Love with Capital L - 170 hours

I'm back with an update of sorts. It is backwards progress I made this rotation. I'll not take the blame for this one. It's all that darn frog! I've had my way with him once for all on this piece. He has been exhiled from my home to not return while I'm in the process of finishing up this piece.

You can faintly see the outline where I pulled out my stitches. There is never a good time to discover a mistake, but this close to the finish just seems all the more painful to me. Oh well, all is gone and done with now. I'm moving forward on this piece in a positive manner and soon enough I'll have my first finish of 2008. Imagine that would ya!?

Thanks for looking and your kind comments.

Happy stitching days to you.

January Comes To A Close

January saw a month of many changes. It is hard to imagine the first month of this new has drawn to a close. Time flies and I know this to be true more now than ever.

January started off with a bang. I did my Resolution Run, which seems like ages ago. I started out strong at the gym, that has since faltered. I didn't start off because of New Year's Resolution, but because I want to slim down again, but more importantly I want muscle definition back and to feel healthy! Krista is a great support, but I've rebuffed her invites to the gym that a few days ago, she didn't even ask me along. Poor thing! Hugs, hon!

Todd and I looked at a house, loved it, looked at it again, bid on it and lost it! Damn it! It was THE house. Now we're in the process of figuring out what to do next. Do we buy, do we build? Oh, the decisions of a woman on the go! Since the whole house thing has begun, I've barely slept which is part and parcel why I'm struggling at the gym. No excuses, just what I see to be a cause for my lackluster drive for life right now.

This first month of the new year has seen the start of renovations on my house. I ALMOST have a completely renovated bathroom. It won't be too much longer and it will be finished. I have new doors on all the rooms with new knobs. Looking very spiffy, if I do say so myself. The basement now has a drywall ceiling.

January stitching progress was amazing considering how much I worked and how much work has been done around my house. I was able to stitch 41 hours 40 minutes on 3 pieces. I worked on Job's Tears, Love with a Capital L and Halloween Fairy. I eliminated 3 pieces from my list of current WIP. I just don't think the one gift will be well received, and the other 2, I don't see the person/people enough to commit this kind of time into a gift for them. I feel a little bad for that, but maybe in the future if the relationship changes with the last 2 pieces, I can pick them back up. All three pieces, I love they are, Paula Vaughan's Here Comes the Bride, Hydrangea Harvest, and Mirabilia's Middy. It made me a bit sad to scratch them from my list, but the flip side is I also felt a tremendous weight lift off my shoulders.

February is going to be another busy month. I'm hoping to have the renovations completed on my house and have it on the market by mid February. Todd and I will then have no choice but to make a decision about what we're gonig to do.

February stitching is going to be a good month too, I can tell already. I have 3 pieces that are so close to finished. I should see 2, if not 3 pieces finished. It will be the 3 of the 4 pieces I worked on in January. I think the closest to finished would be Love with a Capital L, followed by Halloween Fairy, then Job's Tears. To say I'm excited is an understatement!

Happy stitching days to you all.

The Winds of Change are Blowing Again

FOCUS PIECES
Love With A Capital L - still a focus piece, but waiting a bit to work on another of the focus pieces

Hydrangea Harvest - scrapping this as an idea for a friend. I don't know that the gift will be well received, so I'm putting it away for a bit. May or may not finish it for myself.

Job's Tears - my main focus piece for a friend. I may need to give this gift much sooner than initially anticipated.

Summer Breeze - want this to hang above my front door. If I sell this house, this piece will go on a back burner, further back than it already sits.

Wildflower Rhapsody

Enchanted Fairy



UFO PIECES
Halloween Fairy

Treetop Sampler

My Stocking

Giggles Girl

Middy - never see the person this is being stitched for, why bother?

Angel Proclamation

Be Warm Be Welcome

Bubbles

The Bride - never see the person this is being stitched for, why bother?

So, as always, things are changing around here. I love the quiet contemplation that will sometimes accompany my stitching. I know, when I stitch something for someone I want it to be well received and in a few of the pieces, I don't see the person enough to feel it is worth my time and effort. The same applies with a whether a gift is truly appreciated or not.

For today, this is where I am in regards to what I want to accomplish and in what order. How many times am I going to tinker with my list? Oh, probably at least another dozen times before this year is out. Flighty little thing, I am!

Job's Tears 70 hours

Look at this! An update on a day, when things all around me was in shambles. I don't like the idea of paying for renovations, but the freedom of not having to do them myself shows some promise.

I've been able to get quite a bit done in the last couple days. I didn't realize I was so close to a 10 hour block. 10 hour blocks are fun for me, I love sharing my WIP with ya'll. I thought I had some mistakes in the sewing machine, but I was able to figure out what was going on without too much trouble.

I'm really loving how this piece is coming to life. I might be able to find some time to stitch tomorrow. I would like to be able to stitch some tomorrow and then again at work on Saturday, so I can stitch on Halloween Fairy on Sunday.

Thanks, as always for looking.

Happy stitching days to you!

New Stitching Goal Layout

I've come upon the idea from another blogger, Chris, that I'm going to try for a while. I stumbled upon her blog and in reading discovered she is trying to work 1 hour per week on her UFO's. Seeing as I have many UFO's myself, I thought this would be a great idea for me, as well. Chris has started a UFO 2008 board. I've yet to introduce myself, but I will at some point.

I'm posting a pic of Mirabilia's Halloween Fairy that I will be focusing on for completion.

Here she is as of this morning at 5 hours
I'll be back with an update in another 5 hours or so.

I had many pieces to choose from as you will see by the following list:

Angel Proclamation
The Bride
Halloween Fairy
Be Warm Be Welcome
Bubbles
Middy
Treetop Sampler
Giggles Girl
My Stocking

Hmmmmm, always thinking, always planning!

Love with a Capital L - 130 hours

My most recent updated photo of Love. I'm starting to feel that the end is near on this one. I know in all actuality I have a lot to do yet, but it's easier to believe I'm almost finished.

I'm coming to the realization this will probably not get finished before Christmas, but I'm still going to continue on with it as a focus piece until it is complete, whenever that may be. It's about the journey, not always the destination.

October Stitch-A-Thon Progress

This would be Love at the beginning of October, before the Stitch-A-Thon started.





This would be the end of October after logging 57 hours 5 minutes. I can't believe the difference I've made in one month. I couldn't be happier with the progress! I feel like I'm so close to getting this finished although I know I still have probably another 50-60 hours, but soon enough this will be gracing my bedroom wall. That will be quite the feeling.


Thanks for looking and, as always, happy stitching to you!

Smokin' Needle

I've been inspired! I'm back with another update. I knew I'd get some stitching time this weekend, but didn't expect to find 10 hours. I must admit I haven't done any reading so that right there will free up a lot of time.

I'm more than half way finished now. Pam, always the motivator, thinks if I keep at it I can get this one finished by the end of November. Now wouldn't that be something. You'll feel the earth move if I do, for all the jumping up and down I'll be doing. I'm not sure if I can do this or not, but it is now my mini goal. Wish me luck.

Happy stitching days to you.