Photoediting Webinar

On Tuesday, courtesy of the EGA, I was able to participate in a webinar (Oh, how I hate that word! I feel like Elmer Fudd when I say it!) on photoediting.  Best Photo Forward: Refining Photos of Fine Embroidery was presented by Melissa Shanhun of DigitalScrapbookingHQ.com and Jen Weber of Funk & Weber.  The focus was on how to improve my digital photographs of needlework.  (You might remember Jen from the EGA Literacy Bookmark Program--I do, I spearhead it for my chapter and I'm still collecting bookmarks for Hammond Reads). (hint, hint)

I learned a lot. First off, the class was aimed at users of Photoshop Elements. I use Photoshop at work on occasion, but never have had any training--I just do what I've figured out. So, the first thing I learned is that I like Photoshop Elements. A lot. It is more straightforward than the full program. But I also learned about toolbars and items that are in the program I have, I'd just been ignoring them.

We learned how to resize photos to optimize them for the web.  What layers, how to work with them, and why they can be very handy tools.  How to get the image to show the true color (often distorted by the lighting available for the photograph). How to square a photo that's not quite true. How to add a frame around the needlework (Elements has premade frames). I also learned what a lot of terms mean and why you might want to do them (sharpen and flatten are two).

The hour went really fast!  I took notes (if I write it, I'll remember it much better--so I write a lot).

Next week, I'll have access to handouts and edited video so I can go over things again.  In the meantime I tried my hand using some of the techniques on some photos I took Wednesday morning.

This is the original shot.

And my shot with some trueing of the color and brightening.

This is the original of scilla in a neighbor's lawn.

And a brightened version. These lovely blue flowers are still too small to see. From a distance, their whole lawn looks bright blue!

This is a redbud. I didn't file the original with the edited one like I did the others.

And here's a quilt. This is a raffle quilt by the Prairie Star Quilter's Guild from St. Charles, IL; it's going to Paducah as a semifinalist and it will be raffled at their show on October 12-13 at the DuPage  County Fair Grounds. I've got my ticket and I'm gonna win. Just sayin'.  Notice the top edge is lopsided.

So I used my new knowledge and corrected the skew.  If you look closely, some of the center blocks are no longer quite square. It's still not quite unskewed--but the more I corrected for one thing, the more other things went a bit out of square. So I found what I think is a happy medium. Not perfect, but much better, imho.
Thank you to Melissa and Jen and, especially, EGA!

Moving back in time...

For the last three months, I've been planted in the 18th Century, reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (so far) in order from book 1 through 7. I finished An Echo in the Bone at the end of last week. It all began when I bought her new graphic novel, Exile, (which views events from the first book from the perspective of a different character than the novel did), and then had the stress fracture in my hip that had me doing a lot of sitting. The books got me through. And made me very happy I live in the 21st Century!

Now I'm moving further back in time, to the early 17th Century. I've begun working on the Jacobean Crewel Independent Correspondence Course from EGA. My book arrived this week. (Is anyone else out there doing this course?)This is the sample project. I have a ways to go before getting there, though. And research to do--I love research. So, this week I've been looking at my crewel books to see what they say about Jacobean design--and where they got their information from (the ether, apparently, they don't list their source material!). I've been looking online for modern designs with a Jacobean flair, investigating natural dyes and what colors would have been available in and around 1600--I've even been exploring what years fall into the Jacobean era.

[It varies widely, I've learned. The Jacobean era is named after King James I who ruled from 1603 until 1625. James 1 belonged to the Stuart family as did his son and successor King Charles I reigning from 1625 until 1649 (until he met an untimely end). The term Jacobean era often refers to the period of both kings. Some take it even further, though, through the period of the Commonwealth (Cromwell and his cronies), through Charles II to King James II, encompassing the years 1603 to 1688.]

I get to do a stitch sampler. I received all three lessons at once so I can plan ahead and I've been thinking of how I want to organize my stitch sampler. A spot or band sampler, a more formal design, or perhaps (my current choice) a booklet with pages to be later bound together. (and, if a booklet, what shape, size, page format...fun stuff!) Or maybe pockets. I really like old-fashioned pockets (the tie around your waist, wear under your skirt type that Lucy Locket lost). So perhaps I could do a series of pockets. To be bound together as a book? Whaddya think?

And I'm thinking of topics for a short research paper. Like where did these designs come from? What influenced them? Were they the same everywhere? Why? What types of birds and animals and insects were depicted? Were the colors used in a realistic manner or not? Lots of fun questions. What items other than bed curtains used this style of embroidery--that's what I think of when I think of Jacobean crewel--bed curtains. (which leads to the question of why did they spend so much time and effort to decorate their bed?)

Waterfall Glen

On Tuesday night I drove out to Argonne to attend a meeting of the Waterfall Glen chapter of EGA. It was a ways and the night was rainy--it took me two hours to get there from work. I spent the time sitting on the expressway chatting on the car phone with Susan of SJ Designs. I used up all my minutes but it was lovely to have a nice long conversation rather than sending e-mails back and forth.Argonne is next to Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve--it looked inviting and I plan to get back that way and check it out. As I drove into Argonne I had to stop and the gate and receive a pass. Another Susan and registered me in advance. The place is HUGE! It was at least a couple of miles from the gate to the building the meeting was held in.My aim in visiting this group was to garner ideas for teaching needlework to new stitchers--children in particular. One outreach project they do each year is to set up and teach at the DuPage County Fair. Above is their chapter display, set up in the Home Arts Building with displays of needlework, sewing, and canning and vegetables.Above and below are pictures of the members teaching passers-by in the Home Arts Building.I did learn quite a lot about this project and about outreach in general. They certainly know a lot more about it than I do and I'm still digesting all that I learned. I was amazed and humbled by all this small chapter (30 members) has accomplished. (And none of it reported to the region or to EGA!!!--I brought a bunch of blank forms and left them with my pleas for some documentation.)

I felt extremely welcomed by this gracious group. Before the meeting, the one person I knew in the group, Joyce, introduced me by e-mail to Karen, who is in charge of the county fair event, to Susan, who got me the entry pass, and to Kathy, who is their president. Karen met me at the door. Kathy welcomed me at the meeting. Joyce was teaching that night but she took the time to make sure I wasn't left out of anything, as did most of the other members.

This is a bunch of creative ladies, too. One member showed for completed and framed samplers from a project taught at the previous month's meeting. The other show and tell was awesome, too. The project Joyce was teaching, a needlepoint cube, had specific parameters, but within those guidelines the members were being very creative with their own color and stitch selections.

I want to thank all of the members of Waterfall Glen for their caring, generous sharing of ideas and their wonderful suggestions. I was certainly wowed!

Outreach

We have a lot of outreach projects going on in both of my embroidery groups. I'm involved with most of them.So it made sense that I accept the post of Outreach chairperson for the Great Lakes Region of EGA. If you belong to a GLR chapter and are doing something for outreach, please let me know! That's my new task--to gather up and record these activities.

The small designs shown here are needlebooks for a "learn to stitch" project I'm leading at our show on October 2 and 3. (details to come). The cross stitch design is from Matrioshka Biscornu. I made up the backstitch acorn. I plan for the kits to come ready to go with a threaded needle and enough thread to complete the project.

This photo is of the piles of cutting I did this weekend. Covers and pages for many needlebooks plus cuts of fabric for other outreach projects.The gold and brown are wool felt needlebook covers. All of the white squares on the lower right are wool felt needlebook pages. Above on the left are Hardanger fabric cut into 3" squares for stitched designs we provide to the Hospice of the Calumet Region Crafters. On the upper right are Hardanger fabric needlebook covers and 6" squares for holiday ornaments for Hospice to sell.

Sometimes things come together perfectly! We have all of these projects going on and a member donated a whole roll of ivory Hardanger fabric to the chapter. (Thank you Karen!)It's very long (doesn't quite fit into my trunk) with loads of yards. This is what I've been using for planning piles of projects for the chapter. I sure hope people volunteer. We also plan to use it for samplers for teaching needlework at the YMCA next fall and for more bookmarks for the Hammond Reads literacy program. What a boon for our chapter!

Camp Quality

Each year my EGA chapter, Needle Artisans of Northwest Indiana, teaches a project at Camp Quality Illinois, a camp for children who have or have had cancer. It's a lot of fun but also a challenge: the children range in age from six to sixteen and some have never seen a needle and some are quite adept. The project also needs to appeal to both boys and girls (or at the very least be something boys might want to give to their mom. The other design criteria is that it must be a finished project or one that is very easily finished by the child on their own. We have some children who come to do our project each year, which is really fun!

I've been leading this project for the last few years and this is very late to get going on it, although we have had some ideas to work with and materials donated. Before talking about this year's project, I thought I'd share some past projects. The labor and most of the materials are donated by members. Many also take time off of work to go to camp and teach.

This mass of stuff is a collection of belts made from Zweigart Stitch band, baggies with floss and a needle, and pattern charts we made up with some motifs, alphabets and space for the children to chart their own name. The stitch taught was cross stitch. Many thanks go to Zweigart and Susan Johnson of SJ Designs for help in obtaining the Stitchband fabric. The belt buckles are D-rings.

In 2006 the theme for our day was Hollywood so we created totebags based on the "walk of fame." On one side we ironed on a star in advance. At camp the children wrote their name there. We had a variety of fibers and big buttons for them to use to decorate their bags. On the blank size we traced the child's hands and helped them couch metallic cording around the outline. We had other fibers to couch around the star if they wanted. We taught couching and how to sew on a button.

One of our most popular projects was a journal cover. We bought spiral journals at a discount store and used our Jo-Ann's coupons to get loads of felt. We did some of the finishing stitching as prework so the project would be quick to complete. We also used cookie-cutters as patterns to cut out all sorts of felt Halloween shapes, our theme for that year. We had some perle cotton for stitching and Kreinik generously donated a whole lot of glow-in-the-dark metallics to really make the covers pop! This cover was stitched as a sample by a NANI chapter member, Carol.

The children got very creative with this one. Some even used extra felt to carefully cut out their names and apply the pieces to the felt. We taught applique and the buttonhole stitch.

The final photo is one example of a project done with plastic canvas. The children get very creative with the canvas and do some lovely things with their stitching. This colorful box was conceived, I believe, by Tina, a former member of NANI.

These are just a few of the projects we've made with the children at camp over the last 10+ years.

odds and ends

I have a few moments before heading home--the conference I've been running is over. (phew!) I actually got some stitching done on my final band for the April TIF challenge. My tree trunks are in and I'm working on leaves!

I have just a last few photos of things from my trip to the EGA Great Lake's Region seminar. The first is a skein of yarn I dyed at a fiber fair: 13th Annual Stephenson County Fiber Art Fair
Saturday, April 19 (here's the page for next year's event--are they on the ball or what?)

This was the most fun! They had it all set up with covered tables, elegant trash-bag protective gowns, mixed dyes in old-fashioned baby bottles, and a microwave to set the dyes. I had great fun squeezing and squishing colors onto my skein. The fair itself was also a great deal of fun. Any and everything to do with fiber--fleece to lace.


The little yellow booklet was our first favor at the GLR seminar. I really got into it and collected a bunch of autographs. The pages fold out this way and that and it all ties with the pretty ribbon. I really enjoyed doing it but, more, once I got home I had a great time reading notes from friends, acquaintances, teachers...

Sampler and Antiques Needlework Quarterly's new issue features an article on autograph books, in particular autograph books with stitching in them or ribbon weaving, etc. It's a really interesting article and worth looking for.

The last photo is of two items I purchased from the Needle Workshop from Wausau, WI. It looks like a great shop and the next time we visit family nearby, I plan to do some shopping there.

The acorn holds a thimble. I really like acorns and have long wanted one of these thimble holders. This one is smooth and lovely to hold and touch.

The long item is called a "soldier's friend." I couldn't find anything about it in a quick Google search, so I'm not sure if the stories are just that or not. The ridged part holds threads. The nobby end comes off to hold needles, so everything is there when the soldier needs it to mend his uniform. I was told it was based on a model from the U.S. Civil War. I think it's pretty cool and "needed" it so it came home with me.

pictures

I haven't taken a stitch all week! I've just been too tired or out in the evenings. So here are more photos from the EGA Great Lakes Regional Seminar. This first photo is a beaded pendant I made in a Sunday afternoon class with Andrea Sapon. It was a great class and she provided an incredible selection of beads (including bringing along her own stash and sharing it!). The backing is ultrasuede.

On Monday-Tuesday I did the Perfect Forest (shown here) with Catherine Jordan (at my guild meeting this week another member showed off the gorgeous fabrics and fibers she had dyed in another Catherine Jordan workshop at seminar). On Wednesday-Thursday I took Cricket with Lynn Payette.

My piece has a LOT of work to go. But here's how far I got in class...mainly just setting up the background to begin stitching. I love all of the choices you have working with layering sheers. It's amazing how different they will look just by changing the angle at which you place them!

We used a whole bunch of different fabrics and sheers and it's up to each person where to put what color, where to overlay, etc. Of course, Lynn had advice (and it was always good) and made suggestions as we went along. It's easy to get stumped--there are so many choices--but generally once you get going it kind of rolls along. All of the class pieces were looking very different from one another.

So, that said, here's a picture of the finished model. Mine will look vaguely similar but most likely quite different, too. In addition to the background, I did a little bit of the cording that will surround each leaf and I completed the wired, detached cricket wing. And, yes, we all know it's really a grasshopper. Apparently, Lynn was told that calling it grasshopper wouldn't sell but cricket would.

These last three pictures are of favors we got at some of the dinners and also my door prize, which was the magazine and wooden post-it note holder. The lipstick tube is actually a cunningly camouflaged sewing kit! It twists right out and you can remove the flannel with pins, needles and some thread. It is a lot of fun.

Most of the favors had stories, which made them even more fun. The story for the lipstick sewing cases was about how they gathered them and how they were able to remove the lipsticks in them.

The spool of perle cotton is in a little snap together ball. They had these for sale, too, and I got a load of them. Now, perhaps, my endlessly tangling perle will be tamed! (They're like the containers you can get from those gumball-like machines that have little toys or removable tattoos in them.)

The pincushions were all hand stitched, but three area chapters. The bases are zinc canning jar lids and many came from the estate of the mother-in-law of the seminar organizer. Some still had the penciled-in labels on them!

I still have more stuff to share but once again, time's up and I've gotta scoot.

regional seminar photos and TIF

Here are a couple of photos of one of my pieces from last week's regional seminar. They explain why my drawn thread piece on change for the April TIF is, well, changing!

They are of my class "Perfect Forest" with Catherine Jordan. She was a wonderful teacher and had lovely samples and ideas to share. Once we got past the pulling and reweaving of linen threads (the entire morning!) the class was loads of fun.

The first picture is my booklet cover, signed by the instructor. Her image on it is pretty small but her piece is very delicate and simply lovely.

The second tree is mine. Catherine hand painted linen for each of us with "green leaves," "tree trunks" and "grass." You can see the large area of pulled thread we made.

I think you can also get a little sense of the feeling of depth that we were able to give to the project. It will be enhanced when the piece is mounted over a painted background (we learned how to do that, too, in our class).

So now I want to make my last band for this month's TIF a tree. My bands were originally designed that the threads are pulled the length of the open area (few threads to pull and reweave) and I could probably do a forest of tiny trees. But I'd rather do one long one so I've been trying to think of ways to manage it. I think I have a solution.

Normally I would pull out one thread completely, clip the next in half and reweave each half in the space left by the withdrawn thread. The little threads that would be left across the width of my narrow bands would not be long enough to reweave on each side if I cut and pulled like ususal.

But if I cut two adjacent threads on the very edge of the open area, snipping one on one edge and the other on the opposite edge, and pulled out the short stubs from the background where I cut, then I think I should have enough thread left to reweave to the edge. A lot of pulling and reweaving though. I think I'm in for a tedious weekend!

It's over!

Well, this year's GLR seminar is officially over. I'm whacked! (but happy). Today was more intense stitching on my cricket. I actually completed his wing. I didn't start his body. I want to do more on the leaf he'll be sitting on first. This class is so full of things to learn, my head's still spinning. Teacher Lynn Payette has really cool ways of doing fly stitch, beading, twisted cord, and detached sheer elements. I tried to sample each technique but the day just flew by.

I did a bit of work, got the books updated for the secretary position and passed them on to the new secretary and was generally busy! I stayed far away from the boutique sale and the bookstore.

We had a lovely dinner with the last of the doorprizes and the opportunity basket drawing. I didn't win. I'm not too bummed; I have plenty of goodies to bring home. But there were some lovely prizes. Our favor tonight was a sewing kit in a lipstick tube! It is really cool. I brought my autograph book and had the EGA national president, Carol Dam, sign it, along with some friends.

Two years ago I attended my first regional seminar. I didn't know anyone except for my roommate. Five meetings and two more seminars later, I feel like I really know a lot of these people! I know what kind of stitching they like--I already know several who like exactly the same things I do (because we're in classes together over and over). I know bits and pieces of their lives. I know who's quick and who's not, who's loud and who's very quiet. I've made two friends that I'm already thinking about ways we can get together in between meetings...

I know more about how chapters in other areas manage, what they do, and how they work. I've met a bunch of incredible teachers, too, and not just in class. I've ridden with them in the elevator and sat with them at meals. I've learned about their joys, trials and tribulations, and the other things they do besides teach needlework.

So, I'm sitting here on my last night, exhausted but hyped up with a brain full of new things, wishing it wasn't over but also rather happy it is. I think what I need now is a week here at the hotel, with the same people and shops just to stitch on my projects. A little less driven, more relaxed, more time to chat. Instead I'm heading north to visit a good friend for a day. Which is most likely a good break from the intensity of the last few days. I can't wait to see my friends. And I also can't wait to get home to my sweetie on Saturday. Time to go.

Regional Seminar Day Four

I was pretty tired this morning but once I got going all was well. My class with Lynn Payette is more active than my previous class. We spent the day making the background for our cricket (which is really a grasshopper). We fused and then cut and layered sheer fabrics onto canvas to create leaves coming out of water. Endless variations were possible from just a few fabrics you could layer one over another and depending on which was on top, you got very different effects. Or use two layers of the same fabric. Or some you could use the front or the back of the fabric. For a leaf with several colors, you could use different colors for each and then add a layer of one sheer over all. Or not. On some if you changed the direction of the fabric you got a totally different effect.

So we were up and down between our work stations, the ironing board and many demonstrations.

After dinner tonight we had "Merchandise Night." Local shops, groups, and teachers set up tables to sell their wares. I did my part to support the local economy. 'Nuff said.

It's late and I'm very tired. We had so many choices to make in our class today! It was very engaging and most of us had to be prodded to take breaks or leave for meals. I love this stuff. But now I'm feeling it and I'm off to bed.

Regional Seminar Day Three

Today was another busy stitching day. First thing this morning I went shopping (how's that for bliss: a well-stocked needlework store around the corner and open at 7 a.m.!!!) I got some brown linen thread for tree trunks and some greens for leaves. The kits had plenty of materials but I wanted more variety and a slightly different color way.
I finished up my tree trunks and began adding branches. After lunch I started adding some leaves. Most of the students also cut out a backing board and painted a background to add even more of sense of distance. I made my piece just a bit too wide and it wouldn't fit well on the precut board. I'll do that when I get home--I watched everyone else and have a pretty good idea of how to do it. We learned how to mount and finish our pieces.
In the middle we had a Really Good lunch (Chicken Teriaki). I don't think I've mentioned it much before but the food here is really good. I hear the coffee is wonderful, too. At lunch we sat with two of our teachers, Lynn Payette and Michele Roberts, and two other teachers who, I believe, will be teaching at next year's seminar.
At the end of class I had the teacher sign my book and my autograph book and I asked my neighbors to also sign my autograph book. The chatter became a bit more general as we packed to leave and I learned more about my new friends.
Tonight was our free night. Many attendees went for a tour and dinner. Instead I had a pleasant drive through the Wisconsin countryside to Mt. Horeb and Witchery Stitchery. The shop extended their hours just for us and I must say I made it worth their while!
I found some Needle Necessity overdyes and DMC Medici wools, both fibers are no longer available. (more or less; I think Medici is still available, just not from DMC in the skeins, and I believe someone may be replicating some of NN's colorways but I'm not sure about either.) I'd never been up to Witchery Stitchery but my used to love to go to Mt. Horeb and the needlework shop. Mt. Horeb looks to be a charming old town with antiques and other interesting shops. I didn't linger because I wanted to find my way back before dark.
Afterward I decided that instead of a late dinner, I would, can you believe this?, exercise. I spent a half-hour jumping, jogging, and being silly in the pool. I dined on a lovely huge orange and almond-butter and rice cakes...not too shabby. Oh, and some Very Good Chocolate that my brother gave me Saturday.
Tomorrow I begin Cricket with Lynn Payette (which is really a grasshopper). Excuse me while I go and fondle my ever growing stash!

Goodie Bag and Favors!

Two posts in one night! I thought I'd catalogue my awesome goodie bag for you before it gets dispersed. Everyone got a handmade name tag (with a pocket for meal coupons and your room key) and a bag like this:
A complete catalog for the seminar: what's happening when and where and contact information for everyone.
Two cards of Rainbow Gallery Threads, Splendor and Flair and a coordinating skein of DMC perle coton.
A complete kit for a Brazilian Embroidery flower (Jasmine) from EdMar.
A Charles Craft Catalog.
Two samples of Udder Cream.
Gloves in a Bottle sample from Stitcher's Crossing (a local shop).
One sample tub of Handmade Natural Beauty Cranberry Almond lotion bar.
Charts from Martina Weber/Chatelaine, Nordic Needle, Prairie Schooler, Stacy Nash Primitive Designs, Creative Cross Stitch Designs and Quilt Patterns by Karen Kluba.
Recipes using real butter from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (they look yummy!)
Lots of shop fliers, some local-some not, and some with coupons!
Local tourism information and visitor's guides with lots of coupons for local shops, attractions and restaurants.

At dinner tonight we each got a favor. The theme of this seminar is friendship and our favor was a complex fold-out this way and that booklet with a hand-stamped and cutout cover. It's an autograph book! We passed ours around our table for all of our table mates to sign. What fun--I haven't done this since high-school. The pressure was less but there was still a bit of thought so you wouldn't say something too lame or silly. I may ask my table mate tomorrow to sign and the teacher...

Pretty good haul! and it's still only day one!

TIF and Vacation!

As I was getting ready to leave Friday night, I scanned the next two finished bands. It was frustrating because my thumb drived died on me. I finally gave up on it and borrowed my husband's. The first band adds a little color and stitch variety. I did it on an ecru linen with a darker perle using four-sided stitch. The third band is on lugana and it went quickly. I used satin stitch and purple perle.

Saturday morning I left on vacation. First I drove up to the Rockford area to visit my brother and sister-in-law. We went to the 12th Annual Stephenson County Fiber Art Fair. It was very nice. Many spinners. You could by a fleece and a drop spindle and learn from scratch! They had lots of lovely tools and accessories, gorgeous yarns, many hand-spun. We had fun paint-dyeing our own wool. For a nominal fee we received a skein of handspun wool, a lovely trash-bag coverall, dye and instructions. The dye was in old-fashioned baby bottles and you squeezed it onto the wool in the colors and pattern you wanted. Mine is all shades of green from yellowish to teal. It was a load of fun.

After a nice dinner, I drove backroads up to Madison, Wisconsin. It was a lovely pink and purple sunset as I drove along the winding roads. Now in Madison I'm at the Embroiderer's Guild of America Great Lakes Region seminar. I thought I'd share with you how much fun and what a bargain this regional seminar is. Many EGA regions hold them, but I would guess they vary in style and content. The GLR seminar is wonderful.

I checked in last night, had a lazy morning and lunch and then headed to my first class. It was a beaded pendant taught by Andrea Sapon and was a lot of fun. The class was only three hours and my piece is nearly done!

(I brought my camera so I could take and post pictures but forgot to bring the interface thingy that allows me to plug in my data chip, so no more pix 'till I get home.)

After the class I had a board meeting and then there was a "meet the teachers" where all of the seminar teachers displayed their seminar pieces and often other things they've been doing. So I got to meet my teachers for the rest of the week. The opening banquet featured killer chocolate cake and a talk by a local quilt artist. She brought a lot of her quilts (pieced, applique, painted, dyed, thread-painted, etc.).

I ran into the boutique after dinner. If you don't catch it early, you may miss that treasure! I got a kit for a needlepunch pincushion. I like to buy a kit at each event I attend and then do my best to finish it before leaving. It's kind of a souvenir for me.

That's just day 1. The seminar offically begins tomorrow.

The GLR seminar runs from Sunday night's opening banquet through Thursday night's closing dinner. The classes are all day M-T-W-Th or M&T and W&Th with the Sunday afternoon short classes for those who come in early.

The seminar package includes all but one meal from Sunday night through Thursday night. One night there's usually a special tour and dinner you can sign up for. I usually don't--I need that night off to just absorb everything. Our fee for this seminar was $395. So that's four days of teaching fees and twelve meals, plus all sorts of goodies, door prizes, events, and fun! Kit costs and hotel are extra, but they do a great job at keeping costs down and the rooms are one rate whether it's one of you or four.

That's all for today. Tomorrow I'm doing "Perfect Forest" with Catherine Jordan and I need to gather my supplies.