Assessing August Goals, Setting September Goals

Slow healing from cataract surgery sabotaged things somewhat this month but I did manage to get a relatively respectable amount of stitching done.

AUGUST GOALS

Complete at least five sewing finishes.  No.

Continue work on Jacobean Elegance Afghan.  I started work on another block

Finish Prairie Schooler Year Round for July and August..  Finished July and decided to skip August's rather boring entry.

Finish Town Square series  The Ice Cream Shop.  NO.

Finish Workbasket's Quaker Squirrel and start on the Quaker Bear.  NO.

Continue work on July starts.  Finished Sue Donnelly's Best Ships Sampler.  And finished two charts and started a third from the Prairie Schooler Primitive Americana leaflet.


SEPTEMBER GOALS

Complete at least five sewing finishes.
Continue work on Jacobean Elegance afghan.
Stitch Prairie Schooler Year Round for September.
Finish woek on Workbasket's Quaker Squirrel and start on the Quaker Bear.
Finish flea market pillow using Prairie Schooler's Primitive Americana leaflet designs.
Find and order Teresa Wentzler's Woodland Santa stocking.

Stitching Report, Such As It Is

If you have been hearing the joyful strains of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, it's just me.  I can see again.  No sooner than my right eye had healed enough after cataract surgery to allow me to see with that eye again, I had surgery on the left eye.  And the world was again a mere blur.  Apparently, I am a slow healer.  It takes three to four days for the dilation to subside.  That meant I went nearly 8 full days unable to read, stitch, use a computer or drive.  Manageable activities were limited to sleeping,  cleaning, cooking and watching TV ... none of which make it to my top ten list of preferred activities.  But now with the aid of a pair of dime store reading glasses, I can do all of the tasks requiring the ability to see clearly objects smaller that a grape.  I may even begin to enjoy puttering in the kitchen again, now that it is a choice rather than a chore.

Naturally, I had to test myself on different count linens and different style projects to see what would be most comfortable as I continue to heal.

First I picked up the July Prairie Schooler Year Round piece again and finished all the red and white points surrounding the star studded blue field.  The center field is slow going.  The 40 ct linen was not the easiest to work and I found myself frogging frequently after miscounting by one thread.  I am not sure I will even bother with the August entry in this series: a sun with a face, rather trite and uninteresting.  On the one hand, it does seem wrong to my orderly soul to skip one chart in a monthly series like this.  But on the other hand, why stitch a piece that would bore me to tears when I have so many more interesting projects on hand?

I also finished work on Sue Donnelly's Best Ships sampler, stitched on a much friendlier 28ct. linen.  It was charted without a border but I stitched a row of waves beneath the last line of text to give the piece a little more weight.

And I put in a few minutes on CEC's Swimming Instructor, working on the spider roses that form the bra.   I am not sure that the dimensionality of the stitching shows to advantage in the photograph.  But I imagine if you account for the scale, this rather buxom little mermaid wears a C cup.  I'll hold off re-charting the face for a few days till I am ready for some over one stitching.  Then it will just be a matter of adding a bead necklace and deciding if I want to embellish it with a few sea creatures. [Now that I know how to make a bullion stitch star fish, I am looking for excuses to use the new found skill.]

And because I seem to be dealing with chronic startitis this summer, I started another Prairie Schooler piece, Primitive Americana.  With all the primary election hoopla going on, it seemed an appropriate time to stitch a face off of party symbols.  I substituted silks for DMC and I am using scraps of mystery 28ct. linen sewn up  into what I have heard described as a flea market pillow top.  It's a format used in some Homespun Elegance designs I've stitched and I thought it would work nicely here.  I haven't decided yet whether I'll stitch Uncle Sam or Lady Liberty in the tall patch to the right but I have started the alphabet sampler with eagle corners that makes up the last design in this PS leaflet.on the bottom panel.  I'll probably have to make some adjustments to the chart to fit this panel.   I seem to be in a Prairie Schooler frame of mind   I can't seem to put this piece down.

So far as ease of stitching goes, the perfect project for the moment is the Jacobean Elegance afghan, stitched over two with four strands on what must be a 10 or 12 ct fabric.  I have started another of the blossom squares.  And though it is the most comfortable stitching of all the projects currently in my rotation, it is awfully bulky and warm to work with..  I think I'll alternate it with the Prairie Schooler piece for a few days.





Ah, it is so good to be able to stitch again.

Curses and Imprecations

I just read in The Needle in a Haystack's e-newsletter that the Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly is ceasing publication.  This is the only needlework magazine to which I subscribe, not having much use for JCS or any of the British magazines, with their rather lowest common denominator approach to publication.  The designs in JCS et al tend to be rather simple or oh so trendy with rarely a thought given to needle workers who want more challenging designs or articles that place the craft in historical context.  The reason for the demise of this lovely magazine is that it doesn't have a large enough audience.  Well, of course, it doesn't have a huge audience.  It has a niche audience: serious stitchers with a hunger to learn more about the craft as practiced through the centuries and throughout the world.   People who stitch more than teddy bears and Santas.

To say I am disappointed would be putting it mildly.  I have two years left in a three year subscription and no wish to be fobbed off with an inferior product like JCS which will no doubt be sent in its place.  I suppose I should comfort myself with the reminder that I have enjoyed SANQ for a decade or so.  I shall treasure my library of back issues and dip into the pages for projects for many years to come.

It always seems to work this way.  If I like a TV show,it's usually canceled after a season or two.  The authors I prefer never seem to make it to the shelves of the local library.  The movies I want to see seldom make the bill at the local cineplexes.  At the risk of sounding like a total snob, the discerning few always lose out to the common herd.   Damn! Damn!  Damn!

Addendum: I have been taken to task for the line 'people who stitch more than teddy bears and Santas'.  I can understand the appeal of an occasional Santa or mermaid or pumpkin [still don't get the teddy bears but that's just me] but let's admit that such things are stitching lite.  We all stitch things that are simple, quick and easy: seasonal fun stuff.  What I am complaining about is that with the demise of SANQ, all that's left in magazines is the light ephemeral stuff [unless one belongs to the guilds and gets their journals].  One of the most satisfying stitching experiences I have enjoyed recently is working on the English Band Sampler from SANQ 2012.   I bemoan the loss of a venue for such interesting and challenging charts, charts that expand one's skills and broaden one's stitching vocabulary. And somehow I don't expect to see articles about antique stitching implements, national styles of embroidery or museum collections in a magazine like JCS.  Why must the market always be skewed toward the lowest common denominator?   It's a fair question.

A Modest Proposal

The American electoral process has become increasingly bitter and polarized and even, to some  degree, absurd over the last few election cycles.  One longs for civility, substantive debates and an end to idiocy on both sides of the aisle.

SO

One guilty pleasure: it has been amusing to see the Donald's hairstyle come in for as much criticism as was once leveled at Hilary's coiffure.  It is so seldom that men are called out on such superficial criteria as women suffer all the time.

Progress

In my last post, I listed a series of new starts.  Every so often I get terminally bored with my current WIPs.  Or sometimes a bunch of intriguing new charts come to my attention all at once.  In this case, it was a little of both.

CEC's The Swimming Instructor  This new complimentary chart came to my attention when I saw a link to it on a message board I frequent.  I quickly kitted it up my way, substituting silks from Caron, Rainbow Gallery Splendour and Belle Soie for the rather gaudy DMC choices charted by the designer.  I wanted my finished piece to have a fantasy look rather than a cartoon look.  More Hans Christian Andersen than Walt Disney.  Once I finished the fishtail [in carom's Monsoon] and the torso [in some leftover Splendour flesh tone from an old SNN kit], I got going on the Belle Soie Mahogany silk for the hair.  Can anyone else remember the era of big hair?  I realize the effect the designer is going for is "floating in water" but all I keep seeing are 80s era actresses.  I think I'll name my mermaid Farah.  Now that I've finished her hair, I'll get to work clothing her and re-charting the face.

Morning Glory's Buttoned Heart Pin Cushion.  This was one of the charts in the retreat gift bag.  I had to start it because I had just the right materials on hand: a small scrap of antique rose 28ct linen and a partial skein of Caron Waterlilies Meadow, not enough for a full sized project but more than enough for a small.    Sometimes, materials seem to leap out of stash, shouting "use me, use me, you know I'm perfect."  I even had some flowery meadow-ish fabric on hand for a finish and a small pearlized pink button.

Also, from the retreat gift bag was this small souvenir scissor fob, Making Waves in Sturbridge.    I don't know why I feel compelled to stitch Sue's little retreat themed gifts right away.  Perhaps because I know, deep down, I am unlikely to finish the class project within the same year.  Still, I 'll have a few smalls to show for it all.  Plus, these tiny projects feed my appetite for finishes.

And another goodie bag chart, Ginny Thompson's Sampler ornament, turned out to be a one day wonder, stitching up very quickly in the deep rose pink flower thread accompanying the chart.  This was stitched on a tiny scrap of antique rose 28ct linen.






I am not quite done with the new starts yet.   Sue Donnelly's Friendship Sampler  from the gift bag is in the hoop but I haven't stitched enough of it to be photo worthy.  And, then there's Papillion Creations monochromatic chart door prize that I want to start stitching.  This is the way the WIP list grows.

Assessing July Gials, Setting Augusr Goals

My goals for July were modest.  But sometimes I just break free and make a whole bunch of new starts.

July Goals

Complete at least five sewing finishes.  No

Continue work on Jacobean Elegance Afghan.  No

Finish Prairie Schooler Year Round for July.  Started but umfinished

Finish Town Square series The ABCedarium: finished 7-9

Finish Workbasket's Quaker Squirrel.  No

Off Goal Stitching in July

CEC's The Swimming Instructor ... nearly done
Diane Herrman's Making Waves ... good prpgress during retreat
Sue Donnelly's 2015 souvenir small Making Waves in Sturbridge... finished
Morning Glory Needleworks' heart buttoned pin cushion ... more than 3/4 done.

August Goals

Complete at least five sewing finishes.

Continue work on Jacobean Elegance Afghan.

Finish Prairie Schooler Year Round for July and August..

Finish Town Square series  The Ice Cream Shop

Finish Workbasket's Quaker Squirrel and start on the Quaker Bear.

Continue woek on Jult starts.

Taking Care of Business

Today is a day for running hither and yon getting all manner of things done.

First, I've made up some packages for the post.  The Workbasket Quaker Halloween [aka owl and bat] will be winging its way over the Atlantic to a new home.  A winner of the Christmas in July giveaway of Heartstrings charts has been chosen: Karen.  I've bundled those charts ready for mailing.  And I've put together an ice cream cone making kit [two different kinds of cones, several different kinds of sprinkles, chopped nuts, toasted coconut, several varieties of hard shell toppings, etc] meant to delight the grandchildren and compel my son and his long suffering wife to run out immediately for the ice cream needed to complete the kit.  I've included a rambling letter about going to the corner candy store with my grandfather to buy ice cream cones for the whole family, about the ice cream trucks that were commonplace in Brooklyn in the 50s ... in short, about my childhood memories of loving grandparents who lived in the upstairs apartment of our two family home.  It's hard to carry on the tradition of grandparental treats from the opposite coast but I'll give it my best shot.  You've got to be really creative if you want to spoil grandchildren who live 3,000 miles away.

And on that note, I am sending my granddaughter another needlepoint kit since she likes to sew like Grandma Regina.  [We sent her one for her birthday last month.]  I've got to nurture whatever genetic tendencies I've passed on to her through my son.   I foud this beginner's needlepoint kit for kids on the 123stitch website.

I purchased two more relatively simple kits that I'll send on later as she builds more skill.  These two kits will cater to her love of all things pink and her fondness for princesses.

Second, a trip to the jewelers to have some links removed from the band of the watch given me at retirement.  

Third,  a quick trip to the library to return unread a book borrowed on inter-library loan.  When I opened the book, I was disgusted to find it was riddled with unidentifiable stains.  It should have been removed from the shelves.   I am most definitely not a proponent of book burning but it might be justified in this case on purely sanitary grounds.

Fourth, a pre-op visit to my internist to be cleared for cataract surgery.  NYS requires patients to be cleared for non-emergency surgery 30 days prior to the operation, checking on heart and lung health.   I  have a visit to the podiatrist scheduled two hours later.  I hope the visits won't take the whole afternoon, because

Fifth, I hope to head into Nyack to do some antiquing.  I usually like to start my Christmas shopping about now and I often find the perfect gifts for my daughter, my Mom and my sister-in-law while browsing the stalls at large antique and collectible malls,.

Making Waves at Sturbridge ...

... was the name of the stitching retreat from which I have just returned.

The class project was a marvelous needlepoint piece, Making Waves, composed primarily of 27 rows of randomized bargello stitching of varying band widths gradually progressing from white sea foam to deep turquoise sea blue.  There were also randomized eyelets in #8 and 12 perle cotton, beading and a bullion stitched star fish.

The designer, Diane Herrmn, pictured here with the project, drew her design inspiration from the graph of a sine curve.  [Here I will insert a very small apology to Sister Anna St. James for ever doubting that geometry and trigonometry would ever have an impact on my life after 11th grade.]  It was fascinating to follow Diane's design process as she described how she decided to lengthen and lighten the waves as they approached the shore, why she used 65 beads [no more and no less] to lend sparkle to the eyelet sea foam, how she selected the colors and graphed the proportions of light and dark when blending the strands.

I believe no class is truly a learning experience unless I get to practice a new technique or to try a new stitch.  This class met both requirements.  After 40 some years of stitching, I finally learned how to lay my stitches.

I actually got to use the laying tool I bought a decade ago simply because I thought it was lovely.  I will say it makes a difference.  I don't expect I'll become one of those fanatics who lays ever single stitch I take. But I will probably use it for all my satin stitching in future. Using stretcher bars was a new experience as well.  I learned how to mount the piece on the bars.  In the past, I'd always done needlepoint in hand, relying on the stiffness of the canvas to make handling the piece manageable.  I am a convert and will invest in stretcher bars in various sizes in future. Oh, yes, and a small ladylike hammer is on the shopping list as well.  Pressing in all those thumbtacks by hand is painful, to say the least.

And I learned the proper way to make a bullion stitch.  I practiced: got the first one done perfectly and proceeded to mess up the next three to varying degrees.  And then made two more reasomably decent attempts.  But I have seen it done properly, remember the tips and just need to practice some more.

Since this was a Sue Donnelly Stitcher's Hideaway retreat, there were the usual generously stocked gift bags, door prizes and an in house shop.  In other words, it was a very complete stitching experience. Here's a photo of the stitching room.  Some folks are busy stitching, some are socializing and some are off camera in the shop area at the back of the room. The accommodations at The Public House were comfortable, the meals were good and the support staff were attentive and helpful.

Sue's retreats always include an exchange and a show and tell session.  Above are a few photos of the exchange items and of the projects on display for show and tell.  There was a great deal more but my photographic skills are sadly lacking.

And, finally, here's a photo of what I accomplished in class.  I expect I'll make better progress now that I am home and can use my stitching stand.  Not having to balance the stretcher bars between lap and table edge will make for quicker two handed stitching.

And A New Start

All that serial stitching had me aching for something entirely fresh and different.  I am rather partial to mermaids and this complimentary chart from CEC, The Swimming Instructor, caught my eye.  The basic outline was charming but the color choices and facial details made it rather cartoonish.  So, I am following the designer's suggestion to tweak it and make it my own.  

I'll rechart the eyes and mouth, probably over one, to get a more realistic facial expression, i.e.; odd as it seems to use the words mermaid and realistic in the same sentence.  

The fabric is Silkweaver's Tropical Water.  I had my doubts about the fabric when I first pulled it out.  It looked almost neon bright but using Caron Waterlilies silk in Monsoon for the fishtail tamed it nicely.  I am using some Splendour silks for the flesh tones and am thinking of using Belle Soie Mahogany for the hair.

I want to have stitched the body before making a decision, the better to see if the hair color works with the flesh tones, background color and fishtail.  I'll be using a specialty stitch in the Monsoon silk, adapted from silk ribbon embroidery rosettes, to stitch the bra.  I also have some lovely turquoise beads from an old hippie-era bead and seed necklace that just might work for the mermaid's necklace.  I may even add one bead as a navel ornament.  It is fun to play with a design until it works to my own satisfaction.

Serial Stitching

It has been more than a few days since I showed photos of stitching progress. I seem to have fallen into a pattern.  Most of my current projects belong to a series of similar designs.

Town Square series: The Abecedarium by R & R Reproductions.  The stitching on this one is finished but it has yet to be made into an ornament along with two others stitched earlier this year.  I plan to get a bit of sewing and assembly finishing done later this week.  I have now stitched quite a number of a possible 42 charts in this series.  I will probably stitch two or three more.  A few of the buildings in the series simply didn't appeal to me.  Check out the gallery post here if you want to see the buildings already stitched.  I need to go on line and look for a tall but very skinny Christmas tree for this ornament series.  I'll decorate it with a Small Town USA theme using these ornaments, several strands of wooden cranberry beads and some small white twinkling lights.  I like to have a few themed trees in different rooms during the Christmas season.

Workbasket Quaker Animal series : The Squirrel.  I am not quite done with this entry in the series.  I am using two different dye lots of GAST Cinnamon: the more muted one for the floral motif in the center and tail as well as the acorn caps and the brighter one for the body of the squirrel.  To add a little more depth to the color way while still remaining in the same tone family, I am using GAST Sarsparilla for the body of the acorns.  I still have the bear, the peacock, the turkey, the robin, the cardinal and the eagle to stitch.  Check out the gallery post here if you want to see the animals already stitched.

Prairie Schooler's Year Round series: July.  I am using Belle Soie Poison Apple, Puritan Blue and Oatmeal Scone for this patriotic eight pointed star motif.  When I am done with this piece, I will add these very same silks to the kit for the next PS project listed below.

Prairie Schooler's Primitive Americana series.  Though I've had this leaflet a very long time, I haven't yet started on this series.  But I will soon since I have just purchased some antique ivory 28 ct linen for this very purpose.  Although I have plenty of lovely overdyed linens on hand from the days of my Silkweaver fabric of the month subscription, none of them worked for this.  Not even the pale blue color ways.  Much as I love overdyed fabrics, sometimes a solid neutral is the only answer.  I really think there is nothing uglier than an inappropriately chosen overdye.  It can turn a piece from charming to ever so stomach churningly off.  These charts were charted for 10 ct Congress cloth but I will be using the higher ct linen since I am going for ornament size.

M Design's Name Trees: I have the names for my adult children, including my daughter-in-law, for my husband and for myself.  I hope to get the kids' done in time to use as name tags this Christmas.  This one is for my oldest son, Sean.  That's one started and three more to go.