Monday, April 11, 2011

One down, 5 million more to go.....

Yes, life continues to be busy here.  The high school musical is out of the way with great success, but everything else still to come.  And I forgot to add AP tests to the list.  Sigh.

Anyway, stitching first.  Here's Ann Grant.



Here's another reason I find over dyed silks like Belle Soie frustrating.  See the bird below the house and the path from the right door?  They're different colors.  They're supposed to be very obvious different colors since I'm supposed to fill in the windows with the lighter of the two colors with the darker of the two being the window surround.  But my Belle Soie is obviously not different enough from the other (an AVAS) color.  Sigh.  Well, it saves me having to fill in the windows I guess.  The two colors of pink in the large star are different colors too.  Hard to tell, huh?  These two pinks are Threadgatherer Silk 'n Colors though.  Oh well.  There's also two different browns in that diamond, one a Belle Soie, one an AVAS.  Hard to tell, huh?  Sigh.


Whatever.  I still love the piece.  And I got all the over one words done!  Yay!

As I said, the boy child had his musical this past weekend.  It was a great success, and left the boy child yearning to do more.  Fingers crossed he succeeds in landing a part next year!  Here's a picture of the boy child on stage.


The show they did was Anything Goes.  They did a great job!  The boy child just had a bit part, but he was also in the ensemble singing and  -- gulp! -- dancing.  He wasn't happy about the dancing part, but I guess he must have been a better dancer than a lot of the boys in the cast since he was chosen to dance as opposed to just waving his arms on the upper deck.  

Mia will be happy the boy child is through with the musical.  She missed him while he was gone so much.  Here she is doing one of those things she does to look out the window.  When she was a tiny kitten, she had to leap over to the windowsill -- and it was a loooong leap!  Now look at what she does instead.


Pretty cute, huh?  She also likes to sit on the windowsill.  The good news is she's still nice and petite.  I'm hoping she's stopped growing now.  She's ten months old!!!

Well, the boy child still has tons to do.  Hopefully by mid-May, things will start easing up a bit.  I hope!

Oh!  I forgot to tell everyone what Mia's new toy was in this post.  There were a few who guessed it.  It's a bra insert from one of the girl child's swim suits!  lol!  Mia loves it!

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!  One more week to spring break for the boy child!  Yay!  Have a great week, everyone!

53 comments:

Leneslines said...

Mia is a hoot:) and a sweetheart. Was Anne Grant really just 10 years old when she did that sampler?! Amazed... And amazed at your speed and craftmanship!

Laurie in Iowa said...

Ahhh... Mia is looking for the boy child. What a pretty, sweet girl.
Your Ann Grant looks marvelous. I'm so sorry that you're frustrated with the Belle Soie. I find that irregardless of whether stitching with overdyed or regular silks, the inconsistency in the dye lots can lead to all sorts of frustrations.
We just have to make adjustments as we stitch.

Bertie said...

Ann is coming along so well Margaret, beautiful:)) It must be frustrating with the colour difference, but hey I don't see a thing:))
Wow a musical star in the family, how fabulous!!! dancing comes with it lol.
Mia is so cute! I wished my legs stretched like that!!

Nancy said...

Your sampler is just beautiful! I find stitching with colors that are almost the same frustrating too. In some designs they work and in some they don't, but your sampler looks very pretty. Mia is just adorable!

Rita said...

Beautiful sampler!

I have one child left in HS and the "busy season" is beginning to hit here too.

Siobhán said...

Hey, I meant to tell you that my younger daughter was part of the ensemble cast in her HS's production of Anything Goes! She enjoyed it. Great pics of your son! Love the pic of Mia looking for her buddy. :)

I love your progress on Ann Grant! Wow! What a gorgeous sampler. Sorry to hear about the thread issues. :(

Edgar said...

Mia is soooo cute!! AG is just beautiful!

BrendaS said...

Ann Grant looks gorgeous! Too bad about the color inconsistencies and frustration but she still looks great.

Cute picture of Mia. Glad your son enjoyed the musical.

Anonymous said...

Hello Margaret! Ann Grant is certainly a beautiful sampler! And I am amazed at your progress. Your needle must be smokin hot!! As for overdyed threads, so far I am not a fan. I know they add a nice element to samplers but I would rather use traditional silks or cottons. Mia's little face is so cute. I miss not having a cat around the house. Blessings today! kelley

merumo said...

Ohhhhh nooooo, that's illegal to stitch that fast! You must have been stitching while your DS's musical practice!? lol Super nice progresss on Ann! Regardless of your over dyed silks frustration, she is looking so pretty. Hello Mia! You always look so cute :)

Annie said...

Love your sampler. Colors that are too close together drive me crazy too, but it's especially annoying in the expensive silks.

The show looks like so much fun. I used to do a lot of tap dance and I loved dancing to Anything Goes.

Isabelle said...

How pretty and lovely is your Mia : and looks so curious...lol...Margaret, your progress on your Ann Grand is just beautiful and even if I don't stitch Samplers at present, I really love them : you are tempting me very often but I have to finish all my wip:-))
Have a nice day,

Erica said...

Ann is looking beautiful!
I agree with you about the overdyed threads. I find them frustrating too. They are great when they work, but all too often I find the transitions are too drastic in color change. Then you wind up trying to match the piece of thread, and then you find because you have done that, the remaining thread is totally a different color! (How's that for a run on sentence)!
Mia is such a cutie!

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

Ann is looking great, Margaret but I can feel/understand your frustration with the colors. That would bug me no end!

Your son looks darling on stage and Mia is such a pretty kitty!

Brigitte said...

I can't believe it! I've just browsed through your last blog posts and saw that you just started Ann Grant - and now it's nearly finished. Wow, the smoke that your needles produce must still be in the air, lol. But I can see why you are so fast on her. It's just a wonderful piece.
Congratulations on finishing JB Creation Sampler.
You certainly know already what you will stitch when Ann Grant will be finished?

woolwoman said...

Ann is beautiful - I am getting better about making changes when I need to from what the designer says or maybe a conversion created by a shopowner. I think if you change linen colors - that can lead to problems with thread shades not showing up well. I don't see a thing wrong with Ann - exquisite work as always Margaret and your son is becoming quite the well rounded entertainer isn't he ! Mia is such a pretty girl - so bright and white. Have a good week - mel

Nicole said...

Wow Margaret!! I can't believe how much you've gotten done!! It looks amazing! My Belle Soie was just a tad different than the AVAS - it shows up just a little bit.

Carol said...

Beautiful progress, Margaret! Would you believe I've never had the chance to stitch with silks, but I can imagine the lack of obvious color differences would be very frustrating...

The musical sounds like great fun even though it was a lot of work. I'm sure you really enjoyed watching your son perform.

Michelle said...

Wow - Ann is looking amazing! I agree with you, I get so frustrated when I take the time to change colors only to have them look exactly the same!! Congrats to the boy on his musical, and hopefully he'll get a break sometime soon - Mia needs him home!

Marjorie said...

Lol Mia! My cats hardly ever play with the toys I buy for them--it's always my son's stray legos or DD's hairbands. Anne looks great BTW! I would never have the patience for the large pieces you do, but they are beautiful...

valerie said...

Ann is looking beautiful! You are so fast! Sorry to hear about the dyelot issues. They are so frustrating! But she is still stunning. Glad to hear the musical performance went well.

Sylvia said...

You Ann is just stunning. I don't have to tell you how envious I am of your speed. i hear you on the Belle Soie, those dye lot inconsistencies are hard to deal with and frustrating when spending so much on a skein of silk. That being said, Ann is still a work of art!

I am thrilled for your boy child that he stepped out of his comfort zone and went and did it. Congrats to him. Poor Mia, missing her buddy. She is such a sweet kitty.

Berit said...

Good times! Pretty fun that BC had a good time in the production! Also, I feel like saying It'll just make your sampler more "olde" and/or unique, but I know how FRUSTRATING it is when you have something set in your mind a certain way, and assemble and purchase the called-for materials and then something like this happens, but...

It is beautiful, and I'd never know anything was amiss if you didn't tell me. ;)

Nancy said...

Mia is just so cute!

Your work on Ann Grant is amazing, you are a good and fast stitcher! I am still waiting on my Ann to arrive from ONS. Sigh.

Glad your son was in the school play, such a good experience for him!

Hazel said...

I find hand dyes and varigateds very frustrating too. It looks stunning though and I would never have known if you hadn't have said. x

Deb said...

Your Ann is looking great and you've made great progress on it. She'll be done in no time. But how frustrating on those colors. I'm going to have to be on the watch out for that. That is one bad thing about these overdyed threads. I might have to make some switches in mine.

So cool about your son and the acting bug! Hopefully he'll get another part next year! And boo on all those tests. Nick has some coming out in a couple weeks and I don't think either one of us is looking forward to it. But don't think your life will slow down after - it just keeps going until they get off to college!!

Melanie said...

That's frustrating with the threads. I run into that all the time with the non-silks as well. I don't blame the designers for handpicking the best of the dye lot to produce the very best model they can but it is frustrating when you can't replicate that. There are no shops around here unless I want to drive over an hour to get to one (and in an area I never go to otherwise) so online shopping is where I get all my supplies. Doubly frustrating when it comes to these threads. It is coming out absolutely beautiful though. We are our own worst critics because we know 'how' it is supposed to come out. It's going to be a stunner for sure when it's done. :)

Jean said...

Mia is too cute, with our brood when Daddy comes home.. they all come to see him.. But Mia is so intense, she will be with her boy soon! Good work on the Amy Grant, have you ever tried Gumnuts?

Giovanna said...

Goodness woman, just how fast do you stitch? I wish I had all that time to get on with my WIPs, sigh.... Anne is beautiful!

Love to Stitch said...

LOVE it, the progress on Ann is amazing. I agree with the silks like Belle Soie, some of the colors are very very similar, drives me nuts sometimes--I do like however, that the dyelots change and you actually get a 'new' color :). Cant wait to see more though!!!!!

Liz said...

Love your stitching (of course) and Mia is just so big now! 10 months? When did that happen? Looking forward to spring for you, wet, cold and windy here with a wintry blast of air from Antarctica today. Just not ready for winter yet...sigh!
Lizzie
xxx

Cathy Lloyd said...

Ann is fabulous as always...coming right along! An Miss Mia! So cute and such a great companion for you on those stitching days where life gets a little lonely...

Jackie's Stitches said...

Ann is fabulous! You're such a beautiful stitcher.

I was looking for a video of the boy child dancing.....

Karen said...

Very pretty as always! Hope you keep your sanity during this busy time.... happy stitching!

Melissa said...

Ann Grant is coming along beautifully, Margaret! You're so speedy. Yes, over dyes can be frustrating. When they work they are gorgeous but the flip side is they can be so difficult.

Your boy seems to be enjoying his new pursuits! Hey, I think entertaining is in your kids' blood!

Mia is sweet. Now, what was life before she came along? Can't remember, right? :-)

barbara said...

Mia is such a pretty kitty! :D

Your work is so beautiful - sorry the silk colors aren't showing as much difference as you'd like; I think it's a problem we've all had.

JOLENE said...

As Steven Tyler would put it..."Beautiful, just beautiful"! Beatiful sampler, sorry about the threads, I have had problems in the past similar to this also. Good luck, it will all work out. Mia is a doll bucket, love her spot, it makes her unique. I bet your son has lots on fun memories taking part in the musical. Smiles...

Valerie said...

Margaret- Anne is looking gorgeous. I know what you mean about the over-dyes. They can be beautiful but only when they are the color that is shown in the model picture!

Mia is darling! She appears to be waiting for boy child to come home! My Simon has a similar pose...from the couch to the window!

marylin said...

oh how advanced you are I believe the fastest seamstress I know! I think your very pretty colors, I'm happy for your son, and a big kiss for mia for these 10 months today!
very soon

Cari said...

Your Ann Grant is just beautiful Margaret. I am always in awe of your work. And as far as these overdyed silks go...I've done some color manipulation myself..with ALL the overdyes silks.

Love the pics of the BC. He is one talented young man and I know you're proud. Mia is adorable as usual. Darling feline!! Hugs and Happy Stitching

Katrina said...

Mia is so sweet!!! Love, love, love your Ann Grant :-). She's gorgeous.

Fun pic of your DS too, he's so talented :-).

Julie M said...

I remember when my high school did Anything Goes. It was good! Glad the boy enjoyed himself!

Mia is beautiful and she sure does love posing for the camera!

Hang in there, the school year will be over soon and perhaps life will slow down a bit.

Ann is looking fabulous! I'm enjoying the progress updates!

Kim said...

Ann Grant looks beautiful!! I ran into thread color issues on Isabella Johnstone, the alpahbet was the exact same color as my linen, so I changed the color! I just couldnt accept not being able to see the alphabet, I want to enjoy looking at every stitch! I really love it, the color I used compiments the other colors very well! I bet you are so very proud of your boy child, what a delight for you!!

marly said...

OMG is that beautiful. The over one stitching looks perfect. I love seeing close-ups of the details and can't believe how much you've completed already! As with all your sampler choices, this is just stunning. And as always, Mia is a sweetheart!

Sue said...

Ann Grant is just beautiful. Great stitching ;)

Natalia said...

Margaret, Ann is looking great !!! I know you'll have it finished in not time being the super fast stitcher you are :-)
Good for your son on the musical !!! That must have been so much fun for him.
Mia cracks me up as always !!!

Lois said...

Love the pic of Mia looking through the window!!! Nice progress on Ann though sorry that the Belle Soie is so frustrating. Great pics of the BC!

Karen said...

Ann Grant is looking fantastic; what a beauty! I understand your frustration with the silks. The whale on Earth Sampler is stitched with GAST Barn Grey and his eye is stitched with Weeks Charcoal. The dye-lot thing again...my Barn Grey is so dark that the eye barely shows up. I think 4 little back stitches to out line...::sigh::

What a sweet Mia...looking out the window for her boy.

Karoline said...

Ann is looking stunning, sorry about the colour frustrations.

Glad that the boy child's musical was a success.

Tanya Willis Anderson said...

Oh I love that border - beautiful!! What a pretty kitty :)
Tanya

Kathy Ellen said...

Mia is a little sweetie....just love the photo of her looking out the window. Wonderful progress on "Ann Grant". One of the girls in my stitching group has just started it, and it is quite a challenge, but it is going to be beautiful just like yours. I think that I might just need to stitch that piece sometime!

BlackCat said...

This piece is just beautiful. I love the purple in the edge flowers. Great job.

Sally said...

oh wow Ann Grant is stunning! Such beautiful colours.