EGA National Seminar - Santa Fe Enchantment

I planned to post updates while I am here in Santa Fe at Seminar, but I borrowed my husband's laptop and he does not have an SD card slot!!! Imagine that, so photos will have to come when I return home. Seminar has been FANTASTIC and my husband and dog who I left at home are doing fine. That about covers it for now!

Monday Quote

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm"

 

--Abraham Lincoln

SNOW!

We got two inches at my house, could be more tonight. Good thing this is my telework day and I don't have to drive on the slippery roads. We will see about tomorrow, tomorrow!

 Patio furniture shot.

 Out my studio window, snow sticking to the trees. Good thing the wind last week blew most of the leaves off this honey locust.

This is our pine tree hanging in there with snow covered branches.

I see hot chocolate in my future today!

EGA 2012 National Seminar

Starting Saturday October 27, I will be in Santa Fe, NM at the 2012 EGA National Seminar, Santa Fe Enchantment!! Hubby will be bacheloring it at home and keeping the dog company, while I play at 7,000 ft! I am taking classes and doing the Seminar Newsletter, so could be a tad frazzled!! But I am a good plan a header and well organized and have lots of good help so I may survive.

I posted on the EGA discussion list my idea to signify somehow on our name tag that we have a blog. Something along the lines of "I blog as (insert blog name here)". It will be fun to put a face with a blog name. So, if you too are going to Seminar, look for this (or similar) hanging from my name tag:

I blog as Colorado Stitcher

 

I may even try and do some blog post updates! But between the newsletter, classes, meeting up with old friends, making new friends and chatting with a few bloggers... don't hold your breath!

 

Monday Quote Day Returns

Sorry, I slipped up and forgot to continue this - easy to do if you schedule in advance, but then that also helps you (me) forget!! So here goes....

"Cure sometimes; treat often; comfort always."
---Hippocrates

Mystery Sampler Completed

I think I last spoke about this sampler and gave progress reports on my original blog which was lost, but I can show you the finished product today! It is roughly 4 Inches wide and 16 inches long. I worked it on my scroll bars.

The 2010 Rocky Mountain Region of the Embroiderers Guild of America Inc. (EGA) was held in Salt Lake City and their theme was Mystery By Design. Each month starting about 10 months before the 2010 seminar they sent Region members a chapter in a “who done it” mystery – the theft of a pearl necklace. They also sent out bands for a mystery sampler. The first installment was how to baste and set up the fabric for the future mystery bands. The band types were labeled A-D and when you got a band to put on the sampler you were told to put it in an A or B or C or D area. Each band was a different height. They gave some color suggestions or you could do your own thing. I used the rust color suggestions, but used a different fabric since I wanted to do this from stash. No two samplers would be a like. At seminar the final chapter of the who done it and the last band and finishing instructions were provided if you wanted to make it into a box.

By the time Seminar rolled around I had all but three bands done – the hardanger, the drawn thread and in my case the bottom band needed to be stitched. If memory serves this band was the one passed out at seminar. Well last week I was looking for something and came across this sampler and said to myself "I should finish that!" And I did, last night.

I did not write down the name of the fabric I used, but I think it was a poly blend and it did not work too well on the hardanger band and the reverse faggot border. It was too slippery. I think I may turn it into a wall hanging of some sort, not sure. It was fun to do and a very nice idea for seminar.

 

Now for some more pictures, close up (and I think in better focus then the one above).

 

Here are my top 5 bands:

 

 

Now my middle 4 bands:

And finally the bottom. This last band (for me I also could have put it as band 5, but chose to put it here). For this last band we chose motifs to fill the area. I was going to put the flowers in all four corners, but messed up in the scissors placement. But that worked out well since I had not yet put any initials or date anyplace! There is dog in the middle for Miss Maddie, scissors for me, and flowers and trees because I like them.

 

That's the report for today!!

 

TUSAL - October Ort Report

Here is my Totally Useless Stitch A Long (TUSAL) Ort Report for the October new moon.

It is a little short on ORTS, and so is this report!

If you are wondering what all the hoopla is over the Totally Useless Stitch A Long (TUSAL) go here for more information.

A Felt Box

Handmade of course!

My friend sent me a box she made using felt she made! It has peach tones since she knows that is my favorite color, a pretty button from her stash and some nice silk ribbon flowers.

It was an anniversary present she sent me with the birthday presents she sent. It was a tad over due, but:

1. We both appreciate and do handmade
2. We know handmade knows no deadlines
3. Gifts are GREAT anytime!

My pictures really to not do it justice, but I wanted to post it and say THANKS to her again!

 Front showing the pretty button!

Top showing the pretty flowers!

Very Pretty!!  :)

Sashiko Finish Finished

Well I finish finished the Sashiko Embroidery I last told you about here.

I washed it to remove any remaining marked lines, ironed it dry and the added some interfacing and sewed the two pieces together to make a nice little table cover. Currently it sits on my mother's sewing machine cabinet we have near the entry. Not sure that will be it's permanent home, but we will see.

I took pictures of it on our sofa since the light was better!

Front

Front and back

For a size comparison those are my 4" long embroidery scissors.

 I really enjoyed this embroidery and would do more of it. It is a very nice take along type project since there is no chart to carry around.

Friday Fortune Cookie and SNOW Update

Friday is date night and we usually go for Chinese. Here is my Friday Fortune Cookie:

"Old age is always 20 years older than you are."

SNOW update - all gone! 

We will get our first hard freeze this weekend and then the temps will rebound into the 60s! Poor confused plants.

It may snow here a bit early, but it does not last until next April like some places! And the sunny winter days - sweet!

Have a GREAT weekend everyone.

SNOW!!

The first obligatory snow covered patio furniture picture for the season!

2 inches taken at 6:30 am

 

Roads were ok -  just a bit wet and splashy, but grassy and elevated surfaces collected the snow that fell for about 2 hours in the wee hours of the morn.

First Christmas Ornament of the Year!

It is a birthday present for my husband which was yesterday. I was at the needlework shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming called EWE COUNT when I saw this cute ornament designed by Sam Sarah Design Studio especially for Ewe Count called Ewe Count Christmas in July Ornament (c) 2009. It was all kitted up with chart,  backing fabric, stitching fabric, buttons and floss. The design calls for 30 count Tiger's Eye Linen WDW-L30-1225 using Weeks Dye Works (WDW) and Gentle Art floss.

First the front:

Then the back:

Now for one of the sides:

In keeping with the western theme, I used some thin leather found in the beading section at JoAnns that was a perfect color for the project and then I took some brown #8 perle cotton and stitched over it to give it a little oomph!

Hubby was very pleased with his western Christmas ornament and we have it well in advance to put on the tree all season (once it gets here)!

Monday is Quote Day

Here is this weeks quote:

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a great day!!