Wake Me Up When September Ends

Summer has come and passed. Here's what I eked out this month.

1. 10 hours on Anna's Bird--I did a little work on this, but now I have to hurry and finish so I can hang it in the living room. We have the perfect spot.
2. complete Enchanted Alphabet wahoo! See it here.
3. complete the birth sampler DONE! See it here.
4. 10 hours on the French knot mermaid--Not so much...
5. Start the giant marquoir--I cut the fabric and bought the floss. I do have two weeks before the next installment is released.
6. Bring santa ornaments as travel project I finished one and started the other!
7. Spend 30 minutes working in the craft room every night until the place is organized This raised a few too many issues for me. First the 300 patterns, then the shoes that don't fit in the closet. And I still haven't picked a color scheme because I have fallen in love with too many fabrics. The room is in better shape, but I think I'm going to ignore it for a little while.

Why Hath Google Foresaken Me?

I got nothin' here, people. I've been getting ready for the Anti-Hershey trip to Maine. (That drawing is of Nubble Light, near my mom's house. I took a much better photo of it, but I've only got a hard copy. Stupid cameras that take film!) I made little gifties for my friends that I can't show you until later. Washed clothes and bought jeans so I can be appropriately attired for the weekend. Coordinated flights and airport runs. I totally need to work on the trip to Slovenia, but I have No Time! I've got to pack tonight and make a couple of the starts that I want to take with me. I know I still have 10 hours to do on the mermaid, but I do not want to take it where my mother will see it and demand it from me. I guess I'll just have to fail to reach that goal this month...

I am getting pretty close to finishing the blue star Santa, which will leave me with only the green star Santa to stitch. I promise to return with more interesting material.

SBQ: Rookie Mistake

How many pieces have you stitched? Out of these, how many have been for you? How many have had specialty stitches or other techniques besides cross stitch? This is a real rookie question. I stopped counting when I hit 150. I'm not the only one.

Unlike Jo, however, I still give away many of my projects. (When I was a rookie, I didn't keep any of my projects.) We do share the habit of filling the finished projects box rather than finishing the finished projects, however.

Fifty Ways to Trim Your Stash

I think it might be over between me and the iron. Things just heated up so fast...all the way to the linen setting. We were pushing it, we knew it, and now, quick as it began there's nothing left between us. Oh, we'll probably get together every now and then, but it won't be the same...

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I've read on a few blogs now that people are setting goals--stitch 50 of the projects they already own--before buying new things. But have you seen this? Love, love, love and I think I've found the inspiration for my craft room!

At any rate, I know I need to do something about the sprawl in my craftroom, so I was thinking, what's the point of 50? There's no magic in finishing 50 items, there's no rhyme or reason to the number 50 or even 25 or 10. Does it make any sense to stitch 50 charts if you have to buy the threads and fabric for 46 of those? Or, do they mean to use up $300-400 worth of what they've already got? Now that, I can get behind.

As I've been organizing the charts, I realize that I am hoarding some rather expensive kits. I have the Mirabilia Christmas Fairy, which won me over because I am so not a fairy person or a Mirabilia person under normal circs; the 2004 Hillside Sampling Folk Art needle accessory kit; a Liz Turner Diehl garden with the Madiera flosses; and about half a dozen of the Heart's Content Christmas ornament kits, and that's just off the top of my head. That's about $300 worth of product. I am going to move some of these big ticket items to the top of the stitching pile, but I am not making any promises.

I always say I'm going to go on an austerity plan and then a month passes and I'm back to spending. Why not just allow myself a few small purchases here and there rather than having to fast so I can have one big binge?

Card Sharks

I didn't get a whole lot ironed last night. Because I went to a stamping class, the Sunbeam and I just had a quickie. We'll have a more lasting session tonight.

Of course you want to see the cards we made. This was a "techniques" class so we learned/reviewed techniques that take a bit longer than can be done in the stamp-a-stack classes. We played with watercolor crayons (center), a sanding block (left), and watched chalk get it on with Versamark (right). The unholy results are displayed below. You might not be able to tell what difference the sanding block made. At first I thought it was a lot of work for not much payoff. But once we stamped on it, the linen-look of the cardstock came out. It may be my favorite!

Speaking of stamping and unholy alliances, I recently read--don't ask me where--about a way to wed stamping and embroidery, specifically punchneedle. Using a simple stamp, stamp onto the weavers cloth, and voila!, you're ready to punch. I've been thinking about trying it out. I have this pumpkin stamp...

Iron Maiden

Most of my patterns are now in the database and filed away. I decided, now that the closet door shuts, to move on to organizing the stitching fabric. (The regular fabric is going to remain jammed in a plastic tub resting on the closet shelf for now.)

I threw away all the scraps that were under 4" in any direction. I had one inch strips that I moved across country and stored for almost a year. WTF was I going to do with those? (All of a sudden I realize I could use those for scrapbooking borders! But what is done is done.) Hey, did I mention the closet door can be closed now?

I watched most of the Steelers/Jaguars game from behind the ironing board getting the wrinkles out of the scraps. Eventually, I will move on to organizing the whole pieces, but right now I am focusing on the scraps. After they are ironed, I am going to sew a tag on each piece that gives the measurements and tells what is known about the fabric. (Color? Do I look like I know what color each piece is?) And I will store it flat somewhere. We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.

For now, things are getting steamy between me and my Sunbeam.

Weekend

Chez bitch hosted madre and the friend-who-never-shuts-up . It was a lot of stress. My mother did tell me the house was "shaping up." Later she undermined that complement as she always does by saying that the dude and I were "slow-moving." Because when you leave the house at 8:00 am and return at 7:00 pm, the first thing you feel like doing is putting up toe-molding and painting trim.

I did make a tiny bit of headway on the peace tree. And while sissy took mom to church, I worshipped at Borders. I checked out Super Crafty (not for me) and Alternacrafts (I'd buy it) and a big stack of magazines. I came home with Marie Claire Idees, so I could practice my French and make foreign crafts--lots of cute idees--and BHG Holiday Crafts for the felted throw instructions. I started making a felted throw out of thrift store sweaters about three years ago for friends who moved to Montreal. Now, they're freezing in the Canadian winters and I have a big bag of felted wool in the craft room.

Speaking of the craft room, I can shut the closet door! Now that's progress!

Star shaped santa

Annemieke asked about the santa ornanment I am working on. It's designed by Barbara Sestock. It's in Cross-Stitch Christmas: Handmade Heirlooms (2002). Thanks to everyone for their comments. It gives me great pleasure to see that you're reading!

CATS Hershey

So many people are gearing up for their travels to Hershey for the CATS Festival, or whatever it's called now. Not me. Sure I live about an hour and a half away, but I'll be getting on a jet plane for stitching fun of another sort.

My friends from Camp Wannasew and I are traveling up to Maine for our own stitching weekend. I know we planned poorly: the best pal and I, we could have gone to Hershey again--and god knows I should be at the alumni reunion weekend at work--but no. bp and my two other friends have never been to Maine. I have no idea how I am going to walk the fine line of stitching weekend with showing them enough stuff to make this trip worth the time they're going to spend traveling (from DC, TX, and OK). I'll just feed them lobster. MMmmmmmmmm lobster.

I do have stitchy surprises planned. And gifties. And I'm trying to decide between a two hour back roads drive to Center Harbor, NH and all the stitchy , crafty goodness there, or a much shorter trip down 95 to North Hampton, NH to worship at the alter of Yankee Cross Stitch. Don't let the website fool you, this place is a gem!

The Photo You've Been Clamoring For

WindowGarden Designs
"Pumpkin Sampler"
Started: September 4
EDITED! Completed: September 7 Lee's right! I'm not that speedy
September 10

I love the colors--they're so 70s. Harvest gold and avocado green anyone?

I wonder what happened to this designer.

Travel Project

This is the project I have been working on during my commute since Monday. I did have to spend some time in the evenings sketching out areas to work on so I wouldn't have to count. This is how I finished up the last santa ornie. It's going much faster too.

I like the color of this one better--I love the color of the hat, but now that I've started filling in the body (I did this morning) I don't think there's enough contrast between the swirls and the background color.

The Shipping Deadline Approacheth

I've been working on this one when I have the chance in the evenings. I guess I haven't had much of a chance! It's the Peace Tree by M designs that was in an old JCO Ornament Issue. It's a Christmas present for my bil in England who I think will be intrigued by it.

I have no idea what the fabric is, but the floss is Sampler Threads cranberry.

Irony

Some days like this, when I'm super busy at work and I have been painting the hallway instead of stitching, I usually take a post I have in the can--from days when I am unbusy--and slap it up here. Today, nothing.

So here's a new feature. The Stitching Dictionary.

The word of the day is irony:

From an obituary:

She was making a counted cross-stitch project for one of her doctors with the saying: "Life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us, so be swift to love, and make haste to be kind."

She had finished everything but the border.

And the lesson:
How to live forever: don't stitch about life being short.

The Dog Ate My Homework

If I were on the ball, I could share pictures of the other pumpkin I stitched. Yes, I had to keep stitching pumpkins. I have so many patterns, but none on the walls. It had to be done!

But I haven't managed a picture of it yet. I've been making dinner in the mornings when I usually take my photos and upload them. It's a big hassle: take photo, transfer to computer, download the pictures to my jump drive, so that I can upload them at work. Phew! What a process.

Tonight, boys and girls, the dude and the bitch, they finally get the internet access from home. (The guy we've been stealing it from must have moved, and we went months without.) This is the first time we'll ever pay for access (we used to have free dial-up because we worked at a university). And you wonder why we don't have an iPod.

Mombitch is coming for a visit on Thursday, so we have a ton to do before then. I hope I can squeeze Dancing with the Stars in between chores. And of course, a little stitching...

Three Hundred and Counting

The scary thing about spending 30 minutes a day organizing the craft room is that I am getting an accurate count of the patterns that I have. I have created a database, so that I can keep track. I know which patterns feature sheep, and I can still pull everything by designer. I should so be a librarian. (One in the family, well, I'd say is enough, but I know too many librarians read this.)

Anyway, this weekend, the pattern count went over 300. If I never bought another pattern, I could stitch for twelve years. And I have Heart's Content kits and Sandy Cozzolino Santa kits still to add.

I think I'm going to have to part with some. Otherwise, I'll never be able to justify buying another pattern. OTOH, I don't want to part with some of the ones that I stitched that I kept notes on. The Wee Chicken by Heart in Hand on which I wrote the start date and finish date and "for mom." First, no one wants the Trilogy patterns I've stitched and, bored, traced the star, bird, and heart that grace all their patterns. And second, I might need it. Oh, let's face it. I am never going to stitch Homespun Elegance's Folk Art I. But I've seen how little I buy stuff for on ebay. And I don't want to sell it for that little. My ebay threshhold is $4. I don't ship anything out for less than that.

Maybe I should just open a shop.

Did I Miss Something?

It seems to me that if you are going to stop publishing your magazine, pull down your website, and fold up, you ought to tell the members of your group. Don't you think, Debbie Novak Crain?

Or is this a case that I'm the last to get the news on that?

When I'm being mean, and really, when am I not being mean? When I'm being mean, I like to think this mysterious George person made off with the cash. It's a tragic, embarrassing story that can be told about thousands, no hundreds of thousands, of women who put all their eggs in that basket.

Probably the reality is that like many small businesses it just failed. But how interesting is that? The other story has the word abscond in it. It's so much more dramatic!

Still, someone should have sent us a memo.

Stitchy Fingers

I have had the itch to stitch, and, apparently, the time. I finished Happy Bunny, Bunny Day:

The Trilogy
Happy Bunny Bunny Day
unknown 28 count linen with the prescribed floss, just needs the pink ken buttons

I even decided to start the pumpkin patch:

Heart in Hand
Monthly Mania: October
stitched on 28 ct antique ivory linen with the prescribed floss

This is the third of these that I have stitched (with August and January). I think it may be time to add these to my rotation on a regular basis.

Where Do Babies Come From?

And why do they get named such stupid things?

Rouge du Rhin kit, Me Voila. Chart only version available here.

Completed Sunday, September 3.

Laboring Over Labor Day

I tried to stay up to finish this on Friday, but I had to settle for finishing on Saturday. I just need to find a thin blue ribbon for the bunny.

SBQ: And We're Off!

What do you keep your WIPs and other stitching supplies in when traveling? Oh, it's classy: the ubiquitous Ziploc bag! Although I did actually buy myself a nice purple carrying case, I seem to keep everything in (unzipped) Ziploc bags. Easy to grab and go.

(You might be able to tell from the state of that bag, I recycle.)