When stitchers get together...

Last Wednesday I went to Edmonton for my MRI so the doctors can figure out what's wrong with my shoulder. Lucky for me I have a stitcher friend living in that city. When she heard I'm coming, she generously invited me to stay with her. Let me tell you, she didn't have to say it twice! We stayed together while on the stitching retreat on Quadra Island last fall and we had an awesome time. Wanda travels to China a lot but, luckily for me, she was not traveling during my stay there. She even took couple of days off work so we can stitch together.

On the 18th of January the weather was beautiful. It was cold, just below -35 but nice and sunny. The view from the plane was breath taking away

While on the plane I was working on the Rose Sampler

and later at Wanda's on Protective Care

The top is just a dark background, very boring to stitch. I'm hoping that this week I will "get to" elephants and then stitching will become more interesting.

Wanda picked me up from the airport and we went straight to Polish Delicatessen. I felt like a little girl in a candy store. All long forgotten tastes of Polish food... I brought with me an empty suitcase so I can take home with me a good supply of Polish sausages and other delicacies.

My appointment at the hospital wasn't till eight in the evening and we had couple hours to kill so we went for a light supper and talked, and talked, and talked...

It was great, the first day and I'd accomplish everything - the shopping and the hospital were off the way. Next day it suppose to be our stitching day and movie night, how exciting is that!

And it was! We stitched and talked, stitched and talked, and had no idea when the day went by. It was time for a movie. I really wanted to see The Iron Lady and Wanda had this movie on her "to watch" list, so we went. And let me tell you - after the movie was over and credits came on, the whole audience was glued to their seats. If a mouse was running across, we could hear it. It was shocking. I needed a glass of whiskey after the movie...

Margaret Thatcher is a fascinating woman who changed the world for better (in my opinion),  who knew how to defend herself. I believe she was enormously significant and her influence extended far beyond Great Britain and far beyond her moment in power.

She was larger than life and she is my inspiration for most of my adult life. The movie shows and old woman with dementia. There was nothing relating to the Iron Lady she was, just an old, troubled woman... Meryl Streep played her role very well - role of an old lady... I guess she did what she was told to do... Anyhow, the movie title is absolutely wrong and misleading. There is no portrayal of Thatcher as an "Iron Lady".  Instead we get the wishful dream version of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

There is a shocking absence of her strong moments:  the speeches, the war, her dominance of foreign affairs, her presence in the House of Commons, her Falklands war. Thank goodness for the you tube.

I like watching good movies more than once, this is a movie that I will never see again but I'm glad I saw it.

Friday morning we stitched again and just before we parted, John (Wanda's husband) took a pic of both of us:

I'm the one in red, Wanda is proudly displaying Cape Cod Girls - her latest WIP.

So long my friends,
Evalina

It was a cold day in the Yukon

It was, yesterday

Couple of years ago I set the cutting off point at -35 degrees Celsius, meaning that I will not start the engine in my car when temperatures reach -35C. Cars do not like cold temperatures. So I was home bound and I liked it. I finished my assignment for accounting course I'm taking and I stitched, and stitched.

With a horror in my eyes and heart almost stopping I noticed that I'd made a booboo in my Halloween House. I was sick when I started that project and maybe I can blame my cold for what happen. Mistakenly I turned my stitching 90 degrees and instead having fabric in landscape  layout, there it was - portrait. My fabric piece was too big for the project and for some unknown reason I did not trimmed it, thank goodness. So I start measuring and counting and it look like there will be enough width with an edge of barely 1 inch. I didn't trust my counting so I stitched a whole width of the project

and there it was, an inch and the quarter left on the right side. I'm safe, now I can stitch in peace. The project will not be centered nicely, but is doable. I'm finish it as a wall hanging so I'll be fine.

Now, I need your expert advice. The boarder is design as cobwebs and I do not like the way I started. (Click on the picture for more detailed view) I'm stitching these cobwebs with 1 strand of #415DMC. I tried long stitch and back stitch over 2 threads and I do not like effect of any of them. What to do? What I'm doing wrong? Please help! I think I  need a course in back stitching!

I have a new start... I know, I know, I thought I'm cured from startitis but Minnie of All xx's is stitching Sampler Rose and I wanted to stitch it since 2008. When I look at her WIP the urge was stronger than my sanity and I asked Minnie can we have a little SAL going. She said YES! Thank you Minnie, here is my new start:

I'm stitching it on 32ct antique white Jobelyn with Fall Splendor from Carrie's Creation. I hope it will not look so "noisy" with all the colors. My other choice of floss was DMC # 115 (red/dark burgundy variegated ). Will see after I have a little more done.

So long my friends,
Evalina