Spangled Finish

Even as I used the last piece of DMC 310, I think this sampler was conspiring against me!  When I took my other 6 samplers in for framing, I thought for sure, I had maybe another week till a finish on Spangled.  Nope, two weeks. A full two weeks of constantly stitching on this piece, realizing I have put my own form of pressure on myself, to complete this, and get it framed for a Christmas Gift.  Just when I thought I was finished, I realized I forgot to add a motif here, oh and I forgot another one here.  And….oh boy, these 3 dots aren’t stitched.  I finally got to the very last length of DMC 310 to finish the backstitching, and I can tell you I had to pick out at least 3 major thread knots.  Not only that, but I actually pulled my needle off twice, it went flying and I had to get on my hands and knees to locate.


As soon as the last stitch was put in, I was already heating up my iron, to quickly press and run out to the framer.  I was never so happy to finish this and have it gone!  Don’t get me wrong, Long Dog Samplers are just plain beautiful.  They have lots of color and variety, but they should under no circumstance be undertaken when under a timeframe!  Way too intricate in thread colors and thread changes!  We as stitchers just don’t need the pressure!


I thought I would take a few days off, before starting a new project, just to unwind from Spangled, and to be quite honest, take care of some other things.  I managed to sort through the last of my mom’s jewelry to decide what to do with it.  Some is just displayed, waiting for the girls to arrive at Thanksgiving and decided if they want anything left.  I managed to break down some IKEA wire storage racks, so it’ll be easier for my son to take back with him to Norfolk, I put an ad on Market place for my mother’s suitcases, and let my kids know about some of the items that will be traveling back to their own homes when they leave after Thanksgiving.  With my husband pushing at downsizing, it’s time to get rid of things, and also not to be free storage for my children’s things that no longer live here.


It’s bad enough trying to get my husband to go through and get rid of things.  Sometimes, I feel like I’m rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, with his things.  If it were up to me, I’d absolutely have no difficulty tossing lots of the stuff.  But, if you ever watched an episode of Hoarders, where a family member gets rid of something without the Hoarders approval, well…….all I can say is MAJOR MELTDOWN!


I have a couple of sewing projects, I really should just finish, and I still have to clean the living room up, and I still have a major grocery shop to do before Thanksgiving, for those “fresh” items like apples, and grapes, and celery.  Maybe prebake a few pies before the big day.

In the meantime, I wish you all the happiest of stitching!

Spangled to Death!

Another week has flown right by and I’m still not finished with Spangled.  I know in every project I have every stitched, that you come to the point, where it seems like you are NEVER going to finish.  In fact, you know you are “just over it!”  Yup that’s my Spangled State of Mind.  But, I still keep stitching away, and telling myself ONLY one more week, maybe as much as two. (I hope not)


What’s been happening in this household?  Well, we got new carpet being installed on Fri., yea, since this carpeting is the original builder carpet.  Meanwhile, because we have pets, that chose to sneak in the living and dining room when we weren’t looking, and leave piddle stains, there was a lot of pre prep work that needed to be done before installation.  Including ripping out the old carpet and padding ourselves, removing all the staples and strips and nails.  Cleaning the floor, then painting the subfloor with heavy duty Kilz.  I have a gate to keep the girls in the kitchen, but members of my family, who I will not mention, would leave the gate wide open.  I now have purchased an additional gate that goes across the dining room entrance, and a very wide gate that goes across the front entryway hall. 


Once the carpet is installed, the cleaning of items to be put back into that room will begin, just in time for all the kids to arrive for Thanksgiving.  Speaking of which, we now have both the Thanksgiving and Christmas Turkey.  I have even purchased a few more Christmas gifts, amazing considering I have been somewhat under the weather.


I had my flu shot, but I really felt like I had some sort of bug.  Achy, chills, I slept most of one day. No barfing and trots, so that’s always good.


My sister had gotten me hooked on watching some of these Floss Tubes.  To each their own, but I really couldn’t be one of those “serial” starters.  I viewed I don’t know how many different stitchers, pull projects out of their cute little project bags, and each one had a couple inches of borders done, and maybe some flowers or leaves.  I’m too, anal for that.  Once I start a project, I absolutely must finish it, (probably the same reason, I’m so over a project at its end.)  I’m just too much a monogamous stitcher.  At most, I might have two projects going.  But that’s just me.   

At this point, on my next post, I will hopefully posting a picture of the finished Spangled, on it’s way to the framers.  Until then, happiest of stitching.

Spangled Some More

Happy November Stitchers.  So far, it’s been beautiful weather here in Virginia.  Unlike my childhood memories of growing up in Michigan, where it seemed like the month of November was grey and dreary.  It’s my birth month, and Thanksgiving, and the kickoff to Christmas.  Course as we all know all the retailers are doing the kickoff to Christmas earlier each year.  I was seeing Christmas decorations in all the stores in October, it won’t be long, till the retailers start advertising and decorating for Christmas right after the 4^th of July!


I decided to do a little retail therapy myself, and went to In Stitches in Alexandria on Sunday.  They are open on Sundays the first Sunday of each month.  But I did get to chat with my favorite, Patricia Eaton, while she helped me with some fabric purchase.  I really shouldn’t have but I bought another chart, and Patricia will be ordering a Scarlet Letter chart that I have had my eyes on.  Like I always pray “Dear Lord, please let my eyesight last longer than my stash!”

Speaking of the Holidays, I already started picking up Stocking gifts for my family, as well as filling my pantry and freezer with items needed for the big Thanksgiving meal.  All the kids will be here, so we will have a full house.
  

I am proceeded with the downsizing of items from my house, a thing my husband is pushing for, as he nears retirement age.  He also wants to move to someplace smaller.  In the meantime, I am trying to move him from his office on the first floor, into the room in the basement, which we used as a bedroom for my mother.  The room is much larger, has a lot more opportunity for storage and organizing, and it’s certainly quieter down there.  I then intend to turn his office into a little stitching room for me.    I cleaned the carpet in there, and started moving his books into the bookcase.  He already moved one of his very large lateral filing cabinets into the room, and I also emptied his lateral filing cabinet in his office, so it can be moved to the basement as well.  All while trying to empty the living room and dining room of furniture in preparation of getting new carpet in both rooms. Yes, I have been busy.

I almost forgot to mention that both my sister and I got "shout outs" on Fiber Talk with Gary Parr and Vonna Pfieffer.  We are mentioned about the 4l:57 mark.  I often post things for my sister, as she is technologically challenged.  It's only in the last year or so, she has figured out how to take pictures with her phone and text them to me.

Meanwhile trying to finish Spangled in time for framing and gifting for Christmas.  And…..I really want to start stitching on Hannah Pepper, which has been in my stash for eons.  Hopefully by my next post, I will have put the finishing stitches in Spangled.

Until next post, happiest of stitching, with no frogging!