Trix or Treat and lots more stash

I had a good mail day yesterday! I received two pieces of linen for my Drawn Thread Arbors - Winter and Fall. I also received a full yard of cream 32 count linen I purchased off eBay for $18.00 (what a super deal!). I plan on trying my hand at hand-dying it. I want to start the free chart Marquoir ABC Ancien Bleu & Rouge when the first part comes out on September 16th (one month from tomorrow). It's a very large piece especially when stitched on 32 count. I want it to have an antique look and the piece large enough 37" x 48" would cost over $100 from Silkweaver Fabrics. So I'm going give dying it myself a go. I've already ordered dye (three different tans) from Darma Trading and should have that today or tomorrow. I've done a bit of low immersion dying for quilting fabric so I'm not a complete novice. This should work out quite nicely I think. I have several small scraps I have been saving to practice on.

Lastly I received my chart order from Stitching Bits and Bobs yesterday - the booklet Trix or Treats and Autumn Bouquet both from Blackbird Designs. I love them both. There are so many really cute things in Trix or Treats - I wish I had a LNS that I could just pop into to pick up some fibers. The closest is 30 minutes away and they are a needlepoint store so they don't carry all the lines of popular overdyed floss (but they do have more silk than I have ever seen anywhere else). The closest cross stitch store is 45 minutes away. :-( I just want to look at stuff. You just never know what the real color is unless you can see and touch it.

I'm progressing with Quaker Tree using Serengeti from Needle necessities (I should be done by tomorrow) and I think I'm going to make a pin keeper out of it. It will be on the larger side for that but it will still look really cute I think. Over the weekend I'll be finishing an another Secret Garden for a fellow Blackbird Design Yahoo board friend. Peg http://www.lostinthreads.blogspot.com/ asked a couple of weeks ago and I figured, why not? I enjoyed finishing mine and it's not like I don't have time. Peg did it in greens, I can't wait to see it. Should be at the house tonight as she sent it on Saturday.

Also worked on block 12 for two hours last night while watching the end of Hell's Kitchen. I love that sort of tv. And it's really good to stitch to because you really don't miss anything when you don't watch!

No time tonight or tomorrow for stitching in the evening on VoHRH. Agility for Molly tonight and I have a board meeting for PugFest 2007 tomorrow. I'm the silent auction chair this year.

MOLLY HAS PROGRESSED TO UPRIGHT WEAVE POLES!! I'm very excited. We have been practicing everyday for two weeks and last night after a quick warm-up with the poles slightly angled, she did them upright for most of the session. She still misses the occasional pole but she's ok about 75% of the time. That is a huge improvment from our last class just two weeks ago. Now we need to work on her entrance. According to the rules, the dog must enter the weave poles between the first and second pole with the poles always on their left side. Molly hasn't learned yet there is only one correct way to enter the poles. And that is a tough thing to learn. And she needs to be able to do it from any angle. At the novice level the entrance will be fairly easy and I'll be able to guide her but it will get much harder as we progress.