Recovery Stitching

 

Well, that didn't go as planned! In my last post I mentioned I was about to get into some finishing and framing. Even as I was typing that post on Saturday, I had had a sore throat for a few days and had lost my voice. But I had no other symptoms, so I wasn't bothering about it much.

And then Monday, the worst head cold I have ever had knocked me flat. After suffering all week with useless cold medicines, I discovered you can still get real cold medicine from the pharmacist if you show ID and sign for it. Did you know the FDA has known for 20 years that the active ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicine doesn't work when taken orally? For you young 'uns, back in the day, you could have a cold and still function because cold medicine actually worked. Then the FDA required the removal of the ingredient that did the trick, and the replacement ingredient has never worked. It isn't that it wasn't as good, it literally never worked. Anyway, off went Mr. Wonderful to get some real medicine for me and what a difference that made. 

I carefully avoid ranting on my blog, but I had to make an exception here in the interest of preventing needless suffering and wasting money on medicine that doesn't work. Perhaps everyone knows the good stuff is available behind the counter if you're willing to sign for it like the old fashioned poison books, but I didn't. I almost never get sick and when I do, it's usually not much of anything, so less-than-effective cold medicine hasn't been an issue for me. But this cold... wow. I was desperate for relief, so I started doing some research, namely, "WHY doesn't all this medicine work?!" Needless to say, I was pretty angry when I read the article I linked above.

So I've been sick for a couple of weeks and got nothing done. I didn't even stitch until this past weekend. I still wasn't feeling great but I needed something small to work on so I pulled out this little sweetie and stitched him up. Isn't he cute? 

I think I'm finally starting to get over this, but slowly. And if you're wondering, I did test negative for Covid, never had any fever or aches, but did have that lovely burning in my nose and eyes that goes with a good ol' rip snorter of a head cold. I think I caught it at the funeral (there were 300+ people there) and my suspicion is that I was exposed more than once and got a very high viral load, which is what caused it to be so bad.

Apologies for being so far off topic, but I felt the need for a Public Service Announcement. Also, product endorsement: Puffs Plus Lotion tissues have saved my poor nose.

Y'all stay well and Happy Stitching!

Saturday Sampler: Spring Stitchy Goodies Edition

 

Happy Saturday, y'all! Got a few new things over the last couple of months so it's time to share and enable! 

First up, for my birthday I got a couple of new floss organizers. I absolutely love these things and have a collection of the 12 and 20 bobbin sizes. This time I splurged a little (30% off sale!) and got a 25 bobbin size (the white one). These are hands down my favorite way to organize DMC for a project and they come in lots of sizes. She has sales fairly regularly. 

It's sparkly!

Next, Market goodies! I don't usually get much from Market, some years just the cookbook, so this year is kind of a haul for me. 

I literally gasped when I saw that Blue Flower bird design and couldn't wait for it to get here! It's such a perfect addition to my bird display!

Speaking of birds, this beautiful hand painted fabric is Woodland by Crossed Wing Collection. It's for a bird project. It was impossible to photograph accurately so I had to actually fiddle with the color, which I never do. 

I found some very pretty Czech glass beads to make counting pins & maids-of-all-work. I'm a little picky about the size and feel of the beads I use for those (the maids, not the pins) and these are ideal.

The perfect size, complete with a small indentation that fits my finger so nicely! Don't you love it when you find *exactly* what you're looking for, even if it's just a little bead? Makes me so happy.

And those are my latest goodies. I've spent almost no time in my sewing room over the last few weeks. In mid-March, we unexpectedly lost a dear friend and the shock and grief have been a bit staggering. I know many of y'all know this feeling. I've settled down somewhat now and am looking forward to pulling out my pile of finishing and making a giant mess in my sewing room. I find the finishing process very absorbing and therapeutic--if I have the brains for it! I think I need that at the moment. 

Hopefully over the next few weeks I'll have some pretty things to share with you. In the meantime...

Bonus Pretty Werewolves!

Wilbur Wednesday: He's Finished!

What a fun stitch! Here's Wilbur, in all his toofy, goofy glory! He's available in this Etsy shop. I stitched him with the recommended DMC on 32 ct Sandbar by Under the Sea Fabrics.

Sunday Smile

 

Have a great week, y'all!

Summer Birds: American Kestrel

Gorgeous bird alert! This is the American Kestrel, the smallest North American falcon. I've never been lucky enough to see one of these in the wild, but I am fascinated by how beautiful they are and by the way they hover while hunting. Of course I had to stitch one for my bird collection. This is from Crossed Wing Collection's Gone Birding, No. 32. I stitched him on 28 ct. Eek from PTP.

I guess the fabric choice is kinda unconventional, but I'm going for maximum color with this collection so I'm really steering away from neutrals. I am very happy with the way it's coming together.

Have no fear, Wilbur fans! He'll be back soon!

Happy Stitching!

A Weird Post with Bad Pictures: Sparkly Werewolves

The werewolves are sparkly.

I first noticed this when the girls would get into my lap while I was stitching and my stitching lamp would shine on them. The coppery fur on the tops of their heads sparkles. They have this color all over, but elsewhere it's just shiny. I've tried to photograph this many times, but I can't get decent pictures of it.

So I decided to just share the bad ones. Maybe you can see it.

Marigold

Butterfly 

Just wanted to share this important update. 😆

Enjoy your day!

The Birds Are Back!

 

Happy Spring, y'all! The birds are back! I have been looking forward to getting back to last year's Summer Birds project ever since I wrapped it up last fall. I don't have that many yet, but I wanted to display them anyway so I just filled in with little toadstools and nests and birds I already had. I'm delighted with how it turned out and am already working on new additions!

I also used my Nimble Birds WIP to fill the space (I really need to get going on that one).

Ready to go!

And my first Summer Birds finish for this year, from Loon Lake by Crossed Wing Collection, stitched on 28 ct. Twilight Mist Jobelan. 

Off and running! This display will stay out til the fall, so I've got all spring and summer to add to it. Can't wait!

If you want to know about any of the designs, click on the "birds" label for this post or in the right sidebar, and scroll til you find it. Most of these finishes are from last year.

Happy Stitching!

Wilbur Wednesday, Part 2

 

Second section of Wilbur's wings done! What a bright, cheerful little guy he is! I should have him finished soon and I'll share the link to the design.

Stay tuned for what I'll be working on next... I'm excited!

Wilbur Wednesday

 

First sections of Wilbur's wild wings are done, and two more to go. This is such a fun stitch! And I am really loving this fabric color. The more colors I stitch on it, the more I appreciate what a great neutral it is. If you're tired of using the same light neutrals over and over, give this one a try. 

32 ct Sandbar from Under the Sea Fabrics

Saturday Sampler: Full Color Edition

 

Meet Wilbur

 

Why am I stitching a bat? Short answer: Because he's adorable. Look at that toothy grin. Look at that little snout. And those giant ears. What a goofball. He makes me smile. 

Long answer: I've mentioned many times how much I enjoy stitching mandala or geometric style animals. I've done three foxes so far, and have another one ready to go; this is my first non-foxy critter. I have a few birds in my stash, as well. I find them so relaxing. Wilbur (I had to name him if I was going to be staring at that silly face while stitching his giant wings) is the first symmetrical design I've done, but they're all fairly similar, with bright colors in large-ish patches or regular patterns, which makes counting easy and stitching relatively quick. They're available in a variety of styles on Etsy by just searching for mandala or geometric or modern animal cross stitch patterns. 

This beautiful fabric is 32 ct. Sandbar by Under the Sea Fabrics. Such a unique color. It reads very neutral and it's hard to find darker neutrals.

Cheerful colors, a nice mix of soft and bright.

Stay tuned to see how Wilbur comes along. When I get him finished I may go ahead and stitch my fourth fox. Unless I get distracted by something else. I have my eye on a couple of Market designs!

Happy Stitching!