Meanwhile, back at the stitching...

The Fish is Finished!  the oriental stitch that forms the background is 1.  very lovely when it works and 2. very difficult for people with astigmatism who have great trouble perceiving exact diagonals.  I'm just sayin. But it's worth working through, all the same. The fish was stitched separately, appliqued, then stuffed, trapunto style before final attachment. 

This piece will probably be framed at some point.

And the pillow goes on apace, now in full swing with long armed cross stitch, which has become my favorite stitch of all time, even getting ahead of flystitch and feather.

In the studio, dyeing for the upcoming needlearts workshop started today.  I'll be making quite a few of these squares, lovely China habotai silk, handrolled and stitched hems, very lucky to get these, since nowadays these squares are usually machine hemmed, the hand stitchers either aging out or refusing to do it any more!
Here's the dyeing area of the studio set up ready to fire off.

And some of the squares I'll be working on. These will probably be overdyed, too.

The paper, you ask? that was on this clothesline?  it's ironed flat (I iron only in the studio, my clothes never experience a hot iron), and pressed under weights to stay flat till needed. It's under the glass table top under the silk on the line.  Art marches on, and I needed to get on with the dyeing.

Drawing workshop for a family on Sunday, so that prep is done now, too.  Great nostalgia value for me, teaching drawing again.

Aside from that, Mrs Lincoln, nothing happening at all.