A Year of Pippin-y things

I was at the January market in San Jose last week.  It’s always so nice to see people face to face and with the last couple of shows I’ve really started to put together faces and names and shops.  There are nice little aha moments when you realize a connection with the person in front of you.  And moments I was looking forward to, like meeting Megan’s (from Pocket Full of Stitches in Lubbock) new baby boy.  He is a cutie, a gentle flirt, and it feels right when nice people have such nice babies.

Another nice moment was when a classy pair of ladies came into our booth and they turned out to be Jane and Emily from the Classic Stitch in Winnetka.  They had approached us last spring about a twelve month club featuring A Year of Pippin, using little designs from bigger canvases.  Lots of spirals, polka dots and hearts.  Never enough hearts!  Some of the Pippin-y things like sailboats, birdhouses, trees.  Hearts.

This was when I was figuring them out.  (My desk is always full of funny little doodles like this. It makes me terrified to throw away my paper scraps!)

This was when I had gotten them all figured out and painted, they were laid out on my favourite white cover and they were going off to be painted and stitched.  This stage I’m well acquainted with.

This stage I don’t always get to see!

Aren’t they wonderful? I’m so thrilled to see how they chose to stitch and finish them, and I feel like a very lucky girl to get to see them like this!  I draw humongously faster than I stitch!  And so far basketweave is pretty much my only stitch, unless you count French knots, which I rock at!  But I think I might have read somewhere that what I’m doing aren’t really French knots.  So whatever.  But I think Jane and Emily did the most amazing job picking stitches and threads for this. And the colours are perfect!  Grinning.  🙂

The ladies at the Classic Stitch are still signing up people for their club.  You can see the club on their website here or call them at 847-881-2930.