Framed Love

The picture comes no where near to doing this piece justice. I corrected the colours on the pic and it has the frame looking the same colour as my bedding, which so not the way the frame looks. It is something that should be seen to be truly appreciated. I'm open for showings and visits whenever you're able.

It is gorgeous though. I can't believe I've finally finished it in it's entirety. Stitched, framed and soon to-be hung. Cute Boy will have to make himself available to me so I can get this on the wall sooner rather than later.

I'm going to hang it on the wall that faces the bottom of the bed. There is a spot right between the door to the en suite bathroom and walk-in closet that this fits perfectly. There is a 3 piece collection of candles on wrought iron stands that are right below where this will hang. When it is on the wall I will take another pic and share.

Thanks for all the encouragement over the year that I stitched this piece and your patience while I doddled in getting it framed.

Love, Exhausted

I've not been feeling well the last little bit, so much so that I stayed home from work Thursday past and could have probably or should have done the same today.

I went to work Friday, was a right off Friday night and 95% of Saturday. Sunday, I started to feel a bit better only to be feeling like crap again today. I'm tired, and right now, tired of being me.

To make sick matters even worse, I had to be up early today because the plumbing company was coming to do some work on the downstairs bathroom. I just wanted to stay in bed, especially considering the fact I didn't sleep well last night.

There is some good news to report in and amongst all the sick. I took this in to be framed. I should have it back by the 2nd week of March, if not sooner. I didn't have a lot of room on the one side for framing, but the consultant thinks it will come out okay with just a frame. I really didn't want to mat this piece. I chose a frame that I hope matches the flooring in the house well. The price was crazy, even factoring in the 55% off coupon I used. This piece holds tremendous sentimental value to me, so the money is just a minor annoyance. I'm really looking forward to having this piece hanging in the bedroom. I will post a picture of the finished piece as soon as I'm able.

I do have a couple proud moments to share with you in regards to dropping off this piece for framing. The first person to see the piece commented on how old the piece looked. I told her it is only 1 year old. She was shocked, since the fabric looks much older than that. Another co-worker came in while she was measuring up the framing size and he was 'ewwing and awwwing'. He made a similar comment about how old a piece it was and was equally shocked with the fact that I only just stitched it. I was so impressed, especially knowing I dyed the fabric myself and an antiquated look is the one I was hoping to achieve. Yaaaa me.

Is it Friday yet?

Love With A Capital L

Love With A Capital L

February 25, 2007 - March 31, 2008

216 hours 25 minutes

I put the final stitches in this last night. I was so relieved to finally have it completed. Lily says to me, I would have thought you'd show more excitement! LOL I was more relieved it seemed than excited.

I should apologize for the picture quality. I didn't have time to mess around and get a good pic. I had to take Alyssa's camera to her since I've been borrowing it for months, and I was just about to walk out the door when I finished this and snapped the shot.

As happy as I am to have it finished, it is weird to not be focused on it any longer. I was sitting looking at it last night and thinking how strange it will be to no longer be working on it. Funny how you push to get something finished and then as soon as you have completed it, you miss it. The one thing I will not miss is the frogging! There were more frogging in this piece than any other piece I've ever worked on. I'm not sure why, but it was annoying as all get out. I had to keep reminding myself how beautiful it would be once I was finished, so just work through the frogging and try not to get discouraged. I probably added an additional 15-20 hours to the total because of mistakes. Oh well, it's done now.

I have to thank a few people in helping me get this finished. Velda, for the floss and Pam for the floss along with many others that offered to send my their remaining skeins of 321. I used 1o skeins of DMC floss to complete the pattern minus to large 'L'. I know it used more floss than I would have due to the frogging, but I never imagined I'd used 10 skeins. I'm surprised to say, I still love red!

I'm going to put this away for a bit before I look towards framing it. I just can't justify the money right now, but I will not let it languish in my closet with numerous other pieces waiting to be framed. I will not.

Thank you to everyone that leaves a comment. I truly appreciate them. I thank you for seeing me through this piece. It has been quite the journey and your kind comments over the past year have inspired me and encouraged me to keep plugging away.

Happy stitching days to you!

Love 190 hours

Finally! I have something to share that is stitching related. Now, isn't that something!? This is how my piece looked mid-way through my morning stitching. I'm so anal retentive I took my camera to work with me so I could snap a shot at the precise 190 hour mark. I'm cute though, right?

I've since finished the 'E', as well as, 'Never F' I'm really so excited about this piece again. I'm not going to jinx myself, but I feel good things. Really good things.

As with everything else in my world as of right now, thanks for hanging in there with me. Ya'll rock!

Happy stitching days to you!

180 Hours and Nothing!

This post should be filled with a vision of beauty, Love at 180 hours. I could post it, but what would be the use. What you would see is the efforts of my frog trying to one up me. He wins this round! :) That damn amphibian. Trying to keep things positive I could thank the frog since he has enabled me to spend more time with Love than I would otherwise have done. That's it - thank you. I shall kill him with kindness since nothing else is working!

I'm still plugging away on Love and as much as I've had problems with it, I'm loving it. No pun intended. This piece still holds the allure that drew me in in the first place. That is really something.

I'll be back sooner rather than later with an update and a lovely pic to share.

Renovations are still dragging on. I've still not heard from the contractor. Today marks 2 weeks. I called and left him a message and still have heard nothing. Todd is heading over to my place this morning/afternoon to prime my basement, so that is something! I have to be happy with anything getting done at this point. Soon very very soon!

Happy stitching days to you!

Wicked Weekend

I think I need 3 day weekends more often. They would rock, but the money or lack thereof would bite.

I had an extensive list of things I needed/wanted to get done this weekend and as much as I didn't take care of everything on the list, I did lots plus things that I didn't expect to accomplish. So there! Take that house! I win this round!!

The list is long and I will list it, not that I expect anyone to read it all.

• Primed bathroom door and Lily's bedroom door
• Primed the door to the laundry room
• Painted the picture frame I want to hang in the bathroom
• Vacuumed computer room of drywall dust. Not once, but twice!
• Sanded both closet headers
• Primed both closet headers
• Bin painted (stain covering paint) the trim
• Cleaned the spare room. You can actually move in there now
• Cleaned the kitchen area from being a dumping ground. Made Lily smile, so was worth effort
• Washed the living room floor
• Did all the laundry
• Shovelled the driveway some - hate this job!
• Put out the garbage
• Painted the attic door
• Cleaned some of the garage. Looks worse than ever!
• Touched up paint on Lily's ceiling
• Cut and installed new transition piece for Lily's bedroom floor
• Painted the kitchen and put it back together again. Stuff on the walls! WOOHOO Lily helped with the painting. Actually, she didn't most of it. That kid rocks!

For fun this weekend I watched Nascar on Sunday, after doing open houses with Lily. Nothing much to report on that front. Not much to report on the Nascar front either. The Hendricks Team did not have a great showing on Sunday, minus Dale Jr.! That was cool. Poor Jimmie.

I stitched this weekend which wasn't a success either. It was more frogging than not. I had to pull out another full section. I hadn't thought about any further mistakes from my mistake from my frogging a couple weekends ago, but I should have. I had a line placed wrong that I discovered about a month ago and just last night I realized I counted the 2 following lines in the verse from an incorrect spot. It was heart wrenching to frog, but it wasn't something I could fudge nor something I would want to fudge with this particular piece. It means too much to me to be making it up as I go, especially this far in.

My most recent setback will hinder my goal of finishing this piece in February. I have to remember stitching is about the journey and it is not a race. I still very much love this piece and look forward to being able to pick it up again. I made sure to complete all frogging so I could pick it up again knowing all was good with it and it was forward progress rather than the backwards slide I've been experiencing as of late. Maybe I should put my stitching away until things are settled in my personal life because I've never had so many frogging episodes ever!

I do have pics to show of my kitchen but my picture program is being a crap head as we speak, so they will have to wait for another day.

Okay, I couldn't give up so easily. I don't all the pics, but here are a few that will at least give an idea of the difference.

This was taken waaaaay back when...

These were taken earlier this evening. Big difference!

Until next time, happy stitching days to you!

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.

Love with a Capital L - 160 hours

I'm really enjoying this piece again. I made some good progress this last 10 hours. My hope during this next 10 hour block is to start finishing up the little things I've left. I need to finish the edging on the right side and then an 's' on one of the 'Always' and the 'pes' of Hopes. Sometimes I wonder why it is that I move around like I do.

I took this picture today at work, since I was at the 160 hour mark. I'm anal retentive, I know. I stitched at work today for 2-3 hours. I've since finished the 'V and E' and started the 'N and e' of 'Never Fails', but I ran into a bit of a problem. I had run out of 321 sometime last week, or this piece probably would be finished by now. Sorry, back on track. I ran out of 321, went to Michael's and bought another 2 skeins, which I'm hoping is more than enough to finish it up. When I started working with the new skein today it was new skein against old on the border on the right side and the colour difference looked drastic. I've stitched the 2 different skeins side by side elsewhere in the pattern and it doesn't seem as noticeable a difference, but on the edge it looked extreme. I frogged the 10 stitches I had done and moved back to the large LOVE at the bottom. I really under estimated when I was buying floss and I've restocked 3 times now. I'm currently working on my 9th skein and this is the first problem I've encountered with dye lots. I've sent out an S.O.S. to Velda and she has 2 part bobbins that I can have. Hopefully they are a closer match than the ones I'm currently in possession of or I'm in trouble!

I'm not sure how much stitching time I'll be able to find at home this week. I never know what is going to pop up to steal my time, but I'm really hoping to find some. I would really like to see this piece finished soon. As soon, I mean by this weekend. Finishing by the weekend is probably a rather lofty goal. I'd be happy with even finishing by the end of next weekend! I'm working 2-10p Saturday and Sunday 7a-3pm, so that is some pretty good stitching time, I think.

Wish me luck and I hope to see you at the finish line soon! Then to save a couple hundred dollars to get it professionally framed. I have the money in my savings account, but the dilemma is pay for the bathroom renovations or framing... hmmmmm! I'm just kidding, the framing will have to wait a bit.

The Wonders of Sleep - Long Winded Life Chatter

Does life's outlook ever change when you get a good night's sleep. I'm up and ready to face the world today with a full 8 hours sleep, minus 15 minutes. Minus 15 minutes, you ask? Settle in I'll tell you a little funny about this handsome man! I'm sleeping like a dream, I can't remember what time it was exactly, but I'm sleeping away and little man decides he wants to say hello. You see, I usually lock Tip (that's his name) up in the basement at night, because he is a cat that will meow 24/7 regardless of his food dish level, water, cuddles, whatever. He also has a wake up time from his previous owners of about 5am... no thank you! So, a little history there about handsome man. Last night I'm getting ready for bed and Tip is in my bed snuggled in to the chenille throw I have haphazardly laying on my bed - ya right it's staged. Tip's all cuddled in, one of his favorite spots to sleep and I didn't have the heart, probably the energy, to move him. I made sure I slept with the bedroom door open so he could access his box and off to bed I went. He doesn't really move too much in the night, so I was confident he wouldn't wake me. Who was I kidding, he wouldn't wake me? As I said I'm sleeping away only be woken by this strange feeling on my eyes. At whatever time Tip decided he wanted to start the day, he came up stood in front of my face and oh so gently rubbed his darling soft paws over my eyelids. I turned over to hide my face on one side and about 15 minutes later found my face on the other side of the bed and did it again. I felt like I was in some sort of strange horror movie where the slasher character has an obsession with eyes or something. If I wasn't laughing and truly wanting to do bodily harm to Mr. Kitty I would have been major creeped out. He does this paw touching thing every time I'm at the computer, actually he's doing it right now as I type this, but I'm telling you, it is some kind of different in the dark dead of night and on my eyes!

Lesson learned - A male of any species in your bed at night is going to lose you some sleep and depending on the specific male, might just scar you for life and creep you out in the process!

Now, on to more day to day of my life. Alyssa was over last night... my goodness what a child. I don't even know where to begin with her anymore. Her and Mike are moving out of their own place and back to his mother's.... funny how she didn't ask to move home. Too many rules from good old mom. I don't even know what to do. I just keep listening even though the message and words are not what I want to hear. She thinks in her infinite wisdom of 17 she's got it all figured out. She still reaps the benefits of my life and doesn't follow a single rule. I sometimes want to cut the string and draw the hard line, 'you want to not follow the rules and venture out on your own, then stop coming to me for most everything'. She just doesn't seem to get it. Have I failed her as a parent? I think so. She has these ideas of grandeur and dreams (dreams are good), but doesn't see the challenges she's put in front of her that she may never be able to overcome. Children, and yes she's a child, should be living at home, going to school, working part time jobs to save money, buy clothing, go to movies (I know times have changed). Girls of 16 shouldn't be wanting to have sleepovers with boyfriends, and hang out all hours of the night and then when things don't work out, hit the highway! It just breaks my heart. This situation between had outside manipulative forces, I know this and she now sees it, but it will never be the same. A child that leaves home at 16 - really why? I know there are success stories out there, but what if her story isn't a successful one?

Stitching updates:
Not as much progress on Love as I would have liked last night. Work was weird, so stitching time was a little wonky. I had a wee visit from the frog, which I knew was coming. I miscounted when I went from one sheet to another. Don't worry ladies I won't send him your way. I made short work of him, I stomped him down and out!

Dani - I'm only working 5 hours per piece once around just because the pieces have been dormant, some for more than a year. I will then choose another of my pieces, probably Job's Tears and work on it as I am with Love until it's finished. I'm hoping this 5 hour thing might help in regards to whether I really want to do certain pieces. I've never scrapped a piece before, but I'm a little fearful it might happen. Sad, but true.

I'm off now to the myriad of jobs that call my name. I'll be back with an update this afternoon after the real estate guy has been here. I'm hoping I'm on the right track with what I'm focusing my time and money on!

You girls rock! Love ya bunches!!!

Stitching Chatter

It's been a while since I've actually talked about my stitching, and since that is the purpose of this blog, I figured now is as good a time as any! Imagine 4am and I'm posting about my stitching and I'm not even at work doing a midnight! UGGGGH. Insomnia much?

I've been diligently working away on Love with A Capital L. I've put about 4 hours into it already this week and a total of 462 stitches. Not an amazing number, but for stitching only a bit each night at work, I'm happy with the totals. I can feel the end is near. I'm happy, extremely happy and a little bit sad too. No pun intended, but I love this piece and will be sad to no longer have it to work on. Isn't that just the strangest rationale?

Since the end is nearing on Love, I've been giving some thought to what I'm going to do next. Of course I am. I wouldn't be me I wasn't always thinking of ways to tweak my rotation. Velda, I can hear you snickering from here and you can stop right now! Do YOU hear me???

When I look back over all my projects, there are some that only have the initial 5 hours worked on them and some weren't even touched, not even one time, in all of last year. So, what I'm thinking is this. After I finish Love, what if I work on each piece through my rotation for 5 hours, posting a before and after picture after each 5 hour block per piece. That should take me about 2 months or so. When I've done this once through, I will continue on with my focus piece and UFO piece for Sunday. By then I should have come up with some other idea! LOL

Don't hesitate to chime in with ideas. I'm always open for suggestions! Suggestions, Velda, not comments from the peanut gallery :)

Going Crazy Rant

I'm sitting here with my tea, my wonderfully warm chai tea. I'm convincing myself this is my morning routine when I'm home and it'll be okay if I take a few minutes before immersing myself in with paint brush and paint. I'm exhausted! I'm sleeping like crap. I'm major guilt tripping. I've flaked on KP (so unfair) at the gym yesterday and today. I lay in bed awake for most of the night and I can not drag my sorry excuse for a butt out of bed at 4:50a. Then a day without the gym frustrates me. I'll never hit the weight loss I want if I don't hit the gym. Seems logical, does it not? If I could get points for the running in my head, that would be something, right?

I've often said I love a challenge, but I love one challenge at a time as opposed to challenges everywhere I look all day long. I want to get as much done to the house as I can. There is one challenge - so far you can score one for the house because it is winning right now. I have the challenge of weight loss, score one for the fat because it's winning right now too! I'm not in so much of a defeated mood as it may seem, I'm more or less just taking stock of the crappy start to my week.

I do have a funny to share with you. In this you'll notice my sarcastic humour. It may sound as though I'm being ungrateful, but I'm really not. I got an e-mail from one of my best friends, Velda where we were discussing my lack of focus and the desire get things done around the house. She tells me, as only she would, the blog junkie, that renovation before and after photos make great blog fodder! Oh, this I know! She tells me the oooohhhh and aaaawwwing I get will be inspiring and push me to get more done. This too, I know. My very sarcastic reply to her (and she gets my sarcastic, and not critical of others humour) was you need to have progress to get AFTER shots..... I think it might have been a 'had to be there moment', but it is very true.

My frustration is that some are telling me they'll help me. I'm such the person, you tell me I expect it that is the way I am. I will not go around begging and bothering you to help me. I will not do it. I will get frustrated and annoyed, but I will not harass you. If I had a dollar for the number of times I've been told I'll help you and then it not happen I'd have all my debt paid off! Velda, I'm not talking about or in any way referring to Sunday and the door. I fear you're thinking I am - honest honey!

Oh, I have a line on a mitre saw! Yaaaa!!!! A co-worker (friend of 16 years) called her husband last night when we were working together to ask it he has one. He does and SHE says I can borrow it. I don't think she quite grasps the concept of a man's attachment to his tools. She is too cute and has no idea what she has just offered to lend me. She thinks she's going to be bringing this in to work for me.... I think not. This saw will probably weight 20+lbs. I was almost crying when I was laughing at her! I love you, Debbie. You are always good for a laugh.

So, that is the most recent installment of the house renovations saga.

Dani, if you've made it this far - yes I can see a funk coming on! I'm fighting it, but I can feel it creeping in and around!

Stitching progress has been good my one night of work so far. I put 193 stitches into Love and I'm almost finished the corner piece and a portion of the one line of script. I see no problem in accomplishing my SAT goals. Something is going right!!! WOOHOO

Stitch-A-Thon Starting Point

The Cross Stitch Crazy Board is hosting a week long stitch-a-thon (SAT). I love SAT's. They are very motivational and done with the best of intentions. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to contribute this week. I'm working 2-10p this week which will enable me to stitch at work from about 6:30-8:30p. It could be worse!

I'm thinking of focusing on Love with a Capital L for this month's SAT -This is how it looks as of today. I will update this coming Monday, with a new progress pic. I'm hoping to have the next 2 lines complete as well as the swirly design on the right. Anything else will be a bonus.

I just got thinking I work this weekend, so I should be able to get a lot more than that completed. I was thinking just the my 2-10 shifts, but forgot I have to work this weekend. What a great way to take a negative and turn it into a positive! Yaaaaa

Still Plugging Away

I was off work this weekend. I'm doing a full time stint for another girl. I work part time and work most weekends, but right now I'm covering a full timer and when a full timer goes off for an extended time, I work her shifts. The money is awesome and right now I need the money, what with all the things going on around the house lately.

I had a relaxing weekend as well as a semi productive weekend. I got more stuff trashed and sorted for The Goodwill. I have another bag and a box of books to be donated. I'm on a limited garbage disposal, 2 bags per week, so getting rid of the garbage is going to take me a bit longer. I know eventually I'm going to have to do a major run to the dump, but I want to donate or sell as much as I can before I just start trashing things.

Todd and I have a major appointment tomorrow. I'm a bit apprehensive about the visit, but more excited than anything. I'm not sure what is to come of it, but we'll see. When I know something and I've processed it to make sense in my own head, I'll let you know what's up. Say a little prayer for us!

I went shopping today at Home Depot. How I love shopping at HD! What I wouldn't give to win a shopping spree there. Oh, the dreams of little girls. I bought the plug covers, switches and power receptacles for the changing of my electric outlets and stuff. Not sure when it's going to be getting done exactly, but me being me I want to be prepared and be as little an inconvenience as possible.

An update of sorts with Lil. She is a little better as of late. She's not excited, don't get me wrong. She's not as chilly nor is she as hostile. I guess the best description to fit the mood right now is indifference. I think indifference might be it. It's an improvement and that is I can ask for at the moment.

Off to my Love With A Capital L. I'm missing my stitching as of late so I'm trying to put an hour into it before I start to resent all the house stuff and then burn out in the process.

150 Hours of Love

I'm back with another update - woohoo! I couldn't be happier with how this piece is coming together. My estimate is another 40 hours should see this one put to bed.

I am a bit concerned with how poorly I counted in centering this. It is very much closer to the right side of the fabric, as you can see quite easily. I've from some others that are stitching this piece they had the same calculation problems. Hmmmm

I believe there is a mistake at the beginning of the 3rd row you see there, the beginning A. I'm not 100% so I've just stopped that area for now and am working on another section until I'm certain things are done properly or incorrectly.

As always, thanks so much for your positive comments and taking the time to post to me.

Happy stitching days to you!

UFO Sunday

I've really been so busy with holiday travel and work to dedicate much time to my stitching. I miss it and hopefully with life supposedly slowing down in the next couple days I should be able to get back to somewhat of a routine with my pieces. That is unlikely to the point it is probably laughable. A girl has a right to dream!

I'm always tooling with my approach to work pieces and trying to get closer to finishing things up, so here is another new one from me. Since I'm trying to work 1 hour per week on my UFO's, chosen piece Halloween Fairy I've decided since I work most weekends, I will use Sunday as my day to work 1 hour on my UFO. I am going to work 1 hour on Halloween Fairy every Sunday and then the remainder of my shift on Enchanted Fairy so I can still make some progress on her. She's much too early in the process of being worked to be neglected just yet.

Any stitching time I find throughout the week will be dedicated to Love with A Capital. I'm getting close to the finish line with this one, so I'm hoping another 40 hours will see this one complete. Can you imagine that, a finish within the first quarter of the new year? WOOHOO!!

Off to put needle to fabric with a wonderful cup of Chai tea at my side. The small wonders of life surround and astound me.

Love with a Capital L - 140 hours

Love is really moving along in all ways lately. You can't believe how happy I am to know my instincts were right about this one. This piece has come to mean so much to me for so many reasons.

You stitchers out there, or some of you anyway, may understand the dreaded feeling of those last few sessions with a piece. Questioning whether it will ever get finished, until you're really close and then it's full steam ahead. In light of recent happenings in my life, I now have a renewed desire to get this piece finished and it will be a new found appreciation for my life that I do.

Stitching is a time consuming, and for the most part, a very relaxing and therapeutic past time. Thus far in my life there has yet to be a piece that represents as much of that to me, than this one. It stands alone in its significance of my life and personal growth. This is now a piece I will look back on and truly feel blessed to have stitched at this particular time? Is that what makes a piece an heirloom?

Happy stitching days to all!

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.