A week or two before the Thanksgiving holiday, we had a new carpet installed in the family room. We ordered it a couple months back, because the old carpet was horribly soiled and beyond help.
To prepare the room for the installation, everything had to come out. That was NOT fun! Both moving the furniture and navigating around it for a few days. All in all, everything went well, and the carpet was installed. It's wonderful and really freshens up the room. Here's a close up! Is it a surprise to *any*one that there is a bird fluff in the picture?
Once the carpet was in place, all the 'stuff' needed to be returned to its 'spot' in the family room. When you're dealing with an empty room, it's a good time to evaluate everything as it goes back to its spot.
For example: those things that live near where I usually sit and stitch--most all of which were collected in a decorative, special basket. No surprise to anyone who has that special stitching chair--things had accumulated--projects put aside for a day, or a week, or a month, or more, projects not started, those must-have little-impulse purchases or two (or three), and stuff that just needed the right moment to finish. Is any of this sounding familiar to you, too?
So before the basket came back, its content had to be sorted, evaluated, purged (if appropriate), and tidied. The basket 'before' photo is not shown. Let's just say it was more like an embarrassing pile of stuff with a basket under it than a basket with a few projects at the ready.
The photo below is the revised basket, filled (not over-filled) with a few small projects that deserve attention sooner than later. The rest of the former basket contents were given an appropriate home in the appropriate cabinet in the appropriate storage space in anticipation of its turn on the 'making' calendar.
Let's have a look and see what's here, shall we?
This is a blackwork project I started quite some time ago. It went with me to Europe as something to do in the quiet times between excursions (in 2021!). I was immediately reminded how much I enjoy blackwork when I picked it up again this week. I am motivated to finish it. Even if I only get to do a few stitch sessions each week.
It's eventually going to be a border on a quilt block. Isn't that a great needle minder? Forgot I had it, and I think I actually have two. The other one is here someplace. *Sigh.*
I don't generally like Mill Hill kits. They're nice when they're made up, but I'm not keen on the cardboard canvas that is usually involved. Love the subject on this one (I know, shocking, right?!), so it came home with me when it reached out and grabbed me when I only intended to browse in the stitchery shop. (I don't remember which shop or when I was 'browsing.')
Instead of the cardboard, I chose some evenweave fabric in a fun color. I even prepared the fabric edges to prevent fraying while stitching. That's as far as it got before the whole thing ended up in the basket. All thread, beads, instructions, are in the kit. Gotta make it. Just not sure when.
This one goes back a few years, too. While the pandemic was still fairly prevalent, everyone, including me, kept our peepers peeled for fun little things to make. This tiny beaded zipper pouch was cleverly placed on the cover of the Inspirations magazine in August 2021. It was a technique (Japanese-style bead embroider) I'd never tried before, and so small, I could probably finish it in a weekend.
Four years later, a *few* of those weekends have come and gone and everything is still safely in the kit. I think the kit came all the way from Australia. I really ought to make it one of these 'weekends.' By the way, I love Inspirations, if only to look at the photos and drool over the gorgeous projects.
About once a month, Dave and I make a trip to Rochester (an hour or so drive from home) for pet bird supplies--we have a favorite shop there that specializes in birds. We make a day of it, and we each satisfy our hobby cravings (he does gaming and mini-painting) and, well, you know my gig. It's amazing how similar our hobbies align in terms of addictive-level 'wants and needs.'
With the pet store the priority, we add a stop for each of us at our favorite hobby store, plus a stop for lunch. These painted canvas ornaments (above) are fun and relatively quick to make. Assuming that you actually work on them. Like the other projects I mentioned, everything needed is in the kit, including stitch charts. They're in the basket for that inevitable, upcoming spurt of free time.
Finally, to round out the stuff in the basket, we find this completely stitched piece from a chart by the Cricket Collection (below). The letters of Christmas in the 'Merry Christmas' rendering each have detailed stitched motifs. It's really cute, and *really* needs to be finished. . . but how?
Well, first things first, this piece isn't going back in the basket. Instead, it'll start with some blocking to straighten it up and remove the wrinkles. And then I need to execute a plan to finish it. I do have 'concepts of a plan' but I'm living on the edge a bit.
Take note! You heard it here first. I'm committed to completing it by December 25th. Also take note, no year has not been specified! (I've learned.)
There are a few other things left in the basket--some cotton threads in large quantities that I don't want to forget about (ha!), a couple tools, and a few things that probably shouldn't be there, but they really don't have a good home anywhere else right now.
Why is it so hard to stay on top of these things?
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
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