Last Post of 2020 and Looking Ahead

 It's December 31st, New Year's Eve 2020, the last day of the year and my last post for the year. It has been a rough 2020 for all of us, and for me personally one that presented health problems just when the world was closing down so to speak. I am no closer to answers than I was in March of 2020, but I can happily say I am having some better days, I will not be sorry to see 2020 go quietly into that good, good night.

Some of my plans for 2021 will be rather home oriented while I regain my health and strength, however, I would like to venture out and be a bit more social all the while remaining cautious with continued face mask wearing and social distancing.

 On the creative side of things for 2021 I plan to do a hand embroidery project where I will embroider a Goddess a month. I have the first goddess prepared she will be done on 100% cotton tone of tone fabric, using DMC Coloris floss 4509.

I will be making other projects throughout the year and also taking part in the 2021 Journal Threaders Facebook group, is anyone else taking part in the Journal Threaders 2021 project? If you are interested here is a link https://www.facebook.com/groups/journalthreaders/

Speaking of Goddesses, I bought this lovely drawstring goddess bag from Penny (@janeandlouise) it's perfect, I ordered the 8x10 size and left the color option to be surprised when I opened the package I was thrilled to see purple, my power color. https://www.instagram.com/janeandlouise/ 

Well that's all for now, I will leave you with an image from Inge Look one of my favorite illustrators.

Wishing You All a Safe and Happy New Year

The Last Slow Stitching Sunday of 2020

 Well we made it through to the last Sunday of the year, which brings me to my last Slow Sunday Stitching post of 2020.  It's been a rough year for all of us and for many of us slow stitching helped keep us sane.  Each week whether I had something to post or not I would pop onto Kathy's Quilts to check out what Kathy and other bloggers were stitching.  Click the link and have a look for yourself, there are so many talented bloggers out there. https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/12/slow-sunday-stitching_27.html

I have completed the stitching of the little reindeer pattern I posted about last week, the pattern is from Hook Line & Tinker.  I used DMC 6 strand floss 820. This photo was taken before I washed off the Pellon Stick and Wash Away product.

On Christmas Eve I began stitching one in red, using DMC 6 strand floss 321, I finished stitching it some time on Christmas Day, and this one needed the stitch and wash product washed off as well but I wanted a photo first.  

I was actually thinking of doing another one in green floss but maybe next year.  I love the simplicity of the pattern and how it reminds me of folk art.  The designer of the pattern describes it as Inspired by the simplicity of Scandinavian design, this holiday reindeer pattern is perfect year-round.  I decided to use the stitch and wash product rather than trace it on the light box because I was just plain lazy and wanted to get stitching.  The blue one took me nearly a week to stitch, after not stitching for a while my fingers were quite sore after the first hour of stitching. 

I will be linking my post at Kathy's Quilts for the last Slow Sunday Stitching post of 2020, here is the link to https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/12/slow-sunday-stitching_27.html

I am sending a big thank you for stopping by and reading my blog and leaving a comment. Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year!

Happy Winter Solstice

 This Winter Solstice the sun has yet to make an appearance, though he is hidden among the sky, so until the Sun makes his appearance later today I have a few in my garden that stand sentinel year round.

 

A little stitiching is under way

 I started a new hand embroidery piece this week while waiting for my CTA scan appointment, it's a lovely reindeer pattern by Hook Line & Tinker.

It will be stitched entirely using DMC 6 strand floss 820.  I am doing some of my stitches a little different from the designer's work simply because I struggle with some stitches lately. Here is my progress so far

I am planning to make one using all red floss as well.  This pattern caught my eye when it showed up in my Instagram feed a few days ago and just knew I had to have it and as luck would have it a digital pattern was available. https://hooklinetinker.com/ She has a few other patterns I plan to buy next but for now this one will keep me busy.

I am linking my post to Kathy's Quilts here https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/12/slow-sunday-stitching_20.html

Things get pretty hectic around here this time of the year with trips to the post office and unloading new inventory to get it listed as soon as possible.  Luckily my son and his bride to be have been quite helpful.  We will be closing the shops at end of day on the 23rd and remain closed until the New Year.  With the delays in postal shipping causing all kinds of havoc I won't be sorry to see this season of shopping over with. 

Recently USPS posted a notice on their website in all caps saying: "ALERT: USPS IS EXPERIENCING UNPRECEDENTED PACKAGE INCREASES AND LIMITED EMPLOYEE AVAILABILITY DUE TO THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19. WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND REMAIN COMMITTED TO DELIVERING THE HOLIDAYS TO YOU."

Anyway, here's hoping the next few days finds everyone stitching away the stress of the last few months and looking forward to the holidays with joy in your hearts and dreams for the New Year.

This is what I am dreaming about:

And here is  my reality:

One of my all time favorite poets

 

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

By Robert Frost - 1874-1963

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Artist Susan Jeffers

 

Seaglass

 I want to age like sea glass.

Smoothed by tides,

but not broken.

I want my hard edges to soften.

I want to ride the waves

and go with the flow.

I want to catch a wave

and let it carry me

to where I belong.

I want to be picked up

and held gently by

those who delight in my

well earned patina and

appreciate the changes I went

through to achieve that beauty.

I want to enjoy the journey

and always remember that if

you give the ocean something

breakable it will turn it into

something beautiful.

I want to age like sea glass.

~ Bernadette Noll ~

November's last Slow Sunday Stitching

 

Sunday, the last before December, is it my imagination or did this month just fly by? Maybe it’s just me but when I was a child the month of November seemed to drag on perhaps in anticipation of knowing that December brought the long winter break from school and endless hours of playing in the snow and Christmas.

I’m happy to say I finished the stitching on the other Autumn piece I was slowly working on, here are a few shots I took before I ironed it.

The bottom photo shows the piece after the stitch and wash away product was removed, the photo above it shows it still in place.  The photo below is the original piece which is beautiful but for me filling in the pumpkin, flowers, and leaves just isn't in my skill set.

I'm happy with the results and I think it complements my other Autumn piece quite nicely. For me I am just pleased to have them both done so now I can move forward and start something for winter.

I will be linking my post to Kathy's Quilts for the Slow Sunday Stitching here is the link take a look and see what other bloggers are stitching perhaps even link up what you are working on.

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/11/slow-sunday-stitching_29.html

Thanksgiving was a rather quiet gathering with me being sick most days my sister her, husband and little Tessa came by for dessert.  Not having much of an appetite I did not want to commit to going to dinner too many days I eat crackers and tea. It was easy to serve dessert and pack it up for them to take home. My sister did bring me turkey dinner including my beloved slice of can cranberry sauce. It was good to see them, I hadn't seen them since Tessa's birthday in February. Tessa who is nearly 8 has expressed an interest in learning to sew, crochet and embroider so hopefully I will be well enough to teach her soon.

Preparations for the Yuletide season will soon be underway nothing is rushed as decorations are added here and there as the days pass. Most years here in Florida it’s hard to tell whether Autumn actually arrived, this year though we had quite a few cool mornings when the comforter on the bed made for a toasty sleep. For the most part Winter comes upon us quite slowly and less noticeable than Autumn's arrival, so to get the feeling of winter Yuletide season decorations do help. More on that subject to come.

I will close my post with a photo posted by a friend on my Facebook page it brought a smile to my face. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Hello November! I've been waiting for you

Can you believe it's November, I have been waiting for quite some time for this month to arrive and with it some cooler weather, I hope.

Things have been moving along on the health front and I don't need to have my gallbladder out, the latest test has shown my gallbladder is no longer at 1% , it has increased to 40% and anything over 35 is consider normal.  I'm relieved that I don't have to have surgery and also worried what next.  On the upside while fasting for the last two test I noticed that my stomach wasn't in pain as it normally was I couldn't take anything by mouth so I had to wait a few hours before I could take my daily medications, but as soon as I took the one medication, the pain was back and the nausea increased on the day of the first test, a few days later when I once again had to wait I decided to only take my blood pressure medication, the pill that was to cut the stomach acids stayed in the bottle, I have been pain free ever since.  I dis a little reading and found the pill was only t be taken 2-3 weeks, I had been taking it for over 6 months.  I have a new doctor and soon I hope to have more answers, but for now to be pain free after 8 months of misery is a good thing.

On the Slow Stitching side of life I have been able to do more hand embroidery and sitting up longer with each passing day.  I finished the Give Thanks piece, it needs to be pressed, I think I will use it for a table topper.

I started another autumn piece a free pattern from EGA  https://egausa.org/free-pumpkin-embroidery-project-stitch-floral/  I was slow to start but yesterday I made quite a bit of progress shown in these photos.

I am doing my project differently from the original, I am not doing all of the satin stitching as shown in 

the photo. As beautiful as it is my skill with my needle while I have been ill has left me quite apprehensive, I was going to stitch it as a Redwork piece using either brown or orange floss but then decided I wanted Fall colors.  I will be linking my post to Kathy's Quilts today right here:

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/11/slow-sunday-stitching.html check out what other talented bloggers are slow stitching today.

I have always loved the November of my youth back home in New Jersey the air was crisp and clear most days, the leaves still on the trees were colorful and the ones on the ground were curled and the sound of them crunching beneath my feet sounded magical.  I explored the woods for hours picking up acorns and pinecones, a few colorful leaves and brought them home, many times pressing the leaves with a hot iron between pieces of waxed paper.  When I first moved to Florida a dear late friend would send me a box of fall leaves each autumn and when I opened that box all those childhood memories came rushing back and for a few moments I did not feel so homesick for the seasonal change.

At 65, I still miss each turn of the season when the autumn comes around and perhaps it's the reason I love stitching autumn designs so I can surround myself with those rich warm colors of a Fall I know isn't visible here in Florida.

This week I am happy to say my appetite has increased and my taste for foods have once again awakened, for the first time I made Butternut squash, I came across a recipe for a tart made from it but avoiding a sweet dish I opted to roast it in the over, oh my goodness it tasted so good.  Now I have had butternut squash from the frozen food section of the grocery store, but I have never cooked it fresh all I can say is what a difference.  I bought another one to make later in the week.  Yesterday I cooked or should I say roasted rutabaga, as I child I remember them gracing our Thanksgiving table every year, my mother loved them, to me they were ok, right along with brussel sprouts, both vegetables I love today.  My mother always mashed the rutabaga just like she mashed potatoes and when I cooked them as an adult it's how I made them until yesterday when I decided to roast them, they were quite good and mild in flavor, not the bitter taste when they were mashed.  Who knew at age 65 I would find a new food and a new way to prepare it. Life is good.  

Happy Halloween

 

Slow Stitching on a Rainy Sunday

 More stitching progress on the Give Thanks piece I am embroidering. The leaves and birds are complete, I hope to have the words done early this week or perhaps today if all goes well.

 The weather changed this week as the month of October began, the mornings were cool and dry and love 60's I love the cool dry air with a slight breeze promising cooler days to come.  We have had a mostly cloudy day yesterday and today we have rain which saves me dragging out the watering can.

I'm nearly done with the Give Thanks piece and trying to decide what to stitch next. Today I'm going to join Kathy's Quilts link party and take a look at what other talented bloggers and stitchers are making. Here is the link: https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/10/slow-sunday-stitching.html

 

The old threads are unraveling,

Get your needles ready.

We are stitching a new quilt

of Humanity.

Bring your old t-shirts,

worn out jeans, scarves,

antique gowns, aprons,

old pockets of plenty

who have held Earth's treasures,

stones, feathers, leaves,

love notes on paper.

Each stitch

A mindful meditation.

Each piece of material

A story.

The more colour the better,

so call in the Tribes.

Threads of browns, whites,

reds, oranges

Women from all nations

start stitching.

Let's recycle the hate, the abuse,

the fear, the judgment.

Turn it over, wash it clean,

ring it out to dry.

It's a revolution

of recycled wears.

Threads of greens, blues, purples

Colourful threads

of peace, kindness,

respect, compassion

are being stitched

from one continent to the next

over forests, oceans, mountains.

The work is hard

Your fingers may bleed.

But each cloth stitched together

Brings together a community.

A world, our future world

Under one colourful quilt.

The new quilt of humanity.

~ Julia Myers

Artist: Paula Nicho Cumez

The Last Sunset for September 2020

 The last sunset of September 2020, after a perfect day of sunshine the temp early this morning was 61 and in the upper 70's for most of the day a perfect autumn day.  On the up side of things the Covid 19 test was Negative. 

 I finally heard back from the surgeon's office, I'm scheduled for 2 more test procedures on the 14th and 19th of October to check the stomach function and stomach enzymes. The surgeon wants to be sure the stomach is in working order before he removes the gallbladder just in case the stomach is the culprit and not the gallbladder.  Yesterday marked 6 months since my first stay in the hospital because of this abdominal pain.