Jumping Jiminy!

It is cold out there and blustery too!   A week ago we were without coats....and now, double brrr!  I guess I should just cuddle up on the sofa and stitch!  We stitchers you know we don't need much coaxing.

So nice to have a weekend to myself.   It allowed me the time to get ready for the family coming in later this week for Thanksgiving.   Let's see in 3 days we went from four for dinner to 10 or 11.   It's all good.....you know how Turkey Day is and I doubt I will cook any differently.  I will just put more plates and chairs at the table.

I took this WIP to the next step.   I bought this last spring to finish and put in my dining room when I bought the new chairs with the black finish.  I cut everything and ironed on the interfacing and then put it aside.    Yesterday I peeled the backing and ironed the individual pieces to the ground fabric.   This will be a great take-a-long project because the blanket stitch is mindless.   I need to discipline myself and load only three needles and vow to stop when I exhaust that supply or I will never make progress on some other WIP's, like...

on Grace Mason.   Seven of us are doing this one.   Two ladies are completely finished and framed; 4 of us are at about the same place with me slightly bring up the rear of that middle group; and one hasn't started.    

It has been helpful to have  some ahead of me to give me pointers.   Each lamented about the 4 sided stitch and I thought What?  It's just a four-sided stitch...trust me it seems like you are stitching four-sided stitches forever.

Then there was general grousing about the curly-ques around the letters in the next band....and again, I am thinking, what's the big deal?   Now that I am there.....yuck!  It is not the stitches but it is the difficulty seeing the placement on the pattern.

So far only a little bit of over one but I know there is more to come further down the pattern.

Yesterday's post from Needleprint shows what they called 'sister samplers' from the Feller Collection going to auction at the end of the month that have very similar bands for the upper half of the piece.  Grace didn't date this piece so it is interesting to see similar works and maybe try to put together a history.




All and all I am happy with the progress I have made since I took Grace out of time out.  Each of us has changed something:  the linen color or count, the shades of green or red, etc.  I think it will be neat to have all 7 photographed when we are all done.  Maybe we should make it 8 and include Susan who inspired us to all do this.  I'll put that out there on the 2015 to-do list. LOL!

So guest rooms have been cleaned and made ready for company and I am ready to bundle up and head out to do my Turkey Day grocery shopping and then back to an evening with Grace Mason.   Happy Thanksgiving All!