June 29, 2009 - Sorting out some things...

I said in this afternoon's quick post that I would take a picture for you to see the yellows I was discussing for my purple suede bag. Here they are. On the left is Marigold by Weeks Dye Works. This is my favorite. The concensus at Borders tonight was that the Belle Soie/DMC Perle are too light and don't look nice with the purple of the bag. The Marigold seems to shine, and in a black backgroud, it will POP!

I stitched today! I met Genia, Nancy, and Marsielle at Borders Books' Cafe and we stitched for about two hours. I have three more stitches to do in the 'I' of "It's Good to be Home" and the words will be done. Then I all that's left is the border and adding the buttons. I'm very excited to see this project complete because I want to start Desert Star (which I've renamed Ocean Breeze) by Nancy Buhl of From Nancy's Needle! I have been restraining myself from starting anything else until this HIH project is finished. I don't need any more UFO's hanging around here.

Speaking of UFO's, I have decided the fate of two of mine...

Deftly Wrought by Midsummer Night Designs has been in my UFO drawer for over a year now. I can't stand to stitch on it. I can't even stand to look at it. Not only does it use solely DMC, but also its border is RED! UGH! The solution? Frog the red border and cut the fabric, leaving the four miniature samplers that were stitched over one thread. I'm not tossing out two months' worth of work.

I have to say that I cannot take credit for this marvelous solution, however. I didn't come up with it. I have to thank the ladies at the Columbia Interest Group of EGA's Constellation Chapter. Up until their helpful advice and input (including an offer to do the frogging for me!), I was at a complete loss as to how to salvage DW without starting over. Oh, start over? Not an option!

The second UFO I've finally made a decision on is Stitches Stars and Stripes, my patriotic gameboard by Blue Ribbon Designs. Its fate: complete frogging. You read that correctly. I'm frogging everything I've done, putting the fabric back in my stash, and adding the chart to my Trade Blog! Every time I look at it I see how much stitching there is to do and my heart drops. It would take me forever. I thought about replacing some of the fully-stitched squares with charms, but how many hearts, stars, and flags enameled in the stars & stripes can you use? Besides that, I'm allergic to nickel and I am NOT buying gold-plated charms for this one! So that's it. I'm done. Two down!

Remember the other day when I mentioned that I would be doing some giveaways in July? Well, get ready! They're all lined up and I will be rolling them out this week! To whet your appetite, the giveaway themes are: Crossed Purposes' 18-month/400th Post, Christmas in July, and Myrl's De-Stash.

I have also promised myself that I would ruthlessly go through MY stash and pull out the things I know I will not stitch. The second part of my Promise to Me is that I would have all these items, and those already set aside for that purpose, added to my Trade Blog by the end of July. I will let you know when the first batch of items has been added.

March 31, 2009

I'd love to be able to tell you that I put in hundreds of stitches today, but the fact is I'm right back where I started. Literally!

With Debi cracking the whip, I went through my stash to make a list of UFO's. I'm ashamed to say that there are 16 projects left unfinished. Some are from my abandoned 2008 Stitching Challenge and others are projects that frustrated me in one way or another so I put them aside.

I chose one of the Challenge pieces from last year as my next project. I promised myself that I would not start any new projects until both A Stitcher's Companion and Stitches, Stars & Stripes were complete but I have no desire to stitch on my gameboard at this point in time. Keeping to my promise, I've gone back to my UFO's. I feel good about getting some of these done, so I may finish more before going back to SS&S.

This is Don't Bug Me by The Sweetheart Tree. As I said, I'm back to where I started. Before going to sleep this morning, I stitched two of the leaves in the lower left corner. When I picked it up this afternoon, I realized that both of them were one row too high. That's what I get for stitching after 4am; I know better! After frogging I was in no mood to stitch right away so I just set the QSnaps on my Ergo.

Kasey woke me up this morning at 11am after I went to sleep at 5:00. I didn't have any real errands to take care of today but did get dressed in order to venture out to the library this afternoon. I read all the books I had checked out and went to get more. I always have to have a book going because I sleep better if I read for at least a few minutes before turning out the lights.

Because I only got six hours of sleep, I started nodding off this evening. I took a nap and woke up hungry. After looking through my choices in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, I decided to make another Shepherd's Pie. This time I used ground beef instead of chicken and it was just as yummy as my first two attempts. A day full of excitement, huh?

October 18, 2008

This morning was the EGA's Columbia group meeting. I arrived just before 10am and found the room we were supposed to be in. I was told that there was not the usual attendance today; it was very light according to the ladies at my table. One of the ladies from ANG was also at this meeting. She showed us some beautiful finishes Thursday night and brought them today as well.

I took Deftly Wrought with me because an EGA member had given me an idea. I just needed a second opinion. I've mentioned before, but I just can't stitch on DW. It sucks the stitching juices right out of me. If it were a choice between stitching on DW and not stitching at all, I'd be watching movies all day. That's just how bad it is.

The President's Challenge in EGA this year is to re-use, re-purpose, or re-cycle things already in your stash. My thought on DW was to cut out the mini-samplers stitched over-one. I showed the chart and my progress to the ladies at my table to get their opinions. The concensus seems to be to rip out the red border (my main problem is all the red; I HATE THE COLOR RED) and stitch it in another color found in the design. I'm not too excited about that because there isn't another color that really appeals to me, but I'm thinking the blue of the lady's dress will probably suit my purpose. I still have to finish the row of flowers and the verse, but I think I can handle looking at this piece better with the red border removed. Only time will tell...

I worked on Golden Puppy at the meeting and once I returned home. This weekend is for relaxing. I have no other place I need to be and nothing that has to be done. It's stitching for me!

October 15, 2008

Here are the two panels of my nametag along with the backing board I'm going to put between them. I've glued two layers of quilt batting to each side of the backing board. I put everything together just like you'd attach the panels of a biscornu, with the exception of starting one side in the middle and the other in a corner.

The directions the Victoria Sampler cyber class used for finishing this piece seemed alot more complicated than my method. They wanted you to attach each panel to it's own backing board by gluing it to the side that didn't have the batting on it, then glue the two sides together and use some kind of piping to hide the seam. I can tell you from experience that trying to center these little panels on the backing board was a major PITA! It just didn't work. I ended up stitching 2 1/2 sides together and slipping the backing board into the pocket I made. I then completed whip-stitching the two sides together using the Orchid backstitched borders. I alternated the purple beads with opalescent clear Mill Hill petite beads, picking up one before each stitch.

I stayed up all night and finished my nametag at 6am. This is how it turned out. I had a little scare when one corner almost totally frayed, but my beads cover it. I used Fray Check, but I guess I didn't leave enough fabric outside the Orchid border.

I still didn't want to go back to all the yellow of Baby Kasey so I picked up one of my old Challenge pieces that was started early this year. This is Lavender Luminesence by The Sweetheart Tree. I last worked on it all the way back on January 7th. I decided that I'd stitch one area at a time, rather than use the steps the instructions tell you to stitch in. There was just too much jumping around the way you're instructed to do it. It was much easier working from one motif to the next by staying in the same area. I completed all the backstitching and specialty stitches on the right. Now there's just 3 more of each to go, plus all the beads and charms.

October 10, 2008

I put the last stitch into Celtic Christmas at 12:21am. This is my 39th stitching finish of 2008. Celtic Christmas represents my 5th Dinky-Dyes finish of 2008 also. If you've never stitched one of Jo's charts or used her silks, I highly recommend doing so! Her charts are very easy to read and the silks are a joy to work with. I love all the colors that are available.

Celtic Christmas is stitched on 32ct Silkweaver's lugana with Dinky-Dyes silks and Kreneik very fine gold. Mill hill beads were used as the tree ornaments.
Since I completed Celtic Christmas before I went to sleep, I had all day, including my dialysis treatment, to work on Take Time to Stitch Too.

I last stitched on this project on September 24. I was able to make significant progress today so I'm very pleased. I discovered alternate sayings on Jeannette's website and chose a more appropriate "Any time is stitching time." "Take time to stitch too" didn't make sense since I don't have "Take time to stitch." I'm much happier with the choice I made. I did change it a little, however because the charted design said "Anytime is stitching time." That wasn't exactly grammatically correct, so I made "Anytime" two words. It's nit-picky, I know, but I'm a stickler for grammar.

October 8-9, 2008

Wednesday: I was going to go back to either Baby Kasey or Take Time to Stitch Too when I came across another UFO I could fit into my QSnaps. I'd forgotten about the second Dinky-Dyes ornament I started this spring. I put Celtic Christmas in my 8" QSnap and worked on it until I went to sleep. I also worked on it at dialysis and most of the night. I forgot to take a picture at midnight, though.

Thursday: I worked on Celtic Christmas all night, right up until I had to leave for the hospital. This picture is the progress I made before leaving, including yesterday's work.

I know it sounds weird, but when I'm having a surgical procedure at the hospital I like to stay awake all night. That allows me to be able to sleep once I get there to avoid the interminable wait. And sleeping is exactly what I did after I did all the pre-op answering of questions was done and the IV was in.

My no-sleep tactic worked very well for me today. Not only did I doze before my procedure, but I also slept for hours afterwards. No one except Uncle Wes was available to pick me up and he couldn't even make it until after he finished his route. Since he goes all the way down to Southern Maryland on Thursdays, it was almost 4:30 when he arrived to take me home. I didn't even wake up until after 2pm so it didn't seem like that long to me.

I was very suprised to find that there was no pain in my arm following the procedure. However it was ice cold when I woke up so I knew the bloodflow hadn't been restored. My nurse called the doctor so I could speak to him about it. He said he talked to me after the procedure, but I have absolutely no recollection of that conversation. Anyway, I let him know that I was concerned because I had the same symptoms when I woke up.

He told me they got some very good pictures and the bloodflow to my lower arm and hand looked great, but if my arm is still getting that cold the next step is to put a band around the CryoVein. He explained that it's not an exact procedure so it's possible they'd have to do a second one to adjust it. He advised me to make an appointment with Dr M and discuss what to do.

I came home and went right back to stitching on Celtic Christmas. I got all the beads on, stitched the star, and started the backstitched border.

And how cool is this? My work is featured on the homepage of two different groups. Stitch-it-Quick has Stars & Stripes by LHN and Chatty Stitching Exchangers has Charmed Dreams by Heirloom Embroideries. You have no idea how it feels to this relative newbie for my work to be so appreciated. I am humbled.

October 7, 2008

I stayed up all night to complete Native Wolf Totem, with the charm getting applied at 7am. This is my 38th stitching finish of the year. It feels very good to take a two-year-old UFO and make it a finish!

I had some errands to take care of when I woke this afternoon. Luckily they were all within a couple miles of home. I sorta made a big circle around the house. First, I stopped at the pharmacy in West Annapolis to pick up my liquid calcium. Then I went to the library, where I successfully disputed one fine and paid another. I went down the street to the post office to send the last of my outstanding trades and some game obligations. From the post office I went to the bank. I had to drop off the form giving authorization to add Uncle Wes to my bank account so that he can access it to take care of bills when I'm ill.

I also asked the lady at the customer service desk what I could do when there's a long line because I can't stand that long without almost passing out. She told me to come directly to the customer service desk and they will get an available teller for me so that I don't have to stand in line. I talked to the doctor about what happened and he believes that my blood pressure dropped. He said I was lucky to get back to the truck because that sudden drop in noise I described IS what happens right before you pass out.

Can you guess what my last stop was? If I say "there's a certain convenience store between the bank and home" I'm sure it's obvious. I purchased two half-gallons of my lemonade tea, one for today and one for tomorrow, along with my 10" Italian sub with bacon and extra mayo! I ate half of it as soon as I got home. Mmmmm!

I spent the remainder of the day watching television, including the Presidential debate; hand-writing my daily updates; browsing online; and taking care of email while IM'ing with friends. I haven't decided whether to go back to one of my two WIP's (Baby Kasey and Take Time to Stitch Too) or to set my sights on Deftly Wrought. I told myself I would finish everything I started and not add any UFO's this year, so DW has to get done. The only other project I've started that isn't done is Good Dog. That one is too small for a QSnap so it will have to wait until my fingers heal.

You know what? After thinking about it, I don't care for DW like I did when I purchased the chart. I started it late last year before I became comfortable with the notion that it is okay to change colors or stitch with a different kind of floss than what the designer intended. There would be alot less red in it if I were just starting it today, that's for sure! Just looking at it takes my stitching urge away so it's going back in my UFO drawer. As for adding UFO's, I'm not really, because DW was started in 2007. With Native Wolf Totem being completed, that's one less UFO anyway, so DW can take its place in my UFO count.

October 6, 2008

My phone rang at 9:00 this morning. Thank Goodness I didn't go to the Embroider's Guild of America (EGA) meeting because it was my vascular surgeon's office. Dr M is only in the office this morning so I had to get over there right away or wait until Wednesday. I told his N.P. that I'd be right there because I was in too much pain to hold off.

I arrived just after 9:30 and was quickly seen. Dr M said taht, while the doppler scan sounded good in both my wrist and the palm of my hand, he could see that I have Steel Syndrome, which means the bloodflow to my lower arm needs to be restored ASAP. He explained that, as is common with CryoVeins, it is working too well and most of my arm's bloodflow is going through it instead of also supplying my hand. A fistulagram will be performed on Thursday morning. He also told me a band to constrict the graft and thereby push the blood down towards my hand may be needed.

On the home front, I chose to work on a UFO from 2006. Native Wolf Totem is a kit by Creative Accents. I started it in the fall of '06 and intended it as a Christmas gift. I'd already completed over a dozen other gifts of the same size and burned out once the backstitching on this began . These are the "before" and "after" pictures.

October 2, 2008

I did a little stitching today! There's no way for me to hold anything except my large QSnap. That being said, the fabric has to be large enough to fit. Rather than start something new, I pulled Baby Kasey (Golden Puppy) out of the mothballs. Here's my "before" and "after" pictures to show you the progress I made today. I started working on filling in her paw.

I must tell you: my fingers still hurt like the Dickens. Typing continues to be a definite no-no.

September 3-5, 2008

It has been several days since my last post, but there was a reason (which I will get to later). First is an update on my arm:

I haven't been online much this week except to read and reply to email because I am still having alot of trouble with my arm. Not only am I having continued pain near the incision closest to my elbow, but also the bloodflow that was re-routed to supply the CryoVein has not redistributed to effectively supply the rest of my arm. Consequently I have large areas of tingling and/or numbness. Most of the time my hand and wrist are very cold because there isn't enough blood flowing through them. The lack of proper bloodflow has also caused the muscles in my forearm to tighten up when I use my hand and arm too much. The process of the bloodflow redistributing evenly throughout my arm could take several weeks. Until then, I will be limited as to how much I can do with my right hand and arm.




Now for a stitching suprise:
Followers of my blog may recognize this piece as Mount Coot-tha by Dinky-Dyes Designs. I started this at the beginning of July and became frustrated with it because I had to do so much frogging. Near the end of July, I decided to work on a smaller project for a "finish fix" and set MCT aside temporarily. As of Tuesday, two months had passed since my last finish, so I thought it was high time I completed something. There was just the border of MCT to work on so I knew it wouldn't take me long to get done. Walking away from this project was obviously the right thing to do because stitching went much better this time; there was not nearly as much frogging going on.
I took MCT with me when I went to get my dialysis treatment on Wednesday and made even more progress. I also stitched once I got home, as my arm allowed.

I didn't even turn the television on at all on Thursday because I was focused on completing MCT. It was a disappoint-ment that it wasn't done by Midnight, however, the last stitch went in at 2:05 Friday morning!

This is Finish #29 for 2008!
Once I got MCT put away I decided it was time to work seriously towards that "crazy" and "unrealistic" goal I set to complete 100 pieces this year. So far, I have 29 cross stitch, four pillows, two shams, and two Q-Snap covers, for a total of 37 pieces completed to date. That leaves 63 to go.

I wanted to work on some UFOs that are done except for the backstitching. First, I tried working on a bookmark that I started back in 2006. I don't have the chart anymore because I was so disgusted with all the quarter-stitches in the designs. I had to look through all my Stitch Bow storage binders to find the correct shades of purple and pink to complete this project. Unfortunately, I had to put the bookmark down because of the uncomfortable cramping in my right forearm and hand.


Next, I worked on Good Dog. I put it in my 3 1/2 inch spring hoop but I ran into the same problem: my hand couldn't hold the small hoop without cramping and Good Dog, too, was set aside once again.
Since I only have four months to finish 63 projects, they need to all be small. Therefore, I decided it was the perfect time to stitch one of my Doodles for Leftovers by Hob-Nobb Designs. I chose to start with God Bless America and changed out the fabric. I switched from the hand-dyed dark blue that the LNS included to some light blue opalescent Lugana from my stash. I chose Navy and Snowflake by WDW and Cranberry by GAST as my blue, white, and red. I hope to have this finished tomorrow so I worked on the border at dialysis and continued stitching once I returned home.