Other views of Charlestown

This morning, a cold, sunny morning (37degrees F), I did something very unusual—I went outdoors, and I took some pictures. Here are some shots you haven’t seen of our community, taken around 8:00 a.m. with the sun low.
This is our picnic grove. See that cluster of huge evergreens above in my blog header? That’s where [...]

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Discouraged

Do you want to see why? Here is my framed practice cloth with all six different leaves stitched with the stitches called for in the chartpak.

I stitched these leaves with the specified silk thread and the different stitches I’ve been trying to learn. Not a single one of these leaves is acceptable. Not one. See [...]

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Helping hands

Six weeks ago, Veronique sent me her Helping Hands award, which I am supposed to award to five or ten people who have been helping hands to me.

Ever since, I have been trying to think of people to acknowledge in this way. The problem is that so many people have helped me. How do I [...]

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The knotted detached buttonhole stitch

Well, I’ve done it. I’ve already shown you the diagram I had to work with. Here it is again:

I have really struggled with this stitch. Let me show you my practice cloth.

I started with number 1, just stitching lines inside a rectangle. It was a bumpy beginning, on the right side of the rectangle, but [...]

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Baltimore quilts

The Baltimore Museum of Art, which has an outstanding textile collection, is featuring an exhibit of Baltimore quilts this spring. I’m sorry that you probably can’t read this photographed page from their members’ magazine. In addition to the exhibit, they are offering for sale kits of 11 different Baltimore quilt blocks and a CD-ROM with [...]

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Elizabethan stitches continued

I am finding Jane Zimmerman’s $50.00 chartpak unhelpful. For each stitch, she shows only a single diagram. For example, here’s the one I’m trying to figure out now: knotted detached buttonhole.

No instructions, no step-by-step guidance. Just this.
Without the help of Linda Connors’ plaited braid stitch tutorial, I was totally unable to master that one. Without [...]

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Matt’s graduation gift

This year, grandson Matt will graduate from Case Western Reserve University, planning to go on to graduate school in physics. In 2005, he graduated from Friends School here in Baltimore. Here I’m going to show you how I made his high school graduation gift. For each of my projects, I keep a journal to document [...]

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Videos

The videos that were not uploaded in the previous post are there now. Just in case you’re interested.

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Books that have influenced me

Again I say, my physics study is on hold. My Elizabethan embroidery practice is on hold. I felt compelled to respond to a message from grandson Luke about comparative religions. Very few, if any of you, will be interested in this response, but here it is for any who are interested.
I sent him this introduction [...]

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Paper dolls

My physics study is on hold. My Elizabethan embroidery practice is on hold. Instead, I’ve been playing with paper dolls.
In January 7-year-old great-granddaughter Aly asked if I would participate with her in a school project. (Her mother said I was the first and only person she thought of to ask. Who can refuse THAT?)
Here’s Aly [...]

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