Time Flys When You Are Having Fun

 

It has been ages since I last posted.  Would "BUSY" be an appropriate word to use here?  So much of my late spring and summer was taken up with activities involving baseball and my grandson Axel.  He is a baseball playing machine.  He was on a Babe Ruth Minors team in the Spring, made the All Stars and his team came in 4th in the state of Colorado for their age bracket (10-11 yr. olds).  Then it was on to Summer Ball.  Once school started we let him sign up for football.  This was a first for him.  Not sure he enjoyed it all that much - too much contact against his position of running back.  He also got an offer to be on a competitive traveling baseball team that will practice all winter to be ready for spring and summer tournaments in 5 states.  Of course, it was a major decision making time in our household as this requires some traveling monies, etc.  In the end, his father said OK and he began practicing with the team in September.  Football is over and we are still in baseball mode.  Did I mention I LOVE KID'S BASEBALL?  It is a thrill to watch Axel excel in the same sport his father did as a youngster.  He is actually having opportuniy now to do what his dad didn't do until he was 15.  As long as his grades hold up and he is happy to play we will let him enjoy the ride.....

We also took our annual summer trip to LasVegas.  Great fun as usual.  I waslucky and brought home some of their money.   I put the money in my STASH budget and took it with me to the CQI Retreat in Utah in September.  Got to visit with many old and new friends.  There were some great workshops held on Color Theory, flower making and such.  I taught one on how to make bracelets from strips of torn fabrics, wire, beads and funky fibers.  I also got some good buys at the vendor tables set up by the other retreat participants.  I may have picked up a couple of pouonds eating the tasty offerings of Gerry K. who acted as chief cook for the lot of us.

We went shopping one day at Shepherd's Bush and a local needlepoint shop.  I used that Vegas money wisely to buy books, books and more books.......and of course some other stash to make stuff  I saw in the books!  Connie warned me that there might not be enough room in the car on the way home to bring back what we had both bought but we managed to get that car packed and not a book, a ribbon, a piece of fabric or a bead had to be left in Utah!

In early October I took a workshop at the Pikes Peak EGA Chapter's meeting.  We learned wool on wool applique methods and made a darling candle mat.  I really liked learning about the 2 different fusible interfacings the instructor used in the project.  This was also a chance to brush up on my Blanket Stitch and French Knots.  If you have not tried the nylon tricot interfacing you really should!  It leaves the fabric just as drapable as before the interfacing was applied.  I L-O-V-E it!!  Here is a picture of my completed candle mat.



Rocky Mountain Crazy Quilters arranged for 2 workshops with Hellen Gibb.  Helen is a master at making Ribbonwork Flowers.  In the morning class we learned how to make the full blown rose out of wired ribbon with the prairie point leaves.  This is a great flower for a corsage, to put on a hat or a tote.  You could even put a stem in it and make a vase of life sized roses.  We also made the life-sized pansy and leaves from a scalloped ribbon.  Pansy is one of my favorite flowers so I will be using this many times on future CQ blocks and gifts for friends.

In the afternoon class we learned the carnation (lots of fraying of ribbon allowed), the small gold rosette with a knotted center.  I have alredy mde more of these and put them on hedbands for Grace and Belle. a really fun and beautiful flower was the flat rose made from velvet ribbon.  I have seen this flower made out of satin and similar ribbons but handling the velvet ribbon was a challenge. We put that rose into a Hanna Silk ribbon rosette on a crinoline base.  I think I am going to remove the ribbon rose temporairly to put some stamens in behind it, allowing them to lay into the gathering folds of the rosette.  Then I will place the velvet rose back where it belongs.  Not sure yet how I will end up utilizing this particular flower but I do have a hat that looks like it might be a good display place for it......h'mmm.  Here is a picture of what I made in the classes with Helen.



Of course there have been many other things taking my time away from blogging.   Wrote a new Redwork Course for StitchMAP over the summer and am curently mentoring over 15 for that course.  They are in turn mentoring another 25 between them...what a great group of ladies.  I did spend some of my late spring and early summer embroidering quite a few samples for photos to be used in that course.  I also managed to complete some embroidered some tea towels and begin basting of another EGA project which I will be taking a workshop on in the spring.  The workshop will be on how to assemble the project once it is stitched.  Hint:  It is a mathematical puzzle of construction techniques.  I will post photos and reveal that secret project next spring.  Hopefully, I can find time to post again before then........  How do the ladies who post every day or even once a week find the time???  I feel so inadequate, lol.

Now it is time to get back to my mentoring duties and writing more Challenges and classes for StitchMAP.

Shari