Planning New Designs, Harlequin Hearts Pilot Workshop

This is a busy time of year for many of us! If you have childen at home, or grandchildren, there are always lots of activities to attend at this time:  sports finals, dance recitals, graduations, etc. etc.  Well, needlework teaching is very similar: pilots for this year's seminar classes to prepare and teach, spring workshops, and new designs to start working on for proposals early next year.  This last few weeks I've been working on the first two items and thinking about the third.  That's usually the way I begin.  Here is a photo of the design bin which is furtherest along....at this time.   Things could change overnight if I become really attached to an idea for one of the other two.  

You can see there are some or all of the following in the bin:  rough sketches of my design ideas along with clippings of interesting bits from magazines, photos and the internet, threads, ribbons, beads, paints, sequins, fleece, Misty Fuse or whatever else could even remotely end up being used for it.  Sometimes adding items to the collection will prompt new ideas.....or I might move something from one design to another.  Such as if I decide using Misty Fuse for this project won't work but will add much to another design instead. 

I'll update as things progress.  But probably you'll see the other two bins appear before there is an update on this one.  One never knows. 

During the last thirty days I have been in Ohio and Oregon teaching three workshops and had a wonderful time with each group.  It is always so interesting to meet, and have a chance to chat with, all the friendly stitchers.   

The Willamette ANG of Eugene, Oregon kindly sent photos of the Harlequin Hearts pilot which appeared in their April 08 newsletter.  Just look at this wonderful workshop space provided by Elizabeth B.  The outside is just as inviting, placed in such a quiet, wooded setting.  Thanks for sharing!  And my thanks to each guild for your great hospitality.

This and That

Last week I was visiting two groups in Oregon and had a wonderful time.   I returned home on Monday but it always surprises me how long it takes me to re-group.  All the "little things" are done but there are several projects now happening all at the same time.  Know the feeling?  I have begun a partial re-organization of my teaching designs and thread storage boxes. I got inspired by the new Cloth-Paper-Scissors Studios  which came out on April 1st.  It has lots of great ideas for organizing all sorts of mixed media, fabric and threads.  I decided to do this job at the same time as I am taking inventory of all my thread supplies for the recently retired design kits.  As you probably know from your own organizing experiences , it means things get a little messier before they get neater. 

• Anyway, when the inventory for each design is completed, I will be adding some partial thread kits to the website.  These partial kits will be particularly helpful for stitching Seasons as it calls for several Vikki Clayton perles which are not available except in very large dye hanks.  I will have those colors packaged in small 15 yard skeins. 
• Also to be added to the website (hopefully in a week or so) are a few hard-to-locate stitching/organizing supplies such as Tacky Bobs and Twitchetts.  I use these myself and can't seem to find them on a regular basis.  
• Some more new Soy Luster Shadow colors were added last week and some will be added in about two weeks. 
• The Dahlia Instruction Book and canvas is in the works but it looks like it will not be available until May 15th at the earliest.
• Something else coming this fall is a small assortment of Stef Francis threads.  I have begun using several in my new designs and will be teaching two of them at the ANG Seminar in Indian Wells in September.  At this point only a very few are available in this country so we need to change that. 

Now I just need to find time to begin working on the flower pins I have in mind for the website.  Some combination of felt, needlefelting, stitching and beading.  The supplies have been building up for 6 or more months.....another organizing project??  

Also yet to be created.....but again.....lots of supplies have been collected.....are some large stitch magnets which will be able to hold a metal laying tool. 

Both of the above projects involve some new media and/or techniques for me. So I feel like I need to set aside a reasonable block of time to experiment.  Maybe that's the problem.  When is a "reasonable block of time" every really available? What is a reasonable block of time?  Two hours or two days?    

And last week, while I was gone, my husband cleaned out and reorganized the canvas supplies.  I think he decided if he was going to start helping cut and tape canvases for kits he needed the area to be much neater than previously.  He cut off the tops of boxes to varying lengths (these are the ones rolls of canvas come in) and then taped groups of six of together.  They sit up nicely and hold lots of different size rolls in a very small footprint.

I haven't been very good at documenting changes or progress but I have been continuing to stitch Flower Diamonds and will post an update photo with my next blog entry. 

I almost forgot!  The website has been updated with three new teaching designs.  All of them are available for workshops after the ANG Seminar 2009.  They are Safari, Flower Diamonds and Wild Roses Oval Box.

Newly Retired Designs

I wasn't planning on making another entry until my return form my next teaching trip but after spending the last few hours "retiring" a few designs, thought it might be good to let stitchers know about them.  There are several people on my llist to be notified when certain teaching designs were retired.  So for those who have have been waiting they are Images of India and Monet's Garden.  Also, after my return I will be sorting through my remaining kit supplies for these and a few other classes and will be adding quite a few complete and partial thread kits.  Several (really.....most of my designs) call for at least a few hard-to-get threads.  So hopefully I can at least make up some partial kits of these threads. 

Also added to the site as a new Guild Project is Sweet Treats.  It's another project for which it would be fun to search through your stash or to look for fun and different embellishments to add.  It is available indivually or discounted for groups. 

Anyway, that's all for now....only one more design soon to "retire".....no later than May 1st.