Assessing April Goals

APRIL GOALS:

Focus Project: Still TW Autumn Faerie. Only a few hours on this piece this month.

Travel Project: Brightneedle's Ghosts and Ghoulies Etui. Nothing done on this again this month.

Bride's Tree SAL February ornament [Heart] Finished 4/21. March Ornament [Flower or Flower Basket] Finished 4/23. April [Rabbit] Ornament. Finished 4/30.

RR piece: Finish border, dividers and top panel of my own piece and mail by the 15th. DONE. While I am very pleased with the border, I probably will not be stitching an acorn again in a very long time ... even though fall motifs are among my favorites and I have loads of acorn charts. Each one of those 81 acorns took 25 minutes to stitch ... that's 37 hours right there ... what was I thinking?

Medium Project: Finish Workbasket's Mermaids Singing. DONE

Christmas piece: Finish Heartstrings Santa Factory February Santa with Heart. DONE.

Thanksgiving Ornament: PS Turkey from Harvest Time leaflet. Started 4/28 but not finished.

UFO Countdown Project: Finally move on the Peacock Biscornu and then, while the weather is still cool, pick up the Jacobean Afghan. Nothing done on the UFOs again this month.

Sewing finishes: complete at least five projects from the finishing basket. DONE: Seven Christmas ornaments, three Thanksgiving ornaments and one fringed pillow pin cushion.

Thanks to Yesterday's Visitors ...

Thanks to the folks who read and comment here, I now have my next two Bride's Tree charts: April's Rabbit symbolizing Hope and May's Bird symbolizing Happiness ... and as a little bonus, a non-Quaker, but absolutely lovely primitive Rabbit chart. This is one of the main reasons I love blogging: it creates a stitching community with which to network. No one individual could possibly be aware of all the stitching resources available on the internet ... but extend your network by including even just a few blogging buddies ... the sky's the limit ... problem solved ... joy reigns.

The commenters suggested a few links, those links led to still other links ... in less than 10 minutes of focused researching, I had two charts perfect for my Bride's Tree SAL Quaker ornaments and another for the sheer pleasure of it. And the links now are part of my blog archive, ready to be retrieved should I encounter similar needs in the future. A wealth of information quite literally at my fingertips.

Oh, yes, I do love blogging.

Weekend Progress Report # 16

I am posting this a day late as I've been very scattered in my attention this past week ... stitching a little bit here and a little bit there. Work has been crazy, too, consuming most of my attention and nearly all of my leisure time [aka stitching time]! As a result, I have been working on small projects.

Here are some photos of the pieces I have stitched in an effort to catch up with the Bride's Tree SAL in which I have been participating:

--February [LOVE]: Workbasket's Quaker Heart. Stitched on 28 ct. Glasgow Linen [color: raw linen] using GAST Cranberry overdyed cotton, finished as a fringed pillow ornament with a hemp cord hanger. The back: a border and our monogram stitched in same color on same linen. FINISHED 2/22/10.

--March [BEAUTY IN THE HOME]: The Sisterhood's Quaker Flower. Stitched on 28 ct. Glasgow Linen [color: raw linen] using Belle Soie silks Tortoise Shell and Lara Lilac, finished as a fringed pillow ornament with a hemp cord hanger. The back: a border and our monogram stitched in the same colors on the same linen. FINISHED 2/23/10.

--April [HOPE]: The only Quaker chart of a rabbit I am aware of is already in my possession: Workbasket's Quaker Rabbit. However, I have already stitched this as a quilt block. Even if I were to stitch it over one, it would be far too large for an ornament. Therefore, I have been looking at other rabbit charts that I can adapt by replacing some of the solid stitching with a Quaker motif. First, I checked for complimentary charts but those I did find were too self-consciously cute or childish for my purposes. Ultimately, my research led me to the following Prairie Schooler charts: Farm Fresh [108], P-Q-R [111], April [152] and Fall Fields [159]. Further research is needed to determine which of these charts best fits my size requirements of 50-60 stitches by 70-80 stitches. Since I will need to purchase whatever chart I settle on, I will have to wait till May [Birds/Happiness] to catch up by stitching two Bride's Tree ornaments next month as well.

At long last, another finish ...

Workbasket's Mermaids Singing, stitched on Silkweaver's 32ct Monster Mash Cashel linen, in the charted Crescent and Caron colors. It took just two and half hours to couch all the Caron wool on the seaweed strands. I had originally thought I'd finish this as a pillow but now I am thinking of making it into a tote in which to carry books to the pool this summer.

Browsing the Needlework Show

Since I have purchased charts from less than ten of the designers listed in the current Needlework Show, I decided to broaden my horizons and browse each page this time around. While much of what I saw was quite lovely, very little appealed enough to actually make the mental wish list.

A large number of the designers listed design in the European style ... pretty enough to look at but not my cup of tea at all. Then there were all the reproduction samplers and Quaker samplers. Certainly more to my taste, but I have more than enough of these type projects in my stash to keep me busy for quite some time.

And, of course, there were the cartoonish, the saccharine sweet and the motto driven designs ... all of which I passed over very quickly with the click of the mouse ... definitely not my style.

I made a note of only five charts that interested me ... though I am not sure I shall actually get to the point of purchasing more than one or two.

Crab-Apple Hill's Zelda's Fancy Hat, Midnight's Crow, Brunhilda's Midnight Ride made the short list. Even if I don't end up purchasing any of these, since I already have quite a few Halloween themed charts waiting to be stitched, I'll be keeping an eye on this designer. I do like the spare style.

Designs by Lisa's A Crow Above was another that caught my eye. I have a thing for Crows, Ravens and Acorns ... don't know why ... just do.

A Scholehouse for the Needle's Acorne Pynne Keepe was another I quite liked, in spite of the $23.00 price tag. This one may actually make it into my stash though after my recent Round Robin [with its 81 acorns] I thought I would go quite a while before wanting to see another acorn. I do tend to wonder, though, why most of the design studios with self-consciously antiquarian names seem to have very pricey charts ... must be the snob appeal.

Weekend Progress Report #15

First the Round Robin which has dominated my stitching recently:

The deadline was Thursday, April 15. Because I was so close to finishing my own panel and didn't wish to mail it off with those small bits of negative space spoiling the effect, that I kept working on it Friday. Unfortunately, I finished it after the Post Office closed ... next time I won't use my Jeeves and Wooster CD collection to keep me company during stitching against dealine ... I must have spent as much time watching as stitching. Since I work Saturday mornings, that eliminated a trip to the Post Office which closes at 11am and I work till Noon. I'll just have to send it off Monday morning, probably by one day delivery to make up for my tardiness.

Just to help you track the progress: this is what it looked like on Monday morning, April 12 [see photo on top left] ... and this is what it looked like just before it was finally stitched Friday evening, April 16 [see photo on top right]. And here is a close-up of the top panel. When I get it back, I may add a dog following the wagon, if I can find one in the right scale. I did have to condense the design a bit since the space in the RR was some eight rows shorter and 10 rows narrower than the chart ... I also removed the large trees in the left and right foreground, replacing them with pumpkins. It seem to work better with the smaller scale of my piece.

I haven't received my first "guest-stitching" RR yet, so Sunday I indulged myself in working on my Monsterbubbles' Jail [from the Town Square SAL] which is progressing nicely.

This coming week, I will concentrate on finishing the Monsterbubbles Jail, and on couching the Watercolours on my Mermaid's Singing from Workbasket as well as kitting up and starting the February, March and April ornaments for the Bride's Tree SAL. It will be a real pleasure to add a few finishes to my sidebar. The Mermaid's Singing piece requires only a few hours of work to qualify. I received the proper linen for the Bride's Tree SAL earlier this month [Glasgow 28ct linen in the shade raw linen] and th echart I have selected for the February ornament, the Quaker Heart freebie from Workbasket, and for the March ornament, the Quaker Flower freebie from Workbasket, are both quick stitches. Since I want to keep to a Quaker theme for the whole series, I may have to adapt/design my own Quaker Rabbit chart by lifting a Quaker motif from one of my samplers and placing it in the haunch of a rabbit chart sized for an ornament. Before you know it, I'll be another month behind once May comes around requiring the Bird's Nest ornament ... I suspect that the only way I'll be able to keep a Quaker theme in that one is to insert a circular Quaker motif as a Sun above/behind the nest. I have the perfect Fish chart [Poisson du Avril] for June, if I can only find it again ... I used it to make a biscornu and scissor fob set ... just a little tweaking will convert it into a Quaker Fish, for my Quaker ornament series. And no doubt, my first guest-stitching piece for the RR will arrive early this week ... I have picked out a Snowman chart, All Wrapped Up, that I think will work quite nicely as long as I shorten him by 4 or 5 rows ... not a problem since he is very attenuated to begin with. That should keep me more than occupied during the remainder of April. I shall have to wait till May to get back to TW's Autumn Faerie and Brightneedle's Ghosts and Ghoulies Etui and Sue Hillis' Cookie Santa.

Stitching Pool Winner

Well, once the dust settled, all the work on the RR was nearly completed on April 14 , a date chosen by Vicky. As of 10am on the 15th, I still had about four hours of stitching left. I am going to do my level best to get it done by late afternoon and mail it before the post office closes ... just making the deadline.

Since Vicky came the closest, the floss will be winging its way to her within a day or so ... that is, if anything sent by the US Postal Service can be said to wing its way anywhere. I chose what I think of as Spring flower colors, the colors of crocuses, hyacinths and snow drops for the cotton overdyes and the color of rich, moist earth for the bamboo floss. The WDW is called Santorini. The Crescent Colors is called Purple Aster. The GAST is called Presidential Blue. And the Mandarin Floss goes by the humble label M819. With everything coming into bud and bloom, these seemed to be very appropriate choices.

Oh, and just so you can see exactly how much I managed to complete, I'll take a photo just before I put the RR piece in the mail. Look for the photo in tomorrow's post.

It's Official: the Mad Days are Upon Me

This is the time of year when I go a little bit mad ... and start singing softly just under my breath "I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell..."

Between now and May 15, I will survive

• administering and grading 7th grade quarter finals
• reviewing, evaluating and signing all progress reports for Grades 1-6
• conducting a review for recalcitrant 7th graders who have to take a comprehensive test before entering Confirmation prep
• grading said Comprehensive test
• preparing for and conducting a 2 hour hands-on, five station mini retreat for the First Communion Class
• Four First Communion rehearsals
• Two First Communions
• 3 Confirmation practices [one for the music - have you ever tried to get 8th graders to sing hymns picked by the 68 year old pastor?]
• 2 Confirmations
• 1 luncheon with the Bishop, the pastor, the priests and deacons ... only woman at the table, only lay person, as well
• 1 Volunteer Appreciation Reception
• getting out a registration mailing ... and then dealing with all the parents who think they deserve special consideration [fee-wise, placement-wise]because their children are the only ones among my 500 students who are of any importance.
• developing and submitting the 2010-11 calendar
• beginning the arduous task of recruiting new catechists to replace the four or five who leave every year ... this time with a few new frills, I'll need a teen RCIA team as well and a special ed Confirmation prep catechist ... these last special assignments are always difficult since I must find just the right person for the students involved ... it's not as forgiving as recruiting for a classful of children.

So the primal scream you hear coming from the vicinity of NYC is mine!

Town Square: Indy 2006 Market

I found my CD ... long ago received from The Silver Needle as a premium with an sizable order, back when I was in my collecting phase and was still making sizable orders regularly. It had been taped to the underside of a Just Nan chart and I forgot all about it. This would make a great RR or SAL project or a series of ornaments if stitched over 2 on 36ct or 40 ct. Just what I needed, right ... another 42 charts??? But I really like these little gems and I have already started on my first chart. Will I stitch all 40+? It's like that old joke: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Well, I'll be stitching the Town Square one building at a time.

Now to decide: do I want to stitch this as a wallhanging with several "blocks" of buildings, or individually over 2 on 28ct to make quilt squares or a bunch of stand-ups or cubes, or over 1 on 36 or 40ct as ornaments. I can see myself dividing these charts into rows by type: government buildings [firehouse, town hall, school, train depot, etc.], crafting shops [framing, quilt, knitting, fiber, cross-stitch, button, etc.], food & gift shops [tea shoppe, bakery, cafe, ice cream and sweet shops, gourmet, primitive, tannebaum, antique, books] and all the others [general store, toyshop, haberdashery]. So many designers and support companies [framing, button, fiber, etc.] are represented that the CD is like a snapshot of the industry in 2006.

I know one thing, though, I am stitching the Monsterbubbles Jail first, for no better reasons than that it is quirky and clever and mad and I simply want to stitch it. Next will be the Saloon and the Train Station ... I am not sure what it says about my character that these 3 charts jumped out at me ... of all the 42. Perhaps it means I am destined to get all likkered up at the saloon, tossed in jail to dry out, escape and make my getaway by train!

I posted about my find on the 123stitch message board and discovered that there are quite a few others who own this CD. It gave me the idea to start a SAL group blog. If anyone reading this post would like to join, please leave a comment below. As I read the copyright notice on these charts, it is my understanding that only retailers who attended the show have the right to distribute the charts ... so I, as an individual, can not share them. But I do know that The Silver Needle does still have them listed on their website ... when I got my CD, it came as a premium with an order at $5.00 to cover the cost of producing the CD. That's $5.00 for 42 charts ... all about the size of the typical LHN chart. Not a bad deal.

Weekend Progress Report #14

My weekend progress report is a day late because I started a really good book yesterday afternoon and couldn't [wouldn't]put it down long enough to get on the computer. I highly recommend Neil Gaimon's Neverwhere. I am a little more than half way through the book. It is a fascinating satirical commentary on our culture and I almost resent the fact that I shall have to go to work today instead of finishing the novel.

So, I have come to the end of my Easter recess and will have to trek on back to work today ... somedays I feel retirement can't come too soon ... other days I worry that I may not be able to afford to retire. Anyway, it has been a productive week here at home: some sewing, some gardening, some errand-running, some house-keeping, some reading, lots of cooking ... and, of course, some stitching.

Most of my stitching time has been spent on my RR piece and I have made a substantial amount of progress since I posted a picture yesterday morning. I have filled in the dividers with trees similar to the ones in the PS village scene in the top panel but using the same silks as I did for the acorns. I also got quite a bit more done in the village scene. Hence, I do believe another photo is in order. I may actually finish this a day or two before deadline ... wouldn't that be a surprise?

I have completely ignored my usual WIPs, what with the RR deadline looms menacingly. But ... I do need a little variety in my stitching and all that back-stitching on the acorns was getting to me. And, as evidence of my chronic startitis, Monsterbubbles' Jail from the Indy Market 2006 Town Square. I've taken some very slight liberties with the floss colors so that I can stitch from stash. Instead of GAST Aged Pewter for the main stone I am using WDW Dolphin and for the pointing stone I am using GAST Tin Bucket. I did have some Aged Pewter in my stash but not enough, I suspect, to do the whole building since I am stitching this piece over two on 28ct instead of over one as charted. Then I had to change out the color of the pointing stone since it needed to be darker than the main stone. Also, I didn't have any WDW Pistachio [for the lightning] in my stash but after looking it up on the website decided that Schneckley is a very close match. I am going to try and keep this series as economical as possible while remaining true to the general spirit of the project. So I will be using as much fabric and fiber from stash as possible. No doubt, I'll have to make a few purchases here and there but, really, what's the point of having all this stuff if I don't use it?