From the Vault

 I decided to rummage around in the stash for a bit. That always seems to jump start a recovery from a stitching slump. It also meant that I could rearrange a couple of bins so I would have all my linen in one place instead of stowed into whatever bin had room. That way lies madness when you want to kit something up.

So anyway, I found a small pile of projects that sort of tickled my fancy.

Well, this has been aging quite nicely for decades. I don't remember how or when or where I acquired this kit--it may have been in the boutique for Christmas in Williamsburg in the classic days when the Hoffmans were still running things.

So, I pulled it out. And I decided to glance at the directions. 

It's beautiful and I want to stitch it, but all those intricate details are worked in cross stitch over one.

Maybe later.

Then I found this:

Again, aging for decades but one of those projects that makes my heart sing.

Also cross stitch over one with fully filled in backgrounds. Not what I'm in the mood for.

And, close to my heart, a couple of Barbara Jackson projects:

Usually I jump right on Barbara's designs, but these arrived in the months after I finished RST 1779. It was totally Queen stitch, and I swore I would not touch a project with Queen stitch in it until I recovered. I think I've recovered and can manage the few Queens in either of these projects. I also have Barbara's scissors stand to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the country, so any or all of these projects could go on the stand.

However, in the middle of the night, I thought about Heartsease, and I thought about Betsy Morgan's "This One's for Betty" and I decided to stick a needle in one or both of those when I sit down to stitch later today.

I've also decided I need to pay attention to my Three-Day Rule. I have found that my attention starts to lag after three days of focused work on any project. At one time, I thought I should just move to something else after three days. Eventually, I do go back to everything I start (even though it may take years to do so), so that may be the best way forward.

So, All That Glitters is going to wait a bit for a finish.

I think we'll all be much happier.

September Slump

 I've hit a stitching slump.

This is the extent of my stitching since last I wrote.

Phooey.

I've made lists of things I want to stitch and things I need to stitch and rearranged some of my storage bins (mainly to get all my linen bits and pieces in one place so I can find them when I want to kit something), and nothing has helped. Even the thought of starting a new sampler for Sampler September hasn't shaken me out of the malaise.

It will pass, it always does.

And I know the cure.

It's to stitch on something--anything--and that will jump start the mojo.

So I will.

The Blues

 I'm back to the blue motifs on All That Glitters.

I got this much stitched during the Tudor Rose stitch-in last night. It was a lovely groups--lots of enabling and eye candy as we saw what everyone was working on.

There was some discussion of Sampler September. People were talking about whether they planned to start something new or work on something old. One of the participants said she was planning to pull out all her started samplers and put at least a thread or two in one of them every day in September--or decide if they no longer appeal and can be set aside permanently.

Meanwhile, I've wasted spent a lot of time thinking about scheduling my stitching projects and getting some older UFOs into WIP status, and some WIPs into FFOs. I even set up a calendar with each prospective project assigned specific days.

We all know that's not how I roll.

So . . . I'm still going to try to get a couple of UFOs into WIP status, and a couple of WIPs FFO'd but I'm not going to schedule them. I'm just going to stitch. And avoid wasting time doom scrolling and playing games on my phone. That alone should add literally hours to my stitching time!

Does this look familiar?

 I haven't had much brain this week, so I have poked at All That Glitters since it practically stitches itself without a lot of counting or thinking. 

The thinking will come when it's time to assemble it. As always.

Anyway, here it is at the moment:

I think I'm about at the halfway point, maybe a little further. I still love the way it looks, and I'm enjoying the stitch. There are times when repetition is soothing and needful.

***

I have to say something about the passing of Miss Dolly. There are some people in this world who just make it better by their existence. I miss knowing that she's here. I miss her wit and her wisdom, and the fact that she was proud of where she came from. People tend to underestimate the Appalachians and the South in general and stereotype us as ignorant, narrow-minded, Confederate-flag-waving jackasses. Miss Dolly, like Jimmy Carter, showed the world our empathy and generosity.

And then Tim Curry, whose acting range was so vast and, many times, under appreciated. I wish I had seen his portrayal of Mozart in Amadeus on Broadway. And his two-episode arc on Criminal Minds creeped me out so much that I had to stop watching the show for awhile.

***

And now for the petty aggravations of the week, also known as being nibbled to death by ducks. For the second time this month, USPS says they delivered a package which they had not. The first time the missing package appeared. This second time, it has not. I am more than aggravated.

Then the TV remote went kaput. I did everything YouTube and google said to do to revive it to no avail. Amazon came through and we received a new remote overnight. Dearly Beloved said it works. I've been afraid to try it.

And, finally, remind me that two elderly people should not eat dinner later than usual and include Brussels sprouts in the menu. No further comments are necessary.

May I Present

 Miss Sarah Ann Purdy 1844 is finished!

I really enjoyed stitching this one, loved the little motifs and wasn't driven completely crazy doing the border. Borders are generally where I bog down in schoolgirl samplers.

Now I need to decide what to focus on next. 

 I think I'm going to pick up Heartsease, the online class I took last weekend, or finally finish the Elizabethan Rose project from Zina Kazban. And I think I'm going to pull All That Glitters out of the pillowcase.

I've also been thinking about working on the more complicated or challenging things in the morning when both hands and eyes are fresher. My counted thread pieces could be my late afternoon and evening projects. Hopefully I won't burn out on my projects as quickly as I generally do if I alternate.

I had a friend who was an incredibly prolific stitcher.  She assigned each of her current projects to one day a week and that was it. She always made sure to set up for the next day's stitching before she stopped for the evening. I tried her method for a couple of weeks, but I felt too scattered--just when I got in the groove, it was time to stop and set up for the next day.

I still think I work best when I have a bunch of things going. It's just trying to decide which bunch of things to do that's the problem.

If this is the worst problem I have, I'm doing well.

One blossom short

 I thought I would get the big pot on Sarah Ann Purdy stitched today, but I'm one bloom short of a bouquet.

I may rest my eyes (and hands) for a few and make a valiant effort to get the other one done before I go to bed tonight, but I'm making no promises. 

I'd love to do it because then I have only the two doggies and the two urns and this will go in the Finish Pile and I can pull All That Glitters out again.

But meanwhile . . . 

Last night I was enjoying the conversation and enabling during a Zoom stitch-in, when one of the participants reported that a neighbor in her condo development was worried about her because all she did was "sit on her a** and stitch all day."

Excuse me?

And what's wrong with that?

Quite frankly, I spent decades of my work life sitting on my a** and staring at a computer screen and no one commented on that. I remember longing for the days when I could sit on my a** and stitch all day. I found the neighbor's comment quite offensive. 

Harrumph!!!

Twin Pines

It took all day to get two simple motifs stitched.

Actually, it probably didn't take all day, but they were so boring to stitch that I had to stop and do other things to avoid nodding off.

These same trees show up on a lot of schoolgirl samplers. It occurred to me to try to find out if there was a particular area or school that used them, so I spent some time gazing at the Wall of Needlework Books in the stash room. I thought I had a book on sampler motifs, but I couldn't find it. Actually, this is not the first needlework book that has gone missing since we moved. I know I packed all my needlework books. It is possible that either one box never made it onto the truck, or didn't make it off.

But the search continues.