It’s been an extremely stressful week with the house remodel. Except to getting new towel bars (who knew that was so hard?), the bathroom is done. The new door is installed after a fair amount of heartache because the company we bought it from couldn’t be bothered to give us or our contractor correct information. Now we are going to have to buy and install an awning over the door. It still needs painting though.
Unhappily, when doing the trim work on the door on Thursday, they screwed up the house alarm system. Some thing I discovered at 11 PM when trying to turn on the alarm. So more stress, more frantic phone calls, & more bother.
Happily, we found an inexpensive ramp for the new door and the new floor for my office has been ordered. Yesterday was spent packing up and moving most of my office so I’m in camp-out mode for awhile.
I was so stressed Thursday night I couldn’t even stitch. My needlepoint goals at the moment are very small. Finish the angel and a small Kate Dickerson woven ribbons box that will be a new stitch guide. I also pulled threads and will stitch a small San Jose Sharks round that will be a present for my son. I bought a round frame on eBay that was an inch smaller than described but the buyer would not take it back. Friday night I remembered this piece and it’s a perfect fit for the lovely silver frame. If his birthday was not before the trip I would be stitching it then.
In the midst of all this I’m going on a long weekend road trip to Portland with my son. It’s my belated birthday present. We are going to enjoy some good food, Powell Books, and a trip to the Portland Rose Garden. He is even will ing to take me to the needlepoint shop in town.
But it is a road trip and that means lots of time in the car and time for stitching. I’m planning what to take well in advance.
I have rules for travel needlepoint to minimize the amount of stuff I take.
- All projects should be small in projects bags & packaged with scissors, needle threaders, & ort containers.
- All projects should use stitches I already know or ones that are in portable, i.e. small, books.
- All threads for each project must be included.
- No projects should require beads, sequins or embellishments because they are too hard to handle in the car.
I’m going to take the last two kings from the Petei nativity to finish them up. I’m also taking the tiny Princess & Me nativity. My final project is a Princess & Me baby ornament for a friend whose baby is due any minute.
Now I have to hope the floor will go in while I’m gone.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Brenda's Needlepoint Studio says
Glad you’re taking a well deserved trip. Enjoy Portland.
Ainslie Carey says
This construction will pass! Hang in there.
I read in Needlepoint News about a 1973 Christmas Stamp featuring needlepoint. I would like to stitch it for myself but haven’t been able to find a canvas. Do you have a source? What’s the way to find old canvases?
Janet M Perry says
I think it wasn’t a painted canvas but there may have been a charted one. If I remember it was a pretty straightforward Tent Stitch design. If you could buy the stamp or an enlarged photo fit, you could probably stitch it from that.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Janet M Perry says
Thanks!
Keep stitching,
Janet