Almost

I am almost ready for my tour.  There are things you have to do at the last minute.  In an hour I'm getting my hair done.  The last few clothes I want to pack are in the washer.  I worry about taking too much stuff and too large a suitcase.  We'll see how it all works out.  I am so edgy that I can hardly stitch.  I even went through stuff on a closet shelf last night cleaning out what I'll will never do.  That's how my nervous energy has afftected me.  If I got nervous more often, my sewing room would be a lot cleaner.

I worked on the rose petal.

 The first half is not very good but now I think I'm getting the hang of it.  I wanted to see if it was one of those things that takes forever.  But it doesn't.  It's going pretty fast.

 There is still a cornflower casket keepsake that I have never finished.  One of these days I'll get back to it.

I got just a bit more done on a large motif on the Quaker Bag.  As usual, I stitched and then ripped and stitched again.

I saw 11 wild turkeys and at least 6 deer when I walked this morning.  I wonder if I'll be able to walk while I'm on tour.  I'm taking my Fitbit just in case.
One more day!!
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RTFM

Son#1 has a shirt that says "RTFM".  It's computer talk that means "read the directions" in so many words.  That's what I should have done.  I printed out some of the instructions for Harmony last night and came across information on how to do the Or Nue part.  Too late!  I just finished it.

 I should have read it first and then I wouldn't have made so many rookie mistakes.  But alas, I learned by doing or rather I learned by doing it wrong.  But it is water over the bridge now as it is complete and it will do.  As I usually say, it isn't perfect.   But Yeah!  It's done now.  On to other things.  I accidentally clicked on Lesson 16 and saw how to work the Tudor Rose scissors fob.  It is soooo cute.  So I thought I would just try one petal and see how it went.  I didn't get very far before the clock struck eleven which is time to stop for the day.

Today I want to see how it goes.  I am so looking forward to talking with Amy Mitten when I'm on the tour.  I'm going to see if I can wheedle some information out of her on the next Casket Keepsake, Diligence.  I can keep a secret, really.

I got a corner done on the Big Mermaid!

I worked to fill in some stuff so I could see how the corner looked all finished.

 It is great.  I love it.
I really should put a few threads in the Quaker Bag.  I end up taking out half of what I stitch each time so it is a little frustrating.
I'd like to put a thread in Elizabethan Eights as well.  I read through the directions but still don't know why the bottom border is sometimes over four and sometimes over six.  I guess I should fix what I did wrong.  Sometimes when I time myself I realize that taking something out only takes a few minutes.
I've been walking this morning.  I started off when it was still dark.  Then I've been to the Farmer's Market for the last time this year.  It will be all over by the time I get back from the tour.  I got some caramels to tide me over.  Yum.
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Wouldn't It Be Nice

Wouldn't it be nice to finish off the Or Nue today?  I finished off one side and now I need to finish off the other side.

 It looks pretty good.
I put the chain on the purses.  The Mermaid Purse is all done.  To finish Off With Her Head I need some black dupioni silk.  I'll have to stash dive to see if I have some or if I need to look for some at the store.

Only three days until my trip.  I was a bit nervous but DH said to think of it like I was going to another needlework class.  I can do that.  No big deal.  Well, maybe I can do that.
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Chain

I just went to Hobby Lobby to get some chain for the Mermaid Purse and the Off With Her Head Purse.  This is what I got.  I think it will be pretty easy to attach to the purses.

I put the lining in the Mermaid Purse.  It is just glued at the top.

I kitted up a few things to take with me on my trip.  It will be fun to start something new.  I have a few Catherine Theron small kits.

I wanted to take Drawn Thread's Ricardo's Roses too.

 Who knows if we will have any time to stitch?  But I will be ready!

I got the bargello panel six done on Elizabethan Eights. I changed the colors just a tad.

 I noticed that the chart has a different pattern for the bottom edge of two of the panels.  I'll have to read the instructions to see why.  Of course I didn't notice until I had one of the panels done.  I'm trying to figure out if I have to go back and fix it or not.

Four days to go!
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Getting There

I worked on putting the Mermaid Purse together.  I found some darker colored dupioni silk for the back. It looks less drab in real life.

 So I sewed the front and back together.  Then I sewed the twisted cording all around the front and sewed the purse frame onto the purse.  I'll have to get some chain for the purse handle.

 I found a perfect color of ultrasuede for the lining.

 I have to finish sewing the cord to the top of the back.  Then I'll fit the lining to the inside.  And ta-dah! it will be done.  I love it.

I also finished up the fourth panel on Elizabethan Eights and started the fifth which is bargello.

I saw a photo of Betsy Morgan's new design, Bristol Sampler Sewing Bag, on her website, Willing Hands.  I'm hoping that will be the project for Spring Fling for next year.
Time is going too fast!  It is only five days until I go on the tour.  My roommate is already there enjoying estra time in Edinburgh.  I'll be there soon!
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Sunny

My photos have been just terrible lately.  I didn't know why.  I'm not very tech savvy so adjusting my camera is always challenging.  I made the picture bigger for DH to photograph his soccer team.  But when I went to readjust to a smaller size again I goofed up the exposure.  I wanted to show you my progress on the Quaker Bag and Elizabethan Eights.  This is my first photo of the Quaker Bag center:

I thought the photo was bad because it was over cast outside.  But then I messed around with the settings and got this instead:

It is a bit light.  I think I need to make another adjustment back to "0" .  At least you can see it better.

Here are the two photos of the Sea Heather motif:

Here is panel four of Elizabethan Eights:

I changed the color of the pearl cotton from a cream color to 927.

I'm going to start packing today.  Six days to go!

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More Or Nue

This is how far I am on Harmony's under skirt.

It is going well and I hope to finish soon.
It is a busy day.  The bathrooms are clean and several errands have been run.  I'm getting excited as I leave in one week!!  So many things to do!
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