December!

 I hope everyone stateside had a Happy Thanksgiving!    Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and this year did not disappoint.   We were all together again at my house.  There was that nasty pandemic thing and also for several years,  the middle child has stayed in Massachusetts and celebrated with friends. This year she came home for the week.

There were no cell phones at our table, but we did have a little fashionista.  Aunt Heather gave Miss Raegan some costume jewelry and she had to put it all on right away and leave it all on all day.  

I do admit I got myself a little wrapped around the axle and in a tizzy at the end of November/beginning of December.  All of a sudden  it was the week before Thanksgiving.  

You know how is goes when you start thinking of all the things you have to do and don’t know when you will get them done?  And this person wants something from you and another person wants something else, and someone guilts you into something, and you have your own list and you’re supposed to somehow fit it all in.   I needed to drop back and punt.  It was time to stop everything and just kind of review and plan what was needed.  I made my list and prioritized it.   It is the only way I could 'unwind', get it all done, see progress with increasing check marks for  completed items and feel in control of what is a sometimes out of control week!  I had just  run amok for a bit.   Not too much of a control freak am I?  Or too many years as an Executive Administrative Assistant and using that Franklin Covey Planner I guess.

It started with some texts.  I am doing an advent exchange with four friends and they were all trading texts about shipping  their boxes!  What!!  I hadn’t even wrapped my gifts!  What am I saying, I hadn’t even finished the construction of my gifts!    I’d better rethink how I use that  list  that I believe keeps me on track because “wrapping” has been on my list since August so has the ‘construction’ of a couple of the gifts.    Maybe #1 on the list is to CHECK the list.    Taking a realistic assessment of what I had to do I could see it wasn’t that bad.    I spent an afternoon to sort and wrap up to December 11th for all four exchanges.  I spend the next afternoon figuring out what I still had to construct and got started.    In four days, I got things constructed, wrapped and shipped.  Things do get easier if I just stay home a for a few days to get things done. Why is that I so often BLOW the task up in my mind to something bigger that is actually turns out to be?    It’s true, every journey begins with one step and the first step I must take is jumping over the hurdle of my avoidance……I just needed to jump in and do it.

Since middle daughter was here for a week and since we were delaying our Thanksgiving Dinner to Friday due to work schedules,  she and I had a mini-sew-a-thon.   It is great to be able to leave everything (and the mess) set up for several days straight.  This is when I was able to get those items constructed; and was able to trim, press, and interface four cross stitch pieces for finishing.  

I helped her make her layer cake of backing, batting and top and then helped her quilt this quilt.   She made and attached the binding and took it back north to hand stitch the binding down.

She also made this banner style wall hanging.   Don’t you just love that grumpy cat face?  She took some Kreinik and some Etoile floss to stitch whiskers.

 

I didn’t do any work on my Block-a- Day Quilt.   Boy oh boy, am I on a hiatus on this one or what!  It’s only been 6 weeks since I  dropped the ball but it seems like it was six months.   13 blocks left to cut, sew together, assemble and I will be done.  I am taking the pressure off myself and I am not worrying about finishing it after the first of the year.  A good two or three days will do it.

As for stitching, I have made decent progress on Garden of Stitches as well.   I hope to get another big chunk stitched by the end of the month.  It is such a pretty piece.   I need to finish that row above the WXYZ  and I have the large flower basket under the WXYZ and I will be done. There are some other little things - like satin stitches - we were to leave to last that I will have to go back to complete.

I did fully finish HOD’s Costume Party.  This was a mystery SAL in September.   I added the purple beads for what my mind sees as bubbles coming out of the witch's brew.  I also added some JABCO buttons from my stash.   Why save them, right?   I might do a stash dive and change the ribbon to a purple.

I am in the homestretch for the Civil War Huswif, from Linda Vinson.  It is from a  July Guild program.    I used my grandson’s name and 1st Pennsylvania represents him being my first  grandchild and he lives in Pennsylvania.   I only need to finish the flag that is taking forever. 

The Liz Mathews Tree was a project she created for my Delaware Guild.   We pre-stitched the piece and part of our November meeting was dedicated to the assembly.   Liz was a great teacher and I was able to work right along with her via Zoom and have my tree done by the end of the meeting.  

I stitched this Jeannette Douglas Design last winter and fully finished it this weekend.   I need to glam it up still with some ribbon and a sprig of greens.

 I stitched and finished this cute little ornament that was one of my Advent gifts.

I also stitched and finished this perforated paper pumpkin from my Shaker retreat.   This one and the bird above were stitched and finished in a day.  I have one more holiday finish I hope to work on tomorrow.  The piece is stitched, pressed, interfaced and finishing fabrics chosen.    I have the incentive of Show and Tell at my EGA this Thursday which is motivating me.

The first weekend of December I participated in Jingle Ball.   It was an online event put on by Lindy Stitches.   The concept and the execution were  very well done.  There were 10 or 12 designers participating.  Cathy Haberman, Linda Stoltz, Janis Note, Beth Seal, Stephanie Webb to name a few. They had Meet and Greet zoom rooms with each designer, lecture rooms, online classes (which sold out in seconds), finishing tutorials and of course, a merchandise mart.  A girlfriend spent the weekend and we stayed up until midnight catching up chatting in zoom rooms with friends from all.   We drank Mimosas and stayed in our PJ's all day.

Made some new friends, chatted with designers, was able to order show exclusives, saw previews for the Nashville Market,  and just enjoyed the weekend long event.   It was a bargain for the $10 ticket price.  

Back in August, I  gifted myself the advent stitch from Moonfeathers in Denmark.   It is an embroidery project.   Each day I open another little bag and stitch with the directions and fibers inside.   The design is outlined like a Christmas tree.....time will tell what the finish will be like.

My (current) plan is to start the Jackie DuPlessis piece from my September  Class on New Year’s Day.   This piece and working towards a finish on Land That I Love by Teresa Kogut are my ONLY 2023 stitching plans......oh fear not,  I am well aware something will come along and cause me to stray.....this stitcher has no will power.   In fact, I am intrigued by the WIPGO SAL many are joining on FB.   Since I want to stitch on ALL the things at once, I need someone to be the director of my  chaos and tell me what my assignment is for the month.   And of course, a class, a retreat, a new design that everyone else is doing will easily divert me from my appointed path.    Oh if only I could be monogamous.   There is slim chance I can stick to my pledge to only have a new start AFTER  after  two finishes.........  I know all my plans are likely to be feudal.   Too many projects and too little time.  I got nothing people.

Thanks for stopping by, stay healthy, stay happy and keep on stitching!

   

Retreat!

And not the kind where you turn tails and run.   Unless that means running towards a great week at the beach with friends and fellow stitchers.  I am starting to laying out things on my dining room table to pack for my Friday travels  First up, is my semi-annual Guild Retreat followed by Jamboree at Salty Yarns the following weekend.   So it is a no-brainer to stay for the days in between.   Four of us rented a house of sorts…..It is a house that is part of the Lankford Hotel complex.  Sadly to say this may have been the last time we will get to stay there.  The Lankford has been sold and none of us know what the future will bring with the new owners.   We have been blessed and so very fortunate these last dozen years or more to a twice a year retreat at the Lankford. We have been catered to by those who own and run the hotel and all the other rentals.   So many memories of good times and so many good friends made.   We wish the family well on their next endeavor and look forward to a bright future for Sally, Sara, Mary and their families.

I am still encountering problems now and again with posting comments.   Shout out to Cathy B of With Needle and Thread - Sounds like a great road trip and retreat you attended.   And to Sue at I’d Rather be Stitching - Loved your tribute to the Queen.   She may be your Queen but just know she was loved world-wide.   And Carol as the Polka Dotted Chicken…just love seeing your quilting projects and your seasonal decorations.   Especially like your chicken with the party hat.  LOL

I have to tell you I am a bit happy with myself.   In early September I told myself, “Self, you are going to concentrate on some WIP’s and get them done!  No new starts!”    I  finished Red February.     I am not sure how I want to display this one but it is a finish.

Next I finished Christmas Rules by Primrose Cottage.  I am very happy this one is done and ready to fully finish for this year’s holiday season.

I managed the pre-stitch on the Friendship Tree, free pattern from Hello from Liz Matthews.  My guild is doing this as a one day Round Robin at the end of October.   I have the basket done and border outlined and I am ready for our first in-person meeting in over 2 and a half years!   I will pass it to friends at the meeting who will add flowers to my basket.

I want to stay on this path of wrapping up some loose ends on some UFO's but sadly I have to admit to a new start.  Not really by choice  and in my defense but by  truly my setting myself up.    I promised a friend I’d start the Civil War Huswif from Needlemade Designs so we could work on it together.   Well, when I set the date of October 15th as a start date it seemed so far away and YIKES! It is almost here and start I must do.   It is also on the dining room table waiting it's place in my luggage.   There really is not a terrible amount of stitching in this; the work lies in the assembly which is where she wants the help.  I also have the pre-stitch for a Guild project wee are doing at our November meeting.   With only two projects I should be able to make great progress.

October also brought me closer to finishing my 100 days 100 blocks quilt from Gnome Angel.   (I think I sewed #65 this morning.)  The ten minutes a day went out the window once I decided to add the sashing to each piece as I constructed them.  I then decided to start sewing the 4 x 8 and 8 x 8 sections together to make bigger blocks.   When I had enough blocks constructed, I sewed the 10 prepared blocks into a column joining the columns together as I could.   Taking little bites out of the work rather than saving the assembly until the end and trying to eat the elephant all at once is working.  Hopefully it means the quilt top will be finished not long after the last day.   I am looking forward to meeting with the gal that I will have long arm it and letting her do her magic.   First 40 blocks are assembled below.  I have the next 'column' assembled and ready to attached.   My selection of fabrics is from Aunt Grace and some solid kona cloth.   Aunt Grace fabrics are kind of 1920's - 30's style prints.  Best I can guess after adding borders, etc., this will be a queen size quilt.

I took the smallest amount of time to work on finishing.   This embroidered fall pillow was colored and stitched years ago.  I think it is called "tinting".   You actually use crayons to color the fabric and then iron to set the crayon and finally embroidering the outline.  (other steps are involved, so don't just try to color and iron.) I just never took the time to finish it.   It took less than an hour to machine sew,  turn, stuff and stitch the opening.   Why ask why……I’ve got nothing people.

So you may wonder where this motivation came from…..well truth be told I really want to start my Jackie DuPlessis project.  I promised myself that I would clear up some projects RATHER than drop them into the abyss of the Basket o' Shame.  Another motivator was  looking at my list of finishes for 2022 and it was kind of sparse.  I felt the need to put myself into high gear and get some of the dangling projects moved to the finished column.   You know, the ones you loved until something else shiny came along..   They also seem to be the ones that you pick up and say, hmm, I was so close why didn't I finish it?  I have two advent SAL’s starting December 1st and  I want those to be my only stitching obligations in December.   Come January, I will be able to start the Jackie piece with less guilt of what I have left in my wake.   That’s not to say there are still many o’ projects half finished bobbing in the water or totally washed ashore as I jet skied my needle through the fall. At least I can feel like SOME have been completed and moved off the to-do list.  

I am kind of in a movement now and think I  time might be well spent wrapping up some more WIPs’.   I have a retreat in Enfield, NH at the beginning of November and need to pull out a couple of WIPs to take with me.  One will be my year long SAL, Garden of Stitches.  I got a lot done but stopped at the last part of the September assignment.  I'm also in the finishing mood but I am saving that until November.

I told myself it is not necessary to have a new start at every girls weekend or retreat I take.  That's part of how I got into this mess o' projects.  And yet somehow I am starting the Civil War Huswif by Linda Vinson.   Ugh!   I digress……alas, there is no hope for me….

As always, thanks for stopping by.  Keep safe, keep healthy and keep on stitching.