March SBQ - and -I had the most amazing day yesterday

Thanks again to CinDC for proving the March 2012 SBQ!  You can also go visit her blog and thank her yourself.  So, here we go:



Do you participate in exchange or RR stitching? Why or Why Not?

I think most of us have had a go with these kinds of things, so think about your answer and then post about it!

Now for Part 2 of my post today:

Yesterday I had my yearly gyne appointment.  It always involves a long, long drive, followed by absolutely insane parking fees.  (Thank you, Shadyside Hospital).  But I won't switch docs just yet - I've been cared for by this fellow very well for the past 25 years and I think he's the greatest.  Still, you can guess that I was less than anxious to go and Monday morning I woke up thinking I would cancel.  I simply wasn't in the mood, but then I (literally) put on my big girl panties and decided to deal with the hassle.

So...I had my appointment, chatted with my doc, and then visited the receptionist, and pulled out my wallet. And she told me that my insurance rules had changed and I didn't have to pay my co-pay.  Cha-ching!

And since I was in Pittsburgh anyway, I decided to renew my library card.  I stepped up to the desk, filled out the paperwork and took out my wallet, but the librarian said there had been changes at my local library, so this year my card was free.  Seriously?  Now I was feeling fabulous!  And not fretting over parking fees anymore!

OK, so I putzed around at the library, found a few books from the reading list that I keep on my iPhone, and went to the self checkout station.  Major fail.  I couldn't figure it out so I headed to the main desk instead.  (I don't do well at grocery self-checkouts, either)

Checked out my books, la, la, la, la...(That's me singing a self-satisfied song).Looked around a little more, then headed to my car.  Decided to give my son a quick ring while I was in the parking lot.  But....No phone.  Think, think, think!  Did I set it down somewhere?  And I got that feeling of dread, knowing that my phone was gone.  What an awful end to a terrific day.  So I walked back into the library to start what I thought would be a fruitless search, but there it was.  Sitting right in front of the self-checkout station.  I was shocked.  There was a fellow using the self-checkout, too...And I said to him, "Wow, I can't believe this is still here."  But he said to me, "Well, you are in Pittsburgh."  I do love this city.  But it would be better with cheaper parking.

A great end to a great day.  And to think that I almost tried to reschedule it.

Knock, knock?

Hello?  Is there anyone in there?  It's me, your long lost stitchy blogger.  I haven't been to your house (or more likely, your office) in quite a while, but I'm still alive.  I've just been horribly lazy.

I could say that I've been on a journey of self-discovery for the past few weeks.  I could prove it by saying:  Here's what I've learned about myself:  I'm horrible at keeping blog promises. If I promise I'm going to do something here, there are probably bookmakers in Las Vegas calculating the odds of my keeping that promise.  You should definitely bet against it.  For instance, posting every day about things I love in February?  Yeah.  You can see how wonderfully that turned out. I really must stop making these kinds of plans.

So I'll make one final promise.  And that is:  No more blog promises. 

Since my last post, I've had a finish!  And just in time for my birthday month, too.  I started this sampler last March, with the goal of finishing it by this March, so ta-dah!

Antique Sampler, by Eileen Bennett.  Stitched on ivory linen with DMC

And here are some of my favorite parts:

Love the over one saying, but pay no attention to my lame-o satin stitch border. 

Loved stitching the 4-sided stitch clover

And the 4 sided stitch that goes round the border.  I almost didn't stitch it, (lazy much?) but I thought about it harder and decided that the sampler needed it.

And next, we have the sampler that never ends.  I took this on the Villa Maria retreat recently....I was looking forward to three solid days of stitching on my horizon, and I am telling you the God's honest truth when I say that I used almost every minute of the retreat on this sampler alone.  Other than getting up for meals, a couple of brisk walks and some bathroom breaks, I dedicated my entire weekend to this sampler.  (Unlike others in this crew who brought 15 projects....just sayin')

Evidently I was having delusions of grandeur, because this is all I accomplished:

And mind now...The wreath part had already been stitched.  Maybe I shouldn't have slept all weekend.  But I'm getting quite close to the end...

I just have to make sure that I live long enough to finish this thing.  Like till I'm 100.

And finally, another buddy and I felt like we needed a quick alphabet fix, so Linda and I are cheering each other through a Stitchalong with LaDDa's ABCD chart.  I thought this would be a nice design for my first attempt with 40 ct. linen and.....OH, am I ever in big trouble.  I love this fabric way too much.  It's so sweet to work with, it feels downright unhealthy.  Here's my progress from last weekend.

40 ct. Exampler linen with Belle Soie Mer Blue silk.  I've died and gone to heaven....

 LInda is stitching hers in Belle Soie Red Fox.  It's going to be awesome.

Some friends went on a shopping trip today, gallivanting through Ohio to shop-hop after the recent needlework market.  I decided to stay home and devote the day to stitching stuff that I actually already have.  But Friday night I caved and called one of the ladies and begged her to be my personal shopper. Because....you know....I needed more stuff.

Are you all as hopeless as me?

Day 21

My daughter leaves for New Zealand this morning and I can scarcely think of anything else.
I hate how I don't get nervous about things until the very last minute.  I think I'm all calm, cool and collected, then  I lose it at the last minute.  It happens every time, so I don't know why I'm so surprised this morning.

You know what's weird?  When your children start going places without you.  When you have to trust that they'll  be able to manage on their own in places that you know almost nothing about.

It's gonna be a long 4 1 /2 months....

Day 20

Good morning gang!  I've missed posting over the past few days because I was away at a stitching retreat.  Now, normally I would have taken my iPad or a laptop or some reasonable way of keeping in touch.  Thursday morning I was congratulating myself all the way to the retreat, because for once I was on time and not running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  So, la, la, la...happy, happy me, with thoughts of how wonderful I am running through my head as I drove the highways and byways, only to arrive, open my trunk,  and...........Whaaaaaaaaat?  I was missing a big bag.  And that meant no iPad, no book, no medicine, no special coffee, no special tea and NO WINE.  Somehow as I was packing the car, I left that whole bag behind on a chair in the living room. 

My stitching friend Debbie, who is always calm, cool and collected said, "Lee, do you have your stitching?"  Yes.  "And do you have your clothes?" Yes.  "Then everything will be fine."

Don't you love how she prioritized my life in two questions?  #1:  Stitching.  #2:  Clothing.  And even if I had forgotten clothing, I had enough fabric packed and enough friends with needles there that we could have stitched together some kind of crazy outfit for me to wear. 

But anyway, I'm back from a weekend of total stitching immersion, and now continuing with the February theme of people, places and things that I love.  Now, I don't know whether to call this a place or a thing - I love stitching retreats.

I've been to several - near and far - and let me tell you, if you can find one, GO.  Here are links to shop sponsored retreats I've written about in my blog over the years.

Silver Needle 2007 - My maiden voyage. Read here and more here
Silver Needle 2008 - Here
Hearts Desire camp 2011 - here and here
Cross My Heart camp 2009 - here

Then there are the getaways formed by a bunch of stitchers that one day look at each other and say, "Hey!  Let's go somewhere!".  Those are awesome.  And it doesn't even need to be a whole weekend.  I went to one marathon stitch day in a Holiday Inn that went from 8AM till 11PM.  Also very great.  So if you can't find a retreat, you can create one.  It's just a matter of finding a couple of like-minded stitchers, a date and a place.  And speaking of like-minded stitchers, here's the group of lovely and fascinating women I spent a long weekend with.  A few are missing - Ginny, Brenda and Judy, but here are the rest!  We were (starting on the left) Colleen, Patty, Nancy, Denise, Janice, Shirley, Linda, Debbie and Donna. 

Playing

Working

 We spent the weekend at a retreat center called Villa Maria, near New Castle PA, a totally peaceful and perfect place.  There was a chapel attached, and you know my fondness for stained glass.

Stitching that I love today was our sole finish of the weekend, by the ever-cool Deb.  It wasn't because we were fooling around, but that we all had these BAP's.  But back to Debbie - She finished her Ann Sandles sampler.  Such a beauty!  I wish I had taken close-ups, but you get the idea.

Day 15

I love books. I think I've had my nose buried in a book since I first learned to read.  The format of a book doesn't really matter to me.   I love a nice book-in-hand, I love audio books and I love ebooks.  But I'm not fond of newspapers and magazines.  They have too many distractions for me.

Here's a neat little YouTube video - I know it has made the rounds on blogs and Facebook, but maybe it'll be new to some of you:

I'm really close to finishing the sampler I started on my birthday last year.  Really, really close! I just need to stop hip-hopping around and finish a few areas.  (and start the border, but let's not talk about that right now)  Like newspaper reading, this sampler holds too many distractions for me! 

Antique Sampler, by The Sampler House (Eileen Bennett)

Day 14

Happy Valentine's Day to all my fellow bloggers!

Day 14 brings me to Ireland, a place that I love.  I could go back in a heartbeat. I went on and on about this trip last year, so I won't subject you to that again.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Here's some more of my very own stitching, too, adapted from an older Blackbird Designs chart to make a Spring ornament. Well...it may become an ornament if it finds its way out of my pile of Unfinished Finishes. 

Center motif from BBD's 2004 Country Garden although I removed one part of the design and added the word Spring and the little heart.   Stitched on 32ct. PTP Doubloon Jobelan, with Crescent Colors, WDW and DMC threads.  I plan to use the HDF silk chenille in this photo when I finish it. 

Days 11, 12, and 13

I got a little behind with my February posts.  I don't want to whine about my neck anymore, but I'll still use it as an excuse.  Some days I want to rip my neck off my body, but then where would my head sit?

And I'd look like this guy. 

Not a pretty idea

Alrighty...today I want to show you some of the far away stitching friends I love. I don't have pictures of everyone.  The combination of me always forgetting to pack my camera, my lack of photography skills and a couple of camera-shy friends means that not all of you are here in this collage.  But you get the idea. 

Don't worry nearby stitching girls - you're coming up soon!

 

Call me lucky....I've been able to meet fellow stitchers from all over the world.  Sometimes I've come to them and sometimes they've come to me, but whichever - it's been wonderful fun.  There are my Kansas Girls, my Philly Girls, and my Erie Girls.  I also still have friends from my pre-computer, ink and paper pen-pal days, including Hella and Anna from Lubeck Germany with me in the photo on the right side, and Elizabeth from Australia with me in my driveway on the left side.  These lovely women and their families have visited with me a few times and it's always a treat.
 
And now that Dave and I are starting our camper adventures, who knows where else I'll have "girls"? 

Stitching that I love today is my very own!  Yes, I'm not borrowing from someone else's blog today! 

The first year that my daughter was away at college, I stitched her a Valentine.  And I've continued to do it each year.  I hope it becomes part of our mother-daughter story.  This year I stitched "Heart Happy".  Really fun!

Day 10

Lamps.  I adore lamps!  And this one is my favorite, bought from the gift shop when I worked at Kentuck Knob.  It totally belongs in my house.  The stained glass artist started with the style of the Tiffany maple leaf lamp, but then added his own touches to it - particularly the red berries - and made it even more appealing.  Every night that I light this lamp, it makes me happy.

No stitchery pics today because I don't have the author's permission. ( Not that she wouldn't give it, just that I forgot to ask for it and now I'm writing this post and thinking about how forgetful I am)  Do you remember how we were wondering about who would care for and keep our stitching in future generations?  Well, Susan Elliot wrote a very interesting article about the importance of the stories behind our family treasures.  I thought it was very thought-provoking and it makes me want to catalog every sampler I have hanging in the house.One of these days I should attach notes or stories to the back of each one.  It would be a fun exercise.

And could it count as housework, too?  Moving the samplers around will stir up at least a little dust.

Day NIne

I love my city.  Even though I live 50 miles away, Pittsburgh will always feel like it's my city.  It's the place where I grew up.  I mean really grew up.  The kind of growing up you do when you leave your childhood home.

I love its many neighborhoods. I love its downtown (ahem.....dahntahn). I love its sports teams.  I love its libraries, parks, museums, colleges and hospitals.  Sure, its winter is long and it always rains on the Three Rivers Arts Festival, but there are days of glorious sunshine, too.

I just wish it had a few cross stitch shops.  Then it would be perfect.

Today's stitching that I love comes from Meari, who completed Carol's Mystery Sampler and finished it as a lovely box. (Carol kindly posted a tutorial for the box completion, too)  Don't you just love needlework tools?  And don't you just love to have a wonderful place to store them?  I think this box finish by Meari is wonderful.  What showpiece for keeping your favorite things. 

Thanks Meari, for letting me use your photos!

Day 8

My brothers and sisters.

What's it like to be the oldest sibling in this motley crew?  I think the pictures say it all.  We can usually be caught smiling.  Well...Except when we're fighting.  But you'll see happy faces especially when one of us has a satisfied smile on her face because she was a good girl and looked at the camera when MomMom asked her to.  And because of that behavior she usually got the bigger doll from Santa.  It's good to be the Queen of the Siblings.

Today's stitching that I love is by Kay, over at Kay's Random World. Will you look at her progress on Flower Power?

Flower Power,  designed by Crossed Wing Collection

While I've never stitched any of these Crossed Wing charts, I've admired them for years.  I even have several...but I'll probably never stitch them.  That's why I enjoy seeing others working on them.  I don't know, maybe one day I'll start one.  Especially if stitchers like Kay keep inspiring me!

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

"You say, I break with thee... I break with thee.. I break with thee.. and then throw dog-poop on her shoes" (Steve Martin's Wild and Crazy Guy on SNL) 

February's SBQ is about break-ups.  Is there anything in your stash that you are ready to end your relationship with?  I know some of you never discard a project, but I certainly do!  I'll eventually decide that I've lost that loving feeling.  Enough is enough and I'll toss the whole thing in a bag as a give away.  

How about you?  Is there anything that's still calling (and emailing and texting) you, but you are SO not interested in it anymore.  (Wait...are we still talking needlework here?)  So write about it.  (Not him or her....that's a post for another day)  Take a picture too, if you'd like. 

Day 7

My S8.  Best car I've ever owned.  Hands down.  This car could fly.  And I looked damn good in it. 

Yes, that sentence was written in past tense. Once that first kid headed to college, it was inevitable that something had to go. I had to give up my favorite car for a station wagon.  But at least it was a fast station wagon.

OK, time for today's stitching that I love.  Don't we all adore stitching that has special meaning to us?  Sometimes I hold a piece of my grandmother's work and wonder if she had any idea that it would be so cherished.  And then I look at my work and wonder - Will my children feel the same tie to my stitching that I feel to my grandmother's work?  Will they keep the samplers or will they end up in the back of somebody's closet? 

But more importantly:  Will my samplers ever appear on the Twenty Second Century version of The Antiques Roadshow and have the appraisers and collectors salivating all over them?  And will my love affair with my own initials and dates provide outstanding provenance for my ancestors who will be waiting in long lines at the Roadshow, wearing the the Next Century version of Crocs and capri pants?

So, you know how when someone is on Antiques Roadshow and they have a collection of special items that are meaningful and sweet and just downright awesome?  Well, I always think of this collection of needlework.   I can just hear the appraisers talking about these!  The stitching in the collage below shows wedding anniversary gifts that our Anna  has made for her husband through the years.  I have no doubt that these are and will be cherished.

Can't you just see them all laid out on a table while one of her ancestors tells their story?  And the appraisers saying words like, "lovely" and "charming" and "excellent provenance".  Thanks, Anna for letting me use your photos.  And even though I've made them into a collage, please click HERE to go right to her blog post and see them individually.  Or you could see them as I first saw them - lining her stairway, or as she calls it, The Stairway to Heaven.

I kind of started doing the same thing for my daughter for Valentine's Day.  Except that mine are accepted happily as long as there is cash inside.  Somehow, it doesn't quite feel the same....(just kidding - I know my daughter loves them)

YIKES!  I missed the February SBQ!  Silly me!  Look for it soon.

Day 6

Ever wonder why I named my blog Lake Stitcher? You folks who have been here for a long time know why, but it's been a long time since I posted any pictures of the lake across the street from my house. I love this lake.    In fact, for years it was the focal point of my social life.  See that little sandy beach?  We'd spend all summer on that beach when the kids were little.  Usually just after nap time we mothers would start arriving with our kids and we'd hang out till suppertime...or even later if we'd all order pizza or bring food for a pot luck.  I made some life long friends while I was sitting on that beach.

Then as the kids got older, they would graduate to the "diving board side".  All summer long you'd hear the sound of the springboard - I still love that sound.  Then as they got older, maybe they'd be allowed to take a canoe or sailboat out onto the water.  The children loved the freedom of being on those boats and away from the grownups.  What they didn't know is how easily sound carries across the surface of the water and that we could hear most of what they were saying out there...

So - here's a Place that I Love:

Today's stitching that I love comes from Katrina, over at The Needle's Promise. I love it when stitchers take a wonderful design, like BBD's Christmas Garden, and make it their own.   She substituted an alphabet for the words "Christmas Garden" and I think she's made a lovely design even better.  As Katrina says, now it can be displayed all year, rather than only during Christmas.  Thanks Katrina, for allowing me to use your photo.

Oh, and don't you just love the scissor fob?

BBD's Christmas Garden as adapted by Katrina at The Needle's Promise

Day 5

I love both of these Moms! My mom is on the left and Dave's mom is on the right. I should tell you that this photo is quite a find. My mother in law is notoriously difficult about having her picture taken. She gets weird about it because she's always worried that she "never takes a good picture", so she's all nervous and unnatural when a camera comes out. I think we just got lucky with this picture, because she looks relaxed and just like her normal self.

I firmly believe that a big part of my life has involved the good fortune that's come my way. Starting with the good fortune of having a wonderful mom to raise me, then continuing with the good fortune of having such a terrific mother in law - I've been a very lucky girl.

Stitching that I love today is from the talented hands of Suzanne, over at Squazi & The Chickens.  She finished some beautiful Christmas ornaments a couple days ago, and this one is my favorite. (But you'll want to go visit Suzanne's blog and see all the others, too.)

I have this thing for red and white stitching, and this is a wonderful example of just the kind of red stitching that I love.  This sweet little pin pillow is a freebie designed by 123Citrouille.  And little red that button!  How perfect!

Day 4

When I was a young girl, my dad was in the Naval Reserves and he had to be away two weeks each year as part of his duties.  One year he was away for my birthday - it had to be when I was about 12 years old - and when he came home he had brought me this little porcelain egg.  It has always been one of my favorite things.  Then, fast forward to my 40th birthday, when Dad sent me 40 bright yellow daffodils.  They will always be one of my favorite flowers. I love their bright, sunny yellowness that pops out when the rest of my outdoor world is still brown and gray.  They just make me smile.

And as for stitching that I love today, this adorable little pincushion was stitched and finished by Sadie, over at Stitching up a Storm.

Sadie says it's from an older magazine, The World of Cross Stitching

Sometimes small and sweet is perfect!  And I love, love, love her little heart shaped pins.  Now, if I wanted to be really greedy, I would NOT tell you that Sadie is offering this as a giveaway gift on her blog.  I would tell you NOT to go over to Sadie's blog and enter, so that I have a better chance of winning.  *Sigh* But go over anyway.  It's too sweet to keep to myself.

Day Three

Time to switch things up a bit and tell you about a place that I love.  I visited San Francisco in 2009 and 2010, thanks to my son who had summer internships in Sequoia National Forest and in San Francisco Bay.  I loved it there.  It was such a vibrant and exciting city and I wish we had had more time to explore the area.  Like three or more months.  Of course, the cost of living out there would bankrupt me, but I'd go happily to debtors prison.  These are pictures of us doing all the touristy things.  And having a marvelous time, too.

Dave and I don't usually pose holding beers, but there was a very drunk lady in the bar who was dirty dancing all over some man.   She grabbed our camera and insisted that she take our picture, which was really just a ruse so that she could ask us to take a picture of her doing mildly pornographic things on the dance floor with her beau.  So if we look vaguely uncomfortable, now you know why.

Because my time there was so short, (and to be honest, I was a little intimidated by driving the highways out there. Maybe it was the lack of potholes.), I wasn't able go to Needle in a Haystack.  But I was able to visit Needlepoint, Inc. which is in the middle of the big shopping district downtown.  And I was treated to this - an amazing wall of silk.  Sadly, they were about to close, so I could only gawk and stare for a few short minutes.

OK, now on to my favorite stitching of the day!

A dear friend stitched this little ornament for me in a couple years ago. I love the color, I love the design and I love every little thing about it. Do you remember the Valentine smalls I showed you last week?  Well, this was what that Quaker heart was supposed to look like:

Lovely, n'est pas?

Day Two (and edited already)

You know, I'll bet there was a time in my blog writing life when you all were thinking, "Will she shut up about her kids, already??"  But boy-oh-boy, do I love these two.  If there was some weird time/space occurrence and I was told that I'd have to go back 25 years and raise these two kids again, I'd happily do it all over and I'd love every minute.

But don't let their smiles in these photos fool you.  Often it was because they were laughing at me.  Don't you hate it when your children join forces to make fun of you?  Those rotten kids.  Now that I think about it, maybe I don't like them so much.  But since I started this post and worked so hard on their photo collage, I'll show them to you anyway:

And Day 2 of Stitching that I Love:  Here is Nicole's latest sampler. Go here and you will see her post with more closeups and different angles and more info about the sampler. There is so much to love here.  Starting with all of those crazy bricks.  Then there are the ladies with the hands on their hips, the little foxes and the colorful birds.   

Thanks Nicole, for letting me share your latest finish!

The Scarlett House "Sarah Elizabeth Brooke", stitched by Nicole

** And later that day Faye finished her S.E.B, too! Go see Faye's version as well.

Day One

Well, here we are at Day One of the People, Places and Things that I Love Month of Blog Posts.  And you know that I have to start off with this guy.  Sure....I joke about him in my blog, but the fact is:  He's an all around wonderful man and I love our life together.  He actually doesn't mind that I poke fun at him, that's how good-natured he is.  And believe you me, he can give as good as he gets.  Sometimes I get a good zing in, but usually I'm the one being zinged.

The Many Seasons of Dave

And because this is really a stitching blog, I'm going to show you some stitching that I love, also.  Since my stitching output is rather pathetic lately, I'll probably pull from the daily feeds to my Google Reader. 

Today's lovely and lovable stitching comes from Carol, my friend over at Stitching Dreams.  This bit of stitching is one of my favorite January themed pieces.  It's tough to still be in a snowy mood after Christmas, but this little piece captures the beauty of January without continuing to pound us with holiday themes.  And as usual, Carol has stitched it beautifully.

January Monthly Series by Waxing Moon Designs

Finally, it seems that I'm not the only one who wants to talk about what they love. I got a note from my stitching bud over at Thread and Fabric and she's doing something similar.  Pop over there and say hello!

Gotta Get My Groove Back

Really.  It's been 18 days since I visited my own blog.  I thought I had lost my blogging groove earlier in the month.  Now I know that I did.

I'm blaming it on the pain medicine.  I take as little medicine as possible, because it makes me really, really stupid. I wish I was funny-stupid when I take that medicine,  But I'm boring stupid.  I've been doing things like standing in the grocery store in front of the Mac And Cheese display and staring at it for 15 minutes because there are too many choices.

OK, so...it seems that to get back a writing groove, one must simply write.  Just start.  And I've decided that I'm going to start with a self-created meme for February - you know, the month of love and Valentines.  So my plan is to write about things I love for the 28 days of February.

I'm calling it a month of People, Places and Things that I Love.  I tried to make an acronym of that, but it comes out PPTTIL, and if you try to say that it sounds like you're blowing raspberries at someone.  So we'll stick with the long version.

And don't think I'm going all sentimental on you, because I think my plan for March will be inspired by March Madness and will be 31 days of things that drive me crazy.  As in mad.  Get it?

While we're waiting for February to begin, you can look at three little Valentine smalls that I've been playing with in January.  I'm also working on a fourth and will have pictures eventually.

Thanks for visiting!

Where has it gone?

I can't find my blogging motivation.  I sure hope that one of you found it on your doorstep and now you're posting and stitching and taking pictures like a maniac.  I'd be very happy to know that it has found a good home, so if you have it, please let me know.

Sigh...

Anyways, I think it's interesting that almost all of the people who wrote or commented about their oldest charts or kits dated their answer to the early 80's, with one or two in the late 70's.  No one had anything older than that. 

I wonder where everyone was buying their needlework in those years.  Back then every Five and Dime had a little craft section.  You know - back when Five and Dimes existed, like Woolworths, Kresge's, Ben Franklin, Murphy's, and McCrory's, to name a few that I remember.  I even remember going to JCPenney's and buying a couple kits.  We could buy needlepoint, crewel embroidery, and stamped pillowcases, dishtowels and tablecloths in any one of those stores.  I don't remember many counted thread kits though.  Not until a Piece Goods store came to town in the mid-80's and my-oh-my, I thought I was in heaven.  I still have some of those Leisure Arts charts, which, by the way, is my answer to the SBQ.  My oldest chart is a bread cloth chart, bought in the early 80's.  I still love it.  I still love my bread cloths!  I've given away older ones, but I've always held on to the bread cloth charts.

Hey, does anyone remember the painted fabric kits for pillowcases and sheets, etc?  I remember that my mom and a set.  She had paint in tubes with roller balls - a lot like a ball point pen.  And she'd put her pillowcase in a hoop that had a solid center and she'd color over the X's.  That would have been in the 60's.  Does that ring a bell with anyone?

OK, enough of my trip down memory lane.  I have one lonely finish to show you - a gift for my walking buddy, who has a tuxedo cat.  She loved it.

From A Prairie Christmas, PS Book 10

Stitched with DMC on a scrap of unknown linen and backed with the fabric you see here.

Changed color of the kitty to black and gave him tuxedo markings.

Now it's time to decide if I should keep working on the Christmas stuff that I didn't finish in 2011, or put it away and give it a good effort next year.  I don't know...Christmas seems so DONE.  But I also need to feel like I've finished something. 

Decisions, decisions.