An unproductive stitching day but productive never the less.

I didn't get around to any stitching today. I had to attempt to do some cleaning as my financial planner is coming over tomorrow afternoon. A. also took me to my dedo's house because he had some homemade bread for me, some ground venison and some homemade sausage...*yum*!

I got a call from one of the guiders that I work with at Sparks and Brownies and she needed me to come and respresent my spark unit because she couldn't. Ok, normally this wouldn't be a problem but! Southern Alberta is under a storm warning and well...it has been blizzarding most of the day, when it isn't raining and the wind is howling, it is snowing and the wind is howling. Anyways! We changed the name of our District to Beth Riddoch (who was responsible for starting guiding in the north end of the city). Sandy (the leader who called me) said that she was going to go to search through the local museum's archives about Beth. I know that she is busier than me, so I volunteered to find out the information and put it into a presentation for our end of district meeting June 10. I am very excited about this...perhaps I should also start a blog about guiding?...my other passion.

I know I haven't really been a good leader this year because of my fibromyalgia but I am determined to be a good one in the next following weeks and next year. I love guiding and have truly missed it when it was absent from my life for eight years.

Back to stitching for the moment. I have kept track of the projects that I have completed since 2007.

Here is the list:

1. Popcorn Bear with daisy 2007
2. Lighthouse 2007
3. Oriental Fan 2007
4. Tulip Bookmark 2007
5. Condolence card 2008
6. Scissor Fob 2008
7. Baby Sampler 2009
8. Birthday Card 2009
9. Buzz 2009
10. Bread cloth 2009
11. Birthday Card 2009
12. Christmas Card 2009
13. Turtles 2009
14. Winter Gusts 2010
15. Christmas Bird 2010

I had/have (haven't quite decided if I want to stick with this goal) a goal to finish 300 projects by the time I am 50...as of yesterday I have 22 years to complete this goal. Of course, I could finish it quite easily if I took the easy way out and continued to simply make cards and do little projects...but I have some big ones, like my Spring Queen, on the go. Perhaps I should stick with it.


Thoughts?....Anyone?....


~M

Living the dream

Something that I remember Mark saying last night about buying supplies for quilting, mind, it doesn't necessarily have to do with quilting but with anything you are passionate about. It doesn't matter if you keep buying matter how much fabric or supplies that you buy, as long as you can see the finished project who gives a fuck if you actually finish the project.

I have a habit of buying new kits, patterns, fabric, threads all the time. I suppose it is a sort of addiction with me. I always feel better after I have gone to the Stitching Corner and I have bought something new or I have gone to the 12 hour stitch and bitch. I probably have more patterns and kits than I could do in a year but like Mark said, I see the end result.

I would rather buy something regarding stitching than clothes. Don't get me wrong! I love buying clothes and my mother has said that if shopping was an olympic sport I would win gold. *But* I do not feel productive or feel as if I have accomplished something after buying clothes. I feel accomplished when I come home with a new kit or pattern and I have finished it.

Cross stitching is something that I am really good at. It took my two best friends telling me how good I am and H. telling her mother that I am a really good stitcher for me to believe that I was. All of it is thanks to my babi who taught me when I was little.

Thank God I have this hobby that I am good at and that I enjoy doing! I am living the dream!!

Had plans for a quiet evening at home

The intention tonight was to have a quiet evening, do some stitching and perhaps watch a movie before heading off to bed.



H. called me to say that C. backed out of seeing Mark Lipinski, the bad boy of quilting, because of an exam she has tomorrow. I, of course, told her that I would gladly go with her to see him. I had heard both H. and C. talk about him and I did want to go but I didn't commit on going so I let it fall by the wayside.



H. and I got downtown and grabbed our tickets and after finding which hall we were going to be in we went in the search of food. We went to Milestone and had our belinis with our dinner. I swear (besides the Cactus Club) Milestone has the BEST belinis. The drinks were great but the service was slow so we had to hurry and eat our dinner or we were going to miss Mark.



I couldn't believe that H. and I were two of the youngest ones there!



Now...what to say about Mark?....HE WAS HILARIOUS!!! Like I said about he is known as the bad boy of quilting, he designs quilts, fabrics. He told us stories about his quilts and as he spoke there were times when you wondered how the story was connected to one of his quilts. Of course when he showed off one of them the whole audience gasped in awe.


An hour went by and he asked if we all wanted to leave. We all said NO!....I think he talked for nearly 2.5 hours. Mark had us laughing so hard that my sides still hurt an hour and a half later! I am sure my mascara is smudged too a little by the tears from laughing.



I hope to do one of his designs (after of course I have had some practice quilting.). Perhaps when I start quilting I will have to make another blog. lol



Here is a picture of me and H. with Mark Lipinski (I'm the one in the red)! I am now a huge fan!! Thank you H. and a thank you too goes out to C.!! (Good Luck on your exam!)

Inspiration

Where did the inspiration come to start a stitching blog?

It has to be from the movie Julie & and Julia, even though my dad and my husband have both been suggesting that I write a blog about stitching. I think after I watched the movie I was actually excited about writing a blog. Even though I do not have a deadline like Julie did when she was cooking through Julia Child's cookbook, I feel like I have now somewhere to write my excitement or frustration about cross stitching.

As long as I can keep stitching, I will keep blogging.


~M

A couple of projects

I created this for a woman I worked with. Her niece had just had a baby and P. wanted something special done for Baby Brooklynn.










This following two pictures are my Just Nan project that was completed about 30 mins ago. It was originally a Christmas design but I made it my own. :)


































Now on to one of the projects for H. !!!

The Snow Came Last Night

Good Morning All!

We had a freak spring snowstorm last night. I woke up this morning thinking that there would be a couple of feet outside but alas, there is just a couple of inches.

I have decided, though, that I am going sit in my pjs all day and stitch and blog.

I have the puppies snuggled up to me and both of them are hiding their tails. There was a time a couple of years ago when Maggie was sleeping on me and I had leaned my work against her. Needless to say I stitched her tail into my work and when she jumped down my work went with her. Instead of trying to reverse the stitching I cut her fur. She's a bichon shitzu and her tail is fluffy...it was just a little less fluffy. :)

I am about halfway through the Just Nan bird. With any luck (and if I don't get too distracted by my movies) I should have it finished in a few hours! I will post a picture of it when it is completed!!

~M

Hobby that keeps me sane!

Since my car accident a couple of years ago stitching (along with my friends and family who I am eternally grateful for) helped me get through the days where I couldn't do anything else.

Even on those days where I spend more time reverse stitching than I do actually stitching it is still therapeutic for me.

There was a period of 2 months when I broke my left elbow and dislocated my left wrist and I couldn't do any stitching. All my projects sat idle and stared at me. I couldn't wait until I got out of my cast and was able to hold the frame and the needle again!

Now since I am unemployed in my freetime (when I am not applying for more jobs or going for interviews or trying to build my own company) I sit and stitch.

I completely lose track of the time when I sit by the window or next to my lamp and stitch. But I would prefer not to stitch on my own, I love stitching with my two best friends.

I also love all the odd numbered months and on the last Saturday of said months where I go to my 12 hour stitch and bitch with my mother in law and my two best friends. Of course we don't sit and stitch for 12 hours...there is the tea shop, the ice cream shop, the candy store and you can't forget about the quilting shop...plus all the gossip and gabbing that we do too. lol.

The countdown for the May stitch and bitch is on! Can't wait!!

~M

A wonderful day!

Last night I went to one of my best friend's house for an unintentional sleepover. I needed some reflexology done and we were planning on watching some movies with another friend of ours. So after our other friend had left and we had watched yet another movie we went upstairs to her studio where I stay when I sleepover.

She showed me the fabric for the quilt that she is making me...The fabric has made its way out of the closet. It is on its way to the worktable...but it is taking it's time. Is what H. told me.

I mentioned to her that I had found a cross stitch pattern for her that I wanted to do but I wasn't familiar with the stitches so it might take me awhile. She responded by saying that there were a couple that she had that I could do for her if I wanted. Of course me loving cross stitch and patterns I jumped at the chance!

So for the 45 mins to an hour we talked cross stitch and and I now have two new projects. Not that I don't already have enough on the go!

I have:
Spring Queen from Mirabilia
Jacobean inspired project
a Just Nan bird

And I am sure there are more that I can't remember at the moment!

Today H. and I went to our favourite cross stitch store and petted the different threads. I also picked out new DMC variegated (sp?) floss for a sampler I am going to do. I am doing it twice, once for me with variegated floss for me and again for H. with regular DMC floss.

While we were there (we were literally almost done and were at the till waiting to pay) when my inlaws walked in. Of course it being my birthday on Tuesday this coming week mom and dad were putting money on my gift card as a present for me. So I was able to get the all the material for my newest aquisition 'Sleepy Hollow Sampler' by Raise the Roof.

I promised H. that I would get one of hers done before I started one of my new samplers...but I *really* would like to finish my bird project first, I should be able to finish it tomorrow if I have nothing else happening...and looking outside I really doubt that I will be getting out of my pjs tomorrow. :)

~M