Feature Article

I was featured in this issue of the NordicNeedle Newsletter. If you would like to see the article (it even has pictures!) please check it out here. Thanks Roz and everyone at NordicNeedle for featuring me!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a great day, whatever you did. Here, in my little corner of the world, we celebrated with a traditional turkey dinner. I ordered a fresh, Bavarian turkey. The problem with ordering a fresh turkey is that you don't know exactly what the size is going to be. Well, my "tom" weighed in at 7.2 kilos (almost 16 pounds)...a bit much for 3 people, wouldn't you say? At first I thought it wasn't going to fit into the oven, much less the pan. All turned out well though and I discovered that fresh turkeys get more "bendable" after you wash and prepare them.


I have a wonderful "umlauf" oven with I think is called "circulating heat" so my big bird browned nice and even and it hit the right temperature after just 4 1/2 hours at about 300. It was "picture perfect".


In fact, the whole meal was perfect! Of course, I have a truckload of leftovers, even after passing on the "American tradition" of guests taking leftovers home. Have tupperware....will share the leftovers!



I have to say that my stuffing was the best. Do you know why? ......


Just imagine...stuffing made from SEMMEL!!!! Yes, it just can't get any better than that!!

For more pictures from my Thanksgiving, please click on The Camera Lenz for a slideshow.

Cousin's Get Together and Completed Pieces

Once again this year, five cousins and I got together for a couple of days of good food, great company and fun times. This year we were in Salzburg...does it get any better than that?


The weather was fantastic, the view...well, the view was magical as it always is.


We did some things that I've never done before.


We celebrated a birthday and talking until our throats were sore...at least mine was!


Thank you all for including me and I sure look forward to next year!

I've completed a few pieces I'd like to share. I posted this one pretty regularly while stitching it. I now have it back after my sister completed it. It is absolutely amazing. The pictures don't do it justice, that's for sure!


Susan and Steve....you outdid yourself with this!


The tray is unique and perfect.


I've always said that if my stitching looks good...just wait until Susan finishes with it...it will look great! You can see more pictures of it on The Camera Lenz if you would like.

I've also completed this piece which I call Chickens And Eggs.


It's canvas with beads.


I tried to make each part a different stitch and used many different threads and beads.


It's a bright and bold piece.

This next one, called Albuquerque, is also done.


It's also canvas and beads although a different style.


The beads are all very large and the piece is very different than anything I've done before.


The colors are also very atypical for me.


But I like the way it looks and feels.

I'm now attempting some cutwork or drawnwork. I'm not sure what it's called. The best book I have on it is a very old Austrian book and it is called "Durchbruchstickerei". That literally translates to "breakaway" so I'm not sure exactly what it is. But that's okay.