{~*Hey Cardinal*~}

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So I took a really great applique class from Tonye Belinda Phillips at HRQ and oh boy.

I've been bitten by the applique bug.

I'm doing needle turn, which is something I've been wanting for a VERY long time. I've hand appliqued hexagons onto various projects but never really "got" it.

Tonye is an incredible teacher, very relaxed, very kind and very talented. She was patient and didn't mind my 9,000 questions.

I like handwork. I like small things. I like the challenge of taking a very traditional technique & applying it to themes I really like.

On our anniversary weekend Porkchop bought me a delightful little Charley Harper book just about birds. I love love LOVE his work! Chop & I both are avid bird watchers. As soon as I got it, I knew I had to applique a bird as a gift for him.

I started with the cardinal. He's very charming and he's a nice bit of curves, points and valleys to work on. Since I've taken this photo I pulled off his tail, where it met his body wasn't as nice as it could be. (I was humming Alouette as I was doing this ;)) I'm combining the applique with a lot of embroidery. I'm playing around with some Sheep's Silk from the Thread Gatherer, it has the most beautiful sheen & depth to it. And each little foot print is a single ply of cosmo floss. Just wonderful to work on.

  • Did you guys see these super sweet & cute photos that Ashley took? Her & her cup cozy! Each winter right after Thanksgiving since I started modernacorn, I've made cup cozies, only a handful, just something fun that I like to do and she was sweet enough to buy one last winter! Awe! I've gotten a few emails asking about them & I'll be making some after my craft show next weekend :) Thanks again Ashley! (look at the little belly!!! eee!)
  • Chop & I have been making & refining our dreams. I have some big ones. I really want to start a rustic pie/jam business. I want to design a little line of Christmas ornaments. We want a little farm with a pumpkin patch & I'd like to grow trees to sell. I want a big fat gray cat, we've decided on the name Parsley. I've printed all the info for adopting burros from the BLM. He graduates next month and it's ON.
  • I want this necklace so badly.
  • I'm still picking winners from the giveaway, I'm slowly working through the list & approving comments. A ton of spam came through & I don't want to accidentally delete a comment.
  • At my applique class I got to meet Tracey, what a *sweetheart*!
  • I wasn't a fan of the grunge solids from Moda/Basic Gray when I saw them in lines like Eva. BUT! With fruitcake, figgy pudding & origins & I LOVE THEM. The cardinal? He's all grunge. It's so different than my usual linen. And it feels GOOD.
  • Smash & I went to a show on Thursday night...The Ferocious Few were seriously *incredible*. Our minds were blown.
  • Lots of people mentioned not knowing how to cross stitch, once Chop gets home, I'm going to make a video tutorial k?!

:) Enjoy your Sunday pals!