A Beautiful Wedding

Well, we all made it through the wedding and it was beautiful! The officiant was the couple's best friend and he made the ceremony a one-of-a-kind ceremony all about them. It was so meaningful as it was the story of their time together so far, and their future together. It really made all the drama fade away practically instantly. This is not to imply there was not drama up until the last second. But it was kept in check and did not ruin a wonderful day and blessed event!

I had to post the second picture because I did everyone's makeup, and I have to say I was pleased with the results!

Can you believe the mother of the bride made the headpiece! It was exquisite and just perfect for the bride. 

And I think Michael and I cleaned up rather well for the event as well.

Most of my stitching for the weekend was conducted during the ride down and the ride back home. Our travels were good. We did not hit much traffic - which we really worried about. I got two more days done so I am now 2/3 of the way done with the project and feel confident I will be done in time to make the piece into a pillow for Christmas. Plus, my sewing machine came back all ready for me to start working on it. So excited! I wish my mom were still around to show me and help me, but I think she will be present to give me some guidance. It's gonna be a little sad, but I'm giving myself enough time so if I get overwhelmed, I can step away and try again another day.

Well, thank you for visiting. Please leave a comment! Love to hear your thoughts.

Only Six More Days!

We are at Day 644 of 650 of planning for my cousin Darlene's wedding. And the fun never ends. Now there are issues with the menu at the 'Rehearsal Dinner'. Since Darlene lives in Virginia she thought it would be nice to have a 'Southern BBQ' at her house the night before the wedding for all the people who are traveling to attend the wedding. Well, some people have sensitive stomachs and are refusing to attend. Really!? I am just so exhausted of hearing of all this ridiculousness. It's a wedding! It's supposed to be fun! Why aren't we having fun!?

Anyway, we will be leaving in 5 days, and I can't wait. We started packing last night. I still haven't decided which dress to wear but that is okay. I have room to bring both if I want to. The big decision really, is which cross-stitch project to bring. Because I am going to need something to keep me calm. I worked on The 12 Days of Christmas this week and I think I am going to bring it on the trip. It is progressing so quickly (at least in my eyes) that I just don't want to put it down. I'm excited to see how far I can get during the trip.

The other excitement in my life is that I brought my mom's sewing machine to the repair store, and they said it was in great shape. They recommended a basic tune-up and a few brushes needed to be replaced, but assured me that if I approved that work it could last another 150 years. Sounded like a good deal to me. Can't wait to get it back and start using it. I've found a few YouTube videos of how to wind the bobbin and how to thread for sewing. Also found the user's manual online. Plus, the woman at the repair store provides lessons, so if I can't figure something out from the videos and manual, I still have a fall-back.

Well, thank you for visiting. Don't hesitate to leave a comment. And please wish me luck this weekend at the wedding!

An Eventful Week

This has been a busy week. I continued to work on my Faces of Joan Elliott SAL. I got a reasonable amount of work done on during my travels to and from work, and during our trip to PA for my husband's grand nephew's First Communion. I have yet to completely finish a single face... waiting till the end to add the beads, do the backstitching, and the metallic threads, but I'm still feeling good about my progress. Still thinking I might get it done in time to make it into a pillow and gift to my cousin for her birthday in November.

Which brings me to my next accomplishment for the week. I learned how to sew. I took a beginner's class at Joann's Fabrics and made a pillow. 

Now, if you could actually see the poor quality of the seams you would be asking why are you proud of this? Well the answer is that I know its not very good, but I learned how, and now I can practice. And I have confidence that with practice... and maybe another lesson or two... I will be able to sew well enough to make my Faces and future projects into 'nice pillows for gifts. And that is my goal. 

Obviously, to sew pillows I'm going to need a sewing machine. I've been wanting to open my mom's sewing machine and see if it still works ever since we brought it home, but I kept putting it off. This morning we went to the cemetery (we have to put down some grass seeds). It was the first time I could get myself there since the burial. When we got back, I was ready to open the sewing machine. 

It was scary, and at first I thought it was lost, but my husband wouldn't give up and got the electricity flowing into it and even got it to stitch a few stitches. It hasn't been used for at least 20 years, and it seems to be stiff, but we got it moving a little, so I think if I take it to the repair service, they will probably be able to clean all the old oil out, put fresh oil in, and it will work perfectly. It's such a beautiful machine I don't want to give up on it until I have to. And since it was made back in the day when things were made to last, if they can get it cleaned up, it will probably last me for the rest of my life.   

And finally, above is my entry into the TUSAL for this month. These are my current ORTs. The Strangeway's glass is from my HAED that I stitch on at night in my stitching corner in our bedroom. The boot is from the end table on my side of the couch where I stitch while we are watching TV. And in the center is a zip-lock bag full of ORTs. While I was on the cruise I didn't want my threads to accidentally fly into the ocean. So I started collecting them in a bag. When I got back home I decided I would keep the baggy with me when I stitch "on the road"; in the car, on the train, during my lunch break at work...

Well, thank you for visiting. 

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