First Report On An Entirely New Rotation

Although I haven't blogged much lately, I have been doing some stitching.  Nothing terribly ambitious though, between the lingering after effects of the flu and the adjustment to changes in my diabetes medication regimen, I have been experiencing dizzy spells and headaches.  I thought it best to stick to simple stitched projects.

BAP Monday:  The Jacobean Elegance Afghan.  I was in no mood for stitching in the early part of the last week.  And as for yesterday, I was still stitching simple stuff and didn't have the patience to take this large and bulky project to the sewing machine to bind the edges which tend to fray with continued handling.  Another reason I am avoiding the piece is that the only tool that seems to hold it taut for stitching is a fairly large Q-snap frame.  I am not a fan of Q-snaps, finding them very unwieldy.  I need patience to deal with them.  Headaches and dizzy spells are not particularly conducive to patience.

Smalls Tuesday: M Designs' Sean's Name Tree ornament, PS Year Round: February  and, time permitting, start Town Square Sandi's Sweet  Shop.  I was able to stitch on one of the simpler pieces in the rotation and actually managed to finish the Prairie Schooler Year Round for February, for my first stitching finish of the month.  I substituted Belle Soie Cinnamon Stick, Fern Frond and Sister Scarlet for the recommended DMC.  I used Belle Soie on the January piece as well and shall continue to substitute Belle Soie for DMC as I go through the year. I used the same 40ct raw linen for February as I did for January.  I have a large enough piece of this linen to stitch all twelve pieces.  I haven't decided whether I shall finish the series as door hangers, ornaments or flat fold stand ups.  

Theme Wednesday: Workbasket's Quaker Owl.  I bound the edges of the fabric and kitted this piece up and worked on the project for several days running.  It is a rather simple piece, stitched on the relatively  large count linen, and in only one floss ... just my speed as I adapt to a new medication regimen and continue to recover from the flu.  The fabric is a 28ct natural flax colored linen and I am using GAST Maple Syrup instead of the recommended Belle Soie Mud Pie.  I am using one dye lot of Maple Syrup for the fairly solid head, wings and claws and another dye lot for the Quaker motifs that make up the breast and eyes.  For some reason I have quite a few partial cards of Maple Syrup in my stash but none from matching dye lots.  This division seems the best way to use what I have and still have an aesthetically pleasing finish.   I am stitching from stash as much as possible again this year, so substitutions like this one will be the norm.  And since Belle Soie is a discontinued line, sold to a new owner and renamed, I figure I may as well use it up since I will never be able to get exact replacements.  It is a shame really, since I was very fond of the stuff.

Class Piece Thursday: Victoria Sampler's Sturbridge Box.  I haven't pulled this out yet.  As I mentioned above, I am concentrating on the simple stuff for the time being.

Finishing Friday:  I hope to do an assembly line day sometime this month, finishing all the ornaments I have on hand.