Dinner, Movie and Christmas

Last night was a not very productive night. I stitched some small bits.
Here is a progress snap -


As you can see there are some new snowflakes, a bird, bell and even a snail. I did all this before I fell asleep in my chair ( a bad habit of mine). So there you go a very low key evening. We started off after Rico got home from his new job (yea!!!) and off to a celebratory dinner at Alice's. Then home again to watch "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid," 1982. This is a spoof of Film Noir and cuts classic b&w film into a contemporary murder film. Very entertaining!!

Not too much else going on - Thanks for stopping by!!!!

Take care,
edgar

Quaker Christmas and a couple of Flicks

Well, this weekend went as they all do.... I worked at the bookstore on Saturday and Sunday....and I have to say......what is it with adults just leaving children, I don't mean 12 or 13 year olds I mean toddlers 2, 3 & 4, by themselves while they shop!!!!
What on earth are they thinking!!!!
If you leave a small child by themselves in a large children's book department then there is nobody there watching them!!!
Wouldn't you think that if somebody was looking to abduct a child they would look where there would be lots of kids and then target the lone child left alone!!!
That seems pretty obvious to me.
Some of the things I have seen going on in that bookstore are just shocking, and not everybody is looking to pick up a "good book." A little vigilance goes a long way!!!!



I did get some stitching in on both Saturday and Sunday and here is the
Quaker Christmas progress -


I am now working the 1st page from the bottom up. I think when I add the red and gold that those will pop like little jewels across the face of this piece!!

Last night continued on TCM Oscar Movies - it was 1990's night and two of my favorite filcks were on - so it was a double feature!!!! First up was "Nightmare before Christmas", 1993, followed up by "Lord of the Rings - Return of the King" , 2003. In fact i really enjoy the entire trilogy.....and couldn't be happier now that "The Hobbit", 2010/2011 - is finally in production ( I feel like such a nerd getting all excited about these movies) - but I have loved these books since I was in 7th grade!!!!! So it was very good night!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

take care,
edgar

It's Friday.....

The little bit of stitching I did last night wasn't worth a picture, so none to share. I got so caught up in a PBS show called The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance that I was watching that and not really stitching. It was just fascinating and I learned tons about Florence and the Cathedral's Dome built by Brunelleschi. I remember seeing the Cathedral and knowing some of the history of the dome but not everything. The Baptistry is also a stunning building especially the Gates of Paradise, the north doors.

I think it will be a short one today.

Thanks for stopping by!!

take care,
edgar

QC, a Movie & QFRR

I worked once again on Quaker Christmas and finished the top medallions. One of the things I do each evening when I settle in to stitch is I set attainable goals that I think I should be able to finish in an evening. Last night the goal was to connect the top and right side and create a corner. Here is a snap of the piece -

I had a question from Itching to Stitch as to how many hours I work stitching in the evening. It varies sometimes I have 2 or 3 sometimes less sometimes more and then sometimes none. I like working within the goal system instead of how much time I put in - that to me sounds like a prison sentence and not too much fun. There have been times when I was stitching away and then I loose track of time and all of sudden it is 1 am. That does not happen often but it does happen occasionally. I think I get so wrapped up in what I am doing that I say "just one more piece of floss" and then that 1 turns into 4 pieces... time passes so quickly when I am working on this stuff.

I had a question from Annemarie about how I attached the lace to the Pyn-keep I sent to Wendy. As I said yesterday I couldn't find the right width of lace for the piece at Britex so I settled on a couple of yards of single sided lace from Spain. This I stitched onto the piece with the edge in the middle and then went back and stitched the other side with the edges touching in the middle. The seam that ran around the edge on the keep where the edges of the lace met I covered with the satin cording and those pearlized pins I like. I was going for an old fashioned looking valentine made out of soft fabricky materials instead of paper doilies. I was very happy with the results. For the back (which I don’t have a snap of) I used and faded floral pattern that picked up the same colours of the floss' I used.

TCM is having their annual Tribute to the Oscars showing Oscar awarded and nominated flicks. Last night they showed the Country Girl, 1954, with Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby. This movie won two Academy Awards… Best Actress, Grace Kelly and Best Writing, George Seaton. What a wonderful performance form Kelly, I can see why she won the award. The other lead was William Holden, one of my favorite actors of all time. He and Bing both give outstanding performances!!!! If you have not seen this film it is absolutely worth seeing.

The Quaker Friendship RR has a full complement of stitchers!! Woo-Hoo!!! I will be getting out an email in the next day or so. The group is: Carol R, Mindi, Wendy, Rowyn, Donna and Me. I think it is going to be lots of fun!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Take care,
edgar

El Cid, QC, Valentine Exchange & QFRR

I got my copy of El Cid yesterday and so I had to watch it last night. Let me tell you it did not disappoint!!! I have not seen this movie in the longest time and found it just as magnificent as I remember!! It was released last week in a limited collectors edition which included some extra stuff, but it was the movie and the disc two commentaries that I wanted. Well worth a watch if you get the chance. Sophia Loren is just stunning and Charlton Heston is as good as ever!! While watching this epic I was stitching away at Quaker Christmas and got to the top corner of the right hand side. Here is a snap -

This is an overall picture of the piece as it stands now.
I am very pleased with the way it is coming out.

I heard from Wendy yesterday that she received my Valentines exchange from the SBEBB.
Here are a couple o snaps of the piece and package -


It is hard to tell but there is lace around the edges. I couldn't find some that I liked that was wide enough so I had to double it up and I really like the way it turned out. The piece is a detail from AMAP - Victoria's Quaker. I used 4 or 5 different floss' both silk and overdyed.
Here is a snap of the package -


All that fire engine red makes the piece look really old fashioned. I couldn't resist the Peeps!! I even bought us some and they are the craziest tasting things - strawberry - I am always amazed at every Holiday that there are Peeps - I remember when I was growing up that they would only appear at Easter....now they are a year round treat..... the march of progress?
I had a lot of fun putting it together.

I forgot to show a snap of the stash I got in Louisiana. In a small shop in Baton Rouge I found a couple of things that I couldn't live without.


I think that the Christmas Sampler in Red is really nice and I have always liked the verse.
The Northern Exposure chart I had seen somewhere and like it also.

The Quaker Friendship RR is almost full - only one spot left - if you were thinking about it let me know. I placed an order with Vicki Clayton this morning first thing for some silk so that I can get it together and make up my mind for the colour choice......
There are way too many pretty silks out there!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Take care,
edgar

Some Stitching, Some Stash and an Invitation

On our trip to Louisiana I took Quaker Christmas to work on in the airports and during that odd spare moment of downtime. Here is a snap of the progress -


It looks kind of wonky because I just could not make it flat and straight, but you get the idea. I am really enjoying this piece and would recommend it to anyone interested! I think I am going to go in and add the red and gold bits before I finish as I had originally planned. I got some stash in the mail yesterday and here is a snap of the things that came -


I needed to some ideas for the Spring House exchange over at SBEBB. I have already worked out what I want to do for the Here's to Ewe exchange!!

Heres an open invite - I was watching the progress over at the Quaker Friendship RR and now that they have finished up I thought it would be nice to get another one going. If you are interested in joining this RR let me know - my email is edgarmatt @ g mail . com (remove the spaces) Basically we would each do a section and then mail it on to the next person. The original QFRR was with 6 stitchers and that seems to work out for the the chart. Here is a snap of piece from Wyndham Needleworks, but it is available just about everywhere. We would be using your choice of a lighter linen in 32 or 36 count and your choice of floss that will travel from stitcher to stitcher. I am really enjoying the HFFRR and wanted to do another one.

I think that about covers it for today! Thanks for stopping by, and let me know if you are interested in joining the QFRR.

Take care,
edgar

We had the best time visiting around and seeing everything there was to see. 4 days was not enough!!!! I guess we'll have to go back. Here are a few snaps from the trip....

Lets start off with one of my favorite places to eat...Waffle House, how can you beat a pecan waffle and sausage!!!! I think we ate there three times!!! If you have never heard of them they are small roadside eateries a kind of greasy spoon...but I love them and they don’t have them out here in he west!!
This is a picture of a paddle wheeler shot from the levee in front of Jackson Square looking towards the Aquarium of the Americas.

It is Mardi gras time and there were hundreds of places that were selling all sorts of masks and beads. All along Canal Street there were lots of people setting up everyday for the parades that come through.

Here is Cissy on top of the Levee with the St Louis Cathedral in the back with Jackson Square in front.

We had this twice at the Cafe du Monde..... Beignets and cafe au lait. Just delicious!!! It was so nice to relax and just sit and watch the people pass while eating these delightful yummies!!!

This is the inside of the Cathedral. It seems a little dark, it really wasn't, my camera is little.

Here is the main altar, just beautiful!!!

Here is the corner of one of the Pontalbo buildings that line both sides of Jackson square. They were built by the Baroness de Pontalbo. Dr. Christina Vella wrote a book called "Intimate Enemies" about the Baroness and how a strong woman can overcome and succeed over a tragic life. It is fascinating and a really good read!!!

I think I will leave off with a shot of the statue of the Maid of Orleans, Jeanne d'Arc. This statue is in front of the French Market and is really dazzling....and dressed in Mardi Gras beads!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Take care,
edgar