My TW advice, as requested

Cathy,

Congratulations on selecting TW's Egyptian Sampler. That was one of those
patterns that "I Just Had To Have" when I first saw it. It is really a fun
one to work. If your are interested, you can also visit Teresa Wentzler's
Bulletin Board at:

http://pub178.ezboard.com/bteresawentzler

There are some stitching forums there as well and one of them is
specifically for the Egyptian Sampler where you can ask questions and/or see
what information other stitchers have written about this piece.

Michael F. Parenteau

"Cathy Collins" wrote in message
...
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Caryn and Ellice!

I am getting ready to kit-up my very first TW pattern EVER (wow...I'm SO
excited)! It's her Egyptian Sampler and I value these hints and tips so
very much!

I knew I'd learn a bunch of good stuff here...(I'm not going to mention
the
images that I've conjured up in my head of S&M MLI angels now...OH MY!
*ROFL*)

Cathy

wd (Caryn) wrote in message ...
Before I start a TW, I take some prep time, which speeds up stitching later.

I cut manilla folders into 6 strips each. I then use a hole punch along one
edge, making holes about 3/4" apart. Over these holes I write the symbol and
floss number(s).

I then cut lengths of each required floss color to hang from these holes.

This does two things, it keeps the colors for blends together and ready for
use, and it also gives me a place to hang a long unused portion of blended
floss if I only had a few stitches of that symbol in the area I was stitching.

I also make an enlarged working copy, at least of her older handdrawn charts,
for ease of reading.

I mark my working copies with highlighters that correspond to the color I'm
stitching. Just because later, when I go back to an area, I can tell more
easily just what stitch is what on the chart and fabric. And with 12 TW's in
progress, it can be some time before I go back to a project!

I have also found that choosing a color most used in an area is the best way to
start off, because then there is a good place to anchor in those pesky confetti
stitches.

HTH,

Thanks to you and the others for these great tips. Doing Smoky Mountain
Cats taught me that I *had* to mark the chart carefully because there
was no way to tell where I was with all the blue blends. Having struggled
with a small TW, it is obvious to me that organization and careful
marking are key. Her confetti stitches are the devil to keep track of;
I think you need a pen mounted like a miner's hat to mark each stitch!
Nonetheless, I still hope to finish one of her designs someday and
be super-organized just for once.

Now, in doing the Peter Rabbit alphabet (and I am working on W!),
we see the usual Lynne method: threads all over the couch and in
bags and in a nice little craft bucket. Threads I will need on
the left, ones I have just used on the right, kitty next to me
sitting on the threads she likes (thank goodness she has stopped
capturing skeins and running around the house with them. Now she
drags stuffed animals around. Too funny!) Anyway, thanks again for
the great tips from you all.

Lynne

I won the Season's Faeries on ebay but after looking at the charts several
times, I've put them away for the time being as I feel they're going to need
a lot of concentration.
Jan
"Michael F. Parenteau" wrote in message
...
Cathy,

Congratulations on selecting TW's Egyptian Sampler. That was one of those
patterns that "I Just Had To Have" when I first saw it. It is really a
fun
one to work. If your are interested, you can also visit Teresa Wentzler's
Bulletin Board at:

http://pub178.ezboard.com/bteresawentzler

There are some stitching forums there as well and one of them is
specifically for the Egyptian Sampler where you can ask questions and/or
see
what information other stitchers have written about this piece.

Michael F. Parenteau

"Cathy Collins" wrote in message
...
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Caryn and Ellice!

I am getting ready to kit-up my very first TW pattern EVER (wow...I'm SO
excited)! It's her Egyptian Sampler and I value these hints and tips so
very much!

I knew I'd learn a bunch of good stuff here...(I'm not going to mention
the
images that I've conjured up in my head of S&M MLI angels now...OH MY!
*ROFL*)

Cathy

HeyPaula21 wrote:
The only thing I'd add is another thing I picked up from someone here (sorry, I
can't remember who). To keep the whole needle thing in order, I take a strip
of fabric (I have some odd-sized scraps from cutting ornaments and such) and
run a strip of masking tape down it. Then, when I have a threaded needle, I
write the symbol on the tape and park the needle on the side.

That's Teresa's own method. I've mentioned it here before, so pehaps
you got it from me.

Elizabeth
--
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~living well is the best revenge~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate
and expand her sense of actual possibilities. --Adrienne Rich
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*barnacle-encrusted bitch~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On 7/21/03 5:01 PM,"Cathy Collins" posted:

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Caryn and Ellice!

You're very welcome. It's always good to be able to get a hint from someone,
and not have to re-invent the wheel. I was self-taught (at first), and did
some not so good things. Felt kind of foolish when I finally went to my
first Stitch'n'Bitch session, and they showed me the *right* way, easier
way, to ply my floss. Some hints work, some you can do without, or improve
upon.

I am getting ready to kit-up my very first TW pattern EVER (wow...I'm SO
excited)! It's her Egyptian Sampler and I value these hints and tips so
very much!

Lucky you - I'm sure it'll be very rewarding, and beautiful. Just don't get
too frustrated. Personally, I'd also have something little, and not so
complicated in thread blending, to do - for a periodic break. I love TW
stuff, have Spring Faerie as a UFO (sad), and the Castle Sampler in stash.
And I think one more.

Happy stitchin'
ellice

On 7/22/03 12:57 PM,"Dr. Brat" posted:

HeyPaula21 wrote:
The only thing I'd add is another thing I picked up from someone here (sorry,
I
can't remember who). To keep the whole needle thing in order, I take a strip
of fabric (I have some odd-sized scraps from cutting ornaments and such) and
run a strip of masking tape down it. Then, when I have a threaded needle, I
write the symbol on the tape and park the needle on the side.

That's Teresa's own method. I've mentioned it here before, so pehaps
you got it from me.

It's a good idea - similar to what I do with magnets and cards. I've liked
now using the card, as the thread tails are kind of protected inside the
card. Whatever works for you - I like this fabric idea as well.

ellice

For marking different stitches, try a different color gel pen (some are
see-through) for each different symbol. You shouldn't need more than 5
colors. I typically mark off 10 or 15 stitches of one color at a time
before I do them.

Meredith

"Lynne M." wrote:

wd (Caryn) wrote in message ...
Before I start a TW, I take some prep time, which speeds up stitching later.

I cut manilla folders into 6 strips each. I then use a hole punch along one
edge, making holes about 3/4" apart. Over these holes I write the symbol and
floss number(s).

I then cut lengths of each required floss color to hang from these holes.

This does two things, it keeps the colors for blends together and ready for
use, and it also gives me a place to hang a long unused portion of blended
floss if I only had a few stitches of that symbol in the area I was stitching.

I also make an enlarged working copy, at least of her older handdrawn charts,
for ease of reading.

I mark my working copies with highlighters that correspond to the color I'm
stitching. Just because later, when I go back to an area, I can tell more
easily just what stitch is what on the chart and fabric. And with 12 TW's in
progress, it can be some time before I go back to a project!

I have also found that choosing a color most used in an area is the best way to
start off, because then there is a good place to anchor in those pesky confetti
stitches.

HTH,

Thanks to you and the others for these great tips. Doing Smoky Mountain
Cats taught me that I *had* to mark the chart carefully because there
was no way to tell where I was with all the blue blends. Having struggled
with a small TW, it is obvious to me that organization and careful
marking are key. Her confetti stitches are the devil to keep track of;
I think you need a pen mounted like a miner's hat to mark each stitch!
Nonetheless, I still hope to finish one of her designs someday and
be super-organized just for once.

Now, in doing the Peter Rabbit alphabet (and I am working on W!),
we see the usual Lynne method: threads all over the couch and in
bags and in a nice little craft bucket. Threads I will need on
the left, ones I have just used on the right, kitty next to me
sitting on the threads she likes (thank goodness she has stopped
capturing skeins and running around the house with them. Now she
drags stuffed animals around. Too funny!) Anyway, thanks again for
the great tips from you all.

Lynne

Also sticky address labels can be placed on the bag and just put another one
over the old one.
Lisa
"Darla" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 23:47:33 GMT, Sharon Capps
wrote:


Thank you Caryn for this information. I am going to start Peacock
Tapestry
this winter and this gives me some insight as to how to deal with her
designs. I have heard how hard they are.
Sharon
Like everything else, they're done one stitch at a time.

I use the FlossAway® bags and little cards which I mark with the
symbol and number/s. Inserting a card in the bag keeps the bag
reuseable.
Darla
Sacred cows make great hamburgers.

On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 19:36:50 -0400, "lisa" wrote:

Also sticky address labels can be placed on the bag and just put another one
over the old one.
Lisa
Yeah, but the little cards are cheaper and can be used twice, once on
each side. 4 times if you write small.
Darla
Sacred cows make great hamburgers.