Wordless Wednesday #8

 

Like a tennis match

I am back from my weekend in OCMD.   It was great.   We all followed the rules - sanitizing, keeping our distance, wearing masks.   The long weekend was just what I needed after a summer of yard work.  

I made great progress on Coming to America.  There are many others way ahead of me but I am sailing at my own speed.  

Two birds left and I will be finished with the section with the ship.  I may stitch down the side and stitch the placement of other bands....and I may not.

I also had a new start.   I have a self-created rule......a new start at any Lankford visit.   This start has been planned since early summer.   My group of Jersey Girls and I are all stitching Theresa Kogut’s Land That I Love.    I didn’t get a whole lot stitched but I did make a start.   I am stitching on 35-count Aspen.   We each have different linens but are all using the called for threads.   It is always neat to see the different looks you get of the same pattern.   

For anyone stitching this, don't worry, I know the "A" was supposed to be blue.    I am not making the U, the S and the A in blue but rather I am stitching my initials in the blue.    I am doing a twist with doing the letters stitching as smyrna cross rather than just a plain old cross.  That's about as far as I will go with changing what the designer has charted.

I think I am a convert!   This is the second piece I have stitched on anything over 32 count.   Coming to America being the first.   I have always been fearful of using 40-count but it may be in my future.  I really like the look of things on 40-count but have always feared I wouldn’t be able to manage it.   I have a nice big piece of 40-count Navy Bean in my stash that is now calling me.  

For my stash, since I have been doing mail order all summer, I did not buy a lot.     I bought Heartstrings Samplery Berry Bowl Sampler.  I have liked this since I first saw this on The Attic's flosstube.   I choose one piece of doubloon rather then two pieces of linen that need to be joined.   I have done the fabric joining in the past but couldn’t find a suitable combination for my taste.   And, it’s 36 count!   

I also bought Harvest Time from Lila’s Studio.   I just fell in love with her plaid skirt.  I think I may have even have owned one like it back in the day.   I have plenty of Halloween stitching but I need more fall themed stitches.    I am sure I can stitch this using fabric and floss from stash.

For history making events, I was out on the boardwalk at 9:15 Saturday night to see the launch of the rocket ship from Wallops Island heading to the International Space Station.  It was very cool to see, not so easy to photograph with a phone.    I found these on FB and they pretty much show my view.

This one is using a little more photographer savy time-lapse finesse.  Thank you Ken Fullerton!

I am volleying back to the Salty Yarns and the Lankford again on Thursday.  I am attending Jamboree.  These classes were booked in March.  We have been on the edge of our seats all summer hoping Jamboree would not be canceled.  Some are attending via Zoom so the class sizes are much smaller.  And again all the Covid safety rules will be followed.   One of the classes is with Fern Ridge.   As you know they are famous for their peyote beading.......yikes!   I’ve never done peyote beading so I hope my table mates have patience with me.  Fortunately this is all part of my new mantra......move out of your comfort zone.   This class is spot on for that!

Thanks for stopping by, stay kind, stay safe and keep in stitching.

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.  

Wordless Wednesday #7

Sometimes there is no answer....

Why, why, why do I never seem to run out of things to do?  Do I take on more than I should?   Do I not know how to say no even to myself?  Why do I see things to do where other's don't?  Do I invent things to do? (yes I do!!)    And the piesta le resistance, why does the grass seed always sprout better in the flower bed versus the bare spots?  

But enough.   No need to waste time on solving the mysteries of my personal universe.  Let’s see what I have gotten done.   For Coming to America I was blown off course and seem to be tangled in the Sargasso Sea.    I wish I had asked the question as to why the little pilgrim was standing outside of the boat on the waves.   Of course I charged ahead and stitching the boat to have him standing behind the rail.  Only then did I find out why he is outside the boat.  He represents John Howland who fell overboard during a storm but was pulled back aboard and rescued.   Now that I know the story, I can’t leave him behind the ship's rail.  Why did I not think to ask the significance of his position?    Maybe fair winds will sail my ship out of the tangles of the pending frogging.

I did finish Ornaments ala Round.  I will post a picture once I have it framed.  

I made progress on Raegan’s stocking.  I am saving the hair for last since it consists of french knots and a detached braid.  I don't want to smash the stitches as I roll it on the scroll bars.   I am more than half way done.   I need to shop my buttons, beads and charms to find some good ones to attach.

I picked up my EGA project, a Terri Bey Lotus Box.  I worked on it one weekend in June and put it down while I waited for #8 perle cotton.  The perle cotton arrived but I didn’t pick the project up.   Now I need to get busy.  The pattern was intimidating but I am pleasantly surprised how easy it is to follow the well-written instructions.  We have a zoom meeting in October to learn how to assemble it.  I understand assembly will be similar to putting together a biscournu.

I did finish a complete sort out of my craft room.  I had to remove everything from the walk-in closet so the inspectors could access the attic hatchway to check out the roof structure to make sure it could support the new solar panels.     I did end up with a couple of boxes I hope to send off for eBay sales.  

All my fat quarters are again sorted by color/type as best possible.

These wire locker baskets I found at an estate sale work perfecting to storing finishing supplies and small frames on the closet shelf.  

The main thing taking my time has been the yard project.   The bricks lining my paths were  found while clearing.   The pavers where I placed the park bench are left-over from my daughter's patio.  The flagstone, some is from my yard and some was found while clearing.  Since technically this is past my property line I don’t need to go overboard investing a ton in landscaping dollars.  A ton of time seems to be a different story.

I have done as much as I plan to this fall.....famous last words.   On the right side of the brick path I planted over 100 daffodil and iris bulbs, three mums and periwinkle ground cover.   The cool thing is the bulbs were found from other gardens around my yard and my daughter's gardens and were originally from my father's garden.   Is that possible they could be 40 years old and still viable?  I think planting bulbs is my favorite planting......I love the anticipation of them coming up when you are in the doldrums of winter.     The periwinkle is from existing gardens and also was originally from my father's flower beds.  I bought the mums for a great fall pop of color.

To complete the right hand side, from where have finished to back to the three line, I plan to clear, plant some ferns, more periwinkle and a favorite, some bleeding hearts next spring.  I've never had a good shady area I could plant them; now I do.  Then this side will be done which will be about 1/4 of the area.   I will gradually work towards the left, adding shrubs and low maintenance paintings.  Again, this is going to be a several-summer-endeavor.  This time last year, this was nothing but a 75 foot fallen oak blocking the entire overgrowth of vines and briars.  Good thing I really really really enjoy yard work.  

So that's all I've got.   Thanks for stopping by.   Stay safe, healthy and keep on stitching.

Wordless Wednesday #6

 

Wordless Wednesday #5

 

Here I go again....

off onto the a different track......this time it is a purposeful side-track......

......have you ever just looked around and seen a couple of things out of place in each room you enter?  I am self aware enough to know that when I start to get that overwhelmed-crazy, out-of-sorts, something-is-amiss-but-I-don't-know-what feeling, it is because I need a good ole sort out and pick up session.  It is some kind of unconscious weight on my shoulders.  It started when I pulled out all the tubs for the fall decorations.  I know there will always be a mess  when changing out the decor from season to season.  But I just had to give myself with a firm talking to that I needed to 'pick up' before I launched yet-another-project.  You know, complete one task before you start another.   What a concept!  Those couple of things here and there quickly turned into what seemed to be half-a-hundred.

It's not that I don't straighten up and clean each week but I have been so bent on getting outside to enjoy the weather, the pool and yard I admit I have been maybe doing the minimum.  I needed to put the brakes on.    I told myself use what works - touch it once and handle and a half-hour tops.  I intended to just do my stitching area and stuff.  Somehow I moved to baseboards, ceiling fan blades, the stack of mail on my desk,  removed seat cushions and so on.   Threads and needles,  bits and bobs out of place, goldfish crackers and Fisher-Price little people under the cushions with a couple pairs of scissors, a pile of mail on the desk reviewed, so two hours later, I felt good.  Family room is cleaned and I can move onto something I want to do without guilt.  

For stitching I have put all my concentration on The Women of the Mayflower sampler by Brenda Gervais.  Today is Day 5 of 66.  This is such a fun SAL.   The premise is to stitch daily from September 6 to November 5, 2020 to commemorate the sailing of the Mayflower.  There are FB groups and Instagram groups and everyone is sharing and supportive.  Brenda has a great start-up video on the private FB group and was so adorable dressed up like a Pilgrim.   And she is sending out questions to answer for give-aways.     

Brenda encouraged us that while we are stitching on this sampler to think about what these women went through.   Imagine, sailing to the unknown, being able to only take along only what would fit in one trunk, (think carefully - no Amazon to order from once you arrive), knowing you will never see again the people you have left behind, being on the sea in cramped quarters......66 days and having no idea if you will make it or not.........surely no creature comforts.......I don't know if I could have ventured into the unknown as they did. It makes me even more grateful for everything I have within my reach even during a pandemic! 

My plan was to keep up by stitching 6 rows a day.  Operative word being 'plan'.  Day 2, I went amok. I saw where someone else did the border down to the waves, completed the waves and then would be working up from the waves for the ship.  Made sense to me so I changed my approach.

I am looking forward to fall weather so I can get back out in my yard and do some damage.   I have a lot I want to get cleared still and spring bulbs to get in.

And I almost forgot I got two pieces of  Happy Mail yesterday.   I did forget one was coming; and the other was a real surprise.   First I joined the Fat Quarter Shop Quarterly Cross Stitch Club way back at the end of May.    I joined too late for the last quarterly mailing and completely forgot it was time for the next quarter's mailing.  Like I need anything else but it is so fun to get mail.   Look how adorable this was packed in a fall themed stitching bag.  Inside it was full of all the goodies needed to complete the pattern.   The fabric provided is 10-ct Aida so this will stitch up into a nice pillow!  

The other was a Post Card from Germany from the CEO of the Company I worked for and I was excited about that one too!  It made me remember when I was in Germany.  I remember how clean the cities were and beautiful their gardens were.  Of course I am sure the tour only took us to the best places.  I did text her a reply but it is not the same as the effort someone puts in to real mail.  I will have to get a card in the mail to her maybe to some other friends as well to put a smile on their faces.  

I just love getting snail mail.

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

Remember of all the things you can be, be kind.  😊