Be Merry, 15 Finished!

After the failure of the use of the Upright Gobelin for the diagonal stripe in "B", I spent literally hours leafing through stitch books looking for a suitable stitch.  I finally decided on a variation of the milanese stitch.  It works!

This is the finished canvas.  That's 2 finishes in a week!  Of course, we don't want to mention how long they have been in progress!!.

I don't know what the problem is with that droopy first R--I think that is where I folded and basted the canvas to move it on the stretcher bars.

RUG SALE:  The Rugs are 65% off (a few master canvases may vary from that).  I'm having a technical problem with the 2nd page of sale rugs.  The page shows on my work page, but doesn't show on the blog listing.  Just be aware that there are more rugs and if you're in Vero, stop by and I'll show you photos.  One hopes the problem is soon remedied, she says with her fingers and toes crossed.  What with illnesses and W-2s and such folderol, I haven't had a chance to put the sale price on each item.  Feel free to call me at the shop 772-567-6688.  I'll be more than happy to tell you the 65% sale price.

Spool Ornaments, 4, Finished!

I will tell you that a boullion stitch does not react well to being put aside while you wait on a customer.  Most of the time it needs to be undone and started again from the beginning.  Excruciating!  But, I finished the angel's hair today.  Hooray!

Spool Ornaments, 3

With Macy's stitching help, my angel spool ornament is approaching the finish line.  She added the finishing touches to the face and wings.  I am doing the boullion stitches in watercolors for the hair.

Be Merry, 15

I'm approaching the finish line on "Be Merry".  I've finished the peppermint stick and the band of colors and stitches along the bottom.  I think I have one more strand of basketweave on the background.  What has thrown a spanner in the works is the stitch I had planned for the B.  I started it, but it looked awful.  So I am currently searching for alternate stitches.  Sigh!

This is how my first attempt looked.  Gone!

I'm hoping that by Saturday I will have finished this.  This week is the first time I have felt like stitching since the end of October.  I have had a marathon of illness, starting the end of October with cellulitis (elephantiasis of the feet and lower legs).  Once that was resolved and my ankles looked beautiful again, I came down with pneumonia.  I finally feel like a human being, so my stitching should start escalating.

What a treat! a facial!

 My parents were divorced when I was 6 years old and I was raised with 6 brothers and 2 sisters.  However, since I was older,  it was me and the boys.  No manicures, no pedicures, no make-up.

Last summer (Monday, 8/22/16)  I went to have a "deep facial".  I was chuckling to myself, because when I made my appointment, they advised me to bring the products I currently use.  Duh!  No problem.  That would be nada.  A friend warned me that they would be determined to sell me "product".  I must compliment my aesthetician (I think that's the word); she offered several complimentary options, but all of them I declined (which I could tell she expected).  It was a wonderful facial with perhaps more black heads removed than I expected, but who can see all of those suckers?  All in all, it was a soothing experience.  Maybe I'll do it in another 6 months or year!

graciela Boulanger prints in an endodontist's office

Last week in the medical travails of Mary Agnes, I had an upper molar extracted.  As it happens, the same endodontist pulled the identical molar on the opposite upper side of my mouth 20 years ago.  That isn't why I'm telling you about him (although about a minute after he told me I'd feel pressure, I knew he had pulled the tooth though I felt nothing--I have a high pain threshold), but because in his waiting room he had 3 16x20 prints (I assume) of Graciela Boulanger.  I just love her puckish humor.  Lee's Needle had some in their line about 30 years ago, but they were small--perhaps 5x7.  I am selling people riding bulls on the Needlepoint Nation Stash Exchange.  Anyway, I wanted to ask my dentist about them, but it's hard to talk when you have wads of cotton in your mouth!  Maybe I'll try to talk with him about them when I go for my post-op exam.

EDIT:  I put Boulanger's correct first name on this.  For years I have mistakenly called her Nadia.  Ah, well!

Adapting the layout of a website and blog to its ultimate for a mobile phoneI

Needle Nicely has hired a company to adapt the existing website and blog so they will be formatted to be read more easily on a mobile phone.  I'm letting them do what they do best without much input from me, but when I saw the stock banner photograph they had placed over threads and things (I don't remember the exact title), I had to step in.  Their photograph was of thread, sharp needles, a tape measure and more--all things related to sewing.  I told them I would email a photograph that would be more appropriate.

This is the cropped photograph that I sent them.  I also sent the same image uncropped.  I feel much happuer with the image this will convey of Needle Nicely.

I must add that Stuart was there for the "shot" and he insisted on running to KMart to get a pristine piece of poster board.  My wrinkled sheet of newsprint just didn't cut it with him!

A Study in Nobuko

I've been noticing some of the different ways stitchers utilize the nobuko.  Anne Stradal (http://www.Thecapestitcher.com) was the first person I saw turning the nobuko on its side.  It changes your perspective and looks totally different.  I decided to stitch a nobuko sampler showing as many variations as I could locate.  So far, I only have 5.  They are nobuko, double nobuko, alternating nobuko, double alternating nobuko, and nobuko variation 1,3,5.

 

I'm still in search of variations.  If you know of some, please contact me so I can add to this.  I'm going to try to stitch the variations on their sides to show how the look changes.

Another note, the world's best mathematician --me, HA!--set out to do 20x20 stitch squares.  Notice the medium blue is 18x20.  That kept waving at me, so I'm making the hot pink rectangle 18x20.  I guess you might say that I'm accustomed to screwing up and figuring out ways to make things look good!

On another topic:  This afternoon Needle Nicely was visited by the 3rd and 4th generations of a stitching family who have been customers of the shop since 1981 when we opened in Vero Beach.  Clarice totally fell in love with Gunther when she saw him and walked him all around the shop.  I'm sorry that I missed the many loving looks she gave him.  And she gave him back with no reluctance or tears.  I can foresee more visits in her future!!  (And her mother is now planning on stitching her own 30" Gunther!)