Hi, Everyone —

Today was the second day of classes and the last day of my first class, “Chicago Blues” with Joni Stevenson.  We made a lot of progress today and I feel confident that I will be able to finish this piece in short order.  Unfortunately, the newest techniques, like applying a line of music to the canvas, only get talked through because so much stitching has to be completed first.  Anyway, here’s my end of class progress:

I’m blue in Chicago because “Chicago Blues” has ended!

We ate at the Corner Bakery Cafe again for lunch today, but we didn’t even have to debate where to go for dinner since tonight was the opening banquet for seminar.  We had a speaker, Monica Ferris, who writes mystery books about a lady, Betsy Devonshire, who inherits a needlecraft shop, Crewel World, when her sister is murdered.  So now Betsy solves mysteries that happen to crop up around her shop!  While Monica learned various needlepoint techniques to support her writing, she was told — and this is for you, Linda M — “if you can count to five, you can do hardanger.”

At the opening banquet the special award winners from the needlework exhibit are announced.  The most prestigious award is the Princess Grace award and the woman who presented this award was the daughter of the Princess Grace award at a special needlepoint exposition in Monaco.  She said her Mother was a very modest woman who hadn’t ever told her of this achievement.  But the daughter said if anyone ever HAD asked her about it, her Mother would have said, “It was fun and I was happy.”  And doesn’t that sum it all up?

I’m on to my second class tomorrow for which I am the “angel”.  I think that means I take attendance and hand out evaluation forms, but I’ll have more to report on all of this tomorrow!  Sweet Dreams!

Cheers, Rosie