Adrift

Hi all! I decided on one last post on this last day of April. Weather-wise, things are warming up here. Today it'll be about 84 degrees, yesterday was about the same. Bring it because this past winter since January was cold, wet, and very windy! 

Health wise, it turns out I do have high blood pressure, ugh. So I'm on a low dose BP medicine. I am committed to keeping the amount of pills I have to take...down! I'm also on Vitamin D because my numbers are low. The day I have to buy a plastic doohickey to keep track of pills and when to take them is the day I have to turn things around. I'm not overly overweight, I could stand to lose 20 lbs. 

So let's talk about my title. I got into trouble on Facebook because of something I said a couple weeks ago. I won't say what it was but it's something that women have or may have uttered for millions of years. I was punished by not being able to post on my page for 7 days and then anything I posted after that wouldn't be shown in the feed as new but as something old in my friends and family's news feed. That was for nearly an entire month. So I deactivated my account with all the stitching groups I was in and I miss them! I'm feeling a little adrift, haha. A week ago I did that and you know what, I'm getting used to it. The amount of hostility and anger shown toward perfect strangers is disheartening! I'm beginning to think I can get by without Facebook and when my restrictions end, I may close my account. Although I'm not actively participating in those stitch groups, my plans will remain the same. I'll stitch off my lists I made for the #idareyousal2023, and the Clear the Deck SAL. Wish me luck!

Onward and Upward! I have a finish, progress, and May plans. Let's go!

All of my obligation stitching for the above SALs and my little ornament SAL was done in the first 3 weeks of April, and in between them, I managed to get a freebie finish. This is Crows Gather Here..

by Sub Rosa from her blog. The fabric is PTP but I'm not sure of the count. I used GAST Dark Chocolate. Yet another freebie I could finally delete off my iPad. It turned out nice.

The next piece is Frosty Forest..

The 8th block is finished! I was thinking of stitching the birds in red but decided not to and keep it the same cors as the whole thing.

Here's how it all looks now...

I'll start that final block today. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I'll celebrate in some way so stay tuned! I also need to buy the buttons.

My Christmas ornament SAL was the PSS stocking that I showed on the last post.

My off the tracks project is Bertha Mae...

I have that whole row of lowercase alphabet now finished. I'm in the alphabet quagmire! Ha. There are 5 more rows of more alphabet and Bertha's name and finish date. I'll pack Bertha up for the meantime.

So basically I'm stitching 3 projects a month with a freebie or a small thrown in if there's time.

For May, I'll keep stitching on Frosty Forest and a longtime WIP and a new project from the JCS 2013 Christmas ornament issue.

Here's the WIP...

A Bee in Your Bonnet by Summerhouse Stitche Workes. It's time to finish this as it's been a WIP for at least 5 years? I have an all eyelet stitch bee skep to stitch in the space below the right leaf which is probably why it's been a WIP all this time! This would be under the #idareyousal2023.

For my personal ornament SAL, I'll be stitching on Star Garland...

with this fabric and floss which is GAST Brown Bear...

It calls for a Thread Gatherers floss but I didn't want to buy it so I'm subbing with Brown Bear. I was hoping to find a brown/dark wine color in my stash but no luck. I'll stitch the 3 stars from this tin roof gingham which is called for.

And that's it for the stitching.

I read Carol Stitching Dreams newest post and she asked if any of us are bare bones stitchers. Meaning, I think, if we use all the available stitching accoutrements. I forgot to say in my response. I don't think I am. Yes, I use a scroll rod every know and then, and mostly faux Qsnaps and needle minders but that's about it. For me personally, scissor fobs get in my way, floss ring bling is too jangly, and while cute, I wouldn't begin how to store loaded floss drops! I'm a big believer in don't fix what's not broken.

Speaking of floss rings, I was in a dollar store the other day and found rings, 2"...

On the left is a floss ring from a package of 2 from DMC that I bought from 123stitch. Price was $2something for 2 at 2 1/2". On the right is a pack of 6/2" floss rings that cost $1.00! They work fine, are not loose at the screw and close tight. Just a little tip to save a little $$!

As I mentioned before, Spring has arrived and here are a few pics of purple irises we have in the backyard...

How about a Sunday chuckle?!

That's it, folks! Thanks for your comments! Leaving Facebook means I may be here more often and on IG. On IG, I'm azcampis. I'd like to do more on IG too.

Take care and see ya next time!

On the dance floor!

I'm back for a regular update post. There's all sorts of things today: a huge finish, a fall off my track, smalls finishes, stash, and more.

Let's do finishes first!! I have finally finished Tombstone Angel..

Happy Dance!! It's from a Halloween preview issue from JCS but I know it's now a stand alone pattern. I was surprised to find I started it in 2020; I thought it was older. Stitched on 36ct vintage country mocha but on the side that doesn't have the mottling. I used the called for NPI silks.

It is a good feeling to get the bigger WIPs done.

I also forgot to show this Christmas piece, Joy, from La Comtesse de Croix..

I think I used a cream evenweave on this, count is unknown. DMC 221. It's large, 10-11" high. I was kind of thinking of the hello Liz Matthews trees kind of finish for this. Cut some big pieces of mat board and glue polyfil on them for a puffed shape? We'll see. I love the message though. 

For the #weekend4by4 SAL hosted by the Camping Stitcher, I started 4 smalls but the picture shows just 3 for now. I haven't finished the other one. This was for the month of March (or was it for this month?) Anyway...

The 2 on the right are freebies from primitivebettys and the stocking is by PSS and found in the 2013 JCS ornament magazine. I have so many freebies and PDFs stored on my iPad, it was nice to delete the 2 freebies from it.

I have some progress on Frosty Forest also...

See my cabin? It's almost all stitched except for the door. I have snowflakes, a pine on the right, snow, and cardinals yet to stitch. I've put it down for a little to work on my derailment piece, the Bertha Mae Brown sampler...

I'm having fun stitching on Bertha. Those 2 single rows of stitches are long arm stitches. I was scared for nothing! Haha. I avoid specialty stitches like the plague but they stitched up nicely. I have lots of alphabets left to do before I get to the fun stuff.

I bought a few charts from Market. When I found out the BBD formerly OOP chart was being reprinted, I said sign me up!! And I can't resist a couple of nice Halloween charts, especially the Dirty Annie chart with the street scene on Bourbon St! When will I stitch these? Well, the BBD is charted for silks so it'll be awhile for that one. I just want to get all my WIPs down to a manageable number. 

I also bought a tiny pair of Cohana scissors that I didn't get a pic of. 

I think back in January I mentioned a pattern I wanted to stitch and get the little trunk that was used with it...

It's from the Punch Needle and Primitive Stitch magazine, don't know the date. The trunk I purchased from the Kittenstitcher website and the fabric and floss came with it. She also designed the pattern. That was the last of the Christmas money my daughter gave me last November.

And look what I won in a giveaway from the Halloween Stitch Challenge group! A voodoo doll!

Her name is Marie for the voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. She has her mini scissors, and a bobbin of thread, and a big heart. She's adorable!

That's it for the stitching.

I think spring has finally sprung around here! It is 74 degrees outside right now. I've tidied up the yard some and came inside to vacuum.

I hadn't been feeling very good for the last 3, 4 weeks. I have a doc appointment this Wednesday after it having been pushed back since January! I've been lightheaded, headaches. I have never had high blood pressure but now when I mention how I'm feeling, people with high BP said it sounds like I do. I'm hoping not!! My mother struggled with finding a good medication but that was 30 or more years ago. I have almost given up on diet sodas (I was drinking a lot!), and taking PM pills for sleep. These are things I have some control over. I have insomnia. I'm looking into melatonin. I have to say I have been feeling somewhat better but I'm super tired. 

Well, on that note, I am done!

I'm going to stitch on Bertha some more today, make me some Guacamole for later, and do laundry for the week and work.

Take care! See ya next time!

Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop 2023

Good morning! Today is Good Friday and it's the day of the Easter Treasure Hunt blog hop! Hosted by superhost Jo at Serendipitous Stitching.

My stitched piece for today is one of the carrots from The Cricket Collection...

I had to do a little searching for the name of this cutie. It's the 2010 Carrot, a freebie. I used a very light green fabric, three little pink buttons in the field below the house. When I first signed up for this blog hop, I sat at my craft table thinking of a spring/Easter-ish piece I could show. I felt that 2 weeks to stitch something was not enough time, especially since I'm knee deep in SALs. I reached up to turn on the lamp on my table and my eye saw this carrot! It has hung off my lamp for years serving as a pincushion! Voila! 

I also have this unFFO'd carrot that I forgot I had...

It's from a chart called Rabbits' Delight, also from The Cricket Collection. The fabric reminds me of orange sorbet, yummy, but I think it's Tropical Orange, dyer unknown. I should FFO it for next year's Easter blog hop!

What a pretty Easter tree it would be with all these carrots hanging from it. I had plans at one time to stitch ALL the carrots; I just might still do that!

So you're hunting for letters, aren't ya? Here's one...

The name of the game is to collect all the letters from the various blogs taking part today and leave what you think they spell, here:

https://serendipitousstitching.blogspot.com/2023/04/easter-treasure-hunt-blog-hop-2023.html

The next blog to check out and grab a letter is:

http://elfinstitches.blogspot.com/

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter!!

Eat all the chocolate!!