ETSY sale

I have posted a new design to my  ETSY shop. Serenity is a white work sampler that I call Ukrainian white work style. I added a few non traditional stitches and gave it a few tweaks so it can't truly be called Ukrainian, but it is heavily influenced by the technique. It was designed specifically to fit in a standard 8 x 10 inch frame with a 5x 7 inch mat. I would not suggest this as your first white work piece. Some experience is needed for this one.

I've added a 30 percent off coupon to my shop. It is good for your entire purchase - except Minnesota sales tax - and is valid until December 15th. I've done this because of the changes in VAT for digital downloads in the EU and UK which start Jan 1st. I do not have the legal and accounting knowledge to do these myself, and my income from those sales are not enough to pay for an accountant. As ETSY will not allow me to block certain countries, I will probably have to discontinue PDF sales after that date. If you were thinking about getting a chart from the shop, do it now!

The coupon code is TAKE30.

www.etsy.com/shop/TerriBayNeedlework

Student and Teacher

I've participated in two classes recently, one as a student and one as a teacher. Everyone can benefit from being a student, even the most talented and experienced of us. I was lucky enough to be able to take a Hardanger class from Marion Scoular. This was not sponsored by and group or chapter, we were just a group of ladies who wanted to learn headed by one very determined lady Kathie.

Marion is a fantastic teacher. She lead us through the steps of the piece giving us so many tips and techniques along the way.

  The main reason for me to take a class is to learn these little gems of knowledge from both the teacher and the other students. The lovely stitched pieces I come home with are a bonus!

 The second class was with the ladies of the Bella Vista EGA chapter. I had a wonderful trip to Arkansas and was spoiled absolutely rotten.

 We worked on two projects during the three days I was there; the Flowering Lotus Box and the intermediate level of the Interchangeable Diamonds.

 They will be able to work double cable stitches in their sleep after completing these pieces!

 As usual there were stitchers of all different skill levels.

 Teachers do expect to have students with different skill levels. Don't worry that you will fall behind. There are no prizes for the first one finished.

The best thing to do is to go to your class ready to learn and have fun!

State Fair Ribbons

I used to compete in my county and state fairs and I have a pile of ribbons to prove it. I Competed in the Washington county fair for seven years - 2006 to 2012, and the Minnesota State Fair for five years - 2008 to 2012.

It's a crazy big pile. I really enjoyed being in the fairs, but after a while I found that I was stitching what I thought would place well not necessarily what I wanted to stitch. To be honest, when I started designing and teaching professionally and could not compete in the fairs anymore it felt good to stop.

I thought that I was done with ribbons, but to my great surprise my designs won blue ribbons in two state fairs this year. So I kind of won ribbons by proxy. :-)

Mary C won a blue ribbon at the Minnesota State Fair with my Interchangeable diamonds series. She worked all three charts and had them framed together as a triptych. She does such beautiful work!

Donna F won a blue ribbon and a special award (yellow rosette) with the Flowering Lotus Box at the Maryland State Fair. Donna is a fantastic needleworker!

This makes me ridiculously happy. I think this must be what a proud grandparent feels like.

Just Cross Stitch Design

The September/October  issue of Just Cross Stitch is coming out now and I can finally post pictures of my design. This is the Autumn Lotus Box and the pattern is only found in JCS.

The Autumn Lotus Box 

 The Autumn Lotus Box with the all white version.

 I am also releasing the original Flowering Lotus Box for sale. It is on it's way to Hoffman Distribution and will be for sale at needle work shops soon.

If you can't wait, you can go to my ESTY shop and buy it there.
www.etsy.com/shop/TerriBayNeedlework

Summer Fun

I have been neglecting this blog lately! I've been busy having fun with my family and teaching classes. We took a family vacation to Lake Itasca, where the Mississippi River begins. Those that are used to seeing an immense body of muddy water may be quite surprised to see how clean, clear and tiny it is up here!

We stayed in a cabin in the state park and had fun making smores by the campfire. We also made lots of contributions to the mosquito food bank! It took two layers of insect repellant to keep them off of us.








This last weekend I taught two classes sponsored by the St Paul Needleworkers chapter of the EGA. It was so enjoyable to teach classes with very talented needle workers. They kept me busy flying through the stitches and instructions!

 The first class was this ornament.  This is the second version of this particular design. I taught the first version several years ago at a Nordic Needle retreat, but I never liked the corners in that version so I redesigned it and came up with this one.

Everyone in the class was able to work at least one repetition of each design element in this piece. There were no beginners in either class, and it showed. We made great progress both days. As a teacher I am so pleased when the pacing of the class works out this well. Sometimes classes can get bogged down and I leave at the end of the day wishing I had been able to teach more - or better. Not so with these classes.

 The second day was the Filigree Pocket. I came up with the idea for this one when I was visiting Savannah, Georgia and seeing all of the lovely fences and gates. The Blackwork and pulled thread work is intended to look like the fancy iron scroll and whirls on the fences and gates.

This class went a bit slower, not because the ladies were any less talented (in fact many of them took both classes) but because the design is more difficult. The eyelet chain heart alone has been know to make grown women cry - and curse! I am happy to report that everyone made it through the chain though there was some ripping of stitches and gnashing of teeth!

My New ETSY Shop

This has been an exciting time for me. I have been spending the last few weeks getting an ETSY shop up and running. I'm taking a leap of faith and offering PDF downloads. This way neither you nor I have to deal with costly and time consuming shipping. Paper charts are also offered for those who prefer them.

 www.etsy.com/shop/TerriBayNeedlework

I just finished the chart for my newest design and put it up in the shop a few minutes ago.

It is called Simple Pleasures and is a designed to be a first step into white work embroidery.

Now, can anyone tell me why there is so much cat hair on my computer?

I AM TAZ. RULER OF THIS HOUSEHOLD.

I has come to my attention that the oldest female human of this household has been taking credit for the designs and charts that are being created. Silly, deluded thing.  I have decided to set the record straight.

 My daily duties include supervising all social media posts and writing the needlework charts.  Sometimes I have to hold the female human's hand down to keep her from making foolish mistakes. Do you think she could possibly write charts like that without my help? Never!

 I also have to supervise homework sessions when the young female ones are home. They are distracted so easily.  Why do they insist on wearing those disks over their ears? It makes it so much harder for them to hear my instructions!

 Then there is the difficult task of prodding the human along in what she thinks of as "her" creative process.  It takes so much energy to project the designs into her mind. I find that I often have to resort to osmosis. Yes, we felines can do this.

 Quality control is a must. All silks must be tested for texture and softness.  It takes a very long nap to ensure that the silks are good enough to be used.

 The designs must be inspected to be sure they are pleasing to the eye and worked with a high level of skill.  Sadly the human often fails to achieve feline standards of perfection and must be supervised even more closely the next time she takes needle and thread in hand.

 Photo sessions are tricky. The human will sometimes take dozens of photographs leaving out the most critical element.  I have to remind her of this in the most obvious of manner. Subtlety is wasted on humans.

 Fortunately we are able to communicate with our counter parts around the world in ways the human can not comprehend.  Here my co-conspirator, Gus, takes over the supervision responsibilities while my human was visiting a friend in North Carolina.  He had the same difficulties with her photography session. How can she think a picture is good if it doesn't contain a cat?

My cousin, Chester, is ever vigilant.  He covers the needlework while working his neighborhood watch shift.  And humans think they are the ones who invented multi-tasking!

I fear that some year the humans may realize just who is controlling the Universe. But then I remember that I can get all the treats I want when I hold the pearl cotton hostage. 

Back to Basics

I was somewhat skeptical about how much I would actually learn in a Royal School of Needlework class.  Well, I learned that I am way to much of a skeptic.  The main phrase that keeps coming back to me is "Your piece will only be as good as it's foundation."  So true.  My class was taught by Nicola Jarvis.  It is a lovely Silk and Goldwork piece. 

This is my progress so far.  I have taken a few classes in the techniques in the past.  These classes focused on the stitches and getting the project as finished a possible during the class.  I ended up frustrated after them as I was never able to get the needlework to look like I wanted it to look.  The RSN class focused on the foundation of the piece and they ways to work with these materials.  I leaned not only what to do, but why to do it.  So many "Ah-Ha" moments!  Simple things like pulling gently on Japan thread and putting it under tension while coughing makes it lay flatter and neater.  I will no longer scoff about taking a class in a technique I already "know".  You never finish learning!  I encourage anyone who has a chance to take an RSN class.  I'm already saving up to take another!

I ended up taking quite a grand tour of the east coast of the United States on this journey.  The first leg of my journey took me from Minnesota to my parent's home in Indiana.  Then it was off to Williamsburg, VA for the class.  Next, I drove to Winston-Salem, NC to visit with one of my BSF's. (Best Stitching Friend)  Her cats gave my needlework the seal of approval.  And did the usual feline photo bombing.

Gus is giving the piece I've named Mediterranean Holiday a good sniff.  I did actually do some work while traveling and have finally finished the rough draft of the chart for this piece.  I need to proof it and send it out to pilot stitchers.  Here's a picture of it without a kitty:

I'll be staying put at home for a while now.  The garden is growing and the outdoors is calling.  I feel the lure of the all too short Minnesota summer!

I love Whitework!

That statement should not come as a surprise to those of you that know me.  I do a lot of whitework.  I could literally cover every surface of my house with runners and doilies and pictures and still have some left over. This is a band sampler named Flowers for Sue.

And now the Interchangeable Diamond Panels:

 This is my intermediate level.  The difficulty level with this series is mostly determined by the complexity of the eyelets.  I happen to adore eyelets.  There are some buttonhole and chain eyelets in it.

 This is the beginner level.  The eyelets are all either single, or the spot type.  Easy-Peasy!

This is the advanced.  There are lots of chain and shaped eyelets.  The cross eyelet at the bottom is especially vicious.  I had to rip it three times before getting it right.

 This is Winter's Dream.  I kept wishing it was warm outside and ended up filling it with flower motifs. There is a close up of the stitched band below.  I was fortunate to fine some pre-finished fabric squares with the lace already sewn on.  It makes finishing really easy, but centering really hard.

 This is my latest finish and is being proofed by pilot stitchers as I write.  it is another one of my travel pieces.  one of the best things about traveling with whitework is I only need two sizes of white pearl cotton. I don't have to be hauling around a lot of skeins of fibers and sorting colors.  Just throw in two balls of pearl and I'm good to go!  I started this one in Koln, Germany and finished it on  Tybee Island, Georgia.

 This is one of my first designs.  It's simply called the Diamond Ornament.  It uses Ukrainian style whitework and the Mereshka Poltavska technique.  It is a fun and fast technique.  I love the lacey look it gives.

 I am occasionally daring and add blackwork to my whitework.  This is a small table runner I designed several years ago.  It is one of my all time favorites.  No, I will not be charting this one for sale.  I am going to keep it my own one of a kind.

 And sometimes I play with shapes.  I was folding paper one night and this is what happened.  I've since designed five of these cute little Lotus Boxes.  This is my first one using my favorite techniques.  (Yes, white and black again.)  I also have a Bargello Lotus Box, and a Cross Stitch Lotus Box, but as they actually use color I will feature them in another blog.  The other two boxes are still under wraps, but I can give a few hints.  One is Hardanger and will be taught at an event that will be announced in October.  The last one is also whitework, but I have also worked it in fall colors.  That one will be featured in the October 2014 issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine.  Here is a little sneak peek: