Let the beading begin...

I must admit I have been absent from blog writing as well as blog following.   I get so inspired by what all you crafty peeps do so I have a lot of catching up to do......

Myself, I have been busy.   Seasons change and it means getting things brought in line.   September - whether you have children in school or not - is a transitional month with pools to be covered, flowers to be deadheaded, lawn furniture to be stowed, and trying to get excused from jury duty (you think they will accept my need to attend a cross stitch retreat on Ocean City, MD as a legitimate need?  I hope so!) ......so not much stitching or blogging.

Virginia Beach, Virginia

My ocean view for the week

I did take a little end of summer va-ca to Virginia Beach, VA - I have never been before but I am sure I will visit there again.   So beautiful, so clean....good food, a little sand and see time, good fun.   I find I am drawn to the sea/water for its calming and rejuvenating qualities....the need to be near water must be my Norwegian heritage coming out.

This was my morning view at the beginning of the week

Sunrise with a nice cup of hot, black coffee from my balcony

and then the same time on Friday morning......boo hiss!

My commute.....still with coffee!

But alas, it is all good.   My travel buddy is not a stitcher or crafter so we read and walked the boards and just had a nice end to the summer..... and discussed our next trip in January.

I have finished the stitching on my 15-sided biscournu and am now working on the assembly.

All stitched with threads pulled for cutting guidelines.

Iron-on interfacing added

Of course NOW I see where I missed a stitch.

Top five and five for sides stitched.

Bottom five.

  

Almost done......

I only have to stuff the biscouru and stitch it closed and then add some buttons and beads around the edges.  Today I hope to clean the house and pick up the yard and then head off to the city for the night with my daughter and then we will be off to a quilt show in the morning.....I hope to be able to pick up some crushed walnut shells for my stuffing.   I prefer it over fiber fill because I like the weight and movement you get from the crushed shells.

For now, bank and Post Office and house cleaning...............which I hope to accomplish quickly to I can enjoy the yard work in the yard.

My needle is on fire

Everyone is posting less this time of year....myself included......must be like me....enjoying the outdoors and yard projects.   Here's a quick catch up of the last four weeks -

• started and have finished 9 of 15 of my 15 sided biscournu
• making progress on Heart of America
• painted both sides of the 3 metal entry doors to Mr. W.'s garage - yuck, oil based paint
• Mr. W got home (which disrupted everything! LOL.
• signed up for a retreat in Ocean City MD in October
• booked a cruise for January - me and Diane in Aruba!
• weeded through my paperwork and the older household paperwork
• working on setting up a Mr. W. friendly file system for the current files
• read The Tea Rose
• finished reading Little Women
• read Out of Mormanism
• started reading The Winter Rose
• enjoying my vegetable garden which has morphed into an overgrown mess
• made arrangments with a solar company for an estimate
• dealing with MOLES in my backyard - anyone have a sure fired trick?
• enjoying the pool
• had a fabulous review from my boss (first one in 5 years! a review, that is, because of course it would be fabulous)
• building up time and speed on the treadmill
• trying to fathom what it would be like if Mr. W retires.  His Co. is rumored to be making one of those buy-out offers and he says with 39 1/2 years service he won't be able to pass it up.  (he'd better take up a hobby if he does - preferably gourmet cooking...lol)
• riding my bike
• contemplating some online (or maybe local college) courses

Here's my stitching progress and a little aside.  I set a self-imposed goal to complete this by my EGA meeting in September to add it to the WIP Contest we are having.    I made the visual survey of the pattern thinking I will have to really push that needle to complete it.  

Only a week later when I  looked at the color pattern did I realize the alphabet at the bottom of the pattern was only for charting purposes.   Yeah!  Silly me, I had wrongly assumed it was like a sampler with the alphabet and numbers across the bottom.   I am so glad I made that incorrect assumption because now I have my needle on fire knowing  I can get this puppy moved to the finished column by the September meeting.

Number 9 of 15 biscournu squares.   This is my carry-along stitching project with most stitching done pool-side at work at lunchtime.  (Yes, we have a beautiful Olympic sized pool and gorgeous grounds in the back courtyard area of our campus for employees and their family.  Spoiled on all sides aren't I?)

Signals

We all have those triggers that signal the start or end of something.....my signal that summer is drawing to a close is Mr. W. will be back tomorrow.   For now he has arrived safe and sound to NJ after 700 miles from Indianapolis.  He will make the trip of the last hour home  tomorrow afternoon and then I will get to hear all the war stories.    The group he travels with  ended 20th in the world out of 50 to 60 drum corps and that is after the elimination of their division a couple of years back when they were bumped up to compete with the big boys.   Not a bad year.   The kids are happy and the director is pleased.   Now it is time for them to decompress!

Summer is drawing to a close.  Mr. W. will put the pool cover on before I know it!  And we will all settle in for those crisp fall days, crunching leaves under our footsteps and warm cups of cider.   Ahhh.  But wait, one last hooray!  I am off to a relaxing week in Virginia Beach with girlfriends after Labor Day.   Our hotel is on the boardwalk. I have never been to VA Beach and am so looking forward to it!    Stitching will be taken even if I will be with non-stitchers! as well as my Kindle to catch up on some reading while on the beach and it will be heaven.....

Here's what I have been working on.....I have 8 of the 15 sides to the biscournu completed.   I have to say I am surprised at how much FUN this really really is! 

I managed to get two sections done today while enjoying a beautiful afternoon and girl time in Philadelphia with my daughter.  It  needs to be completed by my October guild meeting and I see no problem with making the deadline.  

 (Thanks Pat...you always told it was enjoyable.)   It is a challenge to plot the path in and out and I am enjoying that challenge!  

Also, been trying to make some progress on Heart of America from LHN.   I have it in my sites to be done by the end of August.....I will really need to make the needle fly from 5:30 to 6:30 each morning!  (If only there was a way to stitch and be on the treadmill....hmmmm.  Methinks that could only end in disaster.)     I am close and if I stitch on it exclusively....I can do it!

Lastly, Heather, my daughter, gave me this gem today.   Funny thing is I gave it to her years ago when a friend was moving and getting rid of things......now full circle and back to me.   

I am going to get my LHN on it tonight to try it which will mean if it works my other frame will be open for my Ellen Chester Class piece.........promises not to start it until LHN Heart of America is done and ready for the framer.

Happy stitching all, enjoy your remaining days of summer and hopefully, in the near future, I will have another finish to share as well as a framed piece to share.