We have been having cool weather here in San Francisco for the last several days. Cool enough I have had the heater on up until about 2 in the afternoon. When I say cool it gets down to about 50 at night and up to about 65 during the day. Now, last week it was up to almost 90. For us that is really hot and of course, and most homes here have no air conditioning....just offices and the bigger stores and restaurants. It's definitely what you get used to.....I went to school in Houston and that's hot.
Just a note I have finally completed the instruction book for Dahlia and the kit is now available. It's the fourth (and final) design of the Silk Ribbon Flower Series.....in this size. 
Hopefully next year I can begin a new series as these were so much fun to design and stitch.
I am always so happy to receive feedback from stitchers in my workshops with pictures of finished questions and/or comments about the design. Lyn Y. of Canada just received her Winter Frost purse back from the finisher and plans to carry it a wedding this summer. Thank you Lyn for sending a photo which will find a permanent home in the Stitchers Gallery (coming soon). Just beautiful stitchng!!
Lately I have been staying up a little later than usual. This seems to be the time for instruction books, both new ones and revisions for the new classes to be taught at seminar in September. All the pilots have ended and feedback is coming in....about thread quantities, graph comments (for all sorts of issues), comments on the written portions, etc. Now don't get me wrong....I really look forward to receiving the feedback. Good instructions...more enjoyable classes for everyone!
But anyway, I was checking my email one last time....about midnight....and McCall (our daughter and zoo keeper) sent pictures of the Scissors Fob and Needle Threader Set she had promised for the website. Actually she sent two, but here is a picture of my favorite. Just a soon as I have them actually in hand I'll be adding them. Aren't they pretty?!
Now I must go. I've just started a new book. Normally I just read in bed at night but today I must sneak in a little extra reading....Hit and Run by Lawrence Block.
Monday, January 18, 2010 at 02:41PM 
In the process of writing the instructions I have been creating stitch diagrams and graphs and have been reviewing all that I have previously created using buttonhole stitches. And there it was.......my very first "In Stitches" column in the May 2007 issue of Needle Pointers magazine. The sample I stitched for it has lots of examples of various used for buttonhole so I thought it might be fun to show them again here. And here are the basic stitch diagrams for reference. I hope you get some ideas you're able to use in your projects. Buttonhole stitches add lots of texture as you can see. 
