Always learning

I  have a Mind List of the many things I need want to learn..... Smocking has been filed there for a very long time. Yesterday our EGA local Chapter, Desert Threaders met and our member Alice held a class.

Alice pleated a practice sample for us to learn a few stitches. I am pleased to say that she was very clear with instructions and that I am comfortable with what I learned. This shows 4 different stitches. One of the reasons for this class is because our guild makes We Care Gowns...

Made of soft cotton in white, blue or pink, Alice pleats them and gets them ready for us to smock the bodice and the sleeves. They are then finished and sent off to hospitals that would like to receive them for those special little ones who do not get to go home with their parents. We are always looking for hospitals who are will to accept them. My first one (pictured here) will be pink. We get to choose the stitches and color floss...after I practice a little more I will work on this.  Alice also demonstrated the pleating machine and we had the opportunity to pleat a small section. Love the machine but I do not think it warrants me to have one...that is unless this really catches on with me then it would be a thought. For now, I will hand pleat samples to practice on. I would like also to pick up a book...maybe A to Z Smocking. I think the weather is messing with me...I am feeling like I should curl up, well maybe not curl up because these aging bone might not stretch out! and take a nap. I is only 6 AM!!!! The day is pretty cloudy and a lovely cool temp for this time of year. That could mean that if I can stay awake I could sit outside and stitch on....oh my, what will I work on? I have June SAL, my crocheted trim and needle punch and practicing smocking...sorry I thought about this. Now I am really ready for a nap. Thank you for the good thoughts and wishes for Mr H's upcoming surgery. I think I am more nervous than he is. Glad we could spend some time together. Thank you for your friendship and kind words. Have a great day.

Lost days and~~~~~

Not bad enough when the days get lost along the way of the week, but...

No...I am not serving sport socks. What you see is a plate in the set of 4 that now only has 3 plates...got it right. Some place a desert/salad plate is all by itself, missing from its mates. There are only 2 of us in this house...Mr H and me. Neither of us knows what happened to the missing plate. As for the sock, well we all have one of those washing machines that gets so hungry that it eats socks....so, if you see a plate like this one or find my missing sport sock, please return it to me....no questions asked. How about an update on the Mourning Dove nest....well, nothing to report as she sits and so far no hatching. Her 14 days are up so what is the delay? Such drama in the nests! Wednesday was my  meeting of Desert Threaders Chapter --EGA and we had a class in Stumpwork...

I am pleased with how it finished. I now feel confidant to try more projects. This is a small 2 x 3 design...perfect to learn with. The Cornflowers are using padding and satin stitching and the tops are similar to the Turkey Stitch.  Then there was the bead wrapping for the berries and of course the normal embroidery stitches for added filling.  Fun to do. My shawl continues to grow but not yet long enough for me. The stitching for the little purse is finished not to complete it....to be honest, I have 3 projects waiting for completion. Just have to buckle down and sit at the sewing machine. I think that about covers what I have been up to this week. I promised Mr H  that I would make him Tapioca pudding today so that is next on the daily to do. I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you for your friendship and kind words and for taking time to visit.

New neighbors

Mr H and I had a quiet day yesterday...relaxing but I have been busy.
This is a new start from the current EGA magazine, first of four parts, this is a pin keep. I am using DMC which I converted from the Weeks threads. This is side one and I hope to get to side 2 this week.
I also have at the ready to cut and sew

I have all I need to make this for someone special. No, I will not tell you more about it...you will have to wait and see once it is mailed and opened in a month or so.  You will just have to return and see.
Recently there has been lots of chatter and flying about the back yard....finally we have the reason.

See all the "fluff" at the back of the cactus pot....if you see a nest you are correct. Mr H took the pot down to water the cactus and there it is...in the building stages. Once he saw the nest the pot was quickly put back on the shelf. Most of the material is twigs and stuff pulled from the bark of our Palm
She pulls all the stringy material from the bark of the tree and laces it into the nest for a lining. Now, I do hope they get used to the fact that they will be moving into a home in a pathway of the yard and the pots beneath their abode get watered everyday.

The House Finch can lay 4-5 eggs and can do so twice a year....So we will be on nest watch and will keep you posted. Right now they are busy in the yard in and out of the nest, but I see mostly the she doing all the work and he sits and chatters. We are having a very cloudy morning, but I do not mind. Not sure if we are doing anything out of the house today...(maybe going to an art fair) but I do know that right now I need a cup of coffee and on to stitching. So nice to visit with you. Thank you for your friendship and kind words. Have a wonderful day.

Smelling fire....

It would seem the rain and winds of yesterday are gone today. Sunny and quite cool for us. There is a mulch fire burning North of me along the I-17 area and the smell of that fire is reaching us. I am not sure of the distance...but this fire is a difficult one to fight as there are no hydrants in the area so they must truck in the water...living in the rural/desert can be tough. Yesterday Mr H and I sat outside on the lanai playing Farkle...I don't know about sitting out there today. I rested my hand for a few days and finally finished my sock....

I really enjoyed knitting this last sock. Sorry I waited so long. I always loved knitting since I was a young girl. One of the reasons I do not knit much is that living here in Arizona I hardly wear socks or long slacks or even a sweater anymore. I am thinking of giving these as a Christmas gift...thinking, not sure. I really like the lace pattern. I  forgot to take out my life lines before taking the picture

 I would never knit any lace pattern without them. I might, I say I might check through the craft closet to see if there is any other knitting....might. Mr H has some pretty Marigolds in the yard...

I loved the way Katherine Hepburn said the name Marigold in The African Queen....I think of her every time I see one. These are the giant type. Usually we have the regular smaller kind. These are in a large tall pot outside my kitchen window....

so nice to look out and see this every morning. The smaller pot is also marigold in a lemon color. Well, dear friends that about is what has been doing around here. Some ice for my hand today and looking for the next project. I did stitch the logo for my EGA group, the Desert Threaders, that I  joined in May... just need to finish it and find the right holder for it. Glad you visited with me today and thank you for the kind words and your friendship...have a good day.