A Finish-Finish

When I finished "The Boys Are Back in Town" last fall, I intended to frame it in a frame. I made a trip to both Hobby Lobby and Michael's; I found nothing I liked. So I decided to make it into a stand-up and here it is.

Friday WIP update

I spent yesterday afternoon covering a paper mache` box with fabric and then lining it with fancy paper. I got the idea and the instructions from the Blackbird Designs blog. You will need to start with the October 27th post, then read Part Two on the October 28th post. The post on October 29th is also helpful. The PVA glue used can be found and ordered from Paper Source.

And I can't post a picture until after next weekend's IH35 Stitchtogether as it is my turn to bring the door prize and the box will be part of it. So y'all will just have to wait.

Here is my WIP. Confetti stitches are such a pain. The main thing I dislike about them is they slow things down so much. You can sit and stitch for an hour and only have 15 or 20 stitches done. Oh well. Any progress is progress.

Knicker Knotter or not?

Do you attach your ego to the things you stitch for others? When you give stitched gifts, do you attach strings to them?

When I stitch a gift for someone, the fun for me is in the creation. Once I give it to the person, I figure that since it now belongs to them, they can do what they want with it. This includes using it as flooring in the birdcage, giving it to the local thrift store, or selling it in their next garage sale.

And yes, I'd rather that they not do those things, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it if they do. It's theirs. I gave it to them. It's no longer mine.

If I have given them something to hang on the wall and I don't later see it displayed in their home, I don't stress over it. I certainly wouldn't ask them why it wasn't hanging on a wall!

Apparently, some folks don't have this attitude with their stitchy gifts. They become all offended if someone doesn't appreciate the gift to the fullest extent. "Fullest extent" is defined peculiar to the person saying it. These folks have attached their egos to their stitching and it can be very painful for them. It can be very annoying to the gift's recipient.

Strings are another thing, "I'll give this to Aunt Frances, but only if she hangs it in the guest bedroom instead of that hideous painting she has in there now!" Never mind that Aunt Frances likes the painting hanging in her guest room and really doesn't care for the item stitched for her. This is decorating other folks' homes for them; most folks don't care for this - I know I don't.

While people usually appreciate the thought of the gift, it may not tickle their fancy even if you try real hard to stitch something you think they'd like. They can't really return it like they can a too-small sweater. And expecting them to display it prominently in their home or use it or wear it if they don't like it is kind of like holding someone hostage to me. It's that ego thing again.

It's a gift. Let it go! Give it freely! Don't attach your ego to it! And you'll add years to your life and save yourself untold aggravation. At least that's the way I see it.

Weekend happenings

On Saturday, DH and I attended the memorial service for my DSisIL's mother who went home to be with her Lord last week. It was a blessing to hear Mrs. D.'s children "...rise up and bless her." Mr. D. also gave a moving tribute to his wife of over 50 years. The two of them spent 42 years in Papua New Guinea serving as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. They translated the New Testament of the Bible into the native language of two different tribes of people. But Mrs. D's greatest accomplishment was knowing, trusting, and serving her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Sunday afternoon found DH and I cutting and stacking firewood. (Yes, we got out the tractor and used it.) We managed to fill the wood rack; it holds a rick of wood. After that, we watched what was left of the Jets/Colts game and then cheered on the Saints over the Vikings. Geaux Saints!

Today I hope to get in a lot of stitching in between loads of laundry.

WIP update

Here's my WIP. Yeah, it's wrinkled; I stitch with a hoop.

Winter...

...is happening somewhere else today. It's in the 70's and I'm running around in shorts, a t-shirt, and no shoes. I'm a happy camper.

I finished the never-ending border on the BAP. I'll post a picture tomorrow.

This afternoon I had to give Emma a bath as she was exuding an odor somewhat like funky socks that a teenage boy had worn at summer camp in south Texas in August for five days in a row.

There are two kinds of Jack Russell terriers - those with smooth coats and those with rough coats. Emma is a rough coat. She has an outer coat of longish hair and an undercoat of denser fur. We leave her hair long in the winter, but it sure makes getting her dry a pain. When she gets a haircut, she ends up looking like a smooth coat Jack Russell terrier.

Both kinds of Jacks shed like mad. After I get her as towel-dried as I can, I take her outside and brush her. This gets a lot of loose hair off her (and usually onto me!). I brush her hair against the grain to help dry the undercoat. She doesn't mind at all. She does look pretty after a bath and brushing. For a while.

What, you don't have a pile of construction stuff and boxes of shotgun shells by your front door? Why not?! (And while the shells may be by the front door, the guns themselves are under lock and key.)

You paid how much???

A while back, I bought all four patterns for the "Crabby All Year" series by Raise the Roof Designs. I had seen it on their website and thought it was right up my alley. I failed to notice that it had eleventy-billion expensive-but-cute JABC buttons.

At first I thought I'd just leave them off and stitch something in their place. Then I saw it stitched up on Daffycat's blog and really liked how well the buttons added to the design. So I gave in and decided to buy them.

I went in search of them on the Internet. I found sales in several online needlework stores, but shipping was a bit high, and I wanted to get them at a tightwad price. On a whim, I went to eBay. I found them new at about 25% off through a "stitchy" eBayer and shipping was very reasonable.

While adorable, the dang buttons were still over $45.00 bucks, though. *NOTE TO SELF - check all patterns for expensive buttons before buying them!*