Show and Tell

I just love this piece! "Cotillion" by Papillon Designs. I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to get it framed before I shared it.

My current project, "The Christmas Quilt" by Emie Bishop of Cross 'n' Patch, is coming along nicely. The foundation stitching for the hardanger barely took a week, but the cross stitch greenery and berries is way more time consuming. I'm ready to finish it off and start cutting!

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Did I Really Complain about Cold Weather this Winter?

Summer is definitely here. I am so thankful to live in this technologically advanced era with AIR CONDITIONING! God bless the man who invented it. It's so hot and muggy that Lester lays on the a/c vent and Otis is spread eagle on the hardwood to maximize skin to floor contact. I used to think I was an old soul and would've appreciated life in the 18th century (except for that indoor plumbing thing), but every summer I remember why I'm so glad to be a 20th/21st century woman. Who could possibly stitch in this miserable heat...and by candlelight too?! Ben Franklin is my hero. 

I'm still as boring as I was ten days ago, but I have made some progress on "Cotillion". At this point, all the major motifs are done and I just have to fill in the smaller pieces in the bottom third.

 

I still haven't chosen my next project, but I can guarantee that it will be a band sampler. Enough of these motif samplers. I need some symmetry and logic to soothe my brain.

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Time Flies

It's been pretty hectic around here for a couple of weeks, so I really hadn't noticed how long it's been since I last blogged. But when asked today what I was stitching "because you haven't posted anything in TWELVE days", I decided to post my updated "Cotillion". I love the colors and it's moving along nicely, but I'm ready to do a band sampler with some intricate stitching and some cutwork or pulled work next. Can you believe I'm planning my next project and I'm barely halfway done with this one?

My local shopowner went to the TNNA market in Columbus, OH this weekend and I covered the shop for a couple of days. I'd forgotten how mentally taxing it is for me to be nice to everyone for eight hours, three times in one week! And once I got home I was too tired to stitch which means I didn't get my daily dose of stitch therapy, so it was a double whammy.  I haven't spent any time designing for the Etsy shop in a couple of weeks either so this week is devoted to getting back to normal. My husband has settled into a routine and I've adjusted to doing his little chores (mostly) so I'm no long living on the edge of insanity. (No snickering, please.)

Maybe I'll even have something interesting to blog about soon. I realize my life is pretty boring...and I like it that way.

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So Much FUN!

The last couple of weeks have been a perfect illustration of how I use stitching as therapy. My husband's bike had a structural failure and tossed him over the handle bars. Fortunately, he didn't land on his head. Unfortunately, he suffered a pretty serious foot injury. In my haste to pick him up and high tail it over to the ER, I neglected to grab my stitching bag. I never go anywhere that might involve waiting without my stitching bag! Apparently, I am not very clearheaded during an emergency. But on this particular Sunday morning our small town hospital ER was not very busy and we were only there about four hours. But since that little lapse in thinking, I've taken every opportunity to get some stitching done...when I'm not doing all the little things around the house that he usually does. Not gonna take him for granted ever again!

One of the nurses casually mentioned that she'd broken her arm once and she thought she'd rather have a broken foot. Obviously, she's never been on crutches before. Hellooooo, broken arm --> one hand out of commission; broken foot --> one leg and two hands out of commission unless you're sitting down. So carrying anything is pretty tough unless it fits in your pocket.

While my sweet husband was in surgery (this is NOT the fun part I'm referring to) having his horribly broken and dislocated foot repaired, I was stitching away on the Star Sampler SAL. I'm all caught up and waiting for Part 5! Actually, if I really wanted to I could continue working the border since I memorized it about fifty repeats ago!

But I decided to start "Cotillion" by Papillon instead. This is the fun part! I absolutely love the linen from Picture This Plus. The color is "Phantom" and it is a dark navy with a lot of plum splashed around. There's also a tad of a blue-green in there too. It's fabulous with the Dinky Dyes silk used in the pattern. I haven't gotten far, but it's beautiful and I probably won't be able to put it down until it's done.

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