Bless my needle and thread

My needle and thread are really helping cope with our current state of life.  Is it me or does everyone else feel like that have to keep touching their eyes and noses?   Maybe we are just all hyper-alert.

Most times I feel I maintain a positive outlook....always looking at the plus side.....seeing the silver lining....giving the benefit of the doubt.......being thankful for what I have.....but I have to say last Friday I was feeling pretty overwhelmed with the constant news reports.   Before I got myself wrapped around the axle I decided it would be best for me to swear off the continual broadcasts and keep informed by only watch one each morning.   In the past I've been told that I have a head in the sand type attitude but I choose to believe it is self preservation of my mental health and a maintaining a positive attitude.    Mr. Wonderful watches throughout the day and keeps me updated of any major change.  One day at a time, we will all get through this.

A bit of brightness to cheer.

We had an unusually warm Friday and I managed a couple of hours raking the leaves and pulling weeds out of a flower bed.  Even with my Air Pods in, I kept thinking about the current state of the world.   Ever the optimist, I put the tools away, came inside and picked up a blackwork project that I needed to catch up on.   I am weeks behind on the 52-Week Blackwork SAL.  I do enjoy the mental challenge of blackwork, weaving that path in and back, it proved it was just what I needed to take my mind off the news.   Win/win   I want to start a SAL with friends but I promised myself not to jump in until I was up-to-date on both my SAL's.   I had only two blocks/weeks completed and now I am starting block six.  Not caught up but on my way.

I am really pleased with what I have been able to do to  whittle down my Critical Eye Tour list of home projects.  Still to do is the never-seeing-an-end-to-it wall paper removal.   I have a love/hate relationship with this job.  Mostly hate.  It is in the upstairs hall so it is kind of out of sight/out of mind.  The second task yet to be completed is refinishing my kitchen cabinets and installing soft closing hinges when I do.    The wallpaper, I can tackle now but I don't have the supplies for the cabinets.  Today I finished the painting two 6-panel closet doors in the guest room and my craft room.  When done, I decided I needed to hang up my reno tools for now and focus on stitching. Wallpaper and cabinets can wait.








At a November class with Noteworthly Needle, we drilled foam pumpkins to cross stitch.   I finished the drilling and then stitched the pumpkin this week.

I fully finished the canvas bat I stitched last month.  

I fully finished the perforated paper pieces I did last month by adding an eyelet at the top and adding the ribbon to each.

I also finished theses two wool candy canes.  I bought an extra set after making these at an EGA meeting last year.

And I stitched and finished a St. Patrick's Day EGA project.   That is really not a wrinkle at the top center......more of a shadow.   Seems like I've done a bit of seasonal finishing.

To pass the time as I stitched I watched Anne with an E.   Last week I watched Season 1 and part of Season 2 of The Komenski Method on Netflix.   It is a male version of Grace & Frankie.  I was watching it Friday night and was hysterically laughing when my son contacted me on  FaceTime.   I was mid laughter when I answered.  My poor grandson and son were looking at me, looking at each other,  looking at me and had such a concerned looks on their faces as to what kind of fit I was having.   Between the scene I was laughing about and the looks on their faces the more I tried to stop laughing the more I laughed until the tears were rolling down me face.    My son was immediately texting his sisters that he thinks I have been drinking.  It felt so good to laugh.  Maybe that is also what I needed to break the tension.

So have you seen all the designers that are sharing patterns on the Facebook?  One of our members has put them on our guild's facebook page.   Check them out.   I've always said the stitching community is such a giving group of people.  I am so blessed to have found this tribe.

And like many of you, I've made a few Internet orders and they have started to arrive.

This is a a pdf download for a Terri Bey Lotus Box.  It is an EGA project that needs to be stitch before the fall.  This is going to be a challenge for sure.

Below are two pdf's from The Real Housewives of Cross Stitch.   Just thought these would be adorable for springtime decorating.

Next is A Robin's Discovery by Luminous Fiber Arts.   I saw this on some of the early previews from the Nashville Market and thought this was a fun, bright spring design.

This fabric is for my Ornaments All 'Round SAL arrived.

I am waiting for the delivery of Beth Seal/Summer House Stitche Workes Ladies Garden Journal pattern, fabric, fibers and finishing kit from Down Sunshine Lane.  I had a nice conversation with the gals at Down Sunshine Lane on Friday.   They were apologizing for the delay in getting back to me and said they have been overwhelmed with internet orders.   How fantastic is that.  I think it is time I stayed off shopping on the internet.  Unfortunately I think there may be more orders that I can't remember right now.

So that's about all I have since my last post.  I am excited about the prospects of what I can accomplish in the next few weeks stitching wise and especially not feeling guilty about staying home and doing nothing but stitching.

Everyone put things in perspective, stay calm, stay healthy and keep on stitching.