the power of community

last night was the wednesday stitch-in hosted by the french knot. i was so excited to go, as we don't have a weekly group like this in new orleans, and i was unsure of what to expect.

i was immediately reassured when i was welcomed by sweet melinda and the entire group! it was such a treat to be surrounded by such talented women and stitchers. as a woman in my mid-twenties, the feeling of walking into a room without judgement was overwhelming.

i truly enjoyed the camaraderie and fellowship around the table. everyone showing their progress and ooh-ing and aah-ing over stitch and thread choices. i found that i didn't make very much progress at all on my own piece, as i was enraptured by what everyone else was working on!

on the drive home, i got to thinking about how the stitching community has impacted my life. how amazing it is that this large group of women shower each other with praise, encouragement and support. when someone has hit a rough patch in their project, there is always someone to offer ideas and be your cheerleader. there is no discrimination on where you are in your stitch journey.


ok, for everyone that hasn't had the pleasure of visiting the french knot in person, i snapped a quick picture of their petei santa tree.

apparently some of the gentlemen were not listening when i said "say cheese"...

walls and walls of thread? you got it!

judy was working on one of the sides for this precious longhorn pudgie, sold exclusively at the shop. this is the finished shop model. 

that's a lot of brown burmilana! go girl!

mary beth was working on this angel that is to die for! excuse the drool stain...

i had so much fun and came away with a new set of stitchy friends! i will always have a special place in my heart for the french knot, it's where i first learned how to needlepoint!

riding it out in texas...

it's been devastating to watch the coverage of my beloved city. it's even more devastating that it falls on the anniversary of that bitch katrina. 

thankfully my parents have provided a very swanky and comfortable refugee camp for me here in fort worth. no word yet on when exactly i will be returning, as most of the city and surrounding areas have lost power. 

i am super excited to be attending the stitch-in at the french knot tonight! i went in yesterday to get some great purple burmilana for hubby's tcu belt. (after all, they know that color better than anyone!)

 thank you all so much for your support, i am so blessed to have such a great community of friends!

well it's official, i'm evacuating...

to my parents' home in fort worth. this weekend saw tropical storm isaac take a turn straight for our coast, and since i'd rather not stay and take my chances, i'm hitting the road! my evacuation stitching bag is stocked and cricket's diaper bag is packed. 

prior to our hurrication, i did manage to finish this...

i love love love it!

the flowers are my favorite. colonial knots in neon rays. 

blogging may be few and far between for the next few days, but i will do my best to keep you posted! texas here we come!

lazy stitching

i've been lazily stitching away on my tote bag. no deadline, no pressure...and it's been perfect. i am typically so OCD about finishing projects, so i've given myself permission to be lazy. 

will i stitch this weekend? probably. but i'm not going to put extra pressure on myself. 

here's where i am currently am (i finished a little more after this photo). since this is mine, i went with my fave background, le pavilion diamonds. the yellow flowers under the chair will be last. 

i have some ideas on how to tackle the poinsettia leaves this weekend. i am SO ready to move on to more exciting areas!

hope your weekend is wonderful and filled with fun! we're going to be on pins and needles with the impending doom of hurricane isaac. cross your fingers!

a break from the leaves

instead of fretting about the leaf dramz for another night, i picked up this old friend. i need to clear my mind, take a pause, and focus on something else for a while. 

since the adirondack chair is my tote bag, i'm not in a hurry to finish it before christmas, but it would be an extra bonus if i did. i lurve the diamonds for the background!

here's everything that's going to the finishers this weekend. i'm making a detailed list of which river silk goes with which canvas for the hanging straps. i'm printing off a few images for reference so they know what i want. 

i'm really happy with how these turned out and can't wait to see them finished! the small sizes on these make them addicting to stitch. 

perhaps this weekend i'll check in with my lady, but i'm merrily plugging along on the remaining bags!

how about this one?

still trying to find the perfect stitch for the poinsettia leaves. this was the latest effort. 

i liked it better last night, but i'm still not quite in love. may try some different thread, the coverage just isn't where i want it. 

also got some lovelies in the mail from the needleworks!

these will be my mom and dad's christmas presents for next year. they represent where both they, and their children all went to school. i have loved watching how fast they stitch up, and can't wait to pull them out for next year!

please feel free to voice your opinions on the me vs. poinsettia leaf case. i do love all your ideas!

rainy days and mondays

it rained non-stop this weekend and makes me want to go climb back in bed this morning

(or maybe it was those two hurricanes from pat o'briens)

saturday night was spent in the french quarter for a friend's last night in new orleans (she's moving to washington dc for another job opportunity) so we had a girls' night out. fast forward to yesterday where i spent 92% of the day on the couch not stitching. hah!

it's a miracle that i actually have progress to show!

thank you for all the sweet comments on her dress, i really love how it turned out. i like how it picks up the shape at the top of her crown and adds a really nice subtle effect. 

started fiddling around with a leaf stitch on the flower. i'm not crazy about the coverage/size so i'll continue exploring. 

hope you had a great weekend!