Where have I been? What have I been doing??

Would love to tell you that I've been on a fantastic vacation and been stitching up a storm, but alas I've been working and working and more working and not a stitch among the days in May and the first part of June.  

I did slip away for a short weekend to Boulder Colorado for the Memorial Day BolderBoulder race.  I walked the whole 6.2 miles this year!!  Yeah for me!!  My feet were fine, but my hips hurt so bad.  So I doubled down on the anti inflammatories and put some topical cream on them and decided I would live.  What makes this run so much fun are the people that come out - Elvis for example.  

I have always loved what I do, but this year was one of the most frustrating years I've had in a long time.   My load was heavier than last year and I had one person on maternity leave (early, but healthy baby so all is good), two new people and my one experienced person quit without doing their share of work......and top this off with some other work related issues I'd been having and a surprise of a new boss (no notice until the day before he started)...well if I could have found a rock to crawl under, I would have done so and not ever come out.  

I've gotten through the worst of it all, hopefully got over the aftermath of not getting stuff done timely and working my way into the busy but breathable workloads.  Which means I'm back to stitching on my lunch hour!!  So I'm hoping for lots of finishes on my painted canvases, which is what I like to take to work with me.

Do I have any pictures of what I have done over the last couple of weeks?  Sure do, here is my train belt.  All of the stitching is done, just need to do the edge stitch and then off to the leatherer for making it into a belt.  I started this belt over 5 years ago, OK probably more like 7 or 8 years ago when I was in my "belt phase" and stitching belts for all of my kids.  My son's was the last one, mainly because I couldn't find one I liked for him. I had seen one with two dragons, but didn't get it and regretted that decision as I couldn't find it again.  So when i saw this train one, figured I would get it and hope that he still likes trains.  it was fun to stitch because I could use thread I had in my stash.  I have 2 or more 3 more belts in my stash, but I think those will wait.

I also worked on my Mourning Sampler one Saturday, which was more therapeutic for me with the rough patch I'd been having at work.  Not a lot of progress, but happy with it none the less.  I got the wings done, now I need to go back and work on the face and hair again which are over one on 40 ct. (I know what was I thinking?)

So I totally missed the WIPocalypse posting the end of May, and it's almost time for the June posting, so going to kill two birds with one stone here and be little bit early.

May 28 – Which designer’s projects do you absolutely love, but are too intimidated to try?

I don't know if there are any designers who intimidate me, but there are designs that while I love them I know I would be overwhelmed if I started them - like TW's English Gardens.  I love it, but know I would get sick of all the green and blended threads.  

June 25 – Show us your stitching space!  Where do you sit, and what is going on around you while you stitch (TV, audiobooks, etc)?

We currently live in a small apartment, which isn't a lot bigger than my original craft room at our house.  So I'm limited to my chair between two couches.  The TV is directly in front of me and I have my stitching tucked in a footstool and in an old stitching bag under an end table.  

My chair was my grandmother's chair.  I've recovered it twice since taking position of it almost 35 years ago and wouldn't part with it for anything.  My stash is taken over the guest room according to my husband.  The sad part is I don't even have it all here, but to be fair my stash includes quilting, spinning, stitching and knitting.  It deserved its own room :)

Well I guess that catches you up on things.  I'm going to be better about posting and hoping to have something to post weekly.  I'll be doing more stitching too, can't wait.

Sandy