DT Sampler Gameboard in the Finish pile

I'm happy dancing and scratching another project off my list. WAHOO!! I finally finished this on Tuesday, I am SO glad. This was an RR that went a bit awry (long story) requiring lots of rework on my part not to mention being visited by a virtual herd of frogs! (what do you call a group of frogs...) But here it is and it was worth the rework (click to see it better)




I have been working on my "start list" for guilt-free January. I'm so looking forward to some new starts after slaving away most of this year on my UFO list. I've been watching the mailbox every day for some sky-blue linen I ordered to use in an ornament exchange. I need to get stitching on it ASAP but I guess it's my own fault for not having ordered it earlier. Why is it that no matter how much fabric stash you have, you don't have the right color & count for a new project? It sure seems that way most of the time. Hurry up Mr. Mailman!!

Anyway, here's what I have so far on my January start list:

1. Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice neighborhood - being done as part of Vonna's Me, Myself & I blog group. I have been working hard to identify patterns for my buildings and other key elements. I found lots of good info on the internet about the British sites used in filming the movie and then I tried to match house patterns to those, etc. As soon as the rest of my patterns come in I can start figuring out a layout of sorts.
2. Beatrix Potter Quaker SAL - Hazel set this group up for next year and I'm so glad as the pattern has been in my stash since it came out.
3. Quaker Christmas from Bygone Stitches
4. New quilt to hang in my sewing room - I have at least 3 that I want to make but not sure which one will win out for first start. Since I repainted my sewing room about 6 months ago I don't have any quilts hanging because what I had didn't look good with the new colors.

These are just the big things. I am searching out linens and just ordered some Vicki Clayton silks to see if I can find some of the colors I need. Silks have gotten so expensive I am trying to economize some on my projects. I have so-o-o-o many things I want to stitch! I keep my pattern inventory in a little database and I did a report and found I have over 400 patterns! How is this possible? It doesn't seem like it (really!) and some of them are books with multiple items in them. And yet I want to stitch them all! If I was to calculate out how long it would take to stitch all those based on my finishing history, I think I would have to live to be as old as Methuselah! I have to take the Scarlett O'Hara approach - "I'll think about that tomorrow". :)

I picked up a small pre-lit Christmas tree at Costco this week. I just couldn't face putting up the big artificial tree (not a pre-lit) we have this year, it is so much work. We have to move some of our sectional from the family room into the garage, and it takes at least 2 or 3 evenings to get it all done. Not to mention having to crawl on my stomach on our tile floor under the big tree trying to put on the treeskirt, and getting my arms all scratched up from fluffing out the branches and putting on the lights. I'm feeling too old for all that this year I guess. This new little tree is in a decorative pot and just 6' tall but it will be a lot less work. The hard part is going to be deciding which of my ornaments will get to 'come out' this year as I have way too many to fit on this little tree. I just have to have some kind of tree though or it doesn't feel like Christmas to me.

Well the 18-lb Butterball is in the freezer and I have already done part of my Thanksgiving grocery shopping. I think there will only be 4 of us but hubby wants lots of leftovers so I got a big turkey. DH cooks our turkey out on the gas grill and I do the rest. I'm off to the drycleaners with the tablecloth today - I'm getting smarter about what I can and cannot get done. Some years I have worked so hard that by the time dinner comes I am just exhausted.

Thanks to all who stop by - I so appreciate it and love having this opportunity to share our needlework passion.