Model Stitching and Stuff

Did you hear my partial sigh of relief? I was in the middle of uploading pictures and trying to read blogs at the same time and had crisis. One of the blogs I opened just kept opening new windows in Internet Explorer no matter how fast I closed them. There were at least 6 windows open and I could not close them. Internet Explorer shut itself down. That is after I had 7 pictures uploaded. Once I went back into blogger the Auto Save had saved my work. Now I am editing my blog. LOL!! Had not done any narrative, was still loading pictures. I will do the remainder of the sigh of relief when I get this completed.

As you know, I do lots of model stitching for The Sunflower Seed. I cannot show what I have been stitching on until the designs are released. Two were released today on Hoffman. The first is very appropriate to be released on 9/11. It is stitched on 30-ct R&R Creek Bed Brown with GAST threads.

Proud and Free

by The Sunflower Seed

The next one is a Halloween design done on 30-ct R&R Spellbound Green with WDW thread. Anita did the backstitching and the beads, my two least favorite things to do.

Spiders and Bats, Oh, My!!!

by The Sunflower Seed

On Wednesday, I delivered another completed design to Anita and yesterday while I was working, she brought in another one that I have since gotten a little start on.

Before we made our trip to California, I finished one of the stockings from Blackbird Designs Halloween stockings book. It is done on the called for fabric with the called for thread. I have another one started. Have done a little work on the Wedding Ring one too. Hard to believe, but I did not do any stitching on our trip. On the way home, I actually put all of my stitching in my checked bag. Seems like there is less room on the planes to do stitching and during our layover on the way out, I played on my Acer computer. It is so much fun. Used it some while we were in California, but I did not keep up with blogs like I thought I would. Did keep ahead of the e-mails, but not the blogs or my Yahoo groups.

Previously I mentioned that I stitched something to take to our friends in California, but forget to take pictures before I took it to be framed. Picked up the day before we left. Turns out Betsy was actually born in Kansas, so she got the connection of taking her Sunflowers from Kansas. For those of you who don't know -- Sunflower is the Kansas state flower

Sunflower Sampler

Cottage House Needleworks

28-ct Raw Natural Linen with called for threads

Here are a few pictures from our California trip

Entrance to A T & T Park

Saw SF Giants beat Colorado Rockies. It was hot the day we were in SF, probably 96 degrees.

The next day we went to Yosemite National Park. Saw 2 fires and had to take a couple of detours around them. Here are a couple of pictures of the giant Sequoia trees.

The last day we drove down to Monterrey and Carmel. Lovely beautiful drive. We did the 17-mile drive through all the golf courses, etc. Stopped for a snack at Hog's Breath Inn, once owned by Clint Eastwood.

Lone Pine

A week or so before we went to California my sisters and I, along with all the grandkids and great-grandkids went to my Dad's to celebrate his 89th birthday. We took all the food for a big lunch along with cake and homemade ice cream. We did not leave him much ice cream. Here is a photo of my dad and his 4 great-grandchildren ages 7, 5, 2 and 1.

Well, I am almost done and things have not crashed yet. Better wrap this up before they do. Tomorrow (Saturday), I am helping serve a funeral dinner at the church for about 150. Monday, one of my best friends and I are headed to the State Fair. We are both retired and decided this is something we wanted to do. Neither of us have been for many years. We are really looking forward to it. We will spend the night, since it is about 3 hours away and then meander ourselves back home the next day stopping at various shopping opportunities along the way.

Next weekend is our next stitching retreat. We are all ready for our fun weekend. Should have a report on that the next time. Things have been so hectic since the last one in the spring, I never did do a post devoted to all the hilarity that goes on when we have our retreats. I promise to do better this time.

Thanks for all of your patience with me and my sporadic blogging. I won't even promise to do better, because I am not sure that I could live up to my promises. Thanks to all that do stop by and comment. I am still trying to keep ahead of all the blogs in my Google Reader, but I am still behind. Someday, maybe. Still make comments now and then. I have seen some awesome stitching out there. Many of you are really fast stitchers. It really amazes me. I must be retarded because I stitch much slower than many of you. Keep up the good work.

Happy Stitching!!!!!!!!

(Sign of Relief) Going to push the publish button.

P.S. JCS Ornament Magazine 2009 is out. Lots of good stuff.