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I'll keep you posted on up-to-the-minute happenings, talk about my approach to color, texture and design, organizing, interesting links, new books, and new threads and other mixed media materials. I'd love to hear your comments also.

Sunday
Aug032008

Intro to Bargello/Needlepoint Update

We took a day off yesterday and drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalio.  The weather was beautiful just across the bridge and the bridge was loaded with people on both pathways.  The west path is for bikes only and the east path is for pedestrians.  It was dreary again in San Francisco, so good to get a little sun!  We love to take tours to see how things are made so yesterday was no exception as we had a great tour at Heath Ceramics.  We also found a new barbeque place and hope for a return visit.  Love barbeque! But the bridge toll is $5....soon to be raised to $6....so we do think twice before just popping across the bridge.

This past week has been a "thread week"....which means putting together thread kits for upcoming workshops.   I love separating the skeins and putting all the threads together and into stitchers' bags, but sometimes overwhelming.  I still put them together on the dining room table.  Picture enough threads for 20 kits spread out everywhere!  I must remember to take a photo sometime to show a "before" picture with everthing spread out and an "after" with all the thread kits lined up neatly in little rows.     

But, I have also been stitching on the Intro to Bargello/Needlepoint design.  Now, my husband has the scanner in his computer area so he does the scanning.  So when he began scanning this project it made a folder titled "Big X".  Somehow I don't think that will end up as the project's name.   

This is where I am so far.  There is one more Bargello stitch to place in the "X" and one more needlepoint stitch in addition to the border.  And there will be a button for the intersection of the 'X". It's still the same button as shown on July 20th, when there were photos of the original threads and inspiration pictures. 

If  you compare the original threads with these you'll see the lavender is gone along with the orchid/orangy coral overdyed thread.  I've add the two overdyed perles for the background.  I plan to develop a 2nd colorway with the orchid/orangy coral and lavender thread. 

I still plan to have this finished by next weekend and then get back to the Plump Pear Bargello design.  I was planning to be further along on it,  but it just didn't seem to be going the way I wanted.  I always start out with a basic outline and threads but some, more than others, seem to take on a life of their own. 

But to get back to the Beginning Bargello/Needlepoint design.  I had a comment about this being a good "take-along" piece.  And that's right, even though it is a "beginning" piece, it would be make a great quick project.  On 13 count it is 6 X 6 plus the border, but on 18 count it is 4-1/3" + the border.   And I didn't use a laying tool...just my finger or the needle now and then.

Wishing you a great week!  Terry

Friday
Jul252008

Website - a New Look

The website has a new look to it and hopefully flows a little better.  On Monday SquareSpace introduced lots of new templates and a few features I had been waiting for.  So, even though I hadn't planned to make changes right now, I have spent a major part (and more) of my computer time this week, reorganizing the site.  Hope everyone likes it!  If anyone has any problems, questions, or comments, please let me know.  The point is to make it useful and hassle free for anyone visiting any part of the site. 

Now I'm back to making up kits for ANG Seminar in Indian Wells.  My first class is Sept. 6th but kits need to be mailed to the site by August 18th......three weeks. 

A week or two ago I talked about stitching on 18 count linen instead of 18 count canvas.  I stitched and finished a Tea Cozy and Tote Bag.  Above is a closeup of the Tea Cozy stitches.  The stitches are the same on the Tote Bag....just a different colorway.  I used Watercolours and Perle Cottons on both. 

I'm also stitching away on the Bargello/Needlepoint 13 count design.  It should be finished in two weeks or so, but I plan to post an in-progress photo next week. 

Finally, I am thrilled to announce I am currently the Featured Artist on the River Silks website.  Click here to visit.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

Tuesday
Jul222008

Website Disarray

Just a quick note about the website!  It will be in slight disarray for the next few days to a week.   I did choose a new template as you might have noticed but tried to keep the layout very similar to what had been previously.....with the same banner, etc.  However, I lost a few "buy now" buttons and the gallery of designs available are jumbled. So please excuse the mess if you are trying to locate something. The individual pages are still all there and I will get the buttons back up and running in the next day or so.  There is just no easy way to much such major changes without some things not working together as they should.  I've sent in my "support ticket" and I know the people at SquareSpace are working  long hours to get everything back to working smoothly.