Happy fall, y’all! I cannot begin to say how many times I have sat down to write, then got distracted by something else. That something else has usually been stash that needed to be sorted, catalogued, or put away; and, sometimes, stitched on 😀
Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my last day as an employed person. This past year has seen so many changes in my life and they must have all been pretty good because as I sit here writing this I cannot think of any horrible thing that has occured.
I have traveled more this past year than in many years combined, both near and far. I am looking forward to where the 2nd year of my “retirement” takes me. I have also stitched and quilted more than I ever have and am having a blast (when I’m not feeling guilty about it).
The next phase of my crafting is about to begin with my framing some of my own smaller finished needlework. I have been gathering the equipment needed, and even have some frame moulding. It’s now just a matter of getting over my “what if I mess it up” jitters and make that first cut.
What have I been doing since my last post? This!
Carriage House Samplings’ “Americana.”
CHS Americana 5/25 - 6/9/12
Little House Needleworks “America”
LHN "America" 6/9 - 6/17/12
Sheepish Designs “Betsy”
Sheepish Designs "Betsy" 6/17 - 6/25/12
Blackbird Designs “America”
Blackbird Designs "America" 6/25 - 7/8/12
I had intended on stitching patriotic designs all the way through until September 11, but changed my mind and decided to go back to my other WIPs. Soooooo, I also finished Mary Wigham
Mary Wigham finished September 1, 2012
Mary is at Attic Needlework being framed. I don’t remember off the top of my head when I started her and I didn’t stitch on her exclusively, but I did track when I worked on her. It took me 51 days to stitch her. I converted the recommended DMC to Gentle Arts Sampler Threads. There are a lot of memories attached to her 😀 The Olympics, test driving new cars, attending a stitching weekend with Attic Needlework (wait until you see what I’m working on from that!), Mister starting college, a trip back to California to see Son and visit Melissa and see Darla.
I took a reading break after Mary Wigham them picked Dimples Designs’ “Haiku” back up on September 17th. I originally started it January 2004 during a Guilt Free stitching sprint, put him away for a long time, picked him back up the beginning of this year, and put him away again. I am very near to finishing it but have to make myself stitch on it since there are other things I want to be working on.
As you can tell I sort of gave up on WIPacolypse (and Theme-a-licious). Not the stitching, just the checking in. I am one of those people who can’t keep up with moon phases — hard to believe I’m a moon child — and believe tracking should be done from the 1st day of the month to the last day of the month. I am continuing to stitch on my WIPacoplypse pieces though since they’re pieces I love and want hanging on my walls. I know 2012 is not quite over but I’m keeping in mind already what I want to accomplish in 2013, and I’ll probably maintain some sort of WIPacolypse type list and intersperse it with smalls since I have so many and I want to work on my finishing skills.
The only other thing I really want to have finished is the stitching on Fairy Moon. If all I have left to do is bead by the end of the year I’ll be a happy stitcher. She will be going to a framer and I’d just as soon not have her sitting around after I finish her because how I want her framed will probably cost me a fair bit and I don’t want to spend that money until after January since right now I’m spending my money on furnishing the house a bit more. I’m installing a new chande over the dining table and at the top of the stairs, buying new furniture for the family room, and rearranging some of the other furniture. I’m also getting ready to paint the downstairs powder room and I want to get my piano refurbished if possible.
So. There you have it! I’ve made a couple of changes on my stitching page but all in all I’m a happy person!