Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Blast from the past

Remember this piece.  I finished the stitching in Nashville back in March but needed to actually make it into a pillow.  I finally got to Hobby Lobby and got the fringe I wanted to use (it matches the finish by the designer which was what I was striving for).  The colors on the fringe match the colors on the pillow perfectly.  It's like it was made for this.  Anyway, it's funky and interesting with all the interesting stitches used.  My first canvaswork, in a long time...I guess I should say our project since Sara started it and I picked it up after it seemed to languish for months in the shop.  One day I didn't have a project and pulled this down off the shelf where Sara put it and worked on it when I was in the shop.  While Counted Cross is my favorite, every once in a while I like to do a little needlepoint or in the case canvas work.  Of course I do incorporate canvaswork stitches into my counted work periodically.  The stitches makes a piece so interesting to look at.  This has been sitting here forever so I'm posting this as well today.  Two posts today.  I'm making up for lost time.

Two of Val's new Christmas Ornaments done on perforated paper, just like her Halloween ornaments last year.  So easy and fast and the finish is a breeze.  The kit includes the chart, googly eyes, backing and cord for hanging.  You supply the over-dyed fibers.  The 3rd picture is the Shepherd's Bush Noel Sheep ornament which you saw finished on an earlier post and put on one of the small sleds.  I did a second ornament and put it on the paper tag included in the kit.  Also cute!  And the 2nd picture is the Needlework Press stitched tape measure which I showed you earlier.  But I gave that first one away so I wanted you to see that I actually stitched it a second time.  UGH!  I hate stitching anything twice, but Sara and I both loved this ourselves so it became a must.  I just finished stitching the ABC Spool also by Needlework Press but haven't done the finish yet.  As soon as Judy gets back and I have a day off.  Actually, as it turns out, this morning I'm not in the shop as something happened to the electric in just Salty Yarns, Sea Trader and Thrashers French Fries.  Thank God the hotel is fine (even though we are in the hotel) and the apartments attached to the hotel are fine, yes it's just us...taking a day off because we have no electric.  If I didn't know better I'd think Sara performed some act that gave her a day off, however, she's stuck helping the guys in the laundry room and she's on parking lot duty.  I'm in the office filing, etc., just getting things more organized.  When the electric company said it was our problem (thanks what a help) Buddy from Thrashers was on the phone and got an electrician here immediately.  It does pay to have friends in high places.  Anyway, they now think we will be up and running by 1:00 so I'm just bidding my time until I go back to work.  Short day for me, and now I don't feel so sorry for Sara working a double.  Things will start slowing down here as children go back to school elsewhere so not as many families can come down.  It gives us time to regroup and get ready for Jackie's class coming up in September and then our big event, OC Jamboree in October.  So much work, but so much fun and a chance to see so many stitching friends and their projects.  Well I might as well stop putting it off and get the rest of the filing done.  Hope your weekend is fabulous and that you have been able to get a little stitching done.  Talk to you soon.  I actually wrote the previous part of the post last week.  My, oh my, where does the time go.  Obviously we got up and running that same day but at 4 not one.  Half a day lost...what can one do.  Judy is now back, thank God!  I've had time off and have managed to get more projects finished.  Hopefully I will get them up soon.  Anyway, I'm posting this today so it doesn't sit around another week.  Have a great week!

Thursday, August 18, 2016

We're in the dog days of summer down here....ugh!!!


I forgot to show you two models loaned to us by friends of Salty Yarns.  The first is an Ink Circles, "Wings and Things" stitched by Trudy Edwards.  Trudy always does the most interesting Halloween pieces.  Anyway, she picked Picture Plus overdyed fabric for the stitch which just hi-lights the eerie feeling you get with Halloween pieces.  Fabulous piece.  The second piece was stitched by Shiela Fitzhugh and it's a Rosewood Manor piece titled, "Spring Quaker" and stitched on Picture Plus fabric as well.  Both have been displayed this summer in the shop so if you are in Ocean City stop by and take a look.  Beautiful.  Shiela has not only Spring Quaker here but Winter Quaker which is my favorite of Rosewood's seasonal quakers.  But needless to say, I've got all 4 seasons along with the threads sitting in my totes at home (notice I said totes since I have many of them stuffed.)  Thanks Ladies for jobs well done and for letting us borrow your work.  While I try to get a lot of stitching done and models in the shop,  this summer is taking a toll on me with the web site issues and the POS, but I'm happy to report that things are beginning to calm down a tad.  Of course the heat is about to do me in, but I think I say this every year so you would think I'd get use to it. But the heat and humidity is deadly.  Last week I didn't leave my apartment for 4 days...did not go outside at all.  I was built for a/c however, I hate being closed in.  Oh, well, I keep trying to remember winter and how I hate the freezing cold....I think I need to move somewhere, but I probably couldn't find the perfect place and I'd just be trading this for something else I wouldn't like.  So I guess I'll stay put and pray Judy returns soon so I can go back to hibernating in my house.  This week Judy is off so I'm in the shop everyday until she returns from vacation...Oh, please Judy hurry back I need a day off!  The amazing part of this is I've been in the shop everyday for a shift since Sunday (when I returned from delivering Solomon to Woodward Camp....7 hrs both ways...God help me) and I've only taken 1 chart home.  I'm not sure what that says about me or about what's new, but it doesn't matter because I've got so much stash I don't need anything new.  Thank God there is no pre-stitch with Jackie's class coming up next month as this allows me to concentrate on things for the shop.  I started and finished the first 2 of Val's Christmas Ornaments on the perforated paper.  Cute and addictive...Oh, I just realized I did take 3 of her ornament kits home yesterday....oh, and I thought I was doing so well.  I guess I'm not doing as well as I thought.  Well, I've got to get on the move.  Trying to get stock put in the POS and tickets printed.  Can't tell you the frustration with the printing of tickets....we now use a DYMO labelwriter which I thought was great, however, if I'm printing tickets and someone wants to buy something I have to change the printer from the Dymo to the Star receipt printer.  Guess how many times I've forgotten to change over so the receipt is printed on dymo labels....about 20 different labels get ruined.  I'm definitely too old for this crap.  And yet the minute the POS went down in June and Sara said we were back to writing receipts I got the POS instantly so I didn't have to do that.  I'm never happy it appears.  But I couldn't imagine having an event with hand written receipts.  OH, my that would be a fiasco.  So I'm going to leave now and see what else I can screw up.  Have a great day and a greater weekend.