Weather report......

Oh boy......I'm heading to Salty Yarns in OCMD for a much needed weekend away.  This is my semi-annual guild retreat and I have been on the fence about going.  I made the decision to go because of the pending demolition of our beloved Lankford Hotel thinking this would be the last chance for a retreat there.   Covid has actually put a monkey wrench of the demo/construction so the demo has been delayed.  It will feel so good to get away.   I can’t wait to lay in bed with the windows open and listen to the waves.   With Covid, other than two trips to my son’s I really haven’t been anywhere.  Of course, the grocery store and post office but not out to lunch or dinner or day trips or any of the retreats or conventions.   My Thursday group did start to meet again in July and after getting over the initial fears, it has been nice.   So going to OCMD is not without some apprehension.    There have been as many at 40-45 in the past; this time there will only be 10.  We had a zoom meeting to go over the Covid rules.   I think with only 10 of us, and if we all follow the guidelines, we won't have any problems.For stitching, I accepted the fact  that I would not get the lotus box done in time for the October finishing class.  I made myself a promise to stop work on the lotus box this past weekend and to get back into the Coming to America project.   When I started the pulled work on Sunday I was just so caught up in how easy it was and how cool it was looking that I kept on going.  

Finishing the fourth side, adding a round of satin stitch and some blackwork in the corners and this half will be done.  The design has to be stitched twice; once for the inside and once for the outside.  I found a nice blackwork “R” on Pinterest that is charted on the diagonal.   I want to try to see if it will fit in the center when I work this piece the second time for the inside of the box.  I am not overly concerned about the assembly.   I have the concept and I am pretty sure I can manage the assembly.    If not, I guess I could send up a weather balloon and hope a fellow stitcher can  rescue me.

The winds have settled and I managed to sail out of the Sargasso Sea and get back to stitching Coming to America.   I frogged the left end of the boat and started stitching in John Howland, the man overboard.  Due to how I stitched the 'rows', the back was looking like a meteorologist spaghetti plot model of a pending hurricane with thread ends all which ways.  It was not fun weaving them all back. 

With nothing but clear skies ahead  I plan to concentrate on this and nothing else while in OCMD so I sail back on course.

This week I managed to sew a couple of project bags.   One for me and for a friend.   I coffee stained the Coming to America fabric panel with  some not-so-good Pumpkin Spice Coffee.   Not that I don't like Pumpkin Spice; just this particular brand was yucky.   I also made some new face masks.  Way back in March when I made the quickie little pleated ones none of us had any idea how long we would be wearing them.   I made six of the more fitted style.   These have the wire nose piece and adjustable elastic cording which makes them more comfortable with a toggle to tighten/loosen them.     

Sewing projects like this are what leads to a tornado of a mess with my fat quarters.    I hate taking the time away from the project to put everything away neatly and when I am done the project, oh I am off to another already and promise to get 'back to the pile".   Since everything is currently in order, I will not just stack this on my work bench but rather I will take the time needed to put everything where it belongs!

(Footnote:   I DID put all the fat quarters away properly.)

For the yard this week,  I had hoped to  get to transplanting my strawberries and cilantro and cutting back my hydrangea.   I just couldn’t I can squeeze it is as I have a couple high pressures systems calling for my attention.   

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe, stay healthy and keep on stitching.