Welcome to "All Quiet on the Western Front/Needlepoint Study Hall" blog. Looks like Summertime has all of us pre-occupied. Or, are we still suffering from heat exhaustion? I had a wee bit o' excitement this past weekend. Let me tell you about my recent road trip... and yes, there was some needlepoint involved.
I accompanied Pat to his Business Visuals photo shoot in Nashville this weekend. For those of you without the convenience of having a GPS, the distance from Memphis to Nashville is about 200 miles. Should take under 4 hours to get there, right? Sure, unless there are traffic problems. Well, there was a terrible accident on I-40... at mile marker 60. It took us over 1 hour to go 12 miles. Pat said we were going 4 MPH in a 70 MPH zone. At times, all eastbound lanes were stopped... like a parking lot. Luckily, we made it, safely, to our destination... in 6 hours!
Knowing that Pat was driving, I brought needlepoint to occupy the time. Part of my travel packing sequence includes bringing the correct needlepoint for the trip. Yours too, right? I looked for the best car project amongst my current Works in Progress: a canvas on 13 mesh. Have I told you my canvas stash is also extensive? Guess what... I found the best project... already kitted with a plan in place.
Meet Mr. Mummy and his friend, The Spider. It's a canvas from Kathy Schenkel: #CT 173, on 13 count, 4" x 4". Like I said, they were the perfect traveling companion. The Sparkle Rays looks great for the Mummy's cloth wrap. I chose Sound Waves for the Background and used 1 strand Black Ty-Di Threads. I like how the roundness of the Sound Waves sets the tone for the round Spider's body. (I know it's hard to see the black-on-black... but, trust me, it looks good in person.)
You can see what I accomplished on the trip. I plan to bead the Star. The Spider's body will be made with Fuzzy Stuff. I might Bullion Knot the Legs, but I also found some Facets in my Stash which I could couch in place. We will see which is better.
Now here's the best part of the road trip. Before heading back to Memphis, we stopped at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts to see the Dale Chihuly blown glass exhibit. He is the best! I've seen his work in Memphis and Atlanta. My heart pounds each time I see his work. Awesome.
As we approached the entrance to the Frist Museum we noticed another exhibit also on display: The Golden Age of Couture, Paris and London 1947-1957. OMG! What a wonderful surprise. There were 221 pieces of original couture dresses and garments from the famous design houses in London and Paris. They focused on Paris Dressmaking, Textiles, Embroidery, Cocktail and Early Evening, Evening and Ballgowns. Pinch me silly and call Rachel Zoe. I died.
Pat and I had the best time seeing both exhibits; a well-deserved reward after an intense photo job. So for anyone in the Nashville area within the sound of my keyboard, please treat yourself to a wonderful experience; the admission was only $10. Thanks, Robin
Robin, sounds like a great weekend. I, too, was stuck in traffic and, happily, had stitching on hand to fill the time. The mummy looks splendid. I worked on a Collection of Designs piece with a spider. Great minds... fuzzy stuff for his body; I simply did stem stitch on his bendy little legs. Museum visits sound DIVINE. Thanks for keeping us up to date on your antics.
ReplyDeleteHi, Robin - I'm envious of your museum visit (but not of the length of time it took to get there!). I love Chihuly's work and enjoyed the Chihuly in the Garden exhibit in Atlanta a few years ago. The exhibit catalog sits on my coffee table even now. The fashion exhibit sounds equally exciting. Glad you got in some very productive stitching time along the way!
ReplyDeleteThank you Missy and Melinda. The stitching time was very therapeutic. The museum time enriched my soul.
ReplyDelete