Anakin/Vader Sampler...And Han Stitched First

So...I did an interview for the incredible MrXStitch site and you can check it out here. First off, thanks to them for having me and thanks to everyone who have had such positive and kind words since. I promise it makes me sound waaaay cooler then I really am.

One of the photos used I have not actually posted here because it's such a weird subject to me but as a wise man once said "Start at the beginning...and when you get to the end, stop". The piece I did is a sampler. The quote is from Star Wars Episode I. We have only seen Anakin Skywalker for a couple of minutes at this point and when asked if he was a slave he got visibly angry and I thought that what he said, coupled with the Vader helmet would look really cool together. As a fan, I think that this quote carries through the entire saga as to how Vader may have felt his entire time as a cyborg and his ultimate return to the light side.



That's the story on the piece itself. Here is the chaos the piece has wrought: I am a Star Wars nerd through and through. I had an extensive (read: two rooms) collection of action figures, every novel, tons of strange collectibles, two tattoos and even named one of my daughters after an expanded universe character! As a rule I usually do NOT dress up as a Star Wars character for Halloween because it seems to obvious. Soon after I started stitching I decided not to do any Star Wars pieces for the same reason. Then I stitched Luke.

On My (Sessler's) Soapbox

I did this piece back in 2009. I may have posted it before but I'm not looking through old posts and chances are good I was probably drunk anyway.

Aside from stitching and going "way back" to the original NES, I am a video game fanatic. Yes, stitching, being a father and trying to be a grown up have slowed down my advances but I do try to get a good shooter or old-school reissue (Dreamcast Collection for 360, anyone)? So back when I watched a lot of G4TV I had an itunes subscription to "Sessler's Soapbox". A place for one of my favorite journalists/TV Personalities to say whatever he wanted. How could I not love that? I mean, what do you think this blog is?!?

So in 2009 X-Play/Adam Sessler gave a 5-out-of-5 review to some game I still have not played. Naturally he was attacked by the idiots who often spend a lot of their time bitching about game reviews and for once The Reviewer Struck Back! He called several posters out by name, read the dribble they left online and then asked if they fucked their mothers! The comments by the posters were not only a disagreement of the review but an attack on the reviewer's journalistic integrity. He closed the podcast with this advice for those who he called out and their ilk:



I know it's not my most detailed work but A) this is wordy as fuck! B) I didn't really know how to decorate it so I went with little cross stitches in the orange and blue of the show. X-stitches for X-Play...do you see what I've become?

I've always thought, especially when your job is to give people your opinion, this would be awesome on an office wall. I finally got the balls to show it off to Mr. Sessler in the only way I could think to: Twitter. He responded in kind. He called the piece awesome and me The Cross Stitching Man (I'll take it). He also was receptive to my sending it to him! So it goes out today and I really hope I get a picture of him with it (yes, I asked). But honestly, the attention joy of the experience has been awesome. I truly thank Mr. Sessler for being awesome, open and The Man to his fans!

I've Taken My First Step Into A Much Larger World

Yes, yes. I have been waiting until today to post this. For those that don't know (read: may have a life) today is 5/04/11, or May Fourth, as in May The Fourth...Be With You! You can't unread that! And if you think it's just me, it's not! Today is the traditionally recognized Star Wars day!

A little background on yours truly: Born in 1980 (The year the Empire struck back), I can't remember the first time I saw a Star Wars movie. My grandparents had V and VI on VHS and I watched them all the time. I saw the special editions when they were re-released to fund the prequels and by the time Episode I came out I was old enough (19 and legal, baby) to stand in line for all day and night for the midnight premier! Today I have two Star Wars tattoos, a collection of every novel and most of the books, my oldest daughter is named after an expanded universe character and the only reason I don't have the two-rooms of action figures is because I sold them for an engagement ring!

Oh, and like Ben hiding on Tatooine, I decided long ago I was probably never going to cross stitch anything Star Wars. I don't dress up as Star Wars characters for halloween either. It always just seems kinda...obvious. Well, no more!

I really love cross stitched portraits and I actually want to do one of a friend but I thought I should start "simple":



I loved the way it played on the Shepard Fairey/Barack Obama poster, and in fact, it actually had the words "A New Hope" at the bottom. After waiting so long for to finally do a Star Wars piece, and LOVING the way it came out, I decided not to add them. I really wanted to keep it closer to a portrait and further from a political joke (which I am usually all about)!

Not to get poetic but doing this piece has changed my life...or at least a big portion of it. I am doing more Star Wars pieces (Vader sampler up in a few days!) and I have found an AMAZING amount of Star Wars stitching by other people that I feel compelled to share with the rest of the world.

How? Well, even though it is Star Wars day, it's also Star Wars month. With every episode of the film saga releasing in May, I hope to add a new episode to the stitching community very soon. In the meantime, if you or someone you know stitch Star Wars or Star Wars-inspired pieces (or just a piece) feel free to add it to the Han Stitched First group at flickr! This should give you an idea of where the month, and the future (no matter how long, long ago) is headed!

Bored As Heaven

Ok, I'm not bored at all but I have wanted to do this piece for a while! I have a little book where I draw some of my ideas for future stitch projects and every once in a while one project will just get stuck in my head. During the time I was working on my Luke Skywalker project that is exactly what happened.

I knew I would have to give in and do it but I really didn't want to take that much time away from Luke. I had recently found a couple articles online about using half stitches in place of full cross stitches in an attempt to finish projects faster. Some use different thickness threads, some use three strands of standard thread instead of two, but of the projects I had seen they all seemed very well done. The process itself reminded me kind of starting stitching with needlepoint. I had to change the stitch direction on the right horn to make it look right. It's not my favorite thing I've ever done but at least it's done. I do like the idea of using half stitches for a project but I think it may work better on full pictures and not so much outlines or letters.




I know things have been slow but rest assured I have been working (stitching). There are a couple more posts written and ready so expect those soon. And there is a new site in the works (separate from WJ:IS) and there's more on that coming soon too!

Because I Need A Little Hope

Windy is still in the hospital and the doctors have started throwing out the prognosis' no one really wants to hear.

After finishing Hell and realizing I did not have the tools, nor the funds for the tools, to move on the the next project I anticipated doing I went back to the .img (that's image file for those not nerdy enough). I knew my next project was going to be closer to 25 colors and images of people, castles, aliens and cars. I also am REALLY digging the idea of stitching a portrait of a buddy of mine. I saw a pic of min a while back and the idea has been in my head for a while.

So some common ground was needed. I found an .img in my .img which was more portrait-ish then anything I have previously done. At 10,000+ stitches in 13 colors it seemed like it might be right up my style . So on 2/15/11 I started "A New Hope" and this is where I am at now:


The detail in the eye area is killing me with single stitches of a single color. But I am bring a good boy and following direction...for now.

The other markings are pencil. Because there is so much blocking in the same color I have found it helps me breaze through if I just mark it off. Then all I need is the project, thread and needle. No space for color charts and lists or what-have-you. So the face is generally at home and the rest is while out...or home and tired of looking at the details. Here's an earlier pick of just the four main colors.

I Got 99 Problems But A Stitch Ain't One!

I died a little inside with that one, and let's face it, I probably deserve it.

Sorry folks but with the usual issues of bills, rent, kids, job interviews and sadly Windy remains in the hospital, there has not been a lot of stitch time...let alone a lot of blog time. But I have been stitching and as I sit here on a Saturday morning, I am trying to get a little blogging done. So let's get it on:

After finishing "Hell" I really was at a loss as to what to do next. Yes, there are a couple more pieces planned for the punks not dead series but those require new colors and new cloth and new equals money. Unless you mean "new to you" but I don't think that really works in cross stitch. Exception.

So I started with going back to a piece I had lying around: Bender! I always wanted to put something around him...like a background. I borrowed a book from the library and found a darning pattern and ran with it. I always imagined it with a dark-ish green. I have no idea why but I did.



There is so much I would do on that piece if I did it again. Oh well. I still love it.

Speaking of love, Valentine's Day also came and went. As usual it came with a cross stitched love note to my dearest Windy. I have wanted to use the heart pattern a lot and I love this song by the Groovie Ghoulies.



I am working on a new project since February 15th and it is coming a little slower then I would have liked but so is everything else. I hope to start showing it off soon.

Finishing a Finished Piece, or Punk Is "Framed"

So the "Hell" piece, along with The Joker, are going to London for the Stitch and Craft Show! Nice, right? Well that led to some questions about how I plan to finish it. When last we posted, "Hell" was done, but not finished.

It's still not. But only because I am being completely anal about it and just have not finished the finishing! But I did finish the finishing on the previously finished "Punks Not Dead" piece.

I plan on all the pieces in the series, at least initially, to be finished with a duct tape "frame". For this piece it is red. For "Hell" I just got back from the store and got black duct tape. But why? For "Hell" alone I have some great ideas on a frame from making one out of chain-link fence to Windy's brilliant idea of spray-painting a fence onto a traditional frame.

It's all about the time and place these pieces represent. Before I found the amazing Julie Jackson and her life-changing book, I was a broken and beaten shell of a man. Completely destroyed and physically handicapped from a failed relationship, I was broke, unemployed and sleeping on my nephew's floor in my sister's house. I was a alcohol, drug and depression-ridden mess. The more things change the more they stay the same, right? Of course, I am far from depressed these days.

Anyway, these were the days I was so broke I would recycle cans to pay for thread. I would pay for the thread to hide the fact I was stealing aida cloth to work on. Or hoops. Or whatever else I needed that cost more then thirty-five cents. It is important for me to say that I am in no way glorifying my actions, nor am I in any way trying to justify them. It's simply a statement of fact of where I was at that time. Please do not steal from your local craft store...unless you absolutely have to. And don't do drugs...unless they're good.

These pieces are supposed to remind me of those times. Of making things I thought only I would get and hanging them up with duct tape because I didn't know what else to do with them. I will most likely get the mounting boards for them and I hope to add chains or chains of safety pins for the hanging hardware. I really think that this throwback to my roots truly represents what I wanted to catch with these pieces. Of course if you think it is just lazy posturing: FUCK YOU!.

See, punk's not dead at all!!!

How Could Hell Be Any Worse?

So after almost two weeks, my computer is finally over it's virus (I spent most of last night knocking on the fire starters at the grocery store - it's the best I could do). If you were wondering why the 12 Days ended half-way through, well, there you go. But I did finish!! In fact, I am happy to share that this piece will be flying to London for an exhibit at the Stitch and Craft show.


Started 8/2009 and completed 1/2011
13.5 inches square
Almost 13,000 stitches!

I was in a pretty bad spot when I started this. We had just lost Logan, I had just started the worst job I have ever had and I just wanted to take my mind off it. Plus I really felt the album title. I thought since Bad Religion was turning 30 in 2010, and so did I, this would be a great way to pay tribute and face the hard changes I was going through. So long later and things are better. Better is relative, but better then they were then. Here is a side-by-side with the other big punk piece I have done so far. The CD is just for scale.

The thing I learned most is that I don't want to stitch backgrounds. I think that's why my Obi-Wan project fell through and I have an idea to ride that walrus again. But that's another post.

I have always liked how stitches stand out against the fabric. It's not just a picture, you can feel it. I think by leaving out the red on this piece I can run my hands over it and feel the buildings, the windows...the whole scene. I lived in LA and I loved it. I can picture the actual skyline when I run my hands over the thread and in someways it takes me back.

There are other covers that I have planned and I have worked a major part of each piece to be blank. It's usually the largest solid color. One idea is the Groovie Ghoulies' World Contact Day. I would do that on light blue fabric so the sky does not need to be stitched. This creates a small contrast and gives the piece a true foreground/background. That's my thing, I guess.

Actually my thing right now is pancakes and screwdrivers. Which is why I am gonna have to wait to tell you about my new project. But let's just say I want to make my next project come off the fabric...!!!

Technical Difficulties...

Yes, "Hell" is done. I have become completely obsessed with a new project which has required a LOT of research and it is not easy to find. I'm sure it would be but I am still working in Safe Mode due to a virus that somehow will not kick rocks.

In the meantime go stitch. I will post a link to something or other that is cool in the meantime. I'd hate for you to think I forgot about you!

Check out this interview with Giggly Mama over at suchcoolstuff.

12 Days of Hell: Day Five: How Could Hell Be Any Work?

Wholly S-H-I-T! It was a busy day. I got almost no sleep and stitched the entire time I was not soothing a congested toddler who can't sleep.

The best news is that I finished page 9 of 9! The bad news is I was reading ahead. I still have a few more pages to do. I think that when I finished the usual column I was working on on page 9 the remainder of it looked like it could go by pretty fast and it did. 13 hours fast.

I think this is where things are going to start getting interesting! Actually things may have already reached maximum interest. This is where things will continue to be mediocre!

12 Days of Hell: Day Four

After blocking out that little section I would say I have made some pretty good headway!

I have been listening to the album this morning (as well as the latest, Dissent of Man) and I am pumped to stitch today.

I have also come up with an idea for a smaller version of this for folks who may not want to spend all year stitching it. Of course I will have to stitch it again to show you so you still may not see it for another year anyway (I keep ALL the good shit behind the counter)!

I would love to sit and keep telling you about it but this thing is not going to stitch itself. I tried. I left it in a drawer for, like, three months and I think it actually took a block of stitches out as it counted the days! It also shanked my pincushion.

12 Days of Hell: Day Three

...and we're back. Yes, I know it's Sunday but I already lost two days this week (it's not like it was MY birthday).

So with the holiday schedule there has not been a lot of time to stitch but I wanted to start getting a sense that I am getting closer to the end then I am currently feeling. Instead of the usual 10x10 grid I usually work in, the first section is 16 stitches across. This is just because of where the chart ended on the page.

With the little time I have had I went ahead and did the shorter 4-stitch-across section from the next page (completing the 10 started by the 6 stitches on the last page). I also took it all the way down to the project bottom (yet another new page) and I think I will complete the entire boxed portion before going back and doing the bottom to the previous pages!

Anyway I gotta get going. I have a tea party to be at!

But Can You Stitch To It?: Jonathan Coulton - Live in 2006

Due to a mixture of Red Bull and Vodka, I'm here growing up in a musical home and being a fan of Punk music I have always had a preference for live albums. I know they are not as great as going out to see a live band but unless you are offering to babysit and convince Windy that it would be better then dinner and a movie, shut your face! There have been a lot of great ones released by the record companies such as 7 Seconds and most of the Live In A Dive series. But my favorites are the bootlegs. No longer purchased from someone's trunk, there are a surprising number of good quality recordings available for free and some are even, at least sorta, semi-legal (my attorneys remind me to remind you to research the laws for music download and file sharing in your area...then disregard them Boo-Ya)!

I love a good singer-songwriter, too. Clever, simple songs are my favorite. And if they include zombies, robots, monkeys and even ninjas when things get personal, well all the better. So I don't know if this is some kind of time travel back to the Temple Bar in Santa Monica, 2006 or an incredible artifact from a simpler time. Either way, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage Jonathan Colton!

 I found a series of videos on YouTube of this performance and as I was getting ready to start ripping the audio it dawned on me that someone else probably already has and not surprisingly, I was right! The video was originally by Gle3nn and mp3 versions worked by spiffworld. The video and the audio are both very good and the set list is like a Greatest Hits record. Yeah, the kind that still somehow misses your favorite song you knew was gonna be there.

1. The Future Soon
2. Skullcrusher Mountain
3. First of May
4. Shop Vac
5. I Feel Fantastic
6. Baby Got Back
7. Creepy Doll
8. Big Bad World One
9. I Crush Everything
10. Code Monkey
11. You Ruined Everything
12. Tom Cruise Crazy
13. Re: Your Brains

It's a pretty awesome set with just enough banter and just the right pace. I have been stitching to it almost religiously since I got it and I have to say it really is a great listen. There are a couple other complete shows of JoCo available but this one is just the right length. Just like me. You didn't think I would just let that go, did you?

My personal favorites are "Big Bad World One" which has inspired a new sampler and "You Ruined Everything". Despite what the guy in the crowd would have you believe, it's a touching song NOT about ninjas. I honestly pictured Kadie and I dancing at her wedding to this song. If she grows up "getting" me enough that we would actually dance to Jonathan Coulton at her wedding, I can assure you, I will die a happy man. Now go download it and stitch something awesome before it's too late. After all, it's gonna be the future soon.

Drugs Are Good: Vicodin

So back in January I turned 30 and while I was pretty proud that I didn't have some kind of meltdown, I realized that it was about time for me to put up or shut up. All year it's been a bit of a struggle to find out what that actually meant, though. A couple jobs, half a year of being unemployed and so many internal struggles later, I realize I have got some serious problems. One of which is that I like drugs. Not all drugs, I can't put anything in my nose or mess with needles. Ha ha. I cross stitch but I'm still afraid of needles. I'm a bigger sissy then those kids at the playground thought said I was last night.


In all honesty (ok, in kinda honesty) I have been thinking of doing a set of motivational poster-type samplers where I put one of my favorite drug names in bigger letters and something describing it underneath. What do I mean? You can't visualize it? Visualize this:

I thought it was funny that I use song lyrics and titles as my blog posts or inspiration a lot, but it wasn't until all around good person doaflip mentioned over on flickr that "The Kids Are Alright" is, in fact, the name of a very good song by The Offspring. I knew I was familiar with the term already, it's just not where I was going with it in my head...it just worked out that way. 


I am giving some thought to doing a second "Valium" piece, the new one redesigned to fit into the plans I have for this series, but for now I hope to post a new piece every week or so. What are you so excited about, only the first one is free...

Furlough Friday: daisymae_cs

I know posting a picture of a recently completed or work-in-progress is not mandatory (I skipped my senior year at blogging school so what do I know). I also know you don’t come here for the instant coffee and penny candies I leave out. So rather then post another picture of “Hell” or busting my hump on yet another sampler or small piece, I thought, being in California, I would take a furlough (see how I did that) from stitching and tell you about someone else’s work. Without further adieu (about something), let me introduce daisymae_cs:

How Could A Little Inspiration Be Any Worse?

Oh christ, he's doing that again.

I mentioned in my last post some of the more personal stuff I have been dealing with lately and I have to admit I was feeling a bit disconnected from stitching as a whole. Partly as a joke, and partly trying to find, well, anything, I posted a request to the Facebook Fan Page. I just wanted to see what anyone else is working on and I don't know anyone local, I don't communicate with many people directly by email, so that left Facebook. Since I was not working on anything at the time it seemed like I could live through somebody's hard work, just not mine.

While the rest of you were busy counting stitches there was one response from facebook like-er(?) Carrie. She showed off her current piece which she is working on as a gift. But she said I could post a picture of it. Soooo...whoever is getting this likes Lady GaGa but doesn't read this blog? Really, Carrie, who are you associating with? Honestly though, I looked it up online and your piece is looking bad-ass! So everyone who likes Lady GaGa, has a friend named Carrie and is hoping this is for you, close your eyes.


Now, everything I know about Lady GaGa comes from the above picture and the songs my five-year-old sings me. But it seems to be exactly what I needed because I have since resumed work on my album cover project I started so long ago and kind of fell to the wayside.

So what was it? Someone working on something that reminded me of my work in progress? The neat blog/free charts/free char generator she turned me onto? Her overwhelming awesome? Probably a little of everything. What matters is the skyline is almost done and I can move down!


Now anyone who has been reading this blog since Monday when they got in line for the new Harry Potter flick can tell you I have been hitting the samplers pretty hard. And there is more to come! In the meantime go over to the Facebook Fan Page and talk or post pics of your big project, finished or in progress. As far as what I mean when I say big is I am hung like a tuna can whatever is big to you. Time, stitch count or final size (it matters, they're telling me). I'll be here all week, folks.

I'm Going To Hell For This One!

It’s been a long couple of months. I lost a really great job for a really lame reason and I got really depressed. I’m working again (temp style), a major pay cut, and not really cutting it all the way around. I tried to rally around some great stuff: the contest here, the facebook fan page, etc. but overall I kind of found some disconnect from stitching for almost two months. I missed three podcasts, tons of amazing projects by other folks and a lot of down time on my own every night.

What happened? I’ll get into that in another post. What matters is that I decided to revisit an unfinished project, plus realize flaws and all, I am who I am. Sometimes I wish I weren’t. So where do I start? At the top. According to a predominant religion up is where the home is. So in sampler form, here is my take on the title of one of the songs from the most recent NOFX album:

I am still slightly debating more kissing same-sex fish but I think this is pretty much done. I thought the upside down crosses would be a bit much in all four corners and thought that it came off a bit more…playful that they were up and down. This was kind of fun to do as a public piece over about two and a half hours at the coffee house nearest the largest church in our city. This was the first time no one talked to me about stitching. Co-inkie-dink?

Moving on. I’m having a lot of fun. Getting a lot of stitches done and can’t wait to share more with you. Also I have met some really awesome people and I want to tell you about them. But that’s later. Until then…

I've Got My Mind On My Stitching and My Stitching On My Mind

Like that itchy little rash that you swear is just a cold sore, I'm back!

Usually when there is a long break between posts I have been stitching like crazy but could not find the time to post. Well, lately I have all the time in the world but I have been so unable to focus on anything long enough to allow me to put my mind on my stitching that I really have not been working on anything until about a week ago.

The story so far: I started the month by losing my job for the (verbatim) following reason: "...the stars just didn't seem to align". My unemployment department has suddenly become concerned with the math skills of those writing benefit checks and has halted my claim until corrected to their satisfaction. Finally my half-decade long fight with chronic back-pain took a turn that was positive in that it meant an immediate upswing in attempting to find a definitive diagnosis. The downside is a definitive diagnosis scares the shit out of me.

Maybe it's all that crap and more going on. Perhaps it's "just" the day-long Dora the Explorer marathons that my darling two-year-old is demanding. But about a week ago I started a new project and I finished it last night:



The cloth is a light blue 14-count aida. The thread is my default red; D.M.C. Bright Red (#666). I entertained the idea of a simple border in white, and by that I mean I ended up ripping out thirty or so stitches. In the end I realized that sometimes it's okay to want to say/stitch something as direct as possible. So this is my no-frills statement. My father raised me to know that honesty gets you everywhere in this life.


I have used the font before. I like it and I like some of the symbols that are charted (hearts and broken hearts, son)! I am trying to make a few tweaks to it but I think it will actually get it's own post soon and I can strut it around here like the sexy piece of trophy-font it is! As for the words, it's a sentiment I have used "jokingly" in the past. It's also the title of a NOFX album released in 2000. It's currently hanging in the living room, still in the hoop, awaiting a bad-ass frame.

Each letter in this font takes me about half an hour to do and I probably could have finished it a couple days sooner. However, I was in the emergency room Monday night and with all the pain meds and other stuff they were pumping into me, it was probably best not to let the doc see what this said. For the comments: Have you ever had to stop or hide your stitching because of where you were or who was around? For example: your stitching the words "This craft is not a bomb" and you realize everyone in the airport is staring at you. Let's hear about it. You can also post your story at the Facebook Fan Page...yeah, I went ahead and did that. So come lick me if you have not already. What? Oh, yeah. Come like me at the Facebook Fan Page. Or lick me.

Only God Can Judge Me - The Results Show!

First off, my apologies to everyone who entered and everyone who has been waiting to find out what happened. A little "real life" got in the way and, well, we know how that goes (Northwest?). So before something else stops working, the kids start whining about wanting to eat for a second time today or I get carted off to the hospital we better start talking results. By the by, I was just kidding - I only get an ambulance to the hospital when I am at work.

In full disclosure I put all the pictures I received in a slideshow and my two-year-old Kadie picked one at random...or whatever random is to a two-year-old. A big congratulations to our winner, Quilterina! I think the spools of thread spelling words is pretty neat, but what do I know. Here's what she says about it:

"those spools spell peace grace love and faith. they twist into a black spool on my front shoulder that unravels to spell compassion with a sewing needle piercing my heart"

She sent a link to pics of her getting some cover-up work done with a patch-work heart and some other stuff going on and it was pretty awesome. In no particular order here is another entry I received. Becky sent a couple of pics of her embroidery and button tattoo done by Frank McManus at the Brass Monkey Studio in Harrisburg, Pa. You know how you have your links that are in every email you send and for a lot of us that's a link to our etsy store?! Becky is one of those and who doesn't love a nickle's worth of free advertising. Check out her store.


Up next (on the D.L.?) is rainbowsweetstitch. This was "done by Tom Kenney from Classic Electric Tattoo in Frederick, Maryland". So if you are there, go see Tom. And for what it's worth: I have always had a thing for the idea of a woman with a couple T.I.E. fighters and Yavin IV for her tramp stamp. Embroidery scissors on your shoulder...not bad, either!

Last but not least. Though further then most...somewhere in the upper-middle range is the always-fucking-awesome Giggly Mama. I don't know but I am seriously thinking that this may be the most...simple? Not in design or execution, it's amazing. But it seems sparce in such a beautiful way. It makes me wish I had a hoop on my arm too. Here is what Mama says:

My life long pal and tattoo artist, is Scott Osburn (Facebook | Scott Osburn). He tattooed this embroidery themed tattoo on my left arm. He freehand tattooed it, no pattern before hand. :)

Awesome job, Scott! If there were a runner up prize it would probably suck so don't feel bad. Remember the piece I did for MY tattoo artist? Well, I promised the winner of this gig a matching piece. I decided to do it in a different color scheme and it's a funny story. I was gonna do blue and red on the border. I couldn't find the blue I wanted and the baby was sleeping so I could not run to the store. I found the orange and purple sitting next to each other in the first drawer I opened and figured: What the fuck!?! It's coming to you, Quilterina, deal with it!

Thank you, ladies. In all honesty, this has been a blast. Getting in touch with people, getting touched by in people. All of it!

There's a Real Cool Club on the Other Side of Town: My Adventures in the E.G.A.

The Embroidery Guild of America. Immediately your mind is filled with old women sewing the same fabric for the last two decades, sitting with their backs to the door not interested in getting out or letting anyone (or anything) new in. Not so.

The Camellia chapter of the EGA meets at my local power utility offices and quite honestly could probably be mistaken for a woman's 12-step meeting except for the lack of coffee. Naturally, I was a little nervous. I am male, young(er, 30,) then anyone else I saw walking in and there is the fact that these ladies know their stuff...more then I do for sure.

So I was completely taken back when it was all "hello's" and handshakes. Everyone was very welcoming. Charlie is in charge of new memberships and a perfect welcoming committee. She explained the groups policy on visitors and how the meetings kind of go.

I was sat next to Marge and Carol and I didn't catch to much of what happened in the meeting after that. We talked about stitching, little known floss makers they like to use, and they even taught me the quick-cheat version of railroading (this is where you put your needle back through the two threads of floss, or between the tracks, so they generally lay side by side). This has been worth the trip already as I did not have, nor did I have any interest in buying, a laying tool.

One thing I noticed was that everyone had something out that they were working on. I was so surprised and thought they would get in trouble...but that is sort of the purpose of the whole thing isn't it. I really was upset that I didn't bring anything to work on.

There was a group project that you had to have signed up for. They supplied the cloth and project, you were to bring floss and everything else. It was very cool. A finished one made it's way around the room and my camera stayed at home (sorry folks). It blew my mind the way stitching was being done here. So many techniques. So many new ways to play.

At the end I stayed and talked. I am going back and I am going to take part in the next project (I am a sucker for group things), and I think I am really going to like the whole experience. If there are any naysayers, try looking up your local chapter at www.egausa.org and give it a go. If you are in the Sacramento area, give me a shout in the comments or email at whateverjamesinstitches@gmail.com. And if anyone else has been to a meeting of the EGA or you are a member, leave your experience in the comments too.