TAST week 38, etc.

This weeks TAST adventure was Knotted Buttonhole Band and I used 14ct Aida as my fabric of choice. Since the Buttonhole is one of my favorite stitches I figured this shouldn't be too difficult. Beginning on the far left with the "ladder" Sharon's sample used red as the straight stitches and what looked like a blue/grey for the wrap and knot portion. Following the teacher's lead I also used red (#5 DMC perle) for the straight stitches and again the #5 DMC perle slate blue (this is my color name) for the wrap and knot portion. The left side worked just fine but when I went to stitch the right side in reverse order I had a bit of a problem and had to re-do that side a couple of times as I wanted to do the right side just as I had the left and of course that would not work .... at least I didn't think it was correct. For the middle sample, again using #5 DMC perle cotton I stitched a bit closer together and was very pleased with the result. For my last sample I threaded up some gold ribbon floss and stitched until I ran out of thread on the left wrap and knot. For the right wrap and knot portion I used a dark gold #5 DMC perle and felt more comfortable with the end result. I think I'd like to use at least the middle sample although I can see possibilities if I stitched the straight stitches closer together as in my third example.

This cq square is still incomplete but I've been practicing some different stitches and of course some of them are not showing up too well here. They always seem to look better in real life. I've been tryng to empty up a couple of my tatting shuttles to begin a doily so I made good use of a snippet of tatting on this square. I've also included a counted cross-stitch angel stitched on a wide piece of Ribband. In one of the fabrics I used a piece of knitting ribbon in a buttonhole wheel flower with each "spoke" fastened with an embroidery floss colonial knot. Two of the rosettes in the pink satin section are made of satin ribbon and the middle one is a small plaid fabric ribbon. All three rosettes were received in a swap. The green leaves on the right side of the square are stitched with a connecting fly stitch which gives a kind of honeycomb effect. I used tiger tape in several of the areas to help keep an eveness in my stitches.

The other week I mentioned that I attended a special ceremony at VMI (Virginia Military Institute) where my granddaughter is attending. The actual ceremony took place in New Market, Virginia eighty-five miles north of VMI. New Market is where the fourteen to sixteen year old boys attending VMI in 1865 participated in their first battle of the Civil War.

This is a photo of the back of the house where those first cadets rested after marching the eighty-five miles and this is where each class of freshmen take their oath and become full-fledged cadets. The first photo is of the company in which my granddaughter is a part.

After taking their oath they march to the foot of "Lost Shoe Hill" where a re-enactment of that first charge of 1865 took place. A platoon of soldiers in military garb and full packs left VMI on Tuesday evening and marched the eighty-five miles to arrive and participate with the new cadets in a "charge" up "Lost Shoe Hill".

Following all the ceremonies the new cadets were allowed to eat a picnic lunch with their families. Here in the shade of a tree on the actual battlefield my granddaughter, Aquisi, and one of her room mates had lunch with us. The picture doesn't show the curly ringlets, but her once long beautiful hair has now been cut military short! I do like the ringlets though.

This last photo is taken in front of one of the buildings at VMI where Aquisi takes classes. My grandson took this photo of his two sisters, his dad and "grandma" (me)!