I first want to thank those who have been reading and commenting on my blog. I'm sorry I've been so slow at answering. It's been a little crazy here the past few weeks. I'm bailing out my canoe but the water is rushing in faster than I can bail. When life gets a little overwhelming, I turn to my stitching to help get my mind off the craziness around me. Having said that, I've been stitching up a storm!!!
Since my last post, I've been working on Valentine's Day pieces. I have decided I want to decorate the mantle of my fireplace for the different seasons. Right now I have winter pieces there, but I'm ready to switch over to Valentine's pieces. You saw the first one I stitched last week. Since then I've stitched four more pieces and today I fully finished all five of them! Yup, you guessed it, I'm stressed to the max! So let's get started!
Last week I finished You Have My Heart by Hands on Design. Today I fully finished it into a frame I found at Home Goods. I was so excited to find heart shaped frames, I nearly bought them all but settled on only two. I was afraid to finish the heart shape into an ornament, and even finishing it this way was a challenge, but I'm satisfied with this finish! Stitched on 40 count natural over two. This was a fun stitch!
Next I stitched Fruit of the Heart by Jan Hicks Creates. This is stitched on 28 count antique ivory over one. This came out so cute this small, and it fit perfectly into this little frame I found at my local thrift store. I love the little hearts on the frame.
Next I stitched Opalescent Heart by The Sweetheart Tree. I found this pattern in the June or July 2007 issue of The Gift of Stitching magazine. I couldn't find paillettes for a reasonable price so I used two different sizes of sequins and while they look ok, I wish I could have had the sparkle of the paillettes. Should I ever win the lottery, I will buy the correct items to finish this properly...until then I'll settle for the sequins...haha. It was stitched on 28 count natural over two. I took a piece out of this frame and substituted the Valentine's Day piece until after February, and then I'll switch the original item back. I'm trying to be as frugal with my finishing as I can. I love that I can do that with certain items. I really like how this one turned out!
Next is Valentine's Day 2013 by Passione Ricamo. I love her dainty and vibrant designs. I have stitched this a couple of times for other people, but I decided this year I would stitch it for MY valentine. Again, it fit perfectly in one of the frames I found at Home Goods. This was stitched on 28 count ivory over two. The frilly contour of the heart fits it perfectly!
And last is Rose Heart by Roberta Rankin. I don't remember where I found this pattern, but it was a freebie. I stitched this on 40 count antique white over two. I have stitched this before for others, one was made into a teacup pincushion. I have always thought this was so pretty, and this year I decided I would make one for ME! I found this adorable little frame in Target in that little area of inexpensive items at the front of the store. It was a set of two (the other is an oval) for $3.oo! It's tiny, but this heart fit perfectly!
I would have a hard time choosing my favorite of all these. They will be gracing my mantle starting tomorrow. I haven't stitched today (I have a running record of 1076 consecutive days not counting today) but I did kit another Valentine's piece (Primrose Cottage Friday Freebie for February) and will start that as soon as I finish here. I'm not sure how I will finish that one just yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I finish it! And that's all the stitchy news I have for today.
If you don't want to hear the family news you can stop reading now (I gave you fair warning!). I want to thank those who have been faithfully praying for my husband and me. You hum through life and to be honest, other than the cancer I had 15 years ago, we have enjoyed pretty good health. Recently my husband (who is a REALLY bad patient) has had a few hiccups. This latest hiccup started in the form of kidney stones. Then diverticulitis. Then more kidney stones. After two different tries to get rid of them, this last procedure was a little more aggressive which culminated in some pretty scary side effects. The last procedure was yesterday....what should have been a 2-3 hour procedure turned into a 6 hour marathon. As I sat in the waiting room stitching...and watching the clock...I saw people arrive, get called back for their "appointments" and leave...and still no sign of my husband. To say I was biting my nails toward the end was an understatement. I'm so glad I had my stitching along with me. You can get a lot of stitching done in a 6 hour stretch! I won't go into all the gory details, let's just say he had a pretty scary episode when they were waking him up from anesthesia which prompted them to watch him closely for TWO HOURS. I wish they had told me something...or maybe I'm glad they didn't...but when they finally released him they told him...if you feel at all unwell, call 911. That sure didn't allay my fears at all. I have to say, I watched him pretty close and except for one little episode, he made it through the night better than the last time. I made sure he ate when he got home a fairly bland meal, and kept him moving gently until it was time for bed. He is feeling much better today. He will need to make another appointment soon with a different doctor, but I'm VERY thankful for those who have been praying. I know things could have gone very bad last night but I trust God that it will all work out for the good. So please keep praying for him until they resolve everything. I sincerely appreciate your prayers. I'm thankful for those who have been praying, I'm thankful for things to occupy our hands and minds...and I'm thankful for a merciful God who watches over us. It's going to be even more busy around here. I'll answer emails and post when I can. Until then I hope you understand if it gets quiet in my corner here and there. Until then....stay safe, stay warm, and keep on stitching!
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