So Much Fun!

I shouldn't travel when Mercury is in retrograde (and here). My return flight on Monday was canceled, so instead of departing on United from Tulsa at 10:41 and arriving in PHL around rush hour, I got on an American flight to Chicago at 3:50 (supposed to leave at 2:52, and after boarding we sat on the runway an extra 40 minutes) and arrived at 6:55 for my 7:00 flight on US Air (hike between terminal 2 and 3 at O'Hare). Fortunately--I guess--that flight was delayed until 9:30. I arrived in Phillie at midnight. They were going to put me on a flight at six this morning, so my trip yesterday was a lot better!

I had a great time. We had three projects:
Tokens and Trifles patriotic needlebook Well, here you go. I have used the perforated paper doohickeys that I sought your opinions on. It's much finer stuff than shows in the JCS party hats and other photos I've seen. The paper is 20 count. I'm still not fond of the frou frou around the edges. And you can tell the wrong side because it looks burnt. (Ah, lasers, just what the Victorians would have used!)
Old Colonial Needlework Garden Thread Pallet Case. This one came with finishing supplies, but I didn't get a chance to finish. But it's sweet, isn't it?
M Designs Bunny in a Basket. Silver Needle made their trademark changes substituting a variety of flosses. Mona (Magic by Mona) showed us how to make a triangle shaped stand up. Too much sewing for me, as usual. It's a little too frou frou for me, but it's finished! Mona really was magic this time. We started the finishing process at about 10 pm, so we had to leave off with the cording half stuck in (the glue was drying) and no bow on top (the feet were drying). When I got up at 8:00, it was finished! Magic.

As usual the projects presented a bit of a challenge. As one of my friends put it, it's like a puzzle: Will we have enough threads? Will we be able to interpret the pattern? Of course, if you do run out of threads, they'll give you more and if you can't figger it, they'll help you. The flag needlebook, for instance, came with a xerox of the original and a hint of a sketch, but no written directions: No help on where to start, no directions for rhodes stitches, no help to create compensatory stitches. Grr. I didn't do badly but my tablemates had to copy from me. That's my biggest complaint. I liked the new setting, beautiful views of a lake. And Edna had ham this year (we go to an Amish farm for dinner).

Of course, stash was acquired. I got Workbasket's two mermaid projects, a LHN punchneedle, a Sister and Best Friends punchneedle (sheep, so many sheep!), Teresa Layman's Sweet Dreams, the Mirabilia Christmas Fairy kit, BOAF spring garden and the pretty pink fabric, and some fabric and floss for the Prufrock mermaids. The boring stuff I got includes some perforated paper, a punchneedle, and metal ornament forms.

If you're okay with dorm-style living, I recommend it!