Unboxing

"Unboxing" is a tradition among gamers.  You buy a brand new game machine or pick up a collectors' edition of a game (Yes, video game collectors' editions exist.  They come with expensive extras like art books or night vision goggles, etc.), then you take photos of it as you open and unpack the box.  The first step in my unboxing of what arrived in the mail yesterday is shown above: the dogs have to inspect it!

Then I opened one end of the box and slide out the contents.  Can you guess what's inside?

When the contents are laid out flat, does that give you a hint?

Yes, it's Brenda Stoffit's Rabbit Geisha!  Summer Truswell made her into a tote bag with a detachable shoulder strap.  You can see more of Summer's finishing on her website (check the "museum") and can now purchase her formerly out-of-print finishing book in several formats.
http://www.summerlouise.com/

This isn't a great picture of the inside but there is a zippered pocket on one side of the lining and several open pockets sized for things like cell phones, pens or laying tools, etc.  You can also see that the tote has a zipper closure so nothing inside will fall out.  The lining is a durable cotton knit (?) while the outside is navy corduroy.

Interfacing keeps the bag stiff enough to stand on its own.  The Rabbit Geisha is a big canvas (13 inches tall and 8 wide), so the tote bag is almost two feet tall and 14 inches wide. This makes her a great project or travel bag.  I think there is room for a yoga mat and towel, too.

If you have read Blog for a while, you'll remember that this canvas was vandalized by someone who took the package out of our mailbox, opened the box and set fire to the contents, then tossed everything on the ground.  You can see some of the damage in the photo of the finished piece above.  I think Summer did a good job of hiding the worst of the damage with trim.  We now use a P.O. Box after the mailbox itself was stolen last winter.

The tote bag is meant as a birthday present for my mother, so shhhh!  Don't tell!

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

Elizabeth Bradley Traditional

Elizabeth Bradley's Toby the Pug (Victorian Animals Collection)

Almost every year at Woodlawn Plantation's needlework exhibit I see an Elizabeth Bradley rug on display.  If you aren't familiar with Elizabeth Bradley, this is a company based in Wales that specializes in traditional needlepoint kits done in tent stitches (or Victorian cross stitch) with wool.  The designs are printed on NP canvas and I think a chart is included with each kit in case you are not 100% what color goes where.  Elizabeth Bradley's larger kits allow you to choose from various background colors, and you can buy borders that work with their larger canvases to assemble (once everything is stitched) into a rug.  They also sell bell pull kits, small 6 inch kits, books and a few accessories like their wooden wool organizer and their fabric covered sewing box.  The kits are expensive but the materials and canvas are first-rate.
http://www.elizabethbradley.com/theamericas/index.php/

Whether you are a traditional needlepointer, or just want to do one project in a late Victorian style, Elizabeth Bradley's classic designs are a graceful bow to our stitching history.

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

One Half of Cha's Tail Feathers

Last night I stitched about half of the tail feathers.  Part of the pink/raspberry feather needs to be finished and most of the long red feather is undone.  But I am making good progress.  I probably won't finish the tail feathers tonight but I certainly should have them done by the weekend.  Then only the finishing touches remain before Cha-Cha is done!

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

Cha Tail Feathers Underway

Things were calmer last night so I started on Cha's tail feathers.  You may remember that the purple feather was tent stitched earlier.  I want it to really recede among the feathers.  I worked the yellow feather next, then the orange one.  It took a while to get the lines of ribbon laid in so I didn't start on the two larger feathers last night.  I need to pick the silk ribbon colors I will use in the daylight anyway.  Once I have all the shades of pink I want for that feather, I will work it next.  It and the last big red tail feather both have a vein.  I'll have to decide whether to work that on top of the ribbon somehow or totally ignore it but those sort of decisions are best made once the tail feathers are finished.  Then I can lay threads on top and see what I think.

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

Cha Waits While the Floral Background Grows

I know I am close to finishing Cha but I don't have the energy or focus at night to work on her this week.  Too much is going on!  Oh, well, things should calm down shortly.  Right?  RIGHT?!!

In the meantime I started the third step (of five) in SharonG's brocade variation stitch.  You can see that it is changing the background substantially.  I may have to outline the skulls to separate them from the background. I didn't expect that but it is easy to do.  Part of the fun of this stitch is watching it change as you add another layer of simple stitches.

Even though it is very hot here, the seasons are starting to change.  I found my first frog in the garage this morning.  Reptiles try to sneak inside where it is cooler during the heat of the day.  Thankfully it was a baby toad this morning, not a snake!  Above you see him just before he hopped out of my hand onto the mossy ground out back.   Yes, I washed my hands!

Speaking of which, the thing on the screen and in my hand is a jar fly.  You know them as cicadas.  They love the heat and spend all day sitting in the tops of trees, buzzing to each other.  Judging by the racket, there must be thousands of them all around us.  Despite the numbers, I rarely see them as they are usually very high up, but yesterday I found this baby sitting on the screen.  He is about 2/3 grown.  (Yes, I did wash my hands again.)  He has the same bulging eyes that the toad did. Odd how nature creates a similar look in different creatures.

The critters we share Chilly Hollow with are fascinating to me.  It's a sign of the summer season changing to fall when I start actually seeing them.  Usually we hear, but do not see them, as they are shy around people.  I hope you enjoyed a quick look at a few of them.

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