Friday - 29 May 2015
Oh - how I enjoyed the long Easter weekend at the beginning of April!
I had no guilty feelings as I sat and stitched almost every day - all day long -
and remembered and reflected on the reason for acknowledging
this significant event all those years ago, and quietly gave thanks
for what Jesus went through so that I could become
a daughter of the King of Kings and have a home in Heaven prepared for me.
I really needed to recharge my batteries after the hectic last two weeks
I really needed to recharge my batteries after the hectic last two weeks
of February and the month of March.
In my Blog #34, I mentioned that I needed to stitch some more models
and some more sampler type pieces of needlework so that I will have
something new to display at Sampler Gathering.
This is the piece that I stitched over the weekend -
I intend to make
a little cushion
using the fabric
that is pictured
behind the piece
of needlework
and then attach
this piece
of needlework
to it.
More details in another blog when it is finished.
Also over the weekend I added a few more stitches to a sampler design
that I had begun a few weeks prior to Easter.
This design has been created by Ellen Chester of With My Needle.
This lovely piece has the title, ‘Of Female Arts’.
This design is available for purchase from Heirlooms -
Design Title: Of Female Arts
Code: WMN:FEMALE
Design: $32.50
As this is rather a large piece I know that I will not be able to have this piece completed
before the sampler weekend - and so, adding only a few stitches to it now and again
and concentrating on working other projects.
April also ended up being another very busy month due to the release
of the new Mystery Sampler project, which was on the 1st of April.
Many of the participants requested that I send
fabric and thread options for the design.
I LOVE sorting out different colour combinations -
at least six options per customer - but doing so
can take up so much time.
Firstly, an overdyed silk thread is chosen
(as this thread is used for the wings of the butterfly)
and then 3 tones - a light, a medium and a dark - of one of the colours
that are in the variegated thread.
These three shades of thread colour are needed to work
the various bands/rows of the sampler.
And, of course, several days of the month of April and May
were taken up with the typing up of the instructions
and drawing stitch diagrams for Parts Two & Three of this project.
On the 14th of May I officially became a pensioner as I celebrated my 65th birthday!
It was a very quiet day - in fact, I did not see any family or friends.
Everyone is SO busy these days.
Keith and I went to the Mission that evening for a lovely evening and meal together.
To mark this special occasion I have decided to fulfil a dream
of visiting Italy
and booked a place on the
BELLA ITALIA
Stitches & Threads Tour
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After the tour has finished I’m then going to stay for four days
with my lovely Italian friend and needlework designer,
Giulia, and her husband, Mario
before travelling to Belgium
for a week to see my friends, Monique and Gigi
and spend some time with them in their beautiful country.
Never having been to Europe before (apart from several days in London),
I am really excited about this trip.
But more about that in another blog.
This month I made the decision that over the Queen’s Birthday weekend
I would have an exhibition featuring the
‘Favoured Shades’ samplers (the 2014 mystery sampler project)
and other pieces of needlework featuring sampler inspired designs.
With this latter thought in mind, at the beginning of the month of May
I finally began stitching one of Ellen Chester’s pieces from her lovely
'Fruit of the Vine’ sampler design project which she taught
in an all-day class when she and Tom stayed with us in March of last year.
You may recall me writing of this awesome event in previous blogs.
To remind you, this was the project -
At the beginning of the month I began stitching the needleroll.
This is how it looked on the 7th of May -
and pictured below is how it looks today - the 29th of May.
This past week I have packed up the Christmas needlework display and set up
the Favoured Shades Sampler display and displayed all the sampler pieces
kindly loaned and stitched by my friend, Joy Hurford,
in readiness for the exhibition that opens tomorrow for the next three days.
Prior to this week I had to design the exhibition invitation
and send it to all my needlework friends
by email
and also send invitations
in personally addressed envelopes
by post
to about 150 friends.
It is surprising how long
it takes to complete this latter task
(and how long it takes for the Post Office to deliver them!).
Earlier today I had to design and print the labels to accompany each sampler.
These labels have the needleworker’s name on them, plus information
of the fabric and thread colours they used to create their samplers.
I also had to design and print the "Viewer’s Choice" forms.
This is for the visitors to the exhibition to vote for their favourite sampler
and so win a pack of Limited Edition Sampler Threads for the needleworker.
Photos and more about this exhibition in my next blog.
