I am the boss of me

 I know that I said the Spot Sampler was going to be my Sampler Sunday project and would be worked on only on Sunday.

So far I've broken that declaration twice. Today was the second time.

I planned to work on something else today, but I started thinking about how long each one of these motifs takes to stitch. I finally figured out that at the present rate, it could take me as long as four years to complete the sampler. I really don't want to spend every Sunday for four years on the same sampler, so I decided that I can spend another day or two a week on it if the mood prevails.

After all, when it comes to my stitching, I am actually the boss of me and can do what I want!

Plus, I'm retired and I don't have to meet arbitrary deadlines or performance metrics. After working for so long, I have a problem remembering that sometimes.

SO much green!

 And I'm filling in leaves on this Sampler Sunday:

I just realized when I looked at the photo--it looks like this flower has little cacti erupting all over it.

Hopefully, by the time I get the petals of the flower filled in, the cacti will look like leaves and not cacti. I'm not sure that an embroiderer in the 1600's would have had access to a cactus to know what one would look like.

I could start working on the petals, but I know that I need to take care of my greens before I get to the sweet stuff.  

See what I did there?

Obviously, I need to take a break.

And . . . a Start

 I've been making lists of older projects that I want to work on.

It's a very long list and definitely needs to be winnowed down. After all, I'd like to have some finishes instead of just moving forty-leven projects along.

And I was looking at the list last night and realized I didn't have anything that would be conducive to working on during guild meetings/lectures/stitch-ins.  And I have a lot of guild meetings and lectures and potential stitch-ins coming up.

So, short of digging out a needlepoint piece that just needs the background worked (and I'm sure there are a few of those in the stash), I pulled out one of the projects from a class I took from Jackie du Plessis a year or so ago. It's a stitcher's pocket, aka "All That Glitters."

And I have a good start. The design has a series of interlocking motifs that are easy to count and fill in, and it uses an elongated cross stitch so it has a beautiful texture, and it's complicated enough to keep me interested but easy to do while otherwise engaged.

Tomorrow is Sampler Sunday--that's going to stay the same--and then on Monday I'll start working on one of the multitude of projects on my list.

We'll see which one wins out.

New Stuff

 It's been a good mail week.

Tania Cohen's Knot Garden Bouquet is the focus piece for the Special Interest Group sponsored by the Dayton Chapter of EGA for the rest of the year. The kit has arrived! Unfortunately, Dearly Beloved and I had to be out of town for a few days, and I didn't get to participate in the first meeting covering the project.

And then, when we arrived home today, this was waiting for me:

Ann Beck is a new designer to me, but her bio is fascinating. She designed and embroidered the costumes worn by some of the greats in figure skating and also had a costuming business for a number of years. She has turned her attention to teaching embroidery now, and I just found out about her recently. And of course I fell in love with this design and ordered the kit.

Open the box and it's like Christmas:

You almost don't want to untie the ribbon . . . but you do . . . 

Silks and metals and trims, oh, my! And a quick scan of the instructions look like they are more than complete, with extra notes talking about various facets of the design.

And am I going to leap right in?

I want to.

I really want to.

However, while I was out of town, especially during the long drives to and fro, I have been thinking about all the WIPs and UFOs and amazing projects in my stash, particularly two big and long-term projects. I also found a list of projects I wanted to do as soon as I retired.

I retired five years ago.

Have I touched any of those projects on that list?

Nope.

So I'm going to focus on some stash pieces that have been started and add the new stuff once I get some of the old stuff completed. Some of the old stuff really only needs a few days to become finished stuff. and finished stuff is the best stuff!

This does not mean that there will be no further stash enhancement. I mean, do you know me? It just means that maybe the things you'll see me work on are mostly older projects. for awhile, with a new thing or two thrown in because I just can't stand it.

Another finish!

 The skirt just about did me in--there are a LOT more stitches than I expected--story of my life--but Clare is done!

She is supposed to be a shaped pillow like the Animal Crackers are, but I wasn't crazy about the shape in the template.  Then I thought about doing a stand-up, but I didn't feel like doing the math. I felt like just getting her done--so she's a little pillow.

Actually, she isn't quite done. I have asked BDE to make a crocheted lace edging to trim the pillow and she is agreeable. Best Daughter Ever for sure!

Now, my question is this: Why is embroidery so enjoyable and sewing such a pain in the patoot?

A Finish and an Almost Finish

I hitched up the granny panties and finish-finished the ornament I stitched earlier this week!

The photo on the chart showed an octagonal shape. I toyed with that for a little bit and decided that life was too short to deal with all those angles, so I did my typical round finish with twisted cording. Looking at the photo, I believe we need to have another good pressing before putting it in the ornament box for this year.

And then, I felt it appropriate to work on something patriotic on Memorial Day while we were watching Band of Brothers, so Clare 1876 climbed out of her project bag. This is where I was when I stopped last night:

If you decide to stitch her, I have a hint for dealing with the skirt. Do all the white stitches first--that gives you the framework for counting out all the shading. 

I have to admit that I had to dig out the colored pencils to mark off the rows in the white sections. I haven't had to do that in a long time, but it simplified my life and actually saved time in the long run. I'm always pleased when something simplifies my life and saves time, so win-win!

I am going to plop myself down and see if I can get the rest of her stitched today.  Lofty goal, but Dearly Beloved has gone to tour the grocery store and I will have a couple of hours to myself before he gets home.

I do love him, but there is a LOT of togetherness in retirement!

So close . . .

 Today I stitched the Scottish Sampler Ornament, designed by Serpentine Stitchery from many, many years ago.

You find all kinds of things when you go stash-diving. This was one of the exclusive designs offered by one of the first online shops, Accomplishments in Ohio--gotta be over twenty years ago.

I was in the mood to work on an ornament and this was on the top of the stack.

You wouldn't think this little ornament could cause angst. First of all, it's on 25 count linen with Soie Perlee. And this meant I had to find a 24 tapestry needle because Soie Perlee won't go through the eye of a 26 or 28. Well, it will, but it doesn't want to. It's been a minute since I used a 24 needle, so it was a little like picking up a telephone pole.

And it's been a looooong time since I used 25 count linen, so it was like sticking that telephone pole through a highway.

Which meant the center motif went really fast.

Maybe I should do something besides 36 or 40 count linen with one strand of Soie de Paris or AVAS on occasion.

Now, that braided pattern around the outside was not quite so easy. I've done variations of this motif on other projects and it always makes my brain hurt when I try to do it in double running. I started double running and ended up ripping more than completing. After three false starts, I made the executive decision to do plain old backstitch. After all, this piece is for enjoyment. If you have to rip and rip and rip again, it loses that enjoyment factor.

And I have decided perfectionism is vastly overrated. Especially when the back of the work will never be seen.