Road Trip

AOTH 012311

On Saturday, I went on a little road trip to Austin and spent the day at Ginger’s Needlearts. I met up with Missy, Michelle and Amanda. Missy had agreed to help me with remedial lessons in needleturn applique, so we spent part of the morning working on that. Thank you, Missy! We all brought show and tell and shared our WIPs too, which was great fun (and now Missy has me inspired to get to work on some of my Chatelaines!). After lunch, we stitched. I brought Snow Garden to work on, and actually managed to get a fair amount done on it (even with all my chatting!). It’s coming along, and I still hope to be able to meet my goal to get this block finished by the end of the month. I still have that house to stitch though, so we’ll see. But, it was a fantastic day and I was thrilled to get to meet some blog friends in person. And if you’re ever in the Austin area, you need to visit Ginger’s. Ginger was an absolute sweetheart and let us overtake her classroom for our get together.

It’s so fun to get to meet up with fellow stitchers and bloggers. In fact, in all the hubbub of the holidays, I think I failed to mention that I got to meet up with Natalie and Valerie over Thanksgiving too! We had a blast visiting together too. I’m a lucky girl!

Yesterday, Eric spent some time with me teaching me photo stuff. I’m gradually transitioning over into manual settings from the semi-automatic modes I’d been shooting in. It’s a bit frustrating, and I’m finding my photos are getting worse before they get better. But it’s worth it and in the end, hopefully, I will get to a level of photography that I’m happy with. And I always appreciate him taking the time to teach me.

Last night I worked a bit more on Camille, but here’s the photo of where she was before I started working on her yesterday. She’s really coming along. I decided to change the date on her. She was charted for 2006, but since I was going to have to rechart that anyway, I decided to change it to 1883. I’ll explain why when I finish her. Last night I finished up the scroll band and the band underneath it. Then I popped back up to the top and stitched the left urn. Once the flowers are finished in the urn, there’s only one band left at the bottom. She will be done soon!

Camille 012311

And in my effort to make Christmas last all year, I thought I’d share a couple more gifts with you. You may remember that my friend, Julia, and I exchange a friendship ornament each year. This year, it was her turn to fill it, and not only did she send me a beautiful gift but inside was also a handmade gift from my Goddaughter. She is just learning to sew, and look what she made for me…

Pinkeep from Elspeth

…a sweet little pinkeep, complete with an appliqued flower! What a treasure!

And another sweet handmade gift came from Sylvia. She made this fabulous travel lingerie bag (of course it was filled with some fantastic goodies including a Marie Antoinette pillbox purchased on one of her trips to Paris). I was absolutely thrilled that she used this gnome fabric. I may have (possibly) squealed when I saw it! Thank you, my dear friend!

Gnome Bag from Sylvia

More to come soon. I hope to be back with a finish of Camille before the week’s out (and maybe Snow Garden too!).

I am grateful for road trips, book swaps, lessons, and sparkly Chatelaines.

56 thoughts on “Road Trip”

  1. Your Snow Garden is coming along. I love the fabric you’re using. What is it?

    I commend you for taking the leap from automatic settings. I have a point and shoot and while I have used some settings other than automatic, I haven’t gone to any of the ISO settings, etc that I would have to manually set. It’s kind of scary!

    I’ll be looking forward to hearing more about your date change!

  2. Your Snow Garden is coming along. I love the fabric you’re using. What is it?

    I commend you for taking the leap from automatic settings. I have a point and shoot and while I have used some settings other than automatic, I haven’t gone to any of the ISO settings, etc that I would have to manually set. It’s kind of scary!

    I’ll be looking forward to hearing more about your date change!

  3. Some beautiful stitching – I have the Snow Garden in my crazy 15 starts. I’m planning on doing all the Anniversaries on one piece of fabric. We shall see! It’s fun to get together with friends, I had the same treat last week!

  4. Some beautiful stitching – I have the Snow Garden in my crazy 15 starts. I’m planning on doing all the Anniversaries on one piece of fabric. We shall see! It’s fun to get together with friends, I had the same treat last week!

  5. Lovely gifts and wips. Love your snow garden. I have it in my stash now waiting to be stitched but I’m not sure whether to do them all or not. x

  6. Lovely gifts and wips. Love your snow garden. I have it in my stash now waiting to be stitched but I’m not sure whether to do them all or not. x

  7. Beautiful stitching on Snow Garden. Can’t wait to hear why you’ve chosen that particular year.

    I too am a point and shoot kind of photographer. I’m not sure I have the patience to figure out all those settings on my camera. You’d think for all the money I paid for it I would want to take the time to figure it out!

  8. Beautiful stitching on Snow Garden. Can’t wait to hear why you’ve chosen that particular year.

    I too am a point and shoot kind of photographer. I’m not sure I have the patience to figure out all those settings on my camera. You’d think for all the money I paid for it I would want to take the time to figure it out!

  9. Ok, now I’m curious as to why you picked the year 1883 for Camille. lol! I’m looking forward to seeing a finish on Camille and your Snow Garden too. Glad you had a great time on your little get together. And nice presents you received too! I love that gnome fabric on the lingerie bag from Sylvia — so cute!

  10. Ok, now I’m curious as to why you picked the year 1883 for Camille. lol! I’m looking forward to seeing a finish on Camille and your Snow Garden too. Glad you had a great time on your little get together. And nice presents you received too! I love that gnome fabric on the lingerie bag from Sylvia — so cute!

  11. Your Snow Garden is coming along so nicely, Michelle! What a fun time, getting to meet up with all those stitching friends. Lucky you!

    I am envious of the fact that you have a professional teacher helping you learn how to use the manual settings on your camera. YGG! I’m eager to see more pics as you progress.

    Love the gifts! Lucky you.

  12. Your Snow Garden is coming along so nicely, Michelle! What a fun time, getting to meet up with all those stitching friends. Lucky you!

    I am envious of the fact that you have a professional teacher helping you learn how to use the manual settings on your camera. YGG! I’m eager to see more pics as you progress.

    Love the gifts! Lucky you.

  13. Great progress on your WIPs Michelle and the gifts you received are beautiful.

    I wish my DH could give me photography lessons, but I think it would be the blind leading the blind 😉

  14. Great progress on your WIPs Michelle and the gifts you received are beautiful.

    I wish my DH could give me photography lessons, but I think it would be the blind leading the blind 😉

  15. Your Snow Garden is really coming along great. I’m sure that you’ll be finished with it before the end of the month.

    I wish that I would take some time to learn how to use a camera correctly. But the one I have with a bunch of different lens isn’t digital so I don’t use it much – just my trusty point and shoot!!

  16. Your Snow Garden is really coming along great. I’m sure that you’ll be finished with it before the end of the month.

    I wish that I would take some time to learn how to use a camera correctly. But the one I have with a bunch of different lens isn’t digital so I don’t use it much – just my trusty point and shoot!!

  17. Camille is gorgeous – Love your Snow Garden – I had hoped to get January finished up but with trying to keep up with the Spanish Mystery SAL – not sure I will make it. It was fun hearing about your time in Austin – if I ever make it there again – I hope to visit Gingers. Love your gifties! Have a great week! Melody

  18. Camille is gorgeous – Love your Snow Garden – I had hoped to get January finished up but with trying to keep up with the Spanish Mystery SAL – not sure I will make it. It was fun hearing about your time in Austin – if I ever make it there again – I hope to visit Gingers. Love your gifties! Have a great week! Melody

  19. It was great to meet you in November! I am coming back in May so I hope to get everyone together again. I hope that it works out.

    Your Snow Garden looks great! I love the fabric too…are you using Meadow Rue? You’ll be done in no time.

    Camille looks great too. I need to take the time to learn my camera too. I take terrible photos! Yours are scads better than mine.

  20. It was great to meet you in November! I am coming back in May so I hope to get everyone together again. I hope that it works out.

    Your Snow Garden looks great! I love the fabric too…are you using Meadow Rue? You’ll be done in no time.

    Camille looks great too. I need to take the time to learn my camera too. I take terrible photos! Yours are scads better than mine.

  21. Congrats on fine stitching, fine gifts, and obviously fine adventures. Good luck on the cameraing. Someday I’ll be brave. …. someday…….. maybe.

  22. Congrats on fine stitching, fine gifts, and obviously fine adventures. Good luck on the cameraing. Someday I’ll be brave. …. someday…….. maybe.

  23. Your road trip sounded like great fun. Will wait anxiously for the reason for the date change. Love the little pinkeep your goddaughter made for you – just darling.

  24. Your road trip sounded like great fun. Will wait anxiously for the reason for the date change. Love the little pinkeep your goddaughter made for you – just darling.

  25. I love the little pincushion – what a sweet gift. I still have a bit of the gnome fabric – I may have to make you another something or other with it… just can’t think of what – but it will come to me.

    You have made good progress on Snow Garden – another one that I need to stitch – badly!!

    Camille for the finish – Goooo Michelle!!

  26. I love the little pincushion – what a sweet gift. I still have a bit of the gnome fabric – I may have to make you another something or other with it… just can’t think of what – but it will come to me.

    You have made good progress on Snow Garden – another one that I need to stitch – badly!!

    Camille for the finish – Goooo Michelle!!

  27. Michelle, I’m glad a good time on your road trip! Your Snow Garden is so pretty on that fabric. And I love the gnome fabric!

  28. Michelle, I’m glad a good time on your road trip! Your Snow Garden is so pretty on that fabric. And I love the gnome fabric!

  29. Sounds like you had a very fun time meeting your friends! Beautiful projects as always and such beautiful gifts. Enjoy Snow Garden. That was one of my favorite projects I stitched last year. The little applique pincushion is just priceless.

  30. Sounds like you had a very fun time meeting your friends! Beautiful projects as always and such beautiful gifts. Enjoy Snow Garden. That was one of my favorite projects I stitched last year. The little applique pincushion is just priceless.

  31. When I lived in Austin about 10 years ago, I was a member of the Austin Stitcher’s Guild and I used to shop at Ginger’s. Glad she is still up and running.

  32. When I lived in Austin about 10 years ago, I was a member of the Austin Stitcher’s Guild and I used to shop at Ginger’s. Glad she is still up and running.

  33. Dani - tkdchick

    I LOVE roadtrips and have gotten to meet so many wonderful blogging friends over the years and look forward to meeting more!

    Your WIPs are wonderful and you got some pretty neat gifts too.

  34. Dani - tkdchick

    I LOVE roadtrips and have gotten to meet so many wonderful blogging friends over the years and look forward to meeting more!

    Your WIPs are wonderful and you got some pretty neat gifts too.

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