At the Local Meet & Greet

Howdy, Y'All!
Last weekend I spent an afternoon at Needle in a Haystack, in Alameda, California meeting and chatting with stitchers who were visiting the store and checking out my trunk show. It's always inspiring for ME to meet fellow stitchers who enjoy the same things I do. And I definitely enjoyed chatting with stitchers one-on-one and getting to hear about their favorite projects.

I had a lovely talk with a stitcher who is collecting stitchery projects she can take with her when she and her husband take their boat (currently being restored) on an around-the-world cruise. She specifically was collecting smaller pieces that would be portable and easier to work in a compact environment. (Yes, she did buy a few of my designs.)

I also was able to help a visiting stitcher, Carol, pick out different colors for one of my designs, so she could stitch my JEWEL BOX in her favorite peach and green colors.

I particularly enjoyed seeing the finished pieces that some stitchers brought in to show me. Here's one that stitcher Bev brought in.... She has worked several of my southwestern designs, and enjoys changing the thread colors to match her decor. She stitched this one - TURQUOISE BEAR COLLAGE - in soft pastel colors:


(Sorry for the poor image quality - I used my cell phone to take these pictures and they're not the best, but at least you get the general idea...)

Doesn't this bear look different in pastel colors with purple accents? What a switch from the original turquoise & brown version I stitched, as shown above. I'm always fascinated to see my designs stitched in different color combinations. I can't tell you how many times I've seen stitchers' work in combinations I would never have thought of and how I've loved them all.

Here's another of my pieces - BEARDED IRIS COLLAGE - that Susan stitched up as a store model:


This blurry and over-greened photo doesn't do the piece justice, but you can get the general idea of the purple and green colorway. Trust me, this was truly GORGEOUS! I asked Susan what variegated Watercolours she used and she said it was 060 - Slate. My original iris model (see below) was done in apricots and greens, but I've always wanted to see it stitched as a lavender iris - and now I have. Thank you, Susan!


In any event, I had a lovely time at Needle in a Haystack and came away re-enthused and re-energized to get back to stitching and designing....