I've been sitting on this sampler for ages. I do mean AGES. I started this as a SAL through the Wiehenburg Yahoo group. It's called the Mystery Spot Sampler and I was keeping up fabulously .... until I made a mistake.
I've stitched this on 36 count fabric, over one, using a silk thread....and when I started one arm of a motif one stitch off, and nearly finished 1/4 of it before I found my mistake, I didn't have the heart to rip it out and try to piece the colors together to make it look "right" to my eye. So I set it aside....for 10 long years!!
I tried making a commitment to myself to finish up some old UFO's and WIP's this year, and while I was searching for something I ran across this one. I am shocked I could find the pattern (all 35 pages!!!) and the thread which were scattered all over the place. Not only that, but I finished it within 2 days of finding it...and that includes frogging the part that had the mistake. Here is my "fix" in progress...
So on that note, I give you the Mystery Spot Sampler by Wiehenburg. I LOVE how this turned out!!
I don't know what has gotten into me, or maybe it's just that most of my Christmas gifts that are being sent away are finished, but I'm on a finishing roll!! I've been pulling some old WIP's out of my closet, and they are getting finished!! Whooo hooo...what a great feeling!
I finally finished Royal Garden, this is a Debbee's Design and one I've been working on for a number of years. I had fun with all these stitches except one, which made me put it aside for a while until I got the courage to finish it up.
I also finished up Orchard Valley Quilting Bee by LHN, which I modified for a Round Robin I was participating in back in 2013. It was mostly finished except for one of the squares and the middle which were not stitched by the participants. It only took a couple days of stitching to finish it up, I don't know why it took so long. I'd like to finish this as a quilted wall hanging. I hope it doesn't take another 5 years! LOL!!
I also finished up this little Mill Hill kit that has been hanging around for years. I decided I really like them stitched on fabric, they are so much easier for me to finish this way! I have a ton more of them in the wings, maybe next year I can get the rest of them stitched!
I just had to show what I've been accomplishing. I have more that I've finished but can't show them just yet. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stitching!!
I've had some pretty cool adventures lately. My family and I took a bus trip to NYC for the day.
Our main goal was to go and see the 9/11 Memorial and that indeed take most of our time. While it's a sobering experience, it was one we all wanted to share because of it's significance in our lives.
My husband, son and I were living in Germany when the towers were attacked. My husband was serving in the armed forces and our lives dramatically changed that day. My son was at school, it was early afternoon, when one of my friends called to say that America was being attacked, turn on your TV. I turned it on just in time to see the second plane hit the towers. I sat alone, tears running down my face, watching the horror unfold, praying for my friends who lived and worked in NY and the Pentagon. I will never forget that day.
While we toured the Memorial with my son and his girlfriend, we talked about our memories from that day. My son remembers coming home from school and seeing the news reports, then going over to my friend's house to play with her kids while a few wives sat and talked about what this would mean for our families, our country, and our husbands who were all serving in the military. Sobering days were ahead, and indeed our lives were changed forever.
It was noisy as we stood in line to get tickets, and as we stood in line to enter the building. It was a bright, sunny but chilly day. The wind was blowing, and at times spray from the outside fountains would sprinkle us. I imagine it was a little like that September morning when the attack happened. As soon as we stepped inside the building, there was a hush over the crowd. People talked in whispers. You could feel something, I can't quite put into words. It is a reverence, a somber feeling, remembering the souls who were lost, and the bravery of those who rushed to help.
One wall that is left is stained, it looks like the tears of thousands of souls who lost their lives there and their loved ones who grieve them.
What I didn't realize was that there are still parts of the original buildings there. Part of the parking garage underneath the buildings, and a sign showing where the truck bomb was parked during the first attempt to bring down the buildings is marked. A docent told us that if the truck had been parked one parking space over, it would have destroyed the building as intended.
The footprints of the building are still there, with beams and staircases (the one where survivors were found) are still there. There is also a wall where the remains of some of the victims are interred. A video plays continually of voices of people who knew the victims, describing their loved ones, so their stories will never be forgotten.
The beams are marked where each plane hit and are placed in the basement on the side of the building where they hit.
I can't help thinking this one looks like it's reaching out.
There are several memorial there commemorating the first responders who were lost that day.
There are fountains above ground representing the two towers. Names are engraved of those who lost their lives that day. I am glad they chose to memorialize this place this way. A place of reflection and dignity for those of us to come and pay our respects.
I love the new building they erected to replace the original towers. It's a beacon of hope for our country, a show of our strength and resilience, and a symbol of our resolve to come together as a nation no matter what strikes from outside our shores.
We did have a chance to see a few other sites...
Times Square...
And a Christmas Market in Bryant Park....
And a quick stop at a NY Public Library near Bryant Park where they had a little exhibit of the original Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals.
All in all it was a really nice day. We enjoyed spending time together, and my son even commented that he loved doing stuff with us...and is already planning our next outing...
Good Morning!!
The winners of the Breast Cancer scissor fobs are....
Renee, Linda and Julie!
So...ladies, I will need your snail mail address. Please write to me at tickledpinkone@gmail.com and make sure you put in the memo line "BCA fob winner".
Thanks for playing along! And well done for getting those exams!
Happy Halloween Everybody!!!
Today's the day all the ghosts and goblins come out to play...and we get to celebrate Halloween with Jo's Trick or Treat Blog Hop over at Serendipitous Stitching! I have the lucky position of being in last place, so I'll be sending you back over to Jo so you can post the Spooky Phrase you made from collecting all the letters posted on the previous blogs. Here are a few Halloween pieces I've made....
And one I was given, I just love how this was finished!!
And now the letter you've all been waiting for....drum roll please.....
Now it's your turn!! Head on over to Serendipitous Stitching and post your phrase! Good luck!
