September 16, 2008

Happy Birthday, Mom!
I can't divulge how many years' experience she has after 29 because I value my life, but Mom did tell me that Ian took her out to dinner and gave her the bird feeder she's had on her wishlist for quite a while. Ms. Sheila next door put balloons and a banner on the front porch early this morning to suprise Mom as well.

I had to be at DORS first thing this morning again and completed everything I needed to before 2pm. I went straight home to pick up Kasey and found new stash had arrived!

I am on the auto-ship for the new Jeannette Douglas Design, My Stitching Album. A new chapter in this journal of stitches will be coming out every other month until next November. I can't tell you how excited I was to finally get the first part. I now have the front and back covers, as well as Chapter One, Mosaic Muse. I am trying to hold off on starting this because I need to get to work on smalls to meet my 100 finish goal. Also in the picture is my trade from Lizzie in Scotland. Thank you for the Waxing Mood Design! If I Stitch Fast is a very cute chart!

I'd like to thank Christine for trading with me. She sent Folk Heart Designs' Quilt Patterns in exchange for some linen and also included CS&CC's Nov/Dec 1993 issue from my wish list as a RAK!
CJ, even though she's a Redskins fan, RAK'd me with two tea towel leaflets from Leisure Arts. She sent Tea Time Towels and Kathie's Fun Fingertips. Thank you, CJ!! You can't help being a fan of those Deadscabs. Hee hee! Yep! I replied in Carol's blog to your comment!!
This is Charmed Dreams as far as I can go right now. I put in the other two sets of beads this evening. I'm waiting for the gold beads and to find out how the medallion needs to be treated. I'm not calling it a finish, but I hope to have the materials to complete it before the end of the year.

I also started Take Time to Stitch Too by Jeannette Douglas. I've only started the boxes so far, but hope to finish this quickly. Luckily Petra was able to find the Needle Necessities' MacAulvey Manor (127) that was required for this design. Thank you, Petra!

After mentioning it earlier, there seems to be some interest in making 2009 "The Year of the Sampler." A couple people have said they'd like to SAL with me as I try to deplete my stash of some of the samplers I've accumulated. We won't necessarily be stitching the same projects, but they will all be samplers. Because "sampler" covers such a wide range of sizes, shapes, and complexity of designs, I think I can stick to this theme for the year, although I will be breaking off from time to time in order to complete bread covers and biscornus. I am not going to name specific charts that I will stitch because I don't want to feel boxed in like I did with my 22 Project Challenge this year. I will say, however, that this will give me the perfect opportunity to complete some of the Just Nan, Sweetheart Tree, and myriad other samplers in my stash already kitted up. Better yet, My Stitching Album falls under this category, so I won't be starting it until January! Anyone else who would like to join is certainly welcome! You don't have to stitch JUST samplers, but you can join the SAL if you're working on a sampler at any time. If there is enough interest, I may even create a separate blog for everyone to post to, or a Yahoo group for those participating in the SAL. Please just let me know at bethxs@yahoo.com. The more, the merrier!!