MAGIC: Producing results...

through mysterious sleight of hand influences or unexplained powers and the charms, spells and rituals so used. Hey, that sounds like what I need to help dwindle my 2008 UFO pile. Where do I sign up? In reality you and I know it will take more than a little abracadabra or even a miracle would be more likely to help plow through my stash of undone's. Or so I thought.

Last Fall our local EGA group was challenged to sign up for Barb Loftus' very inventive MAGIC program. MAGIC (My All Good Intentions Contract) was created as an incentive to help members reduce their ever expanding accumulation of UFO's.

Here's how it works. Members were asked to identify 3 projects they would like to finish and present them at our Chapter meeting. Yes, you had to stand up and pledge your intention (s). A paper contract was filled out for each project stating a self imposed dollar amount to be donated to the Chapter, if the UFO wasn't completed in one year's time. In our case, it was Fall 2007 to November 2008. The monies raised, if any (yeah, right, anyway), will be added to our Chapter's Outreach program funds. Members generously pledged several hundred dollars and it's now nearly August. Wonder how everyone is progressing?

As for me, well, I've completed the stitching on a kimono, after 7 years of picking up, putting down and ripping out, I'm glad it's done. Next up is the Rooster seen here in the blog Archives (July 3, Studio Time). Then I have a set of 4 canvases in varying stages of completion. These were from a class I had taken at an ANG seminar in NM, Four Season Fairies with Dorothy Lesher. I learned a lot in this class which is justifcation enough for being gentle with myself if I don't finish them. The main objective for taking classes is to learn, not to finish. Right? Right. I think I'll need to get my checkbook out for these. Well, that's okay, it's going to a very good cause.

Okay Chapter members, you know who you are; how are you doing?

STUDIO TIME

with Caela! Okay, I am really excited. Next week at this time I will have the good fortune to be in the company of many fabulous needleartists. I'm attending the EGA Rocky Mountain Regional Seminar held in Denver. The class choices this year are fabulous and it is such a treat to have the Seminar held in my own back yard, so to speak.

As a member of the hosting Chapter I will have certain volunteer duties but the rest of my day will be spent with national needlestar Caela Tyler. I've opted to sign up for her Studio Time and plan on taking full advantage of her expertise and wisdom. Studio time is where you bring any stitching issues you may be having or canvas problems, etc. to an expert to help you work out solutions. I will be seeking her help in how to go about making either of these major canvas/thread investments the best they can be. The rooster is 14"x14" by CanvasWorks. It is a handsome canvas that my husband bought for me several years ago. I have been perplexed as to how to stitch it and have tried a few things here and there, just to give DH the impression that I am actively working on it. He is thrilled that I will soon have help and is imagining a light at the end of the tunnel.

This is the other canvas and I've been saving it for over 20 years! It's by Elsa Williams and originally came with her tapestry wool. Well I am so glad I held off doing this, can you imagine all the different thread and stitches that can be used now? It's fairly large but so light and airy I think it will work up fairly quickly. Don't you? I want an open back ground but will defer to Caela before making a final decision.

For those of you that know Caela's work you understand why I jumped at the chance to sign up for her Studio. Having viewed many of her finished works in person, all superlative adjectives worthy of a fine artist come to mind, but there is one thing that stands out to me. I am talking about what I refer to as her light handed touch.

When I first began stitching I believed that heavier thread and stitch usage would be more dramatic and, quite honestly, I was never really happy with the end results but didn't know why. After seeing Caela's exquisite work, so intricate, light, showing fine detail, I learned right away that this is a far more effective way to enhance the design. Unfortunately this style does not come naturally to me, but I'm learning and hoping for a little osmosis action to take place at Seminar. I'll keep you posted.