With A Bit Of Luck...

I completed more of the body for my Monarch. I should finish it today. I can't wait to show you what comes next!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow, so I can share more of my progress and how I wrap up this part of the project.

Still Winging It...

I got in a bit more stitching yesterday. I sat down between loads of laundry, and enjoyed my dining room view while sheets dried on the line.

I'm working out all the edges and black sections now, and will again finish with the monarch oranges. Perhaps I'll get to that today after this morning's PT session. (I'm sure hoping so.)

What is especially fun is stitching these colors as I watch at least a half dozen Baltimore orioles (same coloration) flying past the windows to the grape jelly feeders I fill daily for them. I'll try to get a few photos of them soon.

 

Another Color Block Done...

I finished another orange color block yesterday. The rest of this week is going to be busy, but I'll work on this as I'm able.

I have work today, two appointments tomorrow, classmate dinner on a Thursday this month, and then work again on Friday. Whew! Seems like a lot when I put it all out there. Almost "social butterfly" status! lol (Well, for this week, anyway.)

I'll still be sharing other fun things this week that might interest you, so I'll see you tomorrow!

 

Shopping Our Pantry...

 

After a (for me) long day of work, all I really want to do is make a cup of tea and put my feet up, but (thankfully), I don't live alone. 

I always make that cup of tea (right after I change clothes into something comfortable), but I know that making (or helping make) dinner is also on the agenda. So, if I don't bring dinner home with me, the next best thing is to shop my pantry. It's for times like these that my/our canning efforts seem so worthwhile.

Last night, all I had to do was thaw out a few frozen shrimp, boil fettuccini noodles, and heat a jar of the Alfredo sauce I canned last winter. Add a few heat n' serve rolls, and in less than a half hour, dinner was served.

It was delicious, too, thanks to the great recipes I've gleaned from the channels I follow on Facebook or Instagram. I'm so grateful for the women who unselfishly share their knowledge and recipes. That's why I'm always happy to share what I find.

Handsome did cleanup last night, so I thanked him and went to bed early. My plan today is to work more on my monarch. I'm looking forward to making some progress on the first wing. Plus, the restful act of putting needle and thread to fabric is just what I need. I'll share an update tomorrow  

Okay, You Win...

I've been saving images of Monarch butterflies (among other things) in my "inspiration" binder since Lexington. Yesterday, I pulled them out of the binder, and took the silk thread assortment out of my silk thread cabinet. Yes. I have a cabinet full of only silks. (It's actually a jewelry chest, and I'll share a post about that another time.)

I'll be setting up the components for this project over the weekend, and you'll get the first peek at my Monarch butterfly beginnings on Monday.

I'm excited to share my progress with you, but as the comments said, you may find me working on the goldfinches, too. I'm making no promises one way or the other. You'll have to stay tuned to find out. 

Happy Weekend!

 

My Restful Weekend Project...

One gathering complete, and the other (with Son #2's family) won't be until mid-January. It's hard to wrangle everyone's schedule, but we'll figure it out!

So this weekend, I'm going to do a wee bit of stitching. I have something special in mind, because I have a few gifts left to make. This will be the perfect time to do that. Nothing like a little restful needlework to round out the holiday weekend. 

Monday is special for Handsome and me. It's our wedding anniversary, so I want to have this project finished well before then in case he has plans for us. I'm confident it will be done in plenty of time.

I hope you're all planning a relaxing weekend, too. I'm sure we're not the only ones who slept in a little later this morning. I'll see you again Monday.

Brooches...

Materials for Goldwork Brooches

I chose the materials to make a few goldwork brooches for my Christmas list. This is just one colorway. I'll have two different colors when I'm finished.

I'm going to be working on them today, and hope to complete them over the weekend. I'm planning to make at least three. This will be fun. You know how I love working on bright, shiny things! 

We're supposed to get a deep freeze this weekend, so I'll make sure I have plenty of food out for the birds and critters. I'm hoping the opossums find their way back to the barn for some protection this winter. The cabinet I created for the "barn" cats a couple years ago has a warming lamp inside that I think they'd enjoy. I'll have food and fresh water out there, just in case.

I work tonight, but I'll be inside with Handsome and the girls most of the weekend. There's supposed to be a cookie exchange at my niece's on Sunday, so I'll be baking tomorrow. Handsome still has a rotten cold, but I'm taking good care of him. Chicken soup was on last night's menu, and I'll make something warm and hearty again for him tonight. If you're in the "ice belt", I hope you stay safe and warm. 

One To Go...

Don't Mind The Resident Moocher

As requested, I'm sharing photographs of all three wall hangings together. Of course, I'll rearrange when I complete the autumn wall hanging in 2026, but this is how I've arranged these three for now.

Robins and Cardinals were hanging in my studio until I moved them into our bedroom. Now, I'll see them when I wake up in the morning, and last thing before bed.

Handsome thinks I should consider having custom shadowbox frames with UV glass made for them. I'm seriously considering it! What do you think?

"Song of Spring - Robins"

"Winter Song - Cardinals"

"Summer Serenade - Bluebirds"

Thanks to everyone for all the lovely and encouraging comments along the way. We'll start again next year, but for now, I'm going to take a break from songbirds and get busy on Christmas projects. I'll have something completely unrelated for next week! See you then.

Debuting Fabrics...

What do you think of these? I don't want to go full-on orange to match the bluebird breasts, but think that first pair of fabrics on top are a nice nod to that colorway. I also think too much blue will overpower the birds completely. I love the batik on the bottom. It even has a bit of blue mixed in. 

I'll sort through more fabrics tomorrow or over the weekend, and I'll probably go back and see if there are any fabrics I might pull from the last assortment that might enhance this design. Then, I'll need to start drawing out the quilting design to really make my birds shine. I really can't wait to see where my ideas might take me next as I work to finish this piece.

Another Friday is staring me in the face. I work my three hours tonight, and I told Mona (who does the schedule) to put me back on my Tuesdays starting the second week in November (the start of the next schedule). I told her those two weeks will be a good indicator for whether or not I can work those six-hour shifts. I really hope I can, for a number of reasons. It will mean I've worked hard enough and healed well enough to be there. It will also mean that I can get back to pulling my own shifts so they don't have to find others to cover for me. Plus, I've been missing my "regulars". They're all great folks.

Tomorrow, my goddaughter/niece and her kiddos will be coming for a visit. I'm going to teach them about pressure canning, as they're bringing venison for us. My great-nephew (her son) is fourteen, and he shot a ten-point buck last weekend. He was bow hunting with his dad. His stepmom won't allow them to bring, let alone cook, the meat in their home, so they usually end up donating all the meat. This time, Handsome and I are the recipients, and we're very grateful. I'll teach them how to pressure can the meat, and then sent some home with him that he can just reheat at his mom's. It's going to be a fun day with them, and I'll absolutely remember to take pictures to share next week! See you tomorrow with a new Saturday Silliness!

I'd Hop Up & Down - If I Could!...

On this date - October 22, 2025 - I hereby celebrate completing the main embroidery for the third in my Songbird Seasons series. My next step will be to measure and square up the fabric to prepare it for sewing into my wall hanging fabrics (yet to be chosen).

I'm also sharing a close up of the male bluebird because I added legs and "lunch" to complete him. While my sister, Diana and I were chatting on the phone yesterday, I told her what I had in mind for the male to be feeding the babies. She found an image of a male with a flying bug in its mouth. I'm quite sure the image was a female mayfly. I loved it, but when I said "I'm not sure how I'd do that.". Her reply was "You took classes with the Royal School of Needlework! You can figure this out!" Well, that was all the motivation I needed. Challenge accepted.

I wanted this element to be dimensional, too, so I stitched one wing to the ground fabric. I made the tail (actually the ovipositor) coming out the front of the bluebird's mouth. Then I created the other wing on a stiff base and stitched the wing details onto it. I attached that separately after I completed the needlework, and now it stands off the fabric. I finished my bug meal with a French knot for a head, and declared my piece finished!

Once I assemble the pieced top with the bluebirds as my central block, I will need to embroider a small motif into each corner. I did red berries on the cardinal wall hanging, and leaves on the robins. I'm leaning toward small bluebird feathers for the corners of this one. Do you have any different suggestion? I'll certainly consider them.

I'll be cleaning up my studio, repairing a couple garments for a friend (something I almost never do!), and then pulling fabrics to preview for the quilted part of my wall hanging. I'll show you a couple of contenters, and probably have made a final choice by the time I share them with you. We'll see.

Happy Thursday! 

Fencing Finished!...

Completed exactly as I planned! I'm very happy with the way it looks now. All I have left to do are bird legs and feet, as well as a grub/moth/bug for the male's beak. I'll be finishing that today, and then I'll choose the fabric for the wall hanging in earnest. 

I'm feeling pretty accomplished, even though I still have a little bit to go. I can definitely see the end of this project now. I started it last September, and although I took a few breaks during that time (the holidays and my surgery), I estimate I still have about nine months of work on this piece...so far. I can't begin to imagine how many stitches! It's my plan to complete it before the end of this month. 

I'll show you the completed embroidery tomorrow, and I can hardly wait!

Let's Dance...

I sat with my needlework stand in natural daylight all day as I watched the sky change from cloudy to partly cloudy to sunshine on Sunday. I stopped stitching as the sun was going down, and the light cast shadows on my work.

I think I accomplished quite a bit in about four hours. I felt the rhythm of the needle and thread as we moved across the fabric. I took breaks to stretch, grab a cuppa or a sandwich. I also did a few loads of laundry, too, so I moved around quite a bit.

I'm confident I'll complete my fencing soon. Now that the end is in sight. I'll pull more fabric choices, too, to see if I like something better than the colors I shared last week. Although I keep going to that assortment, I guess I'm really not sold on that as my final choice. We'll see.

I completed my November artist trading cards over the weekend, too. I'll share those with you tomorrow. The theme was "Indigenous", so I'll show you what I came up with thanks to Handsome's input. I'm happy with the way they turned out.

I'm going in for a couple hours to work for my boss this morning, and I have my "see ya later" appointment with my knee surgeon this afternoon. I think I'll just stitch a bit more after I finish all my running around. We'll see. Gotta run now, though. I'll be back manaña!

Stitch By Stitch...

I'm almost past the little birds! I made some good progress yesterday, and will be at it again today. I think it's safe to say, "My Mojo is back!" I'm finally able to sit for more than a little while, and I'm not nodding off while I try to choose my next color.

I think I've told you that I'm juggling about seven colors on the fencing, so I alternate stitching a darker or a lighter base for a section, and then fill it in with the other colors. Even looking at my photos - which always seem to reveal any errors or "whoopsies" - I'm happy with the way it's working out, with the possible exception of the dark at the bottom of the fencing. I may take some of that out, as I like the intermittent dark color that I've done on the end of the board (under the adult bluebird) more than the solid dark edge I have now.

We finally got rain late day, so it really was a perfect day to sit at my frame in front of the dining room windows. I watched a squirrel looking for hickory nuts in our yard while I stitched, and that was nice, too.

I have my last physical therapy session on Thursday, so I'm also working on range of motion while I'm sitting. While I'm still not bending back to where I was pre-op, I'm happy to say it no longer hurts. If I do too much, it swells a bit, and then I ice it, but that's only when I've been standing (or sitting) for hours at a time. The right knee is still giving me grief, but not like it was, so perhaps I'll be more impressive on my final visit with Jenna (for now).

Handsome has physical therapy now for a bone spur in his arthritic back. Thankfully, it isn't beating him up like it did when I first came home from the hospital, but I think between Jenna and Tanner (the other therapist he'll be seeing), they'll be able to help him find some relief. It's also a great way for me to - through him - keep in touch with Jenna. It will certainly make it easier to say "goodbye for now" when our last session comes to a close.

For now, I'm going to concentrate on doing my daily exercises and working on my bluebirds. I'll always show you when I've made some progress on the embroidery. As of September, I've officially been working on this project for a year. It's time to get it wrapped up. I'll share a few fabric color choices for finishing it as a wall hanging next.

We Have Clearance, Clarence...

If you're ever offered a recreational, chemically-induced stress test, take a hard pass. That's what I had yesterday. The first IV injection was easy. The second came with warnings of "possible shortness of breath, chest pains, headache, dizziness or fainting, or nausea". I thought to myself, "I'm not going to get any of those. I'm not a hypochondriac." Didn't matter, as I had no control over it. I got every. single. one.  Good thing I was lying down.  

The tech told me beforehand the antidote for that injection was caffeine. (Guess that's why they said I couldn't have any for at least 24 hours before the test.) He asked me first whether I'd prefer pepsi, coffee or hot chocolate. Guess which one I chose. (Hint: chocolate) As soon as they completed the test, he handed me a steamy cup of delicious hot coco. All my symptoms calmed almost immediately, and by the time I was ready to leave, there was just the faintest hint of a headache. Before Handsome and I turned for home, he stopped at a Kwik Trip and grabbed coffee for each of us. By the time we drove up the driveway, my head was clear again. (Small blessings)

I went inside the house, changed clothes and spent the next half hour napping in the sun. Then I came in for a little needle therapy. I mostly stitched my base colors, and plan to go back at it today with the other shading. Or, I may continue with all the base and go back in later to do the shading at one time. We'll see. If all goes well, I'm hoping to make serious headway on the fencing though.

I didn't find out until late afternoon, but the cardiologist reviewed all yesterday's tests and cleared me for surgery. So, I'm now good to go for my new knee next week. What a relief! I'll be able to relax a bit more over the weekend now that I know. 

There are a few things I need to do prior to Monday. I'll bake some more bread for the freezer, and probably do a couple loads of laundry. But mostly, I plan to stitch. I'm not going to stress over finishing the fence. If I don't get it done, I'll have it waiting for me once I'm feeling more myself post-op. We'll see how far I get, and I'll let you have a peek on Monday.

Definitely having my morning cuppa today, though! Hope you have a wonderful weekend. See you later.

Flying Colors...

That's what it looks like around here while I'm needle dancing with these threads. As I said earlier, I have at least four - and sometimes up to seven - needles loaded and in play at any given time. I think I got quite a bit done yesterday.

You may chuckle to know this, but I had to take a few extra breaks from time to time yesterday, because I got such a restful rhythm going that I nearly dozed off as I stitched. Pathetic, right? sigh

This is the closeup view of the fencing so far. I'm nearly a third of the way finished on the top piece, so I still have a way to go. I'm not giving up. I'm still working toward my weekend deadline. Call me the "little engine that could". (I think I can. I think I can...) More tomorrow...

More Fence...

I did manage to work on my fencing yesterday! This is how far I am now. I'm saving the birds' feet and legs for last, but did enough basic lines to mark off where they would be when I get back to them. 

I'll be working on this again today as I work toward my self-imposed weekend deadline. You know how I am when I set a goal. We'll see if I make it this time. Wish me luck!

I've Got (A) Rhythm...

I've found my stitching rhythm for the fencing now, so I'm starting to make good progress. I only stitched for about two hours or so this time, as I was working on a few other home tasks. I can see where this will go a little faster now than when I began this part of the piece.

Of course, I'm sharing a closeup, too. I like that the stitching looks like it's undulating - much like you might find in the grain of an old piece of wood. I'll be back at it today, so we'll see how far I can get this time.

The weather isn't quite so ghastly hot now. In fact, it was downright perfect yesterday. We're in for more of the same today, with a slight chance for showers, so it will be just right for me to busy myself with my needlework. 

I hope you're enjoying the weather where you are. If you're in Texas, my heart is with all affected by the flooding. Such a tragedy, and there really are no sufficient words to cover how I and so many other are feeling. Continued prayers that more survivors are found. 

Dance With Me...

Except for the feet which will be stitched after I've completed their perch, my birds are done!!! I'm tickled with how the tail finished, and how the birds all look together. It was Handsome's idea to hold the embroidery at an angle to show the dimension here...and his hands are holding the hoop.

I will begin work on the fencing today, and can't wait to show you what I have in mind. I work again on Saturday to cover for someone who quit last week, but then I'm off the schedule for another two weeks. To tell the truth, I don't mind one bit. 

I'm planning to finish the work on this during my down time, and then go forward with the finishing (turning it into a wall hanging). I'm going to start auditioning fabrics for the quilted portion now that I have the birds done. I'll probably share with you, too, for input. I have some gorgeous Japanese fabrics that might be perfect for this, so that's where I'll look first.

Yesterday was a long day, and my legs just won't settle down. This must be what restless leg syndrome is like, but I know it's because of the pain. I hate taking medicines, but I relented last night so I could sleep. They don't really help, but I keep telling myself to go with the flow. Seriously, surgery can't come soon enough now that we've got a viable plan. Until then, I'm planning to keep my mind and hands busy to keep my attention off my legs. I'll share more needlework progress tomorrow!

We're Gonna Shake Some Tail Feathers...

I stayed with this yesterday until I completed the wing! There was some frogging, but in the end, I won! The last bluebird wing is finished.

Next will be to complete the tail, legs and feet. I'll do this and then it will be time to move on to the fence post. I have my appointment with the new orthopedist today, but there will still be plenty of time to stitch. We'll see how much I can accomplish and I'll share that soon.

Happy July!!

A Different Point of View...

Over the time I've been working on this piece, more than a few have mentioned that it looks like my birds are coming right up off the fabric. I thought today, I'd give you a different view of my bluebirds. This is the nature of stumpwork embroidery. It's meant to be dimensional.

When I designed this embroidery, I first drew out the design onto paper, then traced it onto my ground fabric. Once that was done, I needed to decide which areas I wanted to elevate. As the bird with the babies is in the foreground, I wanted them to have more dimension than the bird in flight, so they would appear closer.

In stumpwork, the dimension is accomplished with padding, so once I decided on those areas, I stitched down felt, leaving an area I could stuff. When I was happy with the padded area, I closed the opening in the felt and went on to the next piece.

The bird in flight is coming in for a landing behind the other four birds, so I wanted to try to convey that in my work. I did want the bird to have dimension, but I wanted the head to appear closer as it's landing, so I added more padding to the head than to the rest of the body and wings. The rest of the effect is in my stitching and choice of colors.

You've seen my butterfly (the class project from the Royal School of Needlework) as well as my religious hearts, my bridal hearts, my corgi pin, my koi fish, my bird ornaments, and my frogs. Once they were completed, they were released from the ground fabric and finished as pieces to be worn or in some other way displayed, but not flat. I could actually do the same with these individual elements (birds) if I chose, but they're meant to be part of a wall hanging, so they'll stay "grounded". (Funny to use that term when one of them is flying.)

So, do my photographs help explain my process, and the meaning of stumpwork for you? Of course, I still have more to do, but I'm slowly working toward finishing the last bird and starting on the fence post. I'm also contemplating the fabrics and colors I'll use for the quilted portion of the piece. This is, by far, the most elaborate seasonal hanging I've done to date. I'll get there, but slow and steady wins the race.

I'm also contemplating teaching a stumpwork class later this summer. It would be a basic pin that could be taught to all levels of needleworker. What would you think about that?

I've already begun my scheduling with doctors, too. My first appointment will be Friday. My "supportive knee" is continuing to tell me I've made the right decision, so I'm more settled even than before about my choice. I'll absolutely share updates, but I want to focus on needlework for a while. More stitching today. See you tomorrow!