(such a) Fickle Stitcher

 Not only must I have two left feet, but quite a few right ones as well. It would be just plain frustratin’ to say nothing of borin’ to run through the list of things happening the last couple days (expecially today) . . . but when I got home there was a nice surprise –  beside my sweet DH –

 I received one of the Legacy Scholarships* from the Embroiderer’s Guild of America!

 The funds provided I will use for the Phase II Japanese Bead Embroidery course to be held mid-summer. Actually, I’ll take Phase III as well, as they are offered as a combined class. (Last year at the EGA National Seminar in Chicago, I took Phase I; haven’t made much progress, however.)

(*What’s really wonderful about it is that last year, Lisa, friend & fellow MSNA chapter member, received one of the awards.)

I have added my Chicago photos to an album (link is also on sidebar), but I must apologize, there are no seminar photos! There are lots of buildings, some shots from the Tibet exhibit at the Field Museum, some from Chinatown, and of the Chicago libraries. Some are blurry, some are unlabeled . . . I forgot my maps yesterday (and today) to correctly identify the buildings.

(There are no links — or there shouldn’t be – to full-size files . . . if you are burning to see something bigger, just let me know.  I’m new at this domain stuff and don’t know how the bandwidth usage will be effected with big files.)

Here’s my favorite:

  I finally took the plunge and got my own domain name and host (myhosting.com  recommended by Rissa as “the best”).  It is slow going for me, figuring out everything I need to do to get set up, mostly because I don’t have a big chunk of time to devote to it.  So, the move won’t happen tomorrow! I’d give you the URL, but you’d just go try it and there’s nothing there yet.

  Worst is that, so far, no time to stitch today.  Tibetan Religion class instead of lunch, then library management class chat tonight.  Perhaps there will be just a few minutes to stitch before I go to bed.

  Last night I did get the basting line out of the beaded project, and managed to spill a couple beads while I made a stitch or two.  I want to replace the few flowers I stitched at Seminar, this time using colored quilting thread.  This thread is more stiff than I expected it to be, but goes through the tiny eye of the 12 sharp needle just fine.  So far, I like this gold color, but will need to couch carefully.  Still according to the teacher, the thread is part of the design . . . which is one reason I want to change to the color.

  Oh, and don’t think I’ve abandoned my knitting (Mary Ann) for embroidery.  I’m still toting around the red Swallowtail in my bag that goes to work/class with me every day!  (And thinking about incorporating beads into the edging.)

  The first photo I took of my piece is still on my phone, but here are two shots I took tonight.  I have just finished the outer edge of the eyeglass case.  In Japanese bead embroidery, as taught at the Japanese Embroidery Center (JEC), this is call a picot stitch.  You make a two-bead stitch along a basted outline, then place a two-bead stitch at perpendicular angle to it, and repeat the sequence.  Surprise!  My outline ended evenly without a lot of fiddling with bead size (which is my favorite way to go around curves, too).

  There isn’t more of the project finished for a couple of reasons.  First, it was seminar… and if you don’t understand that reason you need to GO to a national seminar!   Second, this class was the last two days of the week, in which I had already taken four days of stitching classes and had a very full day of sightseeing (see “First”) in the Windy City.   It was also a very low pressure class; once the instructor, Michelle Monier, showed us the basic stitches and techniques, we were free to stitch as much or as little as we desired.  However, the real reason for me is that I decided to wait until I got home and try handquilting thread in colors to match the beading more closely.  And so, I’m off to try a bit of that before heading to bed!