tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220085072024-03-13T00:24:17.887-04:00Sharon G NeedlepointA moment or two in the life of a needlepoint designer.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-38423649779896032492011-03-15T19:20:00.000-04:002011-03-15T19:20:11.106-04:00Belle Sprague needlepointed a masterpiece<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wjzhGMwMuS4/TX_xqKUV8nI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/-MwhfFIfbb4/s1600/8+FLying+Jewels+CT43+stitched+by+Belle+Sprague..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wjzhGMwMuS4/TX_xqKUV8nI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/-MwhfFIfbb4/s320/8+FLying+Jewels+CT43+stitched+by+Belle+Sprague..jpg" width="225" /></a></div><span style="color: black;">Earlier today I opened my email to find this wonderful masterpiece stitched by Belle Sprague of California. A few years ago I did a class for the San Bernardino Chapter of ANG. Belle won the door prize, my CT 43, Eight Flying Jewels canvas. </span><br />
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The masterpiece took shape under the direction of a fine teacher, Shelley Mullin. Belle claims Shelley really stretched her stitching comfort zone. Belle entered it in a regional exhibit last April, the Shoreline Stitchers' Showcase in Palos Verdes, CA, and it won a first-place ribbon. <br />
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She is planning to enter it in a future exhibit. This will be her first entry in a National Exhibit. <br />
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I love the detached wings, I love the open stitches and I love the beads! I love it all. <br />
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Congratulations to Belle and to Shelley who guided her to create such a masterpiece. It makes me as a designer very proud to see such a breathtaking interpretation. <br />
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Best wishes for more awards Belle.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-61440588012637753712011-01-03T20:42:00.000-05:002011-01-03T20:42:22.115-05:00I Gave BirthFinally, my new child...........<br />
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I wrote a book titled <span style="color: red;">SharonG's Simply Essential Needlepoint Stitch Explanations</span>. I hope it will become known as <span style="color: red;">SharonG's SENSE</span><br />
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It will preview in a few days at the TNNA Winter Market. <span style="color: red;">SENSE</span> is the first in a series of about 12 books I plan to publish over the next few years. <br />
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<span style="color: red;">SENSE</span> is printed in a 5x8 format. A perfect size to live in your tote bags. I printed it on premium paper and it is spiral bound with clear cover protectors to guard against coffee dribbles. I decided to go the bit extra and use the spiral binding because I've seen too many comb bound books rapidly fall apart. My book should stand up to some loving use. <br />
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Here is a clip from the introduction...............<br />
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Introduction<br />
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For many years, I have been saying, “I am going to write that book.” The time arrived.<br />
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This is the first book of a series. The series will include many theme stitches, borders, backgrounds, and stitches I designed plus many variations on well-loved needlepoint stitches. <br />
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Through my years of teaching needlepoint, I find there are certain stitches that we use repeatedly because they are the most versatile. It might be because they adapt to many weights of threads, might be fun to do, or they fit the need perfectly. This book is a collection of those “Simply Essential Needlepoint Stitch Explanations.” It belongs in every needlepoint tote bag. I hope it will become known as SharonG’s Needlepoint Sense.<br />
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The “SENSE” Collection is divided into 3 sections.<br />
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1. Stitches with very low texture and minimal pattern <br />
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pp. 8–16<br />
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2. Stitches with medium texture and no diagonal flow <br />
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pp. 17–41<br />
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3. Stitches with a well-defined diagonal flow <br />
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pp. 42–80<br />
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In my many years of teaching and needlepointing, I find I turn to the basics so often to bring a canvas to the perfect artistically pleasing finished stage. The basics executed with the perfect thread will work magic. Toss in the lighter coverage that is so popular today and let the artist’s paint shine through, complementing your stitches and threads.<br />
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The wrong stitch selection can ruin the outcome of your canvas. The biggest errors needlepointers make in selecting stitches are choosing stitches too large in scale, too heavy in texture, and having motion flowing in the wrong direction. <br />
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Speaking of motion, a diagonal sky or water can show wind, a stormy sky, or a rough sea. However, if you are going after a calm look, you need to stay away from any stitches with a diagonal flow.<br />
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In selecting a stitch for a garment such as Santa’s coat, you need to pay attention to the direction of the sleeves, the drape of the garment’s body, and the scale of the garment in relationship to the scale of the stitch. <br />
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Texture is very important. The texture should decrease from the foreground to the background. By adding too much texture to the background, your canvas will be too confusing and all perspective will be lost. Try to bring the most interesting, highest textured stitches to the foreground and decrease the texture as you needlepoint the background. <br />
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By following these simple guidelines and trusting your eye, you will end up with a beautiful needlepoint to display to the world. <br />
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Remember, if it does not look right, it probably is not. Take care of your errors immediately rather than wait or hope they go away. They probably will not. You will always see them rather than focus on the other beautiful parts of your canvas. <br />
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You will notice I use the word silk instead of floss. I love stranded silk and use it all the time. I love the way it reflects light. I love the rich color. Feel free to substitute any floss you prefer. <br />
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Needlepoint has come a long way in my lifetime. It is no longer wool with maybe a bit of floss. <br />
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For you all to enjoy!!!!!<br />
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Have a wonderful New Year Everyone.<br />
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SharonGSharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-42261793801297040752010-07-17T16:09:00.000-04:002010-07-17T16:09:16.051-04:00The Dragonfly, butterfly and ladybug triptych<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
I noticed the 6x604 thru 06 was not on my blog (my website is in need of a good revamp so in the meantime I am using my blog to show new things) so for those who are wondering what it looks like, here are the pictures. I have one part stitched and that one has a guide. You can use parts of the guide on the other two canvases. <br />
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Below the 3 canvases are another 3 that are fun. 6x601 is called Soho, 6x6 02 is Twin Beaks and 6x6 03 is Twin Beaks II. One of the Twin Beaks has pattern painted in it, the other lets you do your own thing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEIK8yXbrnI/AAAAAAAAAI4/C5UCbHlxF2Y/s1600/6x6-04+Dragonfly+and+Beetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEIK8yXbrnI/AAAAAAAAAI4/C5UCbHlxF2Y/s320/6x6-04+Dragonfly+and+Beetle.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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6x6 04 Dragonfly and ladybug<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEILd-9WcmI/AAAAAAAAAJA/kJAO346OH3k/s1600/6x6-05+Butterfly+and+2+Beetles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEILd-9WcmI/AAAAAAAAAJA/kJAO346OH3k/s320/6x6-05+Butterfly+and+2+Beetles.jpg" /></a>6x6 05 Butterfly and 2 ladybugs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEILwQ-vsFI/AAAAAAAAAJI/8Gp5ukAGtBo/s1600/6x6-06+Pink+Butterfly+and+Beetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEILwQ-vsFI/AAAAAAAAAJI/8Gp5ukAGtBo/s320/6x6-06+Pink+Butterfly+and+Beetle.jpg" /></a></div><br />
6x6 06 Pink Butterfly and Ladybugs<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEIMZX_xy8I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/q_9t4K8N4so/s1600/6x6-01++SOHO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEIMZX_xy8I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/q_9t4K8N4so/s320/6x6-01++SOHO.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">6x6 01 is a fun canvas I named Soho. But it could be a great cityscape from Anytown US. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEIMzWPF-rI/AAAAAAAAAJY/x9bDIYvGAjM/s1600/6x6-02+Twin+Beaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEIMzWPF-rI/AAAAAAAAAJY/x9bDIYvGAjM/s320/6x6-02+Twin+Beaks.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6x6 02 is called Twin Beaks. I had some fun with a few geometric shapes. Also painted it with some patterns painted in. See below. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEIM_e4UWhI/AAAAAAAAAJg/RVbwk0ZhK68/s1600/6x6-03+Twin+Beaks+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TEIM_e4UWhI/AAAAAAAAAJg/RVbwk0ZhK68/s320/6x6-03+Twin+Beaks+2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">6x6 03 Twin Beaks II with some pattern painted in. </div><div align="center"><br />
</div>SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-19424010839398580862010-07-11T17:43:00.002-04:002010-07-11T17:48:46.395-04:00And did I ever say I love birds?Birds! How beautiful they are. Some of you know I have a great parrot who I rescued a long time ago. Sam is in his 30's now and is a delight. I have always been fascinated by birds of all sorts. IN my design life I have painted quite a few birds. I will try to take new photos of them and post them to the blog. <br />
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I love antique prints. The old French ones are out of my budget ranch so I painted 3 beautiful birds in the style of the old French Prints. Now that I can afford, All I need to do is either stitch them or paint them on painters canvas. When I have time. <br />
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They are all on eggshell canvas, 18M and can be needlepointed with a single strand of floss in the direction of the feathers. Don't be scared by them. Less is best. They are painted in a very realistic style so to try to cover it up with a fancy stitch would simply kill the canvas. I also say, there is nothing more elegant than a perfectly tent stitched canvas. Maybe an ANG Princess Grace Award awaits one of these bird designs?<br />
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They come on large margin canvas cuts so you can have plenty of room to design a classy border. The margins are well over 2 inches.<br />
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OW08 Oriental Pheasant 9x12 on 18M Eggshell<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">OW09 Old World Parrot 8x12 on 18M Eggshell</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">OW10 Conure 5.5 x 9 on 18M Eggshell</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br />
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And a fun little toucan I really want to stitch. Eventually I will do her mate, Toucan Cancan. This one is called Toucan Tutu.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">CT46 Toucan Tutu 8x10 on 18M</div><br />
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Enjoy! I am considering doing more designs of this sort. Yes, paisley motifs were a big part of carpet design. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PF14 Red and Purple Pomegranate 4.5 x 4.75 on 18M</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">PF15 Blue and Silver Pomegranate 4.5 x 4.75 on 18M</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br />
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It is hard to find 3 canvases in the same theme and in the same size that can be hung next to each other and tell a story. The first of the new ones is called Fly Lily Fly. Once I figure out how to show them side by side in my blog I will edit the post. But for now they will be shown one after the other because I have not figured out how to do it. They are 5x8 each and numbered CT47, CT48 and CT49. Notice how the borders match up. I can see these finished as a small table top screen. Yes they can be purchased as singles and they can all stand alone without the other two should you fall in love with only one. <br />
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The left side is CT47.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Center panel is CT48 and again, it is 5x8 on 18M</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDor-Adi6xI/AAAAAAAAAG4/p8Ss8M-wcUQ/s1600/CT48+Fly+Lily+Fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDor-Adi6xI/AAAAAAAAAG4/p8Ss8M-wcUQ/s400/CT48+Fly+Lily+Fly.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">And the Right side panel is CT49 5x8 on 18M</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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The next triptych I designed is called the 11th Hour. I was inspired to do this by all the ecological damage currently being done in our world. The design represents animal life, sea life, water, land and sky. A few shop owners claimed it had an Egyptian look to it. I love birds and I think herons are spectacular creatures. This is why I chose a heron for the left side. As Fly Lily Fly, each section is on 18M and measures 5x8. They can all stand alone or together. I also called it the 11th hours since I designed it the night before I left for the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: yellow;">TNNA</span> show. So it was my 11th hour design. <br />
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CT50 The 11th Hour Heron 5x8 on 18M<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">CT51 The 11th Hour Land Water Sky 5x8 on 18M</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">CT52 The 11th Hour 3 Fish 5x8 on 18M</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br />
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The last of the new triptychs is an addition to an older canvas I designed a few years ago. It is part of the 7x7 grouping so each piece is 7x7 and on 18M. It is also available without anything in the center so you can do your monogram. <br />
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BF06 Butterfly 7x7 on 18M<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDoxw3kEOVI/AAAAAAAAAHg/8qSRH7xF9sc/s1600/BF06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDoxw3kEOVI/AAAAAAAAAHg/8qSRH7xF9sc/s400/BF06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">BF06B Bee 7x7 on 18M</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDoyCt6s8XI/AAAAAAAAAHo/1IFgNFiDZfk/s1600/BF06B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDoyCt6s8XI/AAAAAAAAAHo/1IFgNFiDZfk/s400/BF06B.jpg" width="391" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">BF06C Dragonfly 7x7 on 18M</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDozPS3E4uI/AAAAAAAAAHw/shHCcMYaoBQ/s1600/BF06C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDozPS3E4uI/AAAAAAAAAHw/shHCcMYaoBQ/s400/BF06C.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-42909554936965076272010-07-11T16:17:00.000-04:002010-07-11T16:17:49.979-04:00Catching up to the HorsesWill I ever catch up? I certainly hope not. Life would be boring without projects looming in front of me. <br />
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Yes, I have some new designs. And I have been doing a bit of needlepoint. Recently I did a stitch guide for my horses behinds BH02. In June I taught it at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: yellow;">TNNA</span> to several shop owners. I decided to do a monochromatic background of sky, a brick wall and some grass all in the same color. I chose Silver Fox #002 from Gloriana. I love her threads and feel so confident in using them in my guides since her dye lots are normally pretty close in color. Blues will always be the same blue. <br />
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The big star of the piece is the great reflective quality of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: yellow;">Kreinik's</span> new Holographic threads. All the metallic used are Holographic colors. The gold border was so much fun but, if I worked on it at night in artificial light, the reflectiveness of it made my head hurt. So, I did the borders during the day. I will be using the same background on the other horses and as a little treat, they will also be available as singles on a 6x10 canvas cut for eyeglass cases, a nice little pillow insert, a small framed piece or a stand up or even an ornament. The singles will be ready in August 2010.<br />
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Below is BH02 stitched. The guide is available now. The canvas is 8x10 on 18M. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDoh0scXOFI/AAAAAAAAAGA/ti647F7nNYc/s1600/BH02+Guide+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDoh0scXOFI/AAAAAAAAAGA/ti647F7nNYc/s320/BH02+Guide+photo.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">BH01 Flower Girls 8x10 on 18M. I can see some ribbon stitching on this one!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDolvdOjpSI/AAAAAAAAAGg/JXYEj7wnL5U/s1600/BH+01+Flower+Girls+8x10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDolvdOjpSI/AAAAAAAAAGg/JXYEj7wnL5U/s320/BH+01+Flower+Girls+8x10.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And last but <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: yellow;">certianly</span> not the end is BH03 HO! HO! HO! 8x10 on 18M. Bring on the beads!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDomPuX7aNI/AAAAAAAAAGo/8xtlCgAYO8Y/s1600/BH+03+Ho+Ho+Ho+8x10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/TDomPuX7aNI/AAAAAAAAAGo/8xtlCgAYO8Y/s320/BH+03+Ho+Ho+Ho+8x10.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-33860260567347343762009-10-17T23:12:00.000-04:002009-10-17T23:12:21.148-04:00Taking tomorrow off. Soup's On at Mike'sNot going far tomorrow but I am taking the afternoon off. Yes, it is Sunday but I do have a habit of working 7 days a week. Either that or clean the house. Give me work anyday. My brother invited me for Sunday early dinner with his family. He asked what I wanted and I told him. Home made soup and home made noodles.<br />
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When my Grandmother was alive, every Sunday we would have her home made soup and home made noodles. IMHO, there is nothing better than a good bowl of home made soup and none of that fancy soup stuff. Good old peasant soup...no not pheasant. Peasant soup. <br />
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My brother Mike makes it on Sundays from time to time. <br />
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My Grandmother would do her soups a little different than most. She never chopped anything up. Started with a big chuck roast and some soup bones. Brought them to a boil, skimmed the broth and let it simmer for a few hours. Then she tied fresh dill and parsley and whatever herbs she might want to add with a string and dropped it into the pot with the bones and beef still in the pot. It was always a huge pot, the size you boil lobsters in or bigger.<br />
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Next she put in whole peeled potatoes, whole carrots, maybe some parsnips, some celery and a whole onion. Simmered it till the veggies were cooked. She did the salt and pepper but often dumped some pickle juice in the soup to sour it up a bit and give it flavor. She would season it up and let it simmer.<br />
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Noodles were nothing but flour and eggs. No water. A bit of salt. Made the dough to rollable consistency, rolled it out thin then let it dry on newspapers in sheets. Then she would cut it in strips, layer the strips and slice the noodles, fluff them up with her hands, let them dry a bit more and boil them. When they floated, they were done. <br />
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She would take the big hunk of chuck out of the soup and the bones. She would plate that up and then plate up the veggies. You took what you wanted., You wanted carrots, you took one, sliced it in your bowl with whatever else you wanted. You then added noodles and broth. She always had a bowl of pickled cauliflower and onions and pickles you could put into your soup. Oh, and only white pepper. I got the pickles in my soup thing from her. We were the only two who sliced pickles in our soup. <br />
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But the treat, called szpik You mashed a potato, put a hunk of butter in it, never oleo (that was never allowed in the house...it was butter or lard only), shredded up some of the soup meat and then took some marrow from the bones and mixed it all together. You ate it like that or spread it on some home made bread. <br />
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This happened every Sunday. She would have her whole family over. Gram would go to the early 7 o'clock mass, come home and start cooking. It was all done by around 1PM and everyone showed up. One of her last meals she made before she died was chicken soup. I rememember my father brought some to our house (we ended up moving out of theirs and moved across the street when I was around 4) and I could not bring myself to eat it. <br />
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My own family made Sunday soup after she died. It tasted the same but was never the same. I left home about 3 years after she died and my brother learned to make the soup from my father who was a far better cook than my mother was. She would murder her food and everything tasted like overdone cardboard. <br />
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I made a big pan of brownies to take to Mikes and plan on enjoying Grandmother's version of soup for the first time in over 40 plus years. <br />
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Soup to me is good food, very comforting and I love it. Not really the fancy soups like pureed cauliflower or cream of this and that, but good old throw the chicken or beef or even pork in the pot and some veggies and enjoy!<br />
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Hope the szpik did not gross you out. We always ate marrow. Marrow is a big thing in European cooking. Most of those traditions have been lost in our contemporary American cooking. But if you read anything about Julia Child, she used a lot of marrow. <br />
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I don't really eat it much anymore. My dogs give me the evil eye when I mess with marrow bones. That is their territory.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-48725865343345024682009-10-01T12:54:00.000-04:002009-10-01T12:54:40.877-04:00Cyber classesThis is something I always wanted to do and now I am doing it. Teach a cyber class. <br />
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My class will be conducted through the Shining Needle Society in a yahoo group format. <br />
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You can read about it and link over to the group for information on how to sign up. This will be fun and educational, promise you. <br />
<br />
Announcing...The SharonG Network -- a class in canvas embellishment <br />
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New class for painted canvas lovers and fans of SharonG!<br />
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Announcing...The SharonG Network<br />
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Shining Needle Society is very pleased to announce our latest class offering<br />
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which features SharonG. Sharon is the creative force behind a number of<br />
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enterprises -- most notably, her very successful line of painted canvases. <br />
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Sharon is somewhat of a rarity in the needlepoint world, however, in that she<br />
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both designs AND stitches her canvases.<br />
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The SharonG Network will allow you to tap into SharonG's extensive creative<br />
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resources and get advice for stitching your SharonG canvas directly from the<br />
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source -- SharonG herself!<br />
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Think of the SharonG Network as a club you join and then you can interact with<br />
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Sharon via email as you stitch your canvas. Sharon will offer stitch and thread<br />
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suggestions to help you make your SharonG canvas project uniquely your own! You<br />
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will also learn along the way as Sharon consults with your fellow classmates<br />
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about their canvases -- what a great opportunity to get inside the mind of the<br />
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designer!!! While we will be discussing ONLY SharonG canvases in this<br />
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classroom, you don't actually have to own one to sign up for the class. <br />
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Sharon's canvases are so appealing, however, that we bet you'll want one<br />
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sometime during your membership and Sharon will happily direct you to a shop in<br />
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your area where you can purchase your canvas. Online sources will also be<br />
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listed, so anyone anywhere can participate.<br />
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How does the new SharonG Network work? There will be quarterly signups for the<br />
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classroom and it will be ongoing. The cost will be $35 a quarter (three months),<br />
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and if you sign up for a year, we're offering a discount making it $120 total. <br />
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So, for $10 a month, you can lurk and learn all sorts of embellishment tips and<br />
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techniques with Sharon. You have the joy of working at your own pace, and<br />
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Sharon will be there to assist as needed. She may even throw in a few general<br />
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lessons or an occasional recipe. It's rumored that her baklava is to die for! <br />
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:-)<br />
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Many of you already know that Sharon has a welcoming style in her email<br />
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communications. She has been a frequent and knowledgeable participant in the<br />
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ANG email discussion list. For an example of her online work and the clarity of<br />
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her charts, a ready reference is her own Website and her contribution to ANG's<br />
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Stitch of the Month in 2005 (Dragon and Butterflies Kimono).<br />
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For Sharon's website:<br />
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http://www.sharong.com/<br />
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For Dragon and Butterflies Kimono:<br />
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http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2005/dec.php<br />
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There are a few ground rules for this new class:<br />
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This classroom is for SharonG's canvases only. Sharon has a wide range of<br />
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canvases in her line, so we hope there is something that will appeal to anyone,<br />
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but please know that Sharon will provide stitch and thread advice for her<br />
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canvases ONLY. That said, you are more than welcome to join this class and<br />
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listen and learn from a true expert in the painted canvas world.<br />
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This is NOT a "get a complete stitch guide for your canvas" class. If you just<br />
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want a stitch guide, Sharon has a number of stitch guides that can be purchased<br />
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with her canvases. Your local shop can help you with that. However, if you<br />
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want a chance to work with the designer to create a unique piece of needle art,<br />
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then you're in the right place. The idea is that you may already have some goals<br />
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for your canvas and how you want to stitch it -- or maybe Sharon will start you<br />
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in an area. You complete that and then we take the next area. As each area<br />
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builds on those already completed, your piece evolves into your own unique<br />
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creation.<br />
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Shop owners -- this is great opportunity for your customers to get some<br />
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specialized help with their SharonG canvases and we welcome you and your<br />
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customers to participate.<br />
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So, if you're ready to work directly with SharonG to make your canvases amazing,<br />
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it's time to sign up for this new class!<br />
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Class: "The SharonG Network" (TSGN)<br />
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Teacher: Sharon Garmize<br />
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Type of class: canvas enhancement/embellishment; canvas is student's choice,<br />
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limited to SharonG canvas line<br />
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Length of class: Three months (10/21/09 thru 1/31/10 -- and yes, you get a<br />
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little more than three months of class time because we can't wait to start!!!)<br />
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-- or sign up for a full year (10/21/09 - 10/31/10) at a discount)<br />
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Kit contents: No kit.<br />
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Student to supply: An open mind and a willingness to learn. If actively<br />
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stitching a canvas, then student provides all stitching supplies. Canvas<br />
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discussion is limited to SharonG painted canvases.<br />
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Skill Level: All levels welcome. Some experience with painted canvas stitching<br />
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and reading charts is helpful.<br />
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Price(s): $35 per three month signup period, discounted to $120 for four<br />
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quarters, paid in advance.<br />
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Registration begins: Sept. 28, 2009<br />
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Registration for first quarter offering ends: Oct. 14, 2009 -- with late signups<br />
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allowed through Nov. 15. Late signups are not pro-rated, but will have access<br />
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to posts from beginning of class.<br />
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Class begins: Oct. 15, 2009<br />
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Class ends: Jan. 15, 2010 (end of first quarter, class will be ongoing)<br />
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Payments accepted: PayPal and checks.<br />
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To sign up, send an email to Sharon Garmize at sharon@... and include<br />
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"SharonG Network" or "Network Class" in the subject line of your email.<br />
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Please include the following information:<br />
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Your name<br />
<br />
Your address<br />
<br />
Your email address so we can enroll you in the online classroom<br />
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Your method of payment -- check or PayPal.<br />
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Your desired length of membership at this time: 3 months for $35, or 12 months<br />
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for $120.<br />
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Any questions, just email us!<br />
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We hope you are as excited as we are about this innovative new concept in<br />
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painted canvas embellishment.<br />
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Kate Gaunt and Marie-Therese Baker<br />
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SNS FoundersSharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-6362427080324406992009-09-17T23:23:00.000-04:002009-09-17T23:23:51.462-04:00Done.This evening I painted my last horses behind and am now caught up on all of the emergency orders for those. Now onto a few new designs that I will post when I get them done. Not much more to say. I am tired but am fiddling with a floral redesign. I need to enlarge the flowers and jazz up the colors.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-91996125215369075422009-09-16T13:31:00.004-04:002009-09-16T13:45:59.415-04:00Horses Behinds<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/SrEiL72kmHI/AAAAAAAAAE8/mvq1OmR5LbI/s1600-h/BH+02+Graphic+Girls+8x10.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 262px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382120618124941426" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/SrEiL72kmHI/AAAAAAAAAE8/mvq1OmR5LbI/s320/BH+02+Graphic+Girls+8x10.jpg" /></a><br /><br />A little birdie sent me an email telling me Chilly Hollow Jane posted a photo of my Graphic Girls horses behinds on her blog as the canvas of the day.<br /><br />It is really a Graphic Girls day since I am nailed to my paint table painting half a dozen of them for shops who want them before the end of the month, which is faster than my painters can do them. So, there will be a half dozen painted by Sharon G BH02 graphic girls out there.<br /><br /><br /><br />I am planning to do a series of stand up single horses behinds possibly themed around a monthly dozen. Stay tuned. Right now they are in my head and did not make it out of my hands yet and onto the canvas.<br /><br />Here is a link to Chilly Hollow Jane's Blog.<br /><a href="http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/">http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />Have a great day everyone. Hope you can get some needlepoint done. I am itching to do some myself but have other business stuff to tend to. Maybe on the plane and in the hotel room next week.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-6129322854062563602009-09-15T12:54:00.002-04:002009-09-15T13:16:21.647-04:00Exciting News! Cyber Class!I very recently returned from teaching at Designer's Desk in Geneva IL. I came home exhausted and that is good. Means I worked hard. I taught two days of embellishment and a two day class on the Vases Canvas shown earlier in the blog.<br /><br />Get your calendar out. I am returning December 2nd thru the 5th for more embellishment classes. I will also be back next year sometime. Dates to be announced.<br /><br />You can contact the shop by phone at 1-800-377-8087 or through the website.<br /><br /><a href="http://designersdeskusa.com/contact.html">http://designersdeskusa.com/contact.html</a><br /><br />Every time I ventured to the main floor of the shop, (Designer's Desk is in an old Victorian House with an elevator and has 3 floors jammed with goodies) I saw some needlepointers who ventured down from Seminar either during or after. It was great fun to reconnect.<br /><br />Pat Delp, the owner, asked me to do a cyber class sponsored by her shop. We are working out the details and will have more information very soon. It will be set up in a Yahoo Group. I have a feeling this will be the start of my cyber class gigs.<br /><br />I do love teaching. And I do know it is sometimes impossible to travel to the shops where I teach. Thus a well run cyberclass will fit he needs of so many. You can even wear your Jammies, although I doubt Pat would mind if you showed up to her shop wearing Jammies.<br /><br />The shop hosted a trunk show while I was there. It will be packed up on 9/20/09. Lots of canvases found new homes and will be lovingly needlepointed by their new owners. The horses behinds seen earlier in my blog trotted out the door. They may have one or two left.<br /><br />I can see these done up a lively finished pillows.<br /><br />I have several things I need to finish up and a few more stitch guides to write before I get my hands on one to stitch.<br /><br />Another peek into the future of the Sharon G line...I do have plans to have single horses behinds that can be stand-ups. They will be kinda a horse behind of the month, often designed around holiday themes and maybe a few designed just because they happened.<br /><br />They are trendy and a bit edgy. I think they will appeal to the younger needlepointer but keep in mind, most were purchased by women in their 50-60's age bracket that needed something fun to do.<br /><br />And, they were designed by me who will be 60 in Feb 10!<br /><br />Missy, Pat's very fast electric needle needlepointing daughter did an embellishment class on the Christmas Horses. I had no trouble talking Missy into using beads.<br /><br />More later...I need to get some painting done and pack up for my trip to St Louis area next week. There is a TNNA hotel room show in St Charles MO and I need to be there.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-59322956436630381102009-08-05T13:22:00.002-04:002009-08-05T14:21:28.095-04:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/SnnJBtUUZ3I/AAAAAAAAAE0/MvKpX9EHhx4/s1600-h/Vases01.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 218px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366541462170527602" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/SnnJBtUUZ3I/AAAAAAAAAE0/MvKpX9EHhx4/s320/Vases01.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I finally put in the final stitches in the border of Vases. Only have a tiny bit of background to finish. The background is t-stitch with Gloriana Floss in Robin Egg giving it a gentle blue background. </div><div></div><div>It is very elegant in person. Metallic threads have a habit of not showing up well in photos. The Dragonfly is done with Kreinik Japan Threads. The Vases are all needlepointed with Gloriana silk floss and enhanced with Kreinik metallic and of course, beads. The flowers and bamboo shoots are stitched with Rainbow Gallery Silk Lame. I love working with that thread. </div><div></div><div>I am teaching Vases at Designer's Desk in Geneva IL on September 6th and 7th, immediately following the ANG Seminar in Milwaukee. Designer's Desk is in the Chicago area and an easy stop over on the way back from Seminar. They will be hosting a Sharon G trunk show during that time. Pat arranged a hotel rate of $75 at a nearby hotel in St Charles IL. In addition, on the4th and 5th of September I will be at the shop doing Embellishment. These will be one day sessions. This shop is amazing. Three floors, an elevator, a wonderful class room with each student having their own table. Lights and stands are provided in the class room if you do not bring your own. The windows surround three sides of the class room so you most likely will not need lights. </div><div></div><div>The web site for Designer's Desk is</div><div><a href="http://www.designersdeskusa.com/">http://www.designersdeskusa.com/</a></div><div></div><div>Be sure to browse through the photos to get a tour of the shop. </div><div></div><div>Gazebo Plus is planning a class early fall. Gazebo Plus is in New Hope PA. It will be in two sessions about a month apart. That is one of my local shops. Local for me means about a two hour drive. I drive through some of the most beautiful areas of PA to get there several times a year to teach. BTW, if you are a knitter, the shop has tons of yarn. I know, it has me hooked and I normally end up with some yarn to go home with. This is a very friendly shop and located next to one of my favorite restaurants, Duck Soup. We always head there for lunch. It frequented by locals and everything is home made and delicious. </div><div></div><div><a href="http://www.gazeboplus.com/">http://www.gazeboplus.com/</a></div><div></div><div>Now I get to head back to the paint table to finish up some special orders. </div><div></div><div></div>SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-13830690912021277352009-07-22T11:39:00.002-04:002009-07-22T11:44:21.061-04:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Smczup2vgiI/AAAAAAAAAEs/Mr_tmi3Yywg/s1600-h/scan0001.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 258px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361310758010323490" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Smczup2vgiI/AAAAAAAAAEs/Mr_tmi3Yywg/s320/scan0001.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Friends were discussing the left/right brain issues. Back in 02 I painted a picture of a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">needlepointer's</span> brain. I think that is all I need to know for now as I am madly <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">needlepointing</span> a canvas for a class at Designer's Desk in September, following <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">ANG</span> Seminar for those of you who are driving home through IL and want to see the largest needlework shop I have ever encountered. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.designersdeskusa.com/">http://www.designersdeskusa.com/</a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Hope I got the link right...using the proper side of my brain to recall it. If not, do a google search. </div>SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-62996263835693812932009-06-21T12:51:00.002-04:002009-06-21T12:57:51.009-04:00I got back from TNNA market on Wednesday night late after driving through some serious storms.<br /><br />The show was great and I sold my fair share of new designs so look out for them soon.<br /><br />I will finally have a few new stitch guides. Several of the students and clients at Gazebo Plus in New Hope PA did some amazing needlepoint and are offering me their notes to develop stitch guides.<br /><br />I will have some photos up in the next few days.<br /><br />As another designer/blogger noted, it takes a good week for our brains to arrive back home.<br /><br />Today is a lazy Sunday. I am working between needlepointing three canvases, a little knitting and some computer work. Nothing like a nice Sunday nap. But not this week. Too much to do.<br /><br />Tomorrow is another day and I will be back with more news.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-16604705189945953342009-06-09T20:43:00.004-04:002009-06-09T21:11:19.925-04:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E1D3pGtI/AAAAAAAAAEk/BHQWt1oJomY/s1600-h/koicropped.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345496592330332882" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E1D3pGtI/AAAAAAAAAEk/BHQWt1oJomY/s320/koicropped.jpg" /></a> CT35 is a newer canvas that now has a Sharon G Stitch guide. Love the bamboo borders.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E01nB0oI/AAAAAAAAAEc/TPFljgGaFls/s1600-h/004.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345496588502553218" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E01nB0oI/AAAAAAAAAEc/TPFljgGaFls/s320/004.JPG" /></a> D31 is Maria's Door. Maria is owner of Fireside Stitchery in PA. On a trip to Positano Italy, her husband took the photo of this wonderful old deteriorated gate and wall. I am mid way done stitching it now and should have the guide done within a month. The gate is done in Japan Threads from Kreinik. I have the gate half done but it is not shown as stitched in this slightly older photo.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E0aAJQxI/AAAAAAAAAEU/WJS8uX8D1S4/s1600-h/Japan+dragonfly.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345496581091705618" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E0aAJQxI/AAAAAAAAAEU/WJS8uX8D1S4/s320/Japan+dragonfly.jpg" /></a><br /><br />This is 6x6 04, the left side of a triptych. Don't you love the Japan Thread in the Dragonfly.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E0JSBQDI/AAAAAAAAAEM/nGfMyRJGp7Y/s1600-h/6x604+complete.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 318px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345496576603275314" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E0JSBQDI/AAAAAAAAAEM/nGfMyRJGp7Y/s320/6x604+complete.jpg" /></a><br />6x6-04 DONE!<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E0EfRemI/AAAAAAAAAEE/VYS1-VV8hwI/s1600-h/CT46+Toucan+Tutu+8x10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 258px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345496575316687458" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8E0EfRemI/AAAAAAAAAEE/VYS1-VV8hwI/s320/CT46+Toucan+Tutu+8x10.jpg" /></a><br />CT46, Toucan Tutu is an 8x10 fun canvas. I loved painting it and can't wait to stitch him, or is it her. Look for a mate, Toucan Can Can coming in a few months.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8DAVspjlI/AAAAAAAAAD8/aLf-_j4RrVE/s1600-h/BH+03+Ho+Ho+Ho+8x10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345494587071368786" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8DAVspjlI/AAAAAAAAAD8/aLf-_j4RrVE/s320/BH+03+Ho+Ho+Ho+8x10.jpg" /></a><br />BH03 Ho! Ho! Ho! BH stands for behinds. I always loved those painted donkeys, horses, pig and whatever you see in all the towns. I will expand the series but for a start, I did 3. I might so Behinds of the month or whatever inspires me. I always said if you can't be different, don't bother. The BH series is 8x10. Good pillow size or a nice framed size<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8DAF0wHxI/AAAAAAAAAD0/ngqXOF7Obiw/s1600-h/BH+02+Graphic+Girls+8x10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 262px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345494582810386194" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8DAF0wHxI/AAAAAAAAAD0/ngqXOF7Obiw/s320/BH+02+Graphic+Girls+8x10.jpg" /></a><br /><br />BH 02 Graphic Girls an 8x10 canvas on 18M.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8C_ijf25I/AAAAAAAAADs/WBYZb1BvAlM/s1600-h/BH+01+Flower+Girls+8x10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 262px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345494573342776210" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8C_ijf25I/AAAAAAAAADs/WBYZb1BvAlM/s320/BH+01+Flower+Girls+8x10.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />BH01 Flower Girls is also 8x10 on 18M<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8C_aoeSnI/AAAAAAAAADk/bUjPMNJDWmI/s1600-h/10x10-01+metallic+flowers.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 312px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345494571216161394" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8C_aoeSnI/AAAAAAAAADk/bUjPMNJDWmI/s320/10x10-01+metallic+flowers.jpg" /></a><br /><br />10x10 01 is the cousin to the pastel flowers below. What an elegant pillow this will be. You can have it in pastels or black.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8C_Kn9Q-I/AAAAAAAAADc/UyGK2CyllrU/s1600-h/6x6+07+pastel+flowers.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 316px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345494566919029730" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8C_Kn9Q-I/AAAAAAAAADc/UyGK2CyllrU/s320/6x6+07+pastel+flowers.jpg" /></a><br /><br />6x6-07 is a companion in pastels to a great canvas I did in metallic colors on black. It is a 6x6 but also comes in a 4x6, a 10x10 in pastels or in black. I do have a guide on the way for the 4x6 in black which can be adapted to any of the other colors and sizes. Love the background.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8B72baACI/AAAAAAAAADU/tkVBV2cUTRs/s1600-h/OW+02+CORNERS.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345493410446442530" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/Si8B72baACI/AAAAAAAAADU/tkVBV2cUTRs/s320/OW+02+CORNERS.jpg" /></a><br />Here are some of my new items. Corners is a classic I did back in 1991 and thought it was time to show it again. It is 8x10.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-63419447116090913522007-06-14T09:44:00.000-04:002007-07-30T19:07:06.105-04:00Catching up<div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/RnFWde4X8GI/AAAAAAAAABE/BvhZ3Jq_TEo/s1600-h/i+like+it+out+here+(2).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075933319528968290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/RnFWde4X8GI/AAAAAAAAABE/BvhZ3Jq_TEo/s320/i+like+it+out+here+(2).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Yes, it has been a while. I have been neglecting my blog. Yes, I have been busy. Yes, I have been working hard and yes, life is happening. We are all fine and happy and working hard.<br /><br />Recently we added a new puppy to our clan. Her name is still evolving. We began with Charity, her name given to her by the breeder. A friend later suggested Carita, which means gift in Italian. My husband Vince decided to call her Janis for reasons I will not mention. Then she began responding to Baby but we went back to Carita.<br /><br />However, my DH is now calling her Carissa. Better than Janis since we do have a neighbor by that name, different spelling.<br /><br />The new puppy is a beautiful blue fawn Italian Greyhound who will be around 8 lbs, maybe a little more fully grown. I fetched her from her breeder on the way back home from the Columbus OH TNNA trade show. We Red Roofed it for one night and resumed the 8 hour that turned into almost 10 hours with Road "D"estruction. Welcome to Pennsylvania!<br /><br />Here she is giving me the High Four in her travel crate ready to leave the Red Roof in West Virginia.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075933542867267698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/RnFWqe4X8HI/AAAAAAAAABM/PDEfHxSvyyA/s320/high5+or+is+it+4.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />We arrived late on Tuesday the 5th of June. Baby was welcomed by our other Italian Greyhound Phyllis who we will now call the "Boss" and our Lana, the sweet Springer mix.<br /><br /><br /><br />All is well for now.<br /><br />Here are some pictures of our first full day home.<br /><br />In her bed. She likes to drag toys in her bed.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075935265149153490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/RnFYOu4X8NI/AAAAAAAAAB8/qD2PIIAKSZQ/s320/her+toys+and+bed.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Sleeping with Phyllis and cleaning her ears. Amazing for day one at home.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075934307371446418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/RnFXW-4X8JI/AAAAAAAAABc/1QGJEW8tfbs/s320/clean+those+ears.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075934311666413730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/RnFXXO4X8KI/AAAAAAAAABk/6nm40mJoO-w/s320/wish+they+got+along+better.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />And the last one of her trying to tell Lana it is time to wake up.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075935492782420194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GyuQnQnnEn4/RnFYb-4X8OI/AAAAAAAAACE/nDPrL68wTSo/s320/OK+you+slept+long+enough.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Nothing sweeter than a new puppy. She is now a little over 4 months old.</div></div></div></div>SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-1163522204805893252006-11-14T11:36:00.000-05:002006-11-14T11:36:44.963-05:00Sharon G Needlepoint<a href="http://sharongneedlepointdesigner.blogspot.com/">Sharon G Needlepoint</a><br /><br />I am home from a three week teaching marathon. The next time I need to touch a suitcase will be the early part of January. Then it will remain unpacked till summer. <br /><br />Classes were in Ridgewood Needlepoint in NJ, Fireside Stitchery in PA and at Needlenook of LaJolla.<br /><br />It was a fun time and last night I slept for 9 hours which is double the time I normally sleep in two days. I feel good and am ready to play catch up here at the office and studio. Both are in the same room <g>. But it sounds good. <br /><br />I have some good pictures to post of the finished items and they will also be on my web site soon along with my teaching schedule for next year.<br /><br />Maybe even a cyber class!<br /><br />And they will come with stitch guides. I was told by students they are the best stitch guides they have seen. It was a lot of work and years of experience in teaching to come up with a good user friendly format. <br /><br />Later...<br /><br />SharonGSharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-1158931057612118242006-09-22T09:05:00.000-04:002006-09-22T09:18:22.190-04:00Finished<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/13.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/400/13.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />A while back I blogged about doing a billion French Knots on Tuscan Cove. <br /><br />I am all done complaining. As many of you know, French Knots rank right up there with Turkey work as my least favorite stitches. But some times you have to do what you have to do, like it or knot!<br /><br />I do like the result. When you embellish a canvas and also try to do a realistic interpretation, you limit yourself to a certain few stitches. French knots did the trick with the trees. I called them sloppy French knots since I did nothing consistent. I used anywhere from 2 to 4 strands of silk at one time, blended colors, did up to 6 wraps and came up with good looking trees and flowers. <br /><br />Maybe a future cyber class? The threads were a pleasure to work with. Except for the roof tops and the border and one color of Splendor silk, the entire canvas was done with Gloriana silks. <br /><br />I will be showing you a few more canvases I finished over the summer. Many of which I will be teaching in the coming months at several shops. My schedule will be posted on my web site. <br /><br />www.sharong.comSharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-1158930113991312112006-09-22T08:48:00.000-04:002006-09-22T09:03:56.100-04:00Congratulations to Dale Miller<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/CT22%20Catwalk.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/400/CT22%20Catwalk.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Dale Miller won a ribbon for her entry of Catwalk at the recent ANG Seminar in Tucson AZ.<br /><br />I am so proud of Dale and also Brenda Hart, who had a hand in selecting the stitches for the winning entry. <br /><br />Here it is naked. I will post a picture of the finished needlepoint as soon as my camera can meet up with Dale's Masterpiece. <br /><br />Again, thank you to Dale for spending her time needlepointing one of my designs. <br /><br />Stay tuned for a photo of the finished masterpiece.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-1149618873477800742006-06-06T13:45:00.000-04:002006-06-06T14:34:33.550-04:00End of Artist Block in the Nick of TimeHere is what I have been doing for the past few days. I happened to have a bad case of Artist Block. Never happened before. Must have been the gardening I had to endure and the sun on my head!<br /><br />But I managed to create 6 new exciting designs. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/CT23%20Dog%20Walk%209x13.0.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/400/CT23%20Dog%20Walk%209x13.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I finally did a Dog Walk to complement the Cat Walk I did a few months ago. I had to include sight hounds. She is walking a greyhound. You can see the elegant Whippet looking back and to the right is my Phyllis, the Italian Greyhound. <br /><br /><br />Next one is Fish Out of Water. Haven't we all felt that way? This one was fun and the fish were a final thought. I painted some squiggels but did not like them. Then I needed to cover them up. Here comes the black paint. But you could see the metallic shine through the paint so I added some metallic over the black. Then it looked odd. Not that I mind odd. Odd is interesting to me. <br /><br />Then I got the idea. Paint fish. So I did and now we have Fish out of Water. <br /><br />I want to stitch this one myself. Bead the fish!<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/CT24%20Fish%20Out%20of%20Water%209x13.0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/320/CT24%20Fish%20Out%20of%20Water%209x13.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Then I moved over to abstracts. I love to paint them and love to needlepoint them. You really do not have to pay attention to realism, only have fun. <br /><br />Expresso was fun to paint but I did have a hard time trying to figure out what it represented. I saw a highway, a fence, made the black spot into a building, the arch into a tunnel and the round circle into a light source. I went to make a coffee and tada! Expresso.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/CT27%20Expresso%209x13.0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/320/CT27%20Expresso%209x13.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The next one is Energy. It almost looks a bit Asian to me only because of the ribbons of energy coming out of the knot at the center bottom. <br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/CT26%20Energy%209x13.1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/320/CT26%20Energy%209x13.1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And the last of the abstracts is called Moon Shine. Not because I drink the stuff, but because I see the moon shining, the wave of turquoise water, the flaming trees or maybe fire coming out of the green grassy earth and the abstract bird. Almost called it Elements. <br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/CT28%20Moon%20Shine%209x13.1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/320/CT28%20Moon%20Shine%209x13.1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />When I paint, I quite often do not have a plan. My work simply happens. And the 3 abstracts happened. <br /><br /><br />Now it is back to where I would love to spend a month. In Italy relaxing in a villa overlooking the water. Well, I can dream. And needlepoint my dream. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/CT25%20Terrace%209x13.0.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/320/CT25%20Terrace%209x13.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Now I can concentrate on my packing and try to figure out which black skirts to pack. And which comfortable shoes to pack. Being on your feet on a concrete floor in 3 inch heels is a thing of the past. I have brains now and wear comfy shoes. But if the urge happens, I have nice 2 inch heels which tend to go into the tote by noon. <br /><br />Later.<br /><br />SSharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-1147044286452467162006-05-07T19:20:00.000-04:002006-05-07T20:17:37.236-04:00Dirt and French Knots, an Out of Character Sunday.Today I did something completely out of character.<br /><br />Yard Work.<br /><br />I am not fond of putting my hands, gloved or not, into dirt which is decayed stuff laced with earth worms. Yes, I love flowers and garden veggies. But, I also love it more when I do not have to mingle with the soil and face earthworms and bugs up close and personal.<br /><br />This is not a genetic thing. My whole family likes to toss around garden dirt. I have a sister, Geri, who as a child would take earthworms to bed with her, in a container of course. She is still an outdoorsy one and loves camping. Geri is taking her Girl Scouts to Wildwood New Jersey this month to camp on the beach with a few thousand other scouts, sleeping in tents while the saner adults occupy hotel rooms.<br /><br />Vince's family is heavy duty into gardening. But me, the desire passed me by. More proof I was switched at birth. And now that my Vince is not able to do the heavy duty stuff, I am the delegated digger. I guess it is not all that bad though. I love to complain and whine and make a big deal out of things and today I had a great opportunity to feed my desire. I should have been nominated for an Oscar. Even the neighbors came to watch me fling a shovel trying to dig up the hydrangea. It took me and two men to lift it once the digging around the thing was done.<br /><br />It had to be moved.<br /><br />It is further complicated by where I live. Mountaintop is famous for its lack of soil. You dig down a half a foot and hit rock. No matter where, you hit rock. Or water.<br /><br />I moved dirt, planted strawberries someone gave us before they dried up into unrecognizable mulch, cleared an area of compost and ashes, dug out and moved 2 huge hydrangea bushes, moved more dirt, got rid of countless dandelions, dealt with the sod that was dug up from the areas where things were moved, vowed to get a decent shovel and a wheel barrow that you can push without getting your feet banged up by the legs.<br /><br />Then it was time to make dinner. Poor Vince was exhausted telling me what to do and not too thrilled he could not do it. Dinner was a simple grilled dinner. The best part was the potatoes. I partially bake a few spuds, run them under cold water, and peel them.<br /><br />They I take a large piece of foil. Butter up the bottom, layer the potatoes with thin slices of Vidalia onions, sprinkle with Morton's Hot Salt and throw in some butter. Then I wrap it all up into a pretty little aluminum foil package and toss it on the grill. Good stuff. Not really diet food but good. I usually make enough for leftovers for a diner the next day with sunny side eggs. The best darn home fries you ever had. We like to eat breakfast food for dinner once in a while.<br /><br />So I sat watching the grill with feet up, (Vince does not cook) enjoying a few minutes to read a fun book, George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops, and enjoy a great cup of tea. Jerry Garcia Magic Herb tea. I love tea and this is a great tea. And I enjoy some odd humor once in a while. Carlin is a favorite of mine. Picked up this book in an airport to read on the plane but fell asleep instead. I sleep like a baby on a plane. Or should I say how some people wished a baby slept on a plane. Back to the tea. It is really good tea. I collect tea like some people collect wine. This company has some wonderful tea. You must try the Ginger Peach.<br /><br />http://www.republicoftea.com/templates/directory.asp?navID=144<br /><br />In between the gardening, I was doing French knots on a white poodle. Not a real poodle as a friend assumed, but on one of my canvases, MB39. You can see him here.<br /><br />http://www.sharong.com/catalog/mb/mb4.html<br /><br />Over time, I am getting to like French Knots. However, a poodle in French knots will look a look a lot better than a poodle in Scotch stitch! So I grabbed some of my Gloriana overdyed silk stash and went ahead with the knots. I still have his butt to finish and one leg, then the beady eye and nose and his leash and collar then the background and border. I have no clue what I will do for the background yet. Need to get done with the knots so I can get back to some fun stuff. He is only a 2x3 canvas. I like the little 2x3's. You can finish one fast. I am having this one framed with a larger than normal mat.<br /><br />I am getting into the mood to design my new line for the TNNA Summer trade show. I always love the pressure to come up with something different in a two week period rather than fretting about it for 5 months. I am thinking about 4x6 postcards of different landscapes. Maybe a few modern things. I enjoy doing those since I am not held into the bounds of realism. Who knows what else? My designs seem to simply happen. <br /><br />I will post a photo of the poodle in a few days. I also want to post a photo of my Tuscan Cove which is almost done and say a few words about that canvas. I had to take a break on CT10, Tuscan Cove. Yes, the French knots caused me to set that one aside for a few weeks.<br /><br />In the past few weeks of my cleaning campaign, I finally dug out a path in my Studio.<br /><br />When they first hit the scene, I was into the Fly Lady routine. That was several years ago. I flunked Fly Lady 101.<br /><br />http://www.flylady.net/index.asp<br /><br />So I rejoined and am having decluttering my home. I have been doing the "27 Fling Boogie" at least once a day.<br /><br />Back to the French Knots, after I water the strawberries.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-1146152378275920252006-04-27T11:29:00.000-04:002006-04-27T11:39:38.283-04:00Happy Belated Birthday PhyllisI am such a bad Mommy! My precious Italian Greyhound Phyllis had her second birthday on the 4/26. And I forgot! You can see her picture below. She is the skinny one without feathers. <br /><br />Some days I need to go see the newspaper to figure out what day it is. When you work 7 days a week, this happens. <br /><br />In spite of my forgetfulness, she had a great day. Vince slipped her a piece of his t-bone steak and I took a nap with her. Later today we will go for a nice walk. Phyllis gets all upset when she is more than 400 feet from her house. I guess she loses the scent of her own yard. I can't smell anything different but I am not Phyllis.<br /><br />Phyllis was barely 5 months old when she found us. She lived in 4 locations before we took her into our hearts. She is a sweet little 9 lb beauty and fills our days with laughter. Phyllis is a character. <br /><br />She should not feel too bad. I was in Chicago working for my Birthday. The day later I finally remembered.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-1145226264046482732006-04-16T17:46:00.000-04:002006-04-16T20:20:41.073-04:00Cleaning up my act...or trying to, again.<div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/phyl%20fat%20shirt.0.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/320/phyl%20fat%20shirt.0.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is our little girl in her t shirt I just had to buy. Italian grandson's are skinny little things.<br /><div align="center"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/sleeping%20girls.0.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/320/sleeping%20girls.0.jpg" border="0" /></a> These are the girls I often refer to. Lana is the larger one. We rescued her from the Humane Society a few years ago. She is a Spaniel mix and we adore her. Lana is 5. The little thing is Phyllis, our 2 year old 9 lb Italian Greyhound we rescued when she was 5 months old. What a dog! She is a bundle of energy and flies through the house. It is said she can run at 25 mph. Believe me!</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/1600/sam%20of%20the%20bird%20brigade.1.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4726/2233/320/sam%20of%20the%20bird%20brigade.1.jpg" border="0" /></a> And Sam, our foul mouth Parrot who is in his mid to late 20's. We are not really sure. Sam came to live with us in the early 90's from a smoke filled home. He was living in a dark room. Poor baby. He is happy now and will tell you all about it. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Now onto my weekend. </div><div align="center"><br />Good way to spend the holiday weekend when you can do whatever you want and not worry about feeding 14 relatives and Uncle Harry overloading on the wine, listening to well meaning female relatives suggesting how to run your house, and the little ones pouting for having to sit at the "kids" table not wanting to eat since they each put down a chocolate rabbit and are now having a big case of sugar overload zoomies, and watching the men negotiate who gets to take an after dinner nap on the only couch.<br /><br />Then facing the mountain of dishes and leftovers clogging up the fridge for the next week. And clogging up the arteries! Leftovers include 4 green bean with canned fried things and mushroom soup over them that others brought each thinking they were the only ones. I hate that stuff.<br /><br />Being a household of two has its good points. I made myself shrimp scampi and he had a lobster tail. I frying pan, one pot and a few dishes. Made cole slaw yesterday and threw a salad together. No chocolate bunnies, no hard boiled colored eggs, no ham and none of that green bean/canned fried onion mushroom soup crap. Just us and the girls. Enjoying our dinner on TV trays in the TV room watching some movie called Phenomenon with John Travolta. Bet he did not get an Oscar for that one! I will post a picture of the girls. Phyllis is a 2 year old 9 lb Italian greyhound and Lana a 4 year old mixed up English/Springer Spaniel Mix. And Sam the Parrot.<br /><br /><br /><br />Vince found a cabinet which looks like it might have come from a kitchen. I really don't care where it came from. It has a Formica top and two doors and two drawers, is in very good shape, smells good,is clean and weighed a ton. I know since I did most of the lifting and draggin it in. Works for me. Perfect to use for a packing/shipping table. Formerly I was using an antique library table and would freak out every time I dropped something on it afraid I would put a ding in it.<br /><br />I need to put that library table to a better use. Like use it to read books at. One future project is to dig into the book shelves that line a short wall floor to ceiling in my studio. It is a 16 foot wall lined with bookshelves that are double deep. Meaning there are stacks of books behind the books you see. Good insulation!<br /><br />I spent the weekend rearranging stuff to fit it into its new space. Now it may sound easy for most but not for me because things are piled in assorted boxes and bags with no rhyme or reason in my 16 by 46 foot studio and workspace. Clearing out one corner is more like an archeological dig. And you need to find a new spot for stuff that is not going into the trash. Which means going on another dig in another corner and repeating the same playing "Musical Junk" till you are tired of it and say, "Screw it!" Or words to that effect. And some of the words are quiet effective.<br /><br />I found some interesting stuff. Several books on getting organized I bought and lost in the piles during the process of trying to do what the books said. I found out I own 2 copies of Mary Rhodes Needlepoint, the art of Canvas Embroidery. I found my other brown shoe that one of the dogs must have hid on me. I tossed the other one long ago so I don't need to wonder what ever happened to the other shoe. I found a heavy duty stapler. I since bought 3 and I know where only one is. I found 3 pair of large scissors. Always losing them.<br /><br />Found a whole box of assorted odds and ends of no value. A brass incense burner, luggage straps I was missing. Found about 20 knitting magazines that I forgot about since I am not knitting anymore. And even if I was, I hardly used patterns. I learned to knit years go and have designed all my own stuff. I studied pattern drafting back when I was in college and can do that so I knit to a shape. I discovered I love needlepoint more. I found 3 bags of knitting. Spotted 4 Rubbermaid bins of garments, including 3 coats, that need to be assembled. Love to knit, hate to assemble. I know there are 3 jackets in the bins needing assembly.<br /><br />The 3 bags of Scarves are in progress. I will finish them since I now have 3 nieces and 1 nephew who I have never met. Hope to meet them soon. One is getting married next year. It is good to have family again. Scary but a good feeling. I have not seen them in about 25 years.<br /><br />Hope they don't think I am the eccentric aunt. Well better than the nuts aunt.<br /><br />You know the difference. Rich people that are a quart low are called eccentric. Poor folks are simply nuts. Calling me eccentric is a compliment.<br /><br />I found a small bag of Medici wool, some Flower Thread color cards and color cards for Medici. No sense keeping them. Found some old show books from TNNA dating back to the 80's. Paged through some and found most of the people are no longer around. Like looking through your high school yearbook.<br /><br />The antique library table is in place, the garbage bags are filled, the boxes broken down for the recycle man, another corner is being worked on.<br /><br />And the place is still mess. Funny how cleaning makes a bigger mess.<br /><br />I also wonder why I was saving those little plastic bags of air companies use for packing instead of the Styrofoam peanuts. I had at least 5 big lawn cleaning bags full. Don't ask the last time I ever used one. Could not tell you. I got out a pair of my new found missing scissors and started stabbing those little bags of air to compact them and get rid of them.<br /><br />I filled up a few boxes of magazines I am parting with. I have trouble tossing old magazines. Yes, you can sell them on eBay but it takes more time than it is worth. And I have a neighbor who loves to read magazines and has no trouble getting rid of them. A good friend, Beverly Bradley, has me in the cleaning mode. Beverly is from LA and yes, Katrina made a mess of her life for sometime. When you lose everything but the shirt on your back, material things you thought were important suddenly cease to be.<br /><br />So I picked a few categories of magazines to purge first. First is the cooking magazines. My education is in culinary arts and I hardly ever use a cook book. I have over 150 cook books and read them like novels. But when it comes to cooking, I go without. I know how to juggle ingredients and love creating. So, all the cooking magazines are off to new homes. And followed by Oprah, Martha, Health, Vegetarian Cooking and Organic style. And any other odds and ends. Keeping the decorating ones for now.<br /><br />The dust is flying and my Dyson is in constant use. The room has 4 corners and the adjacent room has 4 corners. I visited 2 of them this weekend. Maybe by the time I collect Social Security I will have the place organized. That gives me about 10 years. Wish me well.<br /><br />Tomorrow I am going to attempt to finish up the French knots on another tree. More about that in another blog. </div></div>SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22008507.post-1143390271484226252006-03-26T11:12:00.000-05:002006-04-16T22:52:46.736-04:00Painted Canvas Phobia and the Flush TheoryRecently the ANG list had another interesting discussion. Painted canvas vs. line drawn or charted.<br /><br />The discussion also migrated into the expense of painted canvas.<br /><br />That caught my interest, as it always does. As does the expression of fear in stitching a paitned canvas. Hey, they don't bite. Needlepoint canvases are completely deaf, feel no pain and really don't mind if you make a mistake or two.<br /><br />Painted canvas phobia????????<br /><br />One thing to remember, it is all in the planning. For years I have been teaching needlepoint and part of what I teach is planning. Remember 4 things. Motion, texture and what level the object is in relation to the whole composition, be it foreground, background or mid ground, perspective.<br /><br />Speaking of perspective, you have Aerial which is more realistic and Oriental which is flat. Something done is Oriental Perspective might be easier. You really don't have to worry about realism or delicate shading.<br /><br />You must get the stitch going in the direction of the motion. Remember to keep the higher texture stitches in the foreground and the lower texture ones in the background.<br /><br />Color plays a big part. The background color should always be quieter than the foreground. Mountains are not bright green. Look out the window. The mountains and hills have grayish lavender cast to them. That is if your mountains wear trees that are full of leaves.<br /><br />The sky is not a solid color.<br /><br />Direction of light. A good artist will paint the canvas paying attention to light direction.If something looks wrong with a canvas, do this. Take it to a mirror and look at the mirror image. Often the problem area will jump out at you. If possible, do this in the shop before you bring it home.<br /><br />When I stitch a canvas, I let the canvas tell me what it wants. I rarely use a book for stitches, although I own a pile of them and some duplicates purchased by mistake. I never claimed to be organized.<br /><br />I often lay my thread in the direction I think it should go and if it looks right, I plunge the needle. I create my own stitches.<br /><br />My background was in embroidery. I had a very short lived passion for cross stitch. In about 1970 I was torn between crewel and needlepoint. I still love embroidery but don't have the time to do it. That could be why I seem to use a lot of embroidery stitches on my canvas. I love long and short, random stitches and, heaven forbid, I am even getting to like French knots.<br /><br />A few things to remember:<br /><br />Painted Canvases don't bite.<br /><br />They don't cry and pout if you say a few unkind words to them.<br /><br />They do cost more.<br /><br />They are painted by human hands, not machines. Believe me; it does take more than 15 minutes to paint. Some take hours, others a full day and a rug can take several. They are painted by professional artists who must be paid a fair wage. They are not painted in huts in some third world location.<br /><br />Break it down to cost to you per hour. A $300 purchase might take up to 200 hours to complete. Break it down to about $1.50 an hour. Cheaper than a movie. A heck of a lot cheaper than 18 holes of golf. And, I being the frugal one, often compare it to a nice dinner for two with wine and desert and tip for around $100. Takes about 2 hours to enjoy dinner. Yes you have to eat too but if you do that at home, you can do it for $5. And where does it all go in the morning? <strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">Flush.</span></strong><br /><br />It is all a matter of priorities.<br /><br />There are some beautiful geometrics. I would love to stitch some myself but I can hardly find the time to stitch what I need to do for my own purposes. Would have loved to do Pink Champagne. Ro's class is stunning. I like anything Jean Hilton.<br /><br />The only counted piece I ever designed was the Stitch of the Month Kimono. Did I enjoy doing it? You bet I did.<br /><br />When I retire...well, I will probably croak with a paint brush in my hand.SharonG Needlepointhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14439586342747682372noreply@blogger.com2