July 9, 2019 Tuesday

The First Day of My Remodeled Websit

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

Reminders for me as well as for all of you.

January 28,  2023 Saturday

I have put some personal appointments behind me and now my time wil belong to me, as January begins to ebb.

I have Witches, also a small handful of shippings  promised for too long.

Yesterday Jane B.  posted her EIIR Crown newly finished. Thanks, Jane, the crown looks great!. Seeing it caused me to grapple with the issue of a crown for King Charles' coronation.

I would make the Crown of St. Edward which will play a big role in the coronation. Do I stitch it or do I keep on working on my little lace projects and on Snow Maiden? Ahh, the deep philosophical questions of life....

Answer? I'll decide later. I have enough to do right now.

January 27,  2023 Friday

I have been posting on Queendom Website and on Facebook photos and information about Maxine's Stitchalong Room for Pride and Prejudice Needle Book.

Yesterday I revived the Facebook Stitchalong Room for Mystery in St. Tropez. There are a number of people in that room but many more have the pattern. If you would like a link to the room, please email me and I will send you the link.

I also have my Gay Ann Rogers Stitchalong Room on Facebook and several people there are working on Queens.

If you have these patterns stashed in your closet, I hope you will consider pulling them out and working on them.  You are welcome to join any and all of these rooms.

I'm in the same position as all of you: I am way behind but chugging along trying to catch up.  I am struggling with Rotation: I like to work on one project at a time but am working on adapting to Rotation.

Hang in there and I will too!   In 2023 we hopfeully will be proud of accomplishments.

January 26,  2023 Thursday

Last evening I found a free Audio Book of Pride and Prejudice and listened to the first four chapters. Good way to immerse in Pride and Prejudice: listen while you are stitching on the Needle Book.

Thank you to those of you who have joined the Pride and Prejudice Stitchalong Room. I am looking forward to following your progress. Good luck!     

Since I posted the photo of mine on Queendom Website and on facebook, I have received requests for bringing it back yet again.  I would consider it if I didn't have so much currently on my plate, but I don't think I can add any more tasks to my 'to do' list.

Once Pride and Prejudice Stitchalong Room is up and rolling, I will take on Mystery in St. Tropez once again.

I know how many of you who have the Mystery and I supsect there are copies lurking in closets all over the place. Let's revive the St. Tropez Stitchalong Room that Gary Parr started.  It's up next.

January 25,  2023 Wednesday

I had a Creative Spurt having to do with organization, and if I am to accomplish getting you to work on projects long stashed in your unstarted/unfinished closet, now is the time.

Up first: Pride and Prejudice Needle Book. This seems like it would be a simple little needle book and a fast stitch. It is not, ask Maxine Martin who just finished it and has volunteered to lead a stitchalong room on facebook.

I don't have my needle book any longer. There's a part of me that is sad about it, but it went to a very good home. It lives now in a small collections library with the distinction of having first editions of all six of Jane Austen's books.

I will show up in the room, in fact I am an Admin there. I can't help you stitch the needle book because I don't have any references, but I will post photos of some memorabilia to do with Jane Austen, references in her novels and letters and her own needlework. Jane Austen was an avid needlewoman and her life was full of references to lace, whitework and needlework tools.

January 24,  2023 Tuesday

I had such an unusual day yesterday: it began with a long time in the dentist's chair and ended up with an unusual creative spurt about my Point de Gaze lace.

And mixed in with this creative spurt a return to one very old  project and one from last year.

Today and tomorrow belong to me and I have organized my time carefully.

If you have Pride and Prejudice Needle Book from last October, the time has come to start a stitchalong group.

What about those of you from 10 years ago? I don't have a list of you, but hope you will write to me and I will send you the information about the group.

I have teetered about Mystery in St. Tropez, but last night decided to revive the group if that is OK with Gary. I will write to him about it and see.

I haven't taught a needlework class in 15 years now, but I decided I want to teach my little Lace Motif projects. More about that in the weeks to come. I need to finish and write the little projects.

Witch kits. Yes, I am working on them too. I well see that deadline on the horizon too.

And I have my own Snow Maiden. I'm up and going now and plan to continue.

Let me have these days to work out the details and then I will start posting them, one by one, on Queendom Website and on facebook.

Yay, getting it together in 2023! About time!

January 23,  2023 Monday

I have never been good at rotating projects. I'm a one-design-at-a-time person, but I'm trying these days to work both on Lace and on Snow Maiden.

In addition I have a colossal needlepoint mess to clean up and I can't really tend to that until I finish Witch Kits.

I spent a good deal of time yesterday on Lace and ended up with a question harking back to Red Candy Hearts.

Are any of you stitching them? I hope so. If so, could you tell me, do you prefer the traditional shape or the self finishing shapes?  Research for future hearts.

With that in mind, I am off to return to early morning work. Happy Monday!

January 22,  2023 Sunday

I had a 3:00 afternoon appointment with Snow Maiden and I have made a second appointment with her for this afternoon, and then for Tuesday and Wednesday, same time. So far this is working well for me, I'll see how it goes. My hope is to finish her curls by Wednesday afternoon.

I decided beginning today I will make an appointment with my mess to see if I can do anything about straightening it up.

Is anybody working on appointment schedules? I see on facebook that people are working on Queens and Sewing Cases. Nice combination. We all can see how it goes.

Short and sweet this morning, as I still have an hour or so of early morning time and I want to spend it on more lace. Lace is a terrible Rabbit Hole....

January 21,  2023 Saturday

Since early November I have felt life was out of control. Yesterday I decided the only person who could bring it back in control was guess who.

So I made a list, and would you know, I finally finished my list. I spent some time yesterday graphing and organizing my lace projects, and I nearly finished a little blue and white heart.

Then yesterday, in the midst of piles of boses full of partial projects and kitting jobs, I decided the time had come: I opened the unfinished drawers (I have two) and I looked for Snow Maiden.

I found her straightaway but I couldn't find her threads anywhere. I started pawing through boxes stacked up and finally I found them.

When I sat down with Snow Maiden, all but abandoned for three years, she surpprised me: I had completed far more of the Diagonal Tent Stitch than I remembered. In fact, her Kokoshnik and her cloak are complete. Mind you, I still have all the background to do, but that can come later.

I actually stitched on her for about half an hour. What comes next? Finishing her yellow curls and my half hour stitching was on a curl.

Now with a clear conscience I can urge you to get busy along with me, whether it be a Queen or a Queen's Sewing Case, or whatever, the time has finally  come.

It's a good feeling. A minor amount of work yesterday and at the end of the time I felt more in control.

January 20,  2023 Friday

I missed my appointment with Snow Maiden. How could it happen? A day of TECH problems.

I remade my appointment for this afternoon: wish me luck.

I'm not being a good example for my own plan, I hope many of you are doing a better job than I am. I hope I am more successful today.

Mea Culpa....

January 19,  2023 Thursday

As I was thinking about inspiration I came across a wonderful Meme.  It is so true, not that I stay up till 3 a.m. but my mind often wakes me up.

So am I holding true to my schedule? Almost. Today is the day that Snow Maiden comes out of her drawer and by this afternoon I will set her up.

But I am still distracted by my lace and I didn't quite make it to where I would be comfortable relegating it all  to busywork. The answer?  I'll see as the day goes on.

Today is a day of remembrance for me: both my FIL and my only aunt were born on January 19, It is a long tradition in my family to remember well loved and much missed relatives on their birthdays.

January 18,  2023 Wednesday

I worked a good portion of yesterday and I am on schedule to start Snow Maiden tomorrow. I'm finishing up lace preparations this morning and Snow Maiden will come out of her drawer this afternoon.

My idea is to try and rotate between Snow Maiden and my lace projects, so I will set up two stations. I'm not overly successful at working on two projects at one time unless one of them doesn't take a lot of concentration.

For a while I will be doing a ton more Tent Stitch on Snow Maiden.  Why do I use so much Tent Stitch when it is so tedious?

I've explained this before: when I am stitching a figure, I have to use white canvas so that the pale flesh interacts well with the canvas. But if I wan to add colors, as you can see with Eleanor on the right, I need the color to cover the white canvas.

Because I stitch the color areas in Tent Stitch and then work the patterns in layers on top of the Tent Stitch, the coverage is great but the pattern remains looking delicate (one ply of silk, instead of the three ply it would take for full coverage without the Tent Stitch).

Off and running this morning! Hope you are too.

January 16,  2023 Monday

Monday morning, a fresh week ahead, I am feeling much better and plan to try a rotation of projects. I hope to continue work on lace and finally (FINALLY) start on Snow Maiden.

My appointment for Snow Maiden is on Wednesda, my goal to have her out of her drawer and the threads organized on Tuesday afternoon.  I will see if I can keep my appointment.

I am not used to rotating projects, although I know people do it all the time. As I have made most of the decisions about my little lace projects, I thought I would try and work on both. I'll leave the lace projects in one place, Snow Maiden in another place.

Will see how it goes. Today: a series of errands and I thought I would treat myself to watching Carolyn's Monday night eBay auction.  I'm looking forward to this week