Need A Finish - Need Something Happy

This week has been really difficult. So many horrible things happening. So much hatred. It makes me so sad. It makes me so confused. I just don't understand and it causes me so much heartache. I almost feel guilty posting about my stitching, but my stitching is practically the only thing that is making me happy.

And even my stitching is letting me down. The finish of my 12 Days of Christmas still alludes me. The trains are still very crowded, not providing me the opportunity to stitch on the way to work, and this week, train delays even wiped out my train stitching on the way home. Work has been crazy so although I got a little stitching done in the morning before starting work, I have not had time to take a full lunch so there has been no lunchtime stitching.

So, although I was able to finish the Eleventh Day...

a project finish still eludes me. I'm about halfway done with the Twelfth Day, so I feel confident that I can finish the day and the project this week. I've really enjoyed this project, but it's time for a finish.

Once I do finish this, I want to get back to the Faces of Joan Elliott SAL and finish that. Then I need to decide what's next. Definitely want to make some more cards. I really love the Happy New Home one I made and I really started to like the idea of giving homemade cards.

But for right now I just need to finish the 12 Days. Wish me luck!

Thanks for visiting and don't hesitate to leave a comment. Love to read them.

To Hear A Mockingbird

When we first moved into our house, there was a bird that would sit at the top of the utility pole right outside our backyard and sing all day. The fascinating thing was that he sang all different songs - one right after the other. I was just about to ask my coworker what kind of bird sings all different bird songs when I realized I was being an idiot, it's a mockingbird! I remember my mother actually saying that she was about to ask if I had some sort of a recording playing, before she realized it had to be a mockingbird. Hey, we were from Queens - what did we know about mockingbirds!?

That bird blessed that utility pole for the first three years and then suddenly was gone. I felt so sad and missed the constant songs. I kept hoping another mockingbird would decide that pole was the best place to go through his repertoire. I saw mockingbirds flying around the neighborhood, heard them occasionally in the distance, but until a few weeks ago none were close enough to really enjoy. Finally, one has decided to set up his studio nearby. He's not on our utility pole, in fact I'm not sure where he is, but he is close enough that I can enjoy his singing most of the day. It makes me smile.

While I've been listening to the mockingbird, I've been plugging away at The 12 Days of Christmas. Had another week that did not result in as much progress as I had hoped, but I did make progress. I finally finished the tenth day on Tuesday night. I didn't have time to get a picture when I removed it from the Q Snap, so I can't show the completion of Day 10, but here is where I got to on Day 11 so far.

Since the plan for the rest of the long weekend is sitting in the backyard (listening to the birds) and relaxing, I'm hoping to be near the end of the eleventh day by the end of the weekend. And I am just going to keep plugging away at it until done. Time to get this project from the WIP list to the 2016 Finish list.

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Where did June go?

Where did the last 20 days go?! I can't believe we are almost done with June and into July.

My cousin was in the hospital during the second week of the month. She needed surgery for a colon resection to treat her Crohn's disease. I spent two nights in the hospital with her so I didn't get much stitching done those days, nor the day after because I was practically in a coma. I do not understand how people get better when they are in the hospital. They do not let you sleep! Every hour they are in the room taking blood, checking vitals, changing IVs. One night I think we got three hours of sleep and the second night maybe two. She did recover from the surgery though, and thankfully went home before I needed to stay another night.

I did manage to get a little work done on the Faces of Joan Elliott SAL that week anyway.

From there I went back to The 12 Days of Christmas. The Ninth Day went really well.

During that week I had a day off and I finally turned on my mother's sewing machine and actually tried to sew with it. I got it threaded, and then ripped up an old tee shirt so I could use it to practice. I was so happy when I managed to sew a really straight line. I finally know that I can make a pillow. Still need some practice, but I can do it!

With that knowledge under my belt, I decided to keep working on The 12 Days until it is done. But this week was not a good stitching week. The train was really crowded, so I didn't get to stitch on the way into work most days. Work was beyond crazy, so I used the 15 minutes before work that I usually use for pre-work stitching, for pre-work work. Never took a break for lunch either. And I was even busy at home. But I made some progress, and progress is progress.

Well, thank you for stopping by. Please consider leaving a comment or two.

Stitchy Bug Left

I don't know why or what happened but my stitchy bug left me for a few days. Last Sunday I decided to work on a small and make my first ever greeting card. I made a card for our friends who are buying a new house using a pattern from World of Cross Stitch magazine.

Then I got my Flower of the Month  for July, which didn't need much more work to finish, and thought I would finish that early in the week,,, but I never put a stitch in until yesterday. I traveled to work and back with it everyday, but never opened it. I was right though, it didn't need much more work, and I was able to finish it yesterday while sitting in the backyard watching and listening to the birds.

Now I'm trying to decide what to stitch next that will keep my attention and my stitch bug happy. I should work on my Faces of Joan Elliott SAL, but I am definitely not feeling excited about that. I love the designs and I'm excited to give it to my cousin as a gift, but I'm working it on 14 count Aida, and I just wish I had had the confidence in myself at the time I started it to have purchased a 28 count material instead. I LOVE working over two on 28 count, and especially with all the quarter stitches I would be enjoying the stitching so much more with a higher count.

Well, I guess I will make the final decision a little later. Thanks for looking and please consider leaving a comment. Really enjoy hearing from you.

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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