March Madness

Well, this is my version of March Madness, anyway.  Certain bloggers that I know and love have been doing a new start every day since almost forever (I won't name names, Linda and Claudette) but for me it's a little nutty to have four new starts in the space of just a couple of weeks.  Let's review.

This first new start shouldn't even count!  I've had it kitted up for a couple of years and I only started it because I wanted a small travel project.

This is the only painted canvas project that has been offered by my ANG chapter since I joined.  It was designed by Lynn Deininger, a member of the chapter, and will be a scissor case when it's all finished.

Next, I signed up for a 2-day workshop hosted by that same chapter.  Kay Stanis came to teach her Copper Illumination.

This is what it will hopefully look like when it's completed.  It's all silk, beads and metallic braid, with some purl purl (sometimes called Jaceron), and a piece of copper sheeting thrown in.  I wanted to try it because it's so far out of my comfort zone.  Yes, it's a piece of plain copper sheeting, and we were given instructions to create the tulip pattern on it.

Most of the first morning was spent lacing our canvas to the stretcher bars on two sides (something most of us had never done) and basting the design outline in gold silk thread.

This is my progress so far.

But it was a fun weekend and we were all in the same boat.  The End of the Table Gang(?) from left to right:  Julie, Sue, Joyce and Beth.  Becky, our sixth Partner in Crime, is not in the photo because she sat this one out.

I started this next project because I just needed a dose of Spring, and this design makes me smile.  This piece is also giving my brain a little break!

This is Bloom by Art to Heart.  There's one more flower to stitch, and the word "Bloom."  I'm hoping to get this done before the summer solstice (this year).  The linen is light yellow, but I don't think it's ever going to photograph correctly.

Finally, this past weekend I took a class from--you guessed it--my ANG chapter.  There is a trend here.  Debbie Rowley from DebBee's Designs created a teaching piece for our chapter.  It will be offered as a class at other venues around the country, but the chart isn't available in stores.  So, how could I pass up the opportunity, right?

The piece is called Angles and this is the chart.

It's 105 pages long.

Really.

I changed the colors to these.

The light was doing funny things to the colors,
making some way too dark
and others too bright or off-shade,

but basically it's blue, magenta and shades of gray.

Here is my start on the spratt's head stitch.

It doesn't look too bad from this distance!

There are approximately 80 stitches

and/or stitch variations in all.

We went over the first 40 on Saturday,
including the ominous double fan doubled.

Wish me luck with this one!

That's enough madness for this month.

Hope your weekend was fun.

Thanks for visiting!

Oh Happy Day!

It's finished,

all 9 shelves, 18 brackets,

and 99 bottles worth...

Ink Circles' 99

Started:  Dec. 22, 2013

Finished:  March 19, 2015

Just a couple of close-ups:

The bottles were 10 stitches by 25 stitches

at their widest and tallest points.

Moose Drool Beer is depicted

by the middle bottle.

You know I had to show a bottle with a dog.

The middle bottle is

Laughing Lab Scottish Ale

(although it's from a Colorado brewery).

I'm so happy this is done.

I enjoy finishing projects much more than starting them!

Hope you're having a good weekend.

Thanks for visiting!

March Turtle Trot

It's Turtle Trot time once again and, as expected,

this month's report is much shorter than last month's.

But some progress is better than none, eh?

First up is Summer Logs 

by Needle Delights Originals.

Here's where I was last month:

This is what I accomplished this month:

This is such a fun, relaxing stitch.

If I didn't want to stay in sync 

 with my guild's SAL group,

I believe I'd have this finished by now.

Quit snickering--you never know!

Next we have Dawn Chorus by Long Dog Samplers.

I had made a great start on it last month...

Here's where I'm at now...

Didn't get as much done as I had planned.

But I have an excuse (dontcha love it?).

This was mounted on a too-small scroll frame

which was driving me crazy.

After I had taken it off (it was sewn on)

I realized that the frame this piece really needs

is in use.

So it will have to wait just a little while

for me to finish that other BAP.

I know I could just stitch this in hand,

but it's all pressed and I don't

want to wrinkle it up again.

Next we have Carrots

by Jennifer Riefenberg. 

Here's where I left off:

And here's where I am now:

More bands of "earth" have been stitched.

Last but not least, we have Ink Circles' 99:

Last month I was here:

And this month, here:

At first glance, it may look like all I did

was to finish off Shelf No. 7.

But I stitched Shelf No. 8, too!

And there are only nine shelves!!

This is the piece that needs to get finished

before I can get back to Dawn Chorus.

I'm too superstitious to predict a finish date,

but there is a great big light

at the end of this long tunnel.

Yes, I'm strange; 

we all have our little idiosyncrasies.

To change the subject,

as many of you are aware,

the Nashville Market was held recently.

Last week, averyclaire dragged me

(kicking and screaming, I tell you)

to our LNS to check out the

new Market pieces.

Well, she did have to wait

several nanoseconds 

before I hollered "field trip!"

Wanna see what I got?

 

Top row: LHN Oh Christmas Tree, 

BBD In Full Glory, PSS Lesson One of 

Serial Bowl Collection.

Bottom row: Kathy Barrick's 

Good Intentions and Bird's Eye View.

The Plum Street and Kathy Barrick designs

were all from Market.

This also came home with me:

Wow, it seems to be kitted up!

The fabric is a really pretty light yellow.

There was a gorgeous stitched model in the store,

and it just said "spring" very loudly to me.

I intend to start this the moment I finish 99 

(I do have some restraint),

and that's another incentive

to just get it done.

So those are my stitching plans,

with the exception of

a two-day Kay Stanis workshop

hosted by my ANG chapter this weekend,

and a rather challenging canvaswork class

to be taught at that same

enabling ANG chapter at the end of the month!

Go here to find out what the other

Trotters have been up to this month.

Thanks, Claudette, for hosting this fun SAL!

That's it from here.

Hope you are all having a fabulous March.

Thanks for visiting!