It is a glorious day in SE North Carolina! If I didn't have to go to the dentist, it would be a PERFECT day. Oh well. When I get back I may sit outside and stitch...unless the sun is shining too brightly. Hard to believe that could be, but sometimes I have a hard time seeing if the light is too bright. Go figure.
However, that was not the case yesterday. My EGA "alumni" group got together to stitch, as we try to do on the third Monday of every month. (Our EGA chapter disbanded due to attrition, so the eight or so left just get together to stitch.) So I got to work on "Grace Mason". You see, I cannot work on silk gauze away from home. I have to have the perfect light and that can only happen under my Dazor. So, I made a little progress on "GM"...in between all the chit chat and laughing that keeps us all close. 
And of course, we digressed into an old, fuddy-duddy discussion of the sad state of the education system in the US these days. Have you notice that even journalists and people seemingly educated in the English language can't seem to complete a paragraph that is grammatically correct? Oops, I digress...again. I'll get off the soap box now.
And of course, we digressed into an old, fuddy-duddy discussion of the sad state of the education system in the US these days. Have you notice that even journalists and people seemingly educated in the English language can't seem to complete a paragraph that is grammatically correct? Oops, I digress...again. I'll get off the soap box now.So, I work on the Beehive at home, usually at night while I'm watching TV. It's almost done. All that's left is the background, which you can see I have started. 
I'm anxious to finish, but not looking forward to making the frame. The little 2x2.5 inch ones are a little scary to cut. When I first started making my own frames, just the sound of the power mitre saw made me nervous. I'm okay with it now. I make the frames for almost every piece I stitch. And I stitch about twenty or more pieces a year.
I'm anxious to finish, but not looking forward to making the frame. The little 2x2.5 inch ones are a little scary to cut. When I first started making my own frames, just the sound of the power mitre saw made me nervous. I'm okay with it now. I make the frames for almost every piece I stitch. And I stitch about twenty or more pieces a year. I started making my own frames because it was hard to find mouldings that were simple or plain enough for the type of samplers that I like to stitch. My framing goal is to show off the sampler, not the frame. So all those ornate mouldings were overkill. I learned how to do a faux finish that mimicked a birdsyeye maple and then I started looking for unfinished mouldings. I didn't have a lot of luck in frame shops, so I looked on-line and found what I needed. Now I buy stick moulding and cut and finish it myself. If I want something especially primitive I'll go to the home improvement store and buy a flat stick of poplar or pine, finish it, and distress it by beating it with a chain or pipe or rock. It's been an ongoing experiment. You can see some examples in the slideshow at the bottom of the blog.
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