I have a few stitching deadlines to meet…well maybe 4 or 5, but who’s counting? Two of them I should finish this weekend, then I can write the stitch guides and then dive into the next 2.

I have had a few thread shopping trips this week. First I wanted Kreinik 1/16″ Ribbon. Not something I use allot and of course it was not in the stash. It took a few stops to find it and I have it now. Then I needed more Kreinik #12. Now why I couldn’t think of this all at once is beyond me?!

I have tried at least 1/2 dozen different backgrounds for this. A cool one that Meredith gave me, one that Susan Portra had given me once upon a time and a few others that I tried. But they weren’t working, didn’t like them, too tough to compensate. A million and one reasons before settling on this one. You will recognize it too when you get your July/August Needlepoint Now as it is the sky stitch for the piece that will have Susan’s stitch guide.

So out this came along with the threads, beads and notes as I set myself up for an evening of stitching. Ice Tea poured, stand and light set up, stitching glasses at hand, scissors, needles, check on the cats and then the most important of all which baseball game do I want to watch? Red Sox and Yankees… Giants and Cardinals? decisions! decisions!

The evening of baseball was great and the stitching even better! After a half dozen tries, I came up with a background stitch that I like…that I can stitch through all the designs on the canvas and not drive myself nuts with the compensating!

I have been working on another canvas, a Point of It All Design. I am really loving this one and it has been stitching up quickly.

I think it took me longer to decide on what red thread to use than to stitch Santa’s clothes! A selection of Very Velvets, Pepper Pot Silks, a few of Silk ‘N Ivory (well it is on 13) and Vineyard Silks. I was just looking for that perfect thread. I thought let me try one more which was a Gloriana Duchess Silk and it was just right. I am thrilled!

Meredith taught me a new way to do Turkey work last week! It is done with a punch needle and so much fun, fun, fun…did I say fun? It goes rather quickly but you really, really, really need to pay attention to what you are all doing so that you don’t draw blood with the punch needle. Do you know that if you get a little of blood on your canvas that the best remover of that is your very own saliva? Now I am not sure if that works on threads too, and I am not ready to  experiment.

I didn’t think how much thread I would need for this awesome Turkey work! Meredith selected 2 cards of Arctic Rays last week at A Stitch in Time…but that won’t even come close. What were you thinking sistah? Anyhow it’s a great excuse to do some stash enhancement this morning. Maybe a little breakfast and then home to stitch the day away.

This is usually how I am greeted when coming home…and especially if it’s close to “feed me time!” You would think that I never feed these 2. and until next time…keep on stitching