Believe it...

... or not.

 

There has been stitching progress.

 

I pulled out this quilt a few months ago and was working on it at Mom's.  She commented that she hoped she lived long enough to see it finished.  I had to admit she had a point.  It had been tucked away for a looonnngggg time.  So, I've been taking it to her house for our bi-monthly hang-out days.  I tuck into the rocker in the sunny window and take advantage of the great light to stitch away.  The progress this time was that I finished the vine in the orange band.  Dozens of teeny French Knots (two for each flower).  I know some stitchers tremble at the thought of French Knots, but I enjoy them and there's only one that didn't turn out quite right.  I'm trying to learn not to be OCD about this stuff, so am forcing myself not to take it out and re-do it.  (I have a feeling I will lose this battle, as my eye goes right to it every time.)

 

Now I get to work on the yellow band.  Yellow is not my favorite color, but I am fond of the little chickies and the bumble bees.  And the sun.  It will be good.  Then comes the green band with the French Knot caterpillars.  I'm looking forward to that row.

 

Stitcher S, one of my blog friends, posted a "challenge."  Kind of a true confessions encouraging us to fess up about old projects we've been ignoring.  I have a hard time ignoring a dare, so here are some of mine.

Firefly Faeries get the most work, but it's difficult to work on it, here.  I  really don't have a space or decent light.  I vowed to spend 30 minutes on it each night, then realized on the first night that it takes me nearly that long to get everything out and set up since I need magnifying lenses and full spectrum lamps and so on.  I'm thinking of taking a retreat to that rocker in the sunny corner this summer break to get some major work done on it.

Hollyhocks.  I started this one a few years ago, when I thought I would be building a home in northern Utah.  Property was paid for, green home design was paid for.  Then the economy tanked.  To be honest, I'm kind of grateful that I'm not up there, 800 miles from family, friends and favorite healing spaces.  But I was looking forward to hanging this in the guest room.

Margaret Sherry Christmas kitten.  I really do love the British cross stitch magazines, especially when they include darling charts like this.  When completed (and it's close) it will fit in a greeting card, hanging on a Christmas wreath.

Stitcher S asked for ideas of how to motivate ourselves.  I guess motivation isn't really a problem for me.  Energy, yes.  Time, definitely.  Stitching time comes from taking time away from something else like exercising or reading or writing or working.  I'm sure she and I would both love to be retired (or independently wealthy would be even better) so that we had all the time for all the fun to be had.

I also have finished pieces that I have never done anything with.  They've been in storage so long that the stains are appearing.  (For non-stitchy readers, as we stitch, oils from our skin collect on the fabrics and over the course of years the oils show up as stains.  The Christmas mice have been in storage 30 years or more, so...) I still think they're cute, though, and would really like to see them in something, even if just a pillow.

And finally, there are charts that I've already kitted up and would love time to work on.  For some reason I can't get the little snapdragon project out of my mind, so I need to pull out some fabric and get started on that.

Just what I need.  Another unfinished project.