The last 24

Many of you know I was in Salmo for the West Kootenay Gathering of the Guilds. As always, it was amazing to see the amount of work produced in our area! Beautiful quilts.

It's surprising how regional the work is - considering that we're all within a reasonable proximity. Each of the Guilds does seem to have it's own distinct flavour...it would be interesting to figure out whether that's due to demographic or geography. Some groups are quite far from a fabric source, some have several within a 1/2 hour's drive. Most of the quilts shown were traditional in style, proving that the main body of quilters continue to to traditional quilts, not art quilts.

The Salmo Guild deserves a hearty congratulations as the meeting went wonderfully well, everything was really well organized. From a vendor's point of view, the day went off without a hitch!

Today our youngest had his Master Class in pre-music where he performed a song he's been working on for a couple of weeks. He did beautifully! He's not performed in front of an audience before, but did very well.

Oldest has caught the Artist's Trading Card bug from the presenters (Don Mabie and Wendy Toogood) last week at the school district Art Festival. He's been madly making cards since Wednesday, and today got to go to a bona fide meeting and trade some cards. Youngest and I joined them after music, and now we've got the bug, too!

Here are the five remaining from the seven I made this afternoon once we returned home. They're all on paper I made about a year ago (after the last art festival, using the art festival handouts, shredded cotton batting, dryer lint and bits of thread). The two in the upper corner are stitched together strips of the heavy, handmade paper, the other three are from similar sheets made from the same slurry. The one's the boys traded for are part of the 'three leaf' ones. Like most things, it called for stitching! I got to play with some of my new (variegated) thread that came from the Banquet at MQX. The lime-y green was already threaded on the machine when I came down to play with the stitching aspect (cool, as it is the same as the thread used in the paper - coincidence!). I've got lots of ideas for more and hopefully there will be some time between now and next trading meeting to get a small body of work together.

My Mom arrives tomorrow, and together this week we'll be going to Quilt BC. I'll have a booth there, so if you're around come by and say hi. I'll try to post from there, but can't promise anything!

Happy stitching,

Lisa

Celebration of Art

For three years now, around this time, our school district has put on a 2 day Artists and Writer's Festival. I've been lucky enough to teach each year - the first year I did Celtic Knot quilting (the really young children helped with some of the fusible, the older children would actually compose most of a quilt), last year I did paper mache masks, and this year I taught Self Portraiture as a journalling device.

Each year the children are given choices as to which classes they'd like to take (a total of 6 different ones over the 2 days). They get a certain amount of say in the classes that they want, but do also have to take some that are not necessarily their first choices. There is a whole team of artist and writers recruited from the community to be the instructors. The children could do drumming, sculpture in clay, poetry, storywriting, birdhouse building in wood, song composition, singing, acting, making cinquefoils and pendants, charcoal drawing, artist's trading cards, paint floorcloths,....and so much more.

I've included the full class work from my first two classes here, one primary and one intermediate. What I was most impressed with was that the children re-learned how to LOOK. Even by age 5 or 6 we are locked into drawing 'this kind' of hand or 'that kind' of nose. A lot of the class opening is spent really looking at ourselves in the mirror...is our face really round? Are our eyes round, or oval, or a little of both? I had one (primary) student pipe up - "my eye's shaped like a lemon!" After examining their own faces (and a little primer on face structure from me) the were given paper and asked to draw a realistic or fantasy self portrait. The results surprised us all!
The one display I think must have been the most work was the weaving. She had about 17 different looms there, all warped and ready, and they taught children of all ages to weave. You can see two of the larger floor looms here - she had more (!). Each child got to take his/her weaving home - the instructor re-warped each loom as it ran out, and over and over again went through the steps and explained this process which is so fundamental to our lives.

Last of all, I had to put a picture of Youngest Son in here. He's the blond one on the right. Apparently boys his age like rooster tailed hair - many small people were sporting it at the festival. Bedhead, eh?

You can see him here in the 'moments in cast' class where they plaster casted their hands. He said this was his favorite of all the classes. I think he related well to the instructor (the fella on the left), and the whole messy plaster thing made a tremendous impression on him.

Today all the work that the children wanted to submit is hung in the gymnasium for public display. Local people can come for tea, and to see performances by some of the children in the afternoon. The organizers, as always, did this on their own time. Dedicated teachers, each.

Have a great day,

Lisa

They're done

Done and dry, here they are.

I like the size. If anyone else has the impulse to make ones like them, I put a link to the page I originally got them from in the comments to my previous entry.



Now to deliver...

L


(Yes, these were all fabrics in my stash...)
:)

Journals as gifts

This is what's been keeping my hands occupied in my spare time yesterday and today - bookbinding!

These are little hardbound journals that I'm making for some dear friends. I've always been a journaler myself (that's probably why the blog thing is such a good fit), and I love a nice, firm, blank journal. The style I'm making has a handstitched spine with 80 pages. Mostly I'm using bright 28lb paper (I could see how using something a little heavier would be nice).
The photo above is of two different spines, one glued and dry, one in the gluing process. You'll notice throughout the photos that I use wax paper to protect pages that are not to get glue on them, or surfaces from glue.
The photo at right is of one of the glued spines (from above pic) in place with the first page glued into the cover. You can see the glue applied across the inside two front pages for the endpapers to attach to (seen at left).

The closed journal is at right, with lots of pages of wax paper in between the glued endpapers, etc, to protect the pages from getting all stuck together.

This last photo shows all 4 journals wrapped and interleaved with wax paper awaiting pressing. I've now tucked them under a big, heavy, flat book to press them while the glue dries. They'll need to stay like this for 24 hours now.

I did the dragonfly journal yesterday (purple - at right in photo) as a tester and discovered that corrugated cardboard is too heavy to be the cover base...the original cover for this set of pages was rather different than the dragonfly fabric. The nice thing is that it was easy to cut the other cover off when I realized it wasn't going to work, and to salvage the pages. The perfect weight cardboard is the high density thin stuff that our granola bar cases are made of.

I kept an eye on that little book through the drying process and although there was a point at which I thought the moisture from the glue was going to leave the pages rippled, the weighting step seems to have taken care of things. The pages are all straight and true.

What I used:
printer paper, scrapbook paper (one day I may try scrapbooking!), needle and thread, fabric, cardboard and white glue.

I have a feeling this will not be the last set of journals that I make.

All the best,

Lisa

(PS - my blog counter reached 5000 today. Since Dec 11. Cool. Thanks for looking.)
:)

Saying goodbye

Yesterday we said goodbye to our friend, Tim. It's hard to say goodbye to someone the same age - with kids the same age. Funerals for young people are so tough. Friends and family spend so much time trying to make sense of it all, to take away lessons, to interpret things within the context of their own belief. One of the things that was abundantly clear yesterday is that Tim's extended family and community are incredibly diverse. It says a lot about him that he would be comfortable with people from so many different walks of life. The main theme that I heard emerging over and over again is that of the need to seize life by the horns...to not wait, to dream big and reach far. Knowing Tim, it's very fitting.


On a completely different topic, Swooze tagged me about 2 weeks ago (I know nothing about tagging - and hope that I haven't let this go too long) and asked me to list my 5 most inspirational blogs/sites. I had a peek at her list and was tremendously flattered to find that my little blog was on it! (Thanks!)
I've had a few chances to think about this, and this is what I came up with. In no particular order:

Whipup - This is a collaborative weblog that covers all kinds of crafty topics. This group does everything from quilting to bookbinding. I see today there is a papermaking tutorial. Things here tend to be fresh and contemporary twists on classic art and craft skills. If I've got the creative blahs, this is one of the places I look for an infusion of energy.

Illustration Friday - A blog run by Penelope Dullaghan and Brianna Privett. These ladies put together a challenge each week - a one word topic that anyone (professionals, amatures, children) can interpret and illustrate. There are always really good twists on the weekly word, and it can be done in any (and I mean ANY) media. This week's topic is 'fortune'. I've been good and haven't cruised some of the other illustrations yet. I'm still formulating my own. Anyone can post their illo. I like to do the brainstorming part with my kids. They do their own drawings and always have fresh perspectives on things - and it's a great opportunity for us to explore this rich language.

Vicki Welsh - Field Trips in Fiber- I got hooked on Vicki's blog when she was doing a tea dying class through Quilt University. She's got a passion for fibre and explores all kinds of wonderful things. She also posted how she makes her own moisturizer...one more thing I'll have to try at some point. (Hi, Vicki...great to meet you at MQX!!)

Debra Spincic - Debra's Design Studio - I first came across Debra's blog when I was looking at the Quilt Studio blog ring, of which she is the Ring Queen. Debra does wonderful things with crazy quilting and embroidery that I'll only every dream of doing.

Beth Ferrier - Applewood Quilts - I've loved Beth Ferrier's work for years and was really excited to discover that she had a blog. Always trying new things, she is just going through designing a fabric line for P&B textiles...and blogging about it. Thanks, Beth! She teaches, she writes, she designs patterns and her blog is always entertaining.

That was five, wasn't it? But I have more - wait, here:

In a minute ago - This is the one that really started it all. This is where I started to get hooked on looking each day to see if there were new contributions, where a lot of my inspiration comes from. There are often wonderful articles about stitching, but also about philosophy of stitchers, our place in community, different contexts through time...all in all, a really well written, thoughtful blog.

Blue Sky Studios - This is the first illustration challenge blog that I got interested in. The guys and gals have moved from a weekly to a biweekly challenge as they're working on a new film right now. Always great to see what the artists will come up with. Unlike Illustration Friday, this is not an open blog.

Oh, and I often check in on Rhonda, and her Mom, and Swooze and many of the Quilt Mavericks. I haven't even started on knitting blogs yet....

And just one last thing - tell someone you care today. Don't leave things unsettled after an argument. Seize the day.

Lisa

So much can happen in just a few days

Jodi and I returned to Trail on Monday night, very late. I'd phoned DH when we were at the Spokane airport to tell DH that we were on the ground for the last time, and he had the terrible job of having to tell me that one of our close friends had died suddenly over the weekend.
I haven't been posting.

MQX was wonderful - I had a marvellous time with Jodi, and was so delighted to meet so many wonderful people. I came home with many new quilt ideas which will be put on hold for a little while, but which I hope to get a chance to do at some point. Ah, that's what sketchbooks are for, isn't it?

I'll post again soon, but things are quite busy so it may be a few days at least.

Lisa

Day 3 - MQX

Busy, busy, busy.

I got to meet many more people today...some I've corresponded with off and on over the years, others I just admired or deeply appreciated the work of. I got to meet Nicole Webb this evening which was a lot of fun, Nancy Goldsworthy (I love her book, every quilter should have a copy),Jessica Schick, Celine Spader, Lisa Calle, oh, and so many more. I love meeting everyone - what a total treat.

Tonight was the banquet - Jodi sponsored the keynote speaker (which was amazing), Robbi Joy Ecklow. She was hysterical! We were almost crying we were laughing so hard. On a more serious note, it was truly a treat to see her quilts.

Speaking of quilts, I got a chance to get around and see my own quilt hanging (and take pictures of it in the show) and the 100,000 dollar quilt challenge quilts, and the Ricki Tims exhibit, The Art Quilt - these were truly extraordinary.

I'd love to be more coherent, but it's just too late here. I'm sure there is much I'm forgetting to include.

BTW, I talked to Youngest Son and DH tonight - man, I miss my family. I had a few little tears of missing them tonight. One more busy day tomorrow, then homeward bound on Sunday (well, we'll fly Sunday, then I'll get home sometime on Monday).

Please, if you're at the show, come and see me before it's all over. I'd love to meet you. This might be the only opportunity we have for a while! Chances are I'll be in the booth, but I might try to take a class tomorrow if there are any openings in any of the remaining classes - just so I can say I took a class at MQX! (Well, and so that I can learn something...it is possible...I can learn.)
:)

G'night!
Lisa

Day 2 -MQX

Well, it's our second day here in Manchester, and it did snow. Not a lot, but enough to make things interesting! We opted to walk back to our hotel just to get the circulation going in our legs after standing all day (today was our longest at 10 hours, the rest of the show will be shorter days)...I had bought new shoes yesterday, and they're sitting over on the heater right now drying out.

What a great day. Thanks so much to everyone who came by to say hi! It's been pretty great to finally put faces to names. I briefly got to meet Vicki yesterday, and hope she gets a chance to drop by again. I also got a few minutes to talk with Suzanne Earley over in the A-1 booth and got a chance to look at her new book. Great designs, lots of ideas!

I am surprised by the sheer numbers of Canadians that have made the trip down. There are so many people from Ontario and Nova Scotia...we're the only BC-ers so far, though.
It's wonderful to hear all the accents. This show has really brought people from all across the continent together - we get to hear all the different colloquial pronunciations, being in the booth. People from everywhere are here at this show. I had one fella from NY ask if mine was an 'authentic 'eh'' - I didn't even realize I was saying it, but I must've, eh? It's funny, but being among all the different US accents has made me very self conscious about my Canadian one. I don't hear it, but I know everyone else does.

A bit more paperwork tonight yet, and dinner is on it's way up to the room here. I've got my feet up, looking forward to a good night's sleep.

See you in the morning, eh?

Lisa

MQX first night

Ah! Here we are after our first night of MQX...just the 'preview' night, only 2 hours of actually (wo)manning the booth (which was wonderfully busy - thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by and see what we're doing for the show!).

We spent the early part of our day picking up the last few things we needed and discovered that this town (or at least the parts of it that we were shopping in) are NOT made for walking. The upside to that was that we met some really great cab drivers.

You should know that most of the photos I've taken so far are of wallpaper...yes, I am crazy...but in love with repetitive geometric pattern...and the colour combinations in our room are so restful and multi-neutral.

Jodi was a genius booth designer.We put the booth up in less than two hours (all told. In all honesty 2 hours is her estimate. I think it took less than one.We could only start setting up after 3:00 as we only had 2 out of 3 walls until then, and were open to the public by 6:00 and ate, looked at most of the other vendors and some of the quilts before then). Here's Jodi and the booth during set up:


The Raddisson has been a really great place to be - and the ladies who organized this have done an amazing job. Everything from our end (as vendors) have gone off without a hitch. The restaurant in the hotel got into the spirit of things with their drink specials last night. I'm really glad I took pictures of the cards then because they were not there at all tonight!


My only disappointment so far is that I missed my class this morning. Completely. And it was the only one I signed up for. The just lag or just plain confusion got in my way, but I missed it - by the time I realized I was late, it was over. Wah! Maybe, if there are quiet times tomorrow, I'll volunteer to be a teacher's angel and get to learn something new.

Oh! Better go to bed! The show is open 10 hours tomorrow and it's 12:30 local time!
'Night!

Lisa

We're heeere!

We made it - and so did all of our luggage! Whoohoo!

I'm not too sure about the whole time change thing, though, it's already 6:30 here, and my internal clock says I should be picking up the kids from school.

We did get a (gasp!) 4:30 wakeup call in Spokane so that we could be ready for the airport shuttle bus (look, Pa, I got up and was dressed in time to catch our 6:30 flight).

Whew. Now that we're a little freshened up we'll head out for supper.

Post again later
Lisa

(BTW Swooze...I'll be thinking about that tag! I've got a few in mind already...)

Lisa
:)

(later edit* - We had a lovely dinner...finally got the opportunity to meet Gwen and Aline from the CMQA (Canadian Machine Quilter's Association).
Oh, and I got asked for i.d. when I ordered a beer- what a hoot! The last time I was carded was at my 10 year high school reunion...I was born in 1970...you do the math!)
L

Because I just don't sit still well...

...and leaving tomorrow has got me in a bit of a dither.

Everything is as ready as it's going to be, and I just can't relax. What better time to redesign and replicate one of my favorite (purchased) tops! This is a task I've been wanting to do for quite some time.
I traced it out this afternoon and got sewing. Things went well once I remembered how to thread the serger! I've always loved this Asian top I have. It's dark green hemp and sooooo soft! The only thing that has bothered me about it is that it's a little too short in the body.
The new top goes past my hips so when I lift my hand to shade my eyes, reach in the cupboard or wave hello no one will get an unrequested glimpse of my midsection anymore.
Hooray!

Got smarter, too, thanks to the whole bag project...and made a pattern as I went. I may have to make a few more of these. I could live in them, they're so comfortable.

I'll try to post now and then while we're away, but don't count on it. I have a hunch we'll be pretty pooped at night.

All the best,
Lisa

Bag progression

Well, I stole a few minutes here and there today and finished my bag - um, sort of. There is one more modification I'd like to make on this bag (and a redraft for the next one).

Making the front went reasonably well. One of the main modifications in the front patch pocket was to channel quilt using the front pocket divisions as a guide. Now my front pocket has places in it for pens, for my batteries, keys, and all the other skinny things that end up slipped into the outside of my bag.
This pocket is what dictates the size and shape of the front of the bag.

Placement for the front pocket area went well, too, but I'm not totally happy with the flap closure - I much rather would have used a snap for it, as with the old bag. You can't see it until the final picture, but I ended up using a self fabric covered button (I have a hunch it just won't last) and loop.

The bag is really built from the outside in, in layers. All the outermost pieces are done first, right to finished edges in most cases. The only edges that are left unfinished are those that will be in the main construction seams at the very end. In the old bag that meant many, many layers in the seams...the new bag is redesigned to eliminate a lot of the seam bulk that was part and parcel in the construction of the old bag.
Another big difference between this one and the other is that the old bag used Timtex as the interlining, while this one uses Hobbes 80/20 Black. The old bag had a good weight and body to it, it was nice and solid feeling. This one is softer, but as there are so many constructed layers it still has good body and shape. I've also done a lot more vertical channel quilting on this bag to add body and strength to the shape.

Although I changed how the zipper went in to accommodate the sides, I'm not totally happy about how it worked. now that the bag is all together, I know what I should have done. Rather than close the opening at the end, there are times during the construction process when I could have done that using construction seams - not topstitched construction. The bag is a bit of a balance between the two seam styles.

I think now that the bag is done I'll add a small straight grain binding patch over the spot where the zipper flaps are stitched to the sides. It'll just look nicer, give it a clean finish.
The zipper area is the main area that needs redraft and design. I like the placement, and for a first try this went together reasonably well, but there has got to be a better way that will give a more integrated looking final product. To me the zipper are looks like an afterthought, even though it was probably the main focus of the new pattern (mainly how to make it work now that there are the wide sides on the bag - oh wait! I just had another idea...I better go write it in my notes....)


The modification I'll make yet to the bag (it is not done yet in the final picture here) is to move the bottom of the strap (shown at left). It needs to be almost 4" higher than it is now. The way it is now, the strap leaves the back at my hip, causing the bag to hang crooked. If I move the strap higher, so that it leaves the back at my waist, the bag will hang straighter. This is something I could never solve with the old bag - I'd known it hung crooked, but did not know how to fix it. I'll probably fix the new bag before I go to bed tonight - I have a heck of a time leaving things like that unfinished!

There are a couple other things that are just not quite right yet - I had to use a narrower front strap than the old bag - The old one used 2" webbing and clips, this one I could only get 1" wide webbing and quick clips. (We do live in the boonies, here - I was lucky to find any webbing at all) All the fixtures for this and the last bag were ones that I'd cannibalized from old purchased backpacks or fanny packs over the years. When the fabric would wear out, I'd cut off all the useful things that were left - zippers, clasps, clips and webbing. This one uses new webbing that I bought locally, but all the other notions are reclaimed from other bags that have been used up. Yes, I'm a bit of a pack rat...just can't throw out anything useful!

I put the pack on tonight to see how it felt. So far, so good - but the one thing that hadn't even occurred to me until then was that I started with a purse and ended with a backpack. I guess that's what I need! When I was a teenager and in my 20's I carried a backpack that always had books and sketchbooks in it. In my late 20's and early 30's, I carried a backpack full of diapers and baby toys. Now, I'm back to the sketchbooks and pens! Add my camera, my glasses, the vast volumes of mail I carry back and forth every week day...well, maybe it's just my lot in life to carry big bags. This one will get me to New Hampshire next week, and that's all I can really ask.

Happy stitching,
Lisa

The slow evolution of a bag

Working on this bag has reminded me why when people ask why I don't publish a pattern for it I say, "it's complicated". It is complicated. I made it up as I went along the first time, and am consequently re-inventing it from the ground up.

The first challenges came in the pattern drafting stages...

Originally, on the green bag, I just made a base pattern for how the shape would be, made one copy for front, used it also for the back, then slowly cut down the original pattern as I went to make things like pockets, etc. As I am here making this bag again, I thought it would be best to draft each pattern piece. As you can see in the photo at right, it meant many layers of tracing. (Not including the logistics of figuring out how the new fabric that will make the sides and bottom will not interfere with the over all shape and hang of the bag!)
The first seam has been done twice (once with zipper inserted, now without)- and to add to the complications, the main background and lining fabric I'm using - well, I'm using the back side of it as if it were the right side. Some times 'right sides together' doesn't mean, well, right sides together. Sometimes it means 'wrong sides together'.

You can see in the two photos below how the MP3player pocket didn't quite go as originally planned, either...as it turned out there was too much extra room in the pocket, so I had to put in some pin tuck folds on the fly after the pocket was attached to the back.

It was well worth it, though, as my Zen fits in quite comfortably now and will not 'slosh' around in the pocket. If I ever own a cell phone, I'll probably build in a similar cell phone pocket. The Zen pocket is on the outside of the back of the bag and should (all things working as they should) rest against my lower back when the bag is completed.

The main back construction is done. On to the front!

Lisa

Bag lady blues

This is my all time favorite bag.

Sadly, after 2+ years of faithful, daily service, it is wearing out (and truth be told, I'm outgrowing it a bit, too - sniff!).

It is by far the most successful bag I've ever made function and comfort-wise, and as I'm a rather small person, in proportion to my frame - these huge bags that are all the rage right now make me look like a toddler waiting with her mother's luggage!

I've got to make a new one - preferably before we go away on Monday...so (taking my Mother's advice) I'm recording the redesign process.

Things I like about my bag:

1. Size. It fits my frame well and is very comfortable to wear.
   
2. the adjustable length strap in front - this is partly what makes it so functional: I can lengthen the strap to fit over my winter coat, or shorten it in the summer time.
3. Colour! Believe it or not, it goes with almost all my jackets/sweaters - it's not too vocal, but colourful enough that I still love it after all this daily use.
4. The little pockets that are just the right size for my spare batteries, pencil, keys, etc. They were made specifically for those functions and should be included in the new version
5. Separate zipper(larger) area and smaller button closure area. Keeps me somewhat(!) organized.
   

Things that need to change:

1. Size. Much as I love how big it is, I need to make it bigger...there's just too much to carry around these days! Sure it was great when all I needed was my wallet, keys and sketchbook...but now I'm carrying my camera, glasses case, etc. I think I can add more width without becoming dwarfed by it. - It would be nice to pick up the mail without needing to take a separate bag.
   
2. It needs a flat bottom. (This will probably help solve the space dilemma) I can't set it down without it falling over.
3. Needs more specialized pockets (at very least an external one for my MP3 player), and the pencil pockets need to be deeper.
4. Fresh colours. I love these fabrics - they've served me well, but it's time for a change!!

The size dilemma can be solved in a couple of ways. I think adding a couple more inches to the width and a 'D' shaped bottom will help (imagine the flat of the D against the lower back so that most of the fullness is out from the body). Maybe I'll change where the angle begins to run up toward the strap...making the largest width deeper.
Food for thought, anyway. I'll try to get a chance to work on this a little later.

Hope you're finding time for stitching!

Lisa

More playing...

Good thing I'm out of clothesline, or I might not get anything done!
I just HAD to try an oval bowl...

:)
Lisa

A little evening playtime

Yesterday we spent most of the day in the yard, raking the gravel out of the lawn from a winter's worth of road maintenance and playing in the garden. I got most of the leaf mulch off of my front flower bed and worked in a bunch of compost - now THAT's a spring smell! Our Hyacinths are starting to poke their heads out, but the grass is all still brown.

While we were in Abbotsford I picked up a recent (March/April) Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting magazine - I don't buy many magazines these days, but this one had several things in it I thought I might actually try, so I bought it. It has a great article by Joyce Drexler on coiled fabric bowls that was absolutely irresistible. Once we were in for the evening, I pulled out the cotton clothesline bought at the coast for this and my box of 1" fabric strips. The start of the bowl was a little tricky, but once the base was bigger than the presser foot, things went well. She describes working with an oval bowl for starters - it probably would be easier than the circular one that I wanted to try first.

As you can see, it's a bit of a tight fit for my machine - true to my nature I didn't follow the directions completely and tried a few other things from my basket weaving experience to make the bowl more basket-like, giving it much steeper sides than is really practical given the size of my domestic sewing machine head. A larger bowl base would have made this easier.

The final bowl/basket was made from a full 50 foot roll of clothesline. The base is 6" at the point it starts to curve into the walls, and the whole thing is about 4 1/2" deep, measured by a ruler placed inside the bowl.

It didn't take more than an hour, and I now know that I should use a thread I LOVE as the thread plays a very strong role in the look of the final piece. I guess I'll just have to make another one! *grin*

Oh, and something you can't tell from looking at the photos - these were taken with my new camera, an early birthday gift (Thanks Mom and Dad!). If a camera could take an admiring photograph of itself, this one would. It's a beaut. And just in time to go to MQX with me next week!

Happy stitching,

Lisa