EGA Report from San Francisco 3

"Today was the first day of my class, as after all that is why I came here, didn't I? To learn new techniques, new teachers and new friends, while of course renewing friendship from previous seminars. Up early and so anxious to get to class, but first was a stop for morning beverages and shopping at the same time! The boutique and book store opens at 7am, right along with the coffee room! Now isn't that brilliant?! Of course I had to shop and started browsing the books.  I picked up the new stumpwork by Jane Nichols as she will be autographing them later. Time quickly passed and I didn't want to be late for my class, so quickly I headed that way to get settled in my seat. The room had lots of windows and I did grab a seat by the windows as the light was so wonderful. The room quickly filled with 25 anxious stitchers with Catherine Jordan stitching the Heirloom Journal Book cover. It is a map of the coastal areas of California, a fitting remembrance of this great seminar. It is stitched on hand dyed 32 count linen and then hand painted on top of that to add the oceans and land areas. About 1/2 the class painted today and the rest will paint tomorrow, including me. A very enjoyable class and I can't wait to get back to class tomorrow!

I of course viewed the pieces for next year's EGA seminar and what beautiful ones they are! It will be very hard to make a decision and I have my eye on a few of them! Actually you can view them on line now at the EGA website. EGA actually offers an early registration but if the class is very popular and it still goes to lottery.

The shops are wonderful and are loaded with threads and all kinds of goodies. A small selection of canvases, but lots of fabric and charts. There is so much there, that I haven't had a chance to see it all. Tomorrow is the day to visit both Marlene and Needlepoint Inc as they were closed today for the holiday.

Off to do some more shopping in the boutique!"

Thanks for the report, Vicky.  Here is the link to EGA's website about the current Seminar.  

http://www.egausa.org/html/seminar.html

Don't forget to visit Gay Ann Rogers' website where she is also reporting from San Francisco in photographs.

http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Home_Page.html
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Lessons From Nerdlepoint

Finished Nerdlepoint Tote Bag

As regular Blog readers know, I like to talk about the lessons I learn from each piece I stitch.  Nerdlepoint was an unusual piece for me.  Not only was I stitching a technological marvel that a smart phone with the right app could scan, then be sent to this blog, I set myself the challenge of seeing if I could tart it up a bit and still have the scan work.

I also wanted to demonstrate how layering simple borders could really add a lot to a plain canvas. I wanted to use some fancy threads that I don't usually play around with because I stick mostly to 18 count canvas and plyable threads.  Nerdlepoint is on 13 count, making it a bit of a departure for me.

Inside Pocket

Once the canvas itself was stitched and whip-stitched onto the front of my tote bag, I had the problem of the rear of the canvas showing.  Above is the pocket I assembled from scraps of Ultrasuede.  I used some rough decorative embroidery through 2-3 layers to stitch everything together before actually sewing it to the inside of the tote bag to make a usable pocket for sunglasses and such that hides the raw back side of the canvas on the front.  Even though three layers stitching isn't too hard, but I used a sharp sewing needle and thread, a thimble and the Ultrasuede is the light weight type, not upholstery weight.

I think stretching yourself as a stitcher is a very good thing and it also presents you, Dear Reader, more than the same old thing to watch. I hope it has inspired you to tackle something plain yourself and see what you can make of it.

Thanks, John.  I hope you come up with other technological marvels for your fellow needlepointers to play with.

Now, what coffee shop full of smart phones should I invade carrying my Nerdlepoint tote?

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Don't Forget to Enter Asian Inspiration Drawing

Asian Inspiration Sampler with Koi and Iris

This is the last big holiday of the summer and folks are busy, but if you are a fan of the Patt and Lee Asian Inspiration Sampler that was in the running for my next project, post a comment in my September 4 blog entry with results of the poll selection another Patt and Lee design.

Patt says I can give it away.  I'm going to use a random number generator to select among those who comment so that fans of the Asian Sampler have a chance to stitch it themselves.  I'll do the drawing Wednesday night once everyone is back from vacation and has a chance to enter if they are interested.

If the Comments don't work for you, not to worry.  Just email me at chilly hollowat hot maildot com and I'll include you in the drawing.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Nerdlepoint Finished! (Or is it?)

John Young's Nerdlepoint

Yesterday I hand stitched Nerdlepoint to the front of the pink and orange mesh tote bag.  I love it!

There's one slight problem, however.  If you look at the photo above, you can see the coin purse and the little maker's tag inside the tote bag. Yes, the mesh is see-through.  That means the back side and turned under raw edges of Nerdlepoint is visible from the inside  What to do!?!

I have A Plan.

The plan involves the above.  I have 4 inch squares of both pink and orange Ultrasuede.  Nerdlepoint is larger than 4 inches but if I combine both colors, I can sew together an inside pocket that will hide the back of Nerdlepoint and add a useful little item to the tote bag to boot.  I put the tote bag face down on the copy machine and made a copy of the canvas which I then cut out to use as a paper pattern.

The flaw of the plan is that it involves more hand sewing.  I do not like hand sewing.  Yes, go ahead and laugh--a needlepointer who doesn't like hand sewing.

By the way, the scissors tips above are not broken. These are pinking shears.  Stay tuned to see what I do next (or hide under your bed if you don't like all the swear words about to come out of my mouth).

By the way, if you want to see a real tote bag made from scratch, check out Summer Louise's last blog post.  Summer made my Rabbit Geisha tote in pretty much the same way.  By the way, I have a question into her to ask if making this style tote is in her finishing book. She's been gone on vacation recently so I'm just now able to ask.  I'll post the answer here when I have one.
http://summerlouise.blogspot.com/2010/09/needlepoint-tote-bag-finishing.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

EGA Report from San Francisco 2

Vicky is reporting in from EGA's Seminar.  It sounds like she is having a wonderful time!

"Waking up to blue skies and sunshine in San Francisco is such a treat! This summer it seems that most of southern California is still waiting for summer to arrive, since most days have been cool and overcast.  I still had today to see some of the many sights of San Francisco and since I have been here many times, I hoped my memory would serve me well.  I started out walking down the street to check out Witchcraft on Janet's recommendation, but it was too early and they weren't opened yet so I kept walking till I found this delightful café for some tea and a nosh. As I left there, which way to go? What to do? There is so much to do and see in San Francisco!

I headed toward the cable cars but the lines were so very long and I didn't want to wait, so just started headed up the street and found myself in Chinatown and spent some time walking around taking in all the sights and smells, all of which fascinate me! Through a combination of cable cars and street cars I worked my way to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf, which was so busy! People watching, vendors and street performers makes it a fun place to spend an afternoon. I could take a boat ride, fly a kite...no really! bike across Golden Gate bridge or just walk around and browse through all the shops, which is what I did. I didn't buy much, just a t-shirt as one can never have too many! From there I walked to the Ferry Landing, which for me was a new experience and what a wonderful one it was. It is a gourmet cook's delight and wish that I could bring the entire place back to San Diego with me! Fresh meats, seafood, chocolates and on and on. I enjoyed the rest of the day there and then it was time to head back to the hotel.

I quickly made a stop to see the boutique which is beautifully displayed by Madonna Needleworks and Needle in Haystack and Ruth Kern Books. I will still need to spend more time in there. As I was leaving I walked by the frameweights "Ms Clawdette Crabbe" and decided that I might need just one more, which I did.

Tonight was the opening banquet and the room was filled! I have heard that there are over 600 registered for this seminar. Tomorrow is my class and I do plan on spending lots of time in he boutique and book store! Also in the plans for this week is a visit to Marlene's Finishing and Needlepoint Inc!"

By the way, the "Janet" Vicky refers to above is Janet Perry, who is posting about the EGA seminar on her website.  I've already linked to the article Vicky read so here's the latest from Janet.  Anyone else wish they were there with the EGA folks?!
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/going-to-ega-seminar-in-sf-some-ideas-to-get-you-away-from-the-hotel

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow