Nonetheless ... voila! Here is the completed pillow/ornament for Jim and Gaby. The cording I did for Niek's pillow came out better, but I had a lot more fiber to work with, and it was thicker strands. This is made using the same Needle Necessities I did the stitching with (1412) but NN pre-cuts their fibers. That made it pretty hard to do cording. Can you tell where one section of cording leaves off and another begins?
This design is pretty far from my usual fare, but I've been trying to make something that Gaby especially will like. I hope I've succeeded! I stitched this on 28 ct. "basketweave" Lakeside Linens. The design is based on the Passione Ricamo "Stitcher's Set" freebies (available from their website), but I took enormous liberties - I've added beads (Mill Hill 'frosted green bottle'), changed the top & bottom of the design, put in initials, etc. In the end, it really does look like what I think Gaby will like. Since I've never met her, though, it's really a gamble!
It is now evening - Niek and Nicky are making dinner while Rowen tries on various shoes (hers as well as everyone else's). Max is enjoying the circus that's in town with his best friend. We'd intended to take the wee beasties, too, but neither of us really felt quite up to that after last night. We did enjoy a wonderfully fun walk on the beach yesterday though.
And a very late - but happy - postscript to the sad story of our dog and his removal to the dog pound. Late Friday evening I received a call from his new owners. She was concerned about his occassional aggressive/territorial behavior, which is atypical for French bulldogs. Apparently the dog pound did not give her all the information I gave them! After quickly determining that there were no young children in the house and filling her in on Xavier's history, she felt much more aware of how to handle him as a dog. She & her partner are experienced dog owners and have already put him through an obedience course. And they've renamed him - Bob! That's too funny as it's my dad's name (and my dad is one of the only people Xavier would ever listen to). Nicky has a scar above his eye where the dog bit him and remains afraid of dogs, but we are working on that.
