I've Been Trying and Trying to Make a Post

   I've been trying to make a post for about 2 weeks now and every time I sit down at the computer to write it, something happens and I have to leave it.  So I am now, at this late hour, sitting down, again, to make a post.  Hopefully I will be able to get through it before some other issue arises.
   After my last post,  it was IH&SWeekend round one.  I did stitch that weekend and even managed a finish!!  Let the happy dancing commence! The Inn at Fox River Mill now awaits a trip to the framer.
Love this one and it is so cute if I do say so myself.

  I have really had an itch to finish Ann Bowers so I got her out and managed to finish 2 of the bands I has started before putting her away last time.

There are now just 2 bands left to complete and she will be finished.  One is over one verse, on 45 ct, an issue I have complained about before and will not repeat here.  The other is that darned strawberry band that I have had so much trouble figuring out what stitch to use.  I think I have it worked out now and should be able to get it done soon.

(As you can see, the issue of the fat and thin threads persists even on the 45 ct. linen!  And you can see where I have tried different stitches in that strawberry band and the effect it has had on the linen.)
  So feeling proud for all the progress I had made, I, of course, had to start something new!  I had recently received the linen for Plum Street's Liberty Inn and since that made the kit complete, I jumped right in.

Not a lot of progress yet but it is fun and not very big so I have hope of this one moving along quickly.
  As before, most of my stitching time has been taken up with Serenity Harbor.  I'm not sure why but this part seemed to take forever!  It is completed through part 6 now, so another Happy Dance is in order!

I was going to wait until the end and then go back and do all the back-stitching but the sheep looked like funny rocks in that field without their legs so I had to put it in!!  I am hoping the long stitches of the fence railing will hold up to rolling on the scroll frame but if not I guess I can fix them in the end.
   This makes half way for me but part 9 is about to come out so I will be 3 sections behind again.  I have decided to go back to my rotation and not try to catch up or even stay close.  Working every single stitch just takes too much time on a piece this size and I am making myself crazy!  I have other things on deadlines that are now also behind so I need to get my rotation back on track before all is lost and I flip out from the stress.  Stitching is supposed to relieve stress not create it!
   The Inn had been my 'stitch group' piece and since it is now finished, I was able to move something else into that spot.  Old Glory will now make at least a weekly appearance so it started getting some love this week.

Once this large flag is done, it will get a lot more interesting and I am really looking forward to that!
  So that about wraps it up for this time.  My summer is about to end. I don't think I'm ready for that yet.  EGA starts back up next week with a board meeting bright and early on the lst which means the newsletter will need to be out by the end of the week. The old lazy summer schedule giving way to the busier days of fall.  Reminiscent of childhood....

Til next time,  Laura

Technology Failed Me Once Again

  I have been trying to write this post all afternoon.  I started a Windows update this morning that took all afternoon to download.  Apparently, it was stuck in a loop or something and wasn't doing what it was supposed to be doing and I didn't know enough about it to recognize it at the time.  The story of my life!!  LOL!!   So now I am trying to make this post and I'm kind of cranky about it so I apologize in advance for any snarkiness!
   I have been stitching although it seems like even though I have avoided my "group obligations" I still don't have enough time to stitch. (I think I might need a maid!)  I am making progress on a few things and since it is WIP Wednesday I guess I will show you ALL the things I have been working on.
   First up is Serenity Harbor.  I enjoy working on this so much!!! But it is solid stitching now, which does not go very quickly, and I am still WAY behind on it no matter how much time I spend on it. It is my baseball piece so I work on it nearly every night but that still isn't enough to get it caught up!  Oh well, it is for me so I guess it doesn't really have to finish on time.  But I was hoping to at least stay close!!  (The color on this is a little off.  Took the pic on the kitchen island and I'm not sure what happened, those lights are usually so good.)

Part 6  ends at the bottom of the tree trunk
 

Then, comes the Little House Summer SAL piece.  I have this one almost finished and since we are having a double IH&SWeekend this month, I hope to be able to wrap this one up over the weekend.
This is where it is now...

This part is what I have added since my last post.  I just love this one and I think I will have to keep it for myself!

I have been trying to work on something else during my weekly stitch group meetings, just to keep things interesting.  Also, I am kind of a messy stitcher and trying to transport one of the above projects to someone else's house can sometimes be tricky!!  Threads get lost, etc.   So last week, the Rosewood Manor piece got a little work done on it.  Not a lot got accomplished but it is group stitching and you know how that can be!!

This weeks group stitch project was the long suffering Dorothy Walpole.  She is so neglected and I do have her on the list to finish this year.  Once again, didn't get a lot done and I really need to make some progress if she is to make her completion date!!

  Well, that's about all for now.  I need to get back to it if I am ever going to finish another piece.  Seems like the finishes have been few and far between this year and that is really starting to bug me!!  The list continues to grow though,  I have just signed up for another Facebook SAL for the Fall.  Maybe that explains it!

Take care and enjoy your stitching,  Laura

The Song Remains the Same

   Thank you all so very much for your kind comments on my last post.  Things remain pretty much the same, still waiting for insurance to resolve, etc, etc.  It is nice having the chick back in the nest, even if only for a short time.  He is anxious to get back to work but for now,  it is helping me to have him here.  We are managing to live more calmly and quietly now and for my own mental health, the paperwork can continue at its slow pace. I am in no hurry to get him back on the road.
   I have been spending a lot of time with my needle.  I usually take the summer off from all my groups and organizations so that leaves me a lot more time to putter.  My house is being neglected, not something I  am known to do, but I am still a little scattered mentally and have no interest in more than basic cleaning yet.  So,  I stitch.
  I still don't have any new finishes but at least I managed to concentrate on just two pieces since my last post.  I am at about the half way point with my Little House piece.  Love the little fox!

 
I am also back to work on the Serenity Harbor SAL.  I am trying not to get too far behind with it and since part 8 is coming out in a couple of days, I need to make some serious progress in it!

This is part 5 and I should be able to finish it in a day or two.  Then I think I'll move back to the LHN piece so hopefully I can finish it by the end of the SAL.  We'll see.  The Norden Online Market is coming up and I may find something I have to start right away.  Giving myself permission to go where the wind blows me!

  Talk again soon,  Laura

Happy Again

   After my last post I did go back and change the water in my sampler back to the original charting.  I am happy with it again!!

This completes section 4 and I am now going to put it away and work on something else for a while.
    I signed up with Vonna on Facebook to participate in the Patriotic SAL on the Little House page.  This is the piece I am stitching for that. I've had it in my stash for a while and what better reason to stitch it than another SAL?! (I know, I've totally lost my mind!)

35 ct Weeks linen in Parchment
w/ listed colors

This should be a nice change of pace and give me the quick finish I need right now!  There are only so many large, unfinished projects a person can have going all at once.  The occasional finish is a must!!
 
Talk again later,     Laura

I Have to Stop!

   I have to stop stitching such ginormous projects!!  I stitch and I stitch and it seems that I never have a finish!!  I need to try to work in some smaller projects too so I can feel like I'm making some progress.  Only 3 finishes this year and I am starting to get depressed.
   I managed to get away for a few days to my friends house in NC last weekend.  We had a lovely visit but neither of us did as much stitching as we normally do when we are together.  It might have had something to do with the gorgeous weather but I couldn't say for sure!!
    I did manage to get Elizabeth Shepard close to a finish while I was there.  Then, over the next few days back at home, I put the finishing touches to her.  Pleas excuse her wrinkles and folds.  She's traveled a lot and is in need of a wash and press!

40 ct. Lakeside Maritime white
w/NPS conversion of my own

    Then, since I was feeling too lazy to deal with all the stuff that needed to be done when I got home, I continued to stitch and managed to get a couple more letters in on my Christmas gift.

Once again, please excuse her condition.  She spends most of her life in a bag!!  I still need to get the last 2 letters in to have this one up to date but I was itching to get to work on Serenity Harbor.

   I was really looking forward to working on this one but it has been a total nightmare! The Facebook postings of this have been fabulous, especially the conversions of the water to overdyeds.    I have spent an unreasonable amount of time trying to work out the color changes to the water on mine.  I have stitched and ripped several times and I am still not happy with what I have on the fabric (pictured above).  At this point, I think I am just going to go back to the original colors, which I like anyway, and get on with it!!!  It is such a pretty sampler and will be just fine the way it was charted!
   So that's where I am at this point.  Dorothy Walpole will now go into the rotation in Elizabeth's place.  I hope to have a finish on her this year too.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Laura

You Know What They Say About the Road to Hell...

    I had good intentions for IH&SW, I really did.  My younger son and the FDIL were coming for the weekend to attend the Beer Fest with The Hubs.  Not being a beer drinker myself, I was going to be the duty driver, drop off and pick up was supposed to be the extent of my involvement and I was going to have the entire day to stitch and catch up on my shows.
   Things being what they always seem to be when you make a plan, that plan changed in a hurry!  The son and the FDIL had a big fight the night before and she decided to forgo our company, sticking us with her $50 ticket in the process.  Being the tight-fisted fiscal conservative that I am, I said no way we are wasting a ticket, and the others involved were only too happy to use my beer tickets!!
   We had a great time!!  The weather was nice, the event was in a tent so we were warm, the beer drinkers had lots of brewers and different brews to chose from. There was music, New Orleans themed food, and of course, the people watching was unmatched by anywhere I have ever been, including New Orleans down on Bourbon Street!!
   So, not much stitching was done over that weekend.  I did manage to get SOME done though.  I made a good start on Serenity Harbor.  I have the first part finished now but for the weekend report, I only managed the left side within the allotted time.  I have enjoyed this stitch so much and if you haven't joined this SAL, I highly recommend it!

40 ct. Lakeside Pecan Butter
w/called for DMC except sun

I really like the colors the designer chose for this one and so far I have stuck to the DMC with the exception of the sun.  I stitched the sun in an over-dyed floss but I'm  not too crazy about the color.  I will probably change it later but for now, it will stay until I figure out what I want to do there.  Also don't have the arching outline in yet.  I'm going to wait until I need to roll the scroll frame before I put it in.
   Once I got that finished, I pulled out an oldie but goodie and in going back through my posts, I don't think I have worked on this since last August.  I am currently referring to this as the Headless Bird Sampler.  lol

Pink Sparrow Sampler by WTN&T
40 ct. Weeks Parchment
w/called for colors

It's small but 'fiddly' as my mother would say.  Lots of small motifs and lots of color changes.  I am hoping to finish the top section today. (I may be overestimating the time factor here, as usual, but we will see!)
   I still haven't started either of the Scarlet Letter SALs I have signed up for yet so I need to get moving on those asap. Can't linger for too long on one piece!!  I also haven't touched the 3 pieces I carried over from last year yet.  As you can tell, I don't have the rotation worked out yet, just taking it as the mood strikes.  But, I'm not bored yet either and I feel like I'm making progress. That's a good thing!!
  So that's it for me for today.  Thank you all for stopping  by and I want to welcome my new readers.  It's nice to know I'm not out here in cyberspace alone!!

Hope you're all enjoying your stitching as much as I am,   Laura