What I’m Working On

Mostly, I’ve been working on my income tax, but the end is in sight! I need to simplify my life. LOL. I did have time time to quilt some more yardage that will be made into table runners and placemats. 

I got this one cut and started on the binding:

This is the table runner….just four placemats to go. All this binding is making me tired.

The heat is nuts. And, it is so dry. I have been filling the bird baths daily; not just for the birds, but for the bees and butterflies, and whatever else needs a drink. 

I’m pretty sure this is accurate, and it is every day. We need a break. I spend a lot of time indoors, not just sewing, but also crochet and cross stitching. Our church gifts a baby afghan to every baby that gets baptized. I checked the inventory the last time I had alter guild, and I noticed there were mostly pink afghans in the drawer. I came home and started a blue one.

I try to do a row or two each evening, but it doesn’t always happen. 

I’ve been working on this cross stitch: 

I last blogged about it here. I really don’t love it, but I didn’t want to put it in the trash, so here’s what I’ve done so far.

I am trying to finish it, but it’s slow as I don’t work on it a lot. All in good time, I guess.

Cross Stitch

I have done a lot of quilt alongs; in fact, I am doing one now. When another blogger announced a cross stitch along, I thought it might be fun. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know what might be involved, but I ordered the chart, and the recommended fabric and floss. 

I assumed it worked like a quilt along with weekly prompts and maybe an instagram tag where stitchers could post pictures of their progress. It apparently doesn’t work that way, and there hasn’t been much impetus for me to work on the project. 

I found it a couple of days ago in my project bag—you can tell I had wadded it up and stuck it in the bag.

What a mess! I needed to decide whether to scrap it or start working on it. One issue I have is the alphabet…..it is missing about five letters, which kind of bugs me. The other issue is the fabric. It is a dingy color which to me looks dirty. I like something a little brighter. But, I’d already spent the money so why not just finish it?

I put it beside my chair so I can work on it a little while I watch tv. I need to take my stepdad to a doctors appointment in Lake Jackson next week, so that is another opportunity to get some stitches in. I’m hoping it won’t take too long to finish. 

Stitching Update

I got the Aida fabric I ordered for a blue sampler. This one:

I was really hoping to find something that matched the fabric I’m use if for the red one. I laid them out together to compare.

I have to say they are not exactly the same. It’s so hard when ordering online, but I don’t have a shop locally that sells stitching supplies. I will go ahead and use it. It is not exact, but it is pretty close, and since I am using a different floss color, it won’t be too bad. 

I have made quite a bit of progress on the red one.

I have four rows of alphabet and then I need to finish the backstitching on the right border. I feel like the end is in sight. I started it I think in February, so it’s been a while, although there were several months in the summer that I didn’t touch it. 

Stitching Progress

Lots of cross stitching happening here. I was debating over the mistake on the border of this one:

I finally decided to just bit the bullet and redo it. I'm pretty sure I wasn't going to be happy with it if I didn't. I got it redone, plus a lot more. 

I started thinking about making another one in a different color. I looked online and found this chart:

I ordered it and also ordered some beige aida, but didn't order the thread. I'm not sure about the blue and was thinking of using something else. I don't know what though, so I may just go with blue. The DMC is easy to get--I can get it at Hobby Lobby once I decide on the color. 

Jo Kramer is having a stitch-along starting in January. Details here. I gave in and ordered the kit, then I regretted it, and now that I have received it, I'm glad I got it. It will give me something new to look forward to after the first of the year. It is Black Dog Sampler from Scarlett House.

I ordered the 14-count Aida, and there aren't many thread colors, so I think it will be easy. 

Something else I discovered: remember when I was getting injections for my trigger finger (middle finger on left hand)?

After several days of doing lots of cross stitch, it is back with a vengeance. Turns out gripping the cross stitch fabric with my left hand while I stitch with the right is causing this. I hadn't cross stitched in years and just returned to it a couple of years ago. I have been having the trigger finger issues for about a year now. Who knew? I may have to pace myself on how much I do, or I will have to break down and do the surgery. 

Cross Stitch Ups and Downs

I took my cross stitch with me last week to work on in the hospital. I am one of those people who always has to be doing something, so I try to take some handwork along if I know I will be sitting for long periods. My last post on this one:

This was a good choice to take with me as there are no color changes, but a bad choice in a way because of all the counting. I did make some progress.

I got all the flowers and the vase completed and started on the side borders.

Unfortunately, I found a couple of mistakes. I have an extra stitch in a couple of places.

I am thinking about what to do. I can rip out and redo the backstitching, or I can leave it and purposely make the same mistakes on the other side border. Of course, that adds two extra rows that won’t have stitching so I don’t know. I’ll have to make a decision before I can continue. 

Some Cross Stitch

Is cross stitch one word or two words? I’m not sure….. Anyway, I haven’t done any in a while. I don’t do as much hand work in the summer as we are outside more. Wintertime is when I do more crochet, cross stitch, and embroidery. Do you remember this one I started earlier in the year? 

The last update I posted was in June, and I had gotten this far:

Not bad, but that was probably the last time I worked on it. Jo Kramer is hosting a stitch along at the first of the year, and she announced it Friday. I thought about it, and decided maybe not, but……I’m such a sucker for stitch alongs, quilt alongs, all those sort of things. Then I saw the name of the chart is “Black Dog Sampler”. I have three black dogs. Is that a sign I should do it? I know, another rabbit hole.

You guessed it—I ordered the chart, and the fabric, and the thread. Jo said she was using 40 count fabric. Not me—I ordered the 16 count. In the meantime, I decided I needed to work on the one I have started and maybe get it finished by the end of the year. I worked Saturday evening and Sunday evening and got this far:

It’s not a lot, but it’s something. I really only have the vase and alphabet to do once I get the flower on the right completed. Oh, and a bunch of backstitching in the border. I’m not sure I can finish this year, but I am going to try. I am trying so hard to not do what I did with quilting and start a bunch of things that don’t get finished. It takes a lot of discipline, which does not come natural to me.

A Little Cross Stitch

I can’t remember when I last posted about my cross stitch, but I’m pretty sure it’s been a couple of months. I get totally consumed with quilting and forget about cross stitch, but I do work on it periodically. Usually a little in the evenings if there is something on tv that I want to watch.

This is the last picture I posted of this one:

I have actually made quite a bit of progress on it. 

I would say I am about 30% done with it. I like not having to change colors—that makes it a good tv project. 

I’m not sure where my Joy in the Journey one is. It was misplaced in my move from Lake Jackson.

 I think it will turn up eventually; I know it was one of the last things I packed.