April 1, 2009

I tell ya, it was just another day full of stitching for me! NOT! I don't know what's going on, but I just don't seem to have enough time in the day to stitch, especially on dialysis days.

Today was April Fool's Day. I almost forgot until I noticed an article online about ESPN playing a joke on NASCAR fans. They said right in the title that the article was a joke, but obviously some people are selective readers. Apparently ESPN reported that President Obama was going to make Chevy and Dodge pull their sponsorships of the NASCAR series and people started screamin' bloody murder. ESPN pulled the article from its website and apologized, saying they went too far. In my opinion, it's not their fault some people are too stupid to read an ENTIRE article before they start raising a fuss. I don't think it was funny, though, because it very well could come true if GM and Chrysler need that sponsorship cash for their "trimmed down" operations. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Oops, sorry. This isn't a sports blog, I know! Back to the stitching! I did almost a whole leaf on The Sweetheart Tree's Don't Bug Me. I found TST in the 2007 fall Online Needlework Show and fell in love with the look of their designs. I especially like the purple band samplers and the Teenie Kits. The problem is, I thoroughly dislike the feel of the fibers included in all their kits. They're stiff somehow, and they don't improve much after applying Thread Heaven thread conditioner. With my dry hands, running these fibers through my fingers is very unsatisfying. What's mystifying to me is the fact that they use DMC and Weeks threads for the most part. I'd really like to know what they're doing to them to take them from soft cotton to a stiff hunk of thread. Has anyone else noticed that?

I apologize for digressing again, but I think it's the feel of the fibers that is slowing me down on this project. I also think that it's the reason I have at least four more Teenie kits in my UFO pile. Since I've started them, I have to get them finished, but I really don't enjoy stitching with the threads like this. I'm seriously considering using my own DMC and buying the Weeks needed to complete these, it's that bad! Only problem is, I really can't justify spending money on the fibers when I have enough on hand to stitch the project. Am I just being too picky?

You may or may not have noticed, but I've added a new logo to the sidebar of my blog. It's for The Stitchers' Village. This is a new "global needle arts community" courtesy of Jo and Janie, owners of Dinky Dyes & The Cat's Whiskers Design Studio respectively. If you haven't visited, I highly reccommend. TSV is just getting off the ground, but there are monthly newsletters, contests, classes, and even a forum to chat with other stitchers from around the world.

As I was clicking on the different buildings to see what each contained, I was directed to Janie's Site The Cat's Whiskers Design Studio and saw the information for a fund-raiser she created for victims of the Austrailan bush fires. It's called Bushfire Kitty. For a donation of US $3.50, you, too, can recieve a .pdf of this cute fireman kitty. Please consider stopping by Janie's site and making a contribution. The kit to stitch Bushfire Kitty is available from any of the stores in TSV.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox and done typing for now. Have a great day tomorrow!