60 years

It was a winding and sometimes bumpy road from here:

to here:

but my parents navigated it together and today are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

Whoosh....

That would be the sound of the days rushing past.  I have worked from home the last few weeks, so while getting a lot more stitching done, I am also totally confused time-wise.  I'm heading back into the office on Tuesday (there was an issue with asbestos and lead-based paint in the office next door to mine and as there is a door connecting the two offices, after a bit of a tiff with upper management, we were allowed to work from home until they finished the remediation), so my extra stitching time is leaving, but I have a lovely 3-day weekend before that happens.

So where to start...

Well, the 15th was the check-in day for  which is hosted by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching.  It is a lovely way to thank people that have gifted us with stitching things or to show things we are stitching as gifts.  I have three pieces that fit this SAL, but I can't show any of them just yet, so while I am checking in, there is nothing to see here just yet.

The 15th was also the TUSAL check-in.  TUSAL is hosted by Sharon at it's daffycat.  It's a fun SAL that only requires that you save snips and bits of thread in a container and then show them off once a month.  Here's my jar so far:  And Blogger is being persnickety and not showing my jar this month (honestly, I'm so stingy with thread that it looks a lot like last month's jar, just no cat). 

  None of the cats volunteered to be in the photo this month, so it's just the jar and boy do I need to get out an trim those shrubs in the background.  It's filing up nicely, but really isn't too colorful.

Last weekend was .  Jo at Serendipitous Stitching and Joyze at Random Ramblings keep this one going.  On the third full weekend of the month, you have permission to sit and stitch - all weekend.  I participated and can show you one piece that I worked on and finished.

This is Just Nan's Pearl Orchid.  It's stitched on a 28-count Cameo Rose Cashel with the called for DMC.  The pattern came with a bit of over-dyed thread and all the beads and the orchid charm. This is also my piece for the  which is hosted by Heather at Stitching Lotus.  This SAL is a celebration of the smaller pieces in our stash.  You get to decide the pieces, you get to decide what a small is and you could have twelve finishes through the year.

And last for the SAL check-ins is  which is hosted by Melissa at Measi's Musings.  I have two pieces that are official WIPocalypse pieces but they've been set aside while I stitch up my secret pieces (I believe I will have them finished up by the end of June).  WIPocalypse encourages us to focus on those pieces we've already started and she also gives us questions each month to get things rolling.  This month's is:  Where do you love to shop for stash?  I love shopping for stash at Stitches 'n Things in Fenton, Michigan.  I started shopping there when they were located in Davison.  We would stop in while we were on our way from New Hampshire to my parent's house.  When she moved the shop it wasn't as convenient for me to be able to physically stop in but they do have a web store.  It's a small store, but every inch is used to the fullest.  Deb has a great selection of charts, an amazing thread room and all the fabric you could want.  If you can't make it there in person, check them out on-line.  Whenever I'm in Michigan and can carve out some time, I take a little drive to the shop (it's about an hour from my sister's house) and spend a wonderful few hours.  They also host two stitching retreats each year if you're interested in those.

This post is longer than I expected, but I want to continue with the WIP parade I started last time. 

First is the 1999 Sampler in a Year by Linda Driskell  and yes I started this the year it came out.  This is a mystery sampler and is done all in shades of white on a white linen.  I am not sure why I didn't get more done on it.

The next is Alpine Garden from The Drawn Thread.  I love The Drawn Thread pieces and have started and finished others after I started this one.  I think this one got put aside when I moved from New Hampshire and was sort of forgotten.  I bought this as a kit and have not changed any of the materials.  While they don't sell kits through stores anymore, you can buy kits for a very reasonable price from their website.

This last one is from Cross Stitch and Country Crafts and is Visiting the Neighbors from the Amid Amish Life triptych.  I have finished the other two so just need this one to finish the set.  It's stitched on 28-count Wedgewood Lugana with DMC.  Back when I started the series the "rule" was three strands with 28-count fabric, I find that much too bulky now which is probably why it's languished.

I have a nice long crafting to-do list for the long weekend I also have a housework to-do but I have slowly whittled that one down and only have vacuuming left and hope to cross lots of things off it by Monday evening.

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother's Day Mom

Progress

I have made great progress on my stitching the last week.  I just need to attach the beads to one piece and finish stitching one letter on another for finishes.  Unfortunately, I can't show you either one right now.

Instead of showing you what I am currently working on, I thought I'd show you what I have worked on in the past and not finished.  I got the idea from Jan when she commented she'd like to see my Flower Power.

So, I'll do a few now and a few later and eventually you'll see all of my WIPs.  I will make a tab up top to store them all, but right now, just here.

Since Jan asked, the first piece will be Crossed Wings' Flower Power. 

The fabric color at the top is more true than the bright bit at the bottom.  I'd say my craptastic photos are because of being in a hurry, but it's mostly that I just take bad photos.  This is done on a 28-count (I think) blue.  It sort of looks like Nordic Blue from Wichelt, but I honestly don't remember the name.  I'm using the called for DMC.  The insects and hummingbird beaks are over-1.  I started this as a SAL on RCTN back in the dark ages of the stitchy internet world.  The fabric was too long for the largest pair of scroll rods I had at the time, so I'm stitching it on it's side, so the bottom is on my left when I'm stitching.

I think I'll just put the three that I mentioned in my last post, so Rebecca de la Tour's The Heavenly Kiss is next. 

I had more of this done than I thought.  It's on a 28-count black evenweave with DMC - all in shades of grey, white and black.  There is splash of gold, but that is the only color.  I bought it fully kitted from the designer and thought myself very brave to do something on black. 

And the last one for today is Floral Welcome from Cross My Heart, Inc.  I don't know who the actual designer is as I can only find my working copies and not the actual pattern.

Hopefully you get the idea on this one as Blogger insists on turning it on its edge.  This is stitched on a white 18-count evenweave (probably an Aida) with DMC and lots of gold Kreinik.  It was originally charted vertically, but I needed it to be horizontal to fit the space I was stitching it for.  This was one of the first pieces that I didn't stitch EXACTLY as the designer called for.  Biggest issue for this one is that it was meant to go over the door between the living room and hall in my house in New Hampshire and I moved from there almost eleven years ago.  I am going to finish it as I really like it, but not sure where it will fit in this house.

There you have it, three of my seventeen non-Chatelaine, non-HaED WIPs.  I will post the others over the next few weeks.