web site blog

I've started a web site, which comes with a blog page. Here's the link:http://www.terribayneedleworkdesigns.com/tbnd-musings

I'll probably do most of my posting on there from now on. It is easier to have everything in one spot. Here is the link for the home page of my web site:

www.terribayneedleworkdesigns.com

I hope you'll go take a look and enjoy them!

Long Overdue

I've neglected this blog for way too long. After a crazy, hectic, fun filled and family full holiday season I am now spending past of the winter on Tybee Island, Georgia rather than dealing with the cold and snow of Minnesota. While it has been a lot milder in Minnesota this year it is still much warmer here on Tybee. And I have an ocean outside my condo.

The biggest news since my last post is that we are moving! We will be pulling up stakes from Minnesota and headed to Greenville, South Carolina. I'm looking forward to finding new stitching buddies, and EGA chapter and most importantly, shops! I've found a few already online. I am also quite happy about having a lot less winter. There are quite a few people I will miss, but I will not miss the snow!

Designing wise I've spent the last month preparing class proposals for EGA various seminars. The results of my labors are starting to come in, and I will be teaching at a regional seminar in 2016. I can't say more about it until the region does its announcement. Hopefully one or two more will come in soon! I am teaching at the Heartland Regional in April 2015 and the Carolinas Regional in June 2015.

Stay Warm out there!

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!