Days 17 and 18

Dear Friends, thank you for your comments, for your admiration (or is it disdain?), for seeing me through my little rough patch. I appreciate your notes more than you know.

On Saturday, after I had walked the dog, picked up my eyeglass prescription, chosen two sets of goggles at Costco, dropped off two pieces for framing at the LNS sale, and picked up the joint a bit, I sat down to stitch Coussin Carres Fleurs by Blue de Chine. I've had this little lovely forever (and the fabulous fabric). I had stitched about another third of the center wreath but realized I was off by one stitch, and had to take that out. But you know what I did? I took it out. No more putting things away with a mistake. Just undo and get on with your life, right? We went to see Inherent Vice on Saturday, so that ate into my stitching time.

On Sunday, I was supposed to go pick up bagels while the dude walked the dog. Only he didn't walk her very far because of the dangerously icy conditions. I'm pretty happy I didn't head out for the bagels. I'm pretty unhappy that I had neither butter nor eggs to make a fancy Sunday breakfast.  So I ate a piece of toast and stitched. I also spent time picking up the craft room and cutting some of the fabric. (For a number of projects, I had the fabric and the design was going to take up most of each piece, but not all of each piece, and isn't it better to have those four inches to make ornaments and other smalls? Happily, I cut the fabric on the clean craft table! Woot!) This is a Ewe and Eye pattern that appeared in an issue of Just Cross-Stitch probably in the 90s. I'm stitching on unbleached linen with the prescribed Anchor floss.

Okay, kids, I'm back on track! I have a hair appointment tonight. My phone doesn't work in the hair salon so I will have some time to give my new start my full attention. 

Days 11 & 12

I am keeping up with the new start every day--though most days I feel like a duck paddling wildly below the surface! I'm doing even less well blogging my starts unfortunately. (And even worse posting on Facebook.) Long time readers will remember that I love starting and it pretty much takes me forever to finish. But right now--halfway through the month with more charts left to start--I kind of feel like kid binging on candy. I just want to take a break. I'm hoping that this will make me superexicted to start my rotation next month. My plan is to stitch one week on something I started this year, one week on something I started last year (or ealier), and one week on a small. The fourth week will be free to stitch whatever, to work on finishing, or to prepare for Craft Month.

Sadie's Stocking by Shepherds Bush was Sunday's project. You would have thought I could have gotten farther along on that one, but no dice.

On Monday, I started Ewe and Eye's Slow Poke. I had to substitute the fabric because R&R don't dye the called for color anymore. Instead I used WDW Peoria Purple. I have used the Anchor floss called for. I know it's silly to hunt down Anchor flosses when I have a full set of DMC, but there is something slightly different about the colors and I like what E&E&F chose.

They're Back!

My pictures are back from the framer. Ooooh, pretty.

Curly Q Ewe
Little House Needleworks


Ewe and Eye and Friends
Room for You
I thought I was going to frame this in a white shabby chic frame, but this one just does so much more for it.



And, ta da!!! (Wow more than one exclamation point. You never see that here.)
Good Huswife
Anna's Bird

This frame just seemed so perfect for it! I love it. This was framed with glass because I wanted to hang it in the dining room. And where there's food, there's gotta be glass.

But up against the dining room wall, I'm not so sure.


I know we'll find the perfect place for it.

Princess Sews Trim

Whoa. I guess a tutorial is in order. Thanks for the interest! I'll work on that this weekend.

In the meantime, I've been sewing trim on things. These pieces have been nearly finished for a long time. I just had to make and sew trim. Apparently, my princess self doesn't really like doing these menial tasks...I forced her.

This is an EE&F scissors fob. I think I bought it because people kept telling me that bestpal and I were two peas in a pod. She bought it too. She's probably been using hers for years. Anyway, I found that pea fabric--which is brighter than the stitching and even brighter IRL--at Keepsake Quilting, and just had to have it, even though I had to buy much more (like a yard) than I needed. I made the cord the same colors as the checked border. I like how it came out!

This was a camp project from 2005. It's Mary Garry's freebie needlebook. I completed the stitching in 2005; I think I sewed it up last year, but never got around to doing the trim. Now I have! Wow! I can bring it to camp with me next month!

I think this princess and I are going to have some more talks!

Finishing Frenzy, Picture 3

At last...another giveaway received. I think if I actually didn't know our fair winner, Lee, I wouldn't have procrastinated so much. Plus she told me she would feel bad if I felt pressure to finish it. Which was kind but maybe not motivational. (Perhaps I should make a resolution to treat people I know better, to work harder to get gifts for friends and relatives finished and in the mail.)

Anyway, I might have used bigger ricrac. Still it came out just like a corsage, which was how I imagined it. Well, it did on the second try...You can't really sew the band into the seam and expect it to work. So I made a belt loop of sorts on the back and the strap has velcro on the ends to make it adjustable.

I'm glad Lee likes it. And I'm even happier it is finally in her hands!

(PS, I know exactly how hard it is to photograph your own hand, Lee!)