Buyer Beware - Sometimes

I have purchased quite a few needlepoint canvases on eBay and been very pleased with each and every one. Last week I successfully bid on a Melissa Shirley/Linda Carter Holman canvas - "Plenty". It's a great canvas and I have been eagerly anticipating its arrival. Well, it arrived today in the mail - FOLDED! And, it smelled like CIGARETTE SMOKE! And, the seller OVERCHARGED me on postage. This would not be a good time to take my blood pressure!

I guess I should be thankful it only has one fold through the design? I am not going to send it back because I think I can put it on some Evertites and stretch it out. If any of you out there think that won't work, please let me know. As for the smoky smell, maybe just airing it out for a while will help. 

I still love the canvas despite my disappointment in the way it was shipped. I bought the canvas from a seller in Michigan. The irony is that the canvas was originally bought from Amy's (please understand that Amy's had nothing to do with my eBay transaction!)

Lesson learned on eBay needlepoint purchases. Ask how the canvas will be shipped and if it has been stored in a non-smoking environment.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Vintage Pears

I finished the Groom's pants today and decided to work a little on a piece that I put away when the Halloweenies started up in February. Tonight I'm working on a Melissa Shirley piece, Vintage Pears. I happened to see the canvas on eBay and was able to successfully bid on it and buy it at a very reduced price. I purchased the threads and the stitch guide by Beverly Churchfield of Aristeia from Aristeia. The threads are incredible and I love the way they blend with the beautifully painted canvas to create such lovely shading in the pears.

 

Obviously I have a long way to go on this piece. It really has taken a 5 month back seat to the Halloween crowd. 

If you follow the Aristeia link above, you can read about their fabulous stitching retreat this fall at The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel at Dana Point, CA. Melissa Shirley designs a canvas for them each year for their retreat. This year it's one of those fabulous floral bags (a camellia) that we have seen photos of from the TNNA show.  That would be a dream trip! I can dream can't I?

Have a good evening -

P.S. Remember I said I was going to grill polenta last night for supper? Well, I learned a valuable lesson. Just because a recipe is posted on the Food Network website doesn't mean it is correct. There is a Barefoot Contessa recipe for Parmesan Rosemary polenta that sounds delicious but the liquid proportions are all of of whack. I thought the soupy polenta would solidify and I could cut it into squares as directed in the recipe. No such luck. It all went down the disposal. I would have had better luck if I had just cooked regular grits. I may try that tomorrow.

Fancy Pants

The groom is slowly being dressed. I worked the last two evenings on his vest. It's a small area and you wouldn't think it would take two evenings to complete it. The second evening I spent a good bit of the time ripping out what had been stitched the night before. Until I worked on the vest, I thought that stitching black threads on black canvas was awful. But, then, came stitching thin gray threads on gray canvas. I had such a hard time seeing what I had stitched. That's why I spent so much time ripping out. The vest calls for a two-tone reverse mosaic. The small stitches in Baroque Silk only cover one canvas thread. The larger stitches use ribbon floss.

I like the finished vest very much. I was just surprised it was more difficult to stitch than I thought it would be. I haven't finished the buttons yet and need to add the beads.

I stitched the upper part of his pants this afternoon as well as his leg bones. Amy's tip to stitch this with a minimum of distraction is a good one. Heed Amy's tips! There are three rows of Hungarian Point pattern before the repeat with alternating rows of Neon Rays and Sampler Threads. The pattern is not difficult  but it did require frequent referencing of the stitch guide.

                                                   

I may work on his coat tonight and save my stitching on his pants for daylight hours. But, then again, I may just read tonight. A few nights ago I started The Last Child by John Hart and I'm having a hard time putting it down. It won an Edgar Award from The Mystery Writers of America. It's an unusual choice for me as it is a dark, tragic story but one you can't put down.

Don't you love Friday nights? I'm going to cook a pork tenderloin on the grill tonight. I made some herbed polenta last night and may try grilling it along with the pork. It's only 100 degrees outside right now - what's a little more heat from the grill?

Have a good weekend!

Good Grooming

No, this post is not about bathing everyday or keeping your hair nice and neat. It's about my early work on Zomm B. Grum'e and a little bit about July 4th.  Just to go back a few days to the 4th, we had a lovely supper al fresco before heading to downtown Augusta for the fireworks display.

We watched the fireworks from the South Carolina side of the Savannah River looking across to Augusta. There was no way we were going to be able to park near downtown and ended up parking in the very nice River Club neighborhood across the river. We found an empty lot along the river and set out our blanket and chairs.   The nice folks who lived next to the empty lot invited us in to their front yard so that we could have a better view of the fireworks - no trees to block our view. I thought that was such a hospitable gesture. It was a great evening topped off by a really great (if I do say so myself) blackberry cobbler.

I finally began stitching on the Groom Monday afternoon. I completed all of the cross stitches on the pumpkin. The overdyed DMC floss is so perfect for this.

Yesterday and today I worked on his face, hat, and bones. I particularly like his hat - a fedora?

It reminds me of something the Phantom of the Opera might have worn. Maybe they shopped at the same Men's Warehouse? The sparkly black/purple Kreinik used as the lining of the brim doesn't show up so well in photos but is very effective in person. The purple velvet lapels are a nice touch, too. I think tonight I'll move on to the vest or coat.

Peggy had a great tip at the Study Hall for working with Neon Rays. Use a small curling iron or flat iron to straighten the folds out of Neon Rays. I bought a small flat iron at Target yesterday for $14.99 - small enough to keep in my stitching bag. It worked beautifully! I've never worked with such a nice flat piece of Neon Rays. It was actually a pleasure to work with. Give it a try!

Off to cook butterbeans for supper......

Happy July 4th

I wanted to share with you our trip to Gurosik's Berry Farm yesterday in North Augusta, SC. Anna and I went to pick blackberries and flowers only to find that the farm was at the end of the blackberry season. Luckily we were still able to buy a quart of huge, sweet blackberries that will find themselves in a cobbler tonight. We also bought shelled butter beans (lima beans to those of you beyond the Mason-Dixon line), peaches, home-grown tomatoes, and white acre peas (for Anna). How I missed going out to this farm all spring and summer, I don't know. But, you can be sure I will be back there next spring. They close for the year next week.

I was excited to see the long rows of zinnias, gladiolas, and sunflowers. $2 a handful. We picked at least 5 handfuls. Aren't the colors wonderful?

And, we filled up just about every vase I own!

We have a fun evening planned. Steaks on the grill, potato salad, coleslaw, pasta salad, pickled okra sandwiches, and blackberry cobbler with hard sauce. Food is prominently featured for our July 4th celebration. If we can still move after supper, we'll head downtown to the Riverwalk for the fireworks display.

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe July 4th!

The Bride is Ready!

I finished stitching Bridezilla last night as I waited for Andrew and Anna to drive in from Jacksonville. How appropriate that I watched several episodes of Say Yes to the Dress as I stitched!  I wish I hadn't saved the veil for last as it was a little tedious especially at the late hour I was stitching. The effect of the silvery 4-way Continental is wonderfully subtle. I wasn't appreciating the subtlety last night but this morning in the sunlight, I see it was worth the effort.

Yesterday, Bridezilla finally got her arm and leg bones - and her fingers. I loved the slide bullion technique using the #8 Perle cotton but I wasn't crazy about the same stitch using #12 Perle cotton. If you haven't completed the bones using these techniques, a tip from me would be to use short lengths of the #12 Perle cotton in particular. The thread becomes so fragile as you slide one of the strands down the length of the thread - so the shorter the thread is, the closer the bullion is to being in place. I had many wisps of the #12 in my lap by the time I finished the fingers.

I sorted out the Groom's threads last night and placed him on the stretchers. I may sneak in a few minutes of stitching while Andrew and Anna attend a wedding this evening. I read through the stitch guide once but I think I'll read through it again before I start.

Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday weekend! We certainly are. I'll have some pictures tomorrow of a little field trip (literally!) that Anna and I took to a nearby berry/flower farm this morning.

The Groom is in the House

Mr. Zomm B. Grum'e arrived yesterday afternoon right before a torrential downpour. I would have hated to see his fancy duds get soaked. I'm glad I was home when he arrived. He has a nice selection of new threads but will be borrowing heavily from his fellow Halloweenies who have arrived before him.

His coat has seen better days but he is wearing a beautiful vest that will be stitched in shades of gray in Ribbon Floss and Baroque Silk. Very handsome!

I don't know if you would say he has a "Crest smile" but he does have a smile that won't quit. His teeth will be stitched in Neon Rays so you know they will gleem!

Mr. Grum'e will be placed on the Evertites today. I don't have Evertites for Bridezilla and I have really missed them. I am easily spoiled. If you haven't had the chance to use this particular type of stretcher bar, here is a link to Jane at Chilly Hollow's review of them. They are expensive but well worth it.

I almost finished the double ring background on the bride last night. It shouldn't be too difficult to finish those up today and maybe get to her arm and leg bones or the veil.

Keep stitching....