Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wild Weekend

The wedding is over. It was one of those you-had-to-be-there events that defy description, and if I ever do write my memoirs, there will have to be a chapter each for the night before (we were forced by the bride to number off and play Table Topics), the day itself (a lost-but-later-found ring and turquoise-sequined bridesmaids) and the wedding evening with my siblings, nephews and nieces. The good news is that Dad is married and will, hopefully, be happy and will never need online dating again.


To all of you lovely giveaway winners from the past weeks, your packages will go out tomorrow. I apologize for not getting them out sooner, but it took me a few days to recover from the wild weekend.


I've been stitching a little bit on the Ewe & Eye & Friends Napa Valley Sampler. It's going to be a gift for the friends who housed us in their guest cottage last summer in the San Francisco area. 
Thank goodness the painstaking mortar is finished! The satin-stitched shingles were fun.


The heavenly guest cottage ... to die for. The sign in the window is a joke, thank goodness, and we proved it. Look at how pudgy I look reflected in the door's window!


The path to the cottage, which is beautiful but could be difficult to negotiate after an evening with our friends.


I've also been working on Mom's Calico Cat a little. My next WIPocalypse post will probably be without a finish.


After reading Lee's past two Stitching Bloggers' Questions, I decided to combine them and tell you about my oldest project. January's SBQ asked about our oldest projects. Mine is this:
It's called "The Chase", and I've had it since the summer of 1972, when I was driving my mom crazy. I had my second full-leg cast in two years, and I desperately needed entertainment. It's a Williamsburg reproduction kit printed on muslin. No counting was necessary.
Look at those woven strawberries and chain stitch fill-in! The last time I worked on this piece, I was in college. It was probably 1978.
I really "urned" my stripes (no, I'm not sorry for that) with outlined satin stitches and every other stitch you can imagine (ok, no queen's stitches, which are my faves). This poor baby has been lying in wait in boxes during uncountable moves and in my cedar chest for decades. I've picked it up and looked at it, but no needle has pierced its surface for more than 30 years. You'd never know that this is one of the reasons I fell in love with stitching.


Lee's February SBQ asks if we have a project we'd like to break up with. I think I broke up with this project many years ago. I'm not certain when it happened, but it did. I like looking at it and thinking about what was happening when I stitched certain sections, so I can't imagine ever getting rid of it. But the desire to finish it has left me. If I were to work on it again, I'd have to start over. I know too much now, including how little I knew when I was working on it. I've always waited too long to break up. Yes, I'm one of those dummies who wait until they are absolutely miserable and can't remember ever being happy with ... oh, wait ... those were relationships! Thank goodness I can still remember being happy with The Chase. Erica finished it in 2008, and she has my respect and admiration. Maybe she'd like to finish mine. Just kidding, Erica, just kidding.


Next time I'll give away our last two items from Mom's stash. Until then, make some fun.

16 comments:

Anna van Schurman said...

I am truly disappointed that we're not getting more about the wedding. You better be writing those memoirs!

Giovanna said...

Love that cottage WIP - the colours are so pretty! Shame about the abandoned sampler, but I can see how you would need really good motivation to finish it :-)

Siobhán said...

You lost me at sequins. ROFLOL Oh my. Yeah--you just have to laugh. I do hope they'll be happy together and that you are managing well, too!

Love the WIP and your Chase! Go check out Katherine's blog archives at http://windyridgedesigns.blogspot.com/ She finished The Chase fairly recently.

Margaret said...

Oh my gosh, your Chase is gorgeous!!! Wow! Such detail! I'm a no way Jose on surface embroidery so I admire you!

The wedding -- whoa! Definitely sounds like an interesting time. Ahem. lol! Glad the father is all married and happy now. Your EEF piece looks pretty! And that cottage! Soooooo pretty!!!!! And you do not look pudgy. I just checked to see. :D

Erica said...

The Chase is coming along beautifully! You will be so glad you finished this one! Mine was MIA for so many years but it has been the source of a lot of pleasure since I finished it!

Laurie in Iowa said...

Love The Chase... all that surface embroidery... it looks fantastic.
Sounds like you had a wildly good time at the wedding.

Deb said...

I'm glad that you made it through the wedding. We would love more details you know!! :o)

And your Chase is just unbelieveable!! I love that kind of embroidery and my grandmother taught me how to do it. But I haven't touched anything in probably 30 years. Yours is beautiful and I hope that you finish it!

Susan said...

Sequins? Sounds interesting. Glad everyone made it through the wedding and I hope the new couple will be happy. I really like the cottage piece and "The Chase" is amazing. Your stitching is beautiful.

Katrina said...

LOL, turquoise, games... I hope your dad is very happy and his new bride doesn't drive you too crazy ;-).

Love the cottage piece and the cottage your friends let you stay in!!!! Looks like lots of fun. Sweet UFO too, maybe one day. I have saved a few Paula Vaughan charts just in case ;-).

Jennifer said...

Love how that house is shaping up! Beautiful colours. Sorry but I have to agree with Anna!! Hope all is well with the little boys and everything else!

Dani - tkdchick said...

What a gorgeous cottage I want to stay there!!!!

Anonymous said...

I have been thinking of you, over the famous week end. Don't we at least get to see pics of the sequined dresses ?
Hopefully, it will be a smooth journey from now on.
Love the look of that cottage (I am dying for holidays) and I like your stitching too - the satin-stitched shingles look great (much better than sequined-stitched ?).
A bientôt, V

Brigitte said...

This cottage is just a dream. If I were there I'd never be able to leave again. The Napa Valley Sampler is just the perfect gift for the cottage owners.
I can understand that you don't want to part with The Chase. It must be full of memories. Maybe you'll one day feel motivated enough to finish it at last.
Must have been really wild, that wedding weekend, lol. They will ceratinly be very happy.

kathy b said...

Stumnbled upon your blog..your stitch work and finds are amazing!!

Dona said...

The wedding sounds like it was fun and will make great chapters in your memoirs!

What a beautiful cottage! The Napa Valley Sampler would be perfect hanging on its walls.

Amazing work on The Chase!

Anonymous said...

Hello

Just found your lovely blog.

Your cottage WIP is lovely.

What a lovely cottage to stay in.

You have some lovely stitching.