Northwest Red Head

I'm having entirely too much fun with this one. Here is my progress from the weekend. The Amadeus' were almost fun, they are stitched with Flair. If you've never used Flair just imagine stitching with a nice strip of pantyhose, snags, runs, oh the fun :) I used some Fray Check on the ends to keep it from unraveling and that seemed to help. Leslie~ I am not one for working on colored fabric at all. This however is 18ct mono canvas so the holes are pretty easy to see on it. Melanie~ The stretcher bars are not required, it just makes the finishing of needlepoint easier. If you stitch with the loose canvas in hand it often distorts from the pull of the stitches and requires extensive blocking unless you have perfect tension while stitching which I most certainly do not. The stretcher bars also allow me to clap it into a frame so I can use both hands if I need a laying tool for any particular stitch. ----------------- Ok, my July goals... what a novel idea that was ;)

This is turning out to be an extremely fun ornament to stitch up. The stitch guide that came with it is very nicely diagramed so all of these decorative stitches are quite easy to work. Right now I'm in the midst of couching to fill in between the outer border and the diamond of sprat's heads on the inside. Unfortunately my photograph doesn't show color alot better than the pattern shot did, I was in a rush this morning taking this photo and then got interrupted a dozen times so I never went back to make sure I would be happy with the photo. Thanks to everyone who has stopped in and left comments, its always nice to know someone really is reading what I'm up to over here even when I'm not happy with anything I'm stitchcing. Hope everyone has a great weekend~

Since the bag I ordered to put this piece in came in I decided I needed to get a move on and get this finished on the off chance I might go somewhere and want to use my over night bag :) I suppose I can use it for stitching as well, which I'm sure to for a while anyway; but while fun, this design just never said "purse" to me so I couldn't put it in a purse. My mom took the class as well and is carrying hers around as a purse. I just need to get my needle moving and get some things done like the piece that goes in my red Lee purse.

Ok, so I headed down to Ohio for the weekend to visit Jay and see what kind of trouble I could get into :D The traffic on the way down pretty much sucked since the easiest highway to get there is under construction so on the way home I opted to take a different route. I took the Ohio turnpike all the way to the end and then into Indiana to catch a different highway north. Now here is a state that knows its priorites haha This is Ohio's turnpike ticket. Notice how they make sure there is no doubt left in your mind how much they are going to overcharge you for the privilege to drive down the construction filled roads. Now we enter Indiana... This is how the ticket came out of the machine. Notice how they are kind enough to inform you where all the FOOD is along the pike??? The tolls were hidden on the back so you can be sure to spend all your money before you leave the turnpike.

Coronation arrived this week,  this photo does not do the design justice. The original magazine ad  had this design pictured and you could see all the gold and silver in it. The photo on the front of the pattern looks red and white, not very interesting at all.  I've looked at more than a few and from the patterns they were blah and then I see it stitched up as a model and think 'wow I have to have that design'. I already have this one taped and mounted on to stretcher bars. I've been in such a funk about stitching anything lately I've decided I needed to start something new and get stitching

Finally my Lee bag has arrived. I got it Monday night but a really cool thunderstorm came through Monday night late and knocked the power out here so I wasn't able to take photos or post. Thankfully it came back on mid-day yesterday so I didn't have to spend the night in the dark last night. The white area is an opening for a needlepoint canvas for easy finishing. She has a multitude of designs to pick from but I got this one for Gloves and Kisses to go in once its finished. I'm planning on using this one as a overnight bag. They had a purse I could put the insert into as well but I already have a Lee purse in the stash waiting to be stitched so this seemed a bit more practical considering the cost of these bags.

So there I was Sunday evening thinking - I should finish up the Black and White Sampler, there isn't much left to do. Can you say Brain Fade? I got the bottom pointed like I wanted and attached it to the bell pull bar, even found some ribbon to hang it from. Then as I load the photo on to the computer I look at it thinking, something just isn't right here. Well no, someone who looks remarkably like me forgot the hemstitching.  Very nice move on my part, now I'll have to tear those 2 seams out and do it right this time.  At least I got some good practice on doing the other seams, or something...

Well, no, I really don't but thinking positive because I need to do it. Its one of those extremely boring, tedious things that I have to force myself to do and even then it moves at a snails pace.  The last big piece I had was the piece that hung from my wedding bouquet, I talked my aunt into doing the hemstitching on that one.  The only reason I got away with it that time it she and my mom were amazed I actually had it finished before wedding, seems they were expecting it to be done a year or two later. I did do my own on one of my needlerolls, and once I got going it wasn't too bad. And it is time for it to leave the finishing pile so I best just get going on it. :)

Tuesday we took the niece and nephew to see the planes fly. If I remember right, the small plane is a Mustang and the large one is the new Super Hornet. It was a great show but entirely too much sun. Since I didn't drive there I worked on Strawberries so Faire in the back seat with my niece who we're teaching to stitch. She's working on a beginners kit from DMC and doing a pretty good job of it! By the time I got home, however, I was ready for a nice comfy bed and forget the fireworks. I heard them, but couldn't make myself get up and go outside to watch them. I will try to get back to posting some of my stitching tomorrow