P & P and Zombies!!!!! also new caps! to protect your brains....

Hi All,

You may have been wondering if my brains were eaten by Zombies it has been such a long time sense I have blogged. But no, brains my brains are still intact. I have been sewing up caps, reading, stitching and the 4th of July. Not to mention playing Pool. Yep, a non-geeky hobby! I'm pretty good at it to if I say so myself.

Reading: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahme-Smith. It is strangely captivating. So very much of the text is unchanged in any way. Then all of a sudden these Zombies show up. Seth G-S did a wonderful job explaining and giving a history to the Zombie "Plague". A great read especially if you are an P & P fan. Here is how it all starts:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."

Here is a link to a movie gosip website. It has a good description of the book and a photo of the cover. Worth a click!

http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/02/09/hollywood-studios-bidding-for-pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies/

Cap Photos: to follow soon!!!! The cap that went to Finland was well received. So well in fact that the boy friend hi-jacked it! She ordered another one. That one is on its way as I write this. I spent to long working on it. But it was worth it. As you will see in the photos.

Stitching: I have been stitching up a storm on MaryBeth's Christmas stocking, MR 1811 and other unfinished projects.

The 4th: My plans fell through and I spent the holiday alone. I missed how I used to spend my holidays. But it was not all bad. I watched Shaun of the Dead and played Super Maro Bro's Cart on a Wii with my room mates kids. A fine film and a great game. A quick shout out to my peeps Tristan and Ethan and my Pool Sensei.

Thank you for stopping by,

Mary Elizabeth

Christmas right around the corner!

Good Morning,

I met the sweetest lady, named MaryBeth, yesterday.  Her shoulder has been hurting her so she can't stitch.  How sad.  Mary Beth also has grandkids, happy joy.  Last year little Clare got her stocking this year is Conner's turn.  However, due to afore mentioned shoulder hurting she is worried it won't be done in time.  What a nice Grandma to plan ahead.

It looks like I will be completing the stitching on Conner's stocking.   The canvas is a large mesh with thin warp and weft.  And the image is of a winter mountain town night scene.  Lot of the colors are blues and purples.  It will be a difficult stitch.  But I like that kind of puzzle so I am looking forward to working on it.

Today is clean up workshop day.  I need to organize things and make more room.  Out goes anything that is not alloneword related.  Then tomorrow I can make up my cap orders and have them in the mail by the weekend.  Yes!

Happy Thursday,

Mary

Mimi's Blanket all done.

Hi Everyone,

I just had the best day at work.  We had a wonderful group of stitchers (The Vintage Stitchers) in the shop today.  They are such nice ladies and great stitchers too.   And, they brought super yummy BAKED goods!   All in all it was a busy day, and fun filled!

On Monday 2/16/09 I finished repairing Mimi's blanket.  It was one of the best days I have had doing restoration work.  Mimi said "I feel like you made my Mom safe."  I can't even tell you how much that meant to me.  Right then I knew that I was doing the work I need and want to do.  

Here is a picture of the blanket in progress:

All finished in the best room in the house:

While working on this blanket I felt like I was getting to know Mimi's mom.  The knitting was so perfect.  Each triangle has the same tension and size.  Having consistent tension in any kind of needle work is essential for a quality piece.  Her work is amazing.  The only part of the blanket I had to work on was where the triangles were joined.  It seems like the cotton had stretched and given way in places due to age the weight of the lace.

When presenting the finished blanket to Mimi she told me a bit more about her mom.  She was a criminal court lawyer and passed the bar in the 1930s.  That she actually defended people in court that were on trial for murder!  Natalie was quite a firecracker and only her husband ever called her Bitsy.   

Also her mom was not very domestically inclined.   She was not one to do crafts all of the time.  However, she did knit and some crochet.  The blanket was a big project and took many years to complete.  It is truly a masterpiece.

Here is a photo of Mimi with the beautiful blanket:

Mimi is very happy with the blanket.  Her plans are to "keep it in a guest room where she can see it -- and people won't touch it." 

More soon,

Mary Elizabeth

Oakland White Elephant Sale

Happy Weekend Everyone,

True to my word we (Ruth, me in the middle, and Dolores) all went to the Oakland White Elephant Sale. It is this great indoor flea market that benefits the Oakland Museum and its many programs. Here is a picture of all three of us in the sewing section. Yep, we really were having that much fun.

I went to the sale with a specific need in mind. I wanted to get a head. Really, I need a good hat form for my cap business. Not only to take photos for my etsy website but also for blocking wool caps and the like. My chances were pretty slim that I would find my elusive quarry. Then I saw it -- With a big N. F. S. (Not For Sale) written on the bottom of it. My heart sank. I asked the nice lady if they ever make exceptions. She kindly said no. She even asked her coworker about it. Even she said no, and that she had been volunteering for years and everyone asks and the answer is no. Heart in hand I asked to talk to the manager.

I came back when the manager was in. That is when I met Pam. I told her about my caps and how I need to have a model to photograph caps for my web site. She was nice enough to offer a mannequin head. Then I told her of my plans to use this hat form to block wool hats and caps. Pam told me about her Mom who used to be the manager of the accessories section at the Elephant Sale. And how her Mom wrote N. F. S. on the bottom of this head. I asked once more if I could give it a good home. And Pam said Yes! I just could not believe it. Her Mom is named Lucile and therefor the cap form is now called Lu. It is the perfect mascot for my shop.

Pam was just so kind to listen to my story. I will never forget her, her kindness, nor her nice Mom named Lucile.

Now take a good look at this photo of the three of us. The sign behind Pam's shoulder says "if it is not priced than it is not for sale." She made an exception for me, and I really appreciate it. Thank you PAM!

More to come,

Mary

Needlepoint finishing

Hello,

Today I worked on the needlepoint case and still have more work to do tomorrow.  It is always surprising how long some tasks take.  I did not get to the christmas ornaments.  However, I am hopeful that they will be done soon.

Tomorrow I am off to the White Elephant Sale.  I have heard about it for years and can't wait.  With a little luck I will have lots of photos of beautiful buttons for you in the afternoon.

Yours,

Mary

Happy Monday,
The needlepoint blocking worked out perfectly. I set my studio up to sew it together tomorrow. I am also planning on finishing a couple of christmas ornaments as well. I'll post photos tomorrow!

Today it is all about Mimi's blanket. I have my copy of Pride and Prejudice all queued up and ready to go.  I like to watch the multi-episode PPS with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.  I like to have a movie playing while I stitch. P & P is one of my favorites and have seen it many times. I almost have it memorized. Really, and that is saying a lot. It is very difficult for me to remember anything. Pretty soon I will know it better than Rocky Horror (yup went to R.H. as a teen).

I am off to the Market Place for yummy food. I just love walking around Alameda. It is such a pretty town. The rain last night made the air fresh and the quality of light is amazing.

See you on the flip side,
Mary

Good Morning Everyone,

Here is a photo of Me!  Just thought you would like to see who I am.  

I blocked this great needlepoint after work last night.  It is an original design by a local artist.  It is so cool I want to show you a picture of it. First I want to ask her if that is kosher.   It will soon be made into a pencil case.  

While I was working on it I was listening to Portishead, Sour Times.  I get kinda stuck on a song and listen to it over and over.  I never thought of myself as an Electronica fan, but I guess that I am.  Portishead is kinda spy music/Blade Runner/Jazz Bar all rolled in to one.  It went with the image on the needlepoint.  I mean it was Far Out man.

Here is a photo of Luna, my dogglet.  You can see how excited she is about my late night blogging on saturday a.m.

Have a great Sunday,

Mary

Mimi's Lace Knit Cotton Blanket

Good Morning,

Today I am working on a knit lace afghan made by my clients Mom.  It is expertly knit triangles hand sewn into squares. The entire blanket has a fab scalloped edging. The color is this amazing creamy ecru color that cotton acquires as it ages. It has been around for a while now. Mimi (the daughter and my client) has taken great care of the textile, however over the years the triangles have begun to separate.

Like I said the knit lace is fab but sewing all of the bits together to make a large bed sized coverlet must have been daunting indeed. Especially when Natalie was not a crafter at heart. This is her one grand opus into the textile arts. Her daughter wants to save it — and that is where I come into the story. That is what I do (at least what I am happiest doing) sewing, crafting, creating, repairing, conserving, inspecting, just working with textiles.

It is time I starting working on it and not typing. I would like to call her today with the good news of its completion. I hope to post before and after photos. As this is my maiden blogging voyage I am not counting on anything yet.

I'm downloading some stitching music today's selection is a Röyscopp album called Melody A. M. I found it from that Insurance commercial with the guy on the people mover in the airport. The song in the back ground is Remind Me. Just a haunting tune in a great record. It got stuck in my head after seeing in on t.v. Silly way to find some fab music. Still I am glad to have it.

Yours,

Mary Elizabeth

Post Script: Well the photos are here but not where I want them. The large one is a square that is made up of the knit triangles. The other two show how it is coming apart at the seams. Please stick with me -- I promise to get better at this blogging business. :) m.e.