Wednesday, December 31, 2014

The Final Finish of 2014!

Yay!!!  With just a few hours to spare, I finished "Thankful" of the Twice Blessed from Hands on Designs.  I chose not to use the felt pennies that are included with the pattern, and I stitched the bottom portion.  


The fabric is Jack's Rum by Hand Dyed by Stephanie as was used on the model.  I used 32 ct Jobelan and loved every stitch.  The floss is all Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Arts Threads. 

I am now going to spend the next couple hours pulling patterns and stash for the 15 Miras in '15.  I believe I have truly lost my mind to attempt this, but it will be a great way to kick start me to working on these great patterns I have been collecting over the last few years.  

Have a Happy New Year!! I look forward to seeing what you finish and start in the New Year!

Monday, December 29, 2014

New Year's Resolution

I bet you all thought I fell off the earth!! The move took way more out of me than I anticipated, so it not only kept me from posting, but it also kept me from stitching.  The job here is wonderful, but it is a lot more work that I had been told.  I love a challenge, and I happen to be good at this part of the job, so it's nothing more than taking more time than I'm used to giving.  We also had a massive leak in our new home.  Luckily, we found it quickly, but the insurance had to pay $13,000 to repair everything, and it took 6 weeks.  Ugh.

So, now that things are back on track, I'm getting some stitching done. I also found something out about myself - I actually need a television to help with stitching!  My husband and I made a decision about this new house - the television would go downstairs, in the basement for the kids.  We do not have cable.  The girls can watch movies or stream on the Apple TV, and that's it.  We never watch it, so why bother?  Our main living room upstairs is open and inviting - it is a visiting area for adults and where we read and I stitch.  

Except, that I found that even with a radio playing, my mind wanders and I get distracted from my stitching.  Huh? This is weird! So I plugged in my iPad, and brought up Netflix to watch one of my favorite Christmas movies, Miracle on 34th Street (black and white version, of course), and I stitched while the movie played.  I wasn't really focusing on the movie because I know it by heart, but just listening to it, and glancing over at it really helped.  I found that I was almost done with my latest WIP! Just one more line across the top, and I might actually have another finish for 2014. Nice!


So, I have a new plan for the New Year - set up the guest room to double as a Stitching Room!!  The best part - the hubby agrees with this plan, so now I have a new mission for that room.  It's on the main level of the house, so it would be totally convenient AND it makes more sense with my stitching stand.

The main floor is mostly hardwood as is my stand.  I could put felt on the bottom, but it would be a pain, and I would be afraid to move it around.  The designated Guest Room, however, has carpet.  So, rather than a bed in there, we are going to get a sleeper sofa - the new ones where there is no icky bar killing your back - and put in an Ott Light on the end table for me.  Then, we'll also put a small TV on the wall where I can stream movies and stitch.  Sah-weet!

So, there are my large plans for the New Year.  What are yours??  Have you purchased really cool items for this year??  

If you are looking for a challenge, take a look at this Facebook Group: 15 Miras in '15:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/819720728068854/

I have joined in on this craziness, and I'm not sure how I will get to it all, but it will be fun to try.  There are plenty of other great SALs going on, so tell us what you're planning.  I'm sure everyone would love to see new stash opportunities!