All the Roses

 I have finished all the roses for this panel:

I may go ahead and work on the foliage, or I may work on assembly.

Or I may do none of the above. We are supposed to get our new Covid boosters this morning, then pick up the printer to replace the one that isn't compatible with the new laptop, then go by Taco Bell to see if they do indeed have Mexican Pizzas back on the menu.

Being retired is just one madcap whirl of excitement!

Coming Up Roses

 I took a long (for me and my wonky knees) walk yesterday, and today they announced that standing at the ironing board was not going to happen, which means that assembly isn't happening today.

So I'm growing roses on Hold Dear, one of the classes I took at Salty Yarns in April.

I'd love to get all of them stitched today so I can start adding the foliage. I think they'll look more like roses once that happens.

I am thinking that once this piece is done, I'll get the rest of the innards of the box where this will live put together. It occurred to me that if I finish parts as I go, final assembly won't be quite so overwhelming. The problem is that I love the embroidery, and I love playing with the finished project, but I don't love the part between the embroidery and the enjoyment.

And that's why I end up with an overflowing basket of things that need to be put together.

Twisting and Turning

This week has not been a good one for stitching in any way, shape, or form--but I managed to assemble Tribute's Tiniest Things. 

 Actually, I had to make a couple of changes in the finishing.

When I took this as an early bird class at Christmas in Williamsburg some years ago, we were supposed to get a package of ribbons as part of the kit. Keep in mind that we were in a mass class, sitting shoulder to shoulder with about 15" of work space in front of us. It was easy for things to become confused, and I have a feeling that my ribbon package may have gone home with someone else. There was supposed to be a narrow ribbon that would be used with another length of ribbon for the scissor fob, and another that would go around the outer edge of the pin wheel.

So, I spent some time rummaging in the stash for ribbons that would work. Once I realized I didn't have something I could use, I spent some more time looking for additional Creme in AVAS. Lo and behold, that I had, actually, a couple of skeins. Wonder why I had that . . . anyway, I ended up making twisted cords and using them in place of ribbon.

So second thing out of the finishing basket. The next two projects on top are the Tasmanian Needle Tidy and the Carmen Etui. Both look like they are going to be relatively easy to assemble.

Famous last words . . . 

Hopefully, I will get back on track with blogging this week. We're still having issues loading photos---and, of course, I need to stitch to have something to blog. I'm going to work on that, too.

Tribute

While watching the pageantry of the Royal funeral yesterday, I finished Tribute. Somehow that seems fitting.

Here is the outside--and please pardon the darkness of the photo, I had missed the sun when I took this.

And here is the inside with all the bits and pieces attached.

I have started putting together the Tiny Things that coordinate with Tribute. They were an Early Bird Class when I originally took the workshop years ago, but were available as an add-on for those who took Tribute at Sassy Jack's.

I have reached the point where I need to stand at the ironing board for awhile and press empty-leven little bits and pieces so they can be sewn together. Once all those bits and pieces are connected, I'll have two project bags out of the finishing basket.

I may actually be finishing. And I haven't screamed and run in circles yet.

Yet.

 

Last One

 The last of my light-headed purchases:

More yummy colors! I really like these overdyed wools that Gumnut creates--very subtle, tone-on-tone shades. They will be used in the Rosehip Needlecase, designed by Margaret Light in her book A Fine Tradition.

In last week's newsletter, there was a hint that there will be a second volume of her designs coming out next year. Wouldn't it be lovely if I could stitch these three kits before then?

Lovely, yes. Likely, no.

And Another One

 And the second kit looks like this:

Look at those yummy colors! I think this one is going to be a lot of fun to stitch.

But, I have to admit, I set finishing aside yesterday. Instead, I worked on vines for the insert for the top of the lid for the box for Hold Dear, which, for some reason, I have renamed in my head as Dear Heart. So if I have a senior moment and call it the wrong name, please be aware that this is Hold Dear.

There will eventually be roses on the vines, but not today. There has been no stitching today, and there likely won't be any tonight. I have been cleaning out paperwork. My eyes are now crossed from looking at years of stuff that we should have tossed before now.

Dearly Beloved doesn't know I'm going to start on bookcases after the paperwork is sorted. I'm not sure he will be able to cope. The man does love paper.

Seeing Red

While I was in an altered state of consciousness during the Prep for the Procedure, I ordered some kits from Inspirations. They arrived yesterday.

And this is the first of them:

 I do love this dark red, and I'm happy to find out that it's available in several different thread weights--and the tape is printed with that red outline (from looking at the photo, I was afraid it would have to be stitched) and the piece of linen is quite lovely--so I'm looking forward to starting this.

Meanwhile, I've been putting Tribute together:

 

The box part is attached, but I'm having some issues with the closure. There are magnets to hold the lid in place, but it doesn't seem to hold when the lid is down. It "clicks" so I have the magnets positioned correctly, but they aren't holding.

It may have something to do with the thickness of the two pieces that I'm trying to bring together. There are several layers of material between each magnet, and then there are more layers that have to be folded down and enclosed by the lid. 

What may help is getting the iron out and pressing everything as flat as possible. I do want the layers to be a little crisper than they are, so I was planning to do that anyway. If that doesn't work, I believe I'll just add a button and a short twisted cord and close it that way.

I am generally a slave to the directions as written but on occasion, I do take artistic license.

Usually because I screwed up following the directions . . .