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 7, 2025 Monday

Monday after the nice holiday weeknd and I have three days before the workmen return. I will divide the time between work and stitching. I am stitching rows and rows of Nun's Stitch. AND over the weekend I sorted some piles and began getting ready to send packages.

On Queendom Website's home page I have bid good bye to my Betsy for another year and I return to little enamel goodies in my Guilloche series. One of these days I will look and see if I can find the trimmings and supplies as people have asked if I can sell the designs  again. We shall see.

July 6, 2025 Sunday

Still the holiday weekend and I've underperformed my work tasks. I will try and catch up today.

And over the weekend I thought, I need to do a smalll piece of Patriotica for next year, one to celebrate the 250th annivversary of the U.S. A heart? I have made so many Patritoica Hearts -- but maybe one more won't hurt?  We'll see.

I've left Patriotica up for one more day: it will go tomorrow, I will continu my Guilloche series and then we will move on.

July 5, 2025 Saturday

We had such a nice day yesterday; in the evening nearly 2 hours of intense fireworks, but really they started as soon as it was dark and even near midnight a few lingered on. It is indeed the best evening of the year in our  house.

I've left Betsy in place for one more day. I thought I would give some thought today to the fact that next year is an important anniversary and I'd better think of something patriotic to celebrate our 250th Anniversary.

Trouble is, I've made so much Patriotica over the years-- but I will give it some thought.

July 4, 2025 Friday

Just for today I have a special visitor: Betsy is visiting Queendom Website to say Happy 4th!

It's been lots of years now since I stitched and finished her, but note she is still working away on her flag, a slight conceit that she will never finish her flag in my picture.

Sometimes, when I am working on something and feel I will never finish (Armada comes to mind rrecently) I look at a photo of Betsy and think 'she's not finished yet either.'

July 3, 2025 Thursday

The best night of the year in our house is tomorrow night where we see five or six or as many as sevn sets of fireworks, that is if the marine layer is not thick. So I looked out soon as I was up and if today is any indication there won't be many fireworks -- we are socked in this morning., but it may clear up.

No workmen for the next four days so I will try to get to shipping the packages I have to send. I won't send them till after the weekend but I will try and get to packing today.

Then I will reward myself with starting a new small project -- actually it is Part 2 of the one I just finished. Couldn't make up my mind what direction I should go till help from a friend arrived. Thanks, Carol H.

Is anybody noticing what I am seeing: supplies are so much harder to get and prices are high. I'm hoping this is my imagination but I fear not....

July 2, 2025 Wednesday

Welcome to July on Queendom Website. I didn't get to post yesterday, too many personal chores for the day but I am back this morning.

I am starting to think about my sale in October and I have come up with some choices: I could do a whole sale of Hearts and Crowns, or I could mix them in with a wide array of different designs. I could do an array of geometrics and a couple of samplers.

My most liked design on facebook this spring/summer was Guilloche Sampler and if I have the supplies I could bring back it.

Requests forEVER it seems: please bring back Echoes.

And Dowager in the Evening.

And for sure I will bring back Pride and Prejudice Needle Book.

Like my ideas? No? Let me know as I will start to wind up to October preparations this month and next and begin in earnest in September.

A way to say hello July!

June 30, 2025 Monday

Sorry for my absence for several days, due to change in workmen and schedules. I am back now, this morning with two photos: one of some rare little guilloche montees and the other showing the supplies I  used for a small project using these little montees.

So where am I? I finished the stitching on my small project and am ready to sew on the pearls and beads. The workmen won't be back till July 10 so I am hoping to put together the packages I owe people, and also work on my website.

This is the final day of June (doesn't seem possible that half the year is over already!) Of course the end of June means holiday of the 4th of July right around the corner

To revisit Henry, click on Dressing Henry below.

A favorite thimble that started me refocusing on thimbles. Evidently they are not the hottest item these days in the collectable market whic means

After I finished my American Collector Sampler, I made this 6" square box top to hold -- what else -- my thimbles, scissors and of course needles.