Taking Stock

I'm still working on the bits and pieces for Tribute. My usual refrain: Everything takes longer than I think it should, and this is no exception.

Once I get that multicolor stripe across each of the pieces, I need to sew satin ribbon above and below it, then I need to work two more stripes, one above the ribbon sections and one below. It's going to be a wee bit fiddly to keep it straight. Actually, I've been thinking about using Stitch Witchery to hold the ribbons in place, but I'm not sure how that would affect the sheen of the ribbon. I may experiment out in the margin to see what happens.

I realized this morning as I was paying a couple of bills that, OMG, the year is half over. How did that happen?

I also realized

• I haven't finished anywhere close to the amount of stitching I had planned to have done by now
• The finishing pile is only getting higher.
• The downsizing is taking longer than anticipated
• However, I have become extremely skilled in puttering around while accomplishing little to nothing.

I have decided I need to do better the second half of the year. I don't know how--puttering is fun--but something is going to have to change if I want to finish even a small bit of my stash in this lifetime. I used to be such an efficient person when I worked. I need to remember how I did that! 

Headaches

We have a new computer. There is a learning curve, since it has some features the previous one didn't, and is missing some features from the old computer we really liked. There will be trips to the Genius Bar in our future. It appears that we will have to purchase additional stuff to do what we could do on the old machine. And I have to find the info that tells me how to link the printer to the new computer.

So I'm still using the old computer temporarily and hoping it doesn't up and die completely before I get all this sorted out. And that's one headache.

The good thing is that I am working on the last dark plum piece of linen for Tribute.

The flash lightens the color of the linen, which is much darker than it appears. The plum shades in the thread are almost the exact same shade as the linen, and that makes it a wee bit difficult to see. That's another headache.

I have to do a total of six repeats of the colors for this piece, and I'm on the second one at the moment. I'm beginning to think it might be a good idea to do one repeat a day and take just a little longer to finish the stitching for this than to try to zoom through. That might alleviate another headache.

And I just had to change needles on this project for the third time. Apparently my body chemistry is quite acidic, and I take the finish off needles. I can generally get through maybe one-and-a-half projects on a needle, but this summer, I have been killing them dead before I get to the halfway point. Good thing I'm going to be at Sassy Jack's next week and can replenish the supply.

Because being a stitcher without a needle would be real headache!

Just in Case

 The blog may go dark for a few days. We are in the market for a new computer due to the age and decrepitude of the current one--sorta thought maybe we should replace this one before it quits completely.

So if there aren't any posts, I haven't gone anywhere for very long.

Back on Track

In the middle of the night, when I always have thoughts of disaster, I started thinking about how much I still want to stitch before my class week after next, and how things always take much longer than I think they will--so today I went back to Tribute and finished outlining what will become the opening for the bottom of the box.

I have three more pieces of this dark plum linen that I need to stitch, and one more piece of the cream color. I think I need to have the morning light to work on the darker linen. I can always work on the cream under artificial light in the evenings. I think that's the current schedule until I get the embroidery done.

Tonight, though, I have an EGA chapter meeting, which means I likely won't stitch at all. 

I find that very ironic.

One panel done

 The first panel for the Tasmanian Needle Tidy is complete.

I do love these colors and the delicacy of the design lines. I think I may continue with this one for another day.

Actually, I think I could have finished this panel yesterday, but after spending a loooooooooong time at the doctor's office being poked and prodded and stuck with needles, I was not in the mood. I was in the mood to fall into a vat of chocolate ice cream, but I managed to overcome that impulse. I was unable to overcome the impulse to make a peach cobbler, so that's how I spent my Monday afternoon. I crawled back into my usual rut today.And that is where I'll stay for the rest of the week, other than my EGA chapter meeting tomorrow evening.

Such an exciting life!

Downright Rebellious

 When I go off the reservation, I really go all the way.

There are supposed to be wallabies on this band of the Tasmanian Needle Tidy.

You may notice that there are flowers instead.

I have nothing against wallabies. I have no particular fondness for them, either. You could consider me wallaby-neutral. And I felt that the overall feeling of this project fits in with the 16th/17th century designs I love--so I repeated the flower motifs.

I believe this is the last of my rebellion for awhile. I'd like to finish working the background around the flowers tonight, then I have an appointment for my annual physical tomorrow. Once I make it through that ordeal, I have no idea what I'll be in the mood for.

Meanwhile, Happy Father's Day to both Dearly Beloved and The Big Kid.

And Happy Anniversary to Dearly Beloved. As of today, we have been married for 46 years. Neither of us is quite sure how that has happened, but we have accomplished it despite ourselves.

More Misbehavior

I very sternly told myself last night that I would immediately work the nun stitch in the second panel of Tribute as soon as we got home from the Farmers' Market this morning.

I looked at it.

Several times.

And realized I had hit the wall.

So, despite my plans to stay with this until it was done, I am rebelling and working on something else. Actually, I have two full weeks before I go to Sassy Jack's for the workshop, so I may take a week off. I have always done my best work under a deadline. (That's my story and I'm sticking with it.)

So, I am working on something else entirely.

If you look at the date on the piece that's stitched, you will notice it's dated 2020. I was supposed to take this class from Betsy in June of 2020. Well . . . guess what happened to that plan!

I have already decided to hop from thing to thing for the next week and get it out of my system so I can buckle down and finish Tribute.

We'll see if that plan works.