Finish....Start..... Finish.....Almost Finish

Here we go again. It has been a while since my last post. Hope that my regular readers have not given up on me. I keep trying to blog more often, but cannot seem to make myself do it. Lots of other things going on and don't want to sacrifice stitching time for blogging. Other times, I don't think I have anything worth posting. I really do lead a very boring life.

Last Tuesday during the day, I finished my part of the Shop Hop Sampler. There are 6 motifs and a border bringing them all together. Each of the 5 shops in the Hop group design one part of the sampler and this year they each have a wild card piece to make up the 6 motifs. The border is designed by the LNS -The Sunflower Seed/Anita. I took it by the LNS after I church ladies group meeting Wednesday afternoon. She will be doing the back stitch, lettering and beads on it. Friday when I saw it, the back stitching and letter was done. Beading still to be done. Anita said she expects to take it to the framer on Tuesday. This is such an awesome design. For those in the area that will be participating in the Shop Hop, I think you will be amazed. I will post a picture once it is displayed in the shop.

With the shop hop sampler complete, I just had to start something else. Been trying to be very good at keeping my attention deficit and startitis in check, but I rewarded myself with a small start. Then I finished it last night. TA...DA

French County - Dog

Designer - JBW

28-ct R&R Creek Bed Brown

GAST Sable

The GAST Sable I used was really old stuff. It was from a 10-yd skein that I probably bought when GAST was first available. Although it is available in 10-yd skeins, you do not see it in many shops in anything but the 5-yd skeins. There was not very much color change and the color was way different than the Sable I see now most of the time. This design did help me use up some old thread.

Now for the almost finish. Sometime during the week, I finished the 4th block of Spring Snapperland. On to working on the border and it is about half done. Late this afternoon I had to frog the word "flowers" because it was one stitch off. It is back in and more too. I am getting anxious to get this piece done, and I think that probably contributed to my mistake. We want to use this as a shop model during the Shop Hop. Need to finish and get framed by the first of May. Should finish the rest of the border this week. Still snaps to be added to each block and the border along with a bee and lady bug button. Actually, this piece has been a fun stitch, but has drug on too long.

Even though I have many WIPs, I am making plans for other projects to take the place of these that I am completing. My only niece, Megan, is having her second child in July and they know it is a boy. I let her pick out the sampler for her first one and she has done the same for the second one. I tried to cut and paste a picture of it into my blog from our e-mail that she decided on it, but It would not work. Guess I will have to do a link to the designer or to the Hoffman web site to get a picture here. It is a design by Bobby G Designs named Precious Baby. Click on the link shown above. Hope it takes you to the right place. Still technology challenged at times. Several of my stitching friends think I am nuts since it is a lot of solid stitching. Most of the yellow background is half crosses, so that part should go fast. Megan wanted a design that included lots of details. Most of them out there now have only name and date. The first one I did for her had name, date, weight, length, time, doctor and hospital. She would have been happy for me to the the first one again. I would have done it again had she been having a girl. That design had changes in design motifs and colors for boy and girl. It is a very old Designs by Gloria and Pat. If I remember right the copyright on it is 1989.

The other project I have in the planning stages is "A Quaker Christmas" by By Gone Stitches. I just love that piece and have been itching to do it. I have the pattern, but had been trying to decide on fiber and fabric. Now I have that done. Will be using 28-ct Ale Cashel from Picture This Plus. This is a new color they released at Nashville Market. The fiber will be Crescent Colours Belle Soie Cranberry, Butterscotch and Enchanted Forest. I have the Cranberry and Butterscotch, but am waiting on the Enchanted Forest to come from Crescent Colours. The LNS ordered the 11 skeins I need directly from Crescent Colours so I could get them all from the same dye lot. We have noticed that there can be significant differences between dye lots. When I get both the fabric and fiber together, I will post a picture. I think it is going to be an awesome project.

It seems that I did get quite a bit of stitching done last week, but it was a rather busy one. Church ladies group meeting on Wednesday, worked at LNS on Thursday and had dinner guest that night and watched KSU basketball game in the NCAA tournament. Friday went out for the evening with two other couples. Saturday was spent on the road most of the day. My father still raises cattle at the age of almost 88. Which also means that we butcher some of them each year. Had to go pick up my half of beef from the processor and since we were only about 40 miles from where my dad lives, we went on down there. Spent a few hours with him. My step mother had fixed liver for lunch and I don't eat that so we went somewhere else to eat and then went with my dad out to the farm to see his latest project. Someone is building this HUGE pond for him in one of the pastures. He is making plans to fence it off from the cattle and stocking it with fish, plus fixing it up so he can use water from it to water his tomato and melon patch. For as long as I can remember, he has raised watermelon and cantaloupe. Some years better than others. Most of which he just gives away. It was great to hear him making all these plans at his age. Pretty ambitious ones.

This week I will be busy making preparations for making Tacos for a fundraiser dinner at the church on Sunday. Probably be providing taco dinners for about 100 people. Have already been browning the ground beef taken from my meat stash that I get every year when we butcher. This year my portion of the critter yielded over 70 pounds of hamburger. I have plenty to share with this worthwhile project. Also planning to go play bingo at one of the nearby Indian casinos with one of my friends. We used to play all the time, but the bingo hall we went to closed a little of a year ago. We have not played at the casino since last June. Fun!!! Fun!!!

Thanks to everyone that visits my little space in the blog world. Hopefully you are not bored by my ramblings and that you don't get frustrated when I go long periods without posting. I will try to do better, but I promise nothing. I would rather stitch than spend the time putting the pictures, etc. together for a blog. Most of the time blogs are boring without a few pictures. Your comments are very much anticipated and appreciated.

It's time to close this down and get back to stitching before hitting the hay. Hope everyone had a great and blessed Easter weekend. Take care and keep those needles moving.