In case you haven't noticed, I really like the Guild! The members of this Guild have meant so much to me in so many different ways. Recently I received yet another benefit from some Guild members. I enjoy doing small stitchery projects, and I recently decided to make a set up embroidered pillowcases because I got spoiled using the ones made by my greatgrandmothers (I wore out all the ones they had made).
I began with a set of beautiful pillow cases cut from lengths of pillow tubing, made decades ago out of beautiful cotton. Charlene Lind had given me these lengths, which had belonged to her mother. (That's the first Guild member helping me.) Then I found a book on embroidery that I had checked out of the Guild library (that's #2), and I found a picture of some stylized embroidered flowers that I wanted to put on my pillowcases. I called ReNee Page because I knew she owned the book. She and I each looked at our own copies of the book, and ReNee told me the name of each stitch that had been used to create the flowers (#3).
I showed the design to Jane Ann Peters and told her what I planned to do with it, and she proposed a much better way of adapting it to the pillowcases (#4). Then I got an e-mail from ReNee, who had recently purchased an embroidery book and had found an unusual and very practical way of transferring an image to cloth (#5). The method is so simple and useful that I want to share it with you so that I can be one of the reasons you have learned something from a Guild member today!
Tulle transfer method: Place a piece of non-waxed kitchen paper (lunch wrap) or tissue paper over your design sheet. Next, place a piece of fine bridal tulle or netting over the tissue. Use a permanent black fine-tipped laundry marking pen to trace over the design elements, thereby transferring the desired pattern to the tulle. Allow the pen marks to dry for several minutes. Remove the pins and discard the paper (which was only there to protect the original pattern sheet). Set the original pattern sheet aside.
Pin the tulle securely to your embroidery fabric, and use a water erasable fabric marking pen to trace over the lines made by laundry marker. The fine holes in the tulle allow the tip of the marking pen to penetrate and thus mark the design elements onto your embroidery fabric.
The piece of tulle is now permanently marked with this design, so you will be able to use it again or perhaps use portions of the design on another project. You can also reverse the design by turning the tulle over. Clever, huh!
Thanks to all of you for the many ways you have enriched my life. I have loved serving as the Guild president over the past two years and look forward to many more years of associating with all of you.
Much love, Susan
 Susan Hainsworth