Discovery Stitching

I am discovering parts of the Quaker Bag as I stitch.  I finished the main piece and started these rectangles that are pocket #1 and pocket #2.  I think these will fold over and be the lining for the pockets as well.  I think each of these rectangles will make a set of two pockets.  I may read the finishing directions to see if I am right or not.

The bed in the computer room is very messy.

I have the sailboat baby quilt material all over the place.  I think I'll try to sew up one square and see how it turns out.  I'm using a pattern I saw on YouTube.

How can it be?  My granddaughter Claire turns 4 this week.  I would so like to be there on her birthday but she lives far away.  I'm hoping we get to wish her a happy birthday on FaceTime and maybe even see her open her presents.

DH and I might go see the new Star Wars movie this week.  How hip is that?

Hoping

I was hoping to finish off the Quaker Bag piece I was working on but I didn't quite make it.  Just a bit more in two corners and I am done with it and on to the other 47 pieces.

The more I work on this, the more I like it.  I like the little bird.

I sure enjoyed the season opener of Downton Abbey.  I made a cherry pie yesterday with cherries I had gotten at the Farmer's Market in July and frozen.  I forgot that I hadn't pitted them yet.  I hate pitting cherries.  I have a nice cherry pitter tool, but I have vowed to never use it again.  I am only going to buy pitted cherries.  I have to say the pie was delicious.

I walked at the Y this morning as we got some snow last night.  I'm off to clean bathrooms.
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Inching

Progress is so slow when you are working over one thread.  I got one motif done and started the next one.  I decided to do it pink because of the tulips shape in the corners.  This is the last big motif on this part.  There are a few letters and corners but those won't take long (knock on wood).

I think I can finish this part today.  The chart is so fragmented (there are like 50 pages to it) that I don't really know what comes next.  Somewhere I have them all printed out but I can't find that stack of paper.  So I've been printing them out as I need them and taping two or three together to get a better picture of what I'm working on.
I learned a new word today.  It was on Julia Line's blog. Vorfreude.  I love that feeling.  It is joyful intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures.  Right now I'm counting down the days until Amy Mitten's next project is released (12 days).  Lots of vorfreude around here.
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Back to Almost Normal

Things are getting back to normal today.  It's a new normal but whatever.  I went walking at the Y.  It was nice to see my old walking buddies.  I prefer to walk outside but where I live that is just not possible all the time.  The Christmas tree is all put away for another year.  The new tile for the mud room is ordered.  Son#2 and family have moved (again!).  Secretly, I am glad that the holiday season is over.

Where am I?  Well I finished the big motif I was working on with the Quaker Bag.

I have moved on to another.

 Half the work is just deciding what color I'm going to try.  I'm using some threads from a Brightneedle project.  (I was going to say leftover threads, but the project isn't done yet!)

 For this next motif it just occurred to me to use DMC 926.  So I am.  I did a fair amount of ripping.  I thought, what if I made a note each time of why I had to rip out stuff.  Yesterday, I would have noted that I started in the wrong place. Which is really a counting error.  Note to self:  don't start in the wrong place.  This is related to the axiom, measure twice cut once.  I should count three times, stitch once.
Confession:  This is the table by my stitching chair.

 I am going to clean it off this year.  Really.
Hope you are enjoying the first weekend of the new year.
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HNY!

Happy New Year!  I am very grateful to have made it to 2016.  It is snowy today and the Y is closed so no walking.  As penance I'm deconstructing the Christmas tree.

Therefore, to reward myself, I'm making cinnamon rolls.  I found a recipe that I wanted to try.

This came in the mail yesterday.  It is a kit from the Silver Needle's A Little Help From Our Friends Stitching Circle designed by Jeannette Douglas.

Did I stay up until midnight?  Not really.  Neighbors setting off fireworks kept us awake.  I did have a little pina colada from Walmart, $1.97.  That is as wild and crazy as I get.

I got some silver acrylic paint and painted the feet of my trinket box and one of my caskets.  Someone asked me if I had ever finished my trinket box, so I was feeling guilty that I hadn't.  Now I've taken another step toward getting it done.  Also, before I install the music box in my casket, I have to put the feet on.

Since I am done with Harmony, I have moved on to the Quaker Bag.  Can I get it done in two weeks?  That is my goal.  I am almost finished with one more large motif.

Do I have any resolutions for 2016?  I am not going to join any clubs that automatically send me kits.  I am very picky and tend not to like them.  They always cost too much so I'm swearing off of them.  No more!  (You may have to remind me of this).
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Done!

I finished Harmony!  I was just looking at Facebook and saw that Marjan finished hers too.  The Tudor rose scissors fob looks fine.  I shouldn't have stressed about it.

 The back:

All three pieces together:

Like Marjan, I can't believe I made it.
I went back yesterday and looked through all my photos for the year to see how much I got done.  Then of course, there are those things that never got done.  There are a few things that are stitched but haven't been made into anything.  My trips really disrupted my stitching.  Only a few of the projects in the classes I took are finished now.
I've had a very memorable 2015.  The high point was the Casket trip to the UK.  I'm very lucky.  I look forward to a fun 2016.
Thank you to Amy Mitten, Janet Brandt, Fearless Leader, BFF, BFF#2 and DH for making this year just the best!
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Things are Looking Rosy

I have a pitiful 567 steps so far today.  I was waiting for a guy to come see about tiling our mud room.  So I haven't walked yet.  After posting, I'm off to the Y to walk.
This is my goal today:

Finishing off the Tudor Rose.  I guess the parts don't look too bad.  I was able to make enough finger looped braid for the fob.  Yeah!  I am in the process of covering a little felt ball with detached buttonhole stitch using way too springy thread.  Challenging.  Then I can put the petals around the ball.

 When this is done, I am completely done with Harmony.  Yeah! and it isn't even New Year's Eve - yet.
Wish me luck!
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