EGA National Seminar Report

From October 3 to October 7, 2018 I was in Louisville, KY at the Embroiderers Guild of America, Inc. (EGA) National Seminar. We celebrated 60 years as an organization!

 Members of the Seminar Committee, Executive Board, Teachers and maybe some I missed were given this embroidered name tag with back pocket. Here is the top part.










This Seminar was the last one using the old EGA logo and the new one was unveiled.

The sign on the left has our new logo

  

 The sign on the right has our old logo.

I took three classes and a miracle has occurred, as of last night, I finished all three classes!! It helped that not all were that big and being retired, I had plenty of time to stitch.

On Wednesday, Oct. 3rd, I took a one day class: Nutcracker Santa by Janet Zickler Casey. I finished it last night. The design size is approximately 5" by 6" and I plan to have it finished into a hanging ornament. Probably for our tree next year since I have missed the Christmas finishing deadline for this year.

I then took a Thursday-Friday Class: Songbird by Toni Gerdes. It is based on the needlearts of the late 1700s and honors the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework. She used stitches from the past with modern threads. It was fun. Design size approx. 8 1/2" by 7". I started it Oct. 4 and finished it Oct. 16. I also had it framed right away since, as fate would have it, I had signed up for a class with Toni through my local ANG chapter (Saguaro Stitchers) and wanted to have it ready to show her.

I also took a Saturday-Sunday class - Diamond Jubilee Sampler by Sandi Cormaci-Boles. I started it Oct. 6 and finished it Oct. 20. In an odd turn of events Sandi was teaching a class at my local EGA chapter meeting to honor our Gold Thread winner and so I worked to finish it to show her! I did not have time to frame it before class however. The finished size is 5" by 7". It uses various stitches and includes some crystals. It was fun too.

At the opening banquet I was seated with the RMR since I helped pass out the favors and it was easier this way. I am also a member of a Chapter there, so I sat with friends!

Opening banquet favor.

We had a nice boutique by ABC Stitch Therapy and I am not sure there was anything left in their shop in TX! We also got a very nice sized tote bag with zipper top. My stitching supplies and System 4 table top frame fit in just fine!

We also received a nice pair of scissors with scissor fob as our closing banquet favor.

 Last but not least, Coco says hi!! I think I woke her up when I took the photo!

Happy Stitching!!!

Rose Bliss & Lucky Gecko

I last told you about this piece here on May 12, 2018. As you see I made some progress and finished it last night. I am on a roll!!

I give you Rose Bliss designed and taught by Kay Cline for the September 30, 2006 meeting of the Carolinas ANG (American Needlepoint Guild). It is on 12"x 12" sage green 18 count mono canvas. If I recall correctly there was a blue version as well as the green. It uses Impressions, Mandarin Bamboo Floss, DMC floss and pearl cotton and some Kreinik braids. Lots of fun stitches and layering.

I seem to have unconsciously and now consciously picked up older Works in Progress (WIPs) which are more like UFOs (UnFinished Objects) to work on lately. So next on my stitching frame is Lucky Gecko by Debbie Stiehler. It is a biggie on 15" x 17" sandstone congress cloth. All I have left is some background stitches on the upper right area and lower left area, beads on the Gecko (including eyes) and Concho metal disks for the corners. So, I am about done!!! It uses overdyed french wool, pearl cotton, cotton floss, rainbow linen and ribbon. I am not sure when I took this class, but I know I was in North Carolina and it is copyrighted 2003 and I was living in Raleigh then, so it is possible this is when I started it. I have since learned to be better about dating stuff - silly me thought I would just finish everything when I took the class!!!! 

That is about all for now!!!

Jubilation Diamond Box 1

I purchased this kit at a club stash sale in Colorado a few years back since it was in "MY" colors. I finally got around to finishing the stitching and the finish finishing attaching it to the box top. A double whammy!!

It is called Jubilation Diamond Box 1 designed by Denise Harrington Pratt and she also made the box.

Besides the box and finishing materials for the top, the kit had a variegated floss, two solids and a fine metallic and 28 count linen. But all the colors are referred to as color A, B C or D, so I can't tell you the colors except for the cording which used a full skein of DMC 3779.


The finished size is roughly 4"x4". This is the top with cording made by me as well as the stitching. The sides are a little fuzzy because I did this on my scanner. I can't seem to find the photos I JUST took and saved to the computer. GRRR.

This is the side view. Taken with my camera, so what did I do with the other photo?? I may need more coffee or is it too early for wine? It only called for one piece of cording, but I must have misread the instruction because I ended up with a gap, but I had a skein of this color on hand and made a second row of cording. I think it looks fine!

And lastly she puts a label on the bottom of the box since each box is hand made by her and it has a place for the stitcher to add their information. I added the words "and finished by" after the words stitched after I scanned it, so it does not show up here.

It was fun to stitch and the finishing was not too hard either with the good instructions!

Stamped Tablecloth

I have been working on this tablecloth off and on for quite a while. It reminds me of my grandmother since she made us stamped pillow cases. She was a wonderful embroiderer and I am lucky to still have some of her work. She also sewed us cloths and made quilts, again I am lucky to have examples of it all.

It does bring me to a dilemma...I have no kids, so who to give it all to? Plus millennials do not really care about this stuff so much and I am not sure if my nieces would be interested in stuff made by someone they never met. I will ask them of course, but doubt they would be interested.

At any rate, God willing I have time to figure it out.

I am down to the last corner and I changed the flowers from pink to peach since peach is my favorite color.

It is a kit from Bucilla and the fabric is pretty thin, so I plan to sew a backing fabric on it and place it over my mom's sewing machine. It will keep the sewing machine (a 1940 something White in a wooden cabinet) clean until I can find someone to refinish it, and remind me of my mom and grandma at the same time!

Back to Stitching

I have been busy with paper crafting and my blog dedicated to it - www.PlaysWithStampsandInk.com along with a puppy who chews on just about everything!

For the past year I have pretty much only stitched during Club meetings, but started to do some small hand stitched items (bowling towels for our team and friends) with success = puppy dog ignored it. I made 8 total using various colored towels. This is the last one and this bowler left us before I could give him the towel, so I guess I will be doing the frog stitch on it.

So I decided to be brave and work on a needlepoint project on the frame. Dog has ignored that and let me stitch but she does like to lay down by my side and I must be careful where I put things down. I do put the entire project in a drawer when I am done - do not trust the dog THAT much!!!





This is Rose Bliss a project designed in 2006 by Kay Cline for the last Carolina ANG Chapter seminar.

My stitching buddy!

But I am making some progress stitching at home now and hopefully will be posting a bit more often with some progress.

I did purchase a new light for my work area that also has magnification. It is working well and I can put it off to the side to get enough light if I do not need the magnification. So far it does not cast a glare on the TV. It has a nice goose neck making if very adjustable and it swivels on the stand and the actual light/magnification head can be twisted too. It is a brightech Light View Floor lamp. I got it on Amazon and it has a 5 year warranty.

That about covers it for now!

Valentine's Day Stitching

I have a table where I put out seasonal stitching and sometimes cards. I am woefully behind for Valentine's Day.

Must get to work on my display!!!

Christmas Stitching Reveal Plus Some Cards Too!

Now that all stitched Christmas gifts have been sent and opened, I can share them with you!

I made three of Kathy Schenkel's Roll-ups without a stitch guide! So all stitch and thread choices were mine. I also did the finishing. I have one more to do for myself.

The top Dodger has the number 15 in front and initials E + A on the back. This went to my niece Emily and her hubby Adam who were married in the year 2015.

 (Ignore the stray green thread I just noticed in the photo above, it is not attached and since the ornament has been sent I cannot retake the photo). OOPS!!

 This Dodger went to my brother who I think may bleed Dodger Blue and his wife.

The Kings player has the number 16 in front and initials L + N on the back. This went to my niece Laura and her hubby Nick who were married in the year 2016.

This snowman tipping his hat went to my sister in law who likes snowmen. I finished it myself and it is sitting on the fabric I used for the backing. It is from the 2017 Just Cross Stitch Ornaments Issue (page 15). It was designed by Patti Connor of SamSarah Design Studio and  is called Hats Off to the Holidays! I used the DMC alternative colors.

I also made some fun cards:

That about covers it for now, but see my fun made by me stamp I had made by Vippies.com in the card above??