Ta-da! Lesage piece finish....

This is my "ta-da!!!" moment.  My Lesage piece of tambour embroidery on black silk organza that was started in February is finished.  My husband took this picture in our living room so don't mind the mess that can be seen through it.   I only wish I had worked it faster, but life kinda gets in the way.

It's snipped off the frame now and is drying because once a piece like this is complete, a glue solution must be lightly added to the back to prevent threads from coming undone or fraying.  It seals the piece.  The bottom squiggles and doodles on the piece are practice areas that were unworked before I started the main portion.  Since I already knew the basics of tambour embroidery before I went to embroidery school at Lesage in Paris, we left them mostly blank.  Now I plan to cut them off and use them in smaller pieces.

Tuesday mid-day I am flying from Richmond to Sarasota, Florida, to visit my parents and their sweet little dog for a week.  I'm so excited to be going!  Here is the beach near my parent's house.  This was taken when I went with my husband to visit them over Christmas.  It is considerably hotter there now!
Another part of my trip is taking my finished tambour embroidery pieces to the art centers in the area, to try and generate interest in forming a beginner's class I can teach later this year.  Wish me luck!

Ahhh, clear water, sand dollars, white sand beaches, dophins, manatees, plus spend a week with my folks searching out the thrift shops and used bookstores!  I can't wait to get back to one of my favorite spots on earth.

My favorite flower, the hibiscus, taken in my dad's back yard, Christmas day 2011.  Beautiful!