May 16, 2016

STEMS AND LEAVES AND LEAVES AND STEMS

I'm learning so many things with this piece...

1. The only way to make it through a complicated section is to breathe, clear your mind of all doubt, and go for it.  

(And make sure to have vats and vats of a soothing beverage on hand.  Wine...tequilla...dietCoke....whatever floats your particular boat.)

2. Random means random.  It doesn't mean that you should spend eighteen hours charting and graphing to come up with the perfect mathematical configuration.

(This is where the tequilla comes in particularly handy...especially for those of us inclined to be a little on the retentive/OCD side of things.)

3. When you've stitched something and think you've screwed it up and are getting ready to rip it out, put down the scissors, walk away for a minute, and then step back about four feet and look at the piece from a distance.  

(This is really true when it comes to leaves and stems.  How many leaves and stems in nature are perfectly perfect and evenly stitched and completely balanced when viewed under a magnifier?  None, I tell ya.  None!)

4.  If tou take two strands of DMC Memory Thread and twist them together, the end result is lovely and will now enable you to find a use for the crate of it that you bought when it first came out, but that has been languishing up in your studio because you had no clue how to play with it.

Another seven or eight episodes of The Good Wife last night resulted in the completion of the stems and leaves. (At least the ones above the bird, that is.  The ones next to the nest are...next!)


So today is off to a good start.  We've read the paper, solved the puzzles, patted the pups, and are now heading to the lab to get poked and prodded. 

We want to send a big fat WOOOOO HOOOOOO Happy Birthday to Miss Charlene today!   If you're one of the lucky ones that knows her, then you know how lovely and special (and increibly patient) she is.  Happy Birthday, dear Miss Charlene!

8 comments:

  1. Piece is looking lovely! Just used memory thread to put runners on a sled by coiling it and running it down the blades. Thank you for the birthday wishes; you are much too kind.

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  2. The R word. I would rather listen to the F word and the C word than to see the R word in instructions. I do counted work for a reason and RANDOM has no place in it!!!

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  3. 1. Random does try one's soul but will make one stronger in
    the fullness of time. This one for Beth

    2. What a great thing is Memory Thread. A new one for me

    3. It is a great thing to know that there are people like
    Miss Charlene and our friend, Coni-the Spinster
    Stitcher in this world.

    Yahoo!!

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  4. This is turning out to be a delightfully whimsical piece,
    Coni....well worth the fretting and letting go of the fret.

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  5. It looks great and I believe the view from 4 feet away should be added to the manual.

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  6. Twisted memory thread! Inspired! But of course I don't have the right colors, off to the LNS...

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