Purse, c'est fini

The beads came last week, so I finished the purse for my daughter. I hope she likes it. I think it came out good - so good, in fact, that I've bought ribbons for my purse. I learned a lot doing this and I'd recommend a project like this for others who want to explore beadwork without a lot of hassle. I learned a lot about purse construction, too.

Unfortunately (or fortunately if you look at it the other way), I bought a lot of stash this past week and fell off my 25 project challenge. That means I have to start over and this is the first finish of the do over.

Alencon

We went to Alencon last Sunday to visit the Fine Arts and Lace Museum. The town was deserted. There were very few people on the streets and maybe two restaurants open. This is definitely not a tourist town. The top picture is one of the church. Evidently the front panel is rather rare on it as it shows the Transfiguration. The church is rather pretty.

This is the front entrance to the lace museum. It's also the municipal fine arts museum. No photography allowed inside. The paintings are mainly pre-Impressionist and some are ones I recognized. There's one of Phillip of Orleans that really looked familiar. Another one with night fishing was beautiful. The lace - it was mainly Point d'Alencon and Point d'Argentan. There is an excellent video about lacemaking and several Paco Rabban wedding dresses made with lace from Alencon's lace school.

I believe this is the city hall for Alencon. It's just a really beautiful building.

This is the entrance courtyard to the fine arts museum.

Third Band Takes Shape

The third band is almost done, as this picture shows. It's a rather large one, considering. I think the next one is smaller. I''m definitely not going to have this done in time to turn in for evaluation, so I'm afraid I've lapsed slightly and let the back of the piece get a little less perfect. My husband will be framing it so the back doesn't show anyway. I do like my color choices and will probably add one or two more colors in blue or green as I go.

Seahorse Swimming

This poor thing gets the least progress because it's not really in the rota, but it's coming along all the same. Maybe I'll finish it in a month or so. I'll be returning home before my husband in two weeks to do a favor for a friend and this will make a good thing to stitch on the cramped and crowded plane.

Around the Bend

Still going around the curve of the first corner on this one. Not much progress, but some. I'll get it done eventually.

Backstitching and Such

I'm so close to finishing part two of this. There are Rhodes stitches to put in the bottom part and the second half of the pots to outline. I got some things done this week on it, and hopefully can finish part two of six this week. It'd be a great relief. I've been on part two for a good eight months now.

Huswif, Somewhat of a Rant

I finished the second of three parts of embroidery on this last week and started on the third and final part. It's coming along well, but I'm really displeased with the lack of customer service of Carol Tinson of Heirloom Embroideries. When we signed up for the class, we were told that we'd have her on a forum to help us and that each part would be mailed on the first of the month. The final part, the part that gives finishing instructions and materials, supposedly was mailed on Thursday instead of June first. There was no communication from Carol for six weeks. She's been pretty much absent during the whole mystery on the boards.

I can take neglect. I can even take delays in mailing. What I cannot take is a complete lack of communication as exhibited by this designer. Although I like the design, there are other mysteries out there by other designers who actually inform their customers of hiccups and delays. When she did get onto the boards on Thursday and told us that it was mailed out, her tone was not one of apology but of whining and "poor, pitiful me" type stuff. I don't buy from designers or sign up for classes to have designers treat their businesses as coffee klatches. Not interested, don't care. I will not be purchasing from this designer again.

The course, by the way, was prepaid and she was good about communication before it started. I counsel anyone who is interested in doing a course with this designer to think long and hard and know, going in, that there won't be much support and there will probably be delays and possibly even not finishing of the course.