Atocha Sets Sail

Good morning everyone!  I have sooo enjoyed all the blogger comments about the season change from wherever they might be experiencing it.  Things are still rather sweltering here in Florida, but I'm holding out for the promise of the fall beach season in the not too distant future.  The water is warm, the breezes are crisp and dry and the beaches are serene.  The best way to experience them!

After a few mishaps.the long awaited Atocha sampler set sail on September 6th.  I found out the hard way that my poor middle aged eyes can no longer find those tiny little 40 count holes, even with the help of my trusty Dazor.  So it was back to the linen box to salvage a similarly toned linen with a more visible weave.  The best I could do was this piece of 32 count lambswool, which is a little bit on the beigy side for my preference, but at least it was in hand.  Here's a look at progress so far.

I just had to have a shot of the cool scissor fob I'm enjoying while working on this piece!  When Halley was in high school, she took a jewelry making class as an art credit and went through a phase of manufacturing scissors fobs for my stitching group.  There is still an impressive collection of them lingering around with my stitching stuff.  I thought this one has a an interesting Gulf of Mexico feel to it, with its mix of shell, silver and sea glass.  Isn't it funny how the little things really are what makes this sort of project so much fun?

Here's a close up of the motifs so far.

Gotta love that brazen mermaid!  Since this was taken, I've pulled the bright yellow center of the sun out and am in the process of restitching it in the same sandy white color I've got in mind for the ship sails.  To my eye, there wasn't quite enough contrast between the yellows I used, which made the center look a little lemony.  I'm hoping the lighter center will pull it all together once the ship sails do go in. We'll see.  This is one of those "it's the journey, not the destination" projects, so as it gets underway, I'm just going to let the motifs tell me what color they really want to be, even if it means second guessing color choices from time to time.

But speaking of destination pieces, the end is getting real with Jean Rattray!  Here's a look at the finished grove of trees and the right hand flower urn.

2 more major additions to it, and she's done!  Another of these needs to go on the left of the trees.

You'll also notice that empty space between the forest ground and the top of the border band needs to be filled.  That'll be another solid slog, but I'm hoping if it's the very last step before completion, I'll be motivated to get 'er done.  I may also work my initials and the year into the sides of that spot, as they'll be unobtrusive there and might also break up the monotony.  Seeing as I started Jean as a New Year's piece, an easy goal will be to have her done by the upcoming holidays.  I'm planning to take her back up as soon as some of the honeymoon romance with the Atocha piece wears thin.

 

A few posts back, I shared some pics of a beautifully finished cigar box I was given.  Since then. the idea of finishing one for myself has been a bug in my brain.  So that's another project underway now, though stitching on it has been relegated to later in the evenings.  Progress so far:

Adam and Even are taken from the Goode Huswife's Sarah Seifer.  When they're done, they'll be mounted on the inside of the cigar box lid.  The bottom of the box will be lined with the fabric.   Just describing it makes me want to get busy, because it's really not a huge undertaking!  Anyway, I'll share progress as it evolves.

 

So that brings me up to date with all my stitching launches.  Thanks for stopping by - I'll be sure to return the visit!

The Fruit of Your Labor

Here's how we celebrate Labor Day at our house.....

The flag is hung out front.

 

 

Late summer  - in all it's heat, humidity and tropical lushness  - abounds.

 

 

 

 





Pulled pork, corn on the cob and watermelon for dinner...

...and a new stitching project underway!

Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I hope you are enjoying the fruits of your labor.

A Give Away, A Gift and A Golden Oldy

Hello everyone, and greetings from soggy, swampy Florida!!  Tropical Storm Isaac - and the influx of Republican conventioneers - are upon us.  Nothing sinister from either one so far, though things are just today getting underway in both cases.

However, I was delighted to find early this morning that Isaac did land me a day at home, something I was more than happy to have.    About mid-morning the doorbell rang, which was a little surprising on such a wet Monday.  It was the mail carrier!  And she was delivering a big box....from Jeanne!

Molly couldn't wait to see what was inside...and neither could I.

So we opened the box together. Here's what we found:

And this....

Needless to say Jeanne, I'm thrilled to pieces - what a day brightener!  I just love the fun project bag and the needle pillow, both of which I'm sure are your own work.  Molly may have her eyes on the shortbread - do dogs and Brits both call them biscuits? - but they'll be safely kept out of paws way.  Thank you so much, Jeanne.  Talk about paying it forward!

So while we were taking pictures this afternoon, I thought I'd get some of the coolest gift I received recently.  Tampa has a chance to showcase itself during the next few days - weather allowing, that is - and one of the things the city is best known for is its booming pre-WWII cigar industry.  There are still remnants of it in the old buildings and unique culture around town, but one of the easiest things to identify with are the cigar boxes.

This one was given to me by my coworkers as part of a going away gift.  I was thrilled to see how beautifully finished the inside of it is.

It's already perfect for keeping stitching tools and treasures safely away from puppies who like to chew on things they shouldn't!

But it's also set the wheels inside my hot little brain turning...why not finish another box with a squarish stitching design on the inside lid??  I've been hoarding other cigar boxes left over from my old stitching guild days like the treasures that they are.  And goodness knows, I probably have at least a few charts and fabric that might work....ha!    So something else may be underway soon...I'll keep you posted!

And last but not least, I wanted to share this not-so-great picture of the first sampler I ever attempted on linen.  It's my way of honoring Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum, who passed away recently.

I don't remember now the name of the design, but I do recall how impressed I was with myself for choosing to do something so elaborate on a fabric as complicated as 28 count linen.  I tip my hat to Marilyn for the design that challenged me to take what seemed like such a big step forward.  The date I stitched on this piece is April 4th 1987.  My daughter was born in December of that same year, and she'll be 25 in 4 months.   Thank you Marilyn, I've had a needle  - and increasingly smaller linen counts - in my hand ever since!

Happy Birthday, Julia!

So let me say this right up front - the video I'm about to post is NOT directly stitching related.  But if it thrills you the same way it did me, it won't matter one bit.  In our house, Julia Child is something of a rock star.  I'm sure she's cooking for Elvis these days.  After watching this so many times I'm embarrassed to admit, my reaction ran for charmed and amused at first to mesmerized and touched .  Bon appetit....and Julia, you rock!!



 Now, on to the real deal....what's been going on in Jean Rattray's garden!  Since the last time I posted, I'm managed to complete the entire border - whew!!! - and get the Tree of Life in too.  Here's how she looked this morning:

You can see I've got a small start on the grove of pine trees that sprouts up in the middle of the bottom portion.  There are also some big flowering urns on either side to add in too.  I think I'll work on them as the grove of trees gets tedious.  There are nine trees in the grove, all identical in the same forest green shade.  Even though some of them also have a few birds and other wildlife perched in them, I'm anticipating a bit of a slog to get them done.  Margaret commented on the funny little figure on the left side of the garden and so I've tried to research a little more on the symbolism of it.  I vaguely remember reading somewhere (??) these little guys will sometime turn up in Adam and Eve samplers as another representation of Satan.  It's confusing though, because isn't that what the serpent is for?  Anyway, I don't remember now where I read that and all the looking in my stitching references didn't turn anything up.  If anyone else know something more or finds a good source for it, please share! Being the history geek that I am, I've delayed the actual start on my Atocha sampler until September 6th, because that's the date the actual shipwreck occurred.  Nerdy and sentimental.... yes, I know!  But there just seems to be honor it beginning a piece dedicated to a specific moment in time on the anniversary of its occurrence.  Delaying the start has given me a little more time to focus on Jean's Garden of Eden. It's also allowed me to go a little crazy choosing a complete color palette for the piece. Originally I was planning to use some of my hand dyed silks.  But since I'm making a full conversion with the colors, I wanted to have a broad range of choices within the "Gulf of Mexico" vibe.  After rummaging around in the DMC boxes at my local Michael's, here's what I'll be playing with:

Can't wait to get started - come on, September 6th!!

Here's hoping everyone is managing to stay cool and good natured during these dog days.  Tampa is about to be overrun with Republicans for the upcoming RNC.  Should be an interesting few days, but I'm not planning to go anywhere near downtown!

Off to find a nice glass of chilled Chardonnay and  make some progress on that grove of trees....

The Garden of Eden

Good morning everyone!  I don't know about you, but my head is still spinning from last night's Olympic ceremonies.  I didn't get a single stitch in, it was all so mesmerizing.  Who'd have thought the Queen would enter on parachute, escorted by James Bond?  Well done London, well done!

I do have news from the Garden of Eden - I'm back fast at work on Jean Rattray! Last I posted about her, this is where I had left off:

If I remember that far back, I abandoned Jean in order to wrestle into submission finish Frances Burwell. So it made sense that I take back up with her now that Frances is finally defeated  done.

And I'm enjoying every calm, placid stitch of her!  There's nothing complicated or stressful about Jean, so she's suiting my mood right now very well.  I love the openness of her design, the rhythm of her stylized border and the fact that there's not even an alphabet to be concerned with.  Here's how she looked last weekend: 

. 
Since then, I've been working on the Tree of Life that goes in the open space next to Eve, and adding a bit now and then to the borders on either side.

I did give Adam and Eve a little bit of pigment.  The original design had them stitched in the same pearly white that the center of the blossoms are worked in.  To my eye, that made them look more like squid hanging out under that apple tree than people!

I'm hoping to have Jean all wrapped up by September 6th, which is the date I'll be starting work on my Atocha sampler.  So many plans!

And in other news from the garden, I can't stop myself from crowing a little bit about our success as okra farmers!   The growing seasons in Florida are very different from those up north, and it's taken a long time for us to learn the flow of them.  However, last winter we had a lot of luck with tomatoes, peppers and herbs in our patio pots.  On the heels of that success, we put in a packet of okra seeds in June.  Here are the results:

Much as I'm thrilled with the harvest, I also love the look of the okra blossoms themselves.  They only last a few hours, but are spectacular in their glory.  Guess I really have turned into a southern girl!

    Hope all is well in your corner of the world, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Today is the Day

Today is Friday, July 20, 2012.  Not a significant date in history, but an anniversary nonetheless.  On this day in 1985,  the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha was found off the coast of Key West.  Pretty cool stuff. Stuff that was a very big deal for Jim as a photographer and another explanation for our love of the Keys in general. 

But what does this have to do with my stitching?  Well, please just bear with me while I fill in the backdrop story and you'll see.  First though, here's how it began:

   

The Atocha was part of a fleet of Spanish galleons returning to Spain in the fall of 1622.  The fleet  left Havana loaded with treasure when a hurricane struck and washed it onto the reefs.

 

The Atocha was carrying the largest amount of gold and silver. It sank quickly and the treasure was lost.  That is, lost until July 20, 1985, when Mel Fisher and his treasure hunters found a debris field scattered with gold coins, jewels and religious artifacts  not far off the coast of Key West.  I won't go into the details of it, but if you want to know more about this man and his amazing find, check this out:

  

Now. here's where the story gets personal...and yes, we are getting to the stitching part of it! 

As you can imagine, this was huge news at the time, especially here in Florida.  Every day there were new reports of the wonders being brought to the surface.  And Jim, as the young ace photographer for the Tribune, was sent off to Key West to cover the story.  As luck would have it, when he checked into the salvage office, none other than Mel Fisher himself was there, on the radio to the salvage fleet.  "Today is the Day!" was always his mantra, and as it turned out for both Jim and the salvagers, it truly was the day.  Huge bars of silver had just been brought to the surface.  Mel was taking a boat out to the site  and he offered to give Jim a ride out with him.  What a thrill!  My own husband had the chance to photograph Spanish silver breaking the surface for the first time in over 300 years.  How cool is that?

Now, on to the stitching part of the story...if you're still reading this, thanks for hanging in there!

I've been thinking for awhile now that I would love to do a Florida themed sampler, but couldn't find anything that didn't have flamingos and flip-flops all over it, much less looked like the sort of antique sampler I usually fall for  Then I happened to find this illustration of the Atocha   and it got the wheels turning in my head...

  

Where had I seen this before in all my stitching treasure?  A quick deep sea dive through the closet turned up this lost artifact:

See the similarity?  

My plan is to use most of the original design as is, but substitute the wording with an acknowledgement of the Atocha.  I'll also change the date and the names of the ships to those in the Atocha fleet,

And best of all, I spent this afternoon plundering for booty in the depths of my stash.  I don't think those drab Prairie Schooler colors suit what I've got in mind, so I salvaged around and came up with a palette of Hand-Dyed Fibers that says "Gulf of Mexico".  I may just choose the specific colors as I go, but at least now everything is kitted and ready to set sail.  What do you think?

I can't wait to get started - after all, today is the day!

Blood, Sweat and Tears

At long, long last.....Frances Burwell is done!!

As I was putting the final stitches in her last night, I realized even though she was reaching her finish, she'll carry with her  - as most tangled relationships do - a bit of my blood, sweat and tears from now on.  Let me explain....

One of the mishaps I had along the way with Frances was spotting the left side of the linen with a drop of blood.  It happened when I picked her up too soon after checking my blood sugar levels.  I've spared the gory details by cropping the spot out of the picture, but it doesn't take much imagination to know what my reaction was upon finding it.  Fortunately, the spot is far enough to the edge that it will never be seen on a framed piece.  Now I can say it's been marked for posterity with my own DNA ...

 

These little structures in Miss Frances' neighborhood remind me of the picnic shelters in the park where I walk during cool weather.  When I first started my morning jaunts, I was only putting in a mile or two.  But by the time summer arrived and I had to retreat back to my treadmill, I was distancing 5 miles at a stretch, returning  to my stitching out of breath and more than a little bit sweaty.  I'm sure Miss Frances carries traces of my walks, just like the walks themselves were spent thinking about how work was going with her. 

And tears...

I began Miss Frances during Halley's turbulent first year at college.  I remember feeling so glad for her bright colors; they offset the worries I stitched into her.  Perhaps that's why her satin pansies got so laborious and complicated. Other sadnesses have occurred since then - family losses and employment uncertainties - so Miss Frances carries her share of tears as well.

With all the blood, sweat and tears that have become a part of her fabric, Frances' bottom lines, or maybe the lack there of, are the most sentimental part of the entire piece for me..  The original Miss Frances worked her first name there and then moved on.    Just like what lies ahead, she left it for me to decide what comes next..