A bit of stitching...

After quite a while without stitching, I pulled out my project baskets last night. I'm sure I must have spent more time looking through them than actually stitching. Even when I chose a piece to work on, I seemed to look at it and think about it longer than I stitched. I did make a bit of progress, though. I have decided on the theme for the baby's stocking: hearts and flowers. I think I've always had that in the back of my mind, but I didn't know if I was just choosing something I wanted for her or that she liked. I guess it doesn't really matter. She's only one and a half, so it's not like I'm going to let her tear into it on Christmas morning or she can give me input into what her preferences are. Lately, though, I think these are her preferences. We've sat with the crayons and drawn various shapes and she always asks for hearts. We have a chalkboard in the kitchen. She is always asking to be lifted up so she can draw and she asks for hearts. As for the flowers, I thought maybe that was too generic a girly thing, but she loves flowers. She's been helping me tend the seedlings and prepare the garden. She loves wandering the yard and picking any flowers we find. I'm trying to teach her to only pick the yellow ones - dandelions. There are plenty more where those came from and maybe the planted flowers will survive the season. So, last night I sewed on the lace heart that I had dyed some time ago. My husband was working on sewing signatures together for a diary he's making. He asked about me working on a Christmas stocking. Now that we have our own house, I'd like to have them finished for our first Christmas as homeowners. If I don't put them away until the holidays, I should be able to accomplish this goal fairly easily. So, even though we're heading into summer, the blog will likely have more Christmas stitching than anything else. I do have my Take it Further projects to work on. And my creative tendencies are quite fickle, so anything could turn up. But I don't usually work with real goals and I plan to meet this one.

Postcard sent to Susan

This is the postcard I have sent to Susan for the Cyber Fiber trade. It was cut from a larger crazy quilt piece I started a few years back. I had been experimenting with dying and overdying. There are some purchased threads used, but most of the fibers and fabrics are the result of my dying adventures.

Long time no blog...

Not much stitching going on lately. The only thing I've done in the last month is the post card for Susan. I'll get a picture up soon. I had great plans for the Take it Further Challenge, but I've become obsessed with a new project. It's finally starting to sink in that for the first time in my life I have a home of my own. It's not my parents' home or my grandparents'. It's not one of the Navy's housing units I lived in as a kid. It's not one of the apartments we rented. It's a home for my family. It's mine and my husband's. It's amazing. I even have a yard to take care of, complete with leaves to rake and play in. What you see in the photo is the future home of my vegetable garden. I have never had a garden before. I am so excited. So, instead of stitching, my "me" time has been all about researching companion planting, composting, starting seeds, and drawing scale maps of where to put all my veggies and herbs.

Stitching will resume sooner or later.