September is Catch-up Month

September was supposed to be catch up month, with only a few days at the beginning devoted to the Round Robin. Well, things didn't work out quite that way with the round robin consuming stitching time till 9/15. But half a catch-up month is better than none. The first order of business will be working through the list of ornaments that fell by the wayside when things got a wee bit crazy with work and other stitching. This is what I have to do in order to get back on schedule

Thanksgiving ornaments, one a month.

--July: Prairie Schooler Turkey from Harvest Time leaflet. Using a lovely raw linen [28ct Glasgow] and substituting my own conversions of WDW and GAST for the DMC, this one is nearly done. I have just a few more hours stitching and this one will be ready for assembly. I have already cut and padded the boards for backing and selected my backing fabric. I will have to pull a skein or two of DMC to make the necessary cording.

--August: Cross-Eyed Cricket Indian from Thanksgiving Circle leaflet. I have a suitable strip of 28ct Country French Latte linen, probably long enough to make three ornaments from the CEC leaflet, which I will finish as fringed pillows with twisted cord hangers. I won't kit up with floss until I am actually ready to start.

--September: Cross-Eyed Cricket Female Pilgrim from Thanksgiving Circle leaflet. Same linen, same floss as above.

Bride's Tree SAL Christmas ornaments, one a month, all in Quaker style. I may have to design a few of these myself since I have been unable to find suitable freebies.

--May: Bird in a Nest. Using a chart from Aury's blog. This was stitched on 28 ct Glasgow raw linen using Belle Soie Silks Chester Blue, Chocolat, Fern Frond. I still have to stitch a backing, though I may do some frogging on the already stitched ornament as well ... I don't like the way I stitched the border and want to make it more regular.

--June: Fruit Basket. Using a half a chart from Workbasket's Complimentary Charts section, basically a flower pot that I am using as the "basket" to which I will add a topiary arrangement of round Quaker motifs as apples. This will be stitched on the same 28 ct Glasgow raw linen as all the rest and will also use Belle Soie Silks, colors yet to be determined.

--July: Fish. Again same linen as above and Belle Soie silks, as yet to be chosen. This one I will probably have to design myself since I have been unable to find a suitable chart. I have been toying with the idea of using the basic shape of the Christian icthus symbol, outlined as a simple band of alternating upright and upside down triangles, with the scales suggested by quaker triangular motifs or semi-circular motifs. I am still mulling over how to suggest fins and tail. By the time I sit down to doodle on graph paper, my sub-conscious brain should have worked out most of the details.

--August: Rose. There is a complimentary chart on the Workbasket site that with a few color changes should work very well for this one.

--September: Teapot. I haven't even started looking about for a Quaker chart of a teapot as yet. Though I can always combine a conventional teapot chart, used for the outline and general shape, with any Quaker motif that suits my fancy as the design on the pot.

I guess the moral of this whole story is don't fall behind on your goals if you are an obsessive A-type personality because you will only be that much more determined to meet them. Which isn't really all that bad, since I will enjoy every bit of stitching along the way. Realistically though, I don't expect to be caught up completely until the end of October. [Note Freudian slip that just occurred here: I just typed August, and had to back-space and re-type October ... I guess I am not mellowing with age as much as I think I am].