Two Timing Ann (Lots of Pics)

Yes, it's true.  I've been two timing Ann Medd.  Two timing her with another Ann.  With all the market things that came out, I couldn't resist - just blew my resolution to stitch only WIPs this year with a reckless abandon.  I picked up a few things from Market and had a real dilemna as Ms. Medd was constantly calling me, but I finally blocked my ears and started another Ann - Ann Grant:

Beautiful Ann Grant.  The colors are so pretty.  Unfortunately I can't get the best picture of this loveliness because it's so miserable with rain and overcast skies today, but trust me - the reds, the pinks - beautiful!!

Ann Grant

Shakespeare's Peddler

32 ct. Vintage Sand Dune

 Silks as called for

This is really a joy to work on and I've gone out of my element with this one.  She's stitched on 32 ct. which I haven't touched in years, and with all the recommended silks.  They are so wonderful to work with.  So wonderful, in fact, that I think that I'm hooked.  Not a good thing.  But so hooked, I kitted up two more -

The stunning Susan Rambo - love those reds and greens:

And the wonderful Elizabeth Mears.  I saw this on Ellen Chester's site finished and I swooned.  

The only bad thing about these projects is that they're all BAPS!!  Why can't I pick something small?  Why?  Anyway, before you think that I've abandoned Ann Medd, I have not.  I have made some progress on her and she will be picked up again in a day or so.  I just needed a slight break from all that fill in, but I do want Ann Medd done - it just won't be by the end of March.

On the quilting front, I've gotten a little bit done.  I wonder where the hours in the days go sometimes, but I managed to get nine of the Farmer's Wife blocks finished (six from last month and three from March's installment).  Four more and I'll be caught up for the month.  And then - only three more months to go!!  I can't wait to put all the blocks together.  But these are the blocks I've finished this month so far:

All these blocks were fun and went together without a hitch, but in my true fashion I left the harder ones for the end.  Why do I do that?

Other than that - as I said - I don't know where the time goes and there isn't much more happening around my neck of the woods.  I did make another acquisition for my craft room yesterday.  Purely by accident, mind you.  I ran into Joanne's for a new rotary cutter.  Mine is on its last legs and I'm afraid that I'm going to slice and dice myself one of these days.  But I had a little time to kill so meandered around the store and found something that I had to have.  Why?  I already have one, but what's another one:

Yep, another mannequin.  I actually walked out of the store with my rotary cutter in hand and started to leave, but I couldn't leave - I had to have it!  What's one more, right?  

I took some pictures of my room now that it's coming along a little better - still a work in process, but since I don't have much else to talk about, I'll show you how it looks going full circle around the room.  Behind the door - the shelves are finally getting full.  Although the vast majority of my fabric is still in Rubbermaid bins in the workroom (which DH needs to clean out so I can get to them).

The cutting and work table (ignore the glare off the door jam - I'm not the best photographer).  

Part of my antique findings and gifts and giveaway wins from fellow bloggers:

The sewing area and all the junk stuff I put on the shelves:

The baskets on the top shelf hold my BOM projects - the extra fabric and blocks as they're made.  I'm going to reline the baskets with a pretty red polka dot fabric and put garden tags painted with chalk board paint on the baskets so that I can write the names on them.  The jars hold selvages, pieces of scrap fabric I may be able to use, fabric for my hexies and batik squares that my friend Diane gave me for my own Batik hexie quilt.  The boxes hold some of my threads - Gloriana's, etc.   And another view:

Looking down toward the closet (which I left closed because it's a mess in there).  The quilt rack is suppose to be hung over the other mannequin with my recently finished red and white quilt, but when my son and I tried to put it on the wall, we discovered after we got the anchors in that the wall was bowed in the middle, so we have to come up with some creative thinking (probably building up the wall with wood on the two ends) to get it up.

My bookcase area - still a work in process.  Most of my books and charts are in two cabinets in the workroom which is probably where they'll stay unless I commandeer the other basement bedroom into another work area (which is going to become a reality I think).  At some point the bookcase will be removed and I'll get one of those huge hutches from Ikea to fill the entire wall.

And then the sitting area - this chair definitely needs a slipcover or something but I haven't been able to find what I want.  Either that or I'll take it out and put up my other sewing machine.  Time will tell.  Right now it kind of gets the brunt of what I'm working on - like the quilt slung over the back and my cross stitch chart filing on the footstool.

So there you have it.  I can't think of a week that goes by where I don't think of something else to drag out and put in there.  But I love having things I love around me.  Maybe when I finally get the hutch I can display all the flower frogs there.  

I hope that everyone has a great week and weekend.  And I have to apologize that as of late I've been really bad with commenting on blogs.  Too many things going on - like emergency room visits for my daughter, my son being sick - AGAIN -  and not a lot of time.  I don't want to miss a thing so I lurk but don't comment.  I'll be back to doing that soon!!  I love seeing everything that you do!!