PROGRESS: a finish or two, a small start, a big start!!

My big start...the Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler by With my needle. Here is my favorite part so far...I am doing it in silks and I must say, I am loving this sampler. I had some linen in my stash that I pulled Lakeside Linens "Lentil"...it's not quite as grey as called for, a little more brown; but I do love it. I had mentioned to one of my friends that I was going to figure out how to do cardinals versus the blue birds. I have much more reds than blue in my house so I wanted to change it up.
But as you can see, I have a long way to go before I hit that section...and now I have seen a couple blogs where they changed the birds to cardinals, so I have a picture to help guide me along. I may also change the color of the letters, but I am not sure to what color. I have all three parts now, so I will do some other parts and see if I want to keep the letters the charted color (converted to silks) or change it up. Don't you just love this!!

My little start...This sweet (pardon the pun) little pillow thingie by La-D-Da. It's called In The Sweet and came as a kit with the backing fabric and ready-made binding. It truly is SWEET!! It's working up really fast and has been quite an easy stitch; especially when I want something that's easy.

Working away on the Blackbird Designs Merry Christmas Ella Vaughn that I started with intentions to complete in time for the Sampler Guild challenge I have mentioned before. I couldn't decide between this one and the one further in this post...so I was going to do two - we had a year, I could do that! Then my year took a downturn for medical issues (also mentioned before and I will update in a minute). I did complete one...keep reading. This one has been fun and I am not even minding the border - usually that's my least favorite part; how about you? I love the house color and the pine tree and the moon...and well, all of it! I am going to put something in the snow different than patterned, to make it my own...but I don't know what, so it hasn't been graphed, nary a flake stitched at this point.

This is my little finish - yet to be finished-finished. It will be sooooo cute on my tree this year and it seems to be an easy finish-finish...just have to motivate myself and get the confidence in my finishing. Is anyone else like that? I like to do the stitching, the piecing of a quilt; but then it comes to finishing a project/framing a project or binding a quilt and I drag my feet. I guess maybe the more I do, the better I will get, the more I will like it - or there could be a lotto win and I can pay people to finish the basket full - and I mean full of stitching in my sewing room! Anyway, before my digression, this is Under the Mistletoe by Island Cottage NeedleArts.

I did finish one of the two things I started (the other BlackBird Designs mentioned above). This is My Missouri Home and I did alter it. I put "our home" with our last name in the grass. Over one in the roof are the initials of myself, my husband and my son. I will be making both of these BBD into pillows for a bench I change up with the seasons in my family room. Ahhh, into the finish-finish basket...

The little key charm on the right is what we received from the guild for a finish of the challenge piece. I wasn't at the meeting and didn't get to see what everyone brought and stitched, all personalized or not. I hope to make the meeting in August, I miss the creativity of that group.

So that's the stitching updates I have thus far. I have been able to stitch quite a bit and have really been making good progress now that I am feeling a bit better. Health update - so if you want to tune out, thanks for stopping by - I am making progress in that area too! I am feeling better, still having some pain while sleeping so that's not going so well yet, but it is getting better. I can drive, locally. I have graduated (or discharged, but the word graduation sounds much more fun) from occupational therapy. Physical therapy is still something that I am doing through August and then we will see. I have been able to not use the walker, using the cane now. I have been cleared to go back to work after Labor Day. While that makes me feel great on one hand, I will miss seeing my friends as much since I won't have any time off for a bit while I get caught up and build the PTO (paid time off) back up to something.

We've had a bit of rain here in Michigan - but it is still humid. You won't hear me complain about the cold or snow...but humidity - YUCK! I do like the sun but we have that in the winter too. And soon it will be my very favorite...autumn, when it's crisp and beautiful!

Heard this on t.v. today...can't even tell you where or on what show (it was about a musician which with I am unfamiliar), but I liked what the message said! She said to remember these ten, two letter words and instill into making things happen: If it is to be, it is up to me!

Thanks so much for taking the time to check into what's been going on in my stitching world, my health world - just my world! I appreciate all of the devoted readers, the new readers...and I read and love receiving each and every comment - even if I don't comment back - sometimes it's a time thing. Thanks for all the continued well wishes for my health improvement - they help! I check out your blogs too if they're not on my blog stalking/visiting list to the side...

Take time to stitch, take time to do what makes you smile!!

Sherry :o)