Ornament Exchange & other news

I signed up for three ornament exchanges this year. The first was for an email group that I participate in. I had a fantastic package from Deb waiting for me when I returned home. I absolutely love the ornament that she stitched for me. :) It's from this year's JCS ornaments issue. The photo isn't great-- and for the life of me, I couldn't get a decent photo of the whole package. It looks much prettier in person, of course, and the finishing is absolutely perfect. I always marvel at the beautiful finishing on the exchanges that I've been receiving.



I stitched an ornament for Judith. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about the stitching and finishing on this one. Judith is a professional designer and does the most perfect finishing I've ever seen. No pressure! LOL Seriously though, I've seen her finishing in person, and it's amazing. But I think I did okay! The design is Tudor Rose Ornament, by Nostalgic Needle. I found it in the 1999 JCS ornaments issue. (I get a lot of mileage out of those magazines.)



I feel like it has been ages since I've posted. Things have been so hectic lately, with the holidays fast approaching. I hope that everyone in the U.S. had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My dinner for BF and I was terrific-- everything turned out perfectly. It was way too much food for the two of us though, and we're still munching on leftovers. (This evening's offering... turkey casserole. LOL) We had Thanksgiving-- the Sequel-- on Saturday, when we celebrated with some of my family. There were the usual 30 or so people there and lots of fantastic food.

We returned to Reston on Sunday afternoon and had to immediately start getting ready to go to the ballet. BF surprised me with tickets (MONTHS ago) for the Joffrey Ballet's production of The Nutcracker at Kennedy Center. The ballet was wonderful... what we saw of it, anyway. I stupidly decided not to drive (I'm the only one of the two of us who has ANY clue how to get around in the city), but instead tried to navigate for BF. BAAADDDDD idea!!!! I can follow my nose to Kennedy Center, but I could never tell another person how to get there. Add the fact that we were driving around in the dark, and BF has no idea how to drive in DC... and you get a navigational disaster of comic proportions. It wasn't so funny at the time, though. The trip that should have taken a maximum of 30 minutes ended up taking over an hour and a half, and we ended up missing most of the first half. >:( Lesson learned-- all future driving to/from DC will be done by me.

For those of you who are familiar with the area... we ended up in Crystal City. Twice. We also visited Rosslyn on our little adventure. I went to college just a few miles outside DC and was the only one of my friends who had a car on-campus, so I was always the one who drove everywhere. I've never once gotten lost in DC... until now.

Despite the mishap, we're talking about going back in January. We figure if we do it often enough, we may finally get it right. ;)

Thanksgiving Exchange for Nancy

Nancy has already received this, so it's now safe for me to share a picture or two. The design is Autumn Thanks, by Sisters & Best Friends. I finished it as a needle/scissor case. The lining fabric may look familiar-- it's the same fabric that I used for Cathy's pillow.





We're in the country for the week. It's very different out here now with all of the leaves off of the trees. The yard is *covered* with them! Fortunately, BF doesn't mind tending to them, so I don't have to worry about it. I'm staying indoors and baking some double chocolate scones. I haven't tried this recipe before, so we'll see how it turns out. ;)

We made the big Thanksgiving grocery run this morning. There isn't much to choose from out here in the way of grocery stores-- just Food Lion and Wal-Mart. It's not at all like the selection that we are used to in the DC area. Mostly, it's okay, until I decide I need an "odd" ingredient for my cooking. Today's wild goose chase was fire roasted peppers. The closest I could come was roasted bell peppers, so I guess that will have to do. Fresh herbs weren't the easiest thing to find, either. I couldn't find them at Food Lion and ended up buying them dried, but later found fresh at Wal-Mart. Guess I'll be doing more of my grocery shopping there, even though I really hate doing that. The store is entirely too large, and I hate buying groceries at the same place where I buy my socks, and vice versa.

I'm going to attempt to fix Thanksgiving dinner this week. It's just BF and me, so if I totally screw it up, it's no big deal. I'm actually a pretty good cook, and I cook a LOT at home, so it shouldn't be any problem. I am trying a couple of new recipes though, just for fun. There was a turkey in Rachel Ray's magazine that looked fantastic, and I just have to know if it's any good.

Beautiful Thanksgiving & Autumn Exchanges

Sorry I've been so quiet lately-- computer time has been limited, and our internet service has been less than cooperative. >:(

Enough of that! Take a look at the wonderful exchanges that I received last week, for the Autumn and Thanksgiving exchanges. Becky had my name for both exchanges, and she really spoiled me. I get in quite a funk at this time of year, and Becky's wonderful package really brightened my week. :)

For the Autumn exchange, Becky stitched this fantastic scissor/needle case. She also made a sweet little pumpkin tape measure cover. I love the little bees and beehive on this piece, because they remind me of Becky each time I see them.



The Thanksgiving part of this package was this amazing box. It's so beautifully stitched and finished. As lovely as it is in this photo, it's so much prettier in real life.



There were all sorts of other goodies in this package along with the stitched gifts. I love these little Halloween tuck pillows and can't wait to stitch something to put in them. Becky included a wonderful assortment of fall-colored threads-- DMC, perle cotton, and silk Mori-- and a gorgeous piece of hand-dyed fabric. There's also a cute little kit, notecards, and some great decorative items.



I feel so spoiled! :)

Back from Bermuda

Our trip to Bermuda went extremely well, other than the fact that I was suffering from a pretty bad head cold the entire time. I took lots of over-the-counter meds while we were away, so it didn't slow me down too much. ;) It's hanging on and I'm still popping pills as I type this.



The Explorer of the Seas was wonderful, as always. We were just on this ship for our Caribbean cruise in September. A couple of things had changed, including the captain and the cruise director. The nicest change was that they had replaced the matresses. That had been my only complaint about our last two cruises, and I'm happy to say that they not only replaced, but also upgraded, the bedding. Fantastic!

We were on the cruise over Halloween, so we got to celebrate cruiseship style. Normally, there are displays of carved fruit, but for this trip, we had pumpkins. The things they can carve never cease to amaze me. There was also a Halloween parade on the Royal Promenade, but I managed to sleep through it. :(

Bermuda was lovely. A little flatter than I generally like in an island, but lush and green, with lots of pastel colored houses. Shopping isn't as cheap as in the Caribbean, but the vendors aren't pushy, so it's a nice trade-off. You shop in stores, with actual price tags, and there is no bargaining as you'd do on many islands. People there are friendly and you feel quite safe walking around, day or evening. Public transportation is available by ferry or bus ($20 for a two-day unlimited pass), so it's quite easy to get around. Scooters are available for rent, but I don't think I'd want to try one with all the cars & buses that are on Bermuda roads. (It's much more "bustling" there than I would have expected.)

Ships usually stop at a port for only a day, arriving in the morning and leaving in the afternoon, but the ship stayed in Bermuda for two days. This left us with plenty of time to explore the island. On the first day, we booked a bus tour through the ship. It started in Hamilton and ended in St. George, with stops at the Botanic Gardens, Aquarium & Zoo, and Fort St. Catherine.



The next time we're in Bermuda, I intend to spend some more time at the Aquarium & Zoo. It's not terribly large, but our visit was rushed because we were on a tour schedule. I did manage to see their pair of Galapagos tortoises. They were even moving around and feeding, which was a real treat to watch. There were also some adorable golden lion tamarins, but they moved around way to quickly to get on camera.



In stitching news, I have nearly finished stitching my Thanksgiving exchange project. I also found out that the autumn exchange that I stitched for Cathy has arrived, so I can safely share a photo of it.

Just Two Days...

Until the ship sails for Bermuda. :) That's the good news. The bad news is, I'm sick with some sort of allergy/upper respiratory crud. :( I'm taking some meds for it, in the hope that I'll be feeling better by the time we leave on Sunday morning. In the meantime, I'm trying to get some rest today.

I was able to upload a few pics from the country. The fall leaves are especially lovely this year. Of course, all those pretty leaves make quite a mess of my yard and gutters out there. BF cleaned the gutters this week and managed to snap these photos from the rooftop.





Persian Iris Garden and Spanish Geometrical Sampler are both on hold while I work on various exchange projects. Today I need to assemble my Fall exchange so that it can be mailed tomorrow morning. I'm a little nervous about the finishing on it. I think I've got a pretty good idea, but getting things to turn out the same way as I picture it in my head is sometimes tricky. The finishing is actually pretty simple, but I always get nervous when I am working with a stitched piece... afraid I'll screw it up somehow. It's one thing when it's just fabric, but it's much more worrying when it comes to a piece of needlework.

My current stitching project is for a Thanksgiving exchange. I really like the way it looks so far. I think this will be another exchange that is hard to part with. Isn't that always the case? LOL

I'm signed up for a TON of exchanges in the next couple of months, so I think it will be a while before PIG gets much attention. Three of the exchanges are for Christmas ornaments. I just couldn't pass them up. ;)

Needlework Smalls Exchange Update

I don't have camera software loaded on the computer in the country, so I'm a little behind on posting these pics. Here's the wonderful pinkeep that I received from Judith. Isn't it pretty? She told me it was the first pinkeep that she has made. It's really beautifully finished and looks so pretty in the basket where I keep assorted smalls.



I designed and stitched a needlebook for Nicki in this exchange. I had a slightly backward approach to this project. I started with the lining fabric that the needlebook is pictured on. From there, I chose floss colors (Waterlilies "Harvest" and some coordinating DMC colors) and then I designed the pattern.

Home alone... sort of

I guess it depends on what "home" is. At the moment, I'm still at my place in the country. BF had to return home (northern VA) to tend to his business, but I decided to stay behind. There's nothing that I need to do up there, and we were going to return to the country this weekend anyway. So I've been on my own for a few days.

It has been a pleasant week so far. The weather has been realitively cooperative, except for a cool & rainy Tuesday. Yesterday and today have been around 70 degrees, but the leaves are turning and it is getting cooler. One of my aunts came over yesterday and brought me a red velvet cake. YUM!!! It's really a shame to be alone in a house with a red velvet cake. LOL

Today I did a bit of shopping at the local Wal-Mart. There really isn't much else in the way of shopping options here. There's Food Lion if you want groceries, and Cato if you need some other-than-Wal-Mart clothes, but the nearest shopping mall is about 30 miles away. I can rack up quite a bill at Wal-Mart if I am left unattended. Today's outing resulted in some wonderful fall decorations, as well as some new Christmas goodies that I couldn't resist. Some other goodies hopped into my cart, and it was overflowing before I knew it. Did I mention that I only went there to buy some soda and frozen peas? :)

Of course, I have been doing plenty of stitching (in between chasing dust bunnies and other assorted house-related tasks). I deliberately left PIG at home, so that I could focus on other things. Mostly, I've worked on Spanish Geometrical Sampler. I'm getting very close to a finish on that one! I'd share a pic, but I don't have any camera software installed on this PC. :(

More Dancing

We drove out to the country yesterday, and I had a happy dance on the way. This time, I finished JBW Designs "French Country IV - Pumpkin". This is another of my (many) Hershey purchases. I also bought the pillow that goes with it, which will make for easy finishing. I was anxious to stitch this one, so that we could enjoy it during the fall season.

I've also completed the stitching on a little Sweetheart Tree kit that I picked up at CATS. Unfortunately, I forgot the bead packet at home, so that Happy Dance will be delayed until the end of the week.

I'm getting behind in my blog reading again. The internet connection out here is S-L-O-W and I lose patience with it pretty quickly. At the moment, I'm busy trying to catch up with the PILES of email that have rolled in the last couple of days. Hope everyone out there in BlogLand is doing well!

Halloween Happy Dance!

Yesterday I finished Be Witchy, by Just Nan. This was a show exclusive that I picked up at CATS. It's tiny-- only 27 x 27 stitches. I started it on Monday and had it completed and framed by Tuesday afternoon. :)



I also had a second happy dance on Tuesday. I can't show it though, it's for the Needlework Smalls exchange on the SBEBB. ;) I'll post pics once it arrives at it's new home.

A Perfect Day

It certainly didn't start out that way-- I woke up this morning with an earache/sore throat/stuffy head combo that is quite unpleasant. And did I mention that it's gray and rainy? Even so, the day has shaped up quite nicely... the kind of day that we stitcher's often wish for, but rarely get.

The case of the nasties that I woke up with this morning is nothing serious, just my yearly "change of seasons" nonsense. Afer popping a couple of cold/allergy pills this morning, I propped my feet up and stitched. And stitched. And STITCHED.

It's a work day for BF, so he has been in and out, and generally looking after me. He did the grocery shopping, built a nice fire for me (okay, so it was one of those "fake" logs, but still nice), and even brought home some sort of yummy coffee drink from the local coffee shop. I never had to leave the house. Or my jammies. LOL

I worked on a pretty little thing this morning, but I can't share. It's for the SBEBB Needlework Smalls exchange. I'll have pics once it is received. It's an original design and I'm very happy with the way it is turning out. :) All of the stitching is just about finished. I should have it done and in the mail several days in advance of the October 15 mailing date.

I got a little tired of the exchange project, so I switched to PIG for the afternoon. Part 6 came out on October 1, and I'm still not finished with parts 4 & 5. I'm not too far behind, but I still feel as though I may never catch up. Part 4 has been a giant pain, thanks to some charting errors... and additional errors in the "corrections" that were supplied. Part 5 hasn't been too bad, but it's 100% beads, and I can only stand to do that for so long before I need to stop. My new daylight lamp has made a HUGE difference in the beading on PIG, but I have to sit at a desk while I bead, which is generally uncomfortable.

Here's the last progress pic of the little (big?) PIGgie, taken before I left for Hershey.



At this point, I have most of part 5 done-- only 1/2 of one beaded corner to complete in part 5. Nearly all of the stitching is complete in part 4 as well, but I do need to do a bit more of the specialty stitching. I didn't touch any of that today though. Instead, I cheated and started on part 6. It's just regular stitching, with a bit of backstitch, done in vibrant shades of blue. I couldn't resist, especially with the weather being so gray outside today.

Exchange updates

Look at the lovely Halloween exchange that I received from Shelleen. I just love the design and the cube-it finish suits it perfectly.



And here is what I sent to Marie. It was my very first attempt at a tote bag, and I think it turned out quite nicely. I figured that if I can sew clothes, I can certainly manage the straight lines required for a tote. LOL



I forgot (I think) to post pics of the fob that I stitched for Jo in last month's Specific Finish exchange.

Back from CATS

Actually, I've been back since Sunday. I tried to post about it yesterday, but Blogger ate it. :(

This was my first trip to CATS, and I had a fantastic time. I arrived early Wednesday afternoon, even though the show didn't officially start until Thursday evening. I drove up early to meet some of the folks from an online group that I've been part of for many years. Our group was so large (15 or so) that it was difficult to get everyone in the same place at the same time. That really didn't happen very often. Most of the time, we were off in smaller groups. It was great to put faces and voices to names after so many years.

On Thursday afternoon, most of our group went to an LNS in Palmyra. I believe it was called Cross Stitch Corner, but I'm not 100% sure. I did a bit of damage there, buying several kits as well as the new JCS ornament issue, along with the "preview" issue.

I couldn't believe the crowd that was assembled waiting for the doors of CATS to open on Thursday. I think most of the crowd, including me, went straight for the Silver Needle booth to check out the show exclusive from Just Nan. I got the design, as well as the accompanying Whimzi frame, plus the Halloween ort box that was a SN exclusive. I did a bit more shopping that evening before retiring to the stitchers' lounge.

More shopping followed on Friday and Saturday. I hadn't intended to shop quite so much, but I kept seeing things that I "needed." I guess it didn't help that some of the stitchers in our little group are professional-quality enablers. LOL

In addition to meeting some of the members of my email group, I also had the pleasure of meeting some fellow bloggers. They were a fantastic group of ladies and it was terrific to be able to see some of their stitching up close. In between all of the shopping and socializing, I actually did a bit of stitching myself. I even managed to finish a little project-- Drawn Thread's "Little Blackwork".

CATS tomorrow!!!

I'm starting to feel like I'm living everywhere but at home these days.  We just returned from the cruise last Sunday and were home only a few days before heading to the country to check on my house out there.  I finally got internet access out there, so maybe I won't fall so far behind in my future blog reading.  We'll see.

Anyway... we got back home yesterday, just in time for me to leave for CATS tomorrow.  I think I'm returning on Sunday.  That is when it ends, isn't it?  Honestly, I have no idea.  I guess when I check in tomorrow I'll be able to find out how many nights I'll be staying.  LOL 

In stitching news, I have a Halloween exchange that is due to be mailed by Sept. 30.  That will go in the mail tomorrow morning before I leave town.  I've had the stitching done for a while, but I hadn't put it together.  I just finished assembling it this evening and am *so* pleased with how it turned out.  I hope the recipient likes it! 

I've fallen a bit behind on Persian Iris Garden, but not too far.  I wish the beaded corners would show up a bit better in the photos.  They're really lovely in person.  If any of you will be at CATS, I'll have it with me and you can see it up close. ;)

Cruise Review

This is probably going to be long... with pictures. Maybe I'll break it down into parts for easier posting (and reading). We'll see how long-winded I get. ;)

Our cruise departed on Friday, September 8 for a 9-night Caribbean trip. The scheduled itenerary was 2 days (Sat/Sun) at sea, followed by stops in St. Thomas, St. Maarten (my personal favorite), San Juan, and Labadee. Then it was another 2 days at sea to come home.

Hurricane something-or-other had other ideas. (Okay, I confess... I never bothered checking any weather reports before we left, and I have no idea what the thing had been named.) It was on a path to Bermuda, where we were NOT going. However, the ship's usual 2-day route to the Caribbean would have passed right through the hurrican's track. So, they had to re-route us, following a route closer to the U.S. coast, which meant that it was going to take 3 days at sea to get to the Carribean rather than the usual 2. It also meant that we would miss our stop in St. Thomas.

More confessions... I'm not crazy about St. Thomas. I think it's highly overrated, especially the shopping. There are some gorgeous beaches, but they're quite crowded and I've seen equally lovely, less crowded beaches on other islands. What I like about St. Thomas is that nearly EVERYONE gets off the ship there, which means I can stay onboard and enjoy a very quiet day by the pool. The extra day at sea suited me just fine. ;)

We left from Cape Liberty Cruise Port (Royal Caribbean's fancy name for "Bayonne, NJ). We did this last year, and I discovered that I really like it, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost-- we can drive rather than flying to the ship. I love flying, but can live without the hassle when I'm going on a cruise. There's only one ship in port at any given time (only 2 sail from there currently), so the cruise terminal isn't nearly as crowded as in other places. Then there's the view of New York City when you are leaving port. BF doesn't get it, but I just love being on deck and seeing the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.



The ship also sails under a bridge as it is leaving New Jersey. The ship is quite large, and it just fits under the bridge. Our captain said last year what the clearance is, but I don't remember. I do know it isn't much, though. I missed this last year, because of dinner and a delayed sailing time, but I made a point to be there for it this time. Cool, huh?



Wow... I've rambled!! And we haven't even gotten to the islands yet. LOL I think I'll stop here and post about our stops later. For now, I'll leave you with a photo of one of the our towel animals. It was a "bad hair day" for me, but I'm wearing one of the outfits I made especially for the cruise, so I thought I'd share. By the time we left, I had finished 4 pairs of pants and 2 tops. (I'll post pics of those later.) Not bad for a rush job! :)

Vacation Mail!

We arrived home on Sunday after a truly wonderful cruise.  Unfortunately, BF has had a mountain of business-related stuff to do since we got home, so computer time for me has been practically non-existent.  I'll be posting about our trip later, but for now I wanted to share the wonderful package that I received from Cari in the scissor fob exchange.  She stitched this over one using overdyed silk.  I just love it!!!

And, take a peek at the other goodies she sent along.  I can't wait to stitch this needleroll.  :)

Are we there yet???

The countdown to the 2006 cruise continues. Just 4 sleeps until we leave! I'm the world's worst (or greatest, depending on your perspective) procrastinator, which means that I have a TON of things to do before we leave. It also means that I haven't had a chance to read any of your blogs. I thought I was supposed to have MORE free time during my leave of absence, but so far that hasn't been the case.

PIG has been woefully neglected. I still haven't managed to finish Part 4, and Part 5 arrived last week. It's all beads and will be very slow going, I'm sure. I went ahead and started a bit of it, even though Part 4 isn't yet finished. I figure I have a better shot at getting it all done if I can switch between beading and regular stitching. Here's what it looked like as of August 31.



I haven't done much work on it since then, just a few beads for Part 5. Mostly, I've been sewing like a madwoman, though my finished sewing projects don't reflect that.

The first thing that I finished was a pair of pants. They're not nearly as huge as they look... maybe it's the cropped length that makes them appear so wide? The fit of these is extremely flattering, and there will be more to come before our departure on Friday. I sewed up a second pair of these today, in a lovely brown/black fabric. They were much dressier looking, but unfortunately the fabric was extremely itchy, so they will not be making the trip. I didn't even bother putting the zipper in. :( I have fabric for 3 more pair... wonder how many I'll finish?

I also made this top. I couldn't resist this batik fabric when I saw it on my first trip to the fabric shop.



I also added some decorative stitching to the hem of this one. I thought it was cute, but the reality is that I hate fiddling with blind hemstitches, and this was much easier to do.

August Review

Is it really the end of August already? I have no idea where the month went, but it certainly passed quickly. I managed to meet most of my stitching goals this month, and even exceeded a couple of them. The one goal that I didn't meet was starting and finishing Part 4 of Persian Iris Garden. I started, but then I got distracted by other things. First came a couple of exchange projecs. After that, I realized that I need to sew some clothes for our cruise. So here I am, on the last day of the month, with Part 4 only partially completed... and several more pairs of pants to make.

In the meantime, I did have a happy dance this evening. In fact, it was just minutes ago. I was determined to get back to stitching an ornament each month, so I stitched up this little project. The design is Christmas Heart Pincushion by Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin, which appeared in the JCS 2000 ornament issue.

I'll be sharing more pics, both of my sewing and PIG, soon-- as soon as I recharge the batteries for my digital camera. The Christmas ornament was small enough to fit on the scanner... not so for PIG. Or my new pants. LOL

The August review looks something like this:

1. Start and finish Part 4 of PIG - not done yet, but close; I'd guess that part 4 is about 80% finished
2. Stitch a fob for upcoming exchange - completed and ready for mailing
3. Start fall exchange project - started and FINISHED! :)
4. Assemble at least one FUFO - assembled two on 8/6
5. Stitch a Christmas ornament - Christmas Heart Pincusion, completed 8/31

AND...

6. Finally finished my Pansy Needleroll UFO on 8/15
7. Made a pair of pants and a top for the cruise

Just a quick check-in

My first few days of "Temporary Retirement" have been quite nice, but I haven't spent much time on the computer.  Maybe tomorrow I will have time to catch up on my blog reading.  For now, there are just a few minutes to post.

On the stitching front, I've had a Happy Dance for my completed fall exchange project.  I can't wait to share a photo.  It will be a while though, since the project won't even be mailed until October. 

I've also worked a bit on PIG.  It's coming along nicely, although I still haven't managed to get a great photo of it. 

I'm also busy counting the days until our cruise.  I'm looking forward to the trip, but there is still a lot to prepare before we go.  For one thing, I need clothes.  Being a natural born procrastinator, I didn't start shopping until last weekend.  The stores have all of their fall/winter stuff out now, and there's not much available that would be suitable for a tropical vacation.  So... I decided to MAKE the things I need.  Everything except swimwear, anyway.  I did manage to find one of those yesterday-- the only one in the entire store that wasn't on sale. :(  With just over 2 weeks before we leave, I've been spending a lot of time at the fabric store.  My sewing machine is rapidly becoming my new best friend, which hasn't left a lot of time for stitching. 

A New Project & SBQ

My new project is.... well, I can't tell you, because it's for an exchange. ;) I felt like I needed a little break from PIG last night, so I decided to start my fall exchange gift. I love fall designs and colors, so it was tough for me to settle on a pattern for this one. One pattern really stood out from the others though, so I pulled the floss (overdyes... yay!!!) and set about finding a piece of suitable fabric. I found the most perfect fabric in my stash for this little project. It's an R&R hand-dyed thing in a shade that really sets off the floss colors. I only have one small piece of this fabric, which makes it hard to give up, but nothing else even came close to looking as pretty as this one. I have a feeling that I am going to be tracking down more of this fabric and stitching another of these things for myself. LOL Anyway, I think my partner will like it, and it's a really fun stitch.

And now, it's time for this weeks SBQ. We actually have two this week:

Ami asks us:

Do you have an organizational system for your fabric? If so, what is it? If not, what do you store your fabric in?

And Anna wants to know:

How do people store their fabric, especially those small but potentially usable pieces? Do they sort by count? How do they label it or otherwise know what each piece is?

Timely questions, since I was just searching through my fabric stash last night. Fabric storage was a complete non-issue until I got acquainted with Silkweaver and their Fabric of the Month club. Before that time, I purchased only fabric that I needed for a specific project. I had no idea why anyone would want to stockpile fabric. Well, let's just say that I learned... all too well. Soon after I joined FOTM, I purchased a large Rubbermaid box to store all the fabrics in. It was so big, and my collection was so small, that I thought it would be all the fabric storage I would ever need. It still fits in there... sort of... but, if I get many more packages from Silkweaver, it's going to be time for new storage.

I have a well-intended, but poorly implemented, system for sorting my fabrics. I'm not a fan of cutting a small hunk out of a large piece of fabric when I want to stitch a small project, so I first separate my fabric by the size of the cut. Much of my fabric collection is made up of small cuts, so those take most of the storage space. From there, I sort by fabric count, then by color. At least, that is what I intend to do. The reality is that I'm not that organized most of the time, and I'm lucky if all of the fabric makes it into the container designated for fabric storage. Even so, it's still relatively organized and I am usually able to find what I'm looking for.

Let the countdown begin!

Friday will be my last day of work for a while.  It's my last day of work for 4 1/2 months, to be exact.  I have so many things that I need to do at my house in the country, that I decided to take time off of work to get them done.  It has been nearly a year and a half since my dad passed away, and things out there just aren't progressing quickly enough to suit me.  Of course, there's no real rush, other than the one in my head.  I'm not planning to sell the house, but even so, I would like to have the time to go through everything out there and decide what I'd like to keep and what can go.  That takes time-- more time than I have to devote to it when I have to be at work 5 days a week.  So, that's where the leave of absence comes in.

Last night, I finally had a happy dance for Pansy Sampler!  This is the project I chose for the weekend needleroll stitch-along.  Most of this was already stitched before I picked it up over the weekend.  I only had to do the Hardanger and beads.  I just couldn't get motivated, and things kept going wrong, so I didn't finish it until last night.  I still need to hemstitch it and assemble the needleroll.  Maybe that will be next month's FUFO project.

And, here's a picture of the soap that I made on Sunday.  I love how this turned out!  I molded it in an empty breadcrumb cannister that I had washed out.  It was just the right size for the loofah, and I was able to just tear it off to unmold the soap.  From there, I sliced it about 1" thick.