I Finally Got to Stitch at Lunch today

Woo hoo!

First I was going to sit in the office and just work on my project, but the Internet is so distracting that I never get anything done. So I was going to go work in my car, because it was in the garage, but then I decided I would suck it up and get new windsheild wiper blades for the car, since mine are factory installed and the car IS 3 years old. So first I went to the auto parts store (yet again, I ask, why in the HELL do men seem to feel the need to handle auto repairs in the parking lots of auto parts store, cause they will, if allowed, rebuild a transmission out in front of Pep Boys). Anywho, got the wipers, and headed back. Since I was thrifty with my time on the way back, I had 15 minutes to stitch, and you better believe I stitched.

Hoping for a pic

Hopefully this works to show how Kitty Dreams looks.

It Never Ends

I am still plugging away at this chart. I am making progress, don't get me wrong, but there is so much shading, and picking out all that did not help. I am really quite annoyed with myself over that. But I know I can't kick myself over it. This is going to be really cute when it's done.

I was thinking again, trying to figure out if I could do pillows for Gus that would echo these in the chart. I don't know if I can. I don't even know if he would use them. I guess maybe if I made them out of fleece. That is one cat who can not resist fleece.

I am watching something on PBS about craft in America on PBS, I am hoping they have a textile artist on the show. But I suspect that there will not be one. And that would be kinda cruddy, because what is more "all-American" than needlework or quilting. I will keep watching.

Forgot to Mention

My mom and I were in a neat antique/folk art store this weekend, and I found a beautiful old nightdress. It had a little note attached to it explaining that it had been patched several times and that if you have little, nothing is wasted. And it was neatly patched several places. And had such beautiful crochet work around it. The lady who owns the store told us it was probably late 1800s to early 1900s. It was one of those things that you have to buy because you know your life will not be as complete if you do not have it. I thought about it, and, since I am redoing my bedroom as a boudoir, what is better to have than a vintage nightgown. I will put it on a simple old hanger, and put it up on the wall. After all,I am in good stead; Betsey Johnson, the designer, hung her bedroom with nightdresses.

I majorly screwed up

I so screwed up Kitty Dreams. I was off one stitch up at the top and it just racked up EVERYTHING. Mom kept saying it was only one stitch off, but I'm really incredibly picky about my stitching. It needs to be perfect. Not because someone would notice, but because I would notice. Anyway, I worked on picking it out last night--picking out intricately shaded motifs that have been backstitched is a bitch. But I finished the cat today, and I have one of his pillows done. The other two should not be so bad.

I did go back to that store this weekend in Somerset. I bought the other pack of Loose Threads and some charts, I even found the 20 count linen I need for A Cats A Cat. Which I thought was pretty cool.

Not much else is going on this weekend. I went to Lowe's this morning to look for a cover for the grill, and ended up buying new pulls for the kitchen cupboards. I can't afford new ones, but I can fix these. I thought if I bought some pretty stain, and stained them dark, then put these pulls on, they would be really pretty. I also was looking at paint for the kitchen as well, because I might as well paint in there if we are redoing the rest of the house. I was inspired by a pitcher Brea and I saw at Hobby Lobby, so the colors I was thinking were a rich brown for the cabinets, a soft aqua on the walls (not really a tropical aqua, but an aqua) and cream for the trim. I also had me a brainstorm, since I am redoing the dining room with half panelling and chair rail, and we've got a wonky wall in the kitchen with half panelling on it, I could continue the panelling in the kitchen.

no self control

So much for my brilliant plan. I went home last night and worked onKitty Dreams. I felt bad because I haven't worked on him at all this week at work, and he needs to be finished. So I worked pretty hard on him. He is starting to look like a cat, but he needs the backstitching desperately. There is a lot of shading in him, but he will be really cute when he's done. And I betwill not cost an arm and a leg to frame because all I have to do is have him stretched. I can get a mat and frame at AC Moore for him. But I can work on him tonight and get at least him finished, then get his stack o pillows done Monday.

I think one of my summer projects this year will be to get all my stash organized. It really is getting out of control. I found a bag of Weeks floss in a box this week. Now that must stop. Even if I can get it organized and kit up charts with floss--like Happy Camper that I know I kitted up last summer, and there is that one Ronnie Rowe cat chart--and have boxes with kits, charts, fabric and things like that, that would make much better sense. The major problem is, those full boxes weigh so much. I have to work on this. It's all getting way too overwhelming, and that is not a relaxing hobby.

I must have ADD

Or else I get myself into way too many projects. I went home last night, after the dogpark, fully intending on working on Kitty Dreams, and realized that I really need to work on the Brittercup fox that I started for a SAL with my friend Kathy. She is working on her stag from the same book, I am fooling around on mine and stuffed him in an envelope with just his paws done. So I pulled him out last night and worked on him. I decided I can work on Kitty Dreams at lunch and him at home. He is really cute. I changed the colors out because we have RED foxes, not black foxes here. So I am stitching him in Sweet Potato. I hope to have him done by the end of the month, but if not, we will say by the end of next week. He doesn't seem to be that hard, just a matter of finding the right colors to switch out the berries to. I did pull out some of my hand-dyeds that I did to use for leaves, but as always, I had to suddenly get antsy about it and not want to use them, which leaves the question, If you aren't going to use them, why did you dye them in the first place? So I may reconsider, but I will probably just end up using something else. I am pathetic like that. I guess it's the collector (lets be honest here, the packrat) in me. Then I finish Kitty Dreams, then that square for Hummingbird Trellis, then work on the Britter Critters.

That is the plan at least,

Plugging away

I worked on the cat on Kitty Dreams all last night and this morning. It's a tricky stitch, but I really am enjoying it. There is something very pretty about Sue Hillis designs, maybe because they don't require fancy threads or have to be professionally framed to be really beautiful. And the colors on this are so pretty, rich golds against aqua and purple. Any design that uses all those 200 range purples is pretty cool with me. I don't know how much work I will be getting done on it tonight, because I am using my night off from the gym to take the dogs to the dog park, but I am plugging away on it.

I think I am doing good as far as finishes this year. We are a little less than halfway through the year, and I've gotten quite a few things accomplished. Of course, my Britter Critters are not finished, and we are supposed to be getting fabric for them in July, and there is still the matter of the afghans I haven't been working on, but, still this is good progress. I don't imagine that I got nearly this many things done last year, but then again, I was doing major retail therapy because of the ex, so it was more about S.E.X. than stitching. This is the year to get stuff finished.

Finish and a WIP

These are the things I have been working on. Summer Row was my vacation project. I highly recommend this for a car trip. I am very sensitive to stitching in the car and I did not get sick working on it. The other one is Sue Hillis' Kitty Dreams. I like it because it's an orange tabby, since Gus is my oldest "son", I love projects with orange tabbies on them. This would be good in my cat bathroom.

Finally found the right fabric

After 3 attempts, I finally got the right color for my Autumn Sampler! Woo hoo. Now to get some other projects finished, so I can use it. BTW, what the heck am I gonna do with a fat half of tea-dyed Monaco, and one of buttermilk Jobelan, LOL? I guess stitch more.

I put Hummingbird Trellis down, but not forever. I want to finish Sue Hillis' Kitty Dreams. I know this is not on the 50 list, but it is a WIP and if I finish it, I can move one of the other projects into the travel binder. I really really can not say enough about how that binder is a wonderful thing to keep projects organized. I really love it. I really got my $30 out of that gift pack. I am already planning on putting Mary Hickmott's Nativity in that binder. That should protect it.

Break from Stitching

I really didn't stitch much this weekend. Saw some stitchy stuff, but didn't stitch much. We hit some yard sales, and I found a little bellpull. It was 10 cents. Couldn't pass that up. And the next yard sale had a bunch of magazines, but I didn't buy many of them. The lady wanted $1 a piece, I can't spend that on old magazines. I found one with a cool Halloween pattern. She was also selling some beautifully framed finished pieces, but she wanted $100. Aunt Susan liked them, though, so she may be getting at least one for a future holiday.

It was a long drive back though. We got stuck on the bridge into the tunnel, behind a disabled vehicle. That was pretty creepy Chance was hot. I had to turn on the A/C for her.

Day 4 of Hummingbird Trellis

OK, I am in the groove now. I am 2/3 done with Square 5. I realize what is freaking me out about this project. I was thinking about it this morning on the way to work.

Whenever I would drive to Kentucky to go back to school, there would always come a point right before I got on 68 headed west, where I would freak out. I could see the mountains ahead, and I knew it was gonna be a long trip til I pulled into the drive in Lexington. And it was scary, cause I was never sure what was going to happen to me between now and then. It was like that was the deciding point, would I make the commitment to go back to Kentucky and continue my education, move forward, and push myself, or turn around, throw in the towel and go back home. And I always went forward, because I am not a quitter! And that is how I feel about this project. I am at my 68. and I will NOT jump off

That said, don't know how much I will be getting done this weekend. I am going to Virginia Beach to take Aunt Susan's stuff to her. Chancey and I are going. It's good for Chancey to experience other cats and she's good company for me.

I can do this, can't I?

I am making progress on the square for Hummingbird Trellis. It's a lot of, well, if not confetti stitching, then dang close. 2 or 3 little squares together. But I am not going to panic. After all, this is neither the first afghan or the first Stoney Creek I have done. I did the Halloween one when I was 20 and my first afghan was at 22, and it was that stinking Pooh afghan. If I can stitch Winnie the Pooh on an afghan, this shouldn't be too bad. After all, Pooh was large expanses of one color, and this has changes.

I think my misgivings about this project are because it's just a BAP(Big A$$ Project, because I am pretty sure my friend and reader of this blog, Brea, does not know that one). I mean, I know I can handle it, I handled HOHRH, but that one didn't seem to me to be as, HUGE, as it ended up being. But it's beautiful. And I want this afghan. I want to have a project that terrifies me, that really does challenge me as a stitcher. And I have to say, I take an inordinate amount of delight in the finished square. I was looking at Square 10 this morning and thought to myself, "That is just really pretty." I can just imagine what the finished afghan will be, all covered with pretty little x's.

So I am not giving in to my doubts about this. Besides, I have too much money invested in it.

But I do have a gripe with myself. I just have ordered ANOTHER piece of fabric for my Sandy Orton fall sampler. I can not seem to find a fall-y cream shade of evenweave to use. And it's my fault. But I bought a piece of buttermilk Jobelan, it came this week, and it's not right. So I decided that, if this piece of antique white isn't right, even though I don't want to, I will work it on oatmeal aida.

Beach Combers

I also pulled Beach Combers, a really cute little kit I got at Salty Yarns in November, out. I first saw it back in May, but I couldn't find the kit. I don't know if I was just rushing and couldn't find it, or they were out of stock back then, but I got it for myself as a birthday present and it's been hanging around since then. It's really very silly, but I thought it was cute. This is the only sorta tropical feeling project I am allowing to be put in my seaside themed livingroom. I thought it would make a good pillow. Of course, I don't have a picture to post, but Salty Yarns does have a website.

Working on Hummingbird Trellis

I pulled it out last night to work on it. So far so good. I am a little worried about how Square 1 will work out because I had to frog it, but the one that I am working on, Square 5, looks good so far.

The 50 is starting to pay off

I never thought it would. But, I am really seeing a good change. I have so many projects off there kitted up, and by focusing, I think it really helps me! I bought some supplies for 3 projects off there yesterday--4 Seasons House, winter Gathering, and whatever one the snowman is for Sweetheart Company. Winter Gathering should be a quick stitch for me. I think I have some fabric I can use for the snowman, even though I have to purchase the button pack and frame for it and I can buy floss for 4 Seasons House at Michaels. I am really getting out of using overdyeds, which I know is odd because I want to sell my own line of them, but it is so much easier to run over to the store and buy the plain stuff and it's just as pretty. I am not ashamed of that. But, that said, I want to do Monkey Sampler from Midsummer Night in overdyeds. I just have to work through the list for a while. I do have to say Midsummer Night Designs lend themselves to Vikki Clayton silks like you don't want to know. I did Mistress Prim and Mistress Proper in them and it was gorgeous.

I am probably an hour away from finishing Summer Row tonight, but I am going to the gym. My vacation photos make me look like a mountain, and I attribute it to stitching too much. So I am going tonight. Besides, I can enjoy my stitching time more when its precious!

Finally home!

I got home this morning at 1 AM. My plane landed at 10:50. It was 11:50 til I got to the pay station at BWI, and then it took another hour and 10 minutes to get home. They were doing roadwork on 95. I just turned on ABBA. Might as well have a good time.

I took two projects over to Stitching Post to be framed. Nothing major, just two small pieces, but they were pretty cute. So I took over some projects to be kitted up and got a couple more charts. Which means, I have had lots of S.E.X. this week. But I don't feel guilty, I am almost done with Summer Row and I finished two projects this week. That is pretty good for me. And it gave me time to talk to Mom about focusing our efforts on eating locally. I read a really great book by Barbara Kingsolver about her family's experiment in doing it, and I think it's doable, even on a small scale. Mom said we could try it.

Checking in!

My vacation is almost over. I have had a blast! We spent the last couple days in Franklin, North Carolina, attending a gem show and going gem hunting. I bought a pair of London Blue Topaz in pear shape to have ex's ugly-ass earrings remelted and set into. And also bought a cushion cut London Blue to be made into a ring--I can use the diamonds from the earrings on it. And we found a CRUDLOAD of rocks at the mine we went to. It was the Mason Mountain mine, and for $115 for the 4 buckets of dirt we bought, it was a lot of fun. The buckets are salted, meaning they have stones that are not native to North Carolina--"Gee, how did God make them stones look like arrowheads?"--but it was more fun than the 2-cent slots, which were, before now, my defining moment of cheap fun. I even found my aquamarine! Woo hoo. I don't know if I can make them into earrings, but I will save that crafting for when we go to the aquamarine mine. I have even bought my parents a gem mining kit, which has to be mailed to me, because I have a honking big thing of stones to take home--I just know that I will be pulled aside and have to explain to security that they are ROCKS. I told my father he would go gem hunting under supervision, because I know old people, they will lose everything. Anyway if they like it, I can see purchasing them some gem-bearing dirt for holidays. Because that really is the ultimate gift for someone who has everything--they aren't making any more dirt!

And I did manage to get some stitching business done! As you remember, I was going to work on Summer Row. Well, I didn't get much stitching done either before the flight or on the plane. It's graduation down here, and we were wodged together pretty tight. I did read. But I have been working on Summer Row. I have it a little more than halfway done. It's a pretty easy stitch, I must say. I am doing it on Lambswool linen, which looks like sand. So I am happy about that. I did check out Hobby Lobby and was SERIOUSLY disappointed. Except for their fabric. Brea is going to send me some later. But we did go to Stitching Post, which you will find at http://www.stitchinpostnashville.com/, and hit the sale room. OMG. I got so many charts for SO CHEAP. Stuff I have never seen, stuff I saw on Ebay go really high. I got a couple Halloween perforated paper leaflets that give me reason to want a Halloween bush, some cat charts, several bunny charts, one that is French Farmyard animals--the opportunity to purchase a chart of a goat in a beret is not one I pass up, and a really cute fall chart by My Mark, also some other ones. That is such a nice store! Beautiful, and so tempting. I didn't even look at the Christmas ones, I figured it was best for all involved.

Anyway, gotta run for now. We were going to go karaokeing, but I just want to do laundry and veg right now. Will post pix when I get home

no blogging for the next couple of days

I think I stated this before, but I will be out of town the next couple of days on vacation. As, other than last week, I have not been on vacation and received pay for it since CATS 2005, this is a big deal for me. The downside is, this is not stitchy-related, so will not be blogging. I will instead, be gem-hunting in North Carolina. I decided that I need to expand my horizons, as there is more to life than cross stitch, work, the cats, and dealing with my crazy parents, so this looked like fun. I am a little miffed the aquamarine mine isn't open, but I can always go back next year. But in early June, cause the one thing I pride myself on, other than I've managed to get to age 30 and have never seen Princess Bride, is that I have never fainted in public, and working in the heat in summer, much like standing in line at the model horse convention, makes me prone to passing out.

So I have decided what project I am taking on the plane and will work on. I opted for Summer Row by Bent Creek. It has more color changes that Winter Row, but I like stitching colors and I can't stitch snowmen in the spring. And I bought a pair of toenail clippers to take on the plane to cut. Now I am still bringing Winter Row along, just in case I get tired of Summer, but hopefully, I can get some work done. I really do like the freedom of working on the 50. I can work on any of the 50 projects without feeling guilt. I know I said yesterday that I was going to work on Hummingbird Trellis, but I don't feel that is a vacation project. A vacation project needs to be simple, and Hummingbird is not simple.

I also started Like Feathered Wings today. I didn't get much done, because I went for lunch, and til I got back, got it ate, and started stitching, lunch was almost over. I like the colors I am doing. I much prefer grey and black horses to the browns it was charted with. So we shall see how this goes. It should be pretty.

And I finally got Virginia the dimensions for my frame for Autumn Nap. Woo hoo! I am starting to get antsy about fair entries. I think, depending on how broke I am on Monday, I am taking two small projects over to Stitching Post to get framed. I think I can afford the $25 to get both mounted. One would hope. I want to enter Emma's Garden in the fair, but not sure about getting it framed. I don't even know what color frame to get it done with. The purple and green are cool colors, but the fabric is cream. Maybe Hobby Lobby will have something pretty. They seem to have better frames than AC Moore. Or is it the fact that we don't have them that makes them EXOTIC? LOL.

Anyway, I will see you next week.

finished Emma's Garden

I have an Announcement

I am going to try to work on Hummingbird Trellis this year. Not just wuss around about it, but I am going to work on it. I started it in 2005, realized I had turned the fabric right, had to pick out the first square, put it aside, I guess I was peeved and then I got into working on HOHRH, and then picked it up and finished one square, started another after John and I broke up, and then realized it was too frigging hot in Maryland to work on an afghan. I think I was impressing myself with the fact that I made color working copies and put them in a paper folder like I used to use in college. However, I really should get that out and work on it. At this rate I will be finished sometime in my 60s, and that will mean I will be working on Nature's Home when I am 90, and based on the performance of my eyes, I ain't gonna be able to do a Stoney Creek at that age. Plus I need something that is gonna just straight kick ass at the fair.

I realize I am pinning a lot of hopes on HOHRH this year. But I think I really have a chance. But i need next year's great winner!

Too windy to stitch at the beach

I went down to Breezy Point again today. I was looking for shark teeth, but I really wanted to have a pretty place to cross stitch. I figure I deserved it after cleaning off the side porch so the new patio furniture can be delivered. Nikki-doo has already stated that she will be the official guard dog of the porch. And you will not believe what I found out there. A brand-new, still in the box, gas grill. It begs so many questions: who bought it, why we haven't noticed it out there, why it was never set up and used, and more importantly, how soon can we fire it up and get some burgers going?

But back to my story here, so I decided, after last week's shark teeth find, I would go back, find some teeth and try to finish Emma's Garden. So I drove down. OK, it was crazy windy down there. I realize the place is called Breezy Point for a reason now. I was sand-blasted. And it was cold. You don't notice these things when it's 90, you do when it's 59. It was sorta cold today. So I went looking for shark teeth. I did pretty good. I didn't find many really close to the water, most were in the dry sand, where you never find it in the summer. But the biggest one was right at the waterline. It's about as big as my thumbnail.

Update!

Down By the Sea is done, so that is another off the list.

2. Finish Stunning Irises
3. Miribilia Halloween Fairy
4. Bent Creek Summer Row
5. Bent Creek Winter Snapperland
6. AOY A Moment’s Rest
7. Like Feathered Wings
8. Summer Ball
9 . Ghost Wind
10. Cat Lovers Too
11. Will Work for Freezer Space
12. Woodland Sampler
13 Halloween Bellpull
14 Stranger in the Woods
15 Raise the Roof-Happy Camper
16 I Like Winter Best of All
17 Is it Spring yet?
18. The Perfect Man
19 A Cat’s a Cat
20 Christmas Village
21 Villages of Hawks Run Hollow
22 Cat for All Seasons
23. Calico Cat
24 Hummingbird Trellis Afghan
25 Winter Quilt
26 Autumn Quilt
27 Spring Quilt
28 Summer Quilt
29 All Hallows Eve
30. Summers To Come (Cricket Collection)
31. Nativity-Mary Hickmott
32. Beachcombin—Salty Yarns
33 Country French Cat
34. Winter Gathering
35 Kitty Cat Row
36 Lost Spirits
37. Winter Sampler—Just Cross Stitch
38. Janlynn Summer Sampler
39 Barnyard Kittens
40. Sandy Orton Autumn Sampler
41 Blossom Harvest
43. 4 Season House
44. Bent Creek- Snowman Row
45—WWS The Arab
46—Kit and Boxby—Winter Wool
47—Kit and Bixby—Summer Wool
48—Kit and Bixby—Spring Wool
49—Kit and Bixby Autumn Wool
50—New fallen Snow-Glendon Place

Well now I just feel frigging stupid

The floss that I was missing yesterday I found. In the little carrier thingy, wodged in the corner. I feel so dumb, but whew! I don't have to buy another skein of that floss. Not that I couldn't have used another skein, but don't really want to spend $3.20 on something I have. Anywayt I have it.

And I had good reason to wig out. I finished that little Pine Mountain pillow. I have to wash it before I show it off, but it's really cute. And not a really hard stitch, just last night, and today.

And I did go to the little LNS in Somerset. It's not really an LNS, just a section in a little craft shop. It's great if you like Lizzie Kate or Waxing Moon, not so much if you like other things. The lady that wouldn't talk to me last time wasn't in, there was a nice young man. I managed to get out of there with a square of fabric to do a Christmas ornament, a Lizzie Kate that I didn't have and hadn't seen, and a bag of Loose Threads, leftover threads by Gentle Art. I have to say, it was a deal I couldn't beat. For $6, I got at least 25 yards of hand-dyed threads. I thought that was pretty good. I just need to find something to stitch with them.

But I did learn, it's really hard to stitch with a very small, very loving Schipperke pushing her face into yours.

Very bad day stitching wise

My Needle Necessities took legs. I have no idea where it is, but it is not in the little case I had it in and this irks me. I can go to the LNS on Sunday, that is OK, but I want the skein I had. Even in my house, floss does not just vanish. Anyway, so I had that happen.

Then, we are going to Pennsylvania to order the flowers for Memorial Day. I have to go along for some reason I don't understand. I guess it's better I go along, as my car always comes back from these jaunts jacked up. So I grabbed up my little Pine Mountain pillow kit that I started this weekend, because I couldn't find the floss at 8:30 AM, forgetting that I wasn't coming back to the house to get another project. So now I have this kit, which I will probably finish before we get home, and that is all. There is only Walmart and this nasty little LNS/craft shop in town, where the lady was unpleasant when I was in before, so I will stuck without stitching.

And to show my patheticness, I was going to go home at lunch, pick up Cuddling Cat as a backup, and then come back, but it would take too long to get back and I didn't want to be late back from lunch because I realized I don't have the colors of floss I am converting her dress to close to the kit. ACCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK. So I will be suffering from withdrawl, but, considering I am going to start cutting back on the caffeine this weekend, I will suffering anyway, so might as well do it all at the same time.

I want my Needle Necessities back so I can finish Emma's Garden.

Finished with the Right Hand bird!

Yay, I am done with it. That is the section that was giving me so much trouble. It shouldn't take me too much longer to get it finished. I love the Needle Necessities. I think what I find so appealing about them is that you can actually be a little wasteful and it's OK. I needed some purple, and so I just cut into a section of purple. But it wasn't really wasteful because I am using the grey-ey green some other place. But even if I hadn't, it's 20 yards to a skein, this floss, for $3.20. That is 4 times the floss as one of the other brands for less than twice the price. Pretty good I say!

And I found my notebook with all my Prairie Schoolers in it. I had misplaced it, and was starting to get a little bit worried. So I have that back. I want to try to do some of the seasonal Samplers in Vikki Clayton silks. I took them along to CATS to see if we could do a floss toss, but that didn't happen. And I love those charts. But again, they aren't on my 50.

One thing I do like about the 50 is that, unlike a regular rotation, I can work on anything on the 50 list guilt free. I think this works really well for me. And I am impressed that I did 2 projects on the list already! Woo hoo.

I glutted myself on magazines

Over the last couple days, I have bought 4 magazines, downloaded my monthly issue of The Gift of Stitching, and my issue of Stoney Creek came. I ended up with both US and UK Cross Stitcher, Cross Country Stitching, and Cross Stitch Crazy. There are a couple must-dos in all of them, even Cross Country Stitching, which I do not like that much because it's religious. Now I am trying to be more religious, and I know that I am supposed to profess my faith, but I guess what I don't like is that the religious parts don't seem to really pertain to the design a lot of times and that kinda irks me. So I may do these, but I won't use the religious phrases. But there were a lot of other cute designs. I realize I need to dye some fabric and thread to do the seasonal quaker motifs.

One bummer, I actually read the rules for a design contest in UK Cross Stitch Crazy. I am working on a design, but it won't be in the size requirements. But that doesn't mean I can't do the design, I just can't enter it in the contest. But I can enter it in the fair, and, as I have said before, I value winning at the fair for my own reasons.

But I do want to see me some of the new colors of Charles Craft aida. It's pretty colors, plus there is the new marbled Aida that I want to see. AC Moore restocked the fabric, but they don't carry those colors. I guess I will have to order online.

I was INSPIRED on vacation

I figured my vacation would be a time to not focus on stitching. I mean, I managed to pass up all the stitching kits in the gift shops as I moseyed through them. I almost bought one today while I was at Arlington Cemetary that was a blue star banner, but I decided I would pass it up because I don't know anyone in my real life who is over fighting, and it didn't seem like it would be a good stash addition, at least not right now. So I was proud of that, but I kept looking at stuff while we were out and about.

Do you realize how RIFE life is with inspirational things for cross stitch? I found these three at the Library of Congress. They would make the basis for SUCH AWESOME samplers. I could even see that the one about tongues on trees would be OK to use in that Rosewood Sampler with the trees. I will have to think on this, as I am not that brilliant a designer. And I was sorta inspired to, at some point, buy one of those Long Dog samplers and stitch it in a rich jewel tone Needle Necessities on black, so it would look like a stained glass window. I had never thought like that before, but it would probably look killer.

Of course my stitching has suffered. But I can work on some tonight--I been frogging on Emma's Garden like crazy, but managed to get myself through the worst part. So hopefully I can get that done before I go to Nashville. I just have to figure out what project to take on the plane.