Hi Guys,
I have THE bestest friends who give me wonderful b-day gifts (yesterday was
my b-day)! Janet gave me a gift cert. to CATS and you gotta know I LOVE that!
She's done this for me several times and it's absolutely fantastic!!
My other friend, Valerie, is the one I have been introducing to various
types of needlework things that do NOT come in kit form! She started doing
needlework about 15 years ago when she & her DH lived in Germany. Kits were
the only thing available at the military base store so that's what she worked
on. Well, when I met her about 3 1/2 years ago and found out she did
needlework, we started to have stitch & bitch sessions. She was intrigued by
all the "different" stuff I did -- very little of it in retail kit form. She
still stitches on aida only and that's OK. What's great is that I have gotten
her to start using some metallics, blending filament, beads, etc. and do a few
decorative stitches that are suitable for aida.
So -- this is all going somewhere -- honest :-)). DH and I were over at her
house for a birthday treat and to get my present. I open up this gift and it's
a new type of hooked rug. You cut strips of fabric and hook them onto the rug
backing with a special crochet type hook that has a large eye on the opposite
end. First you thread some cording through the eye and then tie it to the
corner of the backing. Then you use the crochet hook to bring loops of fabric
to the top of the backing and you keep the loops on the shaft of the hook.
Once you get about half dozen of the loops on the hook, you draw the hook all
the way through pulling that cord through the loops. The cord is what keeps
the loops on the top of the rug. Looks like a lot of fun and I plan to bring
it with me to Charleston CATS.
This rug was not my only gift tho (it was what the doggie gave me). There
was also a nice gift bag with some tissue sticking out of it and what looked
like the tops of a magazine. I was right -- it was a really nice machine
embroidery magazine with some fun projects and interesting articles. There was
also a really neat pattern for a bargello piece called Ice Crystals by Susan T.
Kerndt. It's really a neat pattern but it's done in blue -- I.A.P!!! I'm all
excited when I see it though and tell Valerie that I will just have to do it in
purples. I tell her all about how I will take the chart with me to CATS and
buy the stuff I need there and will make sure that I show it to everyone!
So -- Valerie gets this funny smile on her face and tells me that's nice but
that there is something else in the bag. So I reach in again and there's this
rool type thing. Turns out that the brat has also bought me a LOVELY piece of
PURPLE canvas to use for the design!!! By this time, I am in awe! All of this
from a woman who is still a bit dubious about adding beads to a project! I was
soooooo pleased that she not only knew I would want to do it in purples but
that she took the time to get me a piece of canvas to use!!!
So -- I'm wrapping up the canvas and getting ready to put it and the chart
back in the gift bag when she tells me there's still something down in the
bottom of the bag. I dig around a bit and pull out another wad of "something"
-- I unwrap the "wad" of something -- there are ALL of the supplies I will need
to do this project -- IN PURPLES! She said she spent hours in the owner of the
LNS down in FL (near her MIL's home when she was there at Christmas) picking
out the stuff for this project! The supplies include a skien of Caron
Waterlilies (silk), a skien of Thread Gatherer (Silk 'n Colors), a skien of
Caron Impressions (silk & wool), a card of Rainbow Gallery Splendor (silk), a
card of Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid, a spool of Kreinik #4 braid and
last but not least a packet of Mill Hill beads!!! All of this from a woman who
is not comfortable using beads on a simple project!!
I was literally in tears! It was such a great surprise! This is the type
of gift that you might expect from someone who is an experienced stitcher.
Valerie isn't a novice but she IS a newbie to stuff that is not in a commercial
kit! I think the fact that she took the time and went to all the trouble to
make sure she changed the blues to purples is a BETTER gift than all of the
supplies! She said that the shop owner started to pull the colors listed and
Valerie stopped her immediately and said "NO BLUE -- my friend hates blue -- it
has to be purples" -- LOLOL!
VBS -- I am just sitting here with this big sappy smile on my face, happy as
a pig in slop that I have such dear, wonderful, thoughtful friends! Am I
lucky, or what?!?!?!? :-))))))) CiaoMeow ^;;^
..
PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ Queen of Kitties
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their
WHISKERS!!
Nothing is complete without a few cat hairs!