So Close to a Finish!

This blue stripe is killing me! The Neon Rays twist and turn and I can see my canvas. And I am not sure about the stitch used for the stars....I think I will add little star sequins as I think I have some in my stash.

But I won't look until I get the blue done! And no new project until this one is stitched. Finally finished into a hat is another story....

More Blue

Basketweave takes time even though it is mindless, and it takes more time if you have to be super careful about twisting the thread.

I am about half way through the blue band. My stitching is very bumpy, but I keep trying to get better.  I plan on pulling Reptiles out for the weekend. I will post my progress next weekend on that piece.

Look! Blue!

Life has been busy with canning and getting ready for the EGA Region Workshop. So not ready for that! Anyway, I do try to stitch a little every night and Uncle Sam's Hat is on the stand.

The blue is in Neon Rays and I could tell that I will run out before the end. That is the problem with getting a kit. I ordered more thread which should ship on Saturday. Although I did not get a notice about the purchase.  Hmmm.
I will move to Reptiles over the weekend. I think I may pull my Christmas stocking out in October, but I want to give my HAED some love before I put it away.
Hope you are all doing well and have time to stitch this weekend.

Last Stripe

I am working on the last stripe on my Uncle Sam's Hat! Yipee!

Then I need to work on the blue band which is all continental stitch. I hope I can do the final finishing myself.

August IHSW

It was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend last weekend and I managed to work on my Uncle Sam's Hat.
Here is the last photo I showed you:

 I did the white stripe awhile ago, but never showed you...Here is where I started on Friday:

 I ran out of the correct color of Neon Rays and did not have an exact match in my stash. I did have something close, so this is where I stopped on Sunday.

Then I got ambitious and did the little spots in the red stripe and started the next white stripe on Monday. That is why there were so many red bits in my ort jar!

IHSW

What is IHSW? I did it a few years ago, or tried to- it is the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend! You try to stitch as much as you can on the third weekend of the month. The next one is August 17-19. If you want more information, look up the Facebook group or    Random Ramblings   .
Here are my projects:

 I was able to get two more angels done on my Drawn Thread Sampler.

And another stripe on Uncle Sam's Hat!

So I Didn't Work on My Sampler

Uncle Sam won the tug of war on what to stitch. I was too tired to stitch on Drawn Thread Sampler, but it was easy to work on this piece. It is fun and relaxing and I love watching the designs develop.

Summer Cold

My college boys came home and they caught the cold my dd had from working VBS. I managed to stay healthy until the day before they left. I am still congested and I hope I am not contagious as I want to see a friend tomorrow. Would hate to share this.
Anyway, I did work on Reptiles, but I don't have a photo. Will try to take one in a day or so. I was too sick to do much stitching the last couple of days, so I pulled out Uncle Sam's Hat.

It is an easy stitch and not too difficult when I was not feeling the best. Now I just want to keep stitching it! Maybe I will carve out some time later this week.
Stay healthy my friends!

Another Case of Overconfidence

First, thanks for all the lovely comments on my Drawn Thread Sampler. If I die before you Cheryl, you may have it as a stencil. I will let my kids know.
Rotations: I have found over time that if I have too many project going at one time, I feel overwhelmed. I try to stick to one large project, a medium project and a small. I am trying to work on my Drawn Thread Sampler and Reptiles (a HAED piece),

by having the sampler during the week and Reptiles on the weekend. My small is either a crazy quilt patch or Butterfly:

I have totally messed up my rotation by thinking, like the crazy woman I am, I could add Uncle Sam's Hat into the mix. Bad idea! I must stitch using my frame and lay the threads carefully. But I love it and would rather stitch it than anything else in my rotation.

It is so much fun! BUT, I must get Drawn Thread done! This weekend I worked on Uncle Sam instead of Reptiles. I will work on Drawn Thread this week and pull Reptiles out this weekend. Which means Uncle Sam will NOT have a hat by the 4th of July. Oh well. Maybe by 2019?
How do you decide what to stitch?
Oh! Jo, I am still trying to get photos for all the postcards that I make. Will  post about it soon.

My New Favorite Needlework Tools

I was tired of white work and all the greys on my Reptiles, so I spent a lot of time on Uncle Sam's Hat.  The next stripe had Neon Rays in it. I love Neon Rays! I hate Neon Rays! I could not get my stitches smooth.I tried wetting the thread. That did not work. Sigh. Then I remembered a talk with Gary Parr and Christine Williams on   Fiber Talk           .
They suggested ironing the thread with a flat iron. After a little talk with my dd, I located my iron.

And I watched a video that suggested using Thread Magic. I had a container of Thread Heaven and I used it. I know there is controversy about using it, but I was desperate!
Here is where I left off after the weekend:

My stitching improved, but it is far from perfect. I do have doubts that this will get done before July...

Gifted Gorgeousnes June and International Hermit and Stitch Weekend

I have been working on this block in the evening instead of starting a new Mill Hill bead kit. This will be a gift for my daughter, if I ever finish it!

I have plenty left to do on this block and it will eventually be part of a crazy quilt.
Jo over at       Serendipitous Stitching   hosts this SAL. We are supposed to post progress on things we have been given or are going to give as gifts. It is a great excuse to  work on all those gifted projects.
I am thinking about gifting one of these Quaker Balls to my husband's aunt. She is in her 90's and I need to get started! But do I have the right fabric? NO!

The pattern is by Amaryllis Artworks. I have a friend who stitched one and it is lovely.
One last thing: I joined the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend. Full explanation is  HERE  .
I will be stitching on Reptiles as it is my weekend rotation piece.

I will also be working on Uncle Sam's Hat.

I "Needed" A New Project

I decided I wanted to do a needlepoint project.  This one called my name as I would love to have it stitched up before the 4th of July.
I only stitched on it Sunday evening and this is what I got done.

Uncle Sam's Hat by Margaret Bendig

 It is a kit I purchased from    San Bernadino Chapter of ANG          . They are a guild that I will never attend as it meets in California. But they offer great workshops at great prices.

Kit

This one really called my name and has been in my stash a year, I think. The kit was well put together and the instructions are great. I even have some for making it into a hat.
When will I stitch this piece in my rotation? Not sure. I need to pull Drawn Thread out and maybe cut some threads. Yikes!