CASKET EMBROIDERY FINISHED!

I know I have been really quiet of late - that's because I was so busy vacationing in far off parts of the world, getting a kid off to college (it is really hard to send a kid overseas - a lot more than buying a mini-fridge!), and working!

One of the things I have been working so hard on is the Five Senses Tent Stitch Casket Stitch-Along. And I am soooo excited - I am done with it!!  Here are all the pieces roughly lined up with how they will wrap around the casket.  That big back panel was just killer and I spent so much time on it.  I even took the thing around the world again - working on it in New Zealand, Bora Bora, and Sweden.  I started it in Sweden two years ago and it has been to France, Greece and Italy too.  Quite the traveled casket!

Can't waste any time - too much to do!

There are some statistics too - 181 tubes of soie paris.  That is how much it took.  Now not all of those tubes are completely empty as some colors didn't run out.  But tons of greens and blues as you can imagine.

Finished embroidery for a double casket

Now you can imagine how excited I got laying them all on the floor to see it all and my mind started running towards - OK - let's glue it on!!  Then immediate deflation.  It will be weeks before that can even happen - ARG.

I am on a speeding train at the moment (hence no blogging).  When I got back from an extra long vacation (we took kids far away and out of much internet as a last big family break) I had to go full time into manufacturing and packaging Frostings.  Half of them are out the door as well as the Gold Master Class kits.  Then sending kid off to London.

Then started two months of keynote talks.  How do I get myself into these?? It started with a 3 hr one on mentoring robotics.  The next three are in rapid succession and span topics from reproduction materials to the revitalization of the high-tech textile industry in Massachusetts for a meeting of industry leaders.   In other words - nothing overlaps!  So I have been heads down in powerpoint for weeks with gasps of air stitching this casket.

Tomorrow I turn 50 and when my family effectively couldn't put a party together without my help (really...why do I need to make every decision - just jump out from behind a couch with some random assortment of friends and get a cake and light it on fire!).  I told them to bag it because I just don't have the bandwidth to plan my own party and I certainly don't want to clean the house for it.  :-)  And yea, the 25th anniversary three weeks ago was not exactly an event either.  We grabbed a bite during soccer practice.

Tuesday I leave for London-Lyon-Paris-London-Nottingham-London.  It is a long delayed trip to see manufacturers of our yummy threads and deal with the next several years of planning on what to make.  Finally with my older team gone and the younger team having many years to grow, I can take the time to do a big business trip.  And it gives me an excuse to see my son in school.  And as luck had it (haven't had the chance to tell the stories) - the other captain of the team is there with him too.  I am so looking forward to it, even thought this is just chaos.

But I thought I would come out of the shell for a few minutes and blog the finish of the casket.  When I get back - the last of the threads will be in my house for another huge Frostings shipment to the next group of people.  I will be getting ready for the Winterthur symposium.  And THEN I can finish this casket!