A Troubling Time

The bills have started coming in from my back surgery as I knew they would. I was certainly not prepared for what I got however! I decided to have the surgery when things got so bad that I could no longer drive (due to working the clutch), or walk more than a short distance without assistance of some kind. We were told that the neurosurgeon was "out of network", but there were no neurosurgeons that had surgical privileges in my area. All the referrals that I got from my insurance company did not pan out. The one they gave me for my county turned out to be in his eighties and was no longer practicing surgery. The pain was getting worse fast, so at the urging of my husband, I decided to go ahead with it.

Had I known the cost however, I think I would have tried to get by with a cane, crutches, whatever. We have been presented with crushing six figure bills! This is truly life changing. My husband and I are within a few years of retiring, and have no idea how we can recover from this.

With a keystroke these insurance companies can change your life forever. We were told that we might have been better off if we had no insurance. We are people who have always paid our bills, but this! I have no idea what we will do. We are truly reeling from all of this! Has anyone out there had any experience with this sort of thing? Could use some advice.

During all this I have been plodding along with And they Sinned. Normally I find stitching to help with the stresses of daily life, but somehow this piece seems to be all wrapped up with the bad feelings of everything that is going on. I think it is worse because it is so huge. I am struggling to stick with it because I am afraid that if I leave it, I won't go back to it. I also worry that if I finish it, I will remember all this trouble everytime I look at it.

Has anyone else ever had this happen with a stitching piece? Did you finish it?

I finished up the tree, and a very weird tree it is! There are three different kinds of fruit growing on it, as well as acorns dropping out of it for the squirrel! I finished the peacocks. I like them! Now I am working on the alphabet. I am hoping I make quick progress here, so I will be encouraged to finish it.

This is what I have so far:

Today is the new moon, so time for the TUSAL. Here is my ever-growing little jar.
I hope all of you out there have nothing but good thoughts to associate with your stitching!

It is wonderful to have the power on again!

I'm BACK! from surgery, earthquake, hurricane, tornados, floods, etc!

August is my least favorite month! And that is during a regular year!

This August has been the worst I can ever remember!

First of all, I had to have back surgery on August 9th. The initial recovery was pretty gruesome, but I am doing better now. I am finally getting back to doing some stitching again. At first it was just too uncomfortable to sit in one place.

We were fairly lucky during the hurricane. We did lose power, and get water in our cellar, but no other major damage. It is hard to look at all the mess, and not be able to clean it up (I still am unable to bend)! We certainly fared much better than much of our hamlet. Parts had to be evacuated, and now they are inundated with water. This includes our post office. The streets are all still closed. I have no idea when we will get mail again! Travel was of course impossible with bridges and the NYS thruway closed. Thankfully outside of our hamlet things are getting back to normal.

That said, I actually have a little finish to show.

I finished the little Mill Hill ornament Diamond Holiday, from the Christmas Jewels series.

I finished the back very simply with some purple felt.
Normally I'm not much for beading, and I don't really like to stitch on the perforated paper, but this little ornament just appealed to me.

I think if I did it again though, I would substitute some 28ct linen for the paper, perhaps some blue or lavender would be nice.

I made a little progress on "And they sinned".
Please forgive the wrinkles. It is just too hard to hobble off to use my ironing board!

This is a very slow stitch! I have been in that blasted tree forever! I am working on the spotted snake that is crawling through it right now.

Lastly is my TUSAL. Here is, showing lots of color!
I hope all of you made out ok in the hurricane, and are recovering from that or whatever other crisis you are facing.

It's always something. Isn't it?

Another TUSAL and a finish!

Two new moons in one month took me by surprise!
I have been stitching, and here is my TUSAL jar to prove it.


I did finish the Shelburne Sampler. Actually, it has been finished for some time. I gave it a quick tea bath, but it didn't seem to do too much for it. Seems a bit more yellow, not particularly the look I was going for, but here's how it came out.

My new start is "And They Sinned". I have had my eye on this one for a while.

I am stitching it on 40 count lambswool with the suggested GAST threads.

This is what I have so far:
Actually, I am finding stitching on this to be a bit boring. There are many large areas of fill, which can be tough on 40 count. I will keeps going on it though. Maybe I will like it a little more as it takes shape.

July TUSAL and close to a finish

June came and went so very quickly

Here is my TUSAL, still full of flower thread from The Shelburne Sampler.

This sampler has taken way longer than I ever believed it would, but now, the end is finally in sight. I have to finish one little tree, stitch 4 crowns, finish the border, and do the initials.

Wow! Maybe the end isn't all that close after all!

Some projects just seem to take longer than others.

Here is where it stands now:

Sorry about the wrinkles!

Hope everyone has a great time this weekend. It won't be such a fun one for us. We will be travelling to go to a memorial service. Not looking forward to the holiday traffic, but what can you do?

Will post just as soon as I finish this one. Soon I hope!

June New Moon TUSAL

Here is my June contribution to the TUSAL:

It is filling up nicely with a rainbow of colors!

I would like to thank all of you for your kind comments. I was not able to connect with some of you (no link), but please know how much I appreciate them!

I have been determined to work on whittling down my stash. The project I am working on now, is the Shelburne Sampler. I have had this kit in my stash for ages. It is stitched on what I think is 27 count linen, and, interestingly enough, Danish flower thread!

The picture included is very small, and not very good:

Nothing is known about the piece except that it was done in 1745, and was signed with the initials AWP.

The original hang in the Hat and Fragrance Unit of the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont.

Here is a black and white picture of the original:

The colors in this sampler are very limited, and in some cases a bit odd. There is a stag at the top, but it does not show up very well.. The antlers are stitched in white and don't show up against the linen. I can only guess that this is an attempt to reproduce the fading on the original.

It seems very light and bright. I may give it a tea bath when I am finished to age it a bit.

This is what I have so far:

Until next time, wishing you all nimble fingers!

A couple of finishes to show

May has been a very difficult month!

Just two days after losing Max, we had to bring Furrytail (our Maine coon) down to NJ to have surgery for a gigantic (non cancerous) cyst (or collection of cysts) that had attached to his liver.

Fortunately everything went well, and he is back home with us! In fact, I have never seen a cat recover from surgery so quickly! He had a huge incision, from top to bottom! You would never know it to look at him now though!

Of course all of this was quite unexpected and quite expensive!

Now, it seems to be my turn to have health issues, mostly with my back. I am hoping to be able to avoid having surgery.

Good thing I had my stitching!

Margaret Ledden has actually been finished for a while now. I just haven't had a chance to post the photo.

Here she is:

I love the trees! They seem strangely art deco-ish to me.

Then, I turned my attention to an older kit that I had in my stash. This was a kit for a pin cushion doll. The kit included a half-doll, but when I looked at it, I was disappointed that it was rather modern-looking. I was really going for an antique look. So, off to ebay I went. I found the perfect little half doll. I love the coloring in the cheeks. The only problem was that it was considerably smaller than the one included in the kit. I scaled it down by stitching it on 32ct instead of the 25ct that was included, but it still came out a bit big.

The verse says

Pins and Needles
Needles and Pins
My Sewing Friends

It was an easy stitch, but gathering the fabric was quite a chore!

I also decided to make a little strawberry emery that was not included in the pattern. Luckily it turned out ok. I was fortunate to find a bit of wool left over from my rug that exactly matched the green floss.
I decided to give it to my mother-in-law for Mother's day.

TUSAL

Thank God for stitching! If not for that I might not have any mind left!

It has been a great de-stressor for me.

I do have a finish as well as some other projects I have been working on, but I will have to post them later.

For now, here is my May TUSAL.

I would like to thank all of you who offered your kind comments about Max. I really do appreciate it!

Max

We lost our little Max this weekend.

About 14 years ago a scrawny, young male cat with a gorgeous black coat, wandered into our yard.

My first reaction was to ignore him, thinking he would soon return to his home. Max however had no intention of leaving. We had an old shed at that time, and he hid from the cold November weather by curling up on an old rug that we had stored in there. During the day he came out and sat at our back door. He had no intention of leaving. Eventually we let him in, much to the protest of our other cats. At night we put him in the cellar for the sake of peace and quiet. Max got to know this routine very well, and one night he hid just before bedtime. He was not going into the cellar! With the same remarkable determination, he made his way over to the place of honor on the couch. Max was here to stay!

Though he was ill for sometime, he never complained. We gladly took care of him.
I have lost many cats over my lifetime, and each time I think my heart could never break like this again, not until the next time.

Animals teach us how to live and how to die. I am a better person for having known Max, but there is a hole in my heart that will never heal.

Here is a picture of Max in better days:

Max

1996 - 2011

TUSAL and Corrections to Margaret Ledden

Wow! It's already April's new moon! This year is just zooming by!

Here is my TUSAL jar:

Now, if you compared this picture to last month's, you might think that I have really been making great progress. Unfortunately, that large yellow layer comes from frogging Margaret Ledden, and replacing the yellow with gray.

At first I really hated the gray compared to the yellow, but I am slowly getting used to it, though it is quite a bit drabber.

It certainly gives it an entirely different look.

I still have a ways to go before I catch up to where I left off. I have to do one more dividing band (between the H and the Q), and fill in the borders.

Hopefully this will go quickly so I can feel like I am accomplishing something again!

A Real Rookie Mistake!!

I really thought I was making good progress, but in the back of my mind, I think something was bugging me! It turns out that the symbols for yellow and gray are soooo very similar! Yes. You guessed it! Everywhere I have stitched in yellow should have been gray! The letters, the dividing bands, and worst of all, the vines running along the borders! It turns out that the only place yellow is used in on the house!

I usually go a bit more by the picture, but in this case, the picture that is included, is so tiny it is practically useless!

If it were not a historic sampler I might be tempted to leave it the way it is, but I know that it would just bug me!

It isn't the re-stitching that I mind so much, but oooh that frogging!

UGH! UGH! UGH!

I just hate it when I do dumb things!

Happy St. Pats Everybody!

and what better day to show this finish?

Nil aon tintean mar do thintean fein translates to "No hearth like your own hearth", or "Home Sweet Home".

Stitched from a freebie found at http://www.gryphonsmoon.com/.

I stitched it on 32ct Natural Irish linen with 4 skeins of DMC 935 (dark green). Hope to find a frame for it soon.

What I wanted to stitch next was Ann Grant because I love all the pinks in it! I just couldn't justify spending the $25 though when I have quite a few projects waiting for me in my stash. So, I picked The Margaret Ledden Sampler. This is one that I have had for ages! From The Scarlet Letter in 1986, I don't even think it is still in print.

This is what I have so far:

Do you ever have times when you are just too tired or wiped out to stitch, but still want to work on something?

When I am just too brain dead to work on anything complicated, I pull out one of my easy peasy little ones. I picked this one up at an estate sale.

Now, I do not have any children, so this might seem like a strange choice, but there is something very endearing about these old pieces. I think many of them deserve a second look. I have also found that they look very nice framed with a colorful mat, something I don't usually do with the traditional samplers.

Here's what I've got so far:

It is very, very weird stitching with 6 strands of floss!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

March TUSAL

Looks like Christmas!

I have all that red from Celebrate your Heart, and the green is from my current project Nil aon tintean mar do thintean fein.

Sorry for all the wrinkles!

The letters on this one are easy enough, but oh boy, you have to be careful with those interlocking knots!

Hopefully, this will be finished soon. I am thinking about my next project. I have a few ideas, but nothing is screaming at me just yet.

The days are starting to look much nicer, more daylight, but it is still mighty cold out there! We still have a lot of snow and ice that has not melted.

The bees have shown a few signs of life. They have done some hive cleaning (when they remove the dead bees), but they are still not active yet. There is suddenly a renewed interest in our honey, (probably because it is easier for people to navigate our driveway now LOL)! We have about two dozen bears left from the fall harvest now, but they will be gone soon. Just as soon as the weather is warm enough for the honey to flow, we will start harvesting the spring honey.

Celebrate your Heart is finished!

YAY! ! !

Not without some problems though!

I kept running into a mistake I made early on. I kept thinking I had corrected for it. but nooooo! I kept running into it.
The heart shape is much like a circle and can be a nightmare if the ends don't meet!

It seems slightly askew to me, but I am very glad that it is done! I added my very teeny, tiny initials just under the Christmas tree, near the date.

I hope to get it framed shortly.

I didn't really know what to do for my next project.

I decided to stitch "Nil aon tintean mar do thintean fein". This is Gaelic and translates to"There's no hearth like your own hearth", or "Home Sweet Home".

This is a freebie that I found on http://gryphonsmoon.com/freebies/cross-stitch1.pdf .

I had trouble deciding on the color thread for this. I finally decided to use a traditional green on natural Irish linen. I was tempted to use a color that was lighter than the fabric, and I am still second guessing myself on this, but this is what I have so far:
I enjoy stitching these letters. Years ago I did calligraphy, and I always enjoyed writing in the Uncial hand.

After the 1 over 1 on 40 count, this looks absolutely HUGE to me! I had to keep checking that it was indeed 32 count, and it is! If I did it again, I might do it on 36 ct though.

It is still very much winter here. Our latest storm on Monday, dumped another 6 inches or so on us. Our furnace is not working very well so we have to use our woodstove to supplement the heat. Somehow or other I managed to hurt my back. It is just killing me. I can't seem to get comfortable in any position! Carrying wood in does not help either! To make matters worse, today I managed to burn my hand. Nothing serious, just annoying! I am hoping it does not leave a scar.

Ah Winter! Can spring be far behind?

Hope not!

Finally some progress on Celebrate your Heart!

I got bogged down on the three tulips on the left side of the heart. Some of the letters and motifs are spaced only one thread apart, so it is critical to be accurate. It wasn't until I finished all three flowers, that I realized that I was off. Frogging on this piece is bloody murder! The linen gets very distorted, and unfortunately that area is not as crisp as I would like

Since I got it straightened out, things have been moving along better, although I have to be very careful, and take it much more slowly than I usually stitch.

This is where I am:

The photo came out a little dark. The red is more of a cherry red than a wine.

I am working on the cherub (just left of the girl) now. After that I will finish her dress. I am not looking forward to the dress. That is where I first went wrong. The smaller motifs are much easier to stitch. The larger areas are harder on the eyes.

Thanks for all of your comments! I really appreciate them!

Margaret: Yes, I am doing a full cross stitch. Probably need my head examined! The directions said that it could be stitched with a half cross, but that it was designed for a full cross stitch.

Dani: Yes I do have the frame, which is the only reason I stitched it 1 over 1, because the frame is tiny. Personally I think the design would be better 1 over 2, either framed, or made into a little pillow.

Obviously, I did not finish this for Valentine's Day, but I am hoping to put it behind me as soon as possible. I am looking forward to giving my eyes a rest!

Celebrate your Heart!

My next project is Celebrate Your Heart (Splendor XII) from The Heart's Content.


I am stitching this as designed (one stitch over one thread on 40ct linen), but I am thinking that I should have my head examined for doing this!
I ruined the first piece of linen when I tried to frog an entire row. You can remove perhaps one stitch from this, but an entire row is out of the question. I broke through one of the threads, so I had to cut another piece and start again.

After a very rocky start, it is finally coming along now. It is not what I would call enjoyable stitching however! I think it would have looked perfectly nice over 2 threads!

This is what I have so far:

There is an area on her dress that looks very muddy. There is supposed to be a skipped space, but it is very hard to see the detail. I think there is a mistake in there, but there is no way I am going to take it out again!

What I should have done is practiced before I started this! It really is quite different stitching. I can only do a little bit at a time. My eyes just refuse to focus after a while, even with reading glasses and a magnifier!
I have had this in my stash for ages. I figured that my eyes would never be any better than they are now, so I may as well try it.

Hopefully, I will have it done by Valentine's Day!

Feb. TUSAL (Totaly Useless Stitch A Long)

Today is the new moon, so I am popping in with my TUSAL report!

Here we go:

Furry is overseeing, making sure everything is on the up and up!

This is the Day - 1st Finish of 2011

Yay! Finally a finish! I thought it would happen in January, but it just wasn't to be. I was stuck filling in that box with the numbers forever!

I decided to order another skein of Conch after all, so now the bottom box matches the top.

Unfortunately this is a terrible picture, but here it is:

It looks a bit more gold in person than it does here. The picture is out of focus. I couldn't straighten it out no matter what I did!
I haven't found a frame yet. I may actually have to buy one for this one.

We are being crushed by all this snow and ice. I am worried about my porch roof. It is flat, and at the moment it is supporting a lot of weight with all this snow!

I didn't shovel yesterday, so now all the snow that fell yesterday is encrusted with a thick layer of ice. UGH! My muscles hurt already!

We always try to feed the birds in this sort of weather. Here is a picture that was taken last weekend before the recent snow. Just look at what showed up at the feeder!

You can't tell so much from the photo, but this thing is HUGE! I actually saw the shadow of his flapping wings, before I saw him. He was not interested in the birdseed. He was interested in the things eating the birdseed! When we went out later, we found the blood. He ate someone!

This is the Day is coming along.

I am liking the colors a lot more now. The fabric looks more goldish in person than it does in the picture. Here, it looks more tan than gold.

I was stuck for the better part of a week in the box with the alphabet. I didn't like the tannish color, but now it looks a lot better against the richness of the other colors.

I managed to finish the background, but there will not be enough of Conch to finish the piece. I think I will use the DMC alternative rather than re-ordering. If anyone decides to do this design, plan on ordering (2) Conch.

I am working in the lower left. I have just finished the base of the beehive.

The vines on the side are the most time consuming, with the little viney offshoots that I always have to count, no matter how many I do!

It is still snowing here. I think it will be June before we see the ground again! Has been so cold, none of it has melted. Our heating system isn't working very well. Thank God, we have a woodstove to back it up. Hope our wood lasts. We have burned through quite a bit of the wood so far. My task for today is to try to find another source of firewood, (not an easy task this time of the year)!

Enjoy your day!

This is the Day Update and a Winner!

I have made some progress on This is the Day.
Unfortunately the day before yesterday I noticed that I made a mistake very early on in the alphabet. It is off by 1 stitch. I know, not a big deal, but I must admit that it bugs me, when I was being so careful! Now the little box will be too close to the border. Anyway, I have come way to far to take it all out. I had to make an adjustment in the vine in the top left-hand corner. I was holding my breath, but I think it worked out. This is what I have so far:

I didn't think the sheep showed up against the linen well enough, so I outlined them with a slightly darker shade.

As you can see, I still have a lot to do. The background in the letters takes a long time (partially done pinkish area). Hopefully I will not find any more mistakes. Undoing or working around mistakes is always so time consuming!

On another note, I have a winner of my little blogiversary drawing! The winner is Carolyn who incidentally has a drawing of her own going on, so hop on over and check it out!

Congratulations Carolyn!

A Little Blogiversary Giveaway!

My 3 year blogiversary will be on January 14th. In years past, I have completely missed this auspicious occasion! I thought it might be nice this year to mark the occasion.

We had another snowstorm yesterday. The snow looks so lovely, peaceful and serene outside my window. It reminded me of this pattern I have in my stash.

The pattern is Stitcher's Retreat by Jan Rannochio.

Please don't get too excited because the drawing is just for the pattern. I just read that apparently it came with 2 buttons to sew on between the words. I never had these. I bought the pattern by itself. As I said, no bid deal giveaway. It just reminded me of the scene outside my window.

I like what it says on the back:

A Stitcher's Retreat

"We stitchers often dream of a faraway place, filled with peace, tranquility and endless time to pursue our craft.

Although we may not be able to physically accomplish this dream, may our joy and love of needlework magically carry us to this "Stitcher's Retreat"."

If you think you would like this pattern, just leave me a comment on this post. Don't forget to leave a way to get in touch if you don't have a blog. If you have a blog, please feel free to post the giveaway. I will have the drawing on January 14th.

New Year! New Start! and my TUSAL

My new start is This is the Day, by Tracy Riffle, from the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine.

I love the deep, rich colors!

I am stitching it on 40 ct Zweigart in Sand, using the suggested overdyed cotton floss.

This is what I have so far:

Also I have my first installment of the Totally Useless Stitch-a-long (TUSAL), hosted by It's Daffycat.

Not much to show, however in my defense, I am stitching on 40ct, so it is only 1 strand over 2 stitches.

I have been reading with great interest about the Crazy January Challenge. I am amazed how many people are organized enough to do this!

This is definitely not for me! A few years ago, I resolved to finish what I start. This policy has held me in good stead! For the most part I have stuck to this with a few notable exceptions (large quilts and the Loara Standish sampler, which require a lot of concentration). I hear the UFOs nagging at me, and it just bugs me too much! In fact, I don't even decide what I am going to do next until I am very close to finishing the one I am working on. Then it is just whatever appeals to me at the moment. This keeps it fun and fresh for me.

I really admire people who are successful at this! Also it makes for great blog reading! I love to see all your pictures!

YAY! My last finish of 2010!!

I finished 'Tis the Season yesterday, right under the wire for 2010.

I am really glad to have this done. It really took much longer than I thought it would!

I bound it with red. It pulls it together a bit more than just turning it under.

I think I will enjoy it more next year!

We are finally moving about easier now. Some of the snow will actually melt this weekend. This is how we looked after the blizzard:

I'm afraid I was not very prolific with my stitching this year. Not a very good showing at all!

Sorry for the terrible picture. In order of completion they were: Love is Enough, Blueberries, The Mary Clark Sampler, Wintertide, and 'Tis the Season.

Seems like most of my stitching time was spent working on Country Garden, and who knows when that will be finished!

The one I enjoyed the most was The Mary Clark Sampler.

Well, time for the ceremonial emptying of the stitching bits!

Here is my last TUSAL picture of the year.

Yes, definitely, most of my stitching (the pink) was on Country Garden.

What do you do with your bits?

I take mine outside and scatter them in my bushes for the birds. I always hope to see them in their spring nests. One year I did see a piece of red wool that I scattered after making my rug. I thought that was cool!

I will be back to post my new TUSAL picture on Jan. 4th. I have already decided on my next project, and hopefully there will be something to see, not just an empty jar!

I have so enjoyed reading your blogs, and all of your comments over the past year! They have meant so much to me!

To all of you:

A very Happy and Healthy New Year!