Jun 15, 2025

SORRY, BETTY

I got yelled at today. Betty sent me an email that said "WHY DO YOU POST THINGS WITHOUT ANY INFORMATION.!?!"

You know what? 

You're right, Betty. When I am unwell, I tend to just post simple pictures or funny things I find on the Pinterest. 

No bueno.

So, to make Betty happy (and to answer some of the nicer questions I received on the Instagrams)...herewith are all of the details of my new start:

The chart is Patriotic Tweet by Teresa Kogut:

The fabric is from my stash..."Spacious Skies" by Colour & Cotton. It's a 28ct Lugana that was from the June 2022 fabric club.

The threads are all Colour & Cotton, plus one DMC. All are from my stash, and I selected them by sitting with my DMC color card and pulling whatever I had that was closest. I used to be completely terrified of substituting colors, but seem to have gotten out of my own way lately, and now I really enjoy it.

The Bitsy is from That's So Kelly Co. (The Bitsy is the thread pallett. I use DMC bobbin labels to write the chart symbol and then twist a length of thread on and pat it there for easy access):

The scissors are Gingher, and the bling is from Siggy's Closet on the etsy:


And the q-snap cover/grime guard and project bag are from SewMuch2Luv, also on the etsy:

NEW START


 

Jun 13, 2025

HELLO SUMMER!


 

This was a delightful stitch from start to finish, Dearies! I stitched it with the threads that were on the chart, with the exception of a DMC substitute for the red. I also made a minor change to the color of the letters...the chart called for them to be dark brown, but I went with blue instead.

Labwork is done for the day, as is my treat...I stopped for a trenta cold brew at the Starbucks, and have been savoring every single sip of it!

Happy Friday to one and all! I hope your weekend is full of fun! What's on the menu?

Jun 12, 2025

ALMOST THERE!


 

Yet another craptastic photograph for you, Dearies! I'm sorry for the poor quality, but for the life of me, I can't seem to get it together today with this silly contraption.

I have the stars and white stripes of the flag and the lettering at the bottom to finish, and then we can chuck this one into the big bin under the big girl sleigh bed and move on to the next. I have absolutely no idea what that "next" will be, but I am simply in it for the therapy at this point rather than the finished product. I seem to be enjoying the quiet routine of stitching more than ever at this point, and the crazypants frenzy of days gone by has become just a memory.

(Remember how nuts I used to be with rotations and flitting between projects like a three-hundred pound hummingbird? I look back on some of my posts from that time and wonder who that girl was! So much energy...so much activity...so many shenanagins!)

(The funny thing is...I wouldn't change one single minute of any of it!)

Today is going to be a rest day. If I can manage it, I'm going to try to get myself into the pool to move around a bit. I think it's supposed to be hot and humid, so the water will feel especially nice!  I really enjoyed the cool sunny days we had, but methinks the A/C is going to stay on for the duration!

I hope this finds you happy and healthy and full of joy today. Are you stitching/knitting/painting/crafting something that blows your skirt up? Come tell me all about it!





Jun 6, 2025


 

I also like to put on a red polo shirt and go to Target so I can help people find things and then look at their receipts at the self-check out.

Jun 4, 2025

WEDNESDAY...FORMERLY KNOWN AS FUTZINGDAY


 

I seem to have a hitch in my giddy-up today, Dearies. So I'm doing what any sensible Spinster should do...I'm watching the rain and listening to the birds and gearing up for a bit of reading. 

Yes, Moby Dick was absolutely on my Great Books Seminar reading list somewhere during my tenure as a student, but for the life of me I cannot remember having read it. My copy from those days is highlighted and annotated and broken in, but I don't know if I did that while reading, or if I frantically made notes at the discussion table like I was wont to do.

(What can I say? I was a TERRIBLE student and had absolutely no business being in college when I was. I don't say this to demean myself...it's just the plain truth of the matter. I was a complete disaster at Notre Dame, and couldn't get out of my own way. I had the emotional maturity of a seven-year old, was socially inept, and completely overwhelmed academically.)

I am, though, immensely grateful that I can now go back and re-visit things a bit, and thanks to a few new YouTube subscriptions, I'm learning how to deep-read. I found a podcast called Read Well, and I have really enjoyed listening to the host (Eddie) teach me how to get more out of my reading...when I want to...by deep reading.

I am still enjoying "casual" reading before bed (Owen Meany), but a few hours a day of concentrated study seems to be very good for my tiny little brain. This and my new morning journaling practice have really been good for the circus that's usually in my head, and I find that even my stitching and diamond painting time has benefitted.

So, despite some ugh-ish-ness, I'm determined to pull my britches up and soldier on. A few quiet hours won't kill me, and there's still plenty of time this week to run around like a hamster.

How are you doing today? Is life in your corner of the world wonderfully swell? I hope so, and I hope you'll come tell me all about it.


Jun 1, 2025