Squished Car

Welcome to post 200 – wherein I cheer that I’ve made it this far, plan for the future, and whinge a it (but only a bit) about my last month.

200 posts, a couple of years, lots of stitching, knitting and dancing, and wow! Obviously I am not the most consistent blogger, though I do love sharing what I learn and what I stitch — life often intervenes in my plans to do so.

The short whinge – this month has seen negotiations for a new day job sputter (not necessarily a bad thing), the AC in my studio die during a heat wave, and it hasn’t yet been fixed because the EO was in a car accident and we’ve been more concerned about fixing him than the AC (he’s doing well, thank you). that last part also means that I’ve been doing quite a bit of chauffeuring to doctors and to work, or being without my own transporatation during the day.

On the other hand, I’ve also gotten a lot of planning and writing (though not blog posts) done.

And I have a question for you, lovely readers, going forward — what do YOU want to see in this blog? More tutorial stitch alongs? more detail on how I design? Dance? “How to shimmy?” What I’m currently stitching? antics of cats? I’ve got more ideas than I know what to do with, and knowing what you like helps me narrow it down to things that are helpful for you!

Email me or leave a comment – I love to hear from stitchers and dancers in any way, shape or form.

Now that we have fewer and fewer local needlework stores around, I wonder, what are people doing when they have a problem, or can’t figure something out in a chart?

My response was, for many years, find an expert. And I could usually pop over to the local needlework store, where there was an entire staff and customer base of experts. Sometimes they were confused by the strange things I asked (I was never into doing things the “normal” way: usually I wanted information on medieval or 18th century techniques, and there weren’t as many resources then as now…), but I never had a time where by brainstorming between a group of us we couldn’t come up with a solution. Now, though?

Where do I go to solve problems or learn something totally new?

• My local EGA chapter, which, unfortunately, has also been dwindling in size. It’s time to renew my membership – I’ve been away too long.
• A group of friends who also stitch – if one of us can’t figure it out, usually someone else, or all ofus together can.
• Workshops. This usually entails travel these days, and a lot of the lovely big conventions are gone (CATS comes to mind…)
• But you know, I also still go hang out at the needlepoint shop, even though I rarely do canvas work (I DO clean them out of threads regularly, though!) And I’m starting to think I need to make the 40 mile trek to my only remaining not-so local cross stitch store more often.

What do you do for needlework companionship and help these days?

I started asking myself, “so what’s holding me back? Time? no. Money? no. Fear? ah. there’s the little monster hiding in the corner. Come on out, little guy! I’m not going to tell you to go away!  M-Monster, R-Romilly.

A little fuzzy red critter slowly crawls out of the shadows… Wow he’s tiny, but boy does he have long legs!

M – Y’y'you’re not?

R – Nope – you’ve got as much right to be here as I do, and you, I’m guessing, don’t want me – us – to get hurt!

M – NO! I don’t! We need to be safe and happy!

R – But when I’m scared all the time, I’m definitely not happy! And I don’t FEEL safe! Besides. It’s lonely.

M – But you’ve got your sister, and the EO, and the cats… Why can’t you be happy hiding where no one bad can hurt you?

R – Because then I miss all the fun – remember the dune buggy rides in kindergarten?

M – No. We didn’t go on any.

R – I know – because we were scared it wouldn’t be as fun as swimming – that we’d waste a day.

M – Ummmmmm…

R – Remember when we got to go in our teens?

M – Yeah – it was fun, but we thought it was probably more fun at 5 years old and in the desert, not on suburban streets in Seattle.

R – Right.

M- But what about mean people?

R – You mean people who will tell me I can’t write and my designs are icky and too expensive?

M – YEAH!

R – Remember how you said we’ve got all those people and the cats? We’ve also got a bunch of other friends…

M – ?!

R – They’ll all tell us we don’t stink, and remind us that we’re loved!

M – But mean words hurt!

R – Yeah, they hurt, but so did running into that car when we were learning to ride a bike — but how fun was the wind in our faces when we got it down? Worth it?

M – WAY worth it!!! WHEEEEEE!!! Bike Riding! YAY!

R – So maybe if we thought of show day as Ride day?

M – Around Green Lake!!!! really really fast! ZZOOOM!!!

R – If we’re going to do that, I need to tune up the bike so we can stay safe.

M – Um… okay? What’s the bike?

R – That would be the book that needs edited and illustrated. And the webpage for it, so you can have a bike, too.

M – Oh. OK. You tune up the bikes and I’ll pack a picnic. With cookies! Whee!!!

Little monster is suddenly running around the room playing airplane. I’m a bit worried that the picnic will consist of JUST cookies! but we’re off!

Notes:

Yes. I’m writing a book. You’d think that a professional technical writer wouldn’t fret about this, but I am.  I’m trying to take the fear out designing or adapting needlework designs for your own purposes.  If you’re interested in updates on the status, I’ll be adding those to the newsletter, as well as some preview information as I get going. And you’ll get the 5-part creativity in cross stitch class as well for signing up! Sign up in the sidebar, or click for a bigger sign up form!

The technique is adapted from something Havi Brooks does every so often when she talks to her monsters.

If you’re interested in talking to your monsters, you might look at Havi’s Monster Coloring book, too. (yes, this is an affiliate link: but if you don’t want me to get a commission on it, you can get there from the link on her name in the last paragraph, too!)

What Embroidery Style Should I Learn?

I don’t get any results back from this, but I’d love to know what your results are! Feel free to post in the comments. I got “freestyle” which is funny, since I started with and design cross stitch and crewel designs before I expanded out. But I guess we all change over time!

If you know how to create a quiz I can post IN my blog – please give me a heads up. My google-fu is failing mightily on this subject! And I’d rather not make you all click more than necessary!

May 15, 1995 - May 17, 2010

Your fur will continue to live in my embroidery for years to come!

18th Century pocket

Years ago, one of the magazines I subscribed to, I think it MIGHT have been Samplers and Antique Needlework, but don’t quote me, it might just as well have been Piecework - published a pattern for an indigo blue crewelwork pocket. It was very 18th century American, and very pretty. Me, being me, decided that I didn’t want to be working everything I did in blue after all, and jumped sideways to pink. I’m still very proud of this set of pockets – at least the embroidery! I suppose I ought to actually stitch them together so that they can be worn with an 18th century gown if I ever get one made! Click the photo for details.

Did I mention overly ambitious?

I got part of one sleeve cuff completed before I gave up. There is already over 50 hours of work in just this area, not including the time to design the thing (yes, the entire robe is designed. It’s NOT going to be made in its current incarnation!) I was, for the only time in my life, actually keeping track of how much work I put in, because I was curious.

Click to see MUCH more detail

The gold is size #1 japan gold by Kreinik (I couldn’t afford the real stuff then, even less so now) Very fine. It’s about the thickness of flower thread, to give you a basis for size. The dragon is, from tip of tail to tip of that finished front claw, about  four and a half inches. The satin stitch and split stitch are done in two strands of Eterna filament silk, and the entire thing is stitched on unbacked navy-blue dupioni. If I were starting over, I’d back it with muslin before stitching. (I’ve learned a LOT about goldwork in the intervening 20 years!)

It is, if I do say so myself, a pretty piece of work. And I decided today while scanning it that I DO want to finish this cuff. I’ll frame it and give it to its original intended recipient at some point. Maybe. If I can find the time for the fiddly. I’ll keep you posted when I do it.

they were never meant to be seen!

They were usually worn under a plain robe with the rank badge of the courtier on it. Rank badges are also gorgeous pieces of embroidery, but they are more reasonably sized! The idea was that you kept a humble appearance and the glory of your soul and talents was truly a personal and interior achievement: the clothing was meant to remind you of that.

Dragon robes consist of a standard format: mountains and waves at the hem keep you grounded. There is a large central dragon at each center front and back, smaller ones on each shoulder, and two at the base of the central dragons. The ninth dragon is embroidered also on the center front, but on the underlap of the robe, so it is hidden under yet another layer of fabric.

The dragons play with flaming spheres – the “sphere of wisdom” that we all look for in life. Flying among the coulds around the dragons are often bats, a symbol of happiness, and if you are the emperor, the symbols of your power as well. The color of the ground fabric is determined by the birth rank of the noble in question.

Wonderful things indeed, dragon robes! You can see some in the following links, and explore a bit further.

• San Diego museum online Dragon Robes
• Kyoto National Museum Dragon Robes
• 30 Dragon Robes were auctioned off in Beijing last year
• A pdf article from the Epoch times, featuring a photo of a couple wearing reproduction robes This is nice, because you don’t often see them ON people!

Part of this is probably due to the fact that the University of Oregon Art museum has one of the largest collections in the US, and I got to spend hours and hours there when I was in school (and after) just looking at it. Especially interesting to me was the huge wall hanging of peacocks done in #1 japan silver couched down, and flat silks. And when I say huge, I mean it’s at least 8 by 12 feet.

The museum has changed a lot since I lived in Eugene – it’s expanded dramatically, and added to its Asian collections, making it even more tantalizing to me to get back there! (I think it may also have been renamed – or is finally broadcasting it’s name: the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.)

At the time I was there you could get very very close to the some of the stitching. I don’t know about now, but sometime this year I aim to find out!

Zahra - A New Series Start

This has been quite a month for me, as you probably noticed, I didn’t post a lot.

My day job was getting stressful, and it culminated in a layoff at the beginning of December. The day after that, my 4 year old Dora-cat was in the Emergency Vet being diagnosed and treated for kidney failure. I’ve spent the last few weeks nursing her, thinking a lot about where I want to be in the next year, and recovering from a cold I’ve been suffering with as well. Dora is doing much better, thank you, and I should be soon.

I have, over the course of this year, wanted more time to work on designs, and on trying to make things more interesting here on the blog. Some of the things I want to provide you require stitching on my part! and as you’ve seen, that just hasn’t happened.  So the extra time, is welcome, if the extra paycheck is missed.

Things I’d like to happen for 2010 around here:

First, I’m going to post regularly here. I’m planning on once a week, at the very least. I’ll try to get a button up soon so that you can have the blog sent to you via email or RSS feed if you would rather.  I suspect once a week will become plenty, since I can’t keep up with the blogs that I want to read daily! One that went monthly, very apologetically and I sent her an email thanking her, because now I’ll get to not only read it, but probably even have time to use the information she posts!!

Second, the newsletter. I want to try to get one out to those of you who have asked for it monthly, at the very least. It will contain lots of information about things to stitch on, how to use your stitching in ways other than framing it on the wall, and possibly some free patterns.

Third, the business. I really don’t want to go back to work for corporate America. What I find myself living for is designing, drawing, making art, and writing.  So I’m going to try to build that into a way to make a living. I have a lot of ideas, including translating the designs and art I have built up into more than one form of needlework: for example, offering both a cross stitch chart and a quality crewel kit or design…and I’m teaching – both shimmying and stitching.

Fourth: Myself. I want to develop my abilities as an artist, and to develop myself as well as everything else. To this end, I’m taking Kelly Kilmer’s “Life Made by Hand” art journaling class this year. And I’m taking more walks, continuing to practice ShivaNata, and trying to listen to my Spirit more.

Which all leads to: I’m excited about the New Year. I hope you are, too.

Happy New Year everyone!