The Eagle has Landed

Actually, the bluebird has lit on its branch.

Here's where I started this morning:

Four and a half hours later:

And about an hour ago:

I need to sew on spangles and tweak his tummy accent--it's too strong.

I had a very sweet email this morning from someone who is worried about how I seem to have suffered through this, what with all the ripping and so forth.  This has not been suffering. This is my usual MO.

The first or second national seminar I attended, and I cannot remember now if it was EGA or ANG,  I heard something during a conversation with several teachers--and I am so sorry I cannot remember who it was who said it.  What she said has stuck with me, and the more I stitch, the more I find it to be true.

Beginners rip out a lot.
Intermediate stitchers rarely rip out anything.
Experienced stitchers rip out a lot.

Add that experience to the fact that I am a first-born girl child and you will understand why I rip as much as I do.  First-born girl children (as those of us who are will attest) are responsible for the turning of the world on its axis in the approved manner--and we tend to be perfectionists.  If we're going to spend time on something, it's going to be done right or it's going to be done over until it is as right as we can get it.

(Interesting factoid:  Dearly Beloved is also a first-born.  The Big Kid obviously is, and he is married to another first-born.  There is a wide enough age gap between the Big Kid and Baby Girl for her behavior to be more like a first-born than the usual second-born child. It's a good thing we all have an extremely healthy sense of humor.)

The next thing to do is to put it all together.  I don't believe I can face that today--besides I have been glued to the wing chair for so long it would probably be a very good idea to get up and move about a bit before I petrify.  Actually, I have the Friday after Thanksgiving off and I think I may open up the sewing machine and pull out the ironing board and have a finishing week-end.  I have several things that could be put together, and it would be easier to do it all in one swell foop.

So after un-petrifying, I think Martha Edlin and I will spend some quality time for the rest of the week-end.