Friday, June 21, 2013

It's Good to Be Home

Well, I'm back from my stitching vacation and I actually have something to show for it.  We had a great time and got lots done, especially since neither one of us likes to shop or sightsee much.  After visiting an EGA summer luncheon, we hit the local needlework shop where I picked up some lovely 36 and 40 count hand dyed fabric, as well as the last two colors of silk that I need for my next Scarlet Letter sampler, Jean Scrimgeowr.  Not surprising since I tend hoard linen like there's no tomorrow.

I've been home for five days and still haven't unpacked my bag!  Duffel bag, that is.  The stitching bag was unpacked and played with right away.  Well, I did put the dirty clothes in the hamper.  I hate unpacking almost as much as putting away clean laundry and emptying the dishwasher!  Why is that?  I've been pulling clothes to wear straight out of the bag since I got home.  I probably won't unpack until I have to do laundry.  Do you know how to tell if a woman has never had children?  If she tells you she only does laundry when she runs out of underwear.  I'm not even close to running out of underwear. 

I worked on a special project which I can't show you yet and this sweet little sampler for a friend.  I've really been digging in my stash lately and coming up with some goodies. This is "The Practical Sampler" by Eileen Bennett of The Sampler House.  It's full of all sorts of fun stitches, although after one row of the alphabet I switched the rest of the letters to something other than eyelets.  I figured that was enough punishment for whatever bad things I might have done over the last five years.
I'd love to show you some progress on Virtue, but a humongous frog landed in my lap on Monday night and I'm still recovering! 

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

How many stitching projects do you take when you go on vacation?  Even when I'm only going for a long weekend at my Mom's, I usually pack three or four.  It seems silly since I generally only work on one piece until it's done.  But you never know when you might be stuck somewhere for weeks with massive amounts of free time.  It's never actually happened to me, but I want to be prepared, just in case.

I keep thinking I should interrupt Virtue Outshines the Stars and start on some Christmas ornies or a birthday gift, but I'm having such a good time that I just can't do it. Things have been really busy at TJBdesigns, so, despite my good intentions, I'm still not finding much time to stitch during the day.  Most of my stitching is done while watching TV in the evenings.
When I get tired of Queen stitches, I abandon the border for  a while and work on the 'innards'. 
Maybe I'll have something new to show soon, but don't count on it.  The big stuff on Virtue is coming up next.