I had been working on Ashley's Roses ever since I finished up the Mini Mandala. I had started her a while back, but put her aside after I got tired of all that white and grey. This time I managed to persevere, and I've got the bottom half of the chart completed except for the beading. I may have put in a total of about 40 or so stitches over the weekend, but finished the blue-green gingham and the backstitching on Monday. I should be able to stick with her until she's done, then she will be framed up for Miss Alex's room.
But the big excitement....I have signed up for a Japanese embroidery class! With Shay Pendray! Oooooo! :) I've been looking for new techniques, and Japanese embroidery really jumped out at me. It's so beautiful! But you really can't just go out and grab yourself a kit. Instructors and classes are few and far between and I thought that I might have to suck it up and go to Georgia to the Japanese Embroidery Center for a class. Not exactly convenient with the job, kid, and all. When lo and behold, an Internet search resulted in me finding out that Shay Pendray teaches Japanese embroidery classes at a local (to me) shop! Yay! I'm so excited, and will probably remain so until my first class in August.
