Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog

 I have returned from my week away.

It was wonderful. I got to see old friends, made new ones, had wonderful meals out, spent quality time with BDE, took an online class from Kate Barlow while I was there, took advantage of the opportunity to attend two stimulating and intriguing lectures--and stitched a little!

RST's center cartouche is finally finished.

Bless her heart, just when I thought I was making some progress, she threw in another tendril or bud or decided to outline a motif or do something out of the ordinary. But she is done.

I had planned to come home and stitch from morning to night--I was just that energized--but I also came home with a virus of some sort. I was afraid it was the flu at first, but it seems to be going away (it was not Covid, I checked), leaving me feeling as old as water and twice as weak. 

So I'm going to continue to relax and recuperate and start counting the days until the next expedition.

BAM! SPLAT!!

 That was the sound I made when I hit the wall earlier this week.

There's a lot going on in the world at the moment, and it wore me down to the point that I couldn't even find solace in my needlework. So, I took a few days off. I greatly reduced my social media contacts so no doom scrolling. I haven't watched anything beyond the weather reports on the news.

What have I done? A lot of reading--I'm rereading Laurie R King's Russell/Holmes mysteries. I've been watching Time Team  and Flosstube episodes on YouTube. I've been packing for the annual trip BDE and I take to spend time with friends every year. I just sat and watched the snow fall for a couple of days.

There will be stitching again, probably tomorrow when I hit the stitching room at the gathering. But I did want to let my readers know I haven't dropped off the face of the earth--just taking a couple of days away from it.

Another pretty posy

I have another pretty little flower stitched into RST1779.

And I've decided that maybe this was done by a schoolgirl after all.

I was beginning to suspect when I found errors in color placement in a few motifs, things that just didn't make sense and didn't fit the pattern. Then I stitched this flower, which is jammed right up against another motif. I don't think a professional using this for a display of her work would space things so closely.

Then I ran across a mention of "French schools" that existed in The Netherlands in the 1700's. Among other things, they taught embroidery "in the French style" to their pupils.

So RST may have been a student, a very skilled student. And now I have another rabbit hole to go down--French schools in The Netherlands--hmmmmm . . . .

Where did the week go?

 I am not sure where the week went.  Actually, I don't think I want to know.

Monday may have started it off. 

You may want to scroll past the rant.

I ordered Jenny Adin-Christie's beautiful book, Enchanted Embroidery. Even if you think you'll never, ever stitch any of Jenny's projects (and why wouldn't you?--her directions are spectacular. You probably should know how to thread a needle, but other than that, she takes you by the hand and leads you step-by-step through each part of the embroidery) this book is wonderful simply for the eye candy. My name also came up on the list for the Samode Purse, which has had me drooling since it first appeared on her Facebook and Instagram feeds. So I ordered that as well.

They were being shipped by DHL. DHL ships worldwide and tracks things down to the nth degree.

Maybe.

I got the notification that my package had been delivered at 9:53 a.m. Monday morning. They said it would arrive on Monday, and they said it was left on my doorstep. It was not on my doorstep. The photo of a package arriving on my doorstep could have been any of the hundreds of units in this complex since we all have pretty much the same set of three wooden steps leading to the deck.

So I tried to contact DHL. AI is not their friend when it comes to customer service. After going through their chatbot, voice mail, etc, etc, etc, I ended up every time with a cheery male voice singing out, "Your package was delivered at 9:53 a.m. this morning!"

So I pulled on my coat and gloves and cap and tottered out to see if any of my neighbors had the package. Inspection of doorsteps did not reveal my package sitting on any of them as it appeared in the "proof of delivery" photo--which did not show a unit number. The unit numbers are right next to the gate to the deck, but, nope, not shown.

I just happened to glance over at one set of steps as I was getting ready to trudge back inside and indulge in a total temper tantrum--and my package had been shoved under the gate onto a neighbor's deck. So I waved at his Ring and porch-pirated my own package.

And here are the contents:

And all the goodies inside the box:

And Monday actually turned out to be a pretty good day, in that the Post Office actually delivered two packages where and when they said they would.

All the goodies for the goldwork class I'm taking from Liz Tepper in March.

And Needlework Press's Charlotte Warrington sampler through Homespun Needlework on Facebook. This is an exclusive to the group. I had two opportunities to order it previously, and talked myself out of it both times, and kicked myself for letting it go both times. Third time's the charm, apparently. I succumbed and I'm glad I did.

But have I stitched?

A bit.

I finally got that geometric box filled in, and planted a pretty posy next to it. 

I decided that the way I was holding the frame as I worked may have been part of the problem with my wrists and hands, so I rummaged around in the stash room and located one of my frame stands. I'm going to mount the frame in it and see if taking the weight off helps. I also decided to focus on flowers--the geometrics take a lot of time because they're so densely stitched, so to get the most done before RST travels to Nashville, I think I'll plant flowers.

A Day or Rest (or Rice)

 I stitched for about 9 hours Friday, then for a couple of hours during the Mayflower Sampler Guild meeting yesterday. Yes, I did stop and do my hand exercises every hour.

And I got this much done:

Then I stopped to eat lunch, and my hand cramped around my soup spoon so tightly that I had to pry my fingers apart with my left hand.

This is not good.

So I am taking about 24 hours off and doing the RICE thing:

R Rest

I Ice

C Compression (brace)

E Elevation

I really wanted to have RST1779 completely stitched before the Nashville Market, but I can't figure out a way to do that without damaging my hands, so I'll do what I can and finish the model after the market is over.

I'm not happy about wearing the brace almost all the time again. It's caused problems with sleeping in it, as it is.

Take last night for instance.

Background information: Dearly Beloved has a collection of what he calls his religious T-shirts (holey, holey, holey) and what I call dust rags. I mean, really, if the neckband is held on to the body of the shirt in three places, it's time to let it go before it lets itself go. He says they are very soft and comfortable and he likes sleeping in soft, comfortable clothes. I get that, I do, but obviously romance is dead.

He also snores. Yes, he's done sleep studies and has a CPAP machine, but he still sounds like a buzz saw or a 747 taking off or a pig snuffling, depending on the position he sleeps in. Generally I can just nudge his shoulder and roll him back on his side and he sleeps quietly again.

Which is what happened last night. I nudged, he started to roll over, but one of the Velcro straps that holds the brace on my wrist apparently had come slightly undone. It caught on his soft, comfortable T-shirt. I tugged. The shirt ripped. Part of it stayed connected to the Velcro, which meant I then had to turn on the light and take off the brace and get the brace and T-shirt rag separated, then get the brace secured around my wrist again.

Dearly Beloved never woke up through this whole thing.

But he did ask me what in the world happened to his shirt last night when he got up this morning.

A little progress

 Another motif was finished--I really don't like that dark shade in the motif, but it's apparently what she used, so I'm going with it.

I've been working the frameworks before the inner parts with these other geometric designs, but the one I started last night doesn't have a symmetrical frame exactly--so I'm working the medallions first and then will fill around them. Normally I would work one of those patterns in rows and park the threads I'm not using, but I'd have about empty-leven needles parted at any given moment. That would just lead to tangles and tears.

Oops, missed a day

 I didn't post yesterday's progress because by the time I finished stitching, it was after my bedtime and I couldn't focus my eyes or string two coherent words together.

I have a very good excuse. I'm a member of the Tudor Rose Sampler Guild, and Tricia Nguyen was the guest speaker. Her topic was Nuremberg Samplers, and it was fascinating. I generally hang out in the 17th century with English band samplers, so this lecture and her Flosstube on the same subject have opened up a whole new world of sampler eye candy.

Anyway, this is where I am on RST1779 at the moment:

The woven ribbons are done, and I am almost through with the framework on the next motif. Then there is another great big honkin' geometric motif below the woven ribbons that I'd like to get out of the way, and then I can stitch flowers again for awhile.

I am really looking forward to planting the flowers.

So, so close

I'm so close to getting the next motif finished. So, so close . . . but my eyes and hands have shut down.

 This looks like it should be a contemporary pattern, not one from 1779. I think it's the black outlining that gives it that bold look.

Granted, people of this time period used vivid colors, not the gentle faded shades we see on the surviving textiles. I kinda like the more faded shades personally, but every so often you need something to shake up the usual.

Tomorrow, I will get the rest of the motif finished--if I can get my hair cut and the living room dusted and dinner in the crockpot and all those domestic diva things accomplished in a timely fashion. I'd rather stitch.

Woven Ribbons

My very dear friend and partner-in-crime Sharon (who also reproduces samplers for her company Thy Needles Worke) has come up with a brilliant plan. She found an app where she records a photo of her stitching for each day. That way she can see her progress as well as remember what projects she worked and when she stitched them.

Well, I'm starting a bit late to the party--you're supposed to start recording on January 1--and I decided I could record the pictures as well on my blog as on an app--so I'm going to try it. 

And today's stitching is the next motif on RST1779.

It looks like woven ribbons, doesn't it?

 I was a little hesitant to stitch the framework first since it's done in black thread. Dyeing textiles black usually requires more applications and processing of the dye to saturate the fibers and get a true, deep black. And that can make the thread more fragile, and, in this case more prone to lint and shedding. And those black fibers can make the other colors look grayed out.

So I'm watching the silk very carefully, making sure I clip the tails away when they start to look even the slightest bit frayed. I think I may also go over the motif, front and back, with some archival tape. And keep my sharpest pointed tweezers next to me as I stitch the other, paler shades of silk.

We'll see how that works. Maybe tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Finally February

Whew! January didn't last 937 days after all!

And I finally managed to finish the strawberry block on RST1779. Those densely stitched patterns do take some time.

 I also managed to rip out most of what I stitched in class in my two online classes. Quite frankly, I do not stitch well at all in class--you'd think I'd never threaded a needle in my entire life. I think I'd be best served by listening in class and taking notes, then working on the design when I'm not feeling the need to get an area stitched so I can move to something else.

There has been a little bit of stash enhancement. "Rise Above the Waters", the design that Jackie du Plessis created as a fundraiser for charities in Western North Carolina, has arrived from Sassy Jack's. Cathe Ray's thread keep, also a fundraiser, was included.

I'm using this as a reward for getting some of my obligation stitching done. I'm just about at the halfway point on RST1779, and I really want her to move along.

***************************************************************************

We lost one of the most beloved people in our stitching world this past week. Jean Lea of The Attic left us after a long and valiant battle with cancer.The number of times she brought it to a standstill and sent it into remission is amazing for anyone, but the way she bounced back each time was nothing short of miraculous. We had her in our lives longer than anyone could expect, and we treasure the influence and impact she had on both individual stitchers and the industry as a whole.

I was never lucky enough to meet her in person, although I talked to her on the phone several times. She was always kind and generous with her time, and she will be missed. We are blessed that her family and staff will carry on her legacy.

January Forever

 Does anybody else feel like January has been going on forever? I mean, I know it ends on Friday, but shouldn't it have ended last Friday?

But, Hallelujah, we're having a heat wave after the arctic blast. We may get to 50 Fahrenheit today!!

Anyway . . . 

I had homework to do for my Loving Letter Case class on Wednesday. The problem is that I really didn't like the way the thread looked, using the full weight as it came from the skein and a needle the size of a harpoon. So I ripped it all out, and started restitching with fewer strands. I like it better now. Of course, now I wish I had taken a picture of the original stitching so you can see the difference. The things you think about after you frog.

Anyway, I have a good start on the leaves:

I planned to finish the leaves this afternoon after lunch but the two I did looked horrible, so I ripped them out. I think this is one of those projects I need to work on the minute I get up, while my fingers are rested

However, I can do Queen stitches in my sleep now, so I have made some progress on RST1779:

I think I'm going to work on finishing up this row, maybe go to the next row. We'll see how my hands hold out. I forgot to put on my braces last night, and I can really tell the difference today.

It's a Quilt Pattern

 This next motif on RST1779 looks like a quilt pattern to me.

I'm leaning towards strawberries as the central motif--seems like I've seen similar strawberry designs in the borders of samplers.

I wanted to finish this motif this weekend because there's another geometric block right below it that looks like a plaid . . . maybe . . . but I need to get the homework done for one of my letter cases.

To maintain my sanity, I've decided to focus my stitching on the two letter cases and RST. I'm still going to the online classes for the other things I signed up for, but I'm not working on them at the moment. That will have to wait until I get this off my plate and out of my life. I do still need to work on my WIPGO project for January, but it should only take a day. Famous last words, but I have my fingers crossed.

And I'm ignoring the fact that everything always takes much longer than I think it should.

Not a Knot

 Well, it turned out that what I thought might turn into a knot garden actually isn't, but it is one of the prettiest motifs on the sampler.

What am I saying? They're all pretty, but this one is tied with the one that has been described as a peacock tail, a Hydrangea bush, and an artichoke.

I think the geometric that is started to the left of this one is going to be another very pretty motif. I decided it would be easier--and more efficient--to work the framework first, then fill in the diamonds. I think they're going to be more florals. We'll see, since I'm working from a black-and-white chart.

I have to admit, I find colored charts to be more difficult to follow. It can be hard to distinguish one color from another, and sometimes the symbols are hard to decipher when they're embedded in a colored block.

And it adds to the excitement of finishing a motif--seeing the design come to life.

This is the kind of excitement I like. The other excitement I've had this week--finding out I need a new phone--is not. 

We also need to invest in new sheets--a friend once noticed that all her linens seemed to wear out every seven years. She decided it was because you start out housekeeping with new linens, all at the same time, which meant that they all wore out at the same time. She decided this occurred every seven years. I have decided she was right, since we're coming up on 49 years of marriage and the sheets are starting to look a little frayed.

I'd rather spend money on sheets than a new phone, but I don't suppose I have much choice in the matter. Actually, I'd rather spend money on needlework, but I think my budget is going elsewhere for a bit.

This is not starting out to be the best year . . . Phooey!

Sunday Stitching

 It's been a gray and gloomy day, so I spent it with needle in hand.

I have stitched all the little tiny bits and pieces we went over in class for the Cherished Letter Case. There are more little tiny bits and pieces that will be stitched in filament silk, but I've done all the ones I needed to before Wednesday's class. I still need to attach spangles in each of the four corners, but I do believe that will be something to tackle in the morning.

And there are a few more rows of Queen stitches on the knot garden on RST1779.

I'd love to say I'll have it done before I go to bed tonight, but I keep forgetting--or denying--just how long Queen stitches take. At least I'll have more done than I have now. 

The next motif after this one is a honking big rectangle, solidly stitched. Those patterns are very pretty, but  also very labor intensive. I've been trying to figure out the best way to work it the most efficient way. I am not sure there is a most efficient way, other than just yanking up the Granny panties and getting it done.

So I'll be yanking away.

That's a lovely image to leave you with . . .

This and That

 I have spent more time in the last several days blowing my nose than stitching, but I think I'm getting slowly back to normal.

Whatever normal is.

in between sneezes, I've been sugar scrubbing my fingers down to the skeleton so that I could work with filament silk without snagging. Just so you know, if you're married, going to bed with heavy hand cream covered by Nitrile gloves covered with wrist braces will get you odd looks from your significant other.

This is the little bit I've done on the Cherished Letter Case:

Those leaves are tiny!

And I think I'm about a fourth of the way through with RST1779:

I think this is going to be a knot garden:

I'm hoping to finish the last little diamond and start the middle tonight.

So, aside from having a brief respite from the deep freeze just in time to get ready for the next arctic blast, this is all the news that's fit to print. And, yes, I know that in other parts of the country, temps in the low teens are a heat wave--but where I live, that's absurdly cold and I want no part of it.

Apparently I have no say in the matter, so I may as well add another blanket to the bed.

A rose is a rose is a rose

 At least, I think this is a rose bush.

I have a big geometric--and when I say big, I mean humongous--and then another brocade-like pattern on this level of RST 1779. Meanwhile, I also have three of the four current online classes to work on, and an EGA group correespondence course to start, and a project to finish for my WIPGO board.

And what have I done today? I hibernated with a book. I have been sneezing my head off so I decided to pamper myself and mainline orange juice just in case I'm coming down with a cold.

Overwhelmed and Underwhelmed

 I said to myself that I would blog when I had something to show, thinking I would have another big flower completed on RST 1779 in a day or so.

Not.

This is two days of stitching, and I don't think I'm even halfway done with this motif. In addition, I had the first online class with Zina Kazban and her Cherished Letter Case--nothing to see there, a few minutes into the class the light bulb on my light went out and I couldn't really see well enough to stitch without it. I have a new bulb coming--had to be ordered, of course--so hopefully there will be something to show on that front before I start the Loving Letter Case class with Zina this week. Yes, I have two classes going, each on alternate weeks.

And today is the intro to the class with Cynthia Jackson that I've been waiting for since last fall.

I have a lot to stitch.

I'm a little overwhelmed.

What is underwhelming is the winter storm that passed through last night. We haven't had a pretty snow in years--no soft, powdery flakes that create a winter wonderland. What we got was a very brief snowfall that left the dead grass sticking up, followed by freezing precipitation, which left an icy crust on top of everything. Basically, we have a bit of white ice, which we hope doesn't do nasty things to power lines. Today the temps are supposed to reach the 40's, which means that the white ice will melt, then form black ice overnight when the temps drop back into the 20's.

I don't care who you are, or where you live, nobody should try to get out and drive on black ice.

Which means that I have the perfect excuse to stitch all weekend.

Which means I may actually have some progress to show in the next day or so!

Pretty Pink Posies

 The rest of those pretty pink posies are now stitched on RST1779.

I'm moving on to another humongous flower motif this afternoon, while it rains outside and the temperatures drop. We aren't getting snow, but we are getting rain, which hopefully will not turn into ice. Snow is pretty. Ice is scary.

But I am wrapped in my blankie and stitching. There is bean soup simmering in the crock pot with the bone from the Christmas ham, so we'll be warm inside and out.

And meanwhile, I am wondering about RST, who created this sampler. Was she a teacher stitching samples for her students? Or was she a professional embroiderer, making a pattern record? Or was she one of us, planning projects to embellish her home or her clothing?  And I wonder what she would say if she knew that her sampler was being reproduced for others to stitch.

First Finish of 2025!

Quick, fly-by post--we're having a somewhat busier weekend than usual. Here's my first finish of 2025, and the first block I can cross off on my WIPGO board:

 Blessings

designed by Barbara Jackson for Shining Needle Society

Sideways

 I made a mental list of things I wanted to do on the second day of the New Year.

And not a single bloody thing was accomplished. Unfortunately, Dearly Beloved also made a list of things to be accomplished on the second day of the New Year, and every single one of them interfered with what I wanted to do. As most of them were things I had been gently requesting that he do (the phrase "nagging the hell out of me" was used a number of times), I got out of his way.

There are times when I wonder how we've stayed married for 48 1/2 years.

Anyway, when peace finally reigned over the kingdom, I decided to forget the list and reward myself for endless patience and stitch for what was left of the evening.

And part of that was sideways.

The Queen stitches on the bud on the left are worked horizontally. They are sideways. RST 1779, what are you doing to me?

I thought the easiest thing to do was hold the frame sideways and work the Queens the way I normally do. This might have worked if the frame weren't large and heavy. It came unbalanced and bonked me on the head a couple of times.

So, I pondered and studied and decided it is possible to work Queens sideways. And so I did.

Which means I did accomplish something on the second day of the New Year, even if it wasn't on my mental list.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all!

I usually post the ceremonial dumping of the ort jar, but I dumped it before I remembered to take a picture. Oops!

But I had a lovely afternoon stitching with members of the Western Reserve Sampler Guild, and I managed to finish another motif on RST 1779:

I had planned to have more done by now, but best-laid plans never stay laid. Actually, I was unwell earlier in the week. Let's just say that my plans to lose the Halloween candy/Thanksgiving feast/Christmas cookies weight are no longer necessary and leave it at that.

I've been scrolling through Facebook and Instagram, looking at all the accomplishments of my sister (and brother) stitchers, and it is impressive! Even more impressive are the plans for 2025. I decided not to fall into any SALs or 12 by 12 project lists, I did succumb to WIPGO.

However, my WIPGO chart is covered with projects that I need to assemble. I'm tired to tripping over the finishing basket, or picking up project bags that have fallen out of the basket and stuffing them back in, or wondering why the elves haven't arrived to put everything together for me.

Do I think I'll be successful? Maybe? Who knows. My main goal for 2025 is to enjoy the journey, wherever it takes me and however it happens.