kimonoTag Archives

Plum Blossom Kimono & Life Update

Amazingly enough, I’m still sick, but think I may finally be rounding the corner to good health again. I’ve literally been sick since July 1. It initially started as just a summer cold. It then progressed into a sinus infection, so I went to the doctor and was put on antibiotics.

As of Friday (July 9) I still wasn’t feeling well, so I went back to the doctor. After another exam and a chest x-ray, I learned that it had developed into an upper respiratory infection. The doctor was concerned it might turn into pneumonia, so I was put on a stronger antibiotic with a steroid pack booster. I actually felt a LOT worse on Saturday, but I think it was my body finally just trying to get all the crap out of my lungs. Each subsequent day has been a bit better, so I’m hoping by mid-week that I’ll be back to my normal self again free of the hacking cough.

So, what’s the good side to all this illness? I’ve gotten in quite a bit of stitching time. I participated in the July Weekend Stitch-A-Long on Facebook. I decided to pull out my Plum Blossom Kimono to work on it. This was a class I took last summer at my LNS from local designer/teacher, Margaret Bendig. I haven’t worked on it in quite some time, so I thought this SAL would be a good time to give it some attention. Here are my before & after pics showing the progress I made this weekend:

Before (as of Saturday morning):

After (as of Sunday night):

I’m so excited to have all of the outlining done! Doing that much pearl cotton outlining on Congress Cloth is pretty boring, but I made it through. Now I’m really for the fun part which is filling in all those little boxes with lots of pretty silks.

Of course, the whole weekend wasn’t spent just stitching. There was a lot of studying that happened as well. My college classes started on July 1, so I’m back into the world of having to study. It hasn’t been very fun given I’ve been sick, but I’m doing OK since it’s mostly been a lot of reading so far. I might not have felt the same way if I had been sick and was trying to write papers, too.

I’m currently in the process of studying for the CompTIA A+ certification exams. I have to obtain this certification for my job per a DoD requirement by the end of the year. The nice thing is I can kill two birds with one stone because I can use the A+ certification to knock out two of my college courses as well (IT Fundamentals II & III). It’s basically an entry-level IT certification, but it’s been long enough since I’ve done basic hardware/software troubleshooting that I’m definitely having to study to brush up on all the various beep codes, printer error codes, etc.

In other personal news, as if I didn’t have enough going on already, I’ve decided to move. I’ve been living in a one-bedroom apartment since my divorce six years ago. I finally decided I’ve had enough of being so cramped and will be moving into a two-bedroom apartment. Not only will I have a larger living room/dining room area, but I’ll finally have a craft room again, too!

Until next time …

13 July 2010

Misc., Stitching

6 comments

canvas, kimono, Margaret Bendig, Moving, SAL, Studying, WIPs

Stitchy Saturday

Today was the monthly stitching gathering at my LNS. As always, we had a great time!

This month things were a bit different than normal. We generally just have an open stitching class and everyone works on whatever they want. This month we were divided up into two separate groups because some were taking a class called Hagatha’s Slipper designed by Margaret Bendig. The other group followed the usual format and stitched on whatever projects they liked.

As for me, I did a combination of the two. I started out with the class group until Margaret had gone over the basic instructions for the class, and then I moved back over to the main group so I could spend time with Dana, Terri, and Darla. Here’s a pic of the class model along with the progress I made today:

While I was at the shop, I also picked up some fibers for a chart I’ve had in my stash for a couple of years, but have never gotten around to stitching. It’s Voodoo Bob (a.k.a. Voodoo Boy from Haberdashery Designs). After seeing Missy Ann finish her Voodoo Boy, it has me hankering again to want to stitching. Since I’m not a fan of Kreinik, I’ve opted to go with Accentuate for mine. The fabric I’m going to use is some 32-count Black Ask Lugana by Sassy’s Fabrics from my stash.

There were also a couple of fantastic finishes that people showed off today. The first is Mermaid of the Pearls by Mirabilia stitched by Lisa who works part-time at the shop. The other finish was actually a framing finish as well. Olga brought in her beautiful version of Margaret’s Plum Blossom Kimono. She opted to go with a red & green colorway and had it framed using double silk custom-cut mats. It’s gorgeous!

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I’ll post pics of my start on My Lady’s Quaker soon. Yes, I started yet another project. I’m hopeless!

Until next time …

29 August 2009

Stitching

12 comments

Class, Cross Stitch, Halloween, kimono, Margaret Bendig, Mirabilia, My Lady's Quaker, Saturday Stitch

Failed Exchange

As has happened to me a couple of times in the past, I have been a partner in a failed stitching exchange. I never heard from Claudia whether or not she received the squares I sent to her for Round 13 of the Fair and Square exchange blog. Sadly, nor did I receive any squares from her. Her blog hasn’t been updated in a couple of months either, so I hope everything is OK. I know she was planning her wedding, so my hope is that she just got busy and that it’s not something more serious.

Thankfully, one of the volunteer replacement stitchers, Corinna (doesn’t blog), has stepped in and graciously agreed to stitch replacement squares for me. In the meantime, the exchange coordinator (Jill) said I should go on and feel free to share my finish pic since neither she or I have heard from Claudia at this point.

Design: Celtic Knot (May 2007 freebie)
Designer: Ink Circles
Fabric: 32-count Natural linen
Fibers: Soy Luster (Purple Haze, Easter Egg Candy, & Heliotrope)

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the monthly open stitch class at my LNS, so I’ll be heading over for that. We always have such a great time, so I’m looking forward to it. I’ll probably end up spending most of the day working on catching up on my Plum Blossom Kimono class piece while I’m there. I missed the first session of the class last month and really need to get caught up before the final class session next Friday. Since the kimono is designed by Margaret Bendig who is also the teacher for the monthly open stitch class, this will hopefully be the perfect chance to catch up.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Until next time …

10 July 2009

Cross Stitch, Needlepoint

3 comments

canvas, Exchanges, Fair & Square, kimono, Margaret Bendig

Off and Running with Mary

Well, my hope of starting the new project I mentioned in my previous blog entry came around sooner that I thought. Initially I said wasn’t going to start this piece until I finished the exchange piece I have due on June 15, but I just couldn’t resist. I started my version of the Mary Wigham 1790 reproduction sampler last night. I’m stitching her on 32-count Legacy linen from Picture This Plus using the recommended DMC fibers.

I’m so very pleased to see how much this SAL has taken off thus far. Jacqueline Holdsworth has done a wonderful job of organizing things on the Needleprint blog. There are coordinators in place for several countries, and many of them have set up sub-blogs so that the stitchers of the various countries can interact more and get to know one another better. The coordinator for those of us living in the United States is Shari. She has set up a blog for the U.S. stitchers which can be found here.

In related news, I was speaking with the owner of the LNS tonight and mentioned I was starting a new Quaker sampler. She immediately chuckled and asked if it was 24″ square. I told it was and then looked at her rather quizzically wondering how she knew. She told me that I was the third person she spoke with today who is stitching this sampler. The other two stitchers had been in the shop today purchasing the fabric & fibers to get started on it as well.

As for the rest of my day, I had a really nice evening with friends. It started out with dinner at a local Mexican restaurant after my physical therapy appointment. After dinner, we all headed over to the aforementioned LNS for an evening of stitching. As always, I had a blast! There’s nothing better than good food, good friends, and time to stitch.

While at the LNS, a couple of us who are taking an upcoming counted canvas class (Plum Blossom Kimono by local designer Margaret Bendig) picked out our fibers since we wanted an alternate colorway. My kimono will be done primarily in shades of green (to match my stitching chair) with burgundy, blue, and gold accent colors. I’m hoping to pick up my kit on Saturday during the monthly all-day stitch at the shop so I can start the homework stitching soon.

I also have to admit that I also succumbed to a brief lapse of willpower in my 25 project challenge. The shop currently has a Lizzie Kate trunk show going on, and all the LK charts are on sale. I ended up purchasing two charts (Fall Crazy and Just Text Me). I’m hopping right back on my no-stash train though! I won’t be purchasing anything else until I have completed my challenge. Promise!

Until next time …