Kicking butt and taking names!

That is how I feel when I look back at what I got done this week in the way of stitching.     I finished my pre-stitch for the Prim Society Retreat in April. Sorry it is sideways.

This is Measure Twice/Cut Once from Dames of the Needle

I finished the commemorative piece for the event.    If we wish to participate, we can turn over our stitched piece to Carolina Stitcher for her to stitch up a project bag for us.     I am now rethinking if I want to participate in the exchange.    I originally decided no because I didn't think I had enough time and I didn't want the pressure of the deadline.   Now I don't know.

I modified slightly as I was using a gold floss left over from a kit and there was not a lot.

Because I finished my pre-stitch, I started my pre-stitch for the Betsy Morgan class at our Guild in April.    It is her Christmas Etui.

This is the finished piece as it appeared in Inspirations Magazine.

As soon as I get this pre-stitch completed, I have a Blackbird Design I want to start.   It is an oldie called Easter Parade.   Our Guild challenge this year is to stitch any design from Blackbird Designs.   Lucky for me, pattern, fabric and fibers could all be pulled from my stash.

As for my progress on the 52 Week Blackwork SAL......it doesn't look like I did much.   That is until you see below that I frogged everything and started over.   I saw on InstaGram how Stasi of Bee_Stitcher was laying hers out so I had to rethink and restitch mine.   I am glad I wasn't any further along.   This is such a great carry alone project.   I may pick this up tomorrow night to work on.    Well that is since I can't watch Outlander!  I saw the first episode this season and when I tuned in last week to watch the second, I no longer have Starz.   No notice, no nothing.   It is all in a 'bundle' and now they want more money to subscribe to Starz outside of the bundle.    I wish I could convince my husband to drop the cable and stream what we want instead.   He is afraid he will loose all his sports channels.   This cable tv racket is a crime.....hundreds of channels and nothing to watch!  OK, got that off my chest.

  Frogging blackwork has to be about as bad as frogging over one on 40 count.   It is the same banding and floss above and below just photo'd in different lighting.

For finishing this week, I Fully Finished three ornaments that have been sitting in the basket all stitched up.

Fun fun fun adding the beads.

I finished these two perforated paper designs as ornaments.   They were to be made into Pinkeeps but I eliminated the batting and will hang a ribbon on them instead.

And then I got fancy.   I spent time in my craft room kitting up stitched projects with the finishing supplies I need for each.   I pulled and matched fabrics for backings when needed, cut batting and comic board as needed so theoretically I only have to grab one and everything will be there to finish it.    I am well aware that the best laid plans often go  awry.

I can't decide on the bats or the ghosts for the backing on this one.

Not looking forward to finishing this one with all the angles. 

I've had a couple of meetings with my financial advisor and getting 401K's rolled over and brokerage accounts opened.   I felt like a was getting a mortgage with all the paperwork that I had to sign.  But it  all good.

I've managed to get myself on the stationary bike 3 out of 7 days this week.   I know, that is nothing to expect a medal to be pinned on my chest but it is three more days than the week before.    I find I don't get tired on the bike as much as I get bored.   I do have a rack on the handle bars where I put my iPad and read.   I will just have to keep at it......maybe my earbuds and an audio book.....hmmm.    Flosstube!   There you go.  I've got a plan.

I have been enjoying staying current on some of my favorite blogs instead of the quick drive by I was doing when I worked.    It is funny, when you go down the rabbit hole and check someone's blog and then check out some of the blogs they follow and so on, I found there are many blogs that are no longer active.   I guess many crossed over the Instagram or Flosstube.   It does get hard and time consuming to try to keep up with all the different media platforms.  I did find something interesting on  Stitching Dreams Blog.  Carol used blog2print to have each year of her blog printed and bound into a book.   I know I can always review my past posts but I'm old school and like a book in my hand.   What a super cool way to create a diary of sorts.   I might have to look into it and try it.

Coming up, I am off to Fort Myers, Florida to visit friends who used to be snowbirds but have become full time Florida residents.  Carol has a lot of plans for us for the week.   I'll have to share our any shenanigans when I return.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

Scheduling

I have been on a tear emptying out that UFO basket with two more finishes this week.   First, Tudor Rose needle book.  This is an oldie.   Two telltale signs are the publishing date is 1996 and it is on Aida.   I have no memory where I bought it but remember I had my daughter in mind since she lives in a tudor style home.  









I did add stitching between the front and back to create a more book-like spine to the needle book.   It is a trick I learned from Cathy Haberman of Hands on Design in a class with her a few years ago.

Second, the EGA SAL The Curious Needle book canvas piece.   This one is only a year old.  I am not a big fan of doing canvas work but I do like to do pieces where I learn something and where I am challenged.   Both have been moved to that basket of finishes to be done.   I decided to make March or April my finishing month and devote all my crafting time to finishing pieces.   I think I may need to BOTH March and April since I will be on three different trips in March and two in April.

Because I have finished five UFO's in less that five weeks,  I gave myself 'permission' to have a new start  (or two or three!)    First, there was no option but to start my pre-work for Prim Stitchers Retreat in Asheville in April.  The pattern is called Measure Twice & Cut Once from Dames of the Needle.

I also started the complementary pattern from Prim Stitchers.   The piece will be handed over to Faye of Carolina Stitcher for her to do her magic and incorporate it into a project bag for me.  Again, a must start.

Lastly, I started my Peppermint Purple 52 Weeks of Blackwork SAL.    I am only 7 weeks behind but I think catching up should be no problem.   It looks like I will need to put a border around this.   I should pick one now and stitch is as I go.   As soon as one of the two pre-stitches is done,  I have another pre-stitch I need to start for an April class with Betsy Morgan.    Once the pre-stitch pieces are done and I am up to date on the blackwork SAL I have the next five UFO's queued up
in the wings.

I needed to go back several years to find a snow scene.

Weather here has been so mild but I really wish we would have one nice snow.   I do love a brisk cold walk in the snow with the brilliant blue sky above when is actually feels warm out but you return home with rose cheeks.  I love the silence of the actually snowfall when no one is on the road and I can sit on the porch all cozy with a good cuppa.  The absence of snow and cold weather  can be soothed by looking forward to heading outside as we are expecting highs in the upper 50's and low 60's the next two days to pick up all the sticks and branches that have fallen and just generally looking and making plans for spring plantings.

I am also in the mood to get outside and work in the yard partly because we just had a sprinkler system installed and it has gotten my gardening juices flowing.   The sprinkler company will come back in four to six weeks and turn it on for the first time for us and educate us on the computer ap and the zones.   I am so looking forward to a spring and summer of not dragging the hose all around the yard for hours or the grass turning all brown and straw like.  I am feeling almost like a gentlewoman farmer who has all the heavy work handled by others!

Up this week for me is more retirement fun.   I am falling into a nice routine of two to three stitching get togethers each week!  I will also be getting ready for a nice trip to Florida next week.   As for my retirement to-do list, I don't think I have crossed on thing off the list yet partly because I need to create that daily schedule and partly because I think I have been away more than I have been home.   I know this too will settle out.   Things come in bunches so just like get-aways seem to bunch together, down time will too.  And maybe I need to say no to somethings.     ummmm, no I don't, I'm retired!   Let the fun continue.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching'.

New Beginnings....

On my commute out, I was at a red light with a
horse and buggy.   Not your usually red
light traffic companion.   

I am just back in town from a two week plus visit with my son,  D-in-L and Mr. William.  Since I am trying to keep to my pledge to finish some old old old UFO's,  I took several small projects with me to work on in the evenings once everyone was in bed.   Me, the night owl, was able to get in a good hour each evening while watching Mindhunters on Netflix.

It is hard to remember why these pieces were relegated to the basket o' shame of unfinished objects when so few stitches were needed for completion.

First up, is a Christmas in July Project from EGA.   This was finished in an hour's time. I only needed the beading and the central flower and leaves which were created using Japanese Ribbon embroidery. Certainly not a fair worthy completion but it is finished and moved to the finishing pile to be made into an ornament.

 My next finish took two nights to complete.    This is a needlepoint bat measuring wing tip to wing tip about 5 inches.   He will be finished as a Halloween ornament.....not quite sure how I will accomplish that with the stiff canvas but I will give it a shot.

My next finish is Pioneer School Girl from Betsy Morgan.    All the smalls were done and I just had to complete what will be the outside of the book.

Somewhere along the way I did something that made me off two threads when I got all the way across to the right but was not noticed until the row with the numbers.  As per usual in my side-track Robin manner I had already stitched the dividing bands and bottom and right side border.  I figured out where my mistake is.   I was consistent in making the same error on both top and bottom borders.  I will have to remember to compensate on the finishing to allow for that.....because I don't want to frog over half the border.   Well, I say that now.......but it will probably bug me and I will frog it.   Could be a good thing to do on an upcoming flight to Florida.

I also finished a knitting UFO, a small blanket for Will to snuggle with but I didn't get a photo of it.   He loves to play with his mommy's long hair, so Damma put long lengths of yarn using overhand knots are each corner for him to play with and to give mom's hair a break!

The last project I worked on I did not finish.   This is a Tudor Rose Needlebook with a publishers date of 1996.    I will not take pix of the back and share with you the carrying mess of threads I have from work done way back when I didn't know any better.    I actually had none of the black border done when I picked this up.

This is how far I got.    It is so funny to stitch on Aida again.    No cheaters needed.    Aida or not it is part of my pledge to finish UFO's.  Since this is going fast as well, I plan to keep working on it to get it done.

While in State College anticipating the arrival of the newest little family member, we took a couple of  mountain hikes in the cold air to encourage her along.

 Willy got tired.

Little Raegon arrived on February 10th weighing in at 8 lbs. 13 oz. and 21 and 1/2 inches and was greeted by big brother.  Mom and baby girl are doing great.   Will is smitten for sure.

I was able to help with cooking meals, dishes, laundry and entertaining Will.  I had a great time but Will had a rough week.   Two days after baby sister was born, he swallowed a dime.  Cause for much to worry about but no ER visit.   Then on Friday night, Will burnt his finger tips on some too hot hot fudge for sundaes we were making.   Hand in a cup of cold water for an hour and we couldn't get him any relief, and since they blistered almost immediately it was off to the ER with Damma and dad.   And as you can see by Will's get up you are never quite dressed appropriately when you have to visit the ER.   Fireman boots, Christmas pj's, reindeer hat.......what a fashion argument.   Fortunately the PA said all was well, keep it dry, clean and covered, Children's Tylenol and follow up with the the pediatrician this week

.

Yes, just another chapter in the Thompson Archives.    It was really a great visit but at the same time it sure felt good to sleep in my own bed last night.   I did arrive home to find a delivery from Sassy Jack's with two pieces of 28 count banding.    I am starting the Jeannette Douglas SAL in collaboration with Sassy Jack's and I want to do the Peppermint FB SAL of 52 weeks of Blackwork.   I want to do both on banding.   One started January 1st, and the other February 1st.    I am determined not to start yet another project until I finished the Tudor Rose needlebook!   If the two SAL's are my focus, I am sure I will be able to catch up.    As for the Jeannette Douglas SAL, Sassy Jack's has YouTube class videos I hope to watch tomorrow and make notes so I can jump right in.  I am thinking by week's end I will start.

As for retirement so far, I am loving it.  I have been able to keep up with reading everyone's blogs and able to comment as well.   I haven't had a chance to cross any household tasks I had planned to tackle off my list yet but then again, I guess if I stayed home and managed to string a couple of free days in a row, then I could.   What is it my retired friends say, ..... it will be there tomorrow.   OMGosh....I guess I have settled right in retirement already.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.