Report from San Francisco (EGA)

Our spy at the EGA Seminar in San Francisco has reported in.  This is Vicky De Angelis speaking:

"I just love San Francisco. It must be my favorite please to be, well after San Diego that is.  Arrived here yesterday afternoon and checked into the hotel in downtown San Francisco, then quickly registered for seminar. Even though this is my first EGA seminar, I have been going to ANG seminars for quite a while. Of course you are anxious to see all the familiar faces that you have grown to know over the years. The book store and boutique was not ready for business yet, but we were able to get our tote bags and other goodies. After something to eat and a local adult beverage, it was time for bed.

My morning started out with breakfast party of Kate Gaunt, Gay Ann Rogers, Liz Lennert and myself. They all had classes, whether teaching or participating and I was off to see the sights. My tour's first stop was Monterrey Bay Aquarium in the town of Monterrey. It was built around the existing Cannery Row buildings that were built during the hey dey of sardine fishing. Most amazing place and I could have spent hours there, even though we only had a quick 90 minutes. The exhibits of the seahorses and jelly fish were my absolute favorite and I could see many a needlepoint canvas waiting to be painted of these magnificient creatures. Time was up and walked along Cannery Row, taking the sights until I got to 'Stitches by the Bay' which is the loacl needlepoint shop that June McKnight owned and still teaches there. Darling little shop and I was most fascinated that the threads were totally hung by color (not floss and pearl, but other) so all the pinks were toegther from Splendor to Sprinkles and then all the reds together. Quite a feast for the eyes! We also checked out a knitting shop around the corner that carried some very different yarns. We left and toured through the 17 mile drive on our way to Carmel where we had lunch. a little more sightseeing and then shopping.

I had a little time to see the exhibit and the merchandise for seminar that the local chapter is selling. Of course I added a frameweight to the collection, a darling pink crab! The stiteched items that were on exhibit to be judged needed to have something to do with life on the Barbery Coast. Wonderful pieces, but the show stopper which won first place, judges choice and a GPR ribbon was a small-sized corset that was displayed on a small mannequin bust.  It was a rich turquoise silk, magnficiently sewn and laced up in the back. It was adorned with lace, silk ribbon flowers and roses, beads and other trims. It really is a show stopper and deservingly so as it was so beautifully done.

Tomorrow is another sightseeing day for me and my class starts on Monday, which is a San Francisco map done on hand dyed linen with Catherine Jordan. The class was full and did go to lottery, so I consider myself lucky to have gotten it. Excuse my spelling as I am working in the lobby with my netbook and no glasses.

I will try to send more tomorrow as Sunday evening is the opening banquet...."

Thanks, Vicky!  For someone typing in the lobby without glasses, I think you did a magnificent reporting job!!!  

Please remember to keep checking Gay Ann Roger's website for photographs and brief reports.

http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Home_Page.html

Here's the website for the shop Vicky had such fun at.

http://stitchesbythebay.com/


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

Black or Red or White? (or Kelly Clark)

I subscribe to all the shop newsletters I can and am rewarded by news and new product information all the time.  This week's haul includes a great deal of information and photos of the new Lee leather photo album book from the Needlepointer, which is having a Lee trunk show.  The photo album book comes in red, white or black leather, has an opening in the front of a 3 1/2 inch square stitched canvas (you can buy one of Lee's designs separately sized for this), has a pocket in the back for a CD full of photos and has many three ring binder photo pages ready to insert your precious memories.  You can browse the Needlepointer's Lee trunk show here.
http://np.theneedlepointer.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=76&sort=20a&number_of_uploads=0&page=1&zenid=ukoitfn7ubp4n75c9aurb9vte0

or use TinyURL
http://tinyurl.com/32suu2n

The other fun news is from Needle Works which is going to have periodic classes with Kelly Clark in their shop.  The first formal lessons (you can sign up for a canvas embellishment hour with Kelly separately) will be on stumpwork and ribbon embroidery. Click on the link to see the sampler details.  

http://theneedleworks.com/kelly-clark/

The Needle Works' September newsletter is up on their website also.  Note the model photos of their pocketbook ornament monthly club and all those great books!

http://theneedleworks.com/newsletters/

By the way, since Needle Work's online catalogue has a category called "Stitch Guides,"  I've updated the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog with an article about this great shop.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2010/09/needle-works-stitch-guides-included.html

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

Basic Black or Hot Pink and Orange?

Last night I started to finish my Nerdlepoint canvas.  I trimmed the unstitched canvas all the way around the design about 8 threads from the stitched edge, then turned each raw edge under and pressed it with my fingers.  (Once you have a crease set in the edges, it is easier to hem the raw edges to the back side.)  I clip the corners off, then refold the edges back and start to stitch the corner folds together with sewing thread.  In the photo above you see my thread and regular sewing needle in the left corner.  The background is one of the tote bags I'm considering attaching this to.

Here are the two tote bag choices:  a black and white sturdy canvas one from the bookstore in the nearest town and a hot pink mesh bag with orange handle lining and base I picked up cheap from a chain store last fall suitable for the farmer's market or for carrying beach essentials.

I think the black tote looks best with Nerdlepoint but I'll decide later today after I've had time to think over the choices.  Then I hope to have time to whip stitch it to the front of my chosen bag.  I'll need a sharp, sturdy needle and my thimble, though!

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

Off to EGA Seminar in San Francisco

I'm not going to EGA's Seminar this year but other folks are.  Gay Ann Rogers has started posting about the EGA Seminar on her website and Vicky De Angelis has promised to report in occasionally.  I'll post Vicky's messages here as she has time to send them.   Here is GAR's website.  Keep an eye on it each day.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Home_Page.html

Anyone else going?  Let us know what you see and do!

UPDATE:  Janet Perry has more information and some tips on where to park and eat on her site.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/calling-sf-bay-area-stitchers

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

Nerdlepoint Final Touches

Raspberry & Cream Nerdlepoint

Nerdlepoint is done!  I have enhanced my nerd credibility and done it fabulously, if I say so myself!

Ok, I don't actually own a smart phone but the next time I visit my brother (who has a Blackberry permanently attached to his belt--minus the time he ran over it with the lawnmower but we won't talk about that) he is going to be AMAZED.

In the photo above you see why I put another outside row of white tent stitches after the two fancy borders--I wanted some space between the earlier borders and the final one so that the latter wouldn't overshadow the former.

The thread I used for the final border is now called Legacy.  It was called Charleston when Needle Necessities made it but now that ThreadworX is open and reproducing many of the old NN threads, you can buy it under the new name.
http://www.threadworx.com/product.php?catid=5&catName=The%20Legacy%20Collection%20-%2010%20yards&pg_num=1

This is a manmade fiber that is fuzzy like a plastic feather boa.  If you use the pre-cut 18 inch length, the last 2 inches become stretched out and thin in the needle's eye, so I used 9 inch lengths to stitch long stitches all around the perimeter, each overlapping the last a bit.  When I was finished, I ran my thumb over the threads, up and down and then side to side, to make the fuzzy parts stand out.  They are trapped by the stitching but a gentle brushing is enough to make them pop out all over.

I absolutely love the effect!  It is the perfect final touch.  John and I were very curious about whether my use of color instead of the original black and white, or my adding borders would mean smart phones equipped with QR Code readers would be able to scan the code and be sent right to this site.  I sent him the photo above and he scanned it with his phone and -- IT WORKS!  His phone was sent right to http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com as planned.

Now I'm wondering whether I could have used fancy stitches for the big squares of the design.  I guess I'll leave discovering whether that scans up to another explorer to discover.

I am so happy!  Even the fact that now I have to put this on the front of a great pink tote bag I own can't make it any less fun--and you know I hate finishing.

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