Know Thyself

Tomorrow morning, I'll be leaving for a three day retreat with my sampler guild* in Ocean City, Maryland. This will be my second time on the retreat although the guild has been doing these on a semi-annual schedule for a few years. I have a great time last year relaxing in the hotel lobby, chatting, and looking out at the ocean while stitching away. The problem was, there may have been a little too much chatting and gazing at the ocean as I had to frog the border on my piece in several places when I returned home. That problem isn't limited to stitching retreats as I've had to rip out and restitch on pieces that I've worked on at guild meetings. So, finally, I've learned that I need to keep it simple. I've chosen two pieces for retreats and guild meetings that should keep miscounting and misplaced stitches to a minimum. My bag for retreat is going to contain Carriage House Samplings Alphabet and a needlepoint canvas I picked up on Sanibel Island in Florida during our vacation last December. I started the CHS Alphabet eons ago and when I dug it out of the bottom of the WIP bag a few months ago, was quite surprised to find I had not completed even one letter! I'll be working on the borders for the letters and possibly on filling in the bottom of the blocks. Tough to miscount on those, right?


*I know that I've mentioned my guild a number of times on this blog but have never identified it. One of the other members commented on a post here recently and that reminded me that she was the one who first told me about the Delaware Valley Historical Sampler Guild when I saw her post about it on the Legacy Embroiderers board. Another member who ran an on-line shop also invited me to meetings and I've found some wonderful people and lots of inspiration in the group. Check us out at dvhsg.org for details about our meetings and join us if you're in the area.

Comments

  1. MargaretApril 26, 2012 at 4:14 AM

    Good for you for learning from past experience! I like the projects you've picked for your retreat. And you're right -- frogging seems unlikely on them too. Hope you have a great time on your retreat!

    ReplyDelete
  2. RobinApril 26, 2012 at 4:43 AM

    Glad you are coming this time. It will be sooooo relaxing. Who cares about the weather?!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Laurie in IowaApril 26, 2012 at 6:15 AM

    Enjoy your retreat!

    ReplyDelete
  4. woolwomanApril 26, 2012 at 10:54 AM

    So glad to hear you are "retreating" this weekend Susan with your sampler guild - I am also "retreating" to St Simons Island GA with my rug guild but there will be a lot of switch crafting going on - several friends are dual members of the sampler guild so we'll be stitching hooking and knitting. Love what you picked to take - I am still in the "picking process" better hurry we leave at 8am - Enjoy your weekend Mel

    ReplyDelete
  5. Caitlin @ Naughts Cross StitchesApril 28, 2012 at 6:03 PM

    have fun at your retreat hope you don't have to frog at all!

    ReplyDelete
  6. CatherineApril 28, 2012 at 7:23 PM

    Sounds like fun!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sherry :o)April 29, 2012 at 7:11 AM

    Did you take the Ellen Chester classes (I believe that's the same build I just read about on her blog and on Robin's - stitch witch). Sounds like the same retreat she is going on too - hope you gals had fun whereever you stitched.

    I haven't been to Sanibel Island since forever ago - about 30 years. I bet it has changed. We used to spend some time there as my great-Aunt had a condo she rented to my parents. I loved making the run to Captiva also, to walk the beaches.

    ReplyDelete
  8. KarolineApril 29, 2012 at 12:43 PM

    Enjoy your retreat

    ReplyDelete
  9. dorisApril 30, 2012 at 9:01 PM

    Have loads of fun! Great idea to limit stitching to simpler things.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

For the Good Times

Image
Today is my 35th wedding anniversary. We were married in the church in my hometown in southeast Nebraska. No air conditioning and people thought my husband was nervous when they saw him shaking his leg. He was just trying to get the sweat to run down it a bit faster! Mine was the first of three weddings my parents planned, and since I had spent the summer in Pennsylvania working and setting up our new apartment, most things fell to my mother. My parents decided to have the reception in my hometown and that meant there was only one venue--the "supper club." Actually, this was the basement of the local pool hall/bar and had formerly been a bowling alley when my mother was a teenager. Although there wasn't a private room, my parents figured very few people other than wedding guests would be there since it was also the weekend of the county fair. Sometimes I miss life in small town Nebraska. Mostly not. Turned out they were right, but choosing that venue also meant that they...
Read more

WIP Wednesday

Image
We are not so patiently waiting for spring to arrive in southeastern Pennsylvania.  Four nor'easters in March is just cruel and I've had enough of this cold weather.  The upside is that it makes it easy to stay inside and stitch.  I'm making progress on a few things, but for reasons not clear to me, I've had a hard time settling down with one project.  I had the pleasure of taking two classes with Catherine Theron at the end of March.  You can see the projects she taught on the Salty Yarns website by clicking on the Events tab.  When I got home I was inspire to find the piece from the first class I took from Catherine at the Delaware Valley Historic Sampler Guild  many (maybe 10??) years ago.  This will become a Quaker sewing case. During class, I struggled putting in the black for the Florentine pattern which is why I put it away all these years.  After looking at it closely, I found and corrected several mistakes.  I fill...
Read more

At Long Last

Image
I finally have a finish!  Here is Susan Rambo in all her wrinkled glory.  I stitched it on a vintage 36 count fabric that is close in color to the amber/toasted almond Wichelt fabric called for in the SANQ chart.  The fibers are Needlepoint Inc silks.  I love the colors and this is my all-time favorite sampler. 
Read more