Snow Day?....I'll take it

Well.....got the message last night about 9:30 that the office was closed today because of snow.   As I start typing, nary a flake.....but Ill take a day of sweats and stitching any ole time.

So what's up with me.......work load has substantially DECREASED and I am still getting accustomed to feeling like a human again and not a Stepford employee; kind of a little leary about getting too comfortable in case this is a momentary blimp on the radar of my job.   But again, I'll take the hiatus.

Now with all this 'extra' time, I have been getting in to things.....like that wallpaper removal job I started YEARS ago and work and life and everything else got in the way.   I have managed to spend an evening and a Saturday afternoon devoted to resuming the nasty task.   All I can say is that I did a damned good job putting it up.  Maybe I can put in another hour this afternoon.    Convince myself that it is 'lifestyle activity', a form of exercise.
















Last month Challenge Piece #3 was completed.   It is Halloween Quaker from Lila's Studio.   I am pleased with the finish and the finishing.




Since I finished the Monthly Challenge piece I had the hardship of replacing it with a new piece.  Hey, we do what we'll got to do, right?

Katherine Beringer from Summer House Stitchery Workes.

It has been a fast stitch but now it is time to put it aside for a new EGA Challenge piece.

This month's Challenge Number is Project #1.   It too is a new start.  It is  called "Nesting"  from KathySchmitz.com.   I pulled fabric and threads from stash.   I choose the WDW Molasses rather than a blue because I just liked it against the fabric and maybe because I recently updated my inventory ap and have 6 skeins of Molasses. How does this happen?   Nice to have used that extra hour and a half less at home each day to be able to one evening make the update.     When I finish the stitching, I am going to turn this into a project bag and it will be my exchange piece when I go to the Prim Stitchers Retreat in May.


I have read "Where the Crawdads Sing", excellent and am now reading "The Beantown Girls", also very good.



I have also caught up and moved ahead a week on the bi-weekly quilt block challenge.    I got the brilliant idea to start sewing these into rows as I go rather than wait until the end and be faced with 75 blocks to sew together.   That meant I need to sit with graph paper and chart out placement.    After a few misses, I finally came up with a layout that doesn't put any of the blocks in the same row or column or too close to each other.   My plans always seem to make sense in my head......it is just the execution that sometimes goes awry.

For each block I use the same fabrics but change up the placement when I can.   So far so good.   It really feels good to make such progress on a block at a time at a time.  Not sure how that dark blue in the 4-square patch is going to fit in.......might have to rethink the dark blue and it could just be how it photographed.

My daughters and friend started our 12-Days of Christmas SAL.   This is taking me out of my comfort zone.   Lots of felt pieces, all embroidery......not that it is difficult it is just taking that first step to start.  From the stack 'o felt you buy, the color choices for each piece are up to you.   I saw the completed set done this past fall and was sold on making them.   The SAL is two ornaments every six weeks which is totally doable.   There is a lot of stitching but these are quickly becoming addictive.  A great lunchtime project.   I think I will hold off on any other photos on this babies until they are finished.

 The Partridge and the Pear from Larissa Holland on Etsy.

That's what's going on in my neck of the woods.....and as I look outside, I see the snow falling albeit not yet enough to close the office, but, like I said, I'll take it.........the day off will help be get bedrooms ready to a visit from Will this weekend.  I wish I knew how to upload a video from my phone to share this little tike of 30 months on hopping off the ski lift and skiing down from it ....with the help of his mom of course.   He was so excited, yelling "I did it".  Damma never was able to join the other reindeer  and play games so I am so excited to see it.   Good thing videos on phones don't wear out from viewing like old 8mm movies used to because if they did, I'd done worn that video out already!

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching'.