Silent night redo,4

Note:  This is a rogue entry.  Somehow it got buried in some draft blog entries.  However, I just noticed that it had 1 comment and 60 views.  I don't know how on earth that happened!

I'm determined to finish some WIP that have been lurking around the shop and house.  I was shocked
just now to see that I started stitching this canvas in January, 2014.  Wow!  I really buried it deep, not just physically, but also mentally!

I mentioned in my original blog entry that the inner border was mispainted--the Kreinik Balger 16 I am using for the saw-tooth border seems to be covering well, and the silk 'n ivory for the background should disguise the miscount when finished.  Of course, I pulled the fibers a year ago and just realized that I need another skein of background.  Fortunately, I discovered this before I had started stitching the interior.  I took the two skeins back and traded for three of another dyelot.  Being frugal, I did stitch the areas of the design surrounded by silver where the dyelot change won't be noticeable.

 You can see here the areas I stitched with the "old" dyelot.  Now to work on the new dyelot!

Of course, I just realized that I stitched those areas in basketweave.  I will be using nobuko for the background.  When the pillow is finished, I doubt anyone will notice my basketweaved areas.
Fast forward to January, 2016.  I have given this canvas to Macy for her shop stitching.  She is having a wonderful time with stitching the nobuko background.

Canvases are still arriving from the January market.  I usually request that designers not ship me canvases after April 1, since Needle Nicely's season starts declining the end of March and comes to a screeching halt the end of April.  Sad since May (and October) is such a beautiful month--people seldom stick around to enjoy it.  But I definitely don't want to have extra inventory to look at all summer when I'm the only person to admire it.

These are some of Kathy Schenkel's mini-stockings with inserts.

This was an eventful week for visitors to Needle Nicely.  Wednesday afternoon  we had Karen, who was in the area for business.  She had heard about us in 2001.  She called and had Trubey paint a rug for her.  It was ready for shipment when 9/11 happened.  Karen had worked in the twin towers and that infamous morning got on the wrong train so she arrived at work after the planes had hit.  Such a bittersweet moment to finally meet her.

The five Louisiana sisters were here yesterday.  They started coming to Needle Nicely over 20 years ago when they accompanied their mama to visit their sister in Melbourne (just north of Vero).  It is always enjoyable to see those beautiful big eyes in all their glory!