Filed under: ANG Seminar 2024
We rode the full loop on the free KC Streetcar and back down south to Union Station. Luckily, the Kansas City Fun Tours https://g.co/kgs/FvQJtT5 was getting ready to take off just as we arrived at Union Station.
The tour was great and about 1.5 hours air-conditioned. Knowledgeable guide and good driver. $25 each. The Children’s Mercy Research Tower has different colored blue windows representing the DNA of a childhood cancer that now has a cure rate of 96% thanks to their Genomic Medicine Center (they develop DNA tests to unravel the mystery of genetic diseases).
Once that was over, we looked at the lovely train station (ceiling and chandelier), bullet holes marking the Kansas City Massacre (of FBI Agents as they transferred gangster Frank Nash), walked across the Sky Walk, and skipped eating at A Taste of Philadelphia in favor of SPIN! Pizza.
That freed us to get our Friday pizza fix and enjoy Anton’s for a steak dinner. I opted for the steak soup and lobster mac and cheese. I think they waved a lobster over top the Mac and cheese. The steak soup (it was the soup of the day) was excellent and filling. Bill’s KC Strip was flavorful but fatty.
A full and fun day.
Filed under: ANG Seminar 2024
Nobody mentioned these but exploring Google Maps found:
BRGR Kitchen and Bar. Good place. Really decent prices. Excellent Reuben.
We hopped in a cab because we were hungry! 4 min drive was $15+tip. The 10 min walk back wasn’t as flat as Google Maps says it would be but worth the walk. Ask for Emily as your waitress. Angelo, the manager, sat and talked with us about local places. He recommended a German restaurant, Grünauer and that has sauerbraten on Saturday night. That’s where we’ll be!
He recommends the free trolley to Union Statio and using the Sky Walk to go to Crown Center. Look at the artwork on Sky Walk as you go across.
In the opposite direction is River Market also accessible on free trolley. You get the trolley on Main at 12th. I’ll be getting used to walking that incline. Angelo loves the River Market on Saturday to people watch, get veggies, and flowers. In the back of the spice place, at a small counter, an older woman makes spicy potato filled pastries $3 each that he loves. Emily loves Sunday at the River Market with more flea Market type shopping.
Back to Google finds:
Breakast and lunch at https://www.meshuggahbagels.com/
Banksia, an Australian bakery and cafe for breakfast, lunch, and dinner https://banksiabakehouse.com/
On the walk back, we ran into needlepoint ladies at Costentino’s, a huge market. Lots of food options with tables. They said good Gelato! We got water and a T-shirt for Bill.
We’ll explore along the trolley route tomorrow.
From our window, we have an awesome view. We can see a ballpark! Not Kaufman Field as I thought I itially. A city ballpark field is lit up in the upper left corner of the photo. Ferris wheel will offer a great view. That round weird disc building is the Kaufman Performing Arts Center. And, the towers are actually sculptures called the Bartle Hall Sky Stations.
Lots to explore.
Filed under: ANG Seminar 2024
Lynn from Fireside Stitchery in PA also has a home in Kansas City and has recommended several spots. Her daughter’s wedding beats Seminar, or else she’d be showing off KC personally. Best wishes to her daughter and new son for a healthy and happy life together!
For BBQ, Jack Stack for BBQ and baked beans. Go as a group and get platters to share. KC Joes for BBQ (2nd choice).
For steak, Anton’s on Main Street. Or 801 Chop House had a decent steak. At Anton’s, you can pick your steak out of their butcher case … grass fed or grain fed … dry aged or not. They are really great steaks.
Farina’s is the best place to eat but rather expensive.
For seafood, the Bristol is almost identical to Devon on Rittenhouse Square in Philly… if you are looking for good seafood.
For pizza, Spin has a couple sites (2450 Grand Blvd is 1.4 miles/7 min drive/33 min walk from the hotel) and they are good. Waldo’s pizza is our favorite but that may be too far out for you.
Boulvard is the local brewery. Tom’s Town is a local distillery and they have an underground tasting experience where you would hear all about prohibition in KC. But you will taste straight liquor. I couldn’t find a picture of the underground.
Good places to go:
From ANG Facebook’s page:
Restaurants:
∙ Jack Stack BBQ – https://loom.ly/8rfsJQY
∙ The Savoy at 21c – https://loom.ly/5TXFU7c
∙ Bristol’s Steak + Seafood + Social – https://loom.ly/5Pn54jI
∙ Lidia’s Restaurant – https://loom.ly/A1_a4ZA
Museums:
∙ National WW1 Museum – https://loom.ly/_ikRVRw
∙ Arabia Steamboat Museum – https://loom.ly/Q4-5fJ8
∙ American Jazz Museum – https://loom.ly/ZzUaj6Y
Other:
∙ River Market Antiques – https://loom.ly/7yMlEjU
∙ Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium – https://loom.ly/cZ9V95Y
In researching the area for quirky, I found (times are distances by car and placed near each other with times from Marriott Downtown
Leila’s Hair Museum (20 min) 2.6 miles from Puppetry Arts Institute (20 min)
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures (15 min S)
Glore Psychiatric Museum (52 min north Rt 29)
Patee House Museum (52 min north Rt 29)
Jesse James Home (52 min north Rt 29)
Looks like a fun, busy week!
Filed under: A Spring Sampler, Brandywine Chapter, Embroidery Guild of America
My skinny version of A Spring Sampler in a fall colorway is done! I started this with my EGA Brandywine Chapter in October 2023. I did this one less wide (5″) and with an overdyed thread that doesn’t have a lot of color change. So, I had to modify 2 bands to remain symmetrical. I also worked out the half motifs in case anyone was interested and less worried about symmetry. At least one other member was making it smaller.
Using an overdyed thread without much color change within the skein looks pretty. It reinforces my thought that contrast of values is very important.
What should I do with this 5″ x 9″ stitched design? Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Filed under: Embroidery Guild of America
My EGA magazine (September 2024 issue) arrived today, and I see Linda M from ANG’s New Jersey Needle Artists Chapter and EGA’s Skylands Stitchers Chapter wrote an article, Rosena Disery 1820: An Important Artifact of Black History which is all about Rosena’s sampler.
Linda stitched the reproduction piece. The over 200 year old original is too delicate, so the reproduction will be available for loans to other institutions. A second reproduction piece will be installed at NYHS’s DiMenna Children’s History Museum.
I’ve been fortunate to see it in person as she worked on it and when it was finished. Recently, I heard her give a talk on it too.
Congratulations, Linda, on your contribution to the history of the artifact and an excellent article.
You may have thought I got lost on the Tar River Trail by Gail Stafford since it’s been a month since I posted on this.
It took a lot of sessions because the trees have about a dozen different colors spread throughout done in French Knots except for the leaves on the right side. Gail’s two maps were fantastic by indicating where to focus the different threads. I used all of several skeins. The finishing touches added even more to the depth in the scene.
I thought I was done until I set it across the room and realized that Gail’s stitched piece definitely had less sky showing than mine.
Although it looked good to me at this point, I added more threads concentrating them in the center.
Then, more along the top.
That led me to add more on the left until it was almost as full as Gail’s. This is now one of my husband’s favorite pieces. Mine, too. We do love the fall season. I also love that it’s done! I started it 12 years ago at Seminar. It was my second seminar, and it was tough for me then. Now, I have more experience, and with Gail’s Landscape class earlier this summer, I had no problems except deciding when to stop!
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Laurel Burch Rainbow Butterfly by Danji
Based on what I learned about Calalguidi embroidery and/or a padded, raised stem stitch, I decided it would be perfect for the body in my Rainbow Butterfly by Danji, Laurel Burch Artwork.
Cross stitches in the center to raise the middle.
Long stitches along the length of the body to make it more raised and to be perpendicular to the bars needed to make the wraps.
Straight stitches for the horizontal bars every 3rd canvas thread.
Rows of the raised stem stem stitch, squishing them close together on one side. I’m very happy with how it turned out.
Filed under: Books in My Library, Embroidered Landscapes by Helen M Stevens, Embroidery Books
I’ve been asked by my Needlework and Fiber Guild of Media to talk about selecting stitches for needlepoint next month in 30 minutes or less!
Having worked on landscape stitches for Gail Stafford’s class and now her Tar River Trail, I will share them and several canvas books that list stitches by effect rendered (fur, buildings, flowers, etc).
I also have this book, Embroidered Landscapes by Helen M Stevens who shares her masterclass in landscape through 5 major projects with templates, color charts, and detailed explanations of design elements.
These designs employ mostly linear stitches, including stem and straight stitches. The filling stitches look linear to me but are called opus plumarium or feather work.
For these designs, it’s less about the stitches and more about perspective. In the photo on the cover, you can see elements in the close, middle, and far distances.
Shading plays a big part with each design using between 19 and 26 threads. In 3 of the designs, between one-third and half the threads are in the yellow and green family.
The use of contrasting threads is employed by using shiny threads to add vibracy up close and threads with duller texture to recede.
Stranded cottons, stranded and twisted silks, Japanese floss silk, fine floss silk, and spun (fine twisted) silk threads are suggested.
An example of varying thread types was using twisted cotton for grass, a plied silk for a glossy river, and a very fine untwisted silk floss for the sky.
I am disappointed that actual threads used in the designs are not provided. Only the colors are suggested in the color coded design map. It would have been helpful.
These are best worked on a smooth, evenweave fabric that does not stretch. Suitable fabrics include cotton, polyester cotton (Percale), and linen. Although she suggests evenweave, she says, “As a general rule, if the weave is open enough to be used for counted thread embroidery, it will be too wide for us!”
One of the scenes resembles the perspective that I have designed for the second design from Debbie Rowley’s class. I did so want to get started on that, but I do really want to finish Tar River Trail before the seminar. Then, I’ll want to finish those pieces (3 classes)! Oh my. Got to get my head out of this book and back to stitching!
Filed under: All That Simmers by Sundance Beads, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
Last month at our ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter meeting, Kristen asked us to do the center white background next by stitching over the 4 stems and the yellow flowers. She said we’d still be able to see the stems and flowers, and she was correct. Between what we’re able to see through the stitching and a photo of the unstitched canvas, we’ll be able to stitch them later with no trouble.
I covered the edges of the purple flowers because the purple flower embellishments won’t cover the area entirely. We’re using a stitch guide by Sundance Beads.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Fibonacci Swirls by Olivia Hartshorn
Last month, Linda got our ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter started on Fibonacci Swirls by Olivia Hartshorn (from Needle Pointers Mar/Apr 2022).
I’m doing one on Congress Cloth with a single overdyed thread, Sheep’s Silk Autumn Bouquet, that has 4 different colors (mauve, golden, green, and khaki starting at north, east, south, and west, respectively). I decided tent stitches with Perle #8 were plenty on Congress Cloth (rather than cross stitches over 1 canvas thread).
Once I got to the 18 count canvas, I changed my mind on the Watercolours for a third time. These look more different from each other than the last 3 skeins (especially after they are unwound). I kept 605 Sunset and the other threads.
I was almost done with all the borders when I realized that I had a whole card and a lot of the green Elegance leftover. Then, it dawned on me that I hadn’t done the border in over 1 cross stitches, and being on 18 count, that would be better than tent stitches. Elegance is comparable to #8 Perle. So, I went all around the inside border (Area Cs) again with reverse tent stitches to make the cross stitches. You can see the outer edges are not crosses yet. I cut the thread 605 Sunset so the rose/peach color is on the right and the rose/blue on the left.
This is ready for our meeting in 2 weeks.
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