Framing Issue!

For the first time and probably the last time, Mr. Wonderful volunteered to pick up my framed project from the framer...... Here it is.....my Nan Tyson Euler class piece, Between the Sheets.  At first glance it looks OK.  Taking a closer look......since this is a sampler there are distinct horizontal lines making the poor mounting and waviness so very obvious.  

Placing my lucite  6 x 12 ruler on it really shows the poor quality.   Even without clicking/enlarging the pics you can see the waviness.   I immediately called the store and left a voicemail.   I don't know what my options are or what their policies may be since it was picked up does that mean the work was accepted?   

 I have taken my pieces to them for years and have recommended them to my friends for years and told them as much in my voice message!  They are only open to the public on Friday/Saturday/Sunday so I may not hear from them until the end of the week...... So I guess I can see why Mr. Wonderful will never be picking up a piece for me again.

If they won't remount the piece, guess what, all the business I have sent their way will go the way of the new framer I find!  And if I have too, I will take this somewhere else to be remounted because now it bugs the crap out of me.   This piece has been the piece from HEdoubleHockeySticks!  I was so happy to have conquered the wonky instructions and the too few supplied threads and now this!  drat!  Oh it won't get me down.....I'll just start something else.

The lines on my ruler are a quarter in apart and you can clearly see a quarter inch deviation in the stretch of 3 inches.

Why are some weeks more hectic than others?

Stitching - Not much stitching going on here, or rather not much cross stitching.   Stitching of another kind has been happening.   My second quilting class - Yikes! - talk about precision!  The teacher is great but if we are off more than 1/32 of an inch we need to start over.    All the cutting, measuring, re-squaring, measuring and cutting again all before SEWING.  And then the sewing can but off.    Selecting fabrics was hard enough.  The work is tedious but the rewards are going to be great.   I am not a precise person.  I am organized, neat, anal and an overachiever but not precise.   Fortunately or unfortuately I have been sewing for years with the unfortunate part the potential for years of bad habits.  This is going to be a challenge.  But I am taking this class with two friends from work so it is all good.

Other Stitching - Sew I decided to whip up some cute little card wallets for the girls at work for Secretary's Week.   Here is the first one....still need to slip stitch and get the snap on.   It is too too cute.   I have a bunch cut out and ready to stitch up.   And still more fat quarters picked and ready to cut.    I hope they like them.

And even more Stitching -  I am so close on my Between the Sheets Sampler.   I just need some thread and needle and linen time.   Oops!  It is sideways!

Last week was a series of evening classes, evening meetings and dinners out so it was collapse on the couch time and get the DVR going to catch up when I finally found my way home.  Of course I was either too tired to stitch or promptly fell asleep in the upright position!

Weight Watchers -  Great numbers again this week.   Down 3 pounds.   Unfortunately I went on a food frenzy on Wednesday-Thursday-Friday.   Hopefully I am back on track today and will get in some treadmill time at some point today.  Between my schedule last week and my time being stretched to the limits and Mr. Wonderful being more like Mr. Crab-cake all week I fell into the old habits that helped add those pounds I so deparately want to shed.    I found a really easy reality check......when I sit at my dressing table in the morning (in you know, with next to nothing on) all I need to look to the right at the far end of the walk-in closet and see that ghastly reflection in the full length mirror and I vow - I don't want to look like and feel like that person I see in the reflection.  So today, lots of water, lots of movement.

And if there is not enough news on the stitching front -  I snagged a pattern off my wish list.  It was on back order from Stitching Bits and Bobs and I was excited to find it in my mail.   I have fancied this pattern for years but it seems like everytime I would try to pick it up, it was out of stock at my LNS.   But I have a twist, I want to sew the spools in a variety of pastels.  I have several Christmas pieces and would like to stitch this for my sewing room.  This is one I want to start on my retreat in May on Ocean City, MD so I'd better get moving on my gradulation sampler finish too because I won't start anything new until I have another finish.....sew many sew close!

SEW SEW SEW -  I am wasting precious good weather time outside ........messing about with the internet and blogville.

The old adage....ask a busy person...

EDIT WITH WIP INFO at the end for those who asked.

well I am that busy person.   I have taken over the Treasurer's position for one of the groups I belong to.   I have been wading through the jumble of papers since I received them Wednesday night.   I know everyone has their own method but to me, the papers were really a jumble.   I am putting everything in Quicken.   My prediceasor (sp??) was using Quicken as well but I want to start fresh going back to January 1.   I need to make sure everything is categorized in a sensible way to make it easier for when we do our final report on our grant as well as when we apply for our next year's grant  money.   In defense of the former Treasurer, she is new to our organization, has not worked with our grant before and just was named the president of another organization.   hmmmm, seems to bring back the memory of when the kids were in school and you saw the same few parents, sometimes in different roles and sometimes not, at the Soccer meetings, the Boy Scout meetings, the Yearbook meetings, the PTA meetings, the Project Graduation meetings.   You get the idea.  It is always the same few to seem to be the doers. 

I have been trying to tick and tie the paperwork and enter the info into Quicken. After a couple of hours, I relented and my other passion spoke to me......the great outdoors.  All the leaves are rakes and ground cover is ready to grow.

Big Fat Mr. Squirrel did well for himself over the winter. My pond!  I am amazed each year that the fish have made it through another winter.   Not bad for $1.99  Walmart fish.   

Some of my tulips!  These were from my parent's yard so they are special. 

A view down the side property line with my pond this side of the Xmas tree and Mr. Wonderful's Man Cave straight ahead.One of several arches we have erected over the years to mark the entrance into the woods and trails behind our house.Don't you just love the way the laundry smells after being on the line all day?  The camera just missed everything blowing in the breeze.And I have managed to stitch a bit but I am sure looking forward to my pj's and the return of Army Wives tonight.    This section with the four quilt like motifs is what appealed to me with this sampler.   I hope to have it complete by my guild meeting in May.  I'm close.  I'd better set up the DVR in case all the fresh air has me nodding off early.    Update for those who asked about the name of my WIP ......OK, so my WIP is a class piece from my Guild.   It is called Between The Sheets and was taught by Nan Tyson Euler.   She is from central PA I believe but I do know she teachs for EGA.  The class was two days and included all the supplies, linen, floss, etc., instructions on how to paint the linen at the bottom section where the house is stitched and a lecture on the history of the bedroom and its importance in the home. No no no....get your minds out of the gutter ladies!   It was all about how the bedroom was not private but rather a gathering place.   She shared a lot of historical info and anecdotes about the Germantown and Chestnut Hill sections of Philadelphia.   I enjoyed the class and have enjoyed the stitching the piece even more so now that I am getting closer to completion.   Anyway, check out the other photos by using the Nan Tyson Euler labels (now that my posts are labeled.)

Progress and great things to look forward to!!

Had a bit of trouble trying to change my header photo to one of Iris' from last spring so what you see is a HINT of spring! 

So here's my  progress on my Nan Tyson Euler sampler.   Had to do the teensiest bit of frogging on the upper left border where I made the corner  to start the border across the top.   Mis-counted somewhere along the left side and would not have had enough room to stitch the four quilt-like sampler motifs.  I sure am glad I had not completed the entire top border!    Thank goodness for small miracles.    Whew!    After finishing the row of stepped herringbone I was still not any bigger of a fan.  I thought all that messing about for not much of a show.  

Speaking of messing about!  makes me think of Len Goodman of Dancing With the Stars.  (DWTS)   I confess to being a big fan.  What's up with sending home Shannon Dougherty?   First and foremost my disclaimer that I could not even dancing if electrodes were attached to me to jolt me for the proper steps on a floor with numbered footprints so I give them all credit.   Shannon seemed to be enjoying herself and was no where near as stiff at Kate Plus 8.  Oh well, it is why I am not a judge!

Now for my Sewing Room Treasures, I have been stitching on it but I seem to jump all about.  There I go messing about again.   A lot of movement and not much substance! I need to stick to one section to complete it and be able to see more visable progress worthy of a photo! 

I had thought I might finish my SB April but I was torn between my love of the yard and my love of stitching.   Here's a peek and fingers crossed I can finish today! 

Next, my diet plan is not working so I have joined Weight Watchers.   It is the only diet my family physician supports and I know it works.   I have been telling myself I could do it on my own but alas, I accept I can not.    I can't go wrong with this!  It is at work at lunch time and as part of the wellness plan, the Company pays 1/2 of our 15 week fee!  Weeeeee!  See what I mean?  It would be silly not to sign up.

And last but not least for today, I have signed up for a 6 week quilting class.   I have sewn forever and had all the sewing classes in high school.   I made quilts for the kids when they were young.  But I did it without any training.   I just did what I thought was right.   You know the valuable tricks and tips you learn in a class?  That's what I am hoping to take away.   It will be fun every Tuesday night to look forward to it!  My daughter and I attended the AQS in Lancaster PA last weekend and I guess it got the creative juices flowing!

Happy Easter all and a great week for everyone.   Thanks for stopping by.

Week 13 - My Small Changes

The Queen of Unfinished Projects so aptly decribes my path.    Although not a revelation...me thinks it is time to do something about it.     I kind of got a real wake up call when I putting away my new purchases from last week and even though I know I have a STABLE Stash I was almost - I say almost - horrified at the sh$$load of STUFF!   This is even after weeding it out.   I kind of made a pledge to myself not to start anything new - key word start; no mention of not purchasing.    I have noted before that if there is such thing as a crafters ADD, I have it!  I start many a project with whole hearted zeal and somewhere along the line I become bored and start something new.   This is not limited to stitching.    Ha!  if only.   Let's see I had, just had to paint the bathroom last August.  I am happy to say I completed it, sewed the curtains and installed the crown molding.   But did I caulk the molding......well I started to.....and the bedroom I painted in February - walls and ceilings finished but look at the baseboard!  Seems I got to the corner where the paint cans and sawhorse were and I stopped. 

In spring, I have a heart to heart with myself and walk from room to room making a list of what needs to be fixed, patched, touched up, etc.  Well it is now time and my list is long.   To that end, I have two cross stitch finishes this week and a cross stitch resurrection!   I finished the stitching on the Dinah name tag from the Nan Tyson Euler class months ago, but I never 'finished'.  So this week I did.  I started to add the little picot edging but I was doing such an uneven job I knew it best to frog and move on, lest this project remain on the unfinished list.    Next I finished Bent Creek's Americana Blue.   I mixed it up a bit since the pattern called for dated it and the year in the chart was 2000.   This is the second in a series of three that I have completed so the framing will be waiting until all three are done.   Given my current mission, who knows when that will be....since I am not STARTING anything new until I FINISH a few more.     Granted, some of the items in my WIP pile are non-doers!  They are things someone else started that I don't have my heart in; they are class projects to complete; a wedding sampler for a couple who broke their engagement....I mean how can I finish that?

So in this quest to tie up the loose ends, I came across this beauty.   All I can tell you is that it is a Sunset design  and I know I was stitching on it 15 years ago!   I still like the design.   Although the fabric is stained I plan to stitch away and hope to tea stain it when complete.  It is in my current works basket along with my Between the Sheets Sampler.    This is where I am going to dedicate my time!

Another finishing project......I was in the monthly Shepherd's Bush several years ago.   Once I completed each month......I did nothing with them put them in my finishing basket.  And there they have sat with their respective fabrics.   My plan is to finish up in the next couple of weeks April, May and June in little fanfolds for my desk at work.  Seems I have stored away April so well I can't even find it!  Join me in completing projects! 
Be part of the WIP Project.
1. Post here info about your finishes and I will have a given away on May 1st.  
2. Not necessary to link to my site but you can.
3. Not necessary to be a follower but you can.
4. Post a reply to this post about a project you've have in the pile for a least a year that finally finished it.
5. Your name will be added one time for each older project you finish between now and May 1st.
6. Be sure to include your contact information.   
I will have to provide an update of what the give a way will be since the idea just popped into my head this second!   There I go again, starting something anew when I have a pile to still do!  Just think how good you will feel to get one of those items done/completed/finished!

And then there is the TUSAL!  How can I not even complete that challenge!!!!  At the rate I am adding to the mug, I may need to transfer for a different container.  Now to catch up on all the lovely posts and emails.   I have been lax this week on emails and postings so I have my work cut out for me.   

So for this week, I vow to finish two things on my list before I start anything new and hopefully I will be able to post a lot of finished over the next month and be able to start something new.   I always start something new on our retreat in May so that is my goal!

Wow - What a week!

Working backwards from yesterday..... I had a bus trip and I was so excited to go, I kept waking up all night for fear I''d oversleep and miss the bus.  Yeah, sounds like I have no life.....oh contraire'.   Anyway, I took bus trip to Woodlawn.   This was my first trip to Woodlawn and what a wonderful day.   So much thanks to Pam Silverman of the Creative Needlework Guild in NJ.   Check out the slideshow of the Woodlawn display.   It was a great day; meet some new friends, became better friends with some acquaintances and just thoroughly enjoyed the day.   My husband teased me that I would be wasting the wonderful springtime weather they were predicting on a bus trip.   Oh, he just doesn't get it.  

So after our lunch at Woodlawn, which was very  very good,  and a couple of walks through the mansion we went by bus to In Stitches needlework shop.   Oh I want to move to Alexandria VA so they can become my LNS!!!!  The ladies had lite refreshments set up for our little bus group in their classroom and we made it worth their efforts as we all left with purchases in hand.     Yes, there were some things that I just HAD to get to add to my STABLE Stash.  And I got smart, I did the whole soup to nuts and got floss and fabric too.  

The staff of In Stitches provided goodie bags which were handed out on the way home.   I snagged a Just Nan!    It is "Pansies Please".

I haven't made the pledge not to buy more but I am making the pledge to NOT START anything new until something is finished.   Must be why I have dedicated my time to the Nan Tyson Euler class project.  My stitching progress has been slow.   I am working on the strap work of the Between the Sheets sampler.   And because I don't follow instructions too well, I did stitch in the gold and did not wait to do it last.   I mean, c'mom.......a girl's got to see what it is going to look like.

Let's see what I couldn't bear to leave at In Stitches....Litte House Needle and Thread;

JBW - French Country Alphabet, love JBW!!!  I couldn't decide between the WDW Purple Majesty or CC Four Leaf Clover so I got both flosses.

Shephard's Bush - My Mom's Garden.  Doesn't SB put together such a nice product?  Then a little quickie from Bent Creek called Autumn.....you know if it has a squirrel, chances are I will stitch it.

Mrs. Waddlelow's Huswif --- another Ellen Chester....love it!  Last it is Pineapple Welcome from Sunflower Samplings.  I've done one of theirs before.

Since I don't do well with stitching on a bus, I k'nitted.    My skill level is not the greatest so I k'nit dishclothes.   I did manage 1 1/2 dishclothes on the way.

Working back into the week past, I'll just give the highlights.   It was so hectic I never even posted my TUSAL!  Oh no, can't even keep up with that.   lol   Monday was just a 10 hour workday and collapsed when I got home.  Tuesday I enjoyed dinner with my brother and sister - always lots of laughing.   Wedensday - I was lucky to have my Gavers for dinner.   He has been doing so well in school and cub scouts and loves to read that I let him download a book to him to read on my Kindle!   Strict strict instructions that he is not to go onto the Amazon Whipsernet for fear he would download their entire library!    Friday - I worked 13 hours!  We put the annual report for the company to bed on Friday save for the final final review by officers over the weekend.   I spoke with our publisher and got really nice kudos from them which made it all worth it!    Funny they gushed at how I went over the top but I was just doing my normal work ethic.  

Gee - left out Thursday - after a harrowing  two days of running around doing my job and the job of another who was out on both Wedsnesday and Thursday - I went to class and proceeded to fall asleep when they turned out the lights.    Not so bad, but the teacher annouced "someone fell asleep!" when the lights went on and they all chimed in about my snoring.   How embarrassing!   Oh well......guess I was relaxed and comfortable.  So suffice it to say I made no progress on My Small Changes - Working on my files.

Now to get outside and enjoy this gorgeous day.