The Embroideress

Well, goodness dearie, I'm barely squeezing in under the wire. It's not yet midnight, January 31 in Tennessee.

I've been thinking a good deal about Sharon's challenge to us for January:

"The key concept for January is a feeling we have all had, the feeling of admiration for another. Ask yourself who do you look up to and admire? Why? What is it you admire about them? This is a the first Take it Further challenge in 2008. Take the idea, develop it into a resolved design during that month and apply it to fiber or paper."

I was born during a chaotic time, a time of war. In 1942 my father had been conscripted and was stationed in Texas, my mom was in Kansas with her mother and I was born in the white house across from the Christian Church. My mom went to Texas shortly to be with my Dad and except for occasional periods of living with my parents, I was "raised up" by my grandmother, Hazel Hefley Reddick.

Grandma Hazel (or often just Gram) was a woman of intellect, determination and practicality. She attended Normal Training and taught in one-room schoolhouses prior to her marriage. The picture of her is at age 20, just prior to her marriage.

One of my fondest memories of her were the down-to-earth aphorisms she voiced. I have no idea where some of them came from. For example: That's a whole lot better than a sharp stick in the eye; As soon as I get rid of something, someone asks me for it; There's more than one way to kill a cat besides choking it to death with cream.

One of my favorites was: Three moves or one fire will clean a house. An adaption of this theory is my TIF offering for January. It especialy appeals to me as I'm moving for the second time in just a few years and shedding a good deal of "stuff" in the process.

I decided that an old-fashioned motto sampler was the best way to memorialize this concept but I did make it a little less dire than Gram's house cleaning tip. I've done the design featuring one of her favorite colors. Not stitched yet, but it will eventually hang in my new kitchen. I'm thinking of stitching it up on perforated paper.

Labels: Motto Sampler; Hazel Hefley Reddick; Take It Further

Gosh what a lot of stash I've accumulated in just a few short years here. Some of it did come with me from California. A big bag of it is going to my next guild meeting for anyone who wants it to cart it away.

Thanks for all the good wishes sent my way. In answer to a question, I'm applying for apartment living in Nashville (or more specifically its burbs). A short move, but still requiring packing. I don't even want to think of all the address changes I'll have to do on website, designs I publish, vendors, distributors.

While clawing my way up above the waves of being overwhelmed I have accomplished a few things.

As I put together kits to teach a beginning reversible stitching class for my guild (Cheekwood EGA) I had a long and very sobering look at the book which I published years ago for the little sampler Blackwork for the Bewildered. I was chagrined by the quality of some of the graphics and stitch diagrams. At the time I put together the original booklet for a consumer show class I had much less powerful software than now. And I was less skillful in using the tools I did have available. Soooo having nothing better to do, I moved all of it over to a different publishing program and reworked all the stitch diagrams in StitchWiz. I'm much happier with the new and improved version and the other four designs in that series will be revised as well.

I also did a great deal of thinking about the Take It Further challenge and will be blogging about the results and the beginning of a design for January's challenge.

I've also had some thoughts about revising myself and my life as I prepare to once again move and settle into what I hope will be a rather final nest. I'm divesting myself of a good deal of rather nice clutter by distributing it to some folks who might get some good use from it and am looking forward to having a place to set up a frame again and do some slow stitching. For the past three years I've not had the luxury of a stitching space and I miss it. I'm going to be concentrating on research and writing for the next few years rather than traveling so much. I'll still be happy to set up individual tutoring sessions, but students will have to come to my doorstep for the forseeable future.

I've also nearly completed the set up of the pages for the second in the series of little Victorian accordion booklets that I've been reproducing. Although I won't be exhibiting at the Nashville trade show this year, I may have it off to Nordic Needle in time for the show and they may decide to put it in their showroom.

Labels: Life the Universe and Everything, Needlework Business, Teaching Needlecraft

What a few weeks. I've been a little absent around here - but then again, maybe nobody noticed.

Let me see. Argument with printer. I finally won. A little wonkiness in the health department, visit to dr and punctures by needles, think I'm on the right path now. Big order to get off to Nordic Needle for one of the new books. Grateful for the order and finally shipped. Finally caught up with other orders. Preparation for teaching class at my guild, Cheekwood Chapter EGA. We did a day of blackwork and had a lot of fun. Finding out about need to move soon so hunting new accommodation. In the works.

Other than that - nothing happening around here!!! Details later. Watch this space.

Labels: Life the Universe and Everything