Yesterday was Day 2 of Toni Gerdes’ Autumn 3 Ways. Whereas on Saturday we concentrated on each ot the 3 techniques for the leaves, day 2 focused on the borders, which are dramatic. There are 5 borders, each more dramatic than the last. We spent time working on each border in turn, especially since it was needed to place the next border. Border 4 that looks like ribbons is really multi-trip Herringbone done in 16 passes! Each of the borders took some time to get the pattern but then flowed very well.

My progress – day 2

Toni was a phenomenal teacher who took the time we needed and always made sure we understood and we’re counting correctly! I thoroughly enjoyed this class even though I still have a long way to go. It was definitely worth my time as I learned several new techniques as well as have a piece I love!

Diane

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I’m a little bit behind in the blogging. But here goes. With much anticipation and excitement, I set off for Myrtle Beach on Friday. My 89-year-old mother-in-law, who lives a half a mile from where the pope slept in Philadelphia, warned me to not come anywhere near Philadelphia on Friday. That left an interesting dilemma as I was taking the exact route that the pope would take later in the day. Diane came to my rescue and suggested a westerly route through Harrisburg and then head south. So, I did not have to worry about running into hordes of visitors going to Philadelphia. One advantage of taking the car is being able to take anything your stitching heart desires. Look at the pile of bags at the top of my steps.

Of course, on my way, I had to stop at needlepoint stores. My first stop was in Washington DC. I went to see The Point of it All. It was quite aesthetically pleasing. What I noticed however, was that there were far more 13 mash painted canvases then 18 mesh. I did not see any charts for counted work at all. Also, the people working in the shop, as well as the customers who came in, all worked in hand. I was surprised by these elements. Although I didn’t buy anything, I’m not sorry I went. I’ve been curious about the shop for a while.

Back on the road again, I made my way to Richmond, where I was to spend the night with a friend I had made during my Smocking Arts Guild days. We had not seen each other in well over 20 years. However, we had a great time catching up. She took me to two needlepoint shops in Richmond, across the street from each other! The first one, Jermies, has been in business for 40 years. They had lovely canvases. I noticed that just like in The Point of it All, the edges of the canvas were finished with sewn on bias tape. It was really a clean and neat way to finish off the raw edges. Jermies also had find linens. Interesting combination!

The second shop, The Stitching Studio, didn’t look like a needlepoint store from the outside. Once you got in, it resembled more of what we have in New Jersey. It was just much smaller. The store owners were quite nice.

My last stop in Richmond, was my friends own store. She used to own one of the finest antique stores in Richmond. She “retired” two years ago, moved to a new location and opened up an heirloom sewing/smocking/quilting store with the finest fabrics and laces in the area. She is starting to concentrate more on the quilting fabrics. In addition, she also had beautiful gift items. I had great fun seeing what she did with her space. Lastly, she’s an Elna sewing machine dealer. Her house had at least six sewing machines in it.

Today was a relaxing, kickback day. I became acquainted with what the seminar has to offer. Of course my favorite activity, besides stitching of course, was viewing the exhibit of all the beautiful pieces sent by ANG members.

Tomorrow I have the first day of my three day class. Wish me luck!

I am trying a different app to write this blog. If it looks or acts strange, please give me feedback. Thanks!

Seminar is now in full swing! Classes started on Friday but my first class was Saturday: Hark the Herald Angel by Susan Hoekstra. First order of business was correcting the class sign – we had a “Herald Angle” – and getting all the lights working.

It is great catching up with Susan. For many years, we were fortunate to have her in our chapter. But now she has moved north so events like Seminar and Needlefesr let me see her again.

We made great progress on the angel. Work was done on her sleeve, wing belt and bodice. More to come on the rest of her dress.

Day 1 Progress

It is really terrific that the angel can be finished by the stitcher (with some help from friends in stretching the canvas). Susan and her husband have made the wooden angel form, trumpet and stand so I should be in good shape (well, maybe just ok) to finish her.

Day 2 Progress

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I’m taking Toni Gerdes’ class called Autumn 3 Ways. Believe it or not, we did no stitching until this afternoon as we spent the morning learning to attach fabric to the canvas and needle felting today. Just picking the fabric to use for the leaf on the top left was an experience! Learning to needlefelt the leaf on the right meant picking what colors felt roving we wanted, then figuring out placement on the canvas, as well as learning to use felting needles with the felting block (hint: the needle must go in straight!)

Learning to Needlefelt

Day 1 Progress

I’ve definitely been outside my comfort zone in this class but Toni is an excellent teacher. Her instructions are very clear, she repeats instructions, and she is more than willing to answer questions. I’m looking forward to Day 2 of this class.

Diane

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I arrived at the Sheraton this afternoon in prep for Seminar classes starting tomorrow. After checking in, I registered and then visited the the boutique, which is run by The Needle Nest of Columbia, TN. They have lots of painted canvases, especially some interesting ones that once stitched are finished as 3D sweater ornaments.

Then Sue, Rosie, and I found an interesting little restaurant called Croissants Bistro & Bakery and had an awesome dinner. It started with the fresh, hot baguette they brought to our table with cream butter with Maldon sea salt and black eyed peas hummus. For those who don’t know, Maldon sea salt is from England and is hand-harvested with the distinctive flaky texture and taste that lends a certain piquancy to virtually any dish.

Sue was looking for something light so she had crab asparagus salad with avocado and mandarin orange vinaigrette. Rosie was also looking for something lighter so she had 2 appetizers: mini crab cakes and then tuna poke with balsamic vinaigrette for which she also asked for some extra baguette, which was a perfect complement. I decided to go with a regular dinner of the Bistro Chicken, which was 2 large chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto and cheese on a bed of pasta, spinach, dried tomatoes, and tomato sauce. It was to die for and I even have lunch for tomorrow!

Then Sue and I decided we needed to have dessert after looking at this wonderful display case for the entire meal.

Dessert case at Croissant Bistro

We chose the triple chocolate mousse cake, which like the rest of the meal was outstanding.

For those attending Seminar and looking for an interesting place for dinner, we highly recommend Croissants. Its website is http://www.croissants.net and it’s a 5 minute drive from the hotel.

Now, it’s time to get some sleep as class starts at 8:30 tomorrow. My stitching bag for Toni Gerdes’ Autumn 3 Ways class is ready to go!

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Today dawned a bit rainy and overcast. Lucky for us, it slowly cleared, a watery sun came out, and it started to warm up. I took a long walk on the beach which had a lot of others walking, relaxing, hunting for sharks' teeth, and even swimming! Despite a strong breeze from the north, it was a great walk.

Later, Carol and I decided to play tourist and played a round of miniature golf at the Hawaiian Rumble course, the #1 rated course in America and endorsed by the PGA. Unfortunately due to the rain, the volcano wasn't working so we didn't get to experience its rumble! Neither of us managed to hit par, however we did each get a hole in 1! It was a lot of fun especially since neither of us had played mini golf in years.

Meanwhile Sue did some more stitching on her humbug. Carol and I also got to do some more stitching before it was time to finish cleaning up and get ready to go to the Sheraton for seminar.

Thanks Carol for arranging a wonderful spot for us to relax and get in some stitching and camaraderie before Seminar classes begin.

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It is hard to believe that this morning I was sitting on a fifth floor balcony overlooking the ocean watching the beach walkers and waves, and now I am in my hotel room at the Myrtle Beach ANG Seminar, 2015! I did accomplish some stitching on my Summer Wonderful Humbug by Ada Haydon, a CyberPointers chapter meeting project this morning before packing and getting ready to leave our retreat hosted by Carol. I am currently working on the ladybug walk section.

Summer Wonderful Humbug

My first class begins at 8:30, my stitching bag is packed and ready to go!

Sue

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Rosie left Wednesday morning and Diane arrived in the evening after a minor detour inadvertently to the same address in Myrtle Beach, which unfortunately was 1/2 hour south of where she was supposed to be in North Myrtle Beach! When will I learn to check the map rather than just trusting the GPS?!

Carol, Sue, and I had dinner Wednesday at a lovely Bistro that Rosie and Carol had eaten at earlier in the week. The food was fresh, plentiful enough to bring home for Thursday’s lunch, and quite delicious. The apple vinaigrette salad dressing was unique and light but flavorful. We passed on dessert, although the tiramisu was really tempting.

Thursday was gloomy although the sun kept trying to peek through. Sue and I tried walking on the beach but were turned back by the rain. We enjoyed being inside stitching, listening to the rain, while staying dry. Diane made progress on another block of Serengeti and the first ribbon on Razzle Dazzle, Sue made significant progress on Summer Humbug and Kurdy Biggs’ Diamond design, and Carol has begun work on the sky on her Cow Jumped Over the Moon nightlight.

Thursday progress

We did venture out to do some food shopping particularly for breakfasts during seminar. Meanwhile, there were a few brave fisherman and others on the beach right outside our condo.

Looking North from our condo

Looking South from our condo

Dinner at Flying Fish was excellent. The fish was fresh, delicious, and plentiful enough to bring some home for lunch Friday.

Tomorrow we head over to the Sheraton for the start of Seminar and the arrival of many of our members.

Diane

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