Some Off-Goal Projects

It is a perverse attitude, I know, but the further I fall behind in my goals, the more I am afflicted by startitis. Sort of an in for a penny, in for a pound deal! After all, I have the long holiday weekend to catch up on goal stitching, she says optimistically.

I really wanted to start something very summery and light-hearted, so I kitted up Hearts in Hand Wee Bee, a chart I received as a gift from Nic. Perfect for after work stitching in a lawn chair on the back patio with a tall glass of ice cold water at my side. I actually started this early on the evening of 5/24 and it is moving along quite nicely. I have made a few changes: I reduced the size of the total project to suit a scrap of linen I had in my stash, I have filled in the border stitching to conceal the travelling threads visible beneath this loosely woven DMC linen. Once I finish stitching the outline of the bee skep, this project will have to be set aside for a little while ... as I'll need to order two skeins of WDW Whiskey of the same dyelot to stitch all the satin stitches that fill in the beehive outline and for a Homespun Elegance Olde Brasse Bee button. I learned my lesson with my PS Harvest Time Turkey, when it comes to being absolutely certain that I have enough of an overdyed floss actually in my hot little hand [and not in memory or imagination] before starting to stitch. The chart actually calls for GAST Tarnished Gold, but that is a little too dark for my taste ... I may look through my stash of Belle Soie silks for a similar color ... if I have a sufficiency of the silk, all I'll need to buy is the charm ... after all, this is supposed to be a year of stitching from stash with as few purchases as possible.

And then there are my two little cupcake pincushion projects. I have prepped the fabric, chosen fibers to match the cups [see last post for photos] but will be choosing some charts today. I am leaning toward a small rose wreath with my initials in the center for the pink cup and bees and a bee hive for the yellow cup. These should be fun to do. Ever since my daughter gave me some lizard litter for Mother's Day, I have been itching to try this as fill for pincushions ... I have seen it recommended on many blogs and message boards as a great fill ... nice heft and a texture that keeps needles and pins sharp and rust free. It was just a matter of finding the right designs. Again, my handy dandy Better Homes & Gardens 2001 Cross Stitch Motifs proved quite useful.