First Confession of 2008

This all revolves mostly around last night. For starters I was working on a model. No problem there, putting time into an obligation piece.

Then I decided to look around to see if I had an appropriate piece of fabric to start a new project. Of course, I had to find the first part of the chart in order to find the finished size of the design so I know what size piece of fabric I'm looking for.

In the middle of this I get distracted and decide that I need to inventory my scissors once again, and, with the names of the Gingher Designer Series ones that I own. As I search, I know that I'm not seeing a pair or two that are probably stored with projects that are somewhere in my stash. I know I've taken a picture of them at one point so I can use that as a reference when I get online. I looked today and have determined that I own 24 pair of embroidery scissors plus 2 Clover cutters! Yes, I am nuts about scissors. Yes, I can only use one pair at a time. And yes, I still have one pair still in the package that I've never used! One thing I need to research. Are all Dovos marked Dovos? I have two pair that I think are Dovos that have the same round stamp on them (declaring Solingen?) but they do not say Dovos. Of course I do not keep track where I purchase them so there's really no looking it up that way. I'll have to check my other source.

Back to the fabric search. I find the first part of the chart (it's a mystery that's being released in 13 parts) and determine what size piece of fabric that I need. I open my fabric drawer and look at just about everything I own. I find a piece that is too large but was purchased only for the sale price so I have no problem cutting it down.

The next part of this mission is choosing my own colors. It's part of the mystery to pick what you want. And one does have to be careful that the thread colors don't clash with or get lost in the color of fabric that you choose. I went into my thread drawer and pulled out a couple of colors that I thought I might like. But I didn't have all that I needed. Out to the thread box to sift through everything in there. I found everything I needed there and even changed some of my earlier decisions. Mostly everything I picked (the flower colors) is silk. I'm glad I have a nice supply to use. The design that I started is from Papillion Creations "How Does Your Garden Grow". I picked: red/Kayla's Rose - Dinky-Dyes, blue/Blue Lavender - Waterlilies, pink/Sophie's Strawberry and yellow/Lemon Souffle - Thread Gatherer, light green/English Ivy - Olde Willow Stitchery, darker green/Olivia - The Dye Is Cast. I haven't chosen the beads yet. I figured that I would see how it looked first and where they would be placed to make the right color choice.

Long story short - I started a new project last night. I feel guilty about it as I have a passel of other projects that have already been started and just need some attention. (Which is why I started the 50 Project Challenge.) But here's what I'm going to do. I'm easing up on myself as I have finished over half of the 50 Projects (an accomplishment) and a lot of the ones that have already been started are large projects. This one is fairly small and all of it has not been released yet. I will be stitching this one in spurts and hopefully once my obligation stitching is finished I will be able to pick back up on my challenges again.

Finish #27 of 50

This weekend I finished project #27 out of 50. I modified a design out of the Subversive Cross Stitch book to say "Official Pain in the Neck" for a friend of mine who had surgery on his neck on Friday. I stitched it in the hospital while being the support network for his wife and daughter. (My best friends.) Of course I forgot to take a pic of it. So when they get home from the hospital - hopefully today - they will take a pic for me and send it to me.

It was nice to have an excuse to stitch something easy and quick. I haven't had a finish on this challenge this year and I've got lots to get done.

2008 Challenge

I decided to make a seperate Challenge for myself. I want to stitch Teresa Wentzler's 12 Days of Christmas ornaments and finish them all in 2008 to hang on my tree. I'm guessing there will be two parts to this challenge. The first is to get them stitched. (There's a lot of over-one stitching.) And the second part is to actually make them into ornaments. I will post here and update as my work progresses.

1st Day ornament - finished 2/8/08

On Jan 1 I picked up 1st Day of Christmas ornament by TW. I had already started it but was seriously going to try to get the set stitched this year. Who knows when I'll actually make them into ornaments! Anyway, it's now February but I'm hoping to finish this one tonight.

I have a gift to stitch but will be starting (and hopefully finishing) next weekend. It's for someone who's going in for surgery.

I'm still working on Castle Ridge for my sister's wedding. It's coming along well enough but needs to be done within 2 months. I'm not going to take it to Hawaii - she'll just have to wait until she gets home.

Still working on two models. I took one on because it sounded like the Designer was not getting responses to her request for stitchers. I get paid in stash up front so it's not a horrible thing. The other one is the old one on black that I'm really close to finishing. I'm on the last two bands and either by the end of the weekend (depending on how much time I get for stitching) or by the end of next week I'll have one band finished and really be on the LAST one. I've had this for too long and am really looking forward to sending this one back!