Travelling again

I will probably not post again for a week or so. We are heading back to Las Vegas. It is still kinda hot there, but not AS hot and will begin cooling down soon. I am looking forward to getting settled again. Everything is packed & we will be driving down tomorrow. The kitties know something is going on, but haven't figured out what yet LOL!

Just a quick hello!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to check in even though I have no pictures to show you. Oh, I know! I'll post pix of the kitties! I am now in serious packing mode & have lots of things to do around the house to get it set up for DH to live alone for awhile. Kitties get their nails done this week too so they will be easier to handle if they get freaky and also they won't tear up the car upholstery! They are good kitties & I'm sure they will be fine.

Here is KC, relaxing, and Sweet Pea is guarding the boxes.

Bitter Springs Trail in the Muddy Mountains

Sunday, my husband and I did a little 4-wheel drive "adventure" in our jeep. We did the Bitter Springs Trail in the Muddy Mountains which is NW of Las Vegas. It was pretty rough driving, although we've done harder. The Buffington Pockets are sandstone formations that are just spectacular. Here are pix of just some of the wonders we saw! The colors were much more brilliant than the camera could record. I want to pull threads this week before I forget! Maybe I can do a Bargello!

We had our lunch at what we think was an old mine site, not much there now. The whole trip took us about 5 hours. It was a lovely day!

Vacation Goodies

These are the 2 patterns I bought in Victoria, BC, at the Button & Needlework Boutique. You can visit this shop at www.buttonedup.com to see how nice it is and even order online.
The first pattern is by Sue Coleman of the Stitching Studio and is a darling pattern of a seal and her pup with a NW Indian design in the background. This piece was worked up and displayed as a model in the shop. It is so cute & couldn't resist it!
The other is a booklet containing 3 charted NW Indian designs. These would stitch up beautifully. Maybe I'll try to put them all in one long piece? If I live long enough!

Tomorrow we drive to Las Vegas. I hope I have remembered all the stitching things I will need there this winter! If not, the LNS is a good one!

NeedleArts Mystery Retreat 2009 Pictures

I didn't get pictures posted yesterday, so here they are. They aren't very good, but they're the best we're going to get right now. Above are the top and bottom details, and to the left is the whole piece. As you can see, I didn't get all that much done! The canvas is Eggshell, the colors in the piece are ecru, sage greens, a soft rose, and metallics. The stitches are wonderful, many are new to me and some are quite a challenge. These teachers are "known" for making up new stitches! I won't be able to stitch on this again for several months. I actually left the piece down in Vegas (I flew back to Reno this morning). I have other projects that demand my immediate attention, so I figured I'd just save it to work on when I go back down there in the Fall.

NeedleArts Mystery Retreat 2009

The Mystery Retreat is over and now I have a huge project to finish! I highly recommend this retreat! It is relatively inexpensive as these things go. You get a mystery project that has distinct sections, each designed by a different teacher/designer and then each section is taught by it's designer. It is a super concept and the retreat was a lot of fun. The photo shows the prework finished; sorry about the photo but it is ecru thread on eggshell canvas & just doesn't show up very well!

Day 1: The morning session was with Linda Reinmiller. Linda designed and taught the bottom section of the piece, which she calls Starry Night. Many of the stitches she used are star variations, layered stars, spider stars, multi-colored stars, large & small. Linda's instructions are comb-bound and her diagrams and directions are the best!! I've taken a class from Linda before and she is always very well prepared. Can't get much done in 3 hours, but we tried!
The afternoon class was with Pat Hartman. Pat designed and taught the top section of the piece, which she calls Desert Ribbons. The stitches are Bargello patterns, wrapped stitches, herringbones, leaf stitches, rhodes variations. Again, 3 hours just isn't very long! In class, I only completed 4 trips of the 6 trip Herringbone! We wrapped up before 4PM as most of the ladies were anxious to get to Stitcher's Paradise for a shopping spree!

Day 2: The morning class was with Debbie Rowley (DebBee's Designs). Debbie designed & taught one of the side sections, which she calls Child's Play. Stitches are layered, padded, Crescents and Jessicas, Rhodes and fillers. Debbie's instructions are spiral bound and her diagrams and directions are excellent. Debbie had us work on a doodle cloth as some of her stitches need to be learned before putting them on the "real" canvas, especially the Double Fan Doubled!!
The afternoon session was team taught by Pat Hartman and Mary Knapp. This section was designed by Linda, with input from Pat & Mary, and it is called "emergenZ". This is the center section of the piece and is kind of a "Z" shape. It uses stitches such as Crescents, Amadeus, Rhodes, Jessica variations, couching and woven stitches. Again, Linda came through with comb-binding and superb written instructions and diagrams.

Day 3: Just a morning class today, and it was with Mary Knapp. Mary designed and taught the other side section. Mary's stitches are fans and eyelet variations and an unusual Star in the center. We got more done in this morning session, but ended early as some of the ladies had planes to catch. Some of us kept stitching till noon though.

We had a lunch buffet both days that was very nice, salads & sandwiches. The facility was lovely and well air conditioned! A must for Las Vegas in the summer! Again, I highly recommend this retreat. All of the teachers are excellent and the projects are beautiful. It is an annual affair, so keep tuned to their website for next year's location. www.needleartsmysteryretreat.com There should be a picture of this year's Mystery on the website soon.

I will stitch on the piece today and add some pictures later.

Mystery Retreat

Today I am flying to Las Vegas (I must be nuts, it is 107 degrees there!) to attend the Mystery Canvas Retreat, go to www.needleartsmysteryretreat.com for details. This years Mystery is a 2-1/2 day retreat, featuring classes with Pat Hartman, Mary Knapp, Linda Reinmiller and Debbie Rowley (DebBee's Designs) who have created a Mystery design for us. I have completed my prework and am on my way. Since we have a house there, and my husband is there, I will not be staying at the hotel, but will drive back & forth (only about 10 min.) each day. The piece is large - I had to get 15x28 stretcher bars! I have been wanting to do this retreat ever since I heard about it several years ago at the ANG Seminar in Tucson. So it is finally here. I don't know how often I'll be able to post the rest of this week, but I'll try! I think I will be able to post pictures after the retreat. Wish me luck!!