I finally got in some stitching this week. My eyes sort of lose focus after a couple of hours, though and so I couldn't do long stretches of stitching. But the flashing and aching eye muscles appear to be a thing of the past (knock on wood).

Besides TAST and finishing my May butterfly (have to get cracking on kitting up the June one), I put in a few stitches on the borders of "Midnight Garden":

June 9, 2013


and started a piece for the fair's special category, "In the Kitchen". It's a Casey Buonaugurio Designs sampler called "Taco":

June 9, 2013

It's small, only 3 x 6, so it should be doable. The issue is the time to get it framed.

I got the fair booklet on Thursday and tried to assign what few finishes I had this year to categories --- not easy since there is no crazy quilting category this year, and there are no categories that work for speciality stitching/blackwork, etc. So I'm winging it a little with seven pieces, a;; of which require framing:

- "Kimono - Revisited as a needlepoint sampler. I plan on having it backed with a pale blue cotton that will prevent "Show through" of the mounting board through the congress cloth.
- "Red Thai Mandala" as a framed picture, 28 ct
- Michael Powell's "Home Sweet Home" as a 25 ct framed picture (it's really 27 ct but there is no 27 ct category and I want Red Thai Mandala in the 28 ct space)
- The "Charles" name badge in framed sampler 28 ct
- My Sumptuous Embroidery blue piece in framed stamped or embroidered (No category for hand embroidery anywhere else) - I'm going to get my monochromatic beige piece framed too but I think the blue one is the better of the two.
- "Birds of a Feather" in the framed picture 32 ct category
- the 8" block I did for Encrusted Crazy Quilting in the beading on fabric category.

If I get the Buonaugurio done in time to get is framed, that's eight, and, because they don't require framing, I maybe could knock out a set of ornaments (trouble is, I need to do three to make a set and that will probably limit me to plastic or paper, but I have a set of patterns that could work) and a 12-inch "pink" quilt block for another special category.

I figure of I load up the entries, I might get close to getting back the majority of my entrance fee. Registration starts July 1 and the pieces are to be handed in July 27... AAARGH!