Greetings from the past...

I was kind of indulging in fond memories of the friendly people I met

Monique in TX

G'day Martina!

Fancy seeing you here after all these years! I hope life's been good to you during all that time? I can see you're still designing because I visit your website from time to time. Your designs just keep getting better! I'd love to know is how Manuela is - she must be nearly finished school by now? My Ellie (who was a toddler Back Then) is in her second year of high school and nearly as tall as me!

I know how you feel about turning 50. Isn't it amazing how age sneaks up on you and suddenly you find you're not as young as you feel? ROTFL! Congratulations on joining us over-50s: it's not such a bad place to be.

Anyway, welcome back. Looking forward to seeing more of you! ;-D

Indeed, it is wonderful to hear from you, Martina. I hope you stick around for awhile!

Dianne

Chatela> Hi all,

Welcome back! And how goes the Angel of Procrastination?

Whoops! Soory, wrong designer! Was it MLI who was to do the Angel? I forget, it's been a few years.......

I have your Egyptian Garden kitted up and ready to go (bought everything a while back). One difference is - I have been playing with the idea of doing it on a light goldish-tan silk and using

16-count waste canvas (which will allow 32-count over one). I just have to finish one other project first and figure out what type of frame to use with it. Of course at the rate I stitch, it will take me years to finish it! LOL.....

Hi Dianne,

so nice to see you here still ! (waving.... !!!)

- well , I just need a place to "go" for some chat sometimes.. and what else would I chat about besides needlework stuff, threads, beads, sparklies....

I am just sitting here, sleepless in Duisburg to say so - and kitting up some older designs with updated threads ( as the "old" stuff is not longer available, much to my dismay !) Have some gazillions of skeins of various companies on my desk here, try to keep the cat away and decide on what goes for which color.

Always mostly a fun project !

kind regards,

Martina Weber - Chatelaine Designs Duisburg/Germany

Fran - did you ever stitch a large project on silk using waste canvas? I would kind of fear, that such a symmetrical design will be somewhat out of lines later, once the canvas is removed. My experiences with wc are very limited to some Tshirts and tricotage stuff I embroidered once - but I could imagine it being utterly difficult...for straight lines and graphic elements.

kind regards, Martina Weber- Chatelaine Designs Duisburg/Germany

Hi Monique !! Honestly I only remember your name "faintly" - hope you are not offended !

kind regards, Martina Weber - Chatelaine Designs Duisburg/Germany

I pop in now and again. Shirley in UK

I remember you from my first time on the group in the mid 90's, I don't think you'll recall me though.

Love your stuff, wish I had the wherewithal to try one of the gardens. Cheryl

Me too!! I drool over them, then sigh, knowing I don't have the time in this life.

Linda (probably NOT here the first time)

Hi Martina,

I remember you from the "olden days". Don't feel too bad about turning

50! I turned 70 nearly two years ago; I just don't feel THAT old...in fact I call it upper middle-aged!

If my memory hasn't totally failed me, weren't you collecting some stitching supplies for a group? Maybe it was a shelter, young mothers or something. Can't remember the details now, but I remember sending a small packet of something.

People come and people go on this group. It is so very nice when one of the old-timers pops back in to say "hello!" I wish more would do it; there are so many names who have been among the missing.

Gillian Florida

Gillian,

yes, there were several times when I collected stuff to support benefit cases in Germany or elsewhere. One was the flooding in East Germany then. Many of the members here contributed and the packages were so well received from the families/women there.

I have to decide on some material choices, which is a pleasure on one side ( toying and fondling heaps of stash stuff) and on the other side it is kind of a torture too :-))))

I will drop in here from time to time - if and when I have to say something

kind regards,

Martina - Chatelaine Designs Duisburg- Germany

Actually, I'm not too worried about that because silk doesn't pull the way knit does. Also, the fabrics will be stretched on a frame the same way I set things up for Japanees Embroidery or Goldwork. Meaning, everything will be flat, and not rolled around any bars.

My two concerns are: the size - it may be so large, I can't reach the middle. stitch tension - will the stitches be too loose once I remove the canvas.

I will have to test these out and see before I set everyth>>> I have your Egyptian Garden kitted up and ready to go (bought

I was looking at a print-out I still have from when I first started lurking around this group. It was 1994! Talk about a while ago....

Welcome back, Martina. Hope your life changes are positive ones. Just yesterday, another RCTN'er (Donna from Virginia) and I were the demonstrators at Woodlawn (the big needlework show in Virginia), and talking aboaut your designs. There were 2 of the gorgeous, large, Mandela gardens on exhibit - and they were stunning. We were discussing with the docents which one we each were thinking of doing. And what is in the shop where I work - so convenient to give in.... I'm thinking about doing the Taj Mahal mandela, and framing it with my own pictures of the Taj around in a grouping.

Hope we "see" you here now that you're back.

Ellice in Northern VA (and 50 isn't old at all...it's the new 40)

AND, my dear friend Ellice, there is never an OLD!! I am 71, and am still upper middle-aged. *Old* will always be 5 or more years older than me! However, there are some neighbors here who are old at 60!

Gill

Hi Ellice, it was the stuff which obviously happens to so many of "us" in "this" age - separation, divorce, death of near family members. All these things which work as a shock therapy and bring you back to thinking, p lanning and pushing your life towards new directions. Which at the long end was something positive, as it resulted in good things for me and mine finally- like a big weight loss and a new love :-)))

Yes- I know about the big Mandalas being quite impressive, once you see them form a short distance - that is the amount of detailed work the stitcher invests into each square inch. This detail of course gets lost when you see a small thumbnail or a general photo of one of these...

Taj Mahal is still one of my darlings - and as I never was there,and maybe never will - I "envy" you for having seen the real building and gardens, the interieurs and marble colors. Hmmm... that must have been special. I had the hell of a time deciding on the colors then, when I made up this particular design- as there are so many moods with changing light.

I do not really feel old - or better said: I feel younger then ever ;-) and as you I can say: There are always some people who have less years, but look and feel obviously much much older...Sometimes I still feel 17 inside, giggle...

kind regards,

Martina Weber - Chatelaine Designs Duisburg-Germany