Excuses

I didn't blog yesterday.  Things just got away from me.  I couldn't find what I wanted to show you anyway.  In the course of the day, I found it.  It had fallen into a bag and I happened to go through the bag and find it.  It's a miracle of sorts.
I finished-finished the Nancy's Accessories strawberry from Erica Micheal.  I kind of made up the top and added a bead that happened to be handy (from a Stitchy Box).  I like how it turned out.

I am getting ready for my last class of the year.  It is a class with Sue Spargo that isn't too far from here.  BFF#2 and I can drive up for the two day class.  We are supposed to do some pre-stitching.  I wasn't sure about what to do so I reread the directions and tried to do what it said. 

Hand stitching takes so long, I procrastinate doing it.  But I made myself start.  It looks kind of weird at the moment.  I think it will be very cool when I'm done.

The walking is done.  The bathrooms are clean and I'm going shopping.  I have to test out a new credit card that came in the mail.
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A Little This, A Little That

I have again been helped by a thoughtful reader.  She directed me to where I could find the pin cushion stand for my Fraktur Sewing Set pin cushion.  Thanks. Lynn!  I've ordered one.  But I know yesterday I said I wasn't buying any stitchy stuff for the rest of the year.  Well, this will be a gift from DH for either my birthday or Christmas.  This not-buying-stuff is going to be harder than I thought!
Now I am re-energized to work on the pin cushion.

I thought I would just read the directions for the Dogface Butterfly kit. 

It looks straight forward but the thread in the kit doesn't like me.  It is that Piper's Silk. 

It snags on my fingers, it unthreads itself.  ARGH.  I put the wings pattern in a hoop but the silk fabric it is printed on is very light and thin.

 I will have to wrap the hoop to get it to be "drum tight".  There is long and short stitch involved which I am not very good at.  I hope this turns out.  I have these two butterflies that I would like to reproduce in needlework for somewhere on my casket.  (Actual butterflies)

It was raining this morning so I walked at the Y.  Then I went to the Farmer's Market.  I had a long list and wasn't sure I could still find all the things I was looking for.  But I got lucky and got everything and a few more things to boot.  Right now the sun is shining.  It is going to be a nice day!
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Fun Visit

BFF#2 and I went on another short jaunt up the road to Stitching Bits and Bobs.  I wan't sure if I had an order there or not as I accidentally touched a button on my computer and what I had been compiling in my cart disappeared!  It turns our that I did have an order and they had everything but one chart.  So I was able to get everything else.

I got a bunch of (expensive) threads:

 Stitching Bits and Bobs had "Sojourner" by Heart's Ease Examplar Workes. 

That was one last chart on my radar.  What a big project it will be!
I got a few small charts:

They also had everything 20% off - even better.

 I was talking to BFF#2 and said that I thought I could refrain from buying any more stitchy stuff for the rest of the year. I couldn't go a whole year but three months seems doable.  She said she thought she could do that too.  So we are going to try.  We both have enough stash for a couple of lifetimes.  I told DH about our pact and he said I would lose.  We were talking about our pact in Stitching Bits and Bobs and the owner just said "Happy New Year!"
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Berry

BFF#2 and I took a short trip to House of Stitches yesterday.

 I got a couple of threads that I needed to work on this strawberry.

I am almost done. 

I want to make the needlebook too. 

On the way home we stopped at The Chocolate Garden. It is a cute little shop in the middle of no where.

 They make truffles.  I don't usually like truffles but these were very yummy.  You really can't eat a whole one at a time, they are just too rich. 

You have to nibble and savor each bite.  Maybe I'll see if DH wants one.
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Indy Trip Day 3

Last Sunday we had our second class which was Sassenach Sampler smalls. We didn't know what we would be doing.  I loved the sampler and hoped we would be taking some parts from the sampler and making a scissors fob, needlebook and/or a pin cushion.  That isn't really what we did. 
Here is the kit.  Alas, there was no reference photo of the smalls.

We made a waxer with bee's wax and buttons.

We got a box that is to be covered with tartan paper on the sides.

We got a matchbox to be covered with tartan paper also.
We got a some shortbread and a little ruler.

I started the queen stitched strawberry.  Ugh, queen stitches.  

We got beads to fill a scissors rest and the strawberry.  I haven't used beads as filler before.

I was kind of burnt out on Sunday and didn't get much done. 
We left in the middle of the afternoon for the four hour drive home. 
It was a great and busy weekend.
If I was the designer, I would have used the horse or the peacock from the sampler for a scissors fob.

 I would have made a needle book using two of the three motifs in the bottom band.  I would have made that house the front of a pin cushion.  I guess I still could.  So many possibilities.
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Indy Trip Day 2

After a whirlwind of activity on Friday, we settled down for our first class on Saturday.  Lauren Sauer was the designer and the the project was The Sassenach Sampler. Lauren designed it with the Outlander series in mind.

 I loved the design from the first time I saw it partially finished.  I am so lucky to get to make it.  You know I love the first moment in class when a brand new complete kit is sitting in front of me.

 But look, everyone has a name tag and candy!  When you put peanuts and candy corn together in a bag it tastes like a Payday bar.  Yum.  This is the way to my heart.

This was a great class as we didn't have to baste!  I hate basting.  So we started out on the border.  Once we got a little way along the border we were close enough to start some of the bands.  I usually don't get very much done in class.  But I made pretty good progress.  It was amazing to see how far Chris got.  She is a turbo stitcher.  I wanted to get to fun parts like the strawberries and the rose.
This is how far I got:

The day went by so fast.  A bunch of us went out to eat at Aspen Grill.  Boy is that a popular restaurant, especially on a Saturday night. 
What a fun day!
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Indy Trip

Road trips with my BFFs are so fun!  We started out Friday morning.  We made a quick stop at Walgreen's for car food.  Dots, cheese puffs and various other candies.  Then we were on our way to Indianapolis.  Our goal was to get to Janet's house to see her finished casket.  We made good time without any troubles along the way.  So four hours later and a couple of slightly wrong turns, we got to Janet's house.  It was wonderful to see her again.  I had seen the almost finished casket in April.  So it was fun to get to see the end product which was several years work and stunning.  You can see one of her videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjzhUwT3XFk
The work that went into her casket is just amazing.  When I was last there, she was creating pink trees in needlelace.  I was wondering about the pink but of course it looks great and fits the whole story.
Seeing the casket in person is a fabulous opportunity.  I love her studio and love seeing what she is working on now.  She is the most creative person I know and not afraid of just trying things out to see what works. 
Janet is also a docent at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

  She took us to the museum to see an exhibit of crazy quilts.

 It was fascinating.  We had a few minutes to look around at a couple of other rooms.  All of us want to come back to see more at the museum.  The grounds of the museum are spectacular as well.  Janet said you need an hour to walk around outside of the museum to see the gardens.  There is to be Christmas decorations using a million lights.  That would be something to see.

BFF#2 loves Skyline Chili so we were able to find one not too far from our hotel.  What a fun day seeing Janet's casket, going to the Art Museum and topping it off with Skyline Chili where everybody gets a small bowl of oyster crackers to munch on.

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