My Stitchalong

I really should know better than to go to the LNS with play money in my wallet. I went to get Aunt J's angel framed. Last time I was there I bought Miribilia's "Cinderella". I have seen this piece finished and always thought it was beautiful. So, I'm standing in the LNS with this pattern in my hands thinking, "Should I or shouldn't I?" Well, obviously I thought I should. So, when I went back to get the piece framed I thought that I should get fabric for it. I picked this color from Wichlett. I forget what the color is called, but it's in the purple family: For me, this is not a good thing. Once I have the fabric, then the project just calls to me that it wants to be started. I really don't want to start it yet because I have the sampler that I'm working on and I would rather only have one BAP at a time. We'll have to see how my resolve holds out. Since the angel is done, I started Z's panda. I have not gotten very fa...

After I looked at the new stash that I acquired, I had to decide which one to kit up first. So many designs...so many decisions. I decided to go with these two first: Chocolate Awareness is going to be done on hand dyed fabric called Pumpkin Pie and with Sable floss by Gentle Arts. Not Tonight, Dear is going to be done on Pink Lemonade fabric and Bordeaux floss by Weeks Dye Works. Actually, neither of these projects will be started until Z's panda, which I kitted up yesterday and have to start, is close to being done and Aunt J's angel is done. Speaking of my angel, here is an update! She has a head! And hands! And feet! I have to stitch her wings, and the dove that sits on one of the wings, and do the backstitching, and then she can be washed and sent to the framers. I love those quick projects because I feel like I've actually gotten something accomplished.

At the beginning of the year I was on the 123 Stitch message board and I went into the Wish List thread. For anyone unfamiliar with this, it's a thread where people post thing that they wish to acquire. Most people are willing to buy or trade for the things that they want. There was a woman who posted to the thread that she was looking for 14 count aida cloth to use for charity stitching. When Aunt J gave me her stitching supplies there was a large amount of aida in her stash. I really don't like to stitch on aida anymore, but I held onto it figuring that I would eventually find a home for it. So, I e-mailed her and told her that she could have what I had. Since the fabric was given to me I didn't want her to pay me for it. I just asked her to pay for the postage to send the box to England. I figured that a gift certificate to 123 Stitch would be easiest for all involved. I was so excited to other day to get an e-mail from Nancy at 123 that I had a gift certificate waiting ...

I put the final stitches in my Pirate Santa last night: This is from designer Sue Hillis and from her Post Stitches collection. I love his treasure map charm. Even MJ liked it. He said, "That's one of the best things you've ever done." Coming from MJ, that's quite a compliment. The most I usually ever get out of him is, "It's nice." I was supposed to take my Santa to my LNS tonight to get his framed, but it's snowing like there is no tomorrow here, and it's supposed to get down into the teens tonight. I spoke to my friends and we all said the same thing: if the roads get icy we really don't want to be on them trying to get home. Oh well. I guess I can always head into the shop on a Saturday. I love to read and I just finished a great book. It's called "The Other Queen" by Phillipa Gregory. This is the same author that wrote "The Other Boleyn Girl". I've read all of her books that deal with the Tudo...

You know when you read the message boards and you come across the thread that says something about enabling you? I really must learn to stay away from those threads. I have to learn to just back out of them and find something else to look at Yesterday, while checking out the SanMan Originals board I came across this site: http://www.cross-stitch-art.com/crossstitch1/asian72.htm How cool is that??!! A panda that I can have my name in Chinese characters ! Needless to say I will be waiting very impatiently by my mail box waiting for it to arrive. I can't wait to have the pattern in my hot little hands and sit and decide what fabric would be perfect for it. I have some ideas, but I'll wait to make any decisions until it arrives. Then Z comes up to me and asks me if I would stitch him a panda of his very own for his room. And he doesn't want a wall hanging this time. He would like his picture in a frame he tells me. And ordinary white fabric just won't do. Nope. ...

Well, it's Friday of the first week back to work for MJ and school for M and Z. I wasn't sure how the kids would do getting back into the school routine. They spent their Christmas vacation getting to bed later than usual and getting up later than usual, not to mention the days where they just wanted to be "Pajama Boys" all day. I have to admit that I enjoy the mornings where I'm not moving kids along to get get dressed, get their teeth brushed, get their morning chores done so that we can get to the bus stop and to the pre-school on time. Z was really happy about going back, but M was not as pleased. He got through the week pretty well, though, so I guess it went okay once he actually got to school. Now that everyone is back to work and school I remember what I like when everyone is where they are supposed to be: the quite time! Honestly, I can get more done in the few hours that Z is at pre-school that I did in the whole week and half of vacation, when ev...

I started a new project. I know that I have several that are on going in my stitching bag, but this one is for a good person. About a year and a half ago MJ's aunt called me and told me that she was giving me all of her stitching things. She has diabetic neuropathy in her hands and her eye sight is not what it used to be, and since she could no longer stitch she wanted her things to go to a good home. Mine! As I was going through the things that she gave me I came across this kit: It's called "Daydreaming Angel" and MJ's aunt commented that this is the one project that she wished she could have finished. I had always intended to make it for her, but it got packed away in a box and I forgot about it until I went thought that box on New Year's Day looking for something. I pulled it out and took a look at what Aunt J had started, but I couldn't figure out what she had stitched or where she was on the pattern. So, I started it over. I started it on 1/2/09 and...