Round Robin Layout

Posted on April 29, 2006 by Jenna Magee

Since I showed you examples of the charts to be used in my Round Robin piece, I thought I would hastily put together an example of what I’m thinking for the layout:



Round Robin Layout Mockup

The round robin details would then be stitched in the center portion, with names, the year, etc. I have even thought about how I’m going to finish it. I’m going to do a wallhanging. If I decide to do a decorative border of some type, I might extend the decoration out to make it a square, but right now, I’m thinking of leaving it as is and finishing it as a diamond shaped wallhanging. I would use some heavy interfacing and probably some thin wood strips across the back of the piece to brace it and keep it from sagging.

This is the first round robin in which I have ever participated, so it should be fun! 😀

Posted in Stitching | 5 Comments

I Think I’m in Love…

Posted on April 28, 2006 by Jenna Magee

with this pattern that I’m stitching for the SBEBB eight-sided pincushion (biscornu) exchange! Obviously, I still can’t show any photos, but I should easily have the top of the cushion completed this weekend. In fact, I may finish it tonight, if I don’t force myself to work on something else for a bit. 🙂

Tomorrow morning will be dedicated to working the hardanger sections of the Alchemy Stitchcraft mystery band sampler. I’m determined to complete that project this weekend so that it’s off of my plate and into the pile for finishing.

The overdyed threads and beads for my RR arrived today, meaning that I can now do a quick toss onto the fabric that I think I’m going to use. I’m 99% positive that I’m going to use a color called China Pearl in Jobelan for it. It’s an off-white, pale gray kind of color that should help the silver metallic accents and white floss stand out in the designs where they are used. Now I’m just waiting on the charms to arrive from The Sweetheart Tree, but those don’t even have to arrive before I mail the RR out, since I can always attach them afterwards (which I may opt to do anyway, since the charms are the most expensive part of the whole piece. The charts I’m using are from an eBay win of old pattern cards from The Sweetheart Tree (hence the charm purchases from them). I searched the web and found a website that had still had some of the old photos, so here are 4 of the 7 charts that will be offered for this RR (click photo for a larger view):


Springtime Violets Heart
Forget-Me-Not Heart

Blueberry Heart
Bloomin' Tulips Heart

If the toss on the China Pearl fabric looks okay, then I will probably start stitching my contribution (I’m torn between the top two designs, but leaning towards the top left one) while I’m figuring out how to mark off the areas for the other 3 participants (Cathy, Catherine and Sylvie). I’ve figured out the layout (four hearts facing into the center, with stitching in the center to note the year and participants), but I’m not sure if I want a border or not. At this point, I’m leaning towards no extra border of any sort, but just marking either the bottom stitch of each heart so that everyone has a starting point or outline a stitch or two around where each heart will be, or both.

Enough babbling, back to the stitching!

Posted in Stitching | 4 Comments

Back in the Saddle

Posted on April 27, 2006 by Jenna Magee

Today has been a much better day so far. I’ve had a really rough 36 hours, but the worst seems to be over. I went through absolute hell last night for about an hour when every inch of my body decided to revolt. I had a headache, my shoulders were hurting, I was having a severe and very painful IBS attack which was also making me extremely nauseous and I also had menstrual cramps. I just cried for a little bit and then wished I either had several different heating pads or could just roll myself up in one giant heat wrap like a big burrito. Ahhhh, the joys of womanhood…

In comparison, today is an absolute joyride! 😀 Seriously, though, I’ve taken 2 Excedrin, but that’s mostly because I’m trying to take even more minor head pain seriously nowadays. One of the lessons that I’ve finally learned is not to wait so long to treat the pain. I told Terry today that I realized that I was concerned about taking Excedrin today because I didn’t want to get in a cycle where I was taking it every day. And then I stopped and thought, “So, what if I do?” I’m already taking a bunch of other junk at this point, what does 1 or 2 doses or over the counter medicine a day matter? It doesn’t. And I have even checked that with the neurologist. Doctors seem to have differing opinions on the rebound headache phenomenon (my mother’s neurologist won’t let her take anything acetaminophen-based AT ALL), but mine says that in order to cause a rebound headache, you would have to take something like 4 or 6 doses a day for several days in a row before it would become a problem. So, until I discover otherwise, I’m going to go with what he says.

I also managed to get some stitching in last night. I worked for a little bit on my piece for the SBEBB Melanie’s exchange and then I actually put a few stitches into my piece for the SBEBB eight sided pillow (biscornu) exchange, mostly so that I could actually say I started it. 😆 Between those two pieces and the model I need to be working on, I’ll need to put in some serious hours this weekend. Another nice thing is that my kit for the Chatelaine Stitching Leporello project arrived on Tuesday. Somehow, I knew it would. That morning, I envisioned myself with the package in hand as I brought back the empty garbage can from the curb (which I do on Tuesday evenings when we get home). Unfortunately, since I went straight upstairs when we arrived home on Tuesday due to the migraine, it wasn’t me who actually retrieved the package, but sure enough, Terry sat it on my pillow upstairs so that I saw it when I was ready to jump into bed and sleep off some headache medication. He’s a sweetie. And a brat, since I had just asked him a couple of minutes before if there was anything in the mail for me and he had said no. 😉 But it was a good surprise! Now I can’t wait to have a little time to prep the fabric and get started on stitching.

Posted in Life in General, Stitching | 10 Comments

On and Off

Posted on April 26, 2006 by Jenna Magee

I’m only on the computer for as brief a period of time as possible. I’m trying to catch up on blogs for today, post this and then shut down again because I’m losing the battle against head pain this week. It’s somewhat inevitable because it’s … you know … THAT week. That one week of the month where I wish I could be a man!

Anyway, hormonally-triggered migraines are turning out to be a big factor in the headache equation again, so I’m back to the point where this whole mess started, which is when I first started to menstruate. Hey, at least it’s a predictable cycle, right? 😆

Oh, and thank you to everyone for the kind comments on my post yesterday. I feel that regardless of what anyone’s particular thoughts on the war are, we should support our troops because they are doing the most difficult job that I can imagine. Regardless of what the orders are or who is giving them. So, thanks for showing your support, love and caring. 🙂

And now, folks, it is time for me to drug up and lay down. Tah!

Posted in Life in General | 5 Comments

A Brief Moment of Silence

Posted on April 25, 2006 by Jenna Magee

I had a little bit of a jolt of reality this morning. I was brushing my teeth and looked at the TV to see what the current temperature was so that I could plan my outfit for the day. Well, during the morning shows, there is a news, weather and sports ticker that runs across the bottom of the screen. I’m standing there in front of the TV, toothbrush in my mouth and I read “Private Travis Zimmerman … was killed in Baghdad….” My knee jerk reaction was to say (very loudly), “Oh my God,” which probably came out more like “oomgdd” with the toothbrush running in my mouth. Terry just looked at me, but I had to wait until my two minute date with the toothbrush had come to an end before I could finally rinse out my mouth and explain.

Travis Zimmerman was a boy in my high school graduating class. He was really short, but very muscular and a talented wrestler. He was part of a tough crowd, so I didn’t know him very well. I just remember that he was the last person to cross the stage at graduation. During the rehearsal, he did a backflip across the stage and the principal threatened him with some random punishment if he actually performed the same move at graduation. We expected that he wouldn’t, with that threat hanging over his head, but, lo and behold, that day he did a beautiful backflip across the stage to cap off our graduation ceremony. I admired his moxie and self-confidence. And now he’s gone.

It’s not that I was friends with him. I guess it suddenly struck me that with all of the lives lost during this war, it is inevitable that nearly everyone in the US will know someone who was killed in the Middle East before it is over.

I am troubled by his death, but uplifted by the memories that he has left behind. Rest in peace, Travis, and thank you for giving your life in the service of our country.

Posted in Life in General | 5 Comments

O!

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Jenna Magee

Yes, I’m finally caught up on my blog reading! Yippee! If I didn’t comment on every single post (in fact, I skipped over a lot), I hope you won’t mind too terribly. It will be much easier to keep up with everyone now. I’m planning on spending 1 hour a day on blog reading and writing. I hope that will be enough!

Posted in Life in General | 3 Comments

50 and Counting…

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Jenna Magee

Yay! I haven’t been this caught up in months!

Posted in Life in General | 2 Comments

Under 100

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Jenna Magee

I am finally under 100 unread blog posts in my feed reader. Whew! I started with well over 200 this morning. I’d probably be closer to the 50 mark if that Outi woman wasn’t so devoted about her blogging. 😉

No worries, my catching up comments are coming soon to a blog near you!

Posted in Life in General | 1 Comment

Mystery Sampler Update

Posted on April 24, 2006 by Jenna Magee

Parts 1 through 5 are now completed. I changed the tiny cutwork squares at the top to Algerian eyelets because I did not feel like wrestling with cutting out those openings in the thick Monaco fabric that I’m using. The coil filling also did a number of the fabric, partially because I had to pull so hard on the Monaco to try to get any sort of lacy effect. Note to self: do not attempt pulled work on Monaco again. Oh wait, that’s right… it was a Mystery!

[Photo removed. See finished project.]

Once again, it’s not the best photo, but hey, what do you expect with me holding the top scroll bar, trying to manipulate the fabric just right, keep the light steady and position the camera, all at the same time? That’s right, not much. 😉

Part 6 is the last installment and will include the hardanger work and the attachment of a few beads. I hope to complete the stitching sometime this week. Of course, I’ll post the happy dance as soon as it happens!

Posted in Stitching | 5 Comments

Happy Birthday!

Posted on April 23, 2006 by Jenna Magee

Just a quick note to say happy birthday to my biological father (Tim) down in Florida. He turned 55 today. Happy Birthday!

Posted in Life in General | Leave a comment