A new week

Anyone watch the classic movie "Office Space" lately?  It is one of my favorites-- I even own a Red Swingline Stapler.  One of the classic lines in the movie is "Looks like somebody has a case of the Mondays".  Well, that is me today.  Wow, what a difference from last week right?!  The weather has turned cold again and I am not a fan :(.  When is it going to get warm already!!  I think I need a vacation.

I did some stitching this weekend, but not enough to finish another WIP though!  I have progress pic to show you.....

Amazing the color of the fabric how different it looks from the last post.  But, I am liking it more and more.  I finished the top, and will spend the next few days finishing the bottom.  I am pretty sure I know the next WIP I am going to stitch on next, I was chatting with a friend this weekend, and I think I am convinced, although I will keep you all in suspense until I get Ichabod done. 

Back to the grind-- I hope tomorrow is better!!!!!! 

Friday Finish

Isnt it great to go into another weekend, with a finish under your belt?!   Here is Anne Wells.  This is a Birds of a Feather pattern, and I chose to stitch Anne on 36ct Barn Owl Birds of a Feather Linen with Weeks Dye Works Threads.  I think she turned out great!

Soft and subtle the colors, which you know is perfect for me.  The best part is........I am down another WIP!!!  I was excited to read that most of you dont like too many, although I was also excited to read that most of us are in the same boat!!!!!  LOL.  But such is life.  So many wonderful choices.  I am having such fun with these either way, WIPs or Not, playing with the stash is great fun.  I am collecting quite the pile of threads that have to be put back into their homes and it is great fun to actually be using this stash I have!!!!

I finished Anne early enough to breakout the next project to be finished-- Ichabod Seabury.  The Swamp Linen is the color called for, is so far out of the box for me, but I just love it.  Crazy right?!  It is a great design, and I look forward to finishing it this weekend.  Think positive right?!!  Progress pics on Monday for sure.

Thanks for all the great words of encouragement on the WIPS I have chosen to get myself involved in :)  I am looking forward to a great year of FINISHES!!!!!  Yeah!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend :)

Heeeeeres Olga!!!!

Here is my finish of Olga by Plum Street Samplers.  I chose to use the called for Crescent colors, but stitched her on Lakeside 40ct Vintage Lentil.  Now I have to find Boris from the stash in the basement, and stitch him up :)  How strange to have really worked on such a completely opposite pattern from Maria, different feel all together, with the linen, the cotton threads, and a CAT!!!!!!!!

But she is cute and with Boris by her side someday, I think the pair will be lovely.  Add her to the drawer of stitched pieces and move on to the next one.  I took out about 10 of my WIPS last night and tried to figure out the best way to tackle them.  I am not sure I want to stitch then in order of Crazy January Starts, (I blew that a few finishes ago already!) but there is one thing I cant stand.  WIPS.  Believe me, I had the most fun in January starting and stitching on new projects, and I am sure that I would be up for it again, but the result of 25 project bags lying all around with snippets of stitching in them, drives me CRAZY!!!!!!!  I would prefer to have less then 5 WIPS at any one time.  I would prefer to put my big girl panties on and finish the project then leave it to collect dust.

About 6 years ago........WIPS was something I didnt really have.  I had projects, believe me, I had some stash, but they werent all going at once.  I always started and finished them.  So, along with my new linen love, I was also introduced into it being ok to have WIPS (This is why I am somewhat calm about having over 20 WIPS!!!!!!!! Thank you :) ).  I agree that it is ok to have WIPS and my Friends and I both love starting-- as many of you do.  Isnt it the best when kitting up a NEW PROJECT!!!!  WOW, what a thrill and to start it, and to go wild with stitching it.  As much as I like the stash collecting and having start-i-tis, I love finishing projects.  Now, for me finishing is just getting it stitched up.  I am the worst 'finisher' of smalls, and framing gets done when there is extra $$$ (I am to frame picky!)

The the long and the short of this, is that I need to get this WIP pile down quite a bit.  I keep running through I ideas while at work-- (so not to waste precious stitching time at home), how to tackle this WIP problem: finishing smaller projects, then grabbing a BAP and going to town with it, or should I do every other one.......  I was thinking too, that the list of 'in order' projects would make me have to finish 'Peace' first before Dutch Beauty, and I am desperate to stitch DB.  Believe me, Peace will get done, someday-- sooner then later I hope; but isnt this the fun part of stitching-- my Friend said, this way you can stitch on something you like, at all times.  If you get bored with this, go to that one.  And so on and so on. 

So by tonight, I will have to make a decision about what to stitch on next out of the pile.  I feel also that I need to get it down in order to really get going on another new one or two I am drooling over!!!!!!!  We will all have to wait and see.

Maria's Dechado

Starting off with another great sunny morning, starting off another week.  I have to start off straight away with a finish-- well she is 99.9% done :)

Isnt she just beautiful?!  I have to clip the threads yet in the aztec stitch, (then she will be done).  It is hard enough for me to cut plain linen let alone cut into the hard work I have just completed!!  LOL.  I am getting up the nerve and I will keep you all posted.  But for now, this is what Maria looks like.  I am over the moon in how she turned out-- and for all of you reading the start of Maria on January 1st-- few stitches, then picking her up again on February 1st-- until now, have heard me complain on more then 1 occasion.  It wasnt the design, it was at first the threads- working with Soie de Paris for the first time, the threads were a bit more slippery.  I have friends that have used this thread for sometime and I have never heard them complain, so why not?  I ended up to liking them, very much so, that I would be open to using them in a future project.

Most of the complaining came from the over 3 section on the right hand side.  I have never done that much ripping out in my life, so it was very frustrating.  The satin stitch, once getting into a rhythm that worked for me, went quickly.  The aztec stitch was the part I feared the most.  This was the only thing holding me back from finishing Maria, or throwing her the hell out :)  All that work, I had to give it a try at least right?  So last week, I think Wednesday night, the light went on, and I figured it out.  I didnt think I would be able to get it done for weeks, seemed to hard, to much to concentrate on, but, in reading the instructions, 'once you get the rhythm down, it is easy going'   ta-da!!!  (Friday night I didnt work on her, actually worked on Olga from Plum street-- I needed a break, but still wanted to stitch something!)  After work on Saturday, and after a quick supper, I picked up Maria and I said to my husband-- this is it.  She needs to be put to bed tonight!!!!!  Late Saturday night, more like 12:30 am Sunday morning, she was finished.  I couldnt be more pleased.

For all the fear of the unknown on the Aztec, it is well worth it and it was actually very easy.  I know that there are several who have commented on previous posts that are stitching this piece, and are fearing the Aztec-- dont be scared-- it looks much much harder then it is.  You may practice on another piece of linen-- I am not much for practicing and jumped right into starting-- why do it twice!  LOL!!!!! 

Maria's Dechado by Samplers Remembered along with the supplies can be purchased at your favorite LNS.  I chose to stitch Maria with the called for Soie de Paris & with the suggested 45ct Vintage Luna Lakeside Linens.  It is worth the hard work-- complaints or not :)  

She is definitely one of my favorite finishes, and I thank my Friends for suggesting it.  Now, onto celebrating with a nice shot of tequila :)

The Aztec Cometh

Last night was a very exciting night for me.   I finished up the satin stitch on Maria, and I am very pleased with the results.

After 4 or 5 attempts and 4 other varieties of explanations and graphs, I finally figured out the aztec stitch.  Now mind you, I am sure that the written instructions in the pattern are just fine, but being a visual person, things do not make the most sense to me when reading a description of go up here and down here and wrap around here.  So, with a combination of a few great graphs, I finally did it.

It is not a hard stitch, rather one you must concentrate on each step you make.  I tried watching a movie while doing it, and finally had to focus on the task at hand.  I know this block will be slow and steady, but I definitely see the end is drawing near.  Hopefully this weekend I will be able to get another color or 2 in.

So, here is Maria so far, in all her beautiful glory.  I know at first I was skeptical with her, but she has proven herself to be worthy of all the time and frogging and stress!!! 

Have a great weekend everyone :)

Off Track

What a great weekend I had!  Such beautiful weather, visiting with friends, family and of course stitching!!!!  I have to first let you know that Maria had a back burner seat this weekend, but I have an updated pic for all of you.

She is moving along just beautifully, and for all the fear I had about the satin stitch, it is not as difficult as I was expecting!  From the over 3 side, and all the frogging, I would be happy to do the satin stitch again any time.  I hope to have the bottom done in the next few days, then it is on to the dreaded aztec stitch!!!!!

So, what did I stitch on this weekend?  Well, rather I stitched yesterday-- Let me remind you of where I was on the Quaker Friendship piece--

And this is where I ended last night:

Now-- should explain the title for this blog post!!!!  I was planning on stitching in order of starts, but you know how easy that can be adjusted!!!!  I had this wip in the same project bag as Maria, and I kept seeing it and seeing it.  I figured this weekend it had to be put to bed.   This is called the Quaker Friendship by Goode Huswife.  Stitched on 36ct Flax Fields by R & R Reproductions along with Coffee Bean Gloriana silk thread.  2 over 2.  I always choose 2 strands for 36ct, I prefer the way it looks-- more coverage.  I am excited to have another finish out of the crazy January challenge under my belt and 1 less WIP!!!!!!  YEAH!!!!!!  I might even have another one done this week........ I am keeping my fingers crossed!!!!

Happy Monday :)

Finally, something new!

Hello to all of you patient readers, it has been a while since this blog has been updated, and while that Hankalicious pic was fun to look at for a bit, it is now time to move on.  I have been working slow and steady on Maria, and making some nice progress.  I tool these pics late last week and finally have time to share them with you now.  I have to take more current pics, but these will have to do for now.  I am still concerned with how to proceed with the Aztec stitch (which will fill in the empty rectangle box), but I am positive it will click, and will make sense, and I will have it done in no time. 

So far, the most positive thing is, I did not have to rip out this row I am working on.  No ripping, can this be possible?!!!  For the 2nd time since the top alphabet there is no ripping?!  LOL., I can only hold my breath for so long.  Murphy sits on my shoulder, and he is alive and well :)

I will try to get more current pics posted in the next day or so. 

Everyone is getting their new stash from Nashville, and it is great fun to see all the new starts taking place.  I have gotten a great assortment so far, I just finished cataloging it (I am trying not to by duplicates!), and I am looking forward to taking time to look at each item closer.  Great new Belle Soie and Gloriana silks, they are fabulous, but arent they always?  I am looking forward to starting a few new of these goodies, but after Maria of course!!!

Until next time :)