I'm way behind on SBQs, so here are the last three weeks. From June 21, have you ever used a magnifying glass while stitching? If so did you find it helpful? Well, I haven't needed one yet, knock on wood. First thing in the morning and t the end of the evening, I HAVE to wear my glasses, but usually I can get away without them. They're very scratched and D. bent one of the arms back. Now if I lean over, they fall off, so I am pretty short tempered with my glasses.
June 29's question was: what do you do with your charts once you've stitched them? Do you keep them or dispose of them? If you keep them, do you organize them in a way that is different frome the way you keep your unstitched charts? The very first thing to say is I am a packrat. I keep all my stitched charts in a plastic bag in an endtable that was my craft area before J. bought me my carts. They aren't really that organized. I just slide them in the bag, so they are sorta in the order that I stitched them. I am considering trading some of them, to raise the cash for the Mirabilia kits, but I doubt I will. There's only a few I think I could actually sell. I've done alot of free patterns, and I've got a couple that I colored and worked from the originals before I learned to make working copies (like my sister's birds). Then there are some that I may stitch again (like the Dinky Dyes cats), a few I am sentimentally attatched to (like Dragonwings, because I did it for J.), and some I can't bear to get rid of for various reasons. I don't want to get rid of the Raise The Roof charts I've stitched because they're just so much fun, and I sort of collect them. I don't want to get rid of I'll Make my Own Happy Ending, because part of the money goes to charity, and if I sell it to someone else, then that's money the charity wouldn't get. Snowfight: Red is a limited edition, so I don't want to sell it.
Finally, today's SBQ! What is the biggest mishap you have had with your stitching material? When I was working on this piece (The Lovers by Meineck Design Group), I was forever spilling stuff on it! It survived soda, beer (actually that was someone else's fault), baby formula, and alfredo sauce. Thank goodness nothing ever stained. It smalled bad after the formula for a day or two. Last winter, when I was working on Avatar, I spilled hot chocalate on it. That was bad. I tried to spot clean it for about an hour, which helped, but you could still see the stain. So I took our biggest pot and put in some Dawn and cold water. I shoved him in the pot and left him for three or four hours. When I was done crying because I knew it would never come out, I pulled it out. There were still two very small spots that would be covered by the frame and/or mats anyway, but the rest of it came out. That is also why I'm such a huge fan of Picture This Plus fabrics; I'm clumsy, and the cat and D. like to knock stuff over, and their fabrics are colorfast! All the other hand-dyed fabrics they have at the shop aren't.
We had a nice long weekend. J. took Monday off, and had a holiday yesterday, so he had a five day weekend. I can't believe we had that much time together without a fight. As much as J. and I love each other, we drive each other nuts if we're home together all day. Of course I was gone most of the day Friday, and most of the morning Monday. We had a great time, and J. and I had some quality time after the boys went to bed every night. We watched goofy movies, and just generally had a good time together. T. watched Men In Black II with us last night.
I have alomst finished Liberty Fence. All I have left to do Lady Liberty and then attach the buttons. I have new pictures, but now I can't find the right cable to hook up the camera. J. "fixed" all the tangled cords, which means they're all sitting in front of the fishtank. I hope to have a happy dance tomorrow. Actually I hope to have one today, but I'm setting my expectations a little lower.
I haven't heard back from Michaels, but yesterday was a holiday. I'm not sure how long I should wait. Getting the job at Stitch And Frame was a little different than getting one from a big company. This is as far as I've ever gotten in this situation. The Stitch And Frame Shop was my first job. I'm still hopeful. I'm off to stitch Lady Liberty! She's got legs and sandals, but no dress on!