Misbehaving WIPs

Yes, 2 WIPs are in time out! Two weeks ago after I finished the Blackbird Designs pin pillow, I'll show below, I went on a random sweep through some big WIPs. This one is Jane Southward 1836 by GigiR...

That pink flower is the middle. I already had the vine going to the left but just the one color. The vine is made up of 2 colors, yikes. So I added the 2nd color and stitched in the light pink flower and turned the corner! 

But!

I was off a stitch...

and now have to frog the stitching between my arrows, both colors! Ugh! Off to time out!

Last post I mentioned wanting to start this...

By October House Fiber Arts. I was going good, stitching 3 corners of the red white and blue star but once again I miscounted. I frogged out the wrong stitching and said "You're in Time Out!"😂

However, I did pull out the Grace Bridges Sampler by Stacy Nash and...finished the 2 rows of the bigger alphabet, right above the peacock. Also stitched in the tree top there on the right. 

No counting problems so far. I'm now where I call the fun times, no letters or numbers, just motifs. I wanted to stitch more of that tree so I can keep going to see if my fabric is going to fit. I will pick this up often in the coming weeks. 

Another WIP I picked up albeit smaller is...

Dr. Raven by Stacy Nash. I only had the 3rd row of buttons (stitched) on his lab coat. This thing will be big, maybe 7" or 8" tall. I'm missing a color in his ears which was WDW Sand. I finally just pulled out a DMC that looked sand-like. I will be picking up the good Doctor this coming week. I'd like to have him done and finished before Halloween.

What's next?🤔

I have a new start. It's a Heartstring Samplery design honoring Yukon Cornelis, the gold prospector who rescues Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Hermie in the 1964 Christmas show by the same name. I believe I bought it during the Jingle Ball in '24 or last year. I don't know if it's available on her Etsy. At my age of 62 I still have to watch it!

Two colors on a mystery 36ct linen, I substituted GAST Ruby Slippers and Piney Woods with GAST Chives, my favorite Christmas green, and Tomato. That top border is easy but there's more to the designs at the bottom. As I said before I'm not a fan of single stitches but I'm doing it. I could've left them off but it's good for character building, lol!

As mentioned above, I have a finish and that's Spring Green by Blackbird Designs...

One phone camera, 2 different colors! I used the called for 36ct Gingerbread by PTP and it's more brown/orange than how my pictures look. Perfect size for a pin pillow. My pictures don't do it justice. That's my initial there on the left side. 

So it was exchange time over at the FB group Homespun Needlework. I received my package...

Patriotic pieces are always welcome! I just love the needleminder with my name. I got stickers, needles, threaders and counting pins. As always, I forgot to take a picture of what I sent my giftee. I sent her a Blackbird Designs pin pillow, a piece of 36ct linen, trim, a little kit, and a piece of cotton fabric. The hanging pillow is by Primrose Cottage called Independence Quaker. Exchanges are fun!

I kind of fell into a stitching idea pulling out those big WIPs. I've decided to stitch on 2 or 3 pieces during the month, 1 big WIP and 1 or 2 smaller WIPs. I have another big GigiR sampler WIP that I'd like to get some work on. 

That's all for stitching.

Carol/Stitching Dream's mentioning audiobooks on her last post reminded me that I'm doing more reading. I'm on Goodreads and on January 1st I joined their reading challenge. I see others putting 50+ books for the challenge and I chose 3! I did meet my challenge though. Two paperbacks and a Kindle book from Amazon. I downloaded the app for my tablet and I'm currently reading #4. I'm a holdout for actually holding a real book but these 2 books are ebooks and they were 2.99 each. I'm liking them. 

How's the weather? Hot. It should be getting to 107 today. I just stay inside. I'm learning to do things in the morning. 

And that's all she wrote!

Thanks for your comments left on the last post. I'm enjoying them. 

Happy August! See you soon🙋🏻‍♀️

Sweat

Hi all, it's good to be back! Hope you're all doing well! We're on a crash course to the end of July so I thought I'd put in another post. Thanks for all the comments last time. I enjoyed reading them all. 

A little housekeeping -DJ couldn't find the Huzzah! freebie by Plum Street Samplers. I made an order to the Lindy Stitches shop back in May or June and included in my package was several 250th freebies of which Huzzah! was one. Maybe you could do a little shopping and ask for Huzzah! to be included? 

Several of you named the bright red tree that's near me at work as a Crepe Myrtle. I'm guessing they like a little heat. As Lee said, they don't grow up in Michigan. 

All sorts of things have been going on so I'll save that for the end, including why I titled my blog Sweat😆

Today I have a #marketmaynia finish, some progress, an exchange plan, and a future new start. Let's go!

My finish for #marketmaynia is Fang from Fang and Big Eye Gang by Twin Peak Primitives...

He's cute with his tie dyed shirt. Oops, I forgot to stitch handles for his skull candy bucket😁 I had run out of the orange floss and had to wait until I could drive to Hobby Lobby located at my former home. I made a list of needed DMCs for future projects. I got back and just now finished Fang. I first used 32ct but didn't like how it was feeling and it was going to be big. The model has all 3 of these finished on dowels and stuck into old thread spools. My plan is to FFO these similarly but glued into small painted metal buckets. In August, I'll start on the next Gang member which is a pumpkin head dressed as a clown. The fabric I'm using is 36ct Sanibel by Tropical Stitches. 

My FFO bug is missing so if you see him, send him my way please!😆

Next up is my start from June, Spring Green by BBD. It's from the Ooh La La book...

I went to town on this because I was sure I could finish it before the end of this month and I still think I can. It's 4 1/4" sq inches and stitched on PTP Gingerbread 36ct. That top picture is closer to the real color. 

What I forgot to mention last month was I joined an exchange in the Homespun Needlework group on FB. Yes, I got back on Facebook again🙄😄missed it! So my partner is from back east I believe, it's been awhile since I checked where she's from. The deadline is July 30th which is rapidly approaching. I have her piece stitched, it's a whatever season selection for this exchange. It's a Christmas ornament. I have a few other gifts to send along. I kind of want to send her a Christmas card to identify myself. What do you all think about that? Let me know.

Now that Fang is finished, I kitted up a freebie from October House Fiber Arts...

Not much to kit up! I didn't have GAST Dungarees so I substituted with DMC 931. I'm using 36ct Patriot's Brew from R & R. I usually avoid stitching long designs because I don't like how they look when I FFO them. Everybody's long finishes look nice, I don't like mine. I thought this design could work as Patriot and Christmas. You can find her patterns and freebies on her website. She also has a newsletter you can sign up with. 

Okay, I think that's it for the stitchy stuff. 

About my title Sweat!

The humidity has been out of this world, for us! Our Monsoon season hit fast and furious with rain every single day and/or night going on for a week. Right now the dew point is sitting at 65% and I'm not a happy camper!😂 My hair went Poof! and all I do is sweat. While I'm sitting and stitching, or just moving about. It's worse at work! 

But!

The rain has helped to put out a fire north of me. A few times the wind shifted and we ended up with a layer of smoke in the early hours here where I live. It's been worse for those living north and northeast of the fire. Maybe you've heard of Sedona?

It went on for an entire month. With those canyons, you can't get firefighters down in those. So, it's a trade-off with the humidity. I don't know how it would be if we didn't get this relief. Because the dew point is up our temps have stayed down. I don't think for a week we've gotten into the 100s, whew.

Here's a thunderstorm going on the other day when I drove back to my old home. It can rain on your front yard but be dry in your backyard! Monsoon storms are that way.

Speaking of Sedona, I had to drive out that way recently. I forgot how pretty it is there with the red rocks. I could do without all the roundabouts though🙄

And here's a fact of life in Arizona...

 This is how people in Phoenix drive, lol. They actually keep oven mitts in their cars because the steering wheel is super hot. I've even found that to be true here, especially if you park toward the sun. 

I think that's all she wrote. I'm starting to feel Halloween-ish for August stitching. Someone on a stitching FB group has a finish of a WIP of mine and it's a Halloween piece. I may pick that up in August to get it done.

See you soon and keep cool and safe out there!🙋🏻‍♀️

A First

Hi all🙋🏻‍♀️ I thought it was time to get back here before the month ran out. I have a finish, progress, and a new start.

First of all, thanks to Carol, Gracie, and DJ for commenting. 

Well, let's look at what I've been doing.

Shortly after my last post, I started a freebie from Plum Street Samplers and finished it. Huzzah!

On a scrap of 36ct linen using DMCs. He's cute! Here is where the title of my post comes in. I didn't have 3 DMCs. I looked through all my WIPs, kitted, projects, no such luck. So I ordered DMC from 123stitch! Never in the 29 or 30 years of stitching have I ever had to order DMC from another source. Haha. Way way back in the 90s, we had a Ben Franklin store nearby with a needlework section. I still have a few Week's Dye Works floss from there too. After the store closed, I started going to Joanne's clear across the town. I've always had a store nearby with DMC. So it's been a first!

Next time I drive back up to where I'm from, I'll need to bring my list of DMCs with me since there's a Hobby Lobby there! 

After Huzzah! I picked up this WIP 

I extended the bottom vine, stitched in the green and red sprigs, and stitched the word 'bright'. There are snowflakes scattered about too. It's now at the halfway point.

Then, just this morning I decided to start something new. Spring Green by Blackbird Designs and found in the Ooh La La book...

This has been kitted for at least a year! After I press publish, I'll start it.

I now have about 4 or 5 Patriotic finishes that I need to FFO before the 4th. The finishing bug is still ignoring me though! So I'm hoping that I'll get some inspiration from seeing some finishing being done by bloggers. Fingers crossed!

That's it for the stitching.

My new job is going well. This will definitely be my very last full time job for the rest of my life. I've decided to retire sometime this year. I have a couple of questions to ask though before I actually hit the button. So stay tuned🙂

While I was at work I saw this pretty tree. I have no idea what it is but take a look..

It obviously likes the heat! Here's a close up..

So pretty!

Speaking of the heat! It's been pretty warm. This coming week though it's supposed to get to 105. I now have AC so it's been nice. My kitties are comfortable. The thing about the heat is you go from your home AC to your car AC! Then into the AC inside your work or store! You also do things before it heats up. 

While I'm stitching I'm watching Landman on Paramount and it's pretty good. I started watching Turn also, the show about events leading up to the Revolutionary War. It's all good watching.

Alrighty! I may be back before the month is out, hopefully with some patriotic finishes. 

Take care, see you soon!

Bits of Patriotic

Thirteen days after my last post, I'm here for another. I hope this post finds you all well and stitching.

Today, I have 3 finishes, progress, stash, and a life update. So let's go!

First, I want to comment on a few things Carol Stitching Dreams said. I agree with you, Carol! All that driving took a bite out of my stitching before work. I woke up at 9am, took a shower, ate breakfast and got ready. Then I would sit down for a couple hours to stitch. With the nearly 1 hour drive, I couldn't really stitch for 2 hours but maybe 45 minutes and then I had to leave.

Also, Carol, the show Turn is on Roku Channel of which I have the system but also on Netflix and on their ad-free account. It's not on the ad account which is what I have and pay 8.95 a month, I believe. 

Let's move onto stitching. 

I have 2 WIPs that got some love. First is the Grace Bridges sampler by Stacy Nash...

I finished the top 3 rows of alphabets and numbers! I also stitched in a couple of letters in the 4th and 5th rows of MORE alphabets😁 I'm sure I'll pick this up again in the coming weeks. I apologize for the slight blurry-ness of my picture. Maybe it's just my eyes too. I'm needing an eye exam and new glasses soon. 

Next up is Dr Raven by Stacy Nash...

An animal cracker, the latest stitching is the black cape, and the arms/wings. The middle part is WDW Charcoal with 'buttons' and one eyelet stitch in white. I think the Charcoal area is a coat so I have more stitching of the same. Some of these animals crackers are big but this one is medium sized. 

Now my finishes!

I'm in a patriotic mood so I started AND finished 2 tiny stitches, the other finish is Christmas. Here we have Liberty Flag by LizzieKate, a freebie...

A close up shot that doesn't really show the blue in Liberty! I didn't have GAST Presidential Blue so instead I used GAST Brethren Blue. In real life the blue looks better than in my picture. I'm pretty sure the fabric I used is Country French linen by Wichelt, 32ct. In fact the next 2 finished pieces are on this same fabric. I went 1 over 2 and I think it works pretty good. It's cute and took me just 3 hours or so to finish.

Next one is Uncle Sam, one of The Littles by Bent Creek, copyright 2008!

Uncle Sam measures out to 1/2" sq. He didn't take long to stitch up, also 1 over 2. He actually looks like a Bald Eagle though! Haha! 

This next one is a Christmas ornament. I went back in my posts to see just how many ornaments I actually had so this one is my 4th, for April. This is Christmas Peace by Heart in Hand...

found in a JCS Christmas ornament magazine, I don't know which though but I copied it. All I know is it's an early issue, possibly 2003 to 2007? Same fabric as the others. I substituted the called for red for the words with another red that I cannot remember! 

Oh, a word about the John James needles that I bought! I like them! They feel good, and the best part is they're readily available😊

I'm trying to resuscitate the Christmas ornament SAL that Carol hosts every year. I now have the month of May to stitch and I'll be caught up! Easy peasy🤪 I don't have one lined up quite yet but I'm leaning heavily on this one...

From the 2003 JCS ornament issue, another copy. It's called Sleigh Bird. On 35ct it's 3 2/3" x 3 5/8" and I have several pieces of leftover linen in that count. My latest trip to the house to pack up more of my stuff, I brought home a hanging file organizer that I stuck several pdfs, freebies, and copies of stitching. The original magazines are here somewhere. I found other copies of Little by Little ornament patterns also and they're cute. 

Now we're up to my Spring Mingle stash!

I'm becoming a fan of HOD. That design I feel was a Nashville Market release. It sure is cute! The Lugana is 32ct called Gothic Mauve and I feel it'll work for the HOD chart. The backside of the fabric is lighter than the front which you can see in my picture. Halloween designs would look nice on it too. Then I snagged the tin of lotion bar. It smells wonderful.

I think that's it for stitching. 

Now a life update: I found a job here in my area! It's a 14 minute drive to work. What a relief! I basically took the first caller! Then my 1st choice job called and pending background check, I'll be hired. My background check usually takes 2 days at the most because it's squeaky clean! This job will take me 25 minutes but it's not on an interstate with huge trucks! I've decided to stick with this one until I retire. When I retire rests on when I pay off my car. Yes, I'm making payments and it's hefty. I have 2 more years to go and I'll be 64 by that time. As long as my 100 year old knees and back last me!🤣 but we'll see!

Lastly, I thought I'd show you all what kind of vegetation we have here in this river valley. We have a year round river that runs through here and ends at a reservoir that waters the entire Phoenix metropolitan area. In Arizona we don't have many year round rivers and streams because we're a desert basically. After heavy snowfall up north and lots of rains, the dry rivers run for a bit. Here's the weird vegetation...

That top photo is off a strange Prickly Pear cactus that is huge! It also blooms and then it fruits. Where I am from, the Prickly Pear cactus doesn't get that big because it's cooler there.

Next photo is another type of Prickly Pear. It's purple in places, also blooms and then fruits.

Last picture is of a Joshua Tree, I believe, or a type of one. They're pretty with the creamy colored flowers. These are mostly found in northwestern Arizona/eastern California. There they get pretty big. My mom and I once drove through a forest of these coming back from Las Vegas on AZ state highway 93 one December. I think there's a national park in California called the Joshua Tree National Park or Monument. If you go, go in the winter! That area is the Mojave desert and it gets hot hot in the summer, whew! 

What have I been watching? I just finished Hell on Wheels about the transcontinental railroad across the US. I hated the end! It just left me bummed. It's bloody to the point that when someone was going to get killed AGAIN, I'd look down! It was good but I won't watch it again. Just like Breaking Bad, I was saying things like 'shoot him!' If I was a director, my movies and shows would probably last 30 minutes!😆 After that, I decided to watch a lighter mood show/movie and that was Van Helsing, Dracula Hunter! Hahaha!

Alrighty! I believe that's the end, ladies and maybe gentlemen. Who knows what I'll get up to in my stitching. I am starting to feel that FFO bug buzzing around me and I do have time to finish my latest finishes before Independence Day arrives. So be sure to watch this space!

Until the next time, thanks for stopping by! See you in June🙋🏻‍♀️

Just stitchin'😊

Happy Sunday! Today I have more finishes that I forgot about, progress on a few things, etc. 

Let's go!

Last time I posted, I said I had 3 finishes in April but 1 of them I couldn't find. Well, I found it, in a box that had no stitchy contents in it🤦🏻‍♀️story of my life in the last month and a half😆

This is A Victorian Christmas by Samplers and Stitches...

The fabric in real life should be more gray. I think it's Confederate Grey but could be wrong. I've been slacking on labeling my linen remnants. Anyway, it's very nice. I'll turn it into a pin pillow when my finishing mood returns.

This finished WIP I forgot to show is A Bit of Spring by BBD...

I cannot, for the life of me, get a good straight picture! At least the color of the fabric is spot on and it's 36ct Patriot's Brew by R & R. She measures out to 11" x 8". 

One more finish to show is Santa's Ride from the 2019 Christmas-Winter issue of Punch Needle & Primitive Stitcher magazine...

Sorry for the awful picture. Fabric is 36ct Ale by PTP using the called for floss except for what I used for the word Christmas. It originally called for GAST Endive but I was worried it would be lost on my fabric. The sack behind Santa is Endive. So I used CCW River Rocks instead, a nice silver grey. This is the 2nd time I've stitched this. My first one I finished into a cube and gave it to my daughter for Christmas after she admired it😁 It'll be turned into a cube also. Unfortunately where I live there are no craft stores. I have 3 choices-the Hobby Lobby in my old hometown, the Michael's in the town of Prescott, or the city of Flagstaff which is 50-60 miles north of me. Ugh.

I now have 11 finishes on the year, yay!

As I promised, I started Grace Doth Abound as soon as it made its way to me. It did take a side trip to Sedona though!

I'm using 36ct Maple Bar by Cedar Creek. My picture doesn't do it justice. I have all the called for floss. 

Another project I started is for #marketmaynia. I think Jem Stitcher the flosstuber started that SAL. This is Fang and Big Eyed Gang...

His head is taking shape. I posted to IG using a 32ct linen but hated it! Two strands of floss just wasn't happening. So I found a 36ct linen called Sanibel by Tropical Stitches in my stash and it's been so much better! I'm doing 1 over 2. The fabric is a cream color with a light beige tone running throughout. Designer is Twin Peak Primitives. On Instagram I said I could do all 3 designs but that's not going to happen. They're practically full cover stitching. I want to finish them the same way as the models and using the 36ct linen, they'll be a better size to finish.

And in between all that, I stitched in a few more letters and the rest of the top border of the Grace Bridges Sampler by Stacy Nash...

She's a big girl, 15 1/4" across the top. Sooo many letters but they're small and stitch up fast.

On the stashing front, I put in an order with Lindy Stitches for needles and a Spring Mingle T-shirt. Didn't need the T-shirt but oh well,! Lol...

Here I am wearing it. Back to the needles though! I have not been able to find my beloved #28 Bohin needles! So I went out on a limb and ordered# 28 John James tapestry needles. I've never used them and haven't since receiving the package either. I still have a few Bohin to use. If I went through all my bagged WIPs, I could find a few more. I also got this door hanger from Lindy Stitches...

Lol!

It's been the Spring Mingle virtual event all this weekend and I attended my class with Cathy and Mr HOD of Hands on Designs yesterday. Unfortunately I've misplaced all my floss of the Dragon fly project. It's a wonder that I get anything done with this brain of mine! It called for a few of those newer DMC floss with the 2 digit numbers like 08 or 21 and they are lost with all the other DMCs😆 The video was to finish the class piece together and it looks fairly easy to do a octagonal shape. 

Side note: Everytime I see the doc for labs, they say my thyroid numbers are still good🤷🏻‍♀️I'm not so sure about that!

I also hit the shopping hall at the Mingle and bought 3 things. A lotion bar, a HOD physical chart, and a piece of dyed Lugana. Even if I had a lot more money to buy more, there were items that sold out within a few minutes of opening. I'm happy with my purchases though. I'll show them on the next post.

That's it for the stitching.

As I'm typing out this post, Outlander is on the TV. I have Wi-Fi again and I signed up for Netflix and Starz. Outlander on Netflix goes to 7 seasons and on Starz it was the 8th and final season and I watched the last episode last night. I won't say what happened just in case some of you haven't seen it. I read the first book in 1997 and have since done several rereads so the characters I see in my mind stay different than the TV actors. I wasn't happy with the ending though. I don't know why but it seems like the last few episodes of an ending TV show or movie feel so rushed. 

I've caught back up with the Great British Baking Show, Outlander, and a few other shows. So much so that I fell behind in my flosstube watching. I knew that when I got WiFi back, no one could get me out of my home!! I still have to work and eat though!

I'm saving the show Turn for the month of June before our 250th birthday. It's about the Revolutionary War and the men where the term 'Turn coat' was coined for a traitor. It's a pretty good show.

I am still driving back and forth for my job. It's getting tiresome and with the price of gas, it's expensive. I've applied for jobs here in the Verde but haven't heard back from anyone yet. A gas station near me right off the interstate has gas for $5.19 a gallon! In town at a Maverick convenience store, the gas is 4.55 a gal. 

Temperatures were pretty warm last week here. Last Monday and Tuesday it was 100 and 102, respectively. I have AC now so bring it!! Haha!

We've come to the end of this here post. What am I stitching on as I watch Outlander. I don't know but I may pick up Grace Bridges and finish a row of letters or two. 

Thank you for your comments on the last post. Living in my new place is getting easier, the views are pretty. If I didn't have to drive so much for work, I'd go on a few small road trips. I'm not too far from Indian ruins near Flagstaff which is much cooler than where I live. It's a whole 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix. I love stitching though and it keeps me busy being at home.

Take care and we'll see you 2 weeks I hope😊 

Settling In

Hello everyone! I have survived my move and thought it was time to do a post! I will talk more about that at the end.

The first 3 days in my new place, I didn't stitch. However, I made up for lost time with 3 finishes in almost one month. Here they are:

Disturbed Women by Lucy Beam/Becky Noland...

I stitched on this for an entire week and finished it. Love it! It's on Prairie Grass maybe? by Atomic Ranch fabrics, 36ct using the called for floss. She's a big'un!  I can't wait to have this framed. It'll be hung up in my craft room which is still in a state of disarray😂

Next finish is Halloween Saturday Night by the Stitcherhood...

The pumpkin people. I stitched this with WDW Onyx which I will never do again. I'd rather use DMC 310 on a small piece than an overdyes floss. I don't know what I was thinking. It turned out nice though. I did leave out a half moon up above the girls right shoulder. The fabric is some kind of evenweave.

The next finish I've misplaced😕 It's A Victorian Christmas by Samplers and Stitches. Once I find it, I'll show it. I know it's here in my new place.

For the last few days, I've been working on Merry Christmas Sampler by Pansy Patch Quilts and Stitchery...

I have stitched the entire top border and turned the corner on the right. I am now stitching a row of snowflakes? below the last row of alphabet. It will be like that row above the alphabet, white and gold color. Like Sian the Periwinkle Stitcher likes to say, this sampler is a 10 year project so I'm not in a hurry to finish😊

I also decided to join the Spring Mingle in May put on by Lindy Stitches. It's just like the Jingle Ball in December. This time I joined Hands On Design's class of a hexagon finish. Here's what I've stitched so far...

On 32ct Latte (not sure of dyer) with more substitutions than the called for floss😁 I really should stitch on this more. It could be a quick stitch. I think the Mingle is around the middle of May so I have time. I think! 

So that's my stitching for now. 

I fell victim to a Plum Street Sampler design that Sian shows in her 11th f'tube, Grace Doth Abound, stitched on Baked Clay by Fox and Rabbit. I bought the chart, a couple flosses I didn't have, and a fat quarter of Maple Bar linen by Cedar Creek linens, I think, from 123Stitch. It looks closest to the Baked Clay which is out of stock at 123. Right now the package is on an extended holiday in Sedona which is not far from me actually but I'm still getting mail from my previous home which is 45 minutes away and southwest from me. Who knows how and why the USPS does what it does🤷🏻‍♀️whenever I get it, I will start it immediately. 

About my move!

April 3rd is the official date of my move in. My daughter rented a Uhaul and we managed to get everything big and heavy into a 15ft van. I packed my trunk with boxes and the backseat with my cats! We put a small metal kennel in the backseat with a dog bed for them to lay in. They did not handle the trip well At All. Meowing and breathing heavily, I just kept saying "Hang on Kitties, we'll be there soon!" Once we got down to my place with their cat furniture, they stayed hidden in the little hiding places for the entire day! It was traumatizing for them and me! Happy to say that 4 weeks later, they are also settled in. Whew!

As for me, it took a little longer for me to get used to it here. I now call it home. I'm still traveling 80+ miles roundtrip to my job but I plan on finding a job here or in the nearby towns soon! 

Camp Verde has a population of 12,470. My former home is at 49,000. So I have to drive for a bit to grocery shop or go to Walmart. We do have a Bashas grocery store, a Dominos Pizza place, Starbucks, McDonald's, Burger King. If I want variety though, I have to drive to the slightly bigger town 25 minutes away that has 4 other grocery stores and more restaurants, fast food or eat in. With these gas prices nowadays, I try to order a pickup order at the Fry's at my former hometown and pick it up before I go to work. I put my cold refrigerated items in the fridge at work and grab them before I head home.

Above is the mountain that separates me from my former town. Yesterday I drove the other route that gets me to my job but it's through the mountain with those tight mountain turns which goes into the ghost town of Jerome. I went to shop for shoes and pack up more boxes from the house. I'll continue using the other route with the 65 and 75 mph on the interstate and then on a state highway to get to my job. Those mountain roads are just too much with hundreds of feet down on the other side of the guardrails! No thanks!

I still have a ton of things to move though. I currently don't have my sewing machine, and a lot of stitching stuff, trims, ribbons, etc. It's only when you move that you realize all the stuff you had or have! I have so much stitchy stuff! I didn't realize that was crammed into my bedroom. Here at my new place I have a room to put it all in but I need more shelving. I have not emptied all the boxes with stitchy stuff because I have nowhere to put it😂 

It's going to be an ongoing process, that's for sure!

I think that is it for now! I'll try to get back on my usual 2 week posting. Once I get my sewing machine back and a table for it, I want to FFO a lot of pieces.

Once I press publish, I'll find something to stitch on until Grace Doth Abound shows up. I'm looking forward to starting it🥰

Take care and we'll see you in May!

Stuff

Hi all! I'm finally back on time for a change! Since I basically stitched on 2 projects in the last 3 weeks I wasn't sure I'd have anything to talk about; but I actually do.

First, let's talk about the weather...Yikes! It's been pretty warm around here. This past week, we saw 91 and 92 degrees. Today it's 89. We don't get this warm until the last part of May and into June. I'm scared for what's in store for us this summer.

That was nothing compared to Phoenix this past Friday. I had to drive down for an ultrasound. I got there a whole half hour early, so I sat in my car. I gave it up at 9:30 am, starting to sweat! I have a clean bill of health, just got to watch that pre-diabetic condition that has been the story of my life 🤷🏻‍♀️ I've been knocking on that door for forever and only once have crossed the threshold. I have a ferocious sweet tooth so there's that!

After that appointment I decided to go to Attic Needlework in Mesa. The route I usually take gets me there within a half hour upon reaching Phoenix but this time I was practically in the middle of Phoenix so I had to do Maps to get there. However my phone wasn't cooperating! After a half hour of driving on those freeways, I pulled off and called my daughter to use her Maps app and direct me there. I was just 10 minutes away, lol. Anyway, here's what I bought (Carol, I know you've seen this picture already)..

The chart by Summerhouse Stitchworkes I've admired since it came out for market, the Christmas chart, the silk for a project that I've been slowly gathering silks for, and the 32ct vintage country mocha that I thought was 36ct, ugh. I'll still use it. When I left Phoenix it was 104. Here's the thing though, 104 is not hot! Not to Phoenicians or the rest of us who have been in hotter temps😅

It was still nice to get home!

Enough chatter, let's see what I've been stitching.

For the first 2 weeks of March, I started the 3rd Christmas ornament for Carol Stitching Dream's SAL. I decided on Sweets for Santa by HOD...

He's stitched on Latte by Zweigart I think, 32ct using most of the called for floss. Truthfully, all the stitching had me rethinking my choice! It took all of the 2 weeks! I'm glad I did though because it's wonderful. It's big though. I think I'll need a 4" sticky board round to FFO it. For April, I'll start the 2nd in this series through Patreon. I might as well stitch them all, right?!

WIPS

After I finished Santa, I started back on A Bit of Spring by BBD. I won't show it here but it's on Instagram which #azcampis is my handle there. I stitched on it for a week.

My next WIP is A Victorian Christmas by Samplers and Stitches...

I'm so close to a finish! Still needing the rest of her dress, a rectangular cartouche with Christmas in it underneath her, white floss for the letters and filled in with WDW Charcoal. I have changed how I react to a near finish. Before I'd get tunnel vision and give myself a big headache getting to the finish line! Now, I will set her down tonight and stitch on a WIP that did not get packed.

Market has come and gone and my order has arrived from Garon Stitchery. A conservative purchase. We're renting a u haul next weekend for my move to my new place. When I saw the book by Mrs Kogut, I emptied my pre-order list of everything else and added the book. I'm not me if I don't buy a Halloween chart! Both that and that coveted Christmas chart from Shakespeare's Peddler had to come home to me.

So, the first pattern is this one...

It takes 36ct Vintage Country Mocha, as mentioned up above. On 36ct the size would be 8 x 9 7/8. I. On 32ct it's 9 x 11 1/8. Nothing earth shattering, I just like shrinking patterns down🤷🏻‍♀️ it's been kitted up but since all of my WIPs have been packed and I can't borrow the missing floss, I'm kind of in limbo! I'll start it once I get settled into my place.

I believe that's it! I did all my chores yesterday so I can just sit and stitch for the rest of today. It's back to work tomorrow after having 4 days off for Spring Break. It's going to be rough, lol.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope your wintry weather begins to taper off soon! See you in April🙋🏻‍♀️