Followers

20 December 2007

Starting the year in review a little early.

Can you believe in less than two weeks, it will be 2008? Where did 2007 go? I started this blog last December, and I can not believe how important it's become this year. A year ago, I wouldn't have had the courage to put ANYTHING I wrote out for public perusal, and here I am, blogging happily away.

I wanted to start by saying how much I enjoy the company of my new blogosphere friends. I love reading your writings, and am so appreciative to anyone who reads my little meanderings on the world of stitching.

2007 was a great year for me, stitching wise. In addition to starting this, which I can honestly say is probably the longest-lasting thing that will come out of my stitching life this year, I learned Hardanger, which I have been wanting to do FOREVER, and won lots of ribbons at the fair. I was so honored that my HOHRH was in the judging for Best of Show at the state fair. You see, it's always been one of the things that has bothered me about myself, that I am just not "graceful", nor terribly coordinated; they made me dance in the back row in high school musicals because I could sing, but I couldn't dance my way out of a sack. And I managed this year to become graceful, and ladylike, with a needle and thread. My piece, at 30, was good enough to compete with pictures by women who have been doing this longer than I have been alive. I'm not in the back row anymore!

And also, I came this year to realize that when I think about the art that I do, it's not, "I am a frustrated actress," or "I sing, and I am trying to get into a band." It's, "I stitch. I paint pictures with cotton thread. I am a fiber artist." I can say, I never felt that I could be an artist with my needle before, and I do now. I have the confidence. That's a pretty awesome feeling.

Anyway, I am about to clean up my sidebars, so wanted to remove the 2007 finishes, since I won't be finished with anything in the next week and a half. Sandy's Magic Hat won't be done, but she will understand, she is a lovely lady. And I won't finish the terrible turkey tabletopper this year--it's temporarily AWOL, but Mom is pretty sure she didn't throw it out, so I will just let that go for now--so it's time to list my finishes for the year:

Winter's Delight-Just Cross Stitch
Halloween Window-Patricia Anderle
herb Garden-Little House Needleworks
Give Thanks for Best Friends--Secret Needle Night
Halloween Night-Val's Stuff
Country French Cat-JBW Designs
The Little Black Cat--Bent Creek
Woodland Sampler-Something in Common
New Birth of Spring--Stoney Creek
Dead of Night--Funk& Weber
Santa's Unexpected Gift-Dragon Dreams
Spring Has Sprung--Rainbow Gallery freebie
Flip It Blocks-January 2004-Lizzie Kate
Forest Snowfall-Country Cottage Needleworks
Wee Ones-Flowers--Heart in Hand
Kitty Dreams- Sue Hillis
Summer Row--Bent Creek
Emma's Garden--Plum Pudding Needlearts
Down By the Sea--Pine Mountain Pillow
Summer Window Spot- Fanci That
At Home with Jane Austen--the Sampler Girl
Santa's Journey-Margaret Sherry
Warm Water Wash--Raise the Roof
a Britty Kitty square
Fall is Fabulous--Count Your Blessings freebie
Autumn Nap-Waxing Moon
Iris and Friends-Diane Graebner

A pretty diverse, neat group, so many memories attached. Iris and Friends won second place at State, but since she was stitched in memory of Gramma, that's good. I know Grammy was watching over that picture. Summer Row was stitched on the road to Franklin, NC, along the Ocoowee river. The Little Black Cat was my first major over-1 project. New Birth of Spring saw me transition to healing from Gramma, and took the whole flippin' summer, Santa's Unexpected Gift was another award winner, and is hanging on SO's tree to remind us both that our relationship was an unexpected gift.

1 comment:

Pumpkin said...

That was a really nice post Rachel. I like the way you are looking at your craft :o) You are talented and you're part of a great network of artists.

That's a good finish list for 2007! Will you make a 2008 goal list?

I do my thing and you do yours. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, then it is beautiful. If not, it can’t be helped--Frederick Perls