Post 559 When in doubt, stitch and plant

I arrived at the Guild on Wednesday to do my usual, quiet, uneventful hostess duty to find the place abuzz. A group from the Mildura Branch of the Embroiderers' Guild of Victoria, on a bus trip to Adelaide, were due to arrive for a visit at 10.30am. The Museum team were on hand, as were organisers of the shop and trading table. Around 30 arrived, inspected the Gallery display, shopped, visited the Museum, had morning tea, lunch and departed at 1.30, just as someone arrived with a stunning set of embroidered Chinese garments to offer the Museum. In between directing people to the Museum, I sold some books, brought in the bins and stitched the Irish harp (see embroidery blog).

It was, as I anticipated, a good choice of project for the day. The visitors were interested in it, it was relatively straightforward, and it didn’t take long to finish once I got home. 

On Thursday morning I made it into a bag and today added a minor embellishment. It will be a gift bag for someone who, will, I hope, continue to use it.

I launched straightaway into a vegetable shopping bag, which I had bought as a kit from the Royal School of Needlework shop.The RSN is the retailer, not the designer of the project. It has proved difficult. The stitches themselves are easy and, made of sturdy canvas with faux leather pockets, it will be a really useful bag.

The canvas, of course, makes it difficult to embroider. It is hard on hands: I need to wear my left-hand brace and use my long nails to push the needle through above, and a thimble on my right-hand ring finger below. It’s going to take a while.

I did not try to work on it at our Sit'nStitch on Friday, instead knitting the Rowan shawl. It was a busy day. Panayoula and I caught up over morning coffee for the first time in months, since her trip to Greece earlier in the year. I then did the shopping for Monday's lunch at Frewville. It is my go-to place for pork roast but they appear to have changed their butcher or butchering. I usually buy a 3kg slab but the largest I could get was 2kg, trussed differently. 

Sunday was the Guild's Stash Sale - a variation on the usual Christmas Market. This time, members could lease a stall to sell  surplus supplies. The Guild gets the stall rent fee and the seller keeps  what they sell. The Guild, of course, also has trading table, library, shop and Museum sales. I had decided not to go. The last thing I want to do is add to my stash, but I relented and called in on my way to Bunnings for some plants. I spoke to a lot of people but didn't buy anything, resisting the offer of a beading kit with instructions in Russian.

At Bunnings I bought a couple of decent blooms to sit in empty pots, and some small plants to be transplanted - including one for a precious mug I broke a week or so ago. Now I have to keep up the watering!

Our full quota of 7 for Monday dinner. Exams seem to be under control. I added some duck and fennel sausages to the pork roast and there was plenty. The roast on its own, however, would not have quite made it.

Today I resisted the temptation to visit Create in Stitch for some of their William Morris colouring merchandise (but will probably succumb before the end of the week) in favour of  a bit more vegetable stitching and reading Murder in Verona, the latest in T A Williams' Armstrong and Oscar series. 

I'm gathering my energy for tomorrow"s WES Group and learning about Manila Shawls.