Working My Nose Off

In three weeks Randy (DH) and I head to Puyallup, Washington for the Sew Expo sewing show, our biggest show of the year. In Puyallup, I'm teaching two different sessions, one of which is on the free stage and is about clothing; embroidery on clothing to be exact. (It's at 8:30 in the morning if you're going to the show). A great clothing segment requires samples, lots of samples.

Because preparing for our biggest show of the year isn't enough pressure, this year I have an additional stress-point. Right after the show, I climb aboard a great silver bird and head to Ohio to tape two segments for a new sewing show that debuts this spring on PBS channels. When I say right after the show, I mean right after the show. My flight leaves the morning after our return. I'm not sure why these guys are taping in Ohio, that mecca of fine television productions. The sewing show segments also require samples. Of course, those samples have to be different than those for Puyallup.

As you can imagine, I'm in serious work mode. Every morning I wake up, check the mirror to see the size of my nose and the effect of the previous day's nose to the grindstone foray.

Don't get me wrong, I have lots of clothing samples. But... I've shown these samples before. To have new things to say, I want new samples to show. And, I certainly need new samples for the taping of the television sessions.

So, the clothing session plus making up samples for the television program has launched a spate of clothing production. To be more accurate, a spate of embroidery. I have not yet started putting the projects together.  I actually have help, a lot of help. One friend, Tamera, has already spent a day and half helping me cut out patterns and assemble documentation. Another friend, Tecla, spent the day with me embroidering huge embroidery designs using her new sewing machine with the mega sized hoops. And, for the actual construction, next Friday, a batch of friends will gather to help me assemble my samples.

We've done this in the past, and it has the feel of a sewing bee. Lots of wonderfully nice people, some food and an incredible amount of sewing work finished. At this point in my life I need lots of help and I'm so honored that these wonderful people will take the time out to work with me.



So far I have 5 projects ready to go, a mere 12 more to go.

I have been looking for any short cuts I can find. My first action was to check my stitch-out hamper to see if I had anything I could use.  Score! I found some rather large linen pieces covered with embroidery from my  On the Table embroidery designs.

 

I had enough fabric for two fronts and a back, I could see the dense flowers on one side front, the sprinkled ones on the other front and the back. In the spirit of adding more work to my already full plate, I decided that the dense flower arrangement had a heavier spirit than the lighter ones and I shouldn't include it. A few hours of embroidery later and I had 3 panels of linen sprinkled with orange, pink, and deep red flowers.  A little cutting (done by a friend) and I had a package with linen pieces and coordinating cottons ready for the big sew-in Friday.

And sew my life goes. Today I'm trying to put together package number 6.  After that, only 11 to go.

I'll keep you informed.