A Sheltie shirt for DH birthday in April

     Well, as you can see - I am off to a bad start!GRRRR! But this design is a challenge because it has SOOO many layers of stitches. I was reading on their site where they said they like to make their designs as life-like as possible and it takes all these layers to show shading. . I knew it was getting out of control and just as I turned my head the machine gave a violent lurch from all the stitches and yanked my doggie plum out of the frame - so there was no saving that project.
     And because I am one of those people who tells you to do as I say and Not as I do??? LOL  I walked away and decided to call out the big guns and write two of my sewing buddies and ask for ideas Because right now my project is trash-can bait!
     Thank goodness for friends! Both of them suggested me to attempt the design again -on a piece of  fabric to test it and if I got it to work -then put it on my shirt like a patch.

    

     Boy! Did I put extra stabilizer on the top and the bottom of this test and this is what I came up with. It certainly is not perfect but what is that they say about flaws in your work just express personality ??? OK, We now have some personality going on! ~smile~

   

     OK- Now the deal is to cut the ruined piece out of the shirt and then patch the hole of the ruined piece with the new design ???? It makes me feel a little like when I was younger- I had the most beautiful gray mare that I totally adored and we were working on both of us learning how to jump.
     We would circle around the jump , sizing it up and as we approached the jump my mind was always in a flutter - wondering IF she was going to be a willing  student in our new endeavors - OR - was she planning to send me flying head over heels while she stayed put behind the jump! LOL
     Or the time I had only had her for about a week and I was boarding her at a nice barn. When she first arrived and I tied her up - she reared up and snapped the rope and her halter. I told her nobody was going to hurt her and she needed to learn to co-operate. I did some researching and on my way to the stables I stopped and purchased the heaviest piece of rope I had ever met. :)  I took her out of her stall and ran this piece of rope around her ears and down through her new halter and tied her securely to a monster pole -which was the biggest in the barn . The idea being that once an animal learns a negative habit - it can really get you -OR- them hurt badly and I had a friend standing by for moral support. I heard a sound like timbers rattling and I whirled to check out what was going on. She had reared back and put every ounce of strength that she had in her body into the effort of snapping her way to freedom. But . so far all she was doing was rattling the rafters - and that scared me - what if she broke this main beam in the barn? My heart started to beat a lot faster -fear for her safety and fear if I had taken the best route ???? After about 5 minutes of a "horsey tornado"   she dropped to her feet and resigned herself and she never tried again.
     But, she did get even with me the next day. I had taken her out of her stall and was grooming her -enjoying the wonderful aroma of Horse and for a minute she turned her head and almost smiled at me. Then ever so swiftly she gently placed her left front hoof ON TOP of my left foot - all 1800 pounds of her! I was caught off guard and tried to push her off - Hahahahah ! Yea - right and I kind of melted into the ground and when she felt like it she lifted her hoof off on my foot. The next morning when I rolled out of bed - I had the most beautiful , perfect Black hoof-print engraved on my foot! LOL You can tell it made an Impression on me because that was back in the summer of 72!
     A couple of years later we moved to the country  and got a friend for Satin - a snow white Mare to keep her company. One day my best friend came up and asked if you could ride. I saddled up both horses and gave her Satin because I knew she would be good and I did not know how the new gal would act -so I gave Pam the safer option - I thought.
     We started out onto the little country road -chatting as we went  and all of a sudden we noticed I was still going forwards - But - Pam and Satin were going BACKWARDS! It was so funny -no matter how hard we tried -Satin was jealous and she would only go backwards down the highway. So we traded horses and Satin was just a perfect Lady!  
     So instead of me owning a horse - I was owned and being trained by a horse. LOL
    

    

     Well , here is the finished project. At least with the help of friends my project was saved ! Yea! Hubby's birthday is in April and this is one that I was doing for him.
     I still have two more shirts that I have cut out and two more designs that I have ready. YES, ready to tackle another set of lessons!  So, Up and On!