Day 7

2 Turtle Doves ... and you can actually see one of them.

OOOOOPS. I put the chart down upside down and backward. Oh, well. You can still see the two turtle doves.

Almost half way through the first part of the challenge ... 8 more days of starts and the rest of the year for finishes. Doing this I have made a discovery about myself. I don't like starting a project every day. I might have several projects going at the same time, but I start them days, weeks, or months apart. I always thought of myself as a serial starter. But I won't do that again.

Day 6

11 Pipers Piping is off to a start. Not necessarily a fine start, but a start.

I got an earlier start than usual today.

If I don't get to the grocery store today, there won't be much food in the house. I am heading for Wegman's in Fairfax.

Day 5

Once again, getting started took a lot longer than it should have. It's not like it was hard to do ... just reach in the bag, pull out a chart, pick up a piece of fabric (also in the bag), pick up a skein of thread, add a needle to the mix and there you are. Uh huh. Yep.

Before I could stitch today, I HAD to visit a store that is going out of business. No, it doesn't have a thing to do with stitching, but with my daughter and my son-in-law both VA TECH grads, I found it absolutely necessary to visit to pick over their Tech gifts. They have lots. Make that = they had lots. I got some of them for next year's Christmas.

On the way home, we passed a bird on the side of the road. I made Bill turn around and go back because it didn't move when we went past, and it was sitting up. By the time we got turned around and back to the spot some one had picked up the bird and was in a nearby driveway with the bird and was calling for help. I'm not that good with iding birds, but it looked like a falcon, or perhaps a hawk. It was sitting on a fence as we left the area but not trying to fly away. I sure hope it got help.

We also visited the framer. I had two pieces I wanted framed ... perhaps they will go to Woodlawn, perhaps not. One was the Christmas Blessing. The other was a large red piece by Sampler Cove (Diane Jourdan) called Rhapsody in Red. I wasn't that rhapsodic while stitching it, but I love the finished product. The fellow at the frame shop kept bringing alternate frames for the Red one ... all of them looked fine, but one really jumped up and said BUY ME BUY ME. Until he brought the mahogany one with the little bit of gold |_| |_| |_| ... mimicking the border on the piece. That one was the final choice.

Aster we got home, I got around to reaching into the bag ... out came 8th day of Christmas. Picture below.

I didn't get a lot done ... at least not a lot of stitching.

Day 4

Today I started 12 Drummers Drumming. Didn't get very far though, but a start is a start. Didn't get a good picture either ...

While I am talking about didn't's ... I didn't get to Jean Schlappi's memorial service. I feel bad about that, but one of my meds was keeping me close to home.

From the time I joined the Washington DC Chapter of EGA, Jean has been my greatest cheerleader. I worked with her on the Reservations committee when I first joined the chapter, and she encouraged me all the way to being a co-president. I served with Jean Esswein, who lost her husband recently.

I will miss Jean.

Day 3

Third day of the challenge, and I pulled "America" by Hinzeit out of the stack.

This one is to be a welcome baby gift. I don't need it until July, but it is off to a good start.

My nephew and his wife are expecting their third child in March. The anticipated due date is also my son-in-law's birthday. Quite a birthday present for Cousin Rick. I have finished their gift, all except for the name and actual birth date. They haven't completely decided on a middle name, but if it is a girl (and she is expected to be a girl), then her first name will be Stella. I don't have a picture of it yet, but I will post when I have the name etc stitched in.

Four Calling Birds

On the second day of the challenge, I reached into my bag of projects, and up came 4 Calling Birds.

So, 4 Calling Birds it is. I have stitched the two borders and part of the number 4. Birds, vines and the rest of the number to go. Here is a picture ... the colors seem a bit off, the green is DMC 500 and the red (which looks brown in the picture) is DMC 816.

My regular Tuesday stitch group is meeting in Stafford County this week. I don't think I will make it. One of my hearing aids is in the shop, and I find that driving with just one ear to hear is treacherous! Sirens, road noises, etc., all come in from the left ear -- no matter where they actually are. Too much whipping the head around to keep track of where they actually are.

Day 1 of the Challenge

Well, I got started with the 15 projects. I began with the Pamela Darney (Guildhouse Samplers) Red Bird. 

Basically, all I got done today was baste the top and left hand side borders, the initial S in the upper left hand corner and part of the gold and blue block at the top middle. Then I decided to work on the greens, and hit a snag. Autumn Arbor flows from green to bronze to gold to purple to red. However, in the piece of silk that I have the green part isn't very big. The biggest piece of green I could pull out will make only 7 stitches and 2 of those were because I used the smallest petite needle I could find.  Now I have to find more of the thread that has a bit bigger sections of the green.

By the time I am through with this challenge, I may learn how to take pictures that are really in focus.