It lives

I am alive - I just disappeared into a hole last week.

Over the weekend, I discovered the addiction that is needlepointing on handpainted canvas.
I think the addictive part is that once I had the stitch I wanted to do figured out, there was no pattern to double check, no counting to do. Stitching the cat on this went incredibly fast. It took a couple of tries to figure out what I wanted to do with the background, but now I'm ready to fill it all in.

A second lesson is that a blanket, even one for a baby, takes a while to do. Booties are a pain to sew up, but much faster. I got alot done while watching the last stage of Paris-Nice, though. Bicycling, like most sports events, is good for knitting and needlework because if you miss something important (like a crash or an attack), the station will always replay the event. And yay for Discovery Channel winning Paris-Nice!

I also spent the weekend working on some new drawings and refining colorways for some models. If only I had 6 hands! Then I could knit, needlepoint, and draw all at the same time! Oh, well, I'll just have to manage with two hands.

I'm going crazy!

Nashville Nashville Nashville Nashville

Ok, that is sort of out of my system. I am getting closer to being ready. The model is almost done. Just the backstitching on the columns to do, then the quote, then the corner motifs. The two other designs have been stretched, now they just have to be matted and photographed. Then they can be printed. I'm running low on cover stock, so I have to run to the store for that.

One little model is still in the hands of the US Postal Service. If it doesn't show up, this will be the first time I've lost a model. And of course, there's no time to stitch a new one before the show. The best we can do is have a printout and get it redone. I'm still crossing my fingers that it will show up today - it is so adorable!

Then of course, there's the Superbowl. I love watching it, especially for the commercials, but it is always the weekend before Nashville Market, and we always have company, so I'm always busy.

Ok, I need a disco ball and an ornament/fob display tree - any thoughts on where I can find these on short notice and cheap?

Finished stitching - now what?

Somehow, in the middle of a hectic weekend, I managed to finish stitching Blue Thing #3! That only leaves one blue thing left to work on, which is the sweater! Yay! I also managed to get my photography done and my virtual booth set up in time (not early, but on time). I still have to stretch Blue Thing #3 and frame both #1 and #3 for chart photography, work on the three new charts, print charts for a new order that came in, order bags, and some other things that I know I'll think of along the way. However, the most important stuff for the online show is done! So be sure to check out my booth at http://www.needleworkshow.com starting Wednesday night! Meanwhile, it is time to get to work on some new designs!

This weekend, I had an interesting experience. I went to a National Portfolio Day with my sister, who is interested in attending an art-centric college. Now, this is not something I had ever seen before, having majored in engineering in college. So imagine, if you will, a hotel ballroom filled to the brim with budding young artists, toting portfolios of their artwork around, some large boxes, some small, all waiting in lines to have their art reviewed by representatives of different art schools. I'm still a bit fuzzy on how this all fits into the whole process of getting into a college, except that each reviewer took notes on the budding young artists after critiquing the work. It did lead me to wonder what there was a review group for budding cross-stitch designers? Would we still get diversity or would the review group look for the same things? Would it help turn away people who aren't ready yet? In fact, we do have a review group - the end consumers who buy product and before them, the shop owners and the distributors who decide what goes into the marketplace. Our reviews are done by the toughest critiquers of all - marketplace economics - where a bad design review doesn't just get hurt feelings, it can loose money.

Time is getting short

It feels like there is so much to do here in Cross Eyed Kat land, and so little time to get it done in. The Needlework Show deadline is looming. Here is what needs to be done in the next week to be ready for it:

• Blue Thing #1 must be stretched, framed and photographed
• Blue Thing #3 should be finished, stretched, framed and photographed
• Model set #1 must be finished and photographed
• Model set #2 (currently in the hands of the US Postal Service) must be finished and photographed
• Virtual booth setup needs to be completed
• Bags need to be ordered

Additionally, it would be really nice if I could complete the layout of the charts for the Blue Things and Model sets 1 and 2, so that things would be ready for orders when the Needlework Show actually opens. Finally, I have to ship another order that came in today (yay) and order more ink. On top of all this, I have some baby gifts to finish (the baby is due very soon - the planned birthday is next week) and major cleaning to do as parental units are coming to visit. Where's a TARDIS when you need one?

Time to try and put the cat to work!