July 9, 2019 Tuesday

The First Day of My Remodeled Website

Permanent Resolutions for Stitchers

1.  Take all the pent-up anxiety about perfection and redirect that energy toward creativity. Open up your minds and think of creative  possibilities you can bring to your needlework, ways that will personalize it and make it distinctly yours.  Here are two ways to start:

Oops you made a mistake and you face a lot of ripping.

Ask yourself, is it really a mistake or a variation?

You do have to rip if you crossed most of your crosses in one direction and suddenly you started crossing them in the other direction, yep no way around that. Why? The real reason for good technique is that it allows all your attention to focus on your design (where it should be).

You don't have to rip if you made a leaf one row bigger than the design called for. This is obsessive behavior that needs redirecting.

You do need to rip if you make something so large it is out of scale with the rest of the design; you do not have to rip if it is barely noticeable.

You do not have to rip if you mixed up colors and the design is not exactly as the designer's model. For heaven's sake, if it looks OK, stop obsessing.

You do have to rip if a color or texture is not in harmony with the rest of the design.

You do not have to throw away a design if you run out of a dye lot.

If it looks like you are headed toward thread shortage, don't use the thread to the last strand, save at least 1/4 of it. Buy some more and decide where and how to introduce the new dyelot. I actually prefer to work with multiple dyelots. If you pay attention to lights and darks etc., they can bring an added depth to your design.

2. In memory of Audrey Francini, my generation's greatest needlewoman, slow down. Needlework is not a speed contest. Audrey was the slowest stitcher I have known. She was also the best. I have a couple of great stories about Audrey and her speed, I'll tell them in the next couple of mornings.

3. Forget about the Needlepoint Police. They don't exist except in their minds. You may meet people who think they know it all. Good for them, I applaude their confidence, but I don't buy into it.

I have probably told this story a dozen times but it is worth telling again and again. Years ago a friend wrote to me and asked, will this Kreinik braid look good with this silk?

I replied, beats me, try it and see.

Friend: whadaya mean you don't know, you're the teacher.

My reply: if the Immortal Artists Of The Western World don't know without trying, how would I, one mere mortal needlework teacher? (There's a bit more to thsi story too, I'll tell the rest another time).

All this goes to say once again, there is no real right and wrong, there are problems of course. The best way to find solutions is to think creatively.

Those are my New Year's Stitching Resolutions for 2021, still good for 2022, 2023 and for 2024.

Reminders for me as well as for all of you.

July 25, 2024 Thursday

I have now written to each person on my Patriotic Wait List and I have heard back from many of you. Thank you so much for your quick replies!

I have divided my day today: 2 hours of stitching in the early a.m. and then making kits the rest of the day.

My new project is so detailed that I managed a bit of Tent Stitch filling and one little motif, less than 1/2 inch in my two hours this morning.

The two hours are over now, I have made notes of my morning and now, soon as I post this, I will begin making kits for the balance of the day.

Will you cross your fingers for me that I have all the supplies? I think I do but will not know for sure until I come across the thread I don't have. I'm sure many of you have shared that experience. Wish me luck.

July 24, 2024 Wednesday

Earlier this morning I wrote to each person on my Patriotica Wait List asking for confirmation by July 28.

You will be able to shop for your design on August 9.

I am waiting for the delivery of the Scissors for Betsy's Sewing Case. If they are delayed  (you never know these days) the Sewing Case will be delayed.

I've never tried an Annex for a sale but am willing to see if it works.

July 23, 2024 Tuesday

Unexpectedly Non-Needlework activities stole my entire day yesterday, and will today also.  I will try and make up for lost time later this afternoon and tomorrow.

All is OK here, I just got taken away from my Needle.

High on my list now: writing to people about Patriotica. I am behind now and will try and catch up.

July 22, 2024 Monday

Glad to see Monday, my favorite day of the week. I spent too much time yesterday watching television and stitching, so I am behind schedule.  I will work to catch up today.

I had such a good time stitching yesterday. It was just endless Tent Stitch filling but these are the blocks of color that will define my design and it is the first chance I have to see my initial guesses (that's what they are, just guesses) and whether they are working so far.

It has been fun to watch.  I have more hours of Tent Stitch before I can make my next decisions. I will have to exhibit some discipline about putting it down.

Another hour and I will put it away for the day.

July 21, 2024 Sunday

I have news about Echoes of Elizabeth and Echoes II Tudor Rose Sampler.

After months of promising kits to those of who asked for them, I am happy to say I have the kits now but with one hiccup.

Here's the hiccup: each Echoes kit calls for 10 spools  of Kreinik braid and ribbon which means I can whip through my present stash very quickly.

Some time past I ordered a substantial number of spools to see me through my fall sale, so far no word about delivery times.

In short, I need to have confirmation for my October kits before I can figure out how much of my present stash I can allocate to Echoes kits.

July 20, 2024 Saturday

Early this a.m. I stole another hour of stitching but am now at work on Patriotica Annex. I will work throughout the next week on setting up the sale.

I will work diligently through the next week but I am likely to steal a few breaks and stitch here and there. It has been a while since I have stitched on a daily basis and I am rediscovering how addictive it is.

I have a wee surprise for some of you but I will save it till I get through Patriotica kits. It has to do with Echoes. Both Echoes 1 and Echoes II.

July 19, 2024 Friday

One more day of stitching, then I set aside my project and return to work. Yes, I am packing up my project today and putting it in my Time Out drawer.

On with work: I have about 3 weeks until  Patriotica Annex. Annex will be  primarily for people on my Wait Lists from June, but I will try and make one or two extra kits for those of you in need of a wee bit of Patriotica to see you through the tempestuous election season.

Meanwhile I am spending today trying to figure out what I will call a sloppy irregular pattern that repeats neatly in regular sequences. Wish me luck.

July 18, 2024 Thursday

I had a bit of joy yesterday: I picked up my two hearts for October from finisher and if I do say so, they turned out well.

I spent a good deal of yesterday catching up on news and stitching. More of the same today and tomorrow, then I will go back to work over the weekend.

Over the weekend I will write to those of you who are on my Wait List for Patritoica Annex and I will start making more kits.

July 17, 2024 Wednesday

My anniversary gift? A trip to my LNS for threads. This morning I started putting those threads to use.

Today? A bit of joy: my needle in my hand.

I will return to work over the weekend, but first a few days of happiness with my needle.

July 16, 2024 Tuesday

A special day in DH's and my life: our anniversary  today. All those years ago and here we are. Best thing that ever happened to me, I've loved our years together.

I'm taking the day off today and will be back tomorrow.

July 15, 2024 Monday

AFter my decision yesterday, I decided to pivot and start work on my October Sale. I have a lot of organizing to do first, and I've been working on a Crown for the sale. The Crown is stitched, the beads are ready and I have to write the Crown.

I also promised an Annex Sale on August 9 for those of you who are on Wait Lists for Patriotica.

In a week or so I will write to each of you asking for a commitment if I make you a kit.

Best to wrap up current projects and then I will decide what to stitch in the future.

July 14, 2024 Sunday

I packed up my Queen Start yesterday, put her in the Time Out drawer and turned my attention to organization.

In midafternoon, on a break from life's chores, I turned on the news and revisited the starts for my Queen's Oversize Graphs.

I like my Queen Start very much, if truth be told:, it is writing the instructions that is the problem.

I figured out a way to go back to 11" x 17" graphs instead of 13" x 19".

If I could reduce the number, that would help too, but so far I can't envision how to do it,

So what is difficult about drawing 24 Oversize Graphs? Coordinating all the different patterns across 4 sets of 6 graphs: upper left, upper center, upper right; lower left, lower center, lower right for each set of four.

For now my Queen Start is in the Time Out drawer. As time allows I will try and figure out what to do.