June 10 Stitch Gathering

Here are some of the projects our participants were working on at our June 10 gathering at the Hobby Lobby in Upland. We had a great time as always. Anyone and everyone interested in needlework is welcome.

 Ruth P. is working on a hardanger runner from Nordic Needle. She got all the way around the everything matched up, but when she started the inner section, it didn't fit. It turned out that she'd made the exact same counting error in the mirror image spot at the opposite end, so half of her stitching had to be taken out! But it will be very pretty when it's done. This is a beginner piece and is really fairly simple to stitch. Hardanger is quite sturdy.
















 Barbara S. is working on "Rainforest" by Kathy Rees on congress cloth. It's a lot of little samplers that make up one big canvas-work sampler.

Sally A. is trying to complete a project from Stoney Creek Pattern of the Month but keeps having to correct the count. When it's done it will be finished into a bell pull.



 

Denise M. is starting a new project by Dorothy Lesher called "Dragons Tea Party." This is from a recent workshop in Ontario.

 

Mary Lee M. had two little projects, a lighthouse by Stoney Creek and a small project from a Baldy View meeting.

We had a visitor today who received a needlepoint lesson from Denise M. We look forward to seeing her again.
 

Once again, thank you to Hobby Lobby and the Upland general manager Meribel for allowing us to use the classroom. Our next stitch gathering will be Monday July 8. Needle workers of all levels are welcome. We'd love to see what you're working on. Our regular meeting will be in Ontario on Wednesday June 19 at the US Bank building at "D" Street and Euclid at 7:00.

May Meeting

We've all been absorbed by our stitching for hours and ended up with neck or back pain or general stiffness. You may even know someone who ended up with a serious injury as a result of stitching in a poor position. Our May program addressed this issue. Baldy View member Marilyn M. is a physical therapist. She talked about the problem of repetitive injury.

Marilyn came with a variety of props from a tiny hoop to a model of the human spine. Did you know that the bone at the spine that supports your head is about the same size as a finger bone? Or that you are placing ten times your total body weight on the base of your spine when you are sitting down? No wonder we get stiff and sore sometimes!

After going over basic body mechanics, Marilyn began to give us some general guidelines on how to reduce the risk of injury while stitching. Since we want to see Marilyn at our meetings and not in her office, we listened carefully. Sit with your knees parallel to the floor with your feet on a footstool or flat on the ground. Use proper lumbar support. Take frequent breaks by putting a really annoying timer across the room so you have to get up to turn it off. Keep your chart close to your stitching so that you turn your head less and reduce stress on that tiny bone. Use a floor or lap stand to avoid clutching your hoop or frame and to allow both arms to move freely. Have your tools close by so that you don't have to twist or stretch to reach them.

I found this diagram from 1992 online. Check out the old monitor! But really, substitute "television" for "monitor" and "needlework" for "keyboard" and it's any of us on a typical evening of stitching.

Here are some links to useful equipment:

http://thefootbuddie.com/ a low profile footstool
http://www.kscreations.com/ floor and lap stands with available chart holders and a folding footstool
http://www.123stitch.com/item/Handeze-Single-Craft-Glove-Size-2-Beige/123-3586 gloves to help reduce stress leading to carpal tunnel syndrome
armless task chair easily adjustable for knee placement and with back support.
chart holders a few different ways to keep your chart close

This is not an endorsement of these items or vendors, just a start to get you thinking about what's out there. Useful items for stitching can be found in both local and online needlework stores. Office supply and hardware stores are also good places to find useful items. So many of us struggle to get time to stitch as all that it's a shame when we lose more time because we hurt ourselves so let's all stay safe.

Marilyn also had us all stand up and do this exercise.

When we were done, we all gasped in amazement. It felt really good!

We will have our next meeting on Wednesday, June 19 at 7:00 at the US Bank, 333 N Euclid Ave, Ontario, CA. Park behind the building and come into the community room just to the right of the bank's door. We are there starting at 6:30 for social time. Phebie of Brazilian Embroidery fame will be presenting a small project for those who signed up in advance. Even if you didn't sign up, come anyway and learn about this fascinating embroidery technique.

We will also be hosting our community stitch gathering on Monday, June 10 from 10:00-4:40 at the Hobby Lobby, 420 S Mountain Ave, Upland, CA. It's just off the 10 freeway at Mountain Avenue. Come all day or for a few minutes. We're in the classroom at the right rear of the store, just right of the framing counter. Lunch is available at one of the many restaurants in the area including the new Honeybaked Ham Cafe. Across the street is Handel's Ice Cream considered to be one of the best ice creams on the planet. And of course, there is stitching! See you all in June.

Final Photos of Garden of Delights in a Basket

Georgette B. lent me her finished basket so I was finally able to get some good photos.

Here it is!

The crewel flower

The deerfield embroidery flower

The pulled thread flower

The blackwork flower

Pulled eyelet to tie it together

Bargello medallions

Crewel Initials

 

 

 

  This was the last of the pieces for our basket. Here is the set.

Thanks to Georgette and to Helen for coming up with this wonderful idea. We loved it!

May Stitch-in

From now on we will be hosting a community stitch-in at the Hobby Lobby in Upland on the second Monday of each month. Our thanks go to Hobby Lobby and the manager Meribel for letting us have the space.

Our next stitch-in will be on Monday May 13 from 10:00 - 4:30. Come anytime, stay for as long as you like. Bring your lunch or go out to one of the many food places in the area. Membership in the EGA is not necessary because this is open to ANYONE. Come by and have fun with us!

April Meeting

Our Program chairman presented us with an adorable heart tin topper design by Margaret Bendig.

While Margaret's design included a bonus chart for the heart on the left, our kit supplied thread for the heart on the right. Do you see the difference between the green on each heart? The one on the right is actually a two-sided italian cross while the one on the right is standard cross stitch.

The inside of each tin has an initial, too.

As usual, Georgette kitted up the project really well.

Here we all are, stitching away.

Our Show-and-Tell time included some little stitched gingerbread house ornaments from Ruth P. She also completed the ornament kit that was the chapter gift to our members. Denise M. also brought in her Rainforest Revisited stitched on congress cloth. Georgette B. showed off her Cleopatra's Cat stitched on black congress cloth.





We plan on being at Hobby Lobby in Upland on Monday, May 13 for a stitching time. Our next meeting will be on May 15 at 7:00 at the USBank building at Euclid and "D" Streets in Ontario, California. See you there!

February Meeting

This month we received the fourth flower for our basket band.
Here is a brief recap of our basket band project:

We started with a small row of bargello (also called Florentine or flame) stitch motifs. This is stitched with pearl cotton. Bargello is a counted stitch so it must be done on some type of "countable" fabric. Georgette chose hardanger fabric for this project.

The next month we added the first of our four flower designs, this one done in blackwork stitched with cotton floss and metallic cord. This is another counted stitch.

We also stitched our initials using the crewel technique and embellished them. Crewel is always stitched with wool threads. It is a surface embroidery technique that is not counted and is traditionally done on a heavier fabric like a twill made from linen or wool.

Then we added two more flowers. This one is done in the Deerfield stitch. It uses similar stitches to colonial stitching but is done with embroidery floss instead of wool. It is traditionally done in indigo shades. This is a surface embroidery stitch that also is not counted.

Then we had a crewel flower stitched using wool thread.

So this is what the basket band looked like going into our March meeting.











Georgette designed the fourth flower done in pulled stitch. It uses the traditional white-on-white (or in our case cream-on-cream) color so that you see the effect of the stitches more than the stitches themselves. There is sometimes confusion about pulled versus drawn thread techniques. Pulled thread techniques form a lacy look by pulling firmly on the stitching thread to distort the fabric to form holes. Different stitches create different hole patterns. No thread is removed from the fabric. Drawn thread, on the other hand, actually removes thread from the fabric to create the designs. Both pulled and drawn thread techniques are counted stitches. My camera was not working well so I will edit this post after I get some pictures.

I am sad to report that our stitch-ins, also called stitch-and-chats, will no longer be held at Ginger's Quilt Shop as the shop is closing.We will meet instead at the new Hobby Lobby classroom in Upland on Wednesday, March 6 from 9:30 - 2:00. We hope this new stitching spot works out where it's easier to meet new friends.  As soon as we have a firm schedule we will post it. In the meantime, stop by the Upland Hobby Lobby and tell Meribel "Baldy View says thanks for the room."

Don't forget that Helen is donating baskets to the first 12 people to have the basket band stitching completed by our April meeting, so get stitching! Georgette will discuss finishing the edge of the band at our next meeting.  We'll see you the USBank building at Euclid and "D" Streets in Ontario on April 24 at 7:00.

January Meeting

Happy Birthday, Baldy View! We celebrated 36 years this month.

 Darlene and Yvonne gave us special birthday gift.

 These adorable little pincushions! We each had the choice of this one, with a coffee bean design on top mounted in a coffee-themed espresso cup...

...or a cupcake design mounted in a rainbow espresso cup. They're very simple and fun little projects.

           Here's a better view of the design.  

What a sweet little gift!

Our next meeting will be February 20 at 7:00 at the USBank Building, Euclid and "D" Street in Ontario. We'll be continuing the basket band for our Garden of Delights in a Basket. We look forward to seeing you there.

December Meeting Update

We combined our November and December meetings into one meeting on December 5. We enjoyed our annual "elf supper." Helen I. made a big pot of soup, several people brought salad, bread, and drinks, and Ruth P. brought a cake.

Our Vice-President of Programs Georgette handed out gifts to the members of a little ornament kit, an adorable little evergreen tree made from upside-down hearts. Georgette included a kit to finish the ornament too.

   

 She even included the backing fabric, circle card shapes for mounting, and padding. There was even twisted cording in the kit too! Here is Ruth P's ornament with added beads.



                                                                                               
Our next meeting will be held on January 16 at the USBank building, Euclid and "D" Street, Ontario, California at 7:00. Every one interested in any needlework that uses a needle with an eye is welcome.
Please join us!