March brings some changes, some stitching and a little bit of shop hopping.

 

Winds of March, we welcome you. 

There is work for you to do. 

Work and play and blow all day, 

Blow the Winter cold away!

A whole new month and endless possibility awaits us.  I finally had the biopsy done on Wednesday the 26th of February, now I wait for the results.  I can not believe how long this has all taken and still no answers since July. 

The week prior to the biopsy I was supposed to have a consult with a specialist in high risk patients for him to do a D&C to do the biopsy, however, after examining me the doctor said he could do the biopsy in the office and we both wondered aloud why my Gyn didn't just reschedule the biopsy in his office after the PA could not do it. (because the office person told me to take the medication before the procedure, however I took the medication before the ultrasound which the office called to remind me to take the pill that night.)

Well the biopsy is done, results pending and I can honestly say I will be pissed off if I have to go back for a D&C when it could have been done already.  So my thought is if I have cancer catching it early doesn't seem to matter when you have to wait 7 months for a consult.  On a happier note I finished crocheting 1 of the 2 baby blankets I am making for the twins my daughter in law's cousin just had.

This turned out just lovely the yarn and the colors are so soft. Yes that is a pale gray which I never 

imagined I would use if a baby blanket but it just works well for a boy.  The other blanket is for a girl and will include pink.  I am crocheting like a fiend so I can send them off to Switzerland where the mother lives.

I just order the Bunnies fabric panel from Spoonflower, I had the hardest time waiting for the site to open after searching, I had to use a 3rd browser to finally place the order.

The panel was only available in green, I plan to use spring colors to embroider the motifs.

I have 2 new embroidery stick and peel kits from Missouri Star quilts.  The Sweet Meadow was a gift from a friend and I purchased the Ingrid's Wildflowers 2nd edition.

The original Ingrid's Wildflower kit comes in a collectible tin.

I have been tossing around ideas what type of fabric to stitch the wildflowers on.  I keep changing my mind from a vintage tablecloth, little individual blocks for a quilt or slow stitch piece, or on a garment. A dress or jacket.  I will figure it out eventually.

Today is the start of the All Florida Shop Hop, below are the shops I plan to visit first.  

We have finally found a warehouse for our online business and are in the process of moving things from the house to the warehouse.

My son and daughter in law before the first boxes were moved in.  I'm not participating in the move I just took the photo.  Once everything is in place I will continue fulfilling out customers orders at the warehouse. We have been looking for a warehouse for nearly 2 years and finally found this one about 10 minutes from the house.  It will be an adjustment to go out to work everyday and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. I do know it will be nice not to have boxes of inventory in my kitchen, living room etc.  Once we are settled into the warehouse, I plan to move into a much smaller home. Something more manageable for me and my cat Simon.  I have looked at a few places in 55+  communities and the search will continue pending my biopsy results and being moved into the warehouse.

In the meantime, I have stitching to do and a few more articles to read in the winter issue of Embroidery

magazine.

I hope March brings you all good things and the early stirrings of Spring here in the northern hemisphere, and the signs of autumn in the southern hemisphere. 

Slow Sunday Stitching The Winter Goddess

Another month moving at a rapid speed, it seems like only yesterday I was light a candle for Imbolc and here we are half way through another.

The days are growing noticeably longer which is a sure sign Spring is on her way which I am looking forward to.  

I finally had the time and energy to begin the Slow Stitch Winter goddess piece after gathering fabric scraps nearly a week ago.  I laid out the arrangement and pin each piece down on the backing fabric where I had traced the goddess template. This is the easy part of creating one of these goddess pieces.

For the winter goddess I am using fabric in the colors of the winter skies I see throughout the winter months here in Florida. Here is the fabrics pinned down.

This time the fabric scraps were not placed randomly, I selected each piece changing the layout and the colors until I liked what I saw. I pinned every piece down before I began to stitch.

I would first stitch each piece down across the center to be sure each piece was attached to the backing fabric, then I stitched around the traced line of the template from the back of the fabric so I know where my cut line will be once all the the stitching is complete.  I usually stitch horizontal and vertical lines of running stitch through the entire piece.

I'm just glad I have all the pieces in place once all the stitching is done I will cut her off the backing fabric and attached her to the background fabric and the embellishments can begin.  It's a slow process.  

I will be linking my post today at Kathy's Quilts for the Slow Sunday Stitching where you can see what Kathy and other bloggers are slow stitch this week:

 https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2025/02/slow-sunday-stitching.html

I have another wonderful embroidery kit from Missouri Star Quilts Company, as soon as I laid eyes on the Garden Friends kit I knew I had to have it.  It includes everything you need except the fabric. At first I thought I would just use the stick and stitch pieces on different embroideries but the more I looked at the pattern booklet and saw the set in my newsletters I bought the fabric kit as well.

The embroidery kit includes: 10 Missouri Star Perle Cotton 10-oz floss colors and 140 pre-printed Missouri Star Peel & Stitch designs,  7” birch wood hoop, embroidery scissors, two needles (#3 and #6), a needle threader, and a magnetic needle minder (1”).  

The Fabric kit includes:  Includes the quilt pattern, a large hexagon acrylic template, 99 precut 10” squares— Essex Yarn Dye Curry. Essex Ivory, Robert Kaufman Essex Natural and 5/8 yard of Essex Natural by Robert Kaufman for binding.  

I planned to make this Radiating Golden layout when I first saw the kit,  now as I look at the other layout I may wind up making it.  

The fabric kit is also available in denim colorway. The fabric kit includes everything you need to make a  62” x 76 1/2” quilt.

There is also video tutorials for the kits, and if you purchase the kit through the website you can get the designs in a PDF. Photos of the kits and quilts from the Shops website. I am not affiliated with the company I'm just a very satisfied customer.

Here is a link the the kits page: https://www.missouriquiltco.com/pages/garden-friends-embroidery-kit

This week I am reading the newest book in the China Bayle mystery series, this is book 29 in the series by Susan Wittig Albert

I had my consultation in Gainesville on Thursday after waiting 5 months for the appointment to set up a D&C so they can do the biopsy the other office couldn't do because of a miscommunication of a pill I was supposed to take before the procedure that could have been done in the office.  I was told to take it before the ultra sound which was wrong.  Anyway, this doctor is going to do the biopsy in his office, has given me proper instructions of when to take the medications so that I can hopefully avoid a hospital out patient surgery.  This is all fine and dandy but I am a bit miffed at why my doctor could just reschedule the biopsy for another time, on the record it just states it couldn't be done, so the doctor never inquired what happened with the Physician Assistant. 

I initially had to have the consult because I am high risk due to the blood thinners and my Gyn didn't want me to have the D&C at out local hospital.  Makes one wonder doesn't it?

Somedays just surprise you.

Well we are 22 days into 2025 and yesterday we had significant snowfall in the northern parts of Florida.  Here in Marion County we had freezing rain and sleet.  I was almost tempted to drive to Pensacola to have a romp in the snow but this is Florida and I'm sure the roadways were chaotic and I'm too old to avoid persons who can't drive in the snow.  The photo from a friend in Tallahassee.

Happy New Year and Welcome January!

 

My first walk of 2025 stepping out my front door I found my first feather, after 5 years here and the hundreds of birds that visit the feeders it was such a pleasant surprise to see the feather.

Today I started my first slow stitch project for 2025 it to be a Goddess journal cover. 

The 2 little goddess pieces were completed on New Years Eve 2024, they may be added to the journal as pockets.

Merry Christmas!

 

Happy Winter Solstice!

 

Slow Sunday Stitching

 Oh my goddess it's the 8th of December!  I've been so busy with the shops I have barely had time to lift my head to take a breath.  We have had a cold snap this week with temperatures dropping to the low 30's, its been warming up a little but for some reason I feel cold all day.  

This year I'm finding dealing with the  A-Fib while pulling and packing items to be a bit of a challenge. I have had to get a little creative with my time and energy.  Taking short catch your breath moments and stop and wait for the heart rate to slow down seems to be working. Mondays are the hardest days because I am packing stuff from Friday evening through the 8:00 am Monday cut off time.  

This weekend I am working throughout the weekend taking a small amount of time for myself.  I am so glad there is only 2 weeks lefts before Christmas. 

The one good thing about all this is I am determined to find a doctor that specializes in Atrial Fibrillation so that  maybe something can be done to improve the condition.  I have done a bit of research and there are procedures and medications used for some people, I just don't know if there is anything for someone that is considered 100% in A-FIB.  I need to know more.  While I have a medication to prevent me from having a stroke, and a very over priced med at that.  I need a way to function in my day to day life.  I want to make my bed without feeling like I should take a nap.  I want to take a nice long walk with out feeling exhausted for days.  I want to do more than sit and read a book or stitch some embroidery, while I love those things I want to be more active again without needing days to recover. Because as I see it lately this is not living, I feel myself getting depressed and I'm not having that right now.

On an up note I finished the last block of the Woven Wreaths Stitch Along,  I enjoyed stitching these little motifs through the year.  Here is December:

I did a little more on the autumn goddess slow stitched piece, adding and oak leaves and acorns headpiece, some drifting leaves and an owl.

I stitched an oak and acorns piece and added it to the top corner, later today I plan to add a few more drifting leaves and a few other bits.  I will link my post to Kathy's Quilts for the Sunday slow stitching here is the link: https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2024/12/slow-sunday-stitching_01163368706.html 

I am currently reading The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan.  I am enjoying this book so much.

Here is a little peek inside the covers:

I love the hand written pages and sketches of the birds so much I am inspired to start a nature journal for 2025.  

I have come to a major decision for me, this year is the last year I will keep a personal written journal.  I'm 69 years old and my first diary/journal I began when I was 9. Sixty years of keeping a personal journal is long enough. 

Anyway time to post so I can have some lunch and then start packing stuff for Monday's shipping.