Cincy Trip Day Two

It's class day for me.  BFF#2 isn't taking this class so she can stitch or visit shops or whatever.  She is wonderful to drive down a day earlier than she needed to just so I can go to Ophelia.  I go walking around our hotel.

 We are by two busy roads so I can't walk very far as there are no sidewalks.  I discover a sweet flower garden on the other side of Wendy"s.  It is in the middle of nowhere and has a little bridge.  Cool.
We take off to find Carol's house where the class is being held.  I've been there before and know it is a little hard to find.  My sense of direction is just awful.  Good thing we have GPS.  There is traffic and construction and I tell BFF#2 to turn at the wrong place.  What a ditz I am.  We manage to find it.  It is a lovely spot and a lovely house.  Carol's display of her stitching is just phenomenal.  There is a small boutique with items you can buy to add to your Ophelia display stash.  Of course there are scrims (miniature ruler and threadwinder that go in her needleroll), chairs to sit her in, a painted trunk, frames for her sampler, antique buttons and threads and stuff.  I only get a frame for her sampler.  I already have a chair at home that I think will do. Ophelia is based on this antique doll:

Here is Merry:

  I see some familiar faces.
 Several ladies are from the Kindred Spirits Sampler Guld and I have met them before.

 I sit with Barbara, Nancy and Jenny who lives next door to Carol.  Oh what fun to get a whole new complete kit!  The first thing we work on is the trunk for Ophelia.  We line it with beautiful scrapbook paper.  I am thrilled to get it all done.

I like the way that Merry says to line the trunk.  Cool, I have something to show for the day.  Then we start on Ophelia.  We have to stitch her dress - by hand.  I worry that I'll mess it up somehow.  But things go well.  I love the trim that goes around the sleeves.  I put a flower on her bodice too.

  Lunch is all fixed for us upstairs at Carol's.  All the better to look at ther curio cabinets.  She has WIP's stashed behind her stitching chair. Carol has already stitched Ophelia and has her displayed with a mini doll in her hands.  Oh my, I want one of those.  Back down stairs to work on Ophelia's dress.  I get the bodice and sleeves all done.  Merry has a marvelous technique for working with the dupioni silk using fray check.  That is a great tip.  I usually have a terrible time with all those strings from the silk but this technique works very well.  Before you know it, class is over.  But luckily there is time to go to Keepsake Framing and Floral before it closes for the day.

  Yeah!  I have been here before and know it is a good needlework store that is in a house.  Look at all the models.

 Wow.  Several people from class are here too.  I find a couple of things to buy.  I see a couple of models of charts that I want but they are out of.  It's fun to look at all the stuff.  Then next door, which is a few stepping stones away, is a quilt shop.  So we go there to get the row by row pattern.  Class and shopping, what better day can you have than that?

 One more thing needs to checked off our list:  Skyling Chili.  There is one very close to our hotel.  So we go there.

I thought it would be a more formal dining place.  But it really is a fast food place with a drive through.  You can see them making your order.  The menu is fairly limited.  I want to try both the chili dog and the 5 way chili.  But knowing that my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach, (DH: Nobody's eyes are that big), I just order a chili dog.  It is huge.

 BFF#2 gets the 5 way Chili and lets me have a bite. It is served over spaghetti.

 I have to try the funnel cake thing that I saw a picture of on the door.  It turns out they are funnel fries - served with powdered sugar.

 Quite good.  The chili is way different than I am used to.  This chili is a Cincinnati specialty.  It has different spices (cinnamon and nutmeg?) and is runnier than Betty Crocker chili.  You can add onions and beans to it.  I don't even know if it has beef in it.  We both like what we had and would be willing to come back again before we go home.  That was fun.  Another class tomorrow.  I'm going to see if I can finish off Ophelia's dress.
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