End of November - Thanksgiving is over, now on to Christmas

 Missed last month completely.  I travel between MI and KY and last month's posting hit during that transition period.  Then there were issues with my Mom's health, so my world has been off kilter for awhile mow. I think we are back in sync with life and hopefully will be moving forward.

I love seeing what others are stitching on, when I'm feeling overwhelmed, it does wonders to look at stitching, whether it's mine or someone else's.   So if you need a little inspiration or just want to see some fantastic stitching go here and view and if she does 2021,  join WIPocalypse. while I have some really old stuff in my WIP pile, I really have made some progress over the years.

WIPocalypse

So maybe I will answer both questions this month :)

October 25 – How do you choose what you’re going to stitch on next? 

I kind of let it chose me if it's a WIP in my basket - and I totally believe that your stitching speaks to you.  So I just listen for the one that yells "Me, Me, Me next please" and that is the one I pull out to stitch.  If it's a new project, then most likely it's one that has come home from the LNS recently with all the supplies ready to go.  If it's an older one in my stash, then I need to see what I have before I start to stitch on it.

November 29 – What new discoveries did you have in the stitching world this year?

Not sure I really have any new discoveries in the stitching world this year.  I've not been adventurous at all this year.  I think with all that is going on, I really didn't get to stitch with any groups, so didn't get temped to learn anything new.  There is hope for 2021 because I know I've not learn everything that I could learn.

I have renewed an old love of antique samplers, I blame that one a flosstube called Brenda and the Serial Starter, they do antique samplers and I love seeing what they are working on!!  Not sure if the one below would qualify as an antique sampler, but I've been eyeing several of them and need to go back through my stash as I know I have several. But first I'll pull back out my Mourning Sampler and work on one, I've re-started it and think I will be happy.

Now on to what I did since the last time I posted.

Lucky 13, I have the first row completed!!  And have moved the q-snaps down to start the second row.  In my mind I thought I had started the next motif, which is a spider, but when I pulled it out to update the picture, saw that I had not 😖    I really like this one and enjoy stitching on it.  Again, won't be finished by the end of the year, but it will be next year!!  These do stitch up quickly and while there is a lot of back stitching it goes fast, even on the mummy!!

Votes for Women by Nebbly Needle was a new start in September.  I had been going quickly on it, but then it got put away.  I pulled it out the other day and worked on it a little bit more.  Most likely won't be finished before the end of the year, but working on it so you never know.  I want to get all 3 of these done so I can get them framed for my girls.   My great aunt was a suffragist, so I come from a line of strong women.

The next one is Charland's  and Peter's stocking both are SB stockings.  My daughter is expecting a baby in March and I will do a stocking for the wee-one.  Since we don't know the sex (her choice not to know), I started both a boy and a girl so I'll be ready!!  Why start two stocking when i would wait for the baby to be born?  Well I've been toying with joining a FaceBook group called NoNewStarts2021, so needed to have them both going with at least 200 stitches or 2 hours.  Charland's has caused me some grief and I've had to frog out a lot and re-stitch, but should be good now.  When I got the threads for the chart, the shop only had 2 of the main color on the dress, so when I was in KY last month I went to another LNS and found they had 3 of the same dye lot.  So got those.  The other will work in a pinch if I run out, but hopefully I won't.

I love doing these stockings and have done about 12 now.  They tend to stitch up fast and I can do the fishing work myself.  I've learned a lot about finishing stockings over the years and think I have it down pat now.  The hardest thing is finding the right material for backing and the lining.   I had to do one for my niece who will be 2 this coming year and our fabric shop had velvet in red or red :(  so had to pay $$ and get it on Amazon instead.  This year I'm hoping the shops will be better stocked. As RED will not go with either of these stockings.  

Last is a new start, I signed up for a needlepoint zoom class.  I love the small needlepoint as it's Halloween themed called Masked Witch.  What a better way to remember this year and it's my favorite theme to stitch, but I was totally disappointed in the zoom class.  

I was hoping for interaction between the people on the zoom and teacher.  The first message in the email with the link for the zoom was  - "Everyone is on mute and write your questions in the chat box"😦   

The whole thing was about an hour and she basically went over the stitches.  She did a great job of demo'ing them, but that was it.  Not sure I will do a zoom class again, it wasn't worth the additional costs by a long shot.   You were not encouraged to stitch while she zoomed, and everyone just had blank stares on their faces.  I'm sure there were others who would have liked the interaction.  I know that the teacher's time with worth something, but had this been an in-person, we would not have all gathered, watched her do the demo and left, so even an extra 1/2 would have been nice.  I'm glad I have a good understanding of different stitches, I can do this one my own.  I'm going to make some changes of my own too.

I also had a finish that was for an ornament exchange.  I forgot to take a picture of it completed, but here is what it looked like before I finished it into an ornament.  I just added ribbon on the top, didn't have any trim and didn't have time to really  make it.  I think she turned out pretty cute and I can't wait to get my ornament so I can hang it on my tree.

Next month is an overview of what we've accomplished and will also talk about my plans for 2021 - hopefully they won't include living my life between 3 places - house in MI, house in KY and my parents house.  I really would love to see other people and once we are through this all, I have a whole lot of hugs just waiting to get out.  Might not let go of my parents for week, while I see them, because we don't live together, I tend to keep my distance, and avoid any physical contact, such as hugging.  Amazing how such a small thing can be missed so much.  More than eating out, and I love to eat out and have someone else wait on me and do the dishes afterwards.

Until then Stay safe, mask up - it's not your life you are saving, it's someone like my parents or my husband or so many other wonderful people in the world.  There will be a new normal where we can see family and friends again.  

Sandy