HAVING A THURSDAY

Well, I have not quite finished the class project, but I decided to post a pic anyway. This is "Wool and Flax" from La-D-Da. In addition to the gorgeous linen and silk, we made pretty beaded pins and received some perfect cording for finishing. I'm still leaning toward a frame weight for this one.

A frame weight (thanks for asking) is usually a heavy "pillow" that you can use when needlepointing. If you're doing stitches that require two hands and you don't want to use a formal stand, you can lay the canvas (in its stretcher bars) on a table and weight it at the top with a frame weight. Then your hands are free for laying, etc. I've always wanted one and have tried a few times to make one, but methinks this design will be just perfect! I suppose, come to think of it, that you could use it for cross stitching too if you needed two hands for something like a french knot...woo hoo!

(Edited to add: I just looked at the pic and realized that my "with willing hands" is totally in the wrong damn place! Frogging to ensue....)

So I am in the studio futzing about today. I found myself "should-ing" all over the place last night and I decided to put a stop to that immediately. So today is about play. Nothing else. Just futzing and playing and letting my brain look and love the stuff around me and take a mental breath.

This is a canvas from my stash called "Bohemian Paisley". The designer is Birds of a Feather. I've pulled lots of Flair, Splendor, Silk and Ivory, and perle cotton for this one. I tend to get really "matchy" when it comes to canvases and have a propensity for trying to use all the same stuff all the time. This is me trying to flex my creative wings a bit. I had let this canvas intimidate the heck outta' me in terms of stitches to use, but I am feeling pretty calm about it now and think I will just.....play.

Another Birds of a Feather canvas called "Yellow Vase with Flowers". This one is much smaller in size, yet more complex in terms of shading and colors. I haven't pulled threads for it yet, but this one is screaming "silk" to me. I have some gorgeous Waterlillies that might be pretty cool, and I do have a ton of Splendor that might work. Again, the stitch choices boggle my mind, but I am firmly commited to just getting a needle loaded and seeing what happens.

On the cross stitch front is a kit from La-D-Da called "Daisy Daisy". Sorry for the terrible pic. This is an exclusive available from Lori and is simply smashing in real life. Her email address is: lorimarkovic@hotmail.com if you'd like more info.

So no "SHOULDS" for me today. I have declared the Spinster Stitcher Stitchy Studio a "SHOULD FREE ZONE" and I intend to keep it that way.

Have yourselves a wonderful day! Ciao and thanks for coming!