am not an avid cross stitcher but I did finish these myself and thought they turned out okay. They were fun. Guess I'll just have to keep the needlepoint ornie for myself. :)

Last night, my local ANG chapter held it's annual holiday potluck and gift exchange. I received a great gift, a charming, mini tote. I hadn't seen these before and think it will be ideal for keeping handy the stitching items that I need, but don't want to keep in my regular stitching bag. Thank you Sandy! Isn't it adorable with the leopard lining.....it's so me! LOL!
We were also presented with this absolutely beautiful ornament designed by Caela Conn Tyler, whom in addition to creating the lovely "berry" organized and led this fund raising effort for a local, sister ANG chapter. It came beautifully packaged and mine is going on my Christmas tree, then later will hang on a dresser drawer pull in my stitching room the rest of the year. The photo does not do it justice, but if you look close you can see ANG embossed on the velvet. It was a great evening and a fun time was had by all.
Our program chair has lined up a full year of projects that will be difficult to resist....totally wreaking havoc with my 2009 stitching queue. Remember my "turbo stitcher" friend, she was there and has stitched two of the most fabulous miniature rugs in the Native American style. They are beautiful. I know I have promised to feature "G" on my blog in the past but we haven't been able to get the proper photos of her magnificent work. We are working on it.

Next week I have EGA which is having the "MAGIC" show and tell that I've been working on. I haven't stitched much lately on my final challenge Rooster canvas, but must focus on that and nothing else for the rest of this week. Hope to have photos soon. Thanks for stopping by today. And Margaret, if you're still reading, I hope you are able to post a comment.

St.Basil/Santa Redo

Today, I am sending Santa to the finisher (Hi Marie!) to be given new life. I'm including some fabric, a velvet and 2 plaids (both taffeta/moire) along with dyed fur trim. Saw it, had to have it, hope it works on the pillow. The finisher makes her own trim, cord and tassels and has more ideas to help make Santa feel festive. I agree with all previous comments advising to redo this piece and have confidence that Marie and I will come up with just the right design. Thanks so much all for your encouragement and ideas. Next time Santa "marooned" will be but a memory! LOL!

Here is St. Basil's Mini Sock

This is a case of finishing gone wrong. Now I'm the first person to be empathetic to the risk and difficulty that comes along with finishing needlework. I enjoy my attempts at it and am gentle with myself, taking into consideration that I am self trained. My turn around time (quick) and labor cost (free) are often the driving factors when doing my own finishing work. What was that old adage, penny wise and pound foolish? I admit it, I've been there a few times.

On your left is my St. Basil's mini sock that I stitched last year; a glorious canvas designed by Shelly Tribbey. I enjoyed working on it using a variety of stitches and threads, and the tassel was great fun to create. I didn't have a stitch guide but managed because of the intricity of the painted design. Thank you Ms. Tribbey.

After completing the stitching in July, I decided to send St. Basil off to be finished into it's final form; not as a stocking, but rather as a front design on a box pillow. There was to be a variety of fabrics contrasting in color, texture and pattern, cording, a shirred gusset, tassels and the stocking was to be positioned slightly tilted clockwise with a tassel hanging from the upper left corner. I basically wanted a whimsical feel not unlike the color and pattern variations characteristic of Mackenzie Childs http://www.mackenzie-childs.com/. Between my suggestions and website examples of their work, I felt confident. Often times in life we don't always get what we expect and this was the case here.

So now over a year later, with the pillow hidden from view, I am debating whether I am up for another finishing job or just send it off to the finisher I currently use and am satisfied with. I'm not worried about it being finished for this holiday season, but more afraid that it is beyond my skill level. I toyed with leaving the sock on this pillow and try to embellish it with tassels, added cord, etc. Any recommendations out there?

I know Thanksgiving

isn't even here yet, but I'm already starting to get my Christmas stuff out of the closet. I stitched this 3-dimensional ice skate last year. It's designed by the talented Shelly Tribbey. I finished at least 4 Tribbey canvases last year and am obviously very attracted to her whimsical design sense. Especially for Christmas stuff, the whimsier the better.

The canvas came with the skate blades but not a stitch guide. I first spied the finished skate at Sara's of Breckenridge in, where else, Breckenridge, CO. It's a small but fabulous shop and well worth the 60-90 minute drive from the Denver area. Sara's has a wonderful selection of finished models to temp you and she is a fabulous stitcher herself with lots of great ideas and thread selections.

I loved making the 3-d tassel which was done in turkey work. Starting at the bottom of the tassel you turkey stitch small stitches, then as you progress toward the top of the tassel your loops become longer and longer so that the top loops actually hang over the bottom loops; which after the loops are cut and trimmed the shorter bottom loops are short and thick and give the top loops something to lay upon creating the 3-d effect. It is essential to use a reliable, professional finisher on a piece like this. The toe, tongue and top cuff were all finished out in faux suede. The interior is lined and the cord and ribbon are the finishing touches. Expect to pay between $175 and $225 for one similarly finished.

Tale of the Pesky Kimono

MAGIC project #2 is done, finished. No, I didn't stitch it in two different colorways, just playing with my photo software. It's been about 7 years since I first purchased this canvas. I had such high hopes in the beginning that it would stitch up quickly and that I would miraculously find just the right stitches and threads to use. Didn't happen that way. As a much less experienced stitcher 7 years ago I didn't know about the wonderful stitching support groups and lists and all the help available through them. Thinking it was a gorgeous canvas worthy of fine threads and stitches, and with Jo Ippolito's 300 stitches dictionary by my side, I thought I was prepared.

The real trouble began when I attempted to create a stitch guide; I had no experience and ultimately no business attempting this. I stitched and then frogged, stitched and frogged for months. I just do not have the talent nor experience to instinctively know what stitch best fits where. Frustration stitching this particularly problematic canvas caused me to put my needle down for about 3 years. Back then, back before discovering my needlework groups, I was still practicing the don't begin something new until you finish what you've started mantra. And I didn't want to work on the kimono so I ended up not working on anything. Big mistake rectified only after learning that it's natural to have any number of UFO's and WIPS in one's stash. That it's a normal part of being a stitcher. Thankfully I cast aside this notion of nothing new until old is finished.

Once the stitching was in, the poor kimono took a rest while I tried to figure out how to finish it to hang on a stand. I looked around on the Internet for help, but didn't find what I needed. The first thing I did was to cut away the canvas around the stitched design and basted on an interfacing for stabilization. Next I needed to find the right fabric for the back; naturally choosing a slick Asian fabric that frayed like crazy. The color and pattern were right, so what's a little fraying with everything else it had been through. The fabric was basted to the back of the canvas wrong sides facing inward. It was finally time to apply the velvet trim to the edges by hand leaving armhole openings. Voila! Done. Goodbye. Shoo! Actually I learned many valuable lessons stitching this kimono, that even though I was discouraged many times, I became a better stitcher because of it somehow. Becoming more aware of my limitations and levels of tolerance and patience, I now plan and proceed with my stitching projects differently than I did back then.