Gay Ann Rogers

Happiness Today!

2012-01-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't think today would be a great day in my life. That's because I have a terrible cold, the kind where you have to sleep on your face so everything doesn't drip down your throat, make it even sorer and clog up your lungs.

I slept on an off all yesterday evening, then, naturally, was wide awake in the middle of the night and miserable. What's there to do if you're too miserable to sleep, but get up and tackle something to take your mind off the misery. Or in my case new misery to help convince me that the old misery wasn't really that bad after all.

Misery these days = new website.

I've been struggling. I've struggled with my attitude (I'm still angry at Apple for ditching iWeb), I've struggled with finding a new website program (they're all too fixed for me -- I don't like living my life in a box -- or they're too difficult).

I chose my new one based on no templates, ie I could do it all from scratch, down to all my drawings in Illustrator, everything else in PhotoShop, and to boot it was supposed to be easy.

Only guess what: it wasn't all that easy, and I've struggled and struggled, almost to the point where I thought I can't do this and was ready to quit, yes, pack it in.

But the Apple kids reminded me it's not like me to give up. They pointed out that I conquered PhotoShop (sort of), learned some code (operative word there is 'some'), etc.

So complete with weary spirit, basically to save face with a bunch of 20- and 30-somethings, I've soldiered on.

Last night in the middle of the night I decided, what's to do to cope with the misery of a bad cold? Find a counter irritant/misery and work on it, and right now at the top of my misery scale is a bunch of computer stuff I don't understand.

That's what I did.

Who knows why sometimes the forces of the universe unite at certain times and make life sweet!
Whatever and whyever, that's what happened to me: I rounded the corner today, it finally made sense to me (FINALLY!) and in a matter of hours I finished my navigation bar, drop down menus and all, and constructed enough pages to know for certain that Queendom Website will indeed live on after the demise of iWeb and Mobile Me's hosting service.

Even if I am dripping at every pore and sneezing and coughing and wishing I could chop my head off, it is a grand day and I am full of celebration. Am I dancing around and cheering? Nooo, not quite up to that. Instead I am on my way to steal a small glass of port from DH's supply, then have a nap and hope I feel up to stitching for a while late this afternoon. Celebration enough, and besides that, what's a better way to celebrate than place a needle in one's hand?

A memorable day indeed.
Gay Ann

The 'Work' in NeedleWork

2012-01-21T06:22:00.000-08:00

In my last post I wrote about painting and needlework and I mentioned needlework as ‘work’ for me.
After the post, I received this note:

...your 'work' is most people's hobbies. Nobody pays you to work on MacSoph like you do. And needlework...is also a hobby for most. It is work for you because you enjoy designing needlework.

Yes, you make money doing your work, but do you do it for the money or because you love it?”

Sally

Sally’s post made me chuckle and I decided I would enjoy writing an answer.
Here’s my answer to Sally's post:

The parts I love about my work:
I love drawing and designing and stitching and waiting to see if what I plan works out.
I love fitting all the parts of the puzzle together.
Most of all I love the dream of what the design might become.
What's not to love!

I've enjoyed all the people I've met over the years; even now online, I think of how many people I have met through emails and classes at Shining Needle Society, and in some cases the friends I've made online are thousands of miles away from me, yet here we are, connected by computers and a mutual passion for our needles.

In my E-Week sale last October, to my surprise, I sent patterns to people right round the globe. It is an awesome feature of the internet, how small our world has become.

MacSoph and Little MacSoph, my two MacBooks, have become my nearly constant companions. I love going to Apple University (as DH calls it) and I've decided I have school-girl crushes on the kids, Andy and Cody, who teach me, and I think my tutor Julia is beautiful and clever and smart. I so enjoy learning what these clever, smart, sweet kids teach me.

Most of all, I love the actual stitching. I love that my needle makes me relax and helps the stresses of life recede. My needle allows me to curl up into my own little fantasy world, dream the dreams of creativity and watch them unfold.

All these parts of my job are terrific, but mistake not: needlework is ‘work’ for me. It is my job.

Here are the parts that account for the 'Work' in 'Needlework'

Deadlines. They're self-explanatory. When I was a travel-teacher, my deadlines kept me awake at night.
It's not the same now, but I still have deadlines. I say I will do something, I'd better do it. Consistency is part of any job.

Last fall, for example, in preparation for E-Week, Kate and I got behind. we started on the morning of E-Week Annex Eve, at 4:30 a.m. and we finally finished at 7:30 p.m., Kate at her computer right along with MacSoph and me for the whole time. It was a very long work day for us both.

Instructions. It takes me longer to write the instructions for a piece than it does to design and stitch the piece and correcting the errors that the proofers find is just plain tedious.

Kit Hell and Bead Mania. These days Kate does much of my Kit Hell; I still do the beads.
To understand Bead Mania, you have to have the experience of spilling 10,000 beads.

Right now I have a special brand of Bead Mania: one of the hearts for my upcoming sale has over 100 beads on it.
I have to count most of them into little baggies and keep from spilling them. The first few hearts' worth aren't bad; by the end it can grow very old.

Organization. The bane of my existence. I have too many beads, too many threads, too many rolls of canvas, and way too much paper! I try to keep some order; every year I make it my main New Year's Resolution. I made the same resolution this year, it lasted for 15 days and I've already fallen off the organization wagon (in the last few days I am happy to report that I have climbed back on the organization band wagon; maybe it will be better by the end of 2012).

Mail Jail. Most of my followers know all about Mail Jail, so I don't need to add anything.

Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the center. Mark one side 'JOY' mark the other side "WORK'. The lists would be about the same length, but Sally is right: the joys far outweigh the tedium.

Now, next time I spill the beads, or lose paperwork, or simply grow tired of Mail Jail, will someone please remind me of this post?

Gay Ann

My Newest Needlepoint Adventure

2012-01-13T15:13:00.001-08:00

My newest needlework adventure isn't a real needlework adventure at all.

My friend Natalie told me that my life is too narrow, that I work and I go to computer classes, and that's about it.
She said I needed a hobby, something that broadened my horizons and got me away from (1) work and (2) MacSoph.
(This is a false dichotomy since work and MacSoph these days are inextricably linked)

On my way home from the Village where I live, I drive by a small shop /artist's studio and one day I stopped by.
To make a long story short, I signed up for a painting class.

Now I haven't painted on anything other than needlepoint canvas for at least 45 years and I remember squat about painting. I mean, in school I took 5 years of Latin (a fetish of my father's) and all I remember now is 'arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris'. Anybody remember this, the first line from the Aeneid? Now why I would remember that one thing after all these years is one of my life's great mysteries.

I remembered snippets of painting also, but not much. Not much more than the painting equivalent of a single line from the Aeneid.

Remember, I decided to do this as recreation, not as a part of work. Well, I lasted less than 2 hours into the first class before I had an idea how to incorporate it into work (aka needlepoint), and I have been painting up a storm ever since.

My teacher is a very sweet very young woman who has a great artistic way of seeing the world, ie she is open to almost anything. Together we are concocting a sunset and it is quite an adventure. I love the idea! I don't know that I love painting: after my first 2 hours I came home with paint from one end of me to the other, and all over everything surrounding me.

I just went to my 6th class and I've made progress. I am back to painting on needlepoint canvas after a beginning on canvas and a segue onto paper, and it is great fun, indeed a bit of a wild adventure for me.

But after 6 lessons, I still have paint from one end of me to the other.

Does anybody know how to paint and keep the paint only on the painting? Or is that one of life's mysteries also?

Gay Ann

Missing Callaway, My Favorite Needlework Seminar

2012-01-09T04:29:00.000-08:00

It is January, almost time for Callaway School of Needle Arts, and I won't be there this year. For the first time in 20 years I won't spend 10 days at Callaway.

I've been on a clean-up campaign, a sure sign it is January, for organization is always at the top of my list of New Year's Resolutions. This year 'clean up' includes not only my physical space, ie all the nooks and crannies of needlework and bead stash that overwhelm my house, but also MacSoph. Poor little MacSoph struggles under the weight of too many disorganized computer files and photos. And Queendom Website isn't exempt either. Last count I have close to 650 pages of Queendom Website, past and present.

As I have been deleting MacSoph's files, I have come across all my photos from Callaway, reminders of the good times and friendships from my years there. I was planning to delete many of them. It was my assigned 'clean up MacSoph' task for this morning, but in the end I couldn't do it. Not any of them. Maybe next July or August, but not as my friends prepare to leave for Callaway. It's all too close.

So why did I stop going to Callaway? I retired from travel-teaching last January simply because I couldn't do seminar preparation and online commitments. I had to choose, a tough decision, but in the end I chose Queendom Webstie.

There were lots of reasons for my choices, but one reason was at the top of my list: I felt I could spin a little magic on MacSoph that I couldn't spin in person. I have a little dream of making my own little online community with a drift toward creativity in needlework. I've had the dream for 4 years now and I still hold hope that I will be able to do it.

First MacSoph and I need to build a new castle for Queendom Website. Happily the blue prints for the castle are underway and soon it will be time for an e-hammer and e-nails.

So I will miss Callaway, I will miss the early breakfasts and the jokey classes and the evenings up in our classrooms stitching with friends, but I have to look ahead. More time at Apple University and more steps toward a little dream, that's what it's all about.

That and time for my needle in my hand.

Gay Ann

A New Year, A New Castle, and Eight New Needlepoint Hearts

2012-01-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

I see that it has been almost a month since I posted on my blog; a month almost and now it is the New Year.

This year promises to be a very busy one for me, as MacSoph and I are busy building Queendom Website's new castle.
Yes, in just about 5.5 months, Queendom Website is moving, and moving is always stressful. I am hoping MacSoph and I can hang together and it will be easier than I think.

For now I am working on the blue prints for the new castle.

And I am working on hearts for my annual February hearts sale.

I did 8 new hearts this year and I played an interesting game in my general classroom at Shining Needle Society: I gave a hint about each of the first 5 hearts: I gave the dominant thread and the dominant color and asked people to use their imaginations, concoct an idea for the heart and vote on one.

They did, and I posted the heart on Queendom Website on Christmas morning.
I took it down on Christmas night -- it was meant as a little present, but I didn't intend to leave it there.

My friend Natalie told me she thought I should repost it on Queendom Website, so on New Year's morning I did just that -- and if you want a peak at it, it is still there:

www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on 'Surprise Heart'.

It isn't made into a heart yet -- Sandy is going to do that in the next month, along with its 7 sisters, and then hopefully they will look super and I will photograph them and add them all to Queendom Website.

........

I didn't intend to make 8 hearts; I intended to make only 5, but in the midst of my Christmas Game on Queendom Website, one of class suggested a set of three hearts with pink roses and pearls, the hearts graduated in size. How could I resist! So that's what I did.

.........

One of the hearts turned out to be of particular interest to my classroom: the one where the dominant color is charcoal. A charcoal heart?

Yes, a charcoal heart.

But that heart is still a secret. We have to have some surprises in life, don't you think?

Gay Ann

Christmas Video in Place on Queendom Website

2011-12-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

This morning I posted a video I made of sunsets from our window.
I was doing it just for inspiration for myself and DH suggested I turn it into our Christmas card this year.

So I made it into a Christmas card and posted it on my website this morning.
I also posted a link to Vimeo for people who can't get it to play on my website or would like to see it in higher resolution.

So what does a video of sunsets have to do with needlepoint?
Hopefully inspiration and a personal goal for me, and a reminder that the world need not be literal.

I've decided to monkey a bit with the concept of not being so literal and into the New Year will leave the video in place and write a series of small articles called 'A Reminder Not To Be So Literal'. It will make a good follow-up to my series last spring for Beginners for it is the next necessity in the food chain of design.

So what about more traditional Christmas decorations? They'll come too and soon Queendom Website will have all sorts of wallpapers and gifs celebrating the holidays, but I shall leave my video in place on my home page throughout the holidays.

I hope you will take a minute and look at it. It is just a smidgen over a minute long.
www.GayAnnRogers.com

Gay Ann

Unusual Christmas Decorations for a Needlepoint Website

2011-12-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

Since October 21 I have been toiling away in what I call Mail Jail from my E-Week Sale in mid October.

I am almost finished! I am down to my last three orders. I can't finish until I hear from three people, so I have parked these orders for the time being and am transitioning into life after E-Week and Mail Jail.

In the immediate future I face two tasks: deciding on Christmas decorations for Queendom Website and stitching and writing instructions for hearts for my small hearts sale in February. They are both tasks I look forward to doing.
.....................

Near as I can figure I started writing on this blog 5 years ago. Laura, then my webmistress, designed it for me and taught me how to post on it. I used to write on it regularly, I even conducted my first E-Week on it, but then when I began managing Queendom Website myself, my blog fell into semi-disuse. About a year or so ago I began writing on it again as it seemed like a perfect place to post op eds and behind-the-scenes-of-Queendom-Website musings.

The very first photo I ever posted on my blog was of a sunset from our window. DH gave me my first digital camera and my sister in law taught me how to take a photo. Later on, after an all-day struggle, I figured out how to take the photo out of iPhoto and post it on my blog. Those were the days before the advent of Apple University in my life.

Sunsets have always figured in my musings here and on Queendom Website. For two years I ended E-Week with a photo of a sunset and call it 'The Sun Sets on E-Week'.

A short while ago Sally B. wrote and asked me for a copy of my sunset photo. I don't have an idea which photo Sally wants, but she gave me an idea for how to celebrate Christmas on Queendom Website this year (thank you, Sally).

With my idea of an unusual Christmas celebration this year, MacSoph and I toiled away and produced my favorite bit of computer work from this year. I was so excited that I got it to work, so of course I can't wait to post it. Won't be long now. It is an usual feature for a needlepoint website, but I am hoping I can tie it all into needlework as the season progresses.

Meanwhile, my friend Lee said she thinks my Elizabeth video has been on Queendom Website for long enough now, so I've changed the home page: a sunset. Actually, two sunsets, one for real, one with a little bit of help from PhotoShop. I will publish them tomorrow morning. They should mark the Sunset on E-Week, but not quite. A little premature, but not hopefully by much.

As for the hearts? They are coming along. What a joy to have my central task be stitching right now. A joy indeed!

Gay Ann

Of Queendoms and Castles in My Needlework World

2011-11-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

I have been toiling in what I call Mail Jail for the better part of a month now. Mail Jail is the process of mailing out orders from my once-a-year E-Week Sale.

I am almost finished; I am down to the last dozen orders and then I have to repair all my mistakes. I should imagine it will take me till the end of the week after Thanksgiving and I will be able to fold up my Mail Jail tent and transition into Life After E-Week Mail Jail.

This morning I established an important date on my website: January 15, 2011. It is the date by which everyone must report any errors in their orders. After January 15 I will not make any corrections.

Why am I being so strict about the date this year? Because MacSoph and I have a daunting winter and spring ahead: we have to build a new castle for Queendom Website and then we have to move. Remember what moving and remodeling are like? I believe that moving and remodeling are two of life's most stressful activities, and I am not sure that our e-move won't be almost as stressful.

A new castle for Queendom Website. Stress aside, I am looking forward to a new look and a new program. For a long time now (more than a year) the kids who teach me at the Apple Store have been telling me that Queendom Website has outgrown iWeb and I need to move, so they don't see the demise of iWeb as a tragedy for me.

Still it is a daunting task and I am properly timid and apprehensive about the road ahead.

How will MacSoph and I soothe our nerves? MacSoph can sing now (at a late date I discovered iTunes) and I am hoping she will sing to me while I stitch. My great temptation of course is to stitch a castle as a commemoration of Queendom Website's move.
Hmmm, a castle. Not a bad idea. We'll see.

For now, it is important that my followers help by checking their E-Week orders and making sure they have everything. For details see my postings in Mail Jail on Queendom Website: www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on Mail Jail on the yellow navigation bar. Remember, January 15 is but a little over 2 months away. And maybe by then Adobe will have my prograph out of beta. Maybe.

Gay Ann

Today is the Final Day of E-Week Annex, so I am looking ahead

2011-11-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

It's the last day of E-Week Annex, the part of E-Week where Kate's Corner sells the supplies for the designs I've sold at E-Week this year.

It's the last day of Annex and therefore the last day of E-Week 2011. Kate will be in Mail Jail for some time to come, for that matter so will I. I think it will be a month more before I settle all mistakes etc., but I have made a great start, and whew! Queendom Website will at least in part return to normal.

I always look at the end of E-Week as the beginning of the new year on Queendom Website. That's how it feels, and I am looking forward now. People have already started asking me, could I bring back this or bring back that next year at E-Week, when am I going to sell something else, what will the new mystery be like, etc. etc. Well, I don't know the answers to any of these questions yet. It's in the future, that's what I know. I don't have to decide right now.

Top of the list this year is moving. Remember, Queendom Website has to move into its new castle and I have to start construction very soon. Indeed I have a busy year on Queendom Website, constructing a new home for us.

My target day to move is in June. It will take several days to move, or so the Apple kids tell me. I want to be all ensconced in the new castle by the Summer Solstice so that we can have a 'longest day of the year' party to celebrate the move. And if it all happens well, there will be a couple of surprises along the way.

We'll see how it goes.
meanwhile, farewell to E-Week Annex this afternoon, farewell to E-Week itself, and a big thank you to Kate for doing all of Kate's Corner this year.

Gay Ann

My Mailing List for Needlepoint Designs

2011-11-02T10:16:00.001-07:00

Isn't it always the way it happens: E-Week hasn't been closed for 2 weeks yet and this morning I received a number of emails asking please could people buy my patterns.

The answer for now is 'no, my sale is closed'. Why don't I open it again? Because right now I am maxed out, I can't handle any more orders.

The best I can offer is to add people to my Mailing List for future sales. If someone is on my mailing list, she hears from me only 3 or 4 times a year, right before or during a sale of my needlepoint patterns.

So, for example, the next time someone will hear from me is in February when I traditionally sell needlepoint hearts right around Valentine's Day. The next time after that will be probably in April, May or June when I have promised a new geometric mystery (similar to Mystery with a Little Bit of Glitz, Glittering Diamonds and Mystery in a Corner).

This June will be a big time for me: I will transfer to a new website on or near the Summer Solstice, as Mobile Me, my current server, goes out of existence and iWeb starts to fade. It will also mark the fourth anniversary of Queendom Website (my website) and I was thinking of having a small celebratory sale then.

In the summer I will teach my Elizabeth 1, a Portrait, in the summer, and then it will be time again for E-Week 2012.

If you are on my mailing list, you will hear from me about each of these events. Otherwise I will be silent and not clog your inbox.

If you would like to be on my mailing list, write to me at GARRogers@earthlink.net.

Gay Ann

E-Week Annex is on my website!

2011-10-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

We have a special treat again this year: E-week Annex, with all sorts of Supplies Packets and goodies to go with my designs from E-Week.

Kate's Corner has put this all together and it is an impressive array of offerings. Kate really did her homework and she has even found some of the threads no longer in production, for example the Medici wool for Golden Acorns and the Marlitt for Tuxedo Heart. The supplies aren't unlimited but indeed there are many Supplies packets available.

This is the second year that Kate has constructed E-Week Annex for me and I am grateful. I don't think I could have done the work, yet people have always asked about the convenience of one-stop shopping for my designs.

So thank you, Kate, for coming back again and helping me!

Gay Ann

Stitching Elizabeth: a video about my needlepoint Elizabeth 1

2011-10-21T05:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday E-Week, my annual sale of patterns from my archives, ended. Whew! Finished for another year! I made it through!

I like to end E-Week each year with a small treat and this year I made a small video of slides of my needlepoint design of Elizabeth 1. I used photos of my Elizabeth and the Elizabeths of my students from Callaway Gardens School of Needle Arts last January, along with photos of Carole Lake, Michael Boren and me and portraits of Carole and me masquerading in portraits of Elizabeth.

A fitting way to end E-Week this year. www.GayAnnRogers.com, to see it.

My portrait of Elizabeth 1 made a mystery appearance at E-Week this year. When she was unveiled, it turned out that she will become a class at Shining Needle Society next summer. Kate, director of Shining Needle Society, our online school, will open a room very soon and we will hang out in that room until the class starts.

Why so long? To acclimatize and ready ourselves for the class. We can chat and stitch and enjoy all things Elizabeth and stitching in there. I am looking forward to it. A place to relax.

Meanwhile, I face Mail Jail, that is, mailing the orders from E-Week.

I sent off the first batches of patterns to the print shop on Wednesday afternoon. I expected to have them back yesterday, but the print shop hasn't called me yet to say they've finished printing them. Soon as they finish and I pick them up, I will start mailing them. I imagine it will take me close to 6 weeks, maybe even 2 months, to mail them all.

So farewell to E-Week for another year.

Gay Ann

E-Week, my annual needlepoint sale, is almost over

2011-10-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Only a few hours till E-Week, the annual sale of needlepoint designs from my archives ends.

This is my 5th E-Week Sale. It doesn't seem possible that five years has passed since I first thought up the idea and sold patterns on my blog. It was before the birth of Queendom Website.

This year's sale had its very smooth moments (my Early Morning Sales went off like clockwork) and its rocky moments.
The rockiest was when MacSoph, my trusty little MacBookPro crashed. I think she'd had enough of it all and just decided not to boot up.

After about an hour she'd had enough rest and she was back, but she didn't want to connect with our online network.

About a year ago one of my Apple tutors had told me that he thought I needed a second computer to back up my whole system, and he was so right! Little MacSoph, my other laptop came into service. It's a bit disjointed but I'm surviving.

A man arrives this afternoon to see to MacSoph and try to convince her she needs to go back online.
If he succeeds, then I will end E-Week with a treat. I hope people will stop by and see it tomorrow morning. It is just a small treat, complete with music and all. A fitting end and a bit of calm to a sometimes frantic week.

Is it really all over?

No, for Annex will start in a couple of days, but this time the hassle is Kate's as she begins to live in Kit Hell and Mail Jail. She has been such a huge help to me and I hope to lend a bit of help and support back. Kate is gathering together supplies packets for many of the projects I've sold at E-Week.

And after Annex?

Time to stitch all the stuff! I plan a rigorous year of stitching in my general classroom at Shining Needle Society. If you would like to join us, membership is free, just write to KateGaunt@aol.com.

Be prepared to wield your needle in the next year, till it is time again for E-Week. Yikes! I have to tell you that I have already received a number of requests for next year's sale! Happily I am not thinking about it yet. I have a whole year till then!

Gay Ann

E-Week's Early Morning Sales

2011-10-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday mornings, at 8:00 a.m. California time, Early Morning Sales begin on my website, in connection with my annual sale of designs from my archives.

It is exciting! On my website are 8 windows for each morning. If you click on them now, nothing happens.
If you click on the first one at 8:00, it will open and a special offering will be behind it.

A different window will open every 15 minutes till all 8 windows are open.
Some of the offerings are for limited numbers, some for everybody. Some are returning designs, some are new designs, and new this year: a small twist on a very popular sewing case.

It is lively and quick paced and it stirs up life on E-Week's Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Only once a year; I hope you will come and join us.

Gay Ann

www.GayAnnRogers.com
Remember, 8:00 a.m. prompt, tomorrow morning!

My Needlepoint Mysteries, their variations and colors, and E-Week

2011-10-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

So many of you have asked for me to bring my geometric mysteries back in my E-Week Sale.

This morning a person ( I don't know her name, she didn't sign her email) wrote to me and asked if the patterns contained all of the colorways I show in my galleries on my website, www.GayAnnRogers.com.

The answer is no.

Those examples were from stitchers who stitched the mystery when it was first new.
Sadly I have lost the stitchers' names. If I don't have their names, I certainly don't have their threads and colors.

When these mysteries were new, they arrived on stitchers' doorsteps without any color or line guides.
The pattern includes instructions like this:

Choose a Watercolours or other overdyed thread suitable for 18-mesh canvas.
Choose a canvas to coordinate with the Watercolours.
Choose a pearl cotton approximately the same color as the canvas.
Choose a light value that harmonizes with the Watercolours.
Choose a dark value that harmonizes with the Watercolours.
Choose a Kreinik braid that contrasts.

I just made these up to give an example of how I write mysteries.

This is a long roundabout way of saying, the many examples on my website are for inspiration but the stitcher will have to decide on her own colors.

One of the good parts of my classroom at Shining Needle Society is that stitchers may have help from their fellow stitchers in the classroom . For example, if several of you are working on the same mystery, you might help one another. Or you might ask advice of the other members of the classroom. If you would like to join Shining Needle Society and my classroom there, membership is free.

Just write to KateGaunt@aol.com. Kate is the director.

OK, why would I do this to you? Why do I want you to grapple with colors instead of my giving them to you and letting you zone out and stitch.

I'll answer the question in my next post.
Gay Ann

Notes on My Needlepoint Colorizations

2011-10-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to receive quite a few queries about my colorizations and whether all Colorways are included in my patterns.

When I include the colorways, I specify in the description of the pattern, for example I included with Summer Solstice Geometric the original colors and the blue-green colors and the light blue and silver.

I do not include the ones for the examples I posted on my website this morning.

I have two comments to say about them:
first, I think you could email the colorization to your favorite shop and ask them to pull the colors.
Once you have the pattern, you could send them the threads and numbers in the pattern so that they would have a guide to go by.
I am sure that Pat Duggan, for example, would be happy to help you with the task.

Second, I am rather hoping that you will use the colorizations as inspiration and grapple with pulling them yourself.
It is a bit of learning and a bit of a stretch and a bit of growth well worth your while.

All summer and fall long (as long as fall has been, ie not long) I have been trotting down to our local needlework shop and pulling the colors to match my colorizations. Sometimes I can't find exactly what I did, but I find something close enough. If I can't find anything in a particular line of threads, say in Vineyard silk, I try pearl cotton or silk (figuring I will use multiple ply) or floss, or some other thread that catches my fancy.

Rarely is a design such that ONLY one thread in ONLY one color will work.

One of the reasons for studying color this way is to gain the confidence to find alternatives.

After all, needlepoint is our way of slipping into a imaginative world and playing with visually satisfying colors and textures.
Part of the joy is finding the exact way you see it in your mind. To do that you have to be a bit flexible and flexibility comes with confidence.

That's one of my purposes in leading my Shining Needle Society classroom. I want people to gain the confidence to try.
If you would like to join Shining Needle Society in general and my classroom specifically, membership is free.
Just write to KateGaunt@aol.com. Kate is the director of Shining Needle Society.

If you have any opinions about my colorizations, good or bad, I would welcome them, either posted publicly here or directed to me personally in an email. GARRogers@earthlink.net.

This post is long enough.

I have a couple of other issues about colorizations and my mysteries. I'll be back in a while and write another post.
Otherwise these will become so long nobody will ever read all the way through them.

Gay Ann

MacSoph is in Mourning

2011-10-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

One day many years ago DH said to me that we had been invited to hear a presentation about a new computer system called Next.

At the time we were two of probably 15 people who watched and listened for a couple of hours as Steve Jobs told us about his new ideas and system called 'Next'.

Little did I ever dream that day of the impact that Next would have on my life. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple, Apple incorporated the ideas of Next and today MacSoph, my little MacBook pro, is really a Next MacBook.

Today MacSoph is in mourning because her father has died.

The impact that Steve Jobs has had on my own life is incredible. I have gone, in the last year, from traveling and teaching needlework, at my height on the road a week or two out of every month, to life creating a website and teaching online.

Instead of time on an airplane, I now spend so many of my hours learning to use MacSoph and working on Queendom Website. What a change it has been, none of it possible for someone like me, had Apple not made a computer so easy to learn to use, and had it not made a program like One to One lessons to teach me how MacSoph works.

Thank you, Steve Jobs, and thank you, Apple. I will do my best to study harder, learn more and carry on loving Apple.

Gay Ann

Monday, 9 Days Till E-Week

2011-10-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

This morning on my website I posted the third of three galleries of my work.

My first gallery is of all the mysteries I've designed and stitched over the years.
They aren't mysteries any longer because people can see what they look like, but originally people bought them with little idea what the pattern would be and took me on faith as the pattern unfolded.

I discovered early on that a mystery was a great chance to offer small options to encourage a bit of creativity, and that's what happened. If you look at various examples of my geometric mysteries, they vary greatly, particularly 'Glittering Diamonds'. Over the years I have seen examples I don't recognize because of the way the color interacts with the pattern. It delights me and I am hoping to do more of them.

The second of my galleries features all 10 of the designs I have made incorporating cameos, from a very large sampler to small ornaments and hearts. I think cameos are so pretty and romantic that for a long time I was very caught up in making needlework to display them. Before now I have never gathered together all of them in one place. It was fun to see.

The third of my galleries displays six of the large samplers I have made over time and sold at previous E-Weeks. All of them were projects I taught at National Seminars for EGA and ANG and of course for a favorite job at Callaway School of Needle Arts.
These samplers include some of my most industrious work.

Aside from these three galleries, I have a large gallery displaying my Elizabeth 1 Portrait and the portraits of Elizabeth from my students at Callaway last January. I am amazed at how much each Elizabeth has her own personality, reflecting of course each student who stitched her.

I plan to keep these up for a couple more days as I prepare for E-Week, my annual sale of patterns from my archives.
E-Week begins bright and early this year on October 12.

This year's E-Week is a trifle different. In the past the patterns have always been from my guild days, projects I had taught at past seminars. This year I have stitched 11 new designs just for E-Week, a first for me, but a harbinger of E-Weeks to come, I hope.

I see more samplers in my future, both large and small, lots more sewing cases, some new figures (I still have Bess and Mary to write) and who knows what else. As the spirit moves me. It is the genuinely best part of life right now, that I can stitch as I wish.

Hope you will stop by Queendom Website to see all these galleries:
For quick reference: www.GayAnnRogers.com

Gay Ann

Elizabeth 1, a Portrait: my needlepoint design

2011-09-22T14:55:00.001-07:00

This morning Queendom Website came alive with portraits of Elizabeth 1.

On my home page is my own version of Elizabeth 1; 'inside' are portraits worked by Carole Lake's and my students at Callaway School of Needle Arts last January.

When I first thought of making an exhibition of Elizabeth 1 portraits, I worried they might all look the same, but surprisingly (considering they were worked from my pattern) they each have their own personalities. I have had a great time clicking through the exhibition and seeing all the variations of them -- it has been a delight!

To see the Elizabeths, travel to my website:

www.GayAnnRogers.com
and click on 'Elizabeth Exhibition'.
And enjoy!

Gay Ann

A Book for Thimble Collectors: American Silver Thimbles for sale

2011-09-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

For a long time I've been promising to post a sale of my book, American Silver Thimbles.

I did so this morning on my website.

Quite often people write to me with all sorts of thimble queries and I try to answer them as time allows. Over the years, at the top of the list has come the question: 'do you have any copies of your book at a reasonable amount of money?' Finally I decided I have read this too often, so I typed 'American Silver Thimbles' into a book query on Amazon.com and had quite a shock.

The cheapest copy I found was $255.00, the most expensive $350.00.

It was then I decided I had better sell some copies, so I posted them at the book's original price of $47.95 plus $6.00 priority shipping. I am hoping that fledgling thimble collectors to whom I have long promised copies will be able to have a copy now.

American Silver Thimbles is valuable in this sense: it is a record of American silver thimbles from 53 collections at what I think of as the height of thimble-collecting frenzy more than 20 years ago. At just about the height of the frenzy, I visited many remarkable collections, shot so many rolls of film, then stood in a dark-room converted from a bathroom and processed and printed all the photos for the book.

So many of the collections have since been broken up that I look back and think to myself it was a great time to shoot so many thimbles. I doubt I could assemble the collection today.

..............

After I wrote American Silver Thimbles, thimbles were at their height. Good ones were scarce and fetching all-the-time higher and higher prices.

I had never been a singularly devoted thimble collector; I had bought them, but only as one of many needlework tools, and when they continued to fetch higher and higher prices, I gave up looking for them.

For the 20 years that followed my book, I transitioned into teaching needlework full time, and I more or less forgot about collecting thimbles.

Then last November, when I was surfing eBay for interesting auctions to post on my website, I came across some remarkably wonderful American thimbles for auction. I followed along through the Christmas season and was amazed to see the high quality and relatively low prices of the thimbles that 20 years ago had been so sky high in price.

And guess what: I became interested in thimbles all over again. I am at heart a contrarian when it comes to shopping for antiques. I don't believe in shopping for things when they are at the height of fashion.

Last Christmas I began looking back through American Silver Thimbles and just for fun, I began ticking off the thimbles I'd found on eBay. I had a great time! It was just like visiting old friends who has slipped out of my life for a while.

Of course I bought a few of them. I think my favorite finds were two: I bought the Liberty Bell thimble at a fraction of its former price and I bought a very rare Untermyer Robbins thimble of two lions. Finding any UR thimble was, in the old days, a happy occasion; finding a highly decorative one a joy indeed.

An old hobby renewed. Now I look every week to see if some interesting thimbles turn up.

And now I am hoping maybe a new generation of thimble collectors will be inspired to enjoy these tiny little treasures.

Gay Ann

Busy Busy Busy

2011-09-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

Up front I have kept my website going with eBay listings I like and hope will be of interest to my followers.
I've now stripped down my navigation bar to only 2 lines in preparation for new postings.

Behind the scenes MacSoph (my computer) and I are scrambling scrambling. MacSoph's worn out her keys and I've worn out my fingers typing on those keys. iWeb is now swollen to a dangerously large level and MacSoph crosses her keys and I my fingers that everything won't crash.

Up front it looks like nothing's happening.

But things will start to happen soon.

I have a wonderful exhibition coming soon. I can't wait!
And I have some galleries of my own work coming soon.
And soon, too soon, it will be time for Pre-Week.
And then for E-Week itself.
And then for Early Morning Sales.
And E-Week Annex where people can order supplies from Kate.

Yikes! Come on, MacSoph, we have to go back to work!

But up front it all still looks so leisurely.

Gay Ann

A New Adventure

2011-09-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Here it is, in my busiest season (with E-Week just around the corner) and I've started a new adventure:
I am tackling stitching on linen ground.

I've been at it for about 3 or 4 days now and I've learned a lot, with help from my Shining Needle Society Classroom.

Today I had a note from Jane-Ellen Balzuweit offering me a suggestion or two and suddenly into my mind jumped: Idea for an online class at Shining Needle Society, called 'Linen Technique Clinic' and I am hoping Jane-Ellen will lead it.

Jane-Ellen, if you have ever followed her embroidery career, is one of those amazing needlework whizzes who can do anything with a needle and thread and get it to work. She reminds me a little of Carol Algie who has the same talents. They both seem to be able to tackle anything, easy or difficult, and have it come out well.

For those of you who don't know them, you should! Both have taught for EGA for years and years and they are both people I look up to.

Here I am, on a new adventure, and I look forward to help from Jane-Ellen and from other members of the class.

Does this mean I am giving up needlepoint? No, absolutely not. I just have a vision of a sampler I would love to make and it deserves to be on a linen ground. I will write more about it as time permits. For now I am content to doodle on different types of linen and see how I do.

And of course I have too much work to do for E-Week, so I really shouldn't be doing any stitching at all.
But who can live without a needle in her hand at least some time during the day? Not me, that's for sure.

If you'd be interested in taking this class along with me, write to KateGaunt@aol.com. She is the director of Shining Needle Society and she and Jane-Ellen are starting to plan the class.

I can't wait!
Gay Ann

Reflections on Designing and Stitching in 2011

2011-08-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

This morning I posted on my website my own personal favorite of the Summer Solstice designs I doodled this summer.

For a long while the Flower was my favorite and I would still like to try and convert it into a thistle. I don't think it would be a difficult conversion and as I love purple, green and white together, I would enjoy working on it. Maybe early next year. Till then I fear my days are filled to capacity and I would like to know, does anybody know how to stretch the days?

Right now an elephant is standing very near me in my work room. The Elephant is E-Week, my yearly sale. A month and a half to go and I am working away every moment at it.

Some time ago an acquaintance remarked quite authoritatively at a meeting that I had stopped stitching entirely and I spent ALL my time on my computer.

I do spend a lot of time on my computer, most of it writing instructions for the nearly 30 pieces of needlepoint that I have designed and stitched since January 1 this year.

5 hearts, the Royal Wedding pieces and the Summer Solstice designs have all turned up on my website so far but they account for only a part of 2011 for me. Most of my new pieces are for E-Week and I have indeed been busy writing instructions on the computer.

I have not given up stitching. I don't think I ever will. Quite simply I love my time with my needle. It feeds my soul.

And besides, I have far too much stash to give up stitching. Far too much!

This brings me back to Summer Solstice and my favorite of the designs in the series. In the end I like my original Sun-like Geometric the best. It looks like the Summer Sun to me and after all, that is the most appropriate of the designs from a Summer of busy stitching time.

Gay Ann

Plans for My Summer Solstice Designs

2011-08-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend, a bit of everything I spend my time doing.

I stitched quite a while on both Saturday and Sunday evenings.
On Saturday I went bead shopping (yes more beads, it seems an endless addiction).
On Sunday I went to the Apple Store for lessons. I face the long task of redoing my website in the next year.
In between I wrote about my plans for Summer Solstice, my designs from a summer of doodle-stitching.

I just posted my plans on my website in Summary 4 of my Summer Solstice experience, but here is a bit more about my plan.

I had not been working for long on Summer Solstice when I noticed that I was using a single center motif and building up patterns around it. It surprised me how much the various patterns changed what was essentially the same design. By the time I started colorizing the parts, I thought all the designs took on such a different appearance, even though as I said they were essentially the same design.

In the Summer Solstice Banner I made up a series of new squares and each could easily function in the role of my original center design. If someone took one of these little center squares, she could gently and non-threateningly build herself a new design.
She could juggle my patterns and add her favorites to them; she could experiment almost endlessly with different colors.

In short, I could turn Summer Solstice into a simple little design experience with anybody willing to try.

Of course anybody who wishes to can stitch any one of the designs just as I did, but I am hoping they will join me in a Study Room at Shining Needle Society and watch what happens. I even have a prize, a yummy cake shipped, for the stitcher who makes the most creative adaptation of Summer Solstice.

I am hoping to start the Study Room for Summer Solstice the first week of the new year and have it up until April 1.

More details on my website, and still more will show up at E-Week, my sale in mid-October.

Gay Ann

Forty-Six Cheers for Adobe!

2011-08-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

This summer my life got a lot worse: Apple took away the program I use to create my website. Yes, iWeb is disappearing and MacSoph, Queendom Website and I have become iWeb Orphans.

All summer long my angst has been, what do we do?

Now almost every sophisticated computer person has looked askance at iWeb as 'not sophisticated' 'a very bad web design program' 'not for serious people' 'only for amateurs' etc. OK, I've learned enough to know that some of the complaints are well founded.

Still, iWeb gave me a very simple format and a great deal of freedom to stitch together my bit of magic.

As I've looked around for a program to replace iWeb, I've 'auditioned' several and found that the simple ones slot me in a box and force me to stay in the confines of the box. They may be more sophisticated in terms of web stuff, but for design possibilities they don't live up to iWeb.

The only way around the dilemma was the long arduous task of learning code, so I spent a considerable amount of time learning a bit about html and css. I found I actually enjoy it, but I was not at all certain I wanted to spend each day using it to make daily changes to Queendom Website. I could see my treasured stitching time evaporating in a mist of angle brackets.

Still I soldiered on, each day feeling more and more like sending a stream of darts toward Apple's management for its decision to kill iWeb.

All along DH has told me, there are too many iWeb users and someone will step up to the plate and do something that will help all the iWeb Orphans.

Who knew that the someone stepping up to the plate would be the almighty Adobe itself.

Forty-Six Cheers for Adobe! It is as if they heard my own personal cry and brought me the perfect solution for Queendom Website!

MacSoph, Queendom Website and I will live on for another day after all. Thank you, Adobe! Thank you thank you thank you!

Gay Ann

An Unseasonal Christmas Banner on Queendom Website

2011-08-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day I have a Christmas version of Summer Solstice Banner on the homepage of my website. I just finished updating my website for the day and as I clicked on it, all the red and green looks so strange as we wind into the third week of August.

Tomorrow morning the fourth and last design will magically appear on my home page and I will convert back to the sunny summer colors.

I have whiled away my summer doodle-stitching the series and I've had a great time with it. I've enjoyed not having to plan where I am headed, but just kick back and see where my needle leads me. Although I have doodle-stitched many times, this is the first time I've documented and published my day-by-day progress and it has been a journey full of surprises for me.

So what have I learned in this journey? And what have I hoped my followers have learned? And what am I going to do with it all?

After I post the fourth design, I will write about my nearly 2 months of Summer Solstice and hopefully answer the above questions.
I didn't start with a plan but gradually one evolved as I stitched the pieces.

Gay Ann

Summer Solstice is Coming to a Close

2011-08-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

After a whole summer of doodle-stitching, I am finally to the end of my Summer Solstice Project.
I will reveal the last two designs over the next couple of days.

So what am I going to do with these four designs?
I have a plan and I will write about it very soon.

In fact I wasn't very far along with the first of the designs when the goal occurred to me and I have been stitching with it in mind ever since. The only hint at this point? It involves a bit of creativity, and it involves a Cake.

To read about the Cake (yes, CAKE) check out my website, www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on 'CAKE' on the navigation bar.

I haven't finished the cake yet, but boy is it delicious! I am guessing that the cake will add all 6 lbs I've just lost. What I've never figured out is how a cake that weighs less than 1 pound can add 6 lbs to me. Don't tell me it doesn't happen, because I have countless experiences countering your argument.

Oh well, who can resist a delicious cake.
Gay Ann

On Designing for Needlepoint

2011-07-13T05:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received the following post which was the end of a long comment about Summer Solstice, my summer project.
I've posted all comments on my website, but this one seems to ask that I answer it more thoroughly, since it hits squarely on the reason I've been stitching Summer Solstice.

Here’s the end of terryb's long post:
This is a fun exercise, but I hope your intentions were not to convince us that designing is easy. Rather it points out the complicated aspects that are involved and how important it is that they all mesh to create a beautiful and successful end product.

And here's my answer:
No, the purpose of Summer Solstice has not been to convince anyone that designing is easy. I've been designing needlepoint projects for a long time now and I've never found it easy.

My idea was to develop a small design by picking up my needle and starting, without any idea where I was headed. I was hoping to take my followers through the various stages of developing a small design so that they could see the process and begin to evaluate along with me each of the stages Summer Solstice goes through.

Sometimes it is easy to think in black and white and forget about the gray areas between the two extremes. In this case, at one end is a design by someone else and the stitcher simply reproduces what the designer did. At the other end is a blank piece of canvas in need of a design. There are a lot of possibilities between these two extremes, and that's what I am after.

I am not asking everybody to pick up blank canvases and fill them. I am hoping that people will learn to watch more carefully what they are stitching and bring a little of themselves to their needlework by making small personal changes. To make the changes well, someone has to grapple a bit with the design process and think about where she's headed.

When someone stitches a design that is all worked out ahead of time, it is a safe and easy choice. As the stitcher hits the awkward stages that all designs go through, she can overlook them and focus instead on the pretty color photo of the design as it will become. Once she starts to deviate even a little bit from the pattern, she will have to learn to look at what is actually happening on the canvas and evaluate where she is and where she is headed.

With my Summer Solstice project, that's exactly what I am trying to demonstrate. I don't know where I am headed or whether it will work out. What I have to do is stitch a bit, then stop and evaluate where I am and where I want to go, then try out my ideas and see if they work, rip a lot when they don't, evaluate again and stitch again.

So why grapple with these problems at all when the world is full of beautiful designs just waiting to be stitched?

Over my years as a needlework teacher, I have heard so many times the excitement in someone's voice when she takes a small step toward personalizing her needlework by trying a choice of her own and discovering that it works. There is a sense of engagement that doesn't exist with rote reproduction of a design. Yes, it is more difficult, but it is often very rewarding.

I am hoping that Summer Solstice will help people see a myriad of possibilities and the differences that small changes can make; I am hoping people will begin to look at their own needlework projects and say, 'I wonder what would happen if...."

Gay Ann

My Summer Project

2011-06-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

On the Summer Solstice I took the whole day and stitched.

I began stitching a project in an unconventional way: I gathered together a variety of threads in colors I like and a square of 18 mesh canvas and I began stitching without a plan or a drawing to guide me.

My idea is to start with one color and one stitch and then make the next decision based on that color and that stitch, then the next decision once I see the first and second choices, and so forth, and watch where it all leads.

I have stitched this way on several occasions In the past, and sometimes the designs work out and sometimes not. Even if the designs don't work out, I always come away with some interesting patterns or color combinations which I have incorporated into other designs. In the best of circumstances, I come up with a design that stands on its own. My past design called 'Twilight Garden Square' was one of these experiments.

This time is a bit different because I decided to document each step and make it a summer project on my website. I have been snapping photos along the way and making notes about the process as I go. This morning I posted the first of the series on my website: a photo of the threads and canvas I started with and some notes about my choices. I plan to write about my decisions along the way, why I did this, why I chose that, etc., as I go.

The thing about this way of working is, I never know where I am headed, so I am hoping it will be lively, a bit of suspense and a bit of living on the edge in terms of needlepoint. We'll see how it turns out.

To follow along:
www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on 'Summer' on my navigation bar.

Gay Ann

Summer Solstice Stitch In

2011-06-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

It is the eve of one of my favorite days of the year: tomorrow we have more daylight hours than any other day of the year and that's why it is one of my favorite days.

In my classroom at Shining Needle Society I planned a Summer Solstice Stitch In. My original plan was to start stitching after dinner and stitch till the last light of the day fades.

Now I've revised my plan. I decided I deserve one of my favorite days all to myself, so with notable exceptions for errands and to-do tasks and of course food breaks, I plan to pick up my needle at first light tomorrow morning and stitch all day long till the final bit of light in the evening. I have invited all of Shining Needle Society, at least all of the members I can reach, to e-drop in and join me for whatever time they can, then tell us how much they accomplished.

My idea for myself is to start a new project.

Lately, out in my guest room, I have had squares of 18 mesh canvas in all colors spread out with chunks of favorite threads in favorite colors on top of the canvas squares. Today I plan to choose one of those squares and its colors, mount the square on stretcher bars and set it aside along with two shiny new tapestry needles for tomorrow morning.

So what do I plan to stitch? That's what's unusual about this project of mine: I don't know, I don't have any drawings or any plans. I will just pick up my needle and start, then see what I come up with. I plan to start at the center of the canvas and watch what evolves.

I've done this before and it is great fun. I have to watch what is happening and I often have to rip a lot, but I usually do a lot of ripping anyway. I love not knowing where I am heading, just interacting with the canvas to see what evolves.

This time I plan to take photos each step of the way and post the results on my website, bad or good, through the next month.

We'll see how it all turns out.

Happy Summer Solstice Eve. Enjoy the wonderful long hours of daylight.

Lace: Hand-made vs. Machine-Made

2011-06-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

Because of the Royal Wedding and Kate Middleton's dress, I have been featuring examples of Carrickmacross lace on my website. This is the style of lace on Kate Middleton's dress.

This morning I began a journey of study when I posted closeups of hand-made Carrickmacross and machine-made Carrickmacross. I have posted arrows noting certain areas where the stitches are easier to see and If you look carefully at them you will begin to recognize stitches made by hand vs. stitches made by machine.

To see the closeups go to www.GayAnnRogers.com, click on Lace Box, then on Lace Box 8.

Why learn about this? If you like to shop in flea markets and you go armed with a bit of knowledge, you are likely to find some real treasures for a few pennies. Many dealers buy quantity of laces, but many of them don't know the difference between hand and machine.

For example, at Covent Garden market in London, I once bought 3 strips of lace for the equivalent of $2.50 for the three. I bought them as samples to illustrate hand vs. machine in my needlework classes and they were great for that. Two were machine-made, but the third one was a great little strip of hand-made Venetian lace.

Besides studying them, what else can you do with these things? In the next couple of years I hope to figure out ways to incorporate bits of lace into some needlepoint patterns. In the meantime I am hoping my followers will learn a tad bit about the lace they may one day incorporate into their needlework,

Gay Ann

Frustration on a Sunday Afternoon

2011-05-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

This past week I started a new program for myself and for members of my Shining Needle Society Class. Last Sunday I looked ahead at the week to be and I set up some stitching goals for myself.

Happily I kept to my goals all week long. I even started a new design and spent several days consumed by it, but in the end, sadly it didn't work and I just tossed it.

I don't mind the time I spent on it -- it is a part of any creative work. I got myself backed into a place I couldn't deal with. The part I mind is, I've been there a dozen times before and I forget about it.

It all has to do with Zweigart and the colors of congress cloth.

I find Zweigart congress cloth colors too strong and too true to their colors. Even the ecru (I always forget the real name of the color), the light blue and the gray. The ecru is too yellow for my tastes, the light blue is so light blue and the gray to my eye is more like a middle gray.

I would prefer a series of grounds with 'barely there' colors, with just enough color to take the Scream out of Screaming White. I have wished for this as long as I have used congress cloth which is a long long time.

Last year I rejoiced when Zweigart announced 4 new congress cloth colors and I ordered them sight unseen. Then they arrived on my doorstep. All four were strong strong colors. Couldn't just one of them be a soft barely-there ground? I'm not asking for all four, just one. Ahh, my soul for an antique white (a genuine antique white), or a pale (I do mean pale) gray or probably what would be my favorite choice: a barely-there gray blue. Or how about a barely there gray green. Actually the color doesn't matter, just an almost-neutral color to take the Scream out of Screaming White.

I live with Screaming White. I have adjusted my whole career to Screaming White: I use pale colors so that the contrast keeps the Scream at bay.

From time to time I forget and I start a design calling for strong colors, and that's what I did last week.

I got part way into it, liked very much what I had done, then I started choosing more colors and stopped cold. The Screaming White was screaming overtime. Knowing the lessons from the past I simply bundled it all up and tossed it -- and wished for the umpteenth time for a barely there color.

The frustration leads me to write about it every once in a while and the frustration is looming large this afternoon. Very large. So I am writing about it on my blog. Writing about it makes me feel better, I guess. Gets it off my chest.

So now I've written about it again.

Back to the drawing board. Hmmm, let's see what design of mine will harmonize with the soft colors necessary to keep the scream in white down to a dull roar. The wish list tabled for yet another year or two.

Gay Ann

Carrickmacross Lace

2011-05-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

After my Royal Wedding Extravaganza on Queendom Website, I decided to dig into my Lace Box and find samples of Carrickmacross Lace, primarily because that was the lace on Kate Middleton's wedding dress.

I found several pieces and have displayed them on my website. I began with such a poor example of the craft, a sad hankie with amateur appliques. Carrickmacross is a lace made of applying fabric bits onto net. Whereas the more difficult laces have solid areas created by Buttonhole Stitch, Carrickmacross solid areas are applied fabric. The best part of my coarsely made hankie is that it is easy to understand the technique.

This morning I posted my favorite piece of Carrickmacross, a beautiful 19th century handkerchief of Carrickmacross Guipure. All Guipure indicates is that there's no net. This hankie is such a beautiful example and I have always loved it. I found it years and years ago in a basket on the rainy ground of a large flea market outside London. I had gone there with an antiques dealer friend of mine who was shopping for her own stock.

In future days I am hoping people will find hankies from their moms and aunts and grandmothers and we will look at photos and see what people have. Tomorrow morning or Sunday morning, I am not sure which, I will post a couple of 1950's machine-made lace hankies that borrow patterns from the handmade Carrickmacross Lace.

Gay Ann Rogers
www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on 'Lace Box' on the yellow navigation bar

A Small Slice of London from Betty Chen Louis

2011-05-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

The best part of my Springtime Extravaganza is its end: a new and small piece, a slice of London's skyline, from Betty Chen Louis. I have posted the piece on my website's home page: www.GayAnnRogers.com.

For so long now I have been writing about restraint from gooping up pieces of needlepoint and here is a prime example of how restraint has paid off big time. Betty hasn't used many stitches or threads to stitch her small skyline; her skill is the manipulation of color and scale to show the construction of the buildings and the lights and shadows across them. To my way of thinking Betty is the master of manipulating color and scale.

The piece is brand new. Betty finished stitching it less than a month ago. Because it makes so many of the points I would love to see reinforced, I am hoping it will become an online class sometime early next year through Shining Needle Society. For interest in the class, contact KateGaunt@aol.com. For now she is compiling an interest room.

For my own part, I am delighted to see Betty stitching again and it is lovely to see a new piece of her elegant work.

Gay Ann

Royal Wedding Eve and My Celebrations

2011-04-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

All month long on my website I've been celebrating the Royal Wedding with the best tidbits I can think of, and today I posted my latest: Needlework Royalty and a beautiful wedding dress worn by one of Needlework's Royal Princesses.

My Needlework Posting is the latest of my attempts to move into the future and to date I think it is my tutors' favorite. It is probably a toss up between me rising up out of the back of my personal e-Rolls and this one. In time I am hoping I can do even more with this one, but for now it makes me smile. I enjoyed making it to celebrate my Queenship and the Royal Status of a few of my friends.

So it is the Eve of the Royal Wedding and tomorrow is the Big Day. I suspect many of us will have a great day-long or, depending on how industrious you are, an all-night stitch in in front of the television. I suspect, because of a very bad cold, that I will sleep tonight and Tivo it for tomorrow, so now my final decision: which station do I want to record?

Enjoy the eve and the day.
Gay Ann

A Week till the Royal Wedding

2011-04-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

All month long on my website I have been celebrating the upcoming Royal Wedding.
I confess, it isn't so much for the 'royal' part as it is for the wacky commemoratives and souvenirs that everybody comes up with on such occasions and I have been posting links and photos of them on my website since last January. What people can come up with! Now I see that Dunkin' Donuts has a Royal Wedding Donut in the shape of a heart.

I even made up my own Royal Commemoratives, a sewing case, a geometric, a heart and a series of fobs potentially with 'Diana Rings' at the end of the fobs. The rings are available at very reasonable prices on eBay, but I don't think they are real sapphires and diamonds. At first I was disappointed I didn't get a multi-carat sapphire for $17.95 including postage. Then I thought, mnever mind, as the beads I used in the fobs weren't real sapphires and diamonds either.

During the month I have had three quizzes, one on Famous Wedding Dresses, one on Famous Brides and one on Famous Couples and people have been guessing the answers. An amazing number have guessed most of them. The least known of the celebrities was Couple #1 in the 'Famous Couples' quiz; as an aside, everybody knew Couple #3.

Now I have started gathering Favorite Wedding Dresses. I actually think this exercise has some worth as a design exercise. This morning I started writing a tiny bit about Style. Not High Style or Fashionista Style but a bit of Vintage/Historical Style. Along with others I have been surfing Wedding Dresses for the one I like best. After viewing everybody's selections so far, I must say that my choices aren't very conventional, but that's fine. I will post my choices at the very end.

I still want to do a feature on 'Royal Commemoratives' from the past. I don't have a huge collection of them but as a long time collector of sewing tools, I do have a few and I think they are great fun. I will start posting photos early next week.

In a windup to the wedding, I've saved my favorite bit for the last. MacSoph and I just finished it (it was a joint effort), with much help from my favorite kids at Apple. They all liked it and laughed pretty hard, so I have high hopes it will amuse my website followers. I will post it sometime toward the end of next next week, likely on Wednesday or Thursday.

So there's still a busy time ahead on Queendom Website, followed by an all-nighter. Perhaps. I am thinking, should I stay up all night, or get lots of zzz's and use Tivo. I keep telling myself that's why they invented Tivo.

But then there's the lure of seeing it all in 'Real Time'.

Which? Don't know yet.

Gay Ann

In the Springtime: an Extravaganza.

2011-04-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to a Springtime Extravaganza on my website since last November. Through the doldrums of winter and into my favorite time of year.

Why my favorite time of year? Because the days grow longer and it is time for strawberries and asparagus. Yummy foods to eat that aren't even bad for you, and longer times to stitch in the natural daylight. Two good reasons, don't you think?

I began my Springtime Extravaganza with a quote: In the Springtime, the only pretty ring time, the birds do sing, hey ding a ding ding, sweet lovers love the spring.

The quote was full of hints about my Springtime Extravaganza, and now the cat is out of the bag.
Yes, the Lord Chamberlain himself has invited Queendom Website and its followers to put on our best tiaras and spiffy pyjamas, set our alarm clocks and watch the Royal Wedding together. If you travel to my website you will find a replica of the actual invitation, just a little reworked for all of us, and a page of crowns, coronets and tiaras appropriate for the occasion, even if the bride herself decides to wear flowers, not a tiara.

The only thing missing from our Extravaganza so far: some special mementos to stitch through the night and into the day as we celebrate with a night-and-day stitch-in on Shining Needle Society. So, behind the scenes I have been stitching stitching away small patterns to commemorate the day. Now it is the eve of my posting them for the first time and I am anxious to see how Queendom Website looks when it all goes live tomorrow morning.

I have been stitching and MacSoph and I have been working away, and I have a couple of proud moments to crow about:
I have a little geometric and guess what: it sparkles! And when it stops sparkling, the viewer can click on it and it will sparkle again.

I have a little sewing case that opens and closes, and on demand opens and closes again.
And my best effort so far: a little heart that revolves and does a bit of magic.

Last month I celebrated my third anniversary of life with both MacSophs (Little MacSoph and MacP.Soph), my two computers. I didn't have time then to celebrate (toooo many deadlines!) but I will take time this month to reflect on how far I've come and how far I still have to go.

Springtime. The season of growth. Time for me to grow and grow. Now, on the eve of my Springtime Extravaganza, I look forward to taking the next step. All day Sunday I go to school again at the Apple Store and I hope to do a bit more. Building blocks they are, one step more toward my fantasy.

So I hope you will visit Queendom Website and see my new building blocks: the geometric that twinkles, the sewing case that opens and closes and the heart that revolves.
They will be up tomorrow morning first thing.

And I hope too that you will join Queendom Website for the Royal Wedding and the celebration in general of the spring.

Gay Ann

Wrapping Up My Month-Long Series, 'For Beginners'

2011-03-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

As March comes to a close, I am wrapping up my month-long series of suggestions for beginners. A number of people have written asking if I would leave up the series on my website. I will leave it up for a while, but ultimately I will take it down because of Website Real Estate. Not enough to keep up everything.

However, the month doesn't mark the end of the series, and I will, from time to time revisit the themes, particularly the themes of the last three posts which weren't truly beginner subjects. They apply to all of us in needlework. The themes of a little restraint, of judicious choices in thread and stitch to enhance the design, that sort of topic.

My big needlepoint Springtime Extravaganza started today with a sort of 'Pre-Start' which will tide me over till I am back from teaching and I have a chance to start in earnest. This Springtime Extravaganza will last for the whole of April and when it finishes, I have a genuine treat, a photo of a new piece from one of the iconic needlework teachers who has indeed taken up her needle again.

Surely as soon as I post the photo of her newest piece, I will have to revisit the themes I mention above, for she is a master of choice of thread and stitch to service the design. So soon as I take down my series for beginners, I will have to re-post some of it all over again.

See what I mean, it may not be there all the time, but it will definitely return, time and again, as the occasion suits.

Meanwhile, I planned to write a wrap-up for the month and I ran out of time.
I will write it when I am home again.

Gay Ann

www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on 'For Beginners' to visit my series.

Compensation: not in money but in needlepoint

2011-03-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

For all of March I have been writing posts on my website for beginners. Day before yesterday I tackled the basics of compensation, then decided I couldn't stop with only a definition. Yesterday I wrote more on compensation and touched on the subject of how compensation and stitch choice are inextricably bound together.

Compensation is basically using parts of a stitch to fill in a design element when the whole stitch unit won't fit. Stitchers get all caught up in the art of compensation and sometimes it seems to me, one compensates just for the sake of making it difficult.

Alas, I have seen bad stitch choices where 50% of the stitches are compensating stitches. I know many stitchers think this is a sign of expertise, but all it does essentially is goop up the piece.

I was pleased with my post yesterday because I used illustrations to define compensation, then I changed the compensation and eventually I changed the stitch choice. In the illustration of my final stitch choice, there was hardly any compensation, mainly because the stitch fit the shape so well.

Stitch selection is all important in all ways including compensation. If you have to do too much rigorous compensation, my guess is you are using the wrong stitch. Start working on another choice.

When you look at a design, look at the shapes involved and try to figure out stitch patterns that reflect the shapes. A shape isn't something to be filled with any old stitch pattern just because you like the stitch pattern. The stitch choice should play into the shape and enhance its line. More often than not, if you find a stitch that mirrors the shape in scale and in line, you will find you don't have to struggle much with compensation.

Gay Ann

For my articles on compensation: www.GayAnnRogers and click on "For Beginners".

About My Series of Posts for Needlepoint Beginners

2011-03-10T05:02:00.000-08:00

On the first of March I began writing a series I have always meant to write: my own guidelines for beginners.
This morning I just posted my fifth post.

I knew it would be difficult to do, in a large part because I haven't taught beginners for at least 30 years.
Whenever we are in a field for a long time, we use too much jargon, so one of the jobs of writing for beginners becomes the definition of terms we avid stitchers take for granted. It isn't difficult to define the terms; it is just surprisingly difficult to recognize that they are indeed the jargon of needlework.

I have had a good time thinking about beginners and how I would advise them to start. I am hoping, as I continue writing posts, that I am able to incorporate the elements of design and color right from the start. Even though people always say 'learn the rules' then you can break the rules. I am not certain that I agree with this; in a creative field I am not certain that 'the rules' are a good thing.

Recently friends came to visit and we spent a considerable amount of time stitching. My own personal style of stitching is very idiosyncratic, and for the umpteenth time in my long needlework tenure, my friends called my attention to several of my idiosyncrasies. I look on my idiosyncrasies as a part of my style, a part that evolves hand in hand with my sense of what to stitch and how to stitch. Take away those idiosyncrasies and I will not be the same stitcher at all.

This week I feel the issue even more strongly, as I learned about the death of Judy Harper. I never met Judy in person, but I 'met' her online and we had some wonderful conversations. When I wrote a post about 'Goop' on painted canvases, Judy wrote to me and cheered me on. When I first started exchanging emails with her I didn't realize she was an iconic canvas painter from my youth: she did a painting line called 'Creative Needle' and I remember in particular her beautiful Imari plates.

As I have been writing posts for beginners, I have been thinking about Judy and all that she wrote to me about design in needlepoint. I am trying to find a way to incorporate the ideas we discussed into my series, so that fledgling needlepointers learn there is more to needlepoint than the sum of a stitch library.

It isn't how many stitches you know how to do; it is all about what you do with the stitches that really matters. So the most important challenge in a series for beginners becomes, how do I incorporate the importance of personal choices right from the start? How do I explain the basics to beginners, yet reserve and preserve the importance of developing a personal style? How do I hit a balance between technical skill and artistic judgments?

So far I am five posts into the series; it remains to be seen if I can indeed do the job.

Gay Ann

Collecting Thimbles

2011-02-22T05:10:00.000-08:00

On my website I have a page where I post eBay listings for thimbles. I started this page right after Thanksgiving because I watched some of the best examples of American thimbles come up for sale and I was enjoying following the auctions. I have no financial interest in the listings I post, but I love to collect and like most collectors, I love a bargain.

There was a time when I spent untold hours shooting photos and writing about thimbles and the effort resulted in my book, American Silver Thimbles. At the time the book was published, thimbles were substantially more expensive than they are today. Thimble collecting reached a feverish pitch for some of the iconic American silver thimbles and prices then were sometimes more than 4-6 times what I saw them fetch this past Christmas season (with some notable exceptions of course).

Yesterday I saw a prime example of fallen glory: a little Columbian Exposition thimble sold for $89.89. Under $100.00. An unheard of low price back in the 1980's-1990'a.

I also remember well the days the Simons Bros. 'Stitch in Time' thimble fetched over $700.00; this past Christmas one went for $128.00.

Why have thimble prices fallen? I would guess a series of reasons.

Several substantial thimble collections have come back on the market and eBay has made comparisons more efficient; we know, for example that 3 or 4 Stitch in Time thimbles came on the market all in a month's time and we could compare the prices they fetched. We also found out there were likely more of them than we thought.

At the height of a collector fad, the prices soar beyond expectation, then when the fad dies off, the prices fall lower than we might imagine.

Sometimes a poorly photographed and written eBay listing results in a bargain price. I took advantage of this factor within the last month: I found a thimble I have always wanted, at a bargain price because the photo was terrible and the write up very vague. I almost missed the listing altogether, clicked my heels when I found it and it is proudly sitting in my thimble case now.

For years after I wrote American Silver Thimbles I didn't pursue thimbles. I don't like to search for collectibles in the midst of a fad; I would rather look for something not in favor. So when, quite by accident I rediscovered thimbles at much more reasonable prices all these years later, I thought the time had come to see if I could fill in some holes in my collection.

I have had a great time posting thimble auctions on my website and indulging in a few of the thimbles for myself.

Will thimbles ever reach their highest prices again? I have no way of knowing and I don't think it matters. I am not buying these thimbles as an investment, just for the pleasure they bring. Thimbles have a rich and interesting history and the workmanship and quality of the designs are often wonderful. I marvel at how much the thimble-makers managed to fit on the band of a thimble. I have always loved needlework tools in general because they are working tools, often with beautiful designs.

And right now another attractive feature about a thimble collection: it doesn't take much room.

Gay Ann

P.S. On my website I have kept photos of past thimble auctions and the prices they fetched as a record of comparison. I will continue to add to the photos as the auctions finish.

February continues....

2011-02-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

February, one of my favorite months, continues, and I am celebrating this evening! I am celebrating because I just finished writing the last of the instructions for my hearts sale which will start as soon as I get it all together.

I usually post everything at one time, but this year I've been doing it differently. For several days I have been posting a heart or two from my past. I have been stitching lots of hearts for a long time now, and tomorrow morning the 9th and 10th will find their ways to my website.

This year I succeeded in stitching 5 new hearts and those are the instructions I have been working on since I returned from Callaway School of Needlearts on January 19. Finally (FINALLY!) I just put the last of the graphs into place and the last heart is set to go.

The last heart, which is really the first heart, was a bit of an adventure. I intended it to be one sort of heart and it just cried out to be another sort of heart. One cannot deny its place, so I let this heart follow its bliss (thank you, Joseph Campbell, even when it comes to needlepoint hearts).

So the heart won, and I am thinking of breaking tradition and posting it all on its own so that I can write about it. I am considering giving it pride of place for a couple of days before I introduce the other four new hearts. The odd thing is, for years I intended to make the heart that this one turned into, I just didn't intend this heart to become the one it did. Convoluted, isn't it, and I am not sure I am making good sense.

What does make sense to me is the idea that a design tells me where it wants to go. I have said for so long: the skill doesn't come in predicting what will work, which thread will work or which stitch will work. The skill comes in learning to watch a design and see where it wants to take me. I say this all the time and that's why the little heart won.

I've snapped a few photos; I just haven't had time to stuff them into MacSoph and have a look at them. If they turned out well, watch for my first new heart in a couple of days. After I finish posting my old hearts.

I guess the frames on my home page have been empty long enough now.
It is almost time to fill them.

Gay Ann

February 2011

2011-02-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

I hadn't realized how much time had passed since I last posted on my blog: the whole month of January has gone by and here it is, nearly the end of the first week in February 2011. As I have said many times, I am still back in 1999 afraid about Y2K. Do you know there are 10-year-olds who weren't born yet in Y2K? Oh my, old age has set in....

I love February. I love it because it is the most GirlieGirl month on the calendar. In addition to being a GirlieGirl month, I see the days are getting a bit longer now and by the end of February they will be that much longer and spring is just around the corner. I know, I know, the country is freezing cold, but hope of spring is just awakening.

Back to GirlieGirl. What is more GirlieGirl than lace and hearts and a yummy box of chocolates and a bouquet of favorite flowers.
When I think of these things, I think of February and Valentine's Day.

I hadn't realized how many hearts I have stitched until I started looking for them and through them on February 1. I have a drawer full of them, and all intentions of making more of them. In fact, I have made 5 new ones for my Hearts Sale on my website and I am scurrying now to finish the instructions for them. In addition I am just starting a gallery of 10 of my hearts from the past.

MacSoph (my computer) and I have been pounding away, building the gallery and the first of My Hearts from the Past will show up on my website tomorrow morning.

I will start my sale as soon as I have finished writing instructions. I do have one small problem: I didn't finish in time to have Ann&Co proof the instructions, so I had a choice: cancel the sale or ask people to report mistakes as they find them and I'll post them on my website. I put the choice to several of my friends and 100% they voted to have the sale and report mistakes.

So I am game to try this, albeit with some hesitations. I will have an extra go through the instructions but I am not good at proofing my own work. I learned this years ago when I was writing books. I'd pour over and over the ts but not find anything.
I never could believe what the copyeditor found!

We'll see how it goes.

In any event, I am pleased with the new crop of hearts, in fact I am ready for more! I want to take the opportunity to start the first one for next year's hearts sale tonight at Date Night.

Yes, Saturday Night is Date Night: a Date with my Needle. Perfect time in this GirlieGirl month to start something over the top Girlie Girl. I think something with pulled thread would be just the ticket!

Gay Ann

Iron Wrought in Silk

2010-12-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Pierrette, for such a nice comment about Iron Wrought in Silk.

As I wrote in Part 1 of my commentary on Iron, I had started and abandoned the sampler a couple of years ago. Only when I wanted a sampler with a gate did I start to work again on it. All the way through this sampler I struggled, all the way through had my doubts. Only when I took the last dozen stitches did I decide it was perfect for my purposes and now I confess, I am so happy that I decided to continue with it and I love the way it came out.

This morning on my website, I posted Part 2 of its story and a photo of it just after I began work on it again. When I look at the photo of it part way and the photo of the finished sampler, I think indeed, sometimes there is a bit of magic in how these pieces sort themselves out.

As I said earlier, it will become such an important part of my website if I can learn how to do all I wish to do. It is always a struggle, but therein lies much of the reward.

Gay Ann

Looking forward to 2011

2010-12-26T06:22:00.001-08:00

It's the day after Christmas, Boxing Day if you've ever spent a Christmas in the U.K. It's also Sunday, and cold across the U.S. Perfect time to snuggle up and stitch, which is exactly what I plan to do today.

I am finishing a little scissors case to commemorate Callaway's Needle Arts School's 40th anniversary. With any luck I should finish today; I don't have far to go.

I had a lovely time stitching yesterday, didn't even have to feel guilty about running away from Kit Hell and Mail Jail.
Yesterday also I posted on my website three new projects I finished this year: Mary Queen of Scots, Bess of Hardwick -- and a sampler called 'Iron Wrought in Silk'.

Iron Wrought in Silk is so important for my website, for it leads the way to The Future for me and yesterday I started telling its story. So far Part 1. With all this in mind I look forward to the New Year and all it holds. I have so much stitching to do and so much to learn about MacSoph, my computer, and I so greatly look forward to it all!

Time to start planning to 2011. 2011: I hope it is a lucky number.

Gay Ann

Christmas Story on my Website this morning

2010-12-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

It has been a sad year in one respect: we have lost too many friends in our stitching world. This year, in January we lost Linda Wilken who had bravely battled cancer for 5 years. My Christmas Story is a tiny vignette of her last Christmas. It is such a small bit of Christmas Magic, but really about the power of a special friendship through our needles.

I just posted "The Twelve Santas" on my website earlier in the morning.

Gay Ann

It's Snowing on My Website!

2010-12-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, with lots of help, I finished decorating Queendom Website for the holidays, and it's snowing on my home page!
Like my first adventure in animation, I got so excited with the first flakes fell across my sewing case.

I look forward to the holidays this year but with some degree of sadness too. We lost too many people this year -- my friend, Linda Wilken, lost her battle to cancer in January. Then Kathleen Rake, such a gentle soul. And a very big part of my life for a while, Ben Grundfast, who was such a seminar and Callaway fixture for many years. And Molly Holt such a short time ago. I will miss them all and I realize only too keenly something I didn't understand when I was young: the ghosts of Christmases past.

All year long I have kept one story about Linda and some Santa Clauses. I saved it for Christmas, and I will publish it sometime within the next week.

In Queendom Website's Chrismtases past, I have always saved a special piece I've stitched and I post it as a small treat on Christmas morning. This year's is framed and waiting, and it is the first piece I have made entirely for my website. When I have learned much more than I know now, this sampler will play a very large role in the future of Queendom Website. But more about that on Christmas Morning.

For now, I have spent some time reorganizing my thimble pages. I now have a page for thimbles for sale now and a page for ended auctions with prices the thimbles fetched. If one looks at auction prices, one can learn a lot about pricing a collectible. As it is the shopping season, I will keep the thimbles, sewing tools and cameos on Queendom Website through the holidays.

Yes, cameos too. At E-Week I had several requests from people for cameos. I am out of the cameo business now -- I bought them only when I was actively teaching my cameo pieces. Instead, I would like to help people find suitable cameos for all my cameo samplers, then next summer I hope to bring the cameo pieces back for a little Cameo Extravaganza.

I had a good time decorating Queendom Website this year. I headed into it without many ideas, then it just came to me as I was searching through my files for a wallpaper. So I hope you will have time to stop by and watch it snow, check out thimble prices and needlework tool prices, and cameo prices as well, stay for my story of Linda Wilken and the Twelve Santas. And if I have a chance, a new Techniques Column too.

Happy Holidays!
Gay Ann

Thimbles and More Thimbles!

2010-11-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

Like most collectors I enjoy surfing on eBay. Some time ago I started a page on my website where I mention eBay listings I find and like and think might interest Queendom Website's followers. To date I have posted mostly scissors. I have a true scissors fetish, no doubt at all.

A couple of days ago I found an unusually long list of America's noteworthy thimbles for sale. I haven't seen this many of the famous thimbles for sale for a long while, so I wrote on my website a feature about thimbles. I put them on my home page, I've now done 2 pages of thimble listings from eBay, and I've written a long long column of comments on the vagaries of thimble prices. It was like a stroll down memory lane for me, as I spent the better part of 3 years writing about American Silver Thimbles.

Back in the relative dark ages when I was writing American Silver Thimbles, I knew each one of the thimbles and could tell you who made it. Now? Well, I confess I remember a surprising number of them and who made them, but I don't remember how to spell the names any longer. I had to check my book to see how to spell one of the most noteworthy of the American thimble makers, Ketcham & McDougall. The spelling of their names aside, wow, what great thimbles they made!

If the thimbles now for sale on eBay don't encourage a thimble collecting fetish amongst my followers, I give up, can't be done.
Whether you want to collect thimbles or not, do take a few minutes to look at them and enjoy one of America's smallest art forms. www.GayAnnRogers.com

Enough chatting here about them. I will leave the details to my website, save for one last comment: will I indulge in one or two of the thimbles for sale? Most definitely! I bought my first one tonight. I thought it was a terrific buy and I will likely be back for a second one and perhaps a third. Which ones? Hmmm, let's see how the auction goes for now....

Fun and games in the thimble world, that's for sure.
Gay Ann

Remembering Molly Holt

2010-11-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

On Thursday evening our needlework world lost one of the bravest people I have known. Molly Holt died peacefully after a near 25-year-long battle with cancer.

I don't remember when I first met Molly but I would guess that Betty Chen Louis introduced us. I don't remember largely because Molly has always been such a big a part of the needlework world as I've known it. She was a regular at most guild seminars and I cannot remember a time I didn't see her at Callaway.

Molly was one of those students who made needlework a better, livelier and more inventive place. Not content to work on designs from others, Molly was a leader in studying design and color and the application of both to needlework. She studied memorably with Wilcke Smith, Jan Beaney, Jean Littlejohn, Pam Godderis and Charlotte Miller. Last year at EGA she applied and was accepted as a member of Fiber Forum, EGA's more experimental group.

Last January at Callaway I saw what I thought was such a worthwhile culmination of Molly's expression in a piece she displayed in the Callaway exhibit. It was her artistic look at her battle with cancer and it so impressed me that I posted a photo and her artist's statement on my website homepage. In honor of Molly I have re-posted the photo of her piece (above) along with her artist's statement (below).

We who knew Molly will greatly miss her and her influence on our embroidery world, although I suspect her spirit will remain close to many of us, urging us to try harder, be more experimental, look at alternatives and stray from the easy. So I won't say good bye to Molly. She will stay and help us all in memory and in spirit.

Gay Ann

Molly's artist's statement follows, below. The photo of Molly sipping coffee was from Callaway last January; the photo of Kate, Rivers, Lee and Molly was from our day at 'The Birth of Impressionism' at the DeYoung in San Francisco when we were all together for the EGA Seminar in September.

From Molly Holt:

In September 2009 my breast cancer was found to have suddenly metastasized into my liver. This piece was begun in early July of that year, a time when the cancer was actively moving, but I was not yet conscious of its presence. However, I believe my inner artist WAS very aware of what was happening in my body and that this piece came out of that awareness.

The first layer of the piece uses plain sheer fabrics to create a geometric design of recto-linear shapes. These represent the underlying strength of my overall health, although if you look closely, some of the edges are beginning to fray here and there. The second, top layer of fabric is created using both plain and printed sheers and some solid cottons as well. These very organic, slightly sinister shapes writhe and mover over the geometric surface beneath and represent the cancer cells. The machine stitching moving around the organic shapes is the chemotherapy I'm currently undergoing engulfing and attacking the cancer cells.

There are two border areas made up of black areas machine-stitched and design without the machine stitching surrounding them. Are the borders prologue, representing the time before I began treatment, the chemotherapy "lurking" and waiting at the edges, the cancer cells not yet as large or full of movement, the underlying health fraying further? Or are they the epilogue, what remains when the chemotherapy is withdrawn? That remains to be seen, but I believe my inner artist knows.

This piece was begun in a class with Maggie Weiss. She challenged us to work in black and white, although in the end I chose to add a bit of color for emphasis -- and perhaps hope. Maggie further "assigned" us to do our underlying layer as a geometric structure and the top layer in organic shapes. The shapes were to be in three sizes and have cut out areas. The design itself was left entirely up to each student.

Post-E-Week

2010-11-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

I have been absent from writing on my blog because I have been steeped in Mail Jail for E-Week's sales.
Now, after a month in Mail Jail, I have reached my last dozen orders and this morning I put out an official call for mistakes in the orders I have filled. Time to start mopping up and soon time to move on.

Next come the kits for my final travel-teaching job at Callaway in January and for my job with Pat Correz in the spring.
And after that? The beginning of my small dream for Queendom Website.

Actually my small dream begins this weekend for I am driving on Saturday morning up to my framer (the noteworthy New Creations Framing in Pasadena) to pick up a sampler called 'Iron Wrought in Silk'. Iron Wrought in Silk marks the beginning of the dream, let's say Part 1, so needless to say I am excited to see how the sampler looks and to begin work on a bit of magic for it.

So when will my followers catch a glimpse of Iron Wrought in Silk?
On Christmas morning, of course. A fitting time for the start of a dream, don't you think?

And when will the dream begin to happen? Well, not tomorrow, that's for sure. I have two more large samplers to stitch first and a long road of computer lessons to travel, so it will be a while. A while filled with a bunch of happy stitching and studying hours.

I am hoping the people who are in my general classroom at Shining Needle Society will keep me company as I stitch stitch stitch toward making a little dream a reality.

Gay Ann

Reflections as E-Week begins to head toward the finish line

2010-10-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

It is almost over, only one day to go for my 4th annual E-Week Sale. Some E-Week it has been too, with a record number of people coming to my Early Morning Sales. I kind-of held my breath that I would get it right and that all the windows would open smoothly. We had one hiccup but nothing like last year when Little MacSoph, simply sick of the whole thing, posted an Apple Ad.
(I know Queendom Website's followers remember that ad because one person wrote me this year and asked how much the computer MacSoph was advertising last year cost).

So the windows all opened in a timely fashion and each day lasted about 2 hours. Several people wrote to me and said it was just like Stitchers' Christmas and I wanted to write and say 'thank you' for such a kind thought!

One more day to go, then E-Week will morph into a new feature this year called 'E-Week ANNEX'. By and large Kate Gaunt has done the work and I owe her a big debt. I couldn't have begun to undertake it all. As followers of Queendom Website know, I struggle under the weight of Mail Jail, so it is wonderful for me that Kate has undertaken ANNEX.

We never intended to end up in the kit business, in fact for the first years of E-Week, I avoided it as best I could. But I have heard from so many people that they have struggled to find the supplies for my projects and increasingly I have become concerned.

Last spring in my Shining Needle general classroom I posted a questionnaire. It wasn't a long one, just 5 questions. I had well over 100 people reply and the vast majority asked please, could I offer a kit option. As many have local needlework shops they wish to support (don't we all wish for that), they didn't want kits to be mandatory, but they did want the option. People who live in areas without needlework shops report that they increasingly depend on the internet for all needlework supplies and they very much favored a kit option.

So with Echoes of Elizabeth Sewing Case last summer Kate and I joined forces to see if we could provide a kit option for the students in my Echoes class. It worked out surprisingly well. Most of the mistakes were ones I made, but most got sorted out fairly quickly.

Echoes was successful enough that we decided to try making ANNEX for E-Week this year.

We both would be very interested in your opinion of ANNEX. Neither of us intends to have ANNEX be a full service needlework shop, only to provide the supplies for my E-Week designs.

We will see how it works out.

So E-Week is drawing to a close and what will come next? Time to stitch! I plan to carry on with Stitch Gay Ann Stash in Shining Needle Society. This year I will lead Stitch Gay Ann Stash in my general classroom at SNS for people working on my designs; I also plan to lead '12 Stitches a Day' in Shining Needle Society's 'Student Lounge'. Let's see if we can all have a productive year until E-Week 2011 rolls around. Heaven forbid the thought!

For now I am going to toddle off to Mail Jail where I expect to live for the better part of a month and a half.

Thank you to everybody who came to E-Week 2010. I hope you will stitch along with us now.
Gay Ann

I am set for tomorrow morning

2010-10-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

Finally I am finished and my early morning sale on E-Week's Saturday is ready to go.
Tomorrow 8:00 a.m. California time.

Once I finished, I've been stitching and its nice to keep company with my needle.
Nice to kick back for an hour and unwind.

Till tomorrow morning, then.
I hope it all goes well, hope MacSoph does well. Last year little MacSoph derailed and put up an ad for Apple right in the middle of the sale.

We'll see.
Back to stitching.
Gay Ann

E-Week Eve

2010-10-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

It is E-Week Eve, the day before my E-Week Sale starts and there's a small lull before the frenzy of trying to post everything correctly. It is all set to go, I just have to check it twice more.

Then I will stay up tonight as long as I can and post it all.
This year it took me just 2 days short of a month to make more than 70 pages in total so far. Poor MacSoph (my computer) is groaning under the weight of it all.

Right now MacSoph and I are at work on my Early Morning Sales for Saturday and Sunday mornings, but not in earnest yet. I won't know which designs I will sell until later today when I close my galleries. For now we have started blocking in pages and getting bits of it all set up.

Then guess what: once I go as far as I can, I am off to look at threads and I plan to stitch today for a good hour or two.
Yippee! It has been a long time since I have had a block of stitching time!

Gay Ann almost set to go

All four of my galleries are posted

2010-10-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

This morning I posted the last of the galleries I made for my Pre-Week celebrations. Although they are not comprehensive, the four galleries do offer an idea of what I stitch.

E-Week, my annual sale of patterns from my archives is only a 4 days away now, with early morning specials on Saturday morning and Sunday morning at 8:00 am each day, California time. I will offer in the Saturday and Sunday specials those designs people have requested most frequently. I haven't made the tally yet; I will in a couple of days. I am wondering which ones.

To visit my galleries:
www.GayAnnRogers and click on the yellow navigation bar.

And enjoy!

For me it is a stroll down memory lane, and what I like thinking about most is this: I am thinking of all the ones I will be able to add in the years to come.

Here's to lots of stitching time!
Gay Ann

A Gallery of Samplers

2010-10-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

Late last night I posted a gallery of some of the samplers I have sold at past E-Weeks on my website. I decided to do this because I have some new followers (a happy circumstance) who say they have never seen any of my designs except for the Elizabeth series currently on my website.

In the next few mornings I will continue adding to the gallery. Next up, geometrics, then my girls and last, smalls.
These aren't comprehensive galleries, just a sampling of the designs I have sold in the past.

Gay Ann

Behind the Scenes of Pre-Week on My Website

2010-09-30T10:06:00.001-07:00

The festivities for this year's E-Week are under way now as the Queen's Car arrived yesterday and this morning it turned around so we could see the backside.

I spent too many hours building the trunk for The Queen's Car in PhotoShop because I had only a photo of part of the trunk to work with. Although too too many hours, I had such a great time doing it! The Queen's Car plays such a big role in E-Week this year because it will announce all the happenings day by day. But that will come later.

For now the part I worked on the longest happens tomorrow morning and will stay up for Friday and Saturday.
The kids at the Apple Store helped me each step of the way and when we finally tried it, they laughed and laughed at it!
Of course I was excited to see it all become a reality, so I came home the day I knew it would work and DH cracked up at it too.

So tomorrow morning the next step in 'The Future' of Queendom Website makes its debut on my home page.
It isn't perfect, but I will get better at it all in the next year.

I love all this computer stuff. I love it not as an end in itself but for two reasons linked to my far greater love, my needle.
It gives me a chance to make Queendom Website playful and it gives me a chance to teach a bit of color and design in a playful way. Hopefully as I grow and learn more, I will help my followers expand their own horizons. I know this: it certainly expands mine.

Gay Ann, excited that E-Week is coming together

Behind the scenes on my website

2010-09-21T19:30:00.001-07:00

It is almost autumn, I have noticed that the nights are chilly and the mist is creeping in in the early a.m. Time for fun and games on my website as I wind up to E-Merchandise Week, my fall sale.

This is the fourth anniversary of the time I first discovered I could post a photo on my blog and the idea of an 'E-Merchandise Week' was born. My fourth annual E-Week Sale of patterns and kits is just around the corner.

It has become a bit of a tradition that small mysteries happen on my website right before E-Week and this year is no exception. The small mysteries have become a way for me to incorporate my lessons at Apple.

Much as I have enjoyed my lessons, I have to say that some of it is so difficult for me that I leave class with a big headache and a need for a nap. Such is the world of adjustment layer masks, tweening, symbols, lossy, pen tools and paint buckets for this old lady.

So what intrigues me so much about MacSoph's kind when I could spend more hours dreaming up new designs for needlepoint? I see MacSoph as a wonderful tool for tinkering with color, line and texture in needlework, a way to bring a wider vision and perspective to a craft I have loved my whole adult life.

And along the way indulge in a little foolishness and fantasy.

Gay Ann

San Francisco EGA, An OpEd Piece about the Seminar

2010-09-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

I am newly home from San Francisco where I taught classes for 6 days EGA's National Seminar. I had a great time, but isn't it always true that the best part of a trip is coming home again.

This year I tried something novel: I taught Echoes of Elizabeth Sampler at the seminar while I also taught Echoes of Elizabeth Sewing Case online. Simultaneously. Each morning before I went to my face-to-face class at seminar, I posted a lesson for my online students. Each I posted photos both on my website and in my secret classroom for my online group with the hopes of givinf my online students a taste of what it was like to attend a seminar.

On the last day of my four-day face-to-face class at seminar, I snapped a photo of each of my students and the progress she had made in four days of class and I posted the photos for my online group. It made me realize, class at seminar is over, but my online class continues.

As I said goodbye to my seminar students, I thought: there is much to be gained by teacher and students meeting face to face, but I also began to recognize that online students have advantages also.

Face to face at seminars, teachers and students have the obvious advantage of meeting and spending time together.
In online classes we do miss the face to face friendships and explanations, but we do gain something too. That something is time.

In an online class we have the luxury of extended time. Running the two classes simultaneously, I realize how compact my face to face seminar class was. Instead of posting my online lessons each day to match my face-to-face class, I normally would have posted my online lessons once a week.

Now, as I said, my face to face seminar class is over, but my online class stretches on. It continues for the rest of September. Then it will go on hiatus for two months so that people have a chance to complete the stitching. In early December, my online class will resume and we will cover the finishing.

When considering face-to-face classes vs online classes, it seems we swap the great advantage of seeing each other in person for the luxury of extended class time.

Gay Ann

EGA Seminar in San Francisco is Just around the Corner

2010-08-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

I realized midway through today that I leave for EGA's San Francisco Seminar a week from tomorrow. I am going a day early so that I can go to the Impressionist exhibition from the Musee d'Orsay, in fact several of us are going.

Friday I will have time to look around and get my sealegs and classes for me start on Saturday. I am teaching Saturday/Sunday, then Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday.

I am greatly looking forward to this seminar and am toting MacSoph (my computer), my camera and my video cam to see if I can take and post photos of the seminar on my website during the week I am there.

Am I ready to go? Nooo, but hopefully I will be by next Thursday. Important things like kits for my class are already there, even a couple of extra kits. All I have to do is find my models, both for the things I am teaching at the seminar and my models of Echoes of Elizabeth Sewing Case and my little Townhouse Sewing Case.

I have high hopes that I will see many Echoes and Townhouses in progress and even finished; high hopes because people have been writing to me saying they are bringing their pieces. It is always such fun to see what people do with my designs. I love it when they use my patterns as a starting point and adapt the design to suit themselves. Needlework is such a personal hobby and it should reflect the stitcher, her colors and stitches, and her tastes and her environment.

With this in mind, I am packing so much thread, overdyed thread in particular from Thread Gatherer, Gloriana and Dinky Dyes, colors that would look good on my big Echoes of Elizabeth Sampler. I am also taking all sorts of beads to coordinate with the threads, so I should have a good time trying to convince people to try something a wee bit different. You never know.

And all along the way I plan to have MacSoph and cameras recording the experiences of the in-seminar student as she grapples with the techniques and with design and color choices. Fun times ahead as we approach autumn. I realize that I have been teaching at autumn seminars so often that it seems like a ritual now. I have taught at one or two autumn national seminars for more than 25 years now and this is my final one.

So if you come to the seminar, do come by 'Meet the Teachers' on Sunday afternoon or 'Teachers' Showcase' on Thursday evening to say hello. Not going to the seminar? Then stay tuned and I will see you online. Online, my home from now on.

Gay Ann

Colors for Echoes of Elizabeth

2010-08-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

For a long time now I have believed that a needlework class, even one for a 'fixed design' like Echoes of Elizabeth should always have a design and color component as a reminder that a piece of needlework is more than the sum total of a bunch of stitches.

Earlier this month I offered Echoes of Elizabeth Sewing Case on my website in three different color combinations. One color combination, with red accents, is straight from Echoes of Elizabeth Sampler, one a taupe variation, one a green variation. I borrowed the colors from these variations and played with my overdyed threads to make some new combinations.

In the next few days, leading up to seminar, I will post a new color combination for Echoes Sampler each morning on my website. I am hoping my students will take the opportunity to visit my website and check them out. I will then take the silks to class and give people a chance to swap the threads and beads in their 'fixed' kits for one of the variations, or even a combination of the variations and the original.

Even if people end up with my original color combination, I hope they will take the opportunity to consider the others and therefore stretch a bit beyond 'up at one, down at two'.

To follow the color combinations in the next week, visit my website starting tomorrow morning bright and early:
www.GayAnnRogers.com

Gay Ann

Jennifer's Photo of Flora and My Cameos

2010-07-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

As a tribute to Jennifer, I wanted to post the composite photo she did of Flora and my cameos at Callaway. This is my favorite photo of my work and the one I use in my classroom at Shining Needle Society. Makes me sad and happy all rolled into one when I look at this. I still love the photo and probably always will.
Gay Ann

Jennifer Taylor

2010-07-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

This past week marked a sad week in my life and a sad occasion for needlework as well: we lost Jennifer Taylor.

Jennifer was a small finely-drawn person who loomed so large in needlework. She had dual loves, embroidery and the computer, and she excelled at both. I met Jennifer at Callaway where for many years she assisted Shay Pendray in teaching Japanese Embroidery. It was the heyday of Japanese Embroidery and classes in those days were full to overflowing with students eager to take on the rigors and discipline of that embroidery form. In later years, after Shay Pendray retired, Jennifer took over teaching Shay's classes at Callaway and she in turn had a new assistant.

I knew Jennifer from our days together at Callaway and I always enjoyed her company. Like me, she was a very early morning person and every year we were there together, we shared a number of very early morning breakfasts, then off Jennifer would go to the rigors of her Japanese Embroidery classes.

For many years before I learned to do it myself, Jennifer took the photographs of my work. In fact, she took my favorite photo ever of my work, the composite of Flora and my cameo pieces now on my classroom homepage for Shining Needle Society.

It was in 2004 and 2005 that I worked closely with Jennifer on EGA's booklet of Audrey Francini's work. Audrey had asked me to write about her for Needle Arts (EGA's magazine) and it grew into a whole event to celebrate Audrey: an article, a book and a one-woman show of Audrey's work at EGA headquarters in the autumn of 2005. Jennifer took all the photographs of Audrey's work, no small task in itself, then she did the layout of the book and saw it through to publication. In addition she composed a totally memorable power-point presentation of Audrey's work which ran consistently through Audrey's show and has been on view many times at embroidery functions over the years.

Of the years I knew Jennifer my favorite time with her the night she showed the power point presentation of Audrey's work at the final banquet at Callaway. She had asked me if I would do a 2-minute introduction. I remember, when the time came, I stood up from the banquet table where I was sitting beside Dorothy Lesher. As I stood up to walk to the podium, Dorothy said to me, 'if you make this too long it will be off with your head!'

I said my 2 minutes worth, then sat beside Jennifer as she showed Audrey's work. A hush fell over the room as moment after moment came up of Audrey's beautiful embroidery enhanced by Jennifer's unrivaled skill with a camera. I don't think there was even a cough in the room. At one moment I looked across at Dorothy Lesher who was totally captivated.

When it was over, Dorothy, long forgetting her threat to behead me, said she could have watched the presentation over and over again hour upon hour. And so could we all.

Good bye, Jennifer, we shall greatly miss you!

Gay Ann

Photograph I took of Jennifer Taylor and a piece of her Japanese Embroidery at Callaway in 2008.

My New World: a Work in Progress

2010-07-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

MacSoph is my computer, a little Apple MacBook Pro. MacSoph is a genius and the kids at the Apple Store help me learn how to communicate with her.

For some time how I have had a long term vision of where I want to go and what I want to do with my website and my general classroom at Shining Needle Society. It has to do with creativity in needlework and it will take me a long while to learn, but I am plugging away at it each week. It is all a bit like learning to do a difficult stitch: in the beginning it is a wobbly experience, then gradually it gets easier, or at least one always hopes so.

This morning a wee piece of the puzzle arrived on my website doorstep in the form of a Surprise.
For quick reference:
www.GayAnnRogers.com
Click on 'Surprise' at the top of my homepage.

A small step in a long journey.

Gay Ann

Goop Be Gone, coming in the spring

2010-07-09T06:13:00.000-07:00

When I found myself in a day-long conversation about Goop a few days ago, I wanted sooo badly to pursue the concept and what to do about it right now but Reality reared her ugly head. My work load is maxed out.

In the spring!

In the spring I will do it and I can't wait! A class called 'Goop be Gone'. I want to tackle the subject of painted canvases, how to buy them, plan for them and what to do with them.

Here's what Goop be Gone won't be: I won't write a stitch guide for someone. What would be the point? I want to show people how to look at a painted canvas, understand its structure and what it asks for. I want people to explore what kinds of stitchers they are and learn to choose appropriate canvases for themselves. I want to take a close look at how and why one chooses threads and stitches.

I would like people to understand the idea that stitches and threads don't live in isolation; they live in a community and you have to consider the whole community before you add a new member. Choosing threads and stitches is not arbitrary; there has to be a reason and each has to serve the purpose of advancing the design.

So in the spring Goop be Gone will arrive and I will see if I can make a bit of a difference.

Gay Ann

Goop and My Techniques Column

2010-07-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

My goodness, but I inspired a flurry of notes to me about 'Goop', my term for needlepoint that is all gooped up with too many stitches and threads. As I pointed out, this usually happens on painted canvases.

After I received a flurry of notes and some guilty consciences, I decided I should pursue the avoidance of Goop further.
So Tuesday morning, I will post another Techniques Column about painted canvases. Tuesday morning, bright and early.

Gay Ann

Pretty Scissors

2010-06-30T05:22:00.001-07:00

I love scissors! In fact, I have a passion for them and own far too many pairs. Some of them are wonderful because they are so good at my needlework chores: I have a favorite pair of Dovos with blades so slender that they make the chore of ripping easier; I have traditional Ginghers for cutting meshes when I do Ruskin. And I have all sorts of others poised for snipping threads at all kinds of destinations around my house, in short wherever I might light with a canvas in my hand.

In addition I have collected scissors for, well, forever.

In the last few years I have been making sewing cases and using some of my scissors in them. Now I have started making scissors fobs. Stitched ones, beaded ones. They're fun to do and decorative too.

When my students started asking about scissors for sewing cases, I also started surfing on eBay for pretty scissors and posting the listings on my website. A way of chasing scissors without having to own them all myself. My website followers have reported that they have bought many of the pairs I have found on eBay and it is always exciting to hear that a sweet pair has found a nice home.

So I surf. Often when I should be doing other needlework chores, like more kits, more packets of beads, corrections to my instructions masters, and of course Mail Jail (which is forever, even when I am not having a sale).

On my website I post the listings, sometimes with a bit of editorializing, sometimes with the progress of the auction, always with the auction results. Lately I have found some wonderful pairs! In fact there are a couple of memorable pairs on my eBay page right now.

Ahhh, temptation!

Enough about scissors for the morning; back to work on chores. Faint panic sets in this morning as I watch the dawn of the final day of June. Half the year is over.
Gay Ann

A Technique Called Goop

2010-06-29T10:07:00.001-07:00

This morning I posted a new Techniques Column.
Essentially it is on what I call 'Goop' and my column suggests one way we might all avoid the concept.
For quick reference:

www.GayAnnRogers.com.
Click on 'Techniques' then scroll down and click on Techniques 11.

Gay Ann

Tomorrow: A New Techniques Column on My Website

2010-06-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

One time I was having breakfast with a number of needlework friends at our very favorite breakfast haunt (best Eggs Benedict in all its variations around, but that's another story).

Much of the discussion was about painted canvases for needlepoint, and one friend turned to me and made a comment that I didn't do painted canvases, therefore was rather left out of the discussion. I realized then something I hadn't thought about before: my friend sees a dichotomy.

I don't see the dichotomy. Painted canvas or counted canvas, it is basically all the same to me.

I suppose that's from my designer point of view. I suppose the difference comes in that the stitcher has more obvious latitude on a painted canvas to choose stitches and threads, and it is precisely that latitude that is the subject of my Techniques 11 column.

Tomorrow morning: www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on Techniques, then on Techniques 11.

Gay Ann

A New Techniques Column on My Website

2010-06-22T05:28:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly half a year since I have written a Techniques Column on my website. I think it has been so long because I have been mired down in writing instructions booklets and didn't feel like writing any more than I had to. But this morning I woke up in the mood to catch up on Techniques.

My new Techniques Column is on the weight of thread. As I look at needlework past and present, I think much of technical success depends on the weight of the thread the stitcher chooses. We all recognize when thread is too thin, but too often we miss noticing when thread is too heavy. My column this morning is on assessing thread weight and constant testing. Like most of life, there isn't any magic answer, just toil and practice.

I have found over the years that very little is set in needlework. I know any number of needlework teachers who think up formulae and pronounce on their perfection, but the best of the needlework teachers I know say the opposite: most of good needlework is a matter of trial and error and a lot of tinkering, and so it is with thread weight. A couple of my experiences with thread weight and why I find it very important is the subject of my new Techniques Column this morning.

For quick reference: www.GayAnnRogers.com, click on 'Techniques', then scroll down to 'Techniques 10'.

Gay Ann

Townhouses on View

2010-06-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

I am newly home from EGA's South Central Region Seminar in Dallas. I had a super time there and one of the best treats for me: I saw some FINISHED Townhouses from my recent class at Shining Needle Society. The townhouses and their stitchers are on my website's home page; on 'Townhouses' I have just posted more photos of the insides and backs of the Townhouses too.

I enjoyed seeing the Townhouses in particular because of the color changes. I suspect the changes were inspired by my colorizations of doors and windows, a little added bonus to the class.

It has been a bit of a journey, learning PhotoShop. I have been working at it for just about a year and a half now and the learning curve has been a bit steep but very worthwhile. What I love best about the potential of PhotoShop for me: I can now colorize my designs in a way I could only dream of in the past. I hoped if I colorized my designs, that my students will see all the potential for creative use of color and be brave and inspired to try the changes.

And now, with the Townhouses in Dallas, I saw the fruits of my labors. It was all so rewarding!

Now I have some new colorizations coming shortly to my website: I colorized Echoes of Elizabeth and soon will post the colorizations along with the original. I like the colorizations so well that I am going to buy more thread, take it to class with me and see if I can talk a student or two into trying the changes. I will let them swap threads and enjoy watching the results.

So here's to PhotoShop, many more lessons and more and more uses for this great program!

And new for me? Illustrator has arrived in my life. Illustrator is leg 2 of my dreams for my website, and along the way, guess what: 25 years of hand-written instructions have come to an end. I've produced my first set of instructions on MacSoph, my computer. Illustrator rocks in the life of this aging designer.

Always goes to show you: new tricks for old dogs are possible.

Gay Ann

Some of my proudest moments in Stitching Elizabeth 1

2010-05-31T06:37:00.000-07:00

For a couple of weeks I have been writing about my experiences stitching a portrait of Elizabeth 1 (currently on my website's home page).

Tomorrow morning I plan to continue my series on stitching Elizabeth 1 by writing about my proudest stitching moments.

So often my proudest stitching moments happen not when I use a difficult stitch but when I manage to convey a certain effect by choosing a stitch well. Sometimes this happens with the simplest stitches I know, and such is the case with one of my favorite parts of Elizabeth 1.

I have long said, it isn't the number of stitches or the level of difficulty that sets apart a piece of needlework; it is the skill in using the stitches to achieve certain effects. I wish I could say it is all skill, but it is usually the result of a lot of experimentation and a measure of good luck. Actually more than a measure of good luck.

For my series, visit www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on Elizabeth 1.

Gay Ann

Looking Ahead and Dreaming

2010-05-13T15:47:00.001-07:00

The Queen is in place on my website homepage now, and the small story of my surprise is in News&Views.

I am looking forward to our class at Callaway where Carole Lake and I are teaching the Queen. I hope we have a rousing good class for it is my final 'travel and teach' job at a seminar. Yes, after Callaway in January I am retiring from 'face to face' classes and turning to the internet.

I am a great believer that fantasy is the first component of creativity, and in the last couple of years I have found in the computer all sorts of fantastic opportunities for fantasy. I want to pursue them! I look forward to staying home with DH and MacSoph (my computer); I look forward to lots more classes at the Apple store and lots more ideas for my website.

Yes, I will miss seeing people face to face, but the computer has some great advantages. Face-to-face classes last 2 or 3 or 4 days; cyber-classes last for months. The months allow time to try a technique, think about a color, ask a question, solve a problem. Maybe, on down the line, there will be a way to combine the two. Who knows.

So here's to time to dream and see what I can do, both with needle and with computer, and hopefully a combination of the two.
Here's to more PhotoShop, some Illustrator and maybe some Flash. Here's to a magic gate, a poem, a castle and an alternative world.

I can't wait!

Gay Ann

If you would like information about Callaway Needle Arts School, here are some links.

To see all of Callaway’s offerings for January, click on the link below:
http://www.callawaygardens.com/needlearts

Or contact Pat Callihan at pccalli@callawaygardens.com

A Big Surprise indeed for me -- tomorrow morning

2010-05-12T21:36:00.001-07:00

A short while ago I had a terrific surprise and I will post the story of my surprise on my website tomorrow morning.
It has to do with a piece I stitched last year.

More about it in a couple of days.
Gay Ann

Taking a Class from Betty Chen Louis

2010-05-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day to enroll in Betty Chen Louis’ first online class.

For some time I have been urging people to take Betty’s online class, in fact I have been strongly urging them to do so. The project is small and therefore stitch-able, and the lessons are so important.

So important for in Betty’s lessons lies a shift of emphasis, a way of reorienting how her students see needlework. While stitch and thread are important parts of a successful piece of embroidery, they are not the only parts. They aren’t an end in themselves, they are the tools. It isn’t about the stitches and threads; it’s what you do with the stitches and threads that matters. And nobody currently working in my needlework world is more aware of it nor more able to access it than Betty Chen Louis.

That’s why I have been beating the drums and urging people to take a class from her.

And once again:
I should have said in the beginning: I have no financial interest in Betty’s projects; I just think they are extraordinary.

Gay Ann
(posted also on my website today).

More of Betty Chen Louis on my Website

2010-04-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I added another page of needlework designs from Betty.
For quick reference: www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on 'elegant embroidery' on the yellow navigation bar.

Here is another opportunity to see more work by the person I think is the best designer/teacher now working in my world of needlework, so don't miss the opportunity to study her sense of line and color.

As you look at her work please take a few minutes to notice the following: the transitions of line and color in her work, the flow of the design elements, the relationships of the elements one to another and her unequaled sense of the interaction of positive-negative space. All of these are things that help make her work so elegant and graceful. Put another way: the elements of Betty's designs live so comfortably in their space.

Please take some time and visit and revisit, learn and study her work. Most of all, enjoy.

Gay Ann

Betty Chen Louis on my website

2010-04-22T04:45:00.000-07:00

Late last night I posted some of Betty Chen Louis' needlework including the Cityscapes she will teach of the Embroiderers' Guild (EGA) at their national seminar in San Francisco in September.

Seeing the collection of Betty's Cityscapes is a must, as IMHO they are some of the best contemporary embroidery. She is the mistress of line and color in our needlework world and if you look at her work you will instantly understand why.

Betty has taught at almost every national seminar for the past gazillion years and now for the first time, she is offering a class online through Shining Needle Society. Her classes aren't like the majority of needlework classes where we show people how to recreate our projects stitch by stitch. Betty's classes always go a step further by incorporating work on design even when students are recreating what she has made.

I am excited to see the opportunity come to Shining Needle Society and our online needlework community.

Gay Ann

Op Ed: The Power of a Photograph

2010-04-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

In the past couple of weeks I have posted photos of work by three people who are teaching at EGA's seminar in San Francisco this September. The idea began because a friend of mine pointed out that some of the photographs in the seminar issue of Needle Arts were unclear to say the least. The problem is, many people planning to attend the seminar choose their classes by the photographs of the projects, and how likely would a person opt for a class that looked like a yellow glob instead of a delicate piece of whitework?

I chose three teachers whose projects looked less than sparkling in EGA's online and printed seminar brochures; I asked if they would like to send me photographs, let me try to fix a few and then post them on my website. I was hoping to help a bit.

To correct the color cast of one of the worst photos, that is take away the yellow cast of the photo, I literally clicked on three buttons -- it took less than a minute. Such is the power of a digital camera and a computer with photographs these days.

So why aren't the seminar photographs aren't better quality? I haven't a clue. I just know that after untold amounts of work on the part of a teacher who designs and stitches a project in the best faith her work will be presented well, a photograph can do real harm to a seminar class.

I hope you who read this column will go and have a look at Jane Ellen's, Carolyn's and Sara's work on my website. Their work is wonderful and deserves nothing less than a sparkling presentation. My renditions of the photographs are far from perfect, but they do get the point across that the work is beautiful and delicate, and after all, that's what the photographs need to convey.

To see the photographs go to www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on 'Jane Ellen' and 'Carolyn'. Sara's beadwork is on my homepage.

Gay Ann

My New Heart and Colors

2010-03-13T03:52:00.000-08:00

For four days now I have been posting colors for a new heart I finished stitching a short while ago. I have posted a new version on my home page each day, then after a day on my home page I move the heart to a page called "My New Hearts". On this page is the whole collection.

So how many colors are there? I am afraid to count.

I used this heart to learn about a color changing aspect of PhotoShop which I found difficult, so I had to practice and practice. Each practice I made a new heart.

It has been a long haul, learning PhotoShop, but I hope it will prove worthwhile for my students and followers. If I can use it well, it will be the best tool I have found for showing alternative ways of looking at a piece of needlework.

All too often in needlework, we get fixed on a single way to do a design, as if the mistakes we make have to be ripped immediately and corrected to look just like the model; in reality, there are as many ways to do a design as there are people stitching the design. We just have to convince our little needlework world that bringing a bit of yourself to your needlework world is a worthy goal.

So onward and upward with PhotoShop, and onward with more and more heart colors, as I hope it all makes a valid point.

Gay Ann

A New Hearts Project: Undertaking a New Design

2010-03-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

Several days ago I started a new project on my website and in my general classroom at Shining Needle Society: 2 new heart designs.

One of these new heart designs will have a twist: I will ask the people in my Shining Needle Society to help me design it.

Our first undertaking: I asked people to suggest themes for the new hearts. After a small bit of editing, the list is now 26 themes long and is posted on my website, www.GayAnnRogers.com, click on Stitch Gay Ann Stash. Now the people in my classroom are voting to narrow the list to 5 subjects.

So how is it going? I have 2 leaders who emerged quickly, but after yesterday's vote, 4 of the subjects are now nipping at the heels of the leaders. Today should be interesting.

Once I narrow the list, I will ask people to vote again and choose the topic of the heart I will design.

Then all along the way I will ask for advice. For example, I may do two drawings and let the group choose which one they like better. Then I will seek advice on choices of threads and stitches and we will see how it comes out.

I must admit, I look forward each day to seeing how the vote is going. Tomorrow I will know the answer.

So what is the purpose of all of this? Too many people think a design emerges complete and finished and ready to stitch. I am hoping people will see that the design process is the opposite: not just one single correct choice, then a bunch of wrong choices, but many choices of merit. Choices all along the way. The choices aren't over till one takes the final stitch.

If people begin to see this process perhaps they will bring some of the freedom of choice to their own needlework. I can always hope.

I hope this is an adventure in more than a bunch of stitches and threads on a fixed and static design.

Gay Ann

My Hearts Sale Ends Tomorrow

2010-02-20T04:08:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of weeks I have had a small sale of hearts (four of them to be exact) on my website. It finishes tomorrow at 6:00 pm or as soon as I take it down. I say 'as soon as I take it down' because DH wants to go to the movies at just about the time my Hearts Sale is supposed to end.

Someone asked me why I don't keep sales going on my website all the time; my answer is a simple one: Time. There is another component too: Organization. The two are linked together, as in, it takes a lot of Time to stay Organized and keep on top of these sales. So I do them, but not all the time.

I enjoyed my Hearts Sale and have started thinking about next year already. I finished one new heart this February and have some more drawings set to go. Hearts are fun to stitch because they don't take months and months; usually I start one and in a few evenings it's finished. It takes a few days to write the instructions and then I can move on to another.

So how do I plan to end my sale? By announcing next year's Hearts Sale and asking for a bit of help. I have been at work in PhotoShop and have a question I hope my classroom at Shining Needle Society will help me answer. All for Monday morning.

Meanwhile, the Time Factor is rearing its ugly head: on with four months of writing instructions for seminars.

Gay Ann

A Surprise on Monday Morning

2010-02-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

On my website I will have a little bit of a surprise in the morning: I will uncover 4 windows on my home page (www.GayAnnRogers.com).

Most of my followers have figured this surprise out, but they can't guess which ones because some are new.

Happy Valentine's Day on Queendom Website!

Gay Ann

Callaway 2010 and 2011

2010-01-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

I had not realized how long it has been since I posted on my blog. I promised somewhere along the line that I would write here more frequently and I see I have done just the opposite. Maybe this year I will be better about it all.

Catching up on my life: after E-Week last fall, I mailed out a ton of Townhouse instructions for people signed up for the class at Shining Needle Society. The class doesn't start until next month, but we did an 'early-registration-start-the-Nun's-Stitch' month in December. I ran it right along with my 'Stitch Gay Ann Stash' program for Shining Needle Society also.

After I mailed Townhouses, I had to start on Callaway preparations. I love to go to Callaway! It is my favorite needlework venue. I am not the only needlework teacher who feels this way -- in fact most of my long-time peers love it best. There is something so relaxed and wonderful about Callaway. The whole setting is informal and beautiful, friendly and hassle free.

This year at Callaway I took photos and posted them on my website in hopes of giving people a feeling for the ambience there; then I had permission to post next year's classes, Callaway 2011, and I just finished posting them. As usual, Callaway seems to have the best of the year's offerings -- go have a look and see if you don't agree:

www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on 'Callaway 2010'. If you scroll down, you will find 5 pages of photos for next year's classes.

Next year will be special because it is the 40th Anniversary for the Needle Arts School.

I am newly back from Callaway 2010 and am transitioning into a winter and spring of writing instructions. I have a full plate with classes for EGA in San Francisco and for Callaway next year. Right now it looks like I will be busy writing instructions for about 4.5 - 5 months. Yikes! I had best get busy.

Gay Ann

Transitioning out of E-Week and Back to Normal Life

2009-11-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

As a part of E-Week in October I posted my Townhouse Sewing Case, soon to become a class at Shining Needle Society. I first taught the Townhouse at EGA's 50th celebration seminar in Louisville, then at Callaway. I look forward to trying a cyber class. Although I have had my ongoing classroom at Shining Needle Society for 2 years now (just past the second anniversary), this will be the first time I have taught a class online. I am hoping my students will help me do it well by making recommendations.

I am curious to know what people like and dislike about online classes and would be happy to hear any opinions, along with suggestions how cyber-classes might be improved.

Technology has come such a long way toward helping the prospects of online activities. I realize I am such a beginner at this whole technology game. I keep trying to learn more about it and one of the highlights of my week is going to Apple's classes.

Last week at my Apple class there I showed several people the most awesome thing I have found connected with needlework online: Tricia Nguyen's animated needle! I hope you will go and see her needle make a stitch. As I said, it is awesome!

Here are the links to the animated needle:

http://thistle-threads.com/animationtest/animationtest.html

It is also in the middle of the movie on this page:

http://thistle-threads.com/teaching/projects/onlineclasses/goldworkmasterclass/teach_goldworkmasterclass.html

The animation was done by Tricia's brother a freelance computer animator and also an embroiderer in his own right. His company, Smudge Animation, is doing animated needles demonstrating 28 different stitches for her upcoming Tudor and Stuart Master Gold Work class.

I would love to take the class just to watch those needles!

Gay Ann

Mail Jail: maybe not forever after all

2009-11-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

Mail Jail, at least E-Week Mail Jail, may not be forever after all. I am almost at the end! If I stick with it through the weekend and I have no bumps in the Jail Road, I should finish next Monday.

Then I plan to do some serious stitching!

I am working on a chatelaine right now. I had an idea for how to make the chatelaine chain and I can't wait to see how it works. I have been following my own 12 Stitches a Day program to get through it and it amazes me how much stitching my little 5-minutes-a-day accomplishes! I should finish the stitching for the chain about the same time I finish E-Week.

As soon as I am out of Mail Jail, I will plan a special week of stitching assignments for my class at Shining Needle Society. I can't wait to try this and see if people follow it. It should be a very fun game!

More about it when E-Week Mail Jail finishes....

Gay Ann

Mail Jail is Forever

2009-10-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

I just finished E-Week, my big sale of the year, and now I am in Mail Jail. If I could wish for one thing in my life I would wish for organization skills. I look at my friends with their perfect files and lists and I sigh. Somehow I missed the Organization Gene. It just isn't there.

Here is a typical example: I haven't emptied my purse yet from seminar in Pittsburgh. My plane ticket is still in there and so is my paycheck. I need to empty it and sort it all out and at least deposit my check. So what am I doing? Writing this post instead.

Poor MacSoph, my computer. She isn't organized at all and the Apple tutors, those I have regularly, have given up. They don't bother to teach me organization any longer because they say I don't do it.

So now I have E-Week Mail Jail which is my low point each year. I am doing better this year but it is far from the way my organized friends would proceed. Take for example my friend Julie who came to help me. She gave me some suggestions about the way it should work, but I fear I am light years from that point. And Pat, to whom I sent two copies of Cranfield House by mistake, suggested many of the same things Julie talked about. They both mentioned terrifying concepts like spread sheets and QuickBooks, etc. etc.

One time Julie (who loves organization) told me I should quit worrying about it, that I have a creative brain and creative brains don't think in columns. Is this a plausible excuse? The problem is, it still doesn't solve the problem, so on I go.

Back to Mail Jail. Mail Jail is forever. Alas, so are mess and disorganization.

Gay Ann

Early Morning E-Week Sales

2009-10-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

It's early morning and I am up and waiting to start my Special E-Week Sales. They start at 7:00 a.m., in 45 minutes.
I think I have checked everything and am set to go.

Off to have breakfast and watch the morning headlines.
Gay Ann

E-Week Eve and Day 1

2009-10-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

E-Week Eve was one of those beautiful fall days in Southern California! Bright sun, blue ocean and a nip in the air.

I actually finished Queendom Website late on Tuesday afternoon and DH said, why not go out to dinner and celebrate!
We went to our local bookstore and browsed awhile then to a restaurant new to us and great! We were home again about 8:00 and I was all excited about E-Week. It was like I was 7 years old again on Christmas Eve.

I watched the time. I had hoped to stay up till midnight. Kate was helping -- she was writing emails, so we were busy having an E-Conversation and I was busy checking everything.

At 10:20 I started posting everything and by 10:30 it was all live. I checked it and Kate checked it and we found some errors, so I changed some things, then shut down MacSoph (my computer) who had been working so hard.

The next morning (yesterday) I woke up thinking just how magical E-Week Eve had been. What is it that makes a basically ordinary day seem like magic? I am not certain. Just the mood, I guess, the lull before activity, maybe just the beauty of the day.

Yesterday, Day 1, was a scramble and MacSoph and I hit it hard. Questions, corrections, re-do's and in the midst, my cleaning lady was here. That is always a scramble because I have TOO MUCH STUFF!

So I fled for an hour and some. I went to a favorite bead shop and came home with new ideas. New Ideas are always magic to me! And beads. I have too many beads! I would have to live to be 650 to use all my beads, but I added to the stash yesterday.
Home again and emails into the evening.

And today? I am working all day on my Special Sales for Saturday and Sunday mornings. These sales began 3 E-Weeks ago on my blog and now they are a tradition. It is lively and a scramble, but I love doing it!

I have neglected blogging in the first year of Queendom Website. My website took all of my attention, but now I have decided I should return to blogging a bit.

Gay Ann

E-Week Eve

2009-10-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have blogged. I have been away at the EGA Pittsburgh Seminar and since, I've been at work almost non-stop on my E-Merchandise Week Sale (E-Week for short).

I am almost finished with E-Week and it is a good thing because it starts tomorrow!

This is E-Week Eve.

This year I have 30 designs for sale (not counting my early morning sales on Saturday and Sunday), many are ones I have never sold before, except for the EGA, ANG and Callaway classes where I taught them. As I scroll through it, I must say I think it is a pretty sale!

I think I will post it all just before I go to bed tonight. This is my Third Annual E-Week and I must confess, it is exciting!

Gay Ann

My second design for my pre-week sale: a Sewing Case

2009-09-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

This morning I posted the second design for my pre-week sale: Townhouse Sewing Case. It isn't actually for sale, it will be a class for Shining Needle Society in the spring; people who sign an interest list now will save a bit of money on the class, should they decide to take it.

www.GayAnnRogers.com and click on 'Pre-Week 2'.

My third design will arrive on my website just before I leave to go to EGA's Pittsburgh Seminar on Oct. 2.

Gay Ann

The First of My Designs for Wind-up to My Yearly Sale

2009-09-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I will post the first of the designs I will sell in the windup to my yearly sale, E-Merchandise Week.

Gay Ann

The Epilogue to my Month-Long Needlework Mystery

2009-09-01T09:38:00.001-07:00

My month-long needlework mystery finished yesterday with a trip home on our private jets.

Today begins a week-long Epilogue, followed by Prizes for E-Gemstone Star Awards.

www.GayAnnRogers.com

Gay Ann

A Special Class on my website tomorrow

2009-08-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

As my month-long fantasy draws to a close, I offer a special class in a very special place on my website.
It will all appear tomorrow morning.

www.GayAnnRogers.com

I hope to see you there.
Gay Ann

August's Mystery: what is missing from my Birkin Bag

2009-08-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Something is missing from my Birkin Bag. It will be essential to Part 4 of our mystery.
But nobody has guessed yet what it is.

I asked today: what is coming next? And so many people were so close, in fact a couple had it right, but only in part.
If you can think of what is missing from my Birkin Bag, chances are good you will know a good part of the answer to what comes next.

Why bother with this in a needlework discussion group? Because it dovetails with our discussion.
I think there are a handful of ingredients that help the creative process and a playful nature is one of them.

Gay Ann

www.GayAnnRogers.com

August's Mystery: Part 4

2009-08-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

We know about Jane Birkin, we have been in Richistan for quite a while and we all have E-fantasy Birkin Bags that we have filled with stitching goodies, so what now as my mystery winds its way through August?

Part 4 started today.
Stay tuned to see what happens.

Gay Ann

www.GayAnnRogers.com

August's Mystery: Part 3: the Ultimate Tote Bag

2009-08-11T06:06:00.000-07:00

This morning I posted on my website the beginning of Part 3 of my mystery: the ultimate stitchers' tote bag.

Gay Ann

www.GayAnnRogers.com to have a peek

August's Mystery: Part 1 Revealed Today!

2009-08-05T06:55:00.001-07:00

Today I posted the identity of the Mystery Woman on my website.
You will now know who she is, but a part remains a mystery:

What does she have to do with needlework?

Coming soon!
Gay Ann

www.GayAnnRogers.com

August's Mystery on my Website

2009-08-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

On August 1 I started a month-long mystery on my website. It is a Mystery in 4 parts and Part 1, a Mystery Woman, is well under way. Two more days and we learn who she is.

Who she is, but not what her connection to needlework is. That will come later.

Join me on my website and in Shining Needle Society as the mystery unfolds. Take part by answering each day's question and earning an 'E-Gemstone-Star award'. The three people who accumulate the most E-Gem awards will win prizes and take part in an E-Ceremony at the end of the month, a farewell to summer and a hello to autumn.

To join Shining Needle Society, write to Kate Gaunt (KateGaunt@aol.com). Membership is free.

Shining Needle Society is now 2500 enthusiastic stitchers strong.

Gay Ann

www.GayAnnRogers.com

Techniques 4

2009-07-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I posted Techniques 4 on my website. Again it is about Bullion Knots and comes from a question I received.
Next time, unless I receive another great question about Bullion Knots, I will move on.

Gay Ann

Techniques 3

2009-07-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

I just posted Techniques 3 on my website.
I also posted new colors for Summer Sunshine, colors I wish I had used when I stitched the design.

www.GayAnnRogers.com
for Tecniques click on navigation bar.

for Summer Sunshine's new colors, scroll down on home page and click on the geometric.

It's been fun to do both of these projects!
Gay Ann

Bullion Knots 2 in my Techniques Column

2009-07-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

On July 8, as a part of my website's anniversary celebration I began writing a column on needlework techniques I have found helpful over the years. I began with Bullion Knots, fitting I thought because my students have always dubbed me 'The Queen of Bullion Knots'.

This morning I posted 'Bullion Knots, Part 2'.
Enjoy! And remember, the secret to making a Bullion Knot is not a mystery; it is simple practice.

Gay Ann