Cape Cod Girls and My Achin' Back

Happy Sunday evening everyone (well, it's evening here)! Hope that everyone had a great and stitchy weekend.

I had another finish this week which totally amazes me given my lack of attention span to any one project (although as usual, I didn't do this all in one sweep):

Cape Cod Girls

The Primitive Needle

36 Ct. Highland fabric

Weeks Dye Works threads

I didn't have the recommended 40 ct. fabric, and was a little worried about the coverage, but it came out pretty good. Because I also have an attention problem with following a chart, I did the entire top band in basil instead of how it should have been with the Basil and Cinnabar, but I kept forging ahead and I think that it's fine. I like following the Amish philosophy that nothing is perfect except for God (works for me - LOL).

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been really having a hard time with the amount of WIPs that are languishing around the house. So I've some up with kind of a half-assed plan. Probably because I know that I'll break every rule that I set down for myself if I make this too difficult. So my process of WIP elimination is going to be pretty loose. I think that I'll work on a WIP for one week, if I still love it I can keep going for another week or until I scream "Uncle" and go to something else.

The something else can be either another WIP or something that is already in stash and preferably a small project. It can be a small project that I have not started yet. If I need a thread or two, I can buy them, but the pattern and fabric and most of the threads have to be in stash. I'm stressing the smaller type of project because most of the WIPs I have going are pretty big:

1. Marquoir de Justine
2. Houses of Hawk Run Hollow
3. Village of Hawk Run Hollow
4. Shores of Hawk Run Hollow
5. Frances Eden
6. Ann Medd
7. Convent's Herbal Garden
8. Provence
9. Altegamme
10. Sarah Pope
11. The Ideal Landscape Sampler
12. Crystal Christmas (this really isn't on the radar screen right now, but it's a biggie)

(there are about another 20 projects laying around, plus three needlepoint projects and about 15 quilts in various stages of work, but I decided to spare everyone the agony of reading about all the WIPs laying around - just wanted to list the ones that I'm pretty sure that I will work on now).

As far as buying any new stash - well, after that junket last week, I think I can resist for a while. Market is coming, but I'm really going to try to hold off and only reward myself when I get something finished (Cape Cod Girls doesn't count as a rewarded finish, darned it.) I was going to come up with all kinds of rules and regulations for myself - like I can't buy anything even a few threads or can't buy anything until I've finished two projects -not going to happen. I think that I'm a rebel at heart and I knew that it just wasn't going to work. So to begin the attack of the WIPs, this week I picked up Marquoir de Justine:


This is where I left the poor girl when I started her in 2007. The reason I didn't get far is because I couldn't see the darned holes to stitch. I think that the fabric must have shrunk down quite a bit in the dyeing process and it was painful to work on. Well, since that time I've purchased the Mighty Bright light and I can see great with it and Justine is now fun to work on. I'll post a progress pic after my week is up (Tuesday). I haven't picked out my new project to work on. I'm leaning toward a smaller Scarlett Letter piece, but I don't want to make a decision now because Tuesday is two days away and my mood could change! LOL Actually, it may be another WIP - Ann Medd - she's been calling to me in my sleep, so I may just go back to her. I've got two days - who knows what will happen.

This week I found another flower frog at a garage sale that I passed by. I wasn't going to stop, but, well, you know how that is. I see the sign Garage Sale or Estate Sale, and I almost always have to stop. Of course, my kids love going to them as much as I do, so it's fun for all of us:

I think that I'm going to put myself on a diet with these things too. DH keeps asking me what I going to do with all of these things. Well, the other day I did put flowers into one (didn't take a pic) and it looked lovely. So they do have a purpose besides holding scissors. But I think I need to rein myself in before I'm overrun by these things.

And the most exciting news of all - my FIL is almost done with my table for my craft room. YAHOO! We were over at his house yesterday and he had some finishing questions for me. Even my DH was impressed by the way it looked. It may be another couple of weeks before it's delivered here, but I'm so excited. In anticipation of the big event, I ended up finishing up the packing (that I've only been working on, for what now, three months?), and moving everything out so that DH can paint the room (he took this week off) and this is what I'm facing now:

If I have to find something, I think I'm going to be up a creek without a paddle. I should have taken a birds-eye picture for the true impact to be seen. It's just total mayhem in the center of the main room in the basement. And my back is aching. My DH thought that he could move my two cabinets with all my patterns, books, etc., on some dollys, but not the case, so I had to empty them. Back breaking work! My DH also was amazed at the amount of stuff I had crammed in that room. Quite frankly, it was perfectly organized, but I was a little shocked myself. I must have arranged things pretty well, but I was amazed. Definitely time to start sending some of this stuff to a good home. Actually, I had to clean out both the basement bedrooms - the one I'm vacating and the one I'm moving into - so this was kind of a double whammy.

Well, that's about it for me. I'm going to take a Motrin for my aching back and sit and put some stitches into Justine. Thanks for all the wonderful comments last week. I can't believe all the excitement that stash purchases have on everyone. Of course, I think that I get just as giddy seeing everyone elses purchases (and it's gotten me into a lot of trouble)! LOL Have a wonderful week and get some stitching done.