My Tropical Quaker Sampler - Finished!

My Tropical Quaker Sampler-Week - Week 4

As you can see by the picture, a few more days and this sampler will go in the finished, ready for framing pile.

I only have a few motifs left, and also need to graph out initials for the center wreath.

Pretty amazed at what I did get done this week considering how hectic it was!  On Wednesday, we went to Harrisonberg to watch my daughter being inducted into an academic nursing sorority.  Dinner with both kids after the ceremony and then back to Manassas.  Just our luck that I/81 was under repairs in 3 different spots coming back, going down to one lane.  We ended up getting home after 12 am.  Long day!

The next day, we drive up to Bethesda, Md. to have dinner with my nephew, who was in the area on business.  We hadn't seen him in almost 5 years. I gave him the baby quilt to take back to Illinois with him. 

Friday both kids came home for the weekend, the girl was expected, the boy surprised us.  Didn't see much of them as they spend their time catching up with friends that are also home from their colleges for the weekend.

I spent a few hours on Fri. night at the mall with my daughter.  Trying to outfit her with appropriate business attire for job interviews.  We made a slight dent, but only had 2 hours.  2 skirts, 2 dresses, and a jacket. At least it's a start!

I also had to finish cleaning the kids bathroom, my mother's bathroom and her bedroom.  She came back from Illinois, after spending four months with my sister.  This week looks like it might be a busy one too!

I did some serious thinking about killing myself trying to make an ornament for Christmss.  Decided my time was better spent elsewhere and purchased a hand painted from Etsy.

Very cute! 

Several more pending projects await and someday I might finally get back to doing something just for me.  I think it's won't be too soon!😒

Until next week happy stitching!

My Tropical Quaker Sampler - Week 3

Ola stitchers, friends, followers and my sister Pat.

Only 2 1/2 more pages and I'll be finished with this project.  I'm finally at the bottom, and unfortunately due to adjusting the scrowll rods you don't get to see much of the previous stitching that was completed.

Regardless, still happy with my continued progress.  As long as it's finished in time for framing for Christmas, I'll be a happy camper!

I did take one day and worked on the little quilt.  It's finished!  Even stitched in the ditch! Looks wrinkled here, and it is.  I had folded it up and stuffed it in a gift bag, so sort of wrinkled it up. 

Another project finished and leaving the house!  Still have some knitting to do, and the next big stitching project I want to do something for myself!  

But....I found some cute penguin Christmas ornament cross stitch charts, and I'm debating whether to get one and do another for a stocking gift for my son's girlfriend.  Why oh why do I do this to myself?  Glutton for punishment.  But it's small how long could it take?  

I still have 2 other projects that I'm working on for Christmas, which I'm not going to share here, because of who reads my posts.  But I think it'll be a nice surprise. Well that's if I finish them!!!

Battery running low on my cell phone so not a long post.  Till next week happy stitching!

My Tropical Amish Sampler - Week Two

Hello stitchers! I am so happy with the progress I made this week!

This one of those samplers that began in fits and starts, and knocking on wood, is just moving along quite nicely.  It is also one of those samplers that I keep looking at, after I complete a motif, a section....because the colors are so luscious.  There is just some pieces because of the design, because of the colors, that just make me feel happy!

Pretty non eventful week.  I managed to deep clean my son's bedroom and the Jack and Jill bathroom he shares with his sister.  Just in time evidently as he came home this weekend for a boys weekend with his father.

Saturday night they were in Richmond for the NASCAR race and Sunday they attended the Redskins game. I had the whole house to myself! I always joke I could run through the house naked, if I wanted to. Not that I'd really want to, but I could. Besides I do the best cleaning in my Jammies. Which I usually do in the common areas when no one is home.

I also ran a quick errand and made up a care package for my son to take back to school. He loves my pasta salad, and actually come home Fri night, only to go to the store so that he could get some of the ingredients, so he could make some to take back to school. 

Even though I gave him the recipe for it, he said he didn't have all the spices called for in the recipe, back at the townhouse.  So the care package consisted of a package of wacky Mac pasta, a roll of hard salami, bottles of olive oil and vinegar, can sliced black olives, and the 8-10 other things called for.  He can buy his own cheese! I got a big ole hug and a "mom you're the best!"

I also managed to pack up and Mail the box of baking pans I had purchased for my step daughter. It was a large, heavy box.  Postage alone was $35.00.  I sent her several things from Amazon too.  She might not know how to cook, bake now, but when she does, her kitchen will be stocked.

Last week I was wading through my craft storage.  Found this.

Obviously bought it for someone who was having a baby and never got around to it.  Very simple quilt which I'm gonna try to complete before my nephew is in the area for work.  We are gonna meet him for dinner.  So I can whip this up and get rid of one more thing taking up room.

Well that's bout all for this week.  Happy stitching!

Knitting finish

Yesterday I spent most of the day knitting on the baby blanket.  I'm happy to report as of 1:30 a.m EST, I finally bound off the last of the stitches.

Two blankets down one to go! Plus in down sizing I found a pink prepackaged pieces for a baby quilt.  Another thing I can get out of the way, since another baby is on the way from my sister's side of the family.

I also bought a chair today at Target. It's supposed to be for a nursery.  But it was so comfortable, it also rocks, that I decided to splurge and purchase it.  My hubby will probably have a cow!  I got the hubby to carry down the base, where ch was too heavy for me.  Put it together, moved into the space I wanted it, and readjusted the height of my floor stand to accommodate the height of the new chair.  Got to admit I'm loving my new stitching corner.

I have been sitting in my mother's goose necked rocking chair.  But it just isn't made for me.  It sits too close to the ground, my stand keeps hitting the wooden arms. I'm almost 5'5", but her chair is more suited for her since she's 4'11".

Up side is I can also get her out of the my office chair to my sewing machine, which she slides up to almost next to the TV.  When a commercial comes on, she spins the office chair in my direction and stares at me.  Even though it's my own mom, it's a bit unsettling. 

I feel like I got caught doing something I shouldn't. 

Meanwhile I have managed to unpack most of the pieces for the chair and dispense them to the basement. Cut up the box and placed it next to the recycle. The only thing I have not been able to carry downstairs is the base.  It's just too dang heavy.  So there's no sneaking this baby into the house.

Doesn't look like it from here, but it's a very light gray micro suede.

My Tropical Quaker Sampler - Week 1

Well I think I finally have my grove back!  Last Sun. I  put a few stitches in this sampler, which is intended to be a Christmas gift, for my step daughter.

From there it was completely downhill.  I made some many beginner errors of being off, I spent a great deal of time cutting out the stitching, restitching, only to find out I was still off.

It's as if, somehow during the hiatus, I forgot how to count and had no spacial ability to see I was off.

I said it before and I'll say it again that sometimes the easiest charts are the same ones I have more problems with.  Not to be deterred, (must be that German ancestry stubborness), I finally whipped out the red hand quilting thread and ran some graph lines.

And from there, I was off to the races! Page one is almost completely finished. Happy with that progress considering I didn't have much stitching time, and I spent a lot of that time as stated before, stitching, ripping out, restitching, ripping out again.  If I didn't have that, I may have been well into page two.  But I prefer to have glass half full of what I did complete!

Status on the baby blanket!  Not good! I full intended to post a picture of that as well.  Except I found I somehow added 2 stitches that weren't supposed to be there.  Once again spent much time ripping out row upon row of knitting.  So the only thing I could share would be a pile of lose yarn!  The joys of crafting!

I suppose I could have just knitted several stitches together to get the count corrected, but I would know.  I'll just have to knit faster to recoup.  Good thing the baby isn't due till December.  Here's a good laugh - this baby blanket is supposed to be able to be completed in 8 hours. I suppose there are people out there that could do it, but it isn't me!

Until next week happy stitching!!!!!