I'm not going to say it....I'm going to think it, but I'm not going to say it....you all know what I'm talking about, right? Ok, I'll say it.....Where did the time go? I can't believe it's June already!! It's time once again for Gifted Gorgeousness! If you don't know what that is, you can hop over to Jo's blog, Serendipitous Stitching and see what all the excitement is about! You can find the rules here, and see what others are up to here. Once a month we post our progress on things we are stitching that pertain to gifts. It can be a gift of a pattern, floss, fabric, or even something we stitched for someone else! Here is my contribution this month!
First off, DH gave me all the Just Cross Stitch CD's that have been published so far. They include all the magazine issues that have been published until 2010 I think. He has also gifted the subscription to me for the past 15 years (since we moved back from Germany). So....the ornaments I have stitched for the challenges this year have been from magazines he has gifted me. The first one is from 2019 and is called Special Delivery by Pickle Barrel Designs. I love this and it reminds me of "home" where I grew up!
I stitched two others, but I'm participating in a Christmas in July exchange and can't really show them to you. Sorry about that! Hopefully by the next time I post, you'll be able to find them here.
Next was a freebie from Alita Designs called Snowmen 2014. I've had this in my stash for a while, and found it online. The link to the page is here, I think it was under the Christmas patterns. There are a lot of nice patterns here so it's worth the time to search it out!
I finished up 6 geese a laying from the March 1989 issue of Cross Stitch and Country Crafts, a magazine that was a gift subscription from a college friend many years ago!
That's all I have for now! I hope to have more next time, and I'm hoping things slow down just a little bit so I have more time for stitching. Til then, Happy Stitching!!
I was able to attend a retreat in June called Flower Power II hosted by LinAnn Events. These ladies are a barrel of fun and I always enjoy their retreats. I stitched only on the bellpull while I was there. Here is a picture of our group....see if you can find me! I'll give a hint, I'm tall so I'm always in the back of the pack!
We had a grab bag exchange, but I didn't have much time to prepare. I should probably have not participated, but you know me, haha. I'm always up for a challenge. I feel sorry for the lady who got mine, but I think she was impressed by the scissor fob I included, which spelled out Flower Power. Here's a picture of what I included. The 5 objects had to spell out the word, Daisy. So there is a Doily, Accessory kit for sewing, an Iron stitching kit, Scissor fob, and Yarnology socks. haha.....can you see they say too many WIPs, the other sock says, Not Enough....haha. It was all placed in a little tutu bag.
I received a cute little wheelbarrow full of my goodies, with Dust sweep, Aida cloth, Ice cubes, Syrup and Socks, and Shovel, and Yarn. What a lovely gift, with a stitched card. A lady from Canada put this all together. I assure you, I was spoiled!!
I haven't had much time to do much stitching, but I'm still working on the challenge my LNS is hosting. This month our number was #8. My #8 is Christmas Quaker Bellpull. This was a work in progress and I had all but the first 4 pages stitched. So far this month I've been able to finish off page number 4 working from the bottom up. That leaves 3 pages left. I really want to finish this, it's been hanging around for 10 years now!! haha Here is where I started....
And here is where I am now....
I'm home from NY for a little break. I learned that my son got engaged to his girlfriend while I was away so we are in the midst of planning a wedding. It's hard to believe Katie has been gone almost 2 years now. It's been quite a journey since then, but thankfully Ben has met a lovely lady who has really helped him get past his grief over Katie. His new love embraces his memories, has participated in fun raisers for Cystic Fibrosis, and is already a big part of our family. I'm excited for her to legally become a member of our family!!
I'm still going through things back at the house. I've found a few things that make me smile, or think, or wonder. I've found my Dad's diary from the time he was in the Navy....
I've found a few more things I have stitched for my Mom....
I've found antique things that make me scratch my head. This jar has the date Nov 30, 1858 on it....wow, I never knew they had it! I think I might fill it with cross stitched smalls to have sitting about. Sometimes I wish inanimate objects could talk!
This journey of clearing out my parent's house of more than 50 years has evoked so many emotions....some tear jerking, some hilarious, some mysterious. I feel closer to them in many ways, but in others it has me scratching my head. I miss them, but it's been an exhausting journey. I think I've worked through the initial shock of it all, and I'm in a place I can move on now. A few more trips to NY (her internment is this month) and I think I will be able to only travel back when the lawyer needs a signature. I've talked to Mom's friends who have come to the yard sale we've had. Hearing stories of her generosity and kindness will be cherished. I hope folks will say similar things about me when I'm gone. While it's been a tough journey, and I know it will never be completely over, I feel like I've worked through a lot of my grief and I'm in a good place now. I'll miss them both, but I'm at peace with their memories. Time to move on.
So...that's where I've been. Hopefully I'll have more time for stitching now (in between getting ready for a wedding) but we'll see. Watch this space! Till then, Happy Stitching!
