Back in the Saddle Again

 I have been in a major stitching slump lately, in case you haven't noticed. I was trying to keep my wrist in the brace and elevated and rested because it has flared up again, then I started wondering what I would do with myself if I had to stop stitching entirely--and if that won't throw a stitching fool into a major funk, what will?

Then I realized that the few times I did stitch, my wrist actually felt better--less stiff, less sore unless I moved a certain way or tried to pick something up with my left hand.

But I was still in a slump.

It occurred to me that I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the projects in my current batch--notice I did not say rotation. Then again, I would likely be overwhelmed by any of my projects. I tend to be drawn to things that are large--or complicated to stitch--or big--or both. I mean, even my smalls aren't small in terms of complicated finishing or stitching or both.

I needed something smaller and simpler in my life.

As it happens, several weeks ago I ran across one of the samplers that Country Sampler was offering as part of its Threads of History sampler club.  Background: I don't usually fall in love with what seems to be considered the "traditional" schoolgirl sampler with rows and rows of alphabets and a big house. I like the quirky and different, and "A Fancy Basket: Ann Kemp 1815" is quirky. Rather than a house, it has a big honkin' basket smack dab in the middle. Little Ann did her best to get all her verse inside the border, but when it didn't fit, she just stitched her words right over the top of the edging. She did manage some symmetry but it's not the focal point.

Anyway, I ordered it. (I also signed up for the rest of the year in the Threads of History club but we're not going to discuss that at the moment.)

Sampler arrived. And it's relatively small. The colors aren't in the palette I generally gravitate to. It isn't complicated.

And I love it.

And I started working on it yesterday:

And now I'm ready to tackle some of the other things in the pile by my chair.

And don't hold me to this, but I may try an actual rotation again.