The Tranquil Thread

Weds Sep 24, 2003

I'm behind on blogging and I have missed it. It seems I have spent every day since Sunday adding names to my web address book. I'm a member of several Yahoo groups and one of them ANN (A Noble Needle) has 1180 members. I have to check my email online several times a day to move these messages out of the "suspected Spam" to my address book and inbox. After last week's onslaught of all the fake messages with huge attachments (virus, worm?, probably both), I set my Spam Blocker setting to HIGH which only allows messages from people in my address book. I can use filters on my email program but you can't add filters to the web mail site - major YUCK! I contacted support and asked if there was a short cut - the answer was no. So, I've been on the Internet way too much since then. I've manually added a lot of the members' email addresses from the smaller groups and will probably go "no mail" on ANN until this clears up.

This may seem as if it has nothing to do with stitching - but believe me - it does! It is a major time eater, which keeps me from stitching.

I'm 59 years old and a "STHW" (Stay at home wife- that's a new one). I have no dire responsibilities except laundry and dinners. Since my heart problem came up last February, my dh has been doing all of the grocery shopping - which is fine with me because I never liked to shop for groceries. My children are all grown and living on their own. Any babysitting I do is pure pleasure, not work, and I don't consider that a distraction from stitching.

You know what I've discovered in the last few days. Embroidery magazines, catalogs, web sites, discussion boards are ALL time consumers and keep me from stitching. Am I going to give them up? No WAY! They also give me a lot of pleasure.

I am, however, seriously thinking about going "on the wagon." I already have more patterns, fabric and floss than I'll ever be able to use. There should probably be a "Twelve Step Program" for us - and I don't mean to be flippant. It's serious stuff.

One decision I have made is I don't really like cross-stitching. I think it's pretty and I have a lot of patterns I would like to do - but it takes so much time. I finally realized the reason it is so time consuming is that you are expected to cover all of the fabric. You choose a perfect color fabric and then cover it up. Well, I really prefer doing Hardanger, pulled & drawn thread, Spanish work, Schwalm, etc. Delicate beauties that let the fabric shine through.

I have finished the bun covers, which were quick and fun to do. I'm still working on the "Welcome" pattern and I am enjoying it. But it is also the one that made me realize how time consuming a small cross-stitch project can be.

Enough for today. I need to cross-stitch.

Saturday, Sep 20, 2003

Today was my 59th birthday. I'm pleased to give my age because without a good cardiologist and a loving family I would not have been here today. So I'll shout it from the rooftops - I'M 59!

It was really a great day. My next to oldest grandson (age 20) called and said he was nearby and wanted to stop by with a friend. That was special because he lives 70 miles to the east of us, but they had been visiting the friend's ranch west of us and were close. We had a very nice visit and then I got to see him again this evening when the family had my birthday party.

All of my five children and five of my seven grandchildren were there. (Megan and her brother Jesse were with their father this weekend - they celebrated my birthday with me last weekend.) We had stack-ups, which is a fun and easy meal to do and a Swiss Pastry Shop Black Forrest Cake. Now, I stress the Swiss Pastry Shop because they are the ONLY place I know of that makes this particular style of Black Forrest Cake. You would have to see it and taste it to understand.

My oldest daughter found the most perfect birthday card for me. It had four little girls and one little boy playing "ring around the rosey" - I have four daughters and one son. Perfect!

Then my husband of 38 years gave me a perfect birthday card also. We have been trying to get out town for months now and he has not been able to find the time. So the card started with "It doesn't matter whether we stay home or go somewhere, Whether we sit quietly or have a lot to share..." The rest was perfect also and meant so much to me.

I did stitch today. In fact, I finished Megan's deep violet bun cover and started Alyssa's pale pink one. I will take Megan's cover to her tomorrow when she gets home. I also ordered four colors of silk floss from Vikki Clayton today (a very special "Special" she had for members of Legacy Embroiderers) I plan on using these on Isabelle Vautier's next mystery sampler which begins next month. She's already given us the size and the fact we will need to chose four colors. My colors are Blackberry, Chocolate, Leaf and Seaweed. My fabric choice will be a 32 ct Jobelan, either Water Lilly or Star Saphire. Hmm, that reminds me that Saturday is "Shopping Saturday" on the Yahoo group "For the Love of Stitching" - so I did what I was supposed to do.

If I knew how to add pictures to this blog site I would show the colors I've chosen, but alas, I'm still learning. But hey, learning new things at age 59 (or any age) is always a good thing.

Well, it's now Sunday morning and I probably should get some sleep so I can use my "Tranquil Thread" tomorrow.

a Post Script. Well guess what. When I posted this blog entry the duplicate entries of Weds and Thurs disappeared. So I'm going to try to repost them just one time and hopefully get it in the right spot between Tuesday and today. Here's keeping my fingers crossed.

Friday, Sept 19, 2003

This has been a really frustrating Internet day. I have been inundated with the messages from the "fake" Microsoft and their "critical" update attachments. Fortunately I updated Norton first thing this morning (I don't always do that on a timely basis) and then the messages were there. They kept coming. Literally hundreds and I am not exaggerating.

Then, there was Blogger yesterday and the day before. Wednesday I posted a blog. Thursday morning it wasn't there so I reposted it. Suddenly it was there twice - same thing - just one said Weds and the other said Thurs. I tried deleting the second one and on my blog editing page it was gone. But it was still on my blog site. So, eventually, I deleted the first one. It's now gone from the blog-editing page, but BOTH entries are on the blog site. I give up! I guess when I archive them all will be well.

On the stitching front everything is "Tranquil" and definitely lifts my spirits. I'm almost through with Megan's deep violet bun cover and ready to start Alyssa's light pink one. Crocheted items can be completed so quickly some times.

Today I also received my Unstitched RR. There were four ANN (A Noble Needle) members who formed a Round Robin that would not be stitched. We each selected 3 patterns that we would like to work on. The next person on list chose one of those patterns and mailed to the person next in line. That person bought fabric for the pattern and the last person bought the threads.

My choices were Indigo Rose's "My Son", Lavender Wings "My Love" or any of the Victoria Sampler's American Hearts. They chose "My Son" and everything came today. I'm so pleased because my son, who is my only son (I have four daughters), often feels left out of the things I make. He asked me once to make him a poncho - easy enough. But he wanted it in the afghan (Tunisian) stitch. Do you realize how boring the afghan stitch becomes after a while? I haven't finished it yet but I did get started and I do have the yarn. So you see this lovely project will be very special. I'm not sure if I can get it finished by Christmas but his birthday is in June and I'm sure I can it finished by then.

OK, I'm through with the Internet for today. I'm going to go finish the bun cover and do some stitching.

Wednesday, Sept 17, 2003

I didn’t get a lot of stitching done today. I had to go to town to do some necessary shopping. That type of shopping is not one of my favorite things to do, but I made it a little more pleasurable by buying some crochet and embroidery magazines. I also bought the seamless ponytail holders for the girls’ bun covers.

I have nothing planned for the daytime tomorrow, so I will stitch. I will probably work on one of bun covers. There is going to be an open house at the school Megan, the oldest granddaughter, attends. This is the Fine Arts Academy and it will be the first time my husband and I have visited it. I’m really looking forward to that.

I did a lot of wishing today. I have developed a love for samplers. I didn’t even look at sampler patterns when I first started needlework. However, last year, Jean Farish had a really neat sampler on her website. It was called “America, Land That We Love.” I downloaded all of the patterns before the end of last year. In late April, a group of stitchers in one of the Yahoo groups I belong to (A Noble Needle) decided to renew a Stitch-Along with this pattern. I was recovering from a heart stint implant and VERY idle (out of necessity), so I decided it was a good time to start this.

A short time after that I discovered “The Marquoir Mystery” sampler by French designer Isabelle Vautier. It was another stitch-along on the Legacy Embroidery Bulletin Board. It consisted of nine parts (one a month) and had been going on since Nov. of last year. Unlike the earlier participants, I had the opportunity to see a great deal of the sampler on the website. I fell in love with it. It was so pretty and it had story to go with it. I just had to do it. So I ordered the fabric, picked out the three colors I wanted to use, and started on another sampler.

After that I discovered another Yahoo group called Heirloom Needles with the moderator Lucy Lyons Willis. The description of the group was right up my alley. It was the type of stitching I enjoyed the most. So I joined. Lucy designed a special sampler for members of this group, and of course I had to start this one too. It is fantastic and such a pleasure to stitch.

Needless to say, I now love samplers. Yesterday, one of the members gave a link to another French designer’s website for a specific pattern. It was gorgeous! I checked out the other patterns and I just began drooling. You will have to visit Cross Stitch Designs by Long Dog.

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/longdog/

The designer is Julia Line. I think I want them all. Wyndham Needleworks carries the patterns. Hmm, wonder how long I can hold out.

All three of the samplers I am working on are for me. Eventually my children will get them, but for right now they are for me. When I was crocheting so much very little of the projects were for me.

BTW, it is already early Thursday morning as I post this. I better get to bed so I can STITCH!

Tuesday, Sept 16, 2003

Blogging is good! It must do something for your mental capabilities. Today, for the first time, I’ve actually been dreaming up designs in needlework.

I have designed some crochet pieces that I’m pleased with. They were for me, or my family, but they are my designs. In needlework, however, I have been stagnant as far as coming up with an original design. Oh, I would change a stitch here and there, but I think everyone does that. You know, when there is stitch you are uncomfortable with, or for some reason, just doesn’t look right for you, you change it. Maybe it is one of those stitches you just can’t seem to grasp, or you realize another stitch would really look better, at least for you. But to come up with a whole design – no way, until, the last three days.

I have a free pattern that I downloaded from the Internet some time last year. I have the chart, the floss key, everything you need for it, except, I can’t remember who designed it. It is one of those designs that you download that doesn’t have a copyright on it, doesn’t have a designer signature, or any URL. I have a few of those and I have been searching them out on the Internet to identify the designer. Now, when I download a pattern with these conditions I create a little word file that tells me who designed it, what the website was, etc.

I haven’t been able to locate this particular design on the web again. It’s an arched doorway, slightly opened, with a blackwork design in each side of the door. It’s really lovely. Underneath is the word “Welcome.” I really like it a lot. The download was not very clear when I tried to print it, so, I used Jane Grennoff’s Cross Stitch Gold software to recreate it. While I was doing this, I realized what a wonderful vehicle an arched doorway or window is. Suddenly I could see the inside of the frames done in a hardanger design, or a drawn thread pattern, or possibly even a schwalm design. I can’t wait to finish it so I can try out some of these ideas floating to the surface of my mind. I’m going to complete it as it was designed and then finish it in a flatfold. I have recently purchased Judy Odell’s book on flatfolds and have been anxious to try it – this seemed to be a perfect design for it.

I would post a picture of the design, but since I don’t know the designer’s name, I don’t feel I should. Perhaps some of you who read this will recognize the description I have given and be able to inform me who that wonderful person is. In the meantime, I will finish it and start putting my ideas on cloth.

Wow!

Now, as to my progress on my granddaughters’ bun covers, I located the thread and ribbon yarn that I had in mind for the two girls. While I was doing this, I came across some pieces I had designed (yeah, really!) and thought how I could incorporate them into bun covers. So I am making progress.

I still have a lot to learn about blogging, but I’m a late night person and my brain works best in the wee hours of the morning. So, I will read the Blogger’s Website and learn what I can do, and perhaps in the next week or so I can add links, etc., to my blog website.

BTW, since I am a late night person, my BLOG's will probably not be posted until after 10 PM. But then, I feel as if this is really going to be addictive and I may post a couple of times a day.

For today and tonight, goodbye.

Monday, Sept 15, 2003,

I decided to join the Stitching Bloggers today and what a perfect day to do so.

It seems I have been stitching in one form or another all my life. I probably didn't really start until I was about 12 or 13 - but that was a long time ago. My grandmother taught me how to crochet. She taught me the chain stitch and had me pull it out so many times. I loved it and from there I went forward. Grandmother lived in Alabama while we lived in Texas. We didn't get to see each other except once a year. The things she taught me have lasted a lifetime.

I now have two granddaughters and I am planning on teaching them. (I also have five grandsons) My oldest granddaughter is eight years old and she is now learning cross stitch and crochet. She asked me if I knitted. I had to tell her that I had done some knitting but was never comfortable with it. She wants to learn. I have a friend who does knit and would be willing to teach her but I think I just might sign the two of us up for a knitting class.

My youngest granddaughter is only three years old, so she has a year or two to go. She is, however, already picking up my magnifier and putting it on her head, and she has sewn two stitching cards together. Naturally, I thought that was very unique for a three year old.

I said earlier that today was a perfect day for beginning this adventure. Let me explain. I quit crocheting about a year and a half ago and took up needlework. I still have patterns & books, yarns & theads, and hooks of all shapes and sizes. I just haven't touched any of them since February, 2002.

My oldest granddaughter, Megan, was accepted to the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts this year. She is in the third grade, which is the earliest they begin. They learn all of the regular educational subjects but they also learn dance, choir and theater. She is required to wear her hair up when she is in dance. I had crocheted some bun covers for myself a while ago and I asked her if she wanted one for herself. She said yes. She wants it to be violet. Now I only have one of my bun covers left and I was going to use it as a pattern for hers. She loved it so much she asked if she could borrow it until I get hers made. Naturally I said yes. So, this morning I spent my early hours searching the internet for a bun cover pattern since I have no clue as to where my pattern is. Thus, the good day to start. I might add that my three year old granddaughter, Alyssa, is also taking tap dancing lessons and will wear her hair up also. So it looks as if I will be making bun covers for a while.

I plan on discussing my thoughts on stitching, my progress or lack of progress and the ongoing stash collection that I have been adding to faithfully for several years now.

I hope you will join me.

Susie Jordan