OMG for May

Yep!!  Time to declare that St. Patrick's Day Patchabilities will be my May OMG project for May!
I'm linking up with Heidi over at Red Letter Quilts with this goal setting page.

This is at it's current stage......

Can you tell that last night I was productive...  Finally.  (Now here another song comes to mind  8- /  )
Got the interfacing on, rainbow motif drawn then started stitching the embroidery starting with the red stripe of the rainbow going from the pot towards the hat.
Should get this monkey off my back this month.  At Last!   (another song inserted in my brain now-funny how pertinent they all seem!)  Uh  Ohh, those acronyms spell out FAL  [aka: finish along] synchronicity again.  LOL

If you want some company finishing or challenging yourself to finish up some of your PIGs, UFOs or PHDs, then head over to Heidi's blog  by the 7th to link up with other like minded creators.  The link closes shortly so be quick about it!

Jane
This happens to also be #17 on my Q2-2016 list - hitching my gains up on that accountability scale too - a huge self indulgent plus for me.

Daffodil Run Done!

Note to self:  I used a 28 count soft sage Monaco  I had in stock and stitched
2 strands with the called for DMC threads:  839, 961, 3051, 3053, 3350,
3853, 3854 and any backstitching done was with only 1 strand.
(Since I'll be selling some of my used charts on ebay - I thought to note the colors used here.)

CCS from Just Nan's design "Daffodil Run" is fully stitched and framed.  Yee HAW!

This was listed as Number 3 on my Q-2 2016  list and now it's one more completion I've reached.
Am I on a roll or what!  Sorry, didn't mean to get so excited but it does fill me with JOY!

Note to self.......While framing this I found out it was easier to "echo" stitch 8 threads beyond the stitched design to center it squarely so it would sit squarely in the frame.  The design was asymmetrical and it continuously seemed to be off until I did that step and then it worked like a charm!




This little floral frame is one that PGD#1 and I selected when we were doing my errands.

 Sweet!
















Doing my Spring Happy Dance that this is setting on a table in the living room when my own Daffodils start to Bloom.  
Okay, now I'm bragging just a tad. Sorry, but no, not really, I am just too happy not to!  Another one bites the dust!

Seems like my normal is that I am forever mentally listing all that needs my attention and I'm running helter-skelter like from one bit to the next while trying to keep all my plates spinning.  (Remember that guy on the Ed Sullivan show.)  Yep, that's me trying to keep the plates spinning and going along smoothly before they all fall and smash!  No wonder I'm breathless.

Kitchen door Forsythia wreath 2015- Notice the hanging birdhouse?
It's one  that the youngest grandson,
Brody painted during one of our crafting sessions last year.
The other bird houses sit on the front window sill.

Front door forsythia wreath made last year

Yes SPRING, we're ready.
TTFN,
Jane

PS: My sister in law is doing better.  She's now upgraded and moved to a regular room.  She's lost so much weight and vitality but know that her treatment is the right plan.  Thanks for your well wishes and prayers,   they are appreciated.

Music themed community quilt top finished

Got this cut out and sewn while away at a quilt retreat in April.  Even the binding is all set for whomever picks it up to do the next stages at the Wings Fall Quilters Guild in Glens Falls.

My commitment to this is done.  This was number 1 on my -2 2016 list.

Yippee!
One down, many more to go......



The pattern was one that called for 3- 1 yard pieces of fabric.
Choosing the swirly darker music themed fabric as the focal point and my plan of making it into those bar blocks to further endorse the music theme worked out perfectly.  

Now if I were finishing this puppy, I'd even use those bits of leftover gold I'm including in this package to do a piped trim before the darker printed binding that's all set to finish it off.  But that is now somebody else's monkey and somebody else's circus.  lol

It came to my attention that I wasn't naming and doing the OMG projects and linking them up correctly. That a project needs to be stated, shared and linked in at the beginning of the month and then by the end of the month, it needs to be totally and completely finished.  I only listed what I hoped to get done... be it make a quilt top or the next larger step within whichever projects.  Am so glad that they let me know as nicely as they did.  How embarrassing that it seemed like I was cheating,  I wasn't and it wasn't my intention,  but truly it's my Bad for not following the rules!
So this won't be getting shared with the April OMG even though in my book it's another success for my YTD tally as my part is totally done!

OMG Tally for me is 3 out of 4 YTD.

TTFN,
Jane

The Red Thread- AMEN!

I love it and it's gorgeous!

After my last posting about this I did get the required buttons and snaps from the Stitching Post in Maryland to finish this as it was designed and that I teased you with a photo about with them strewn on top.  But after getting them on, didn't personally care for them.  Seemed like their addition took away from the classic effect I was aiming for with this. . not. .so. .classical.  .stitch.  So I ended up removing them all before I could bring it to Michaels to get the framing done.  This shot shows the frame/colors tones more realistically.

Thrilled with how it looks framed with those double mats too  and how they were cut.  The burgandy one I had them edge inward and the green cut mitered showing  That little strip of white reveal is a nice little bright spot.
The frame we selected is the same kind we brought to re-frame our Adirondack chair art last year fall.  Glad it was still available as the green mat I used for the last counted cross stitch piece is no longer available and went with this newer color which I really like too.  This chair art hangs over the antique fridge in the dining room and our plan is that the wall that has wainscoting will be holding up the Red Thread piece.

Since both of these prints will be on adjacent walls, it's a great blend of style and color and am thinking it'll look nice and soothing, especially with those off white and soft sage colored walls.











The only thing to do now is to have hubby move the primitive wall sconces and make sure the supporting hanging bracket is strong enough to hold it up.  It is heavy and quite wide as seen in this next shot.  Here she is setting on our queen size bed. It almost reaches both sides!

Benk Creek, The Red Thread Snapperswas stitched on a 32 ct linen with 2/2 threads
Threads Used
DMC:  225, 644, 3371 and  3865
Gentle Art Sampling Thread (GAST):  Antique Rose, Berry Cobbler, Cidermill Brown, Dungarees, Freedom, Gold Leaf, Liberty, Nutmeg, Slate, Summer Meadow, Tarnished Gold and  Weathered Barn
Weeks Dye Works:  Bark, Chestnut, Cocoa, Galvanized, Kudzu, Lancaster Red,  Purple Haze and Seaweed    

So now it's wrapped back up in the brown paper protection and hopefully DH can take care of it soon.
His older sister, Linda who turns 69 on May 3rd has been in the ICU and has been very sick going on three weeks now. Thankfully the doctors have finally figured out the proper diagnosis and the right medicine is being shipped from Vermont as I type this.  Amazing since she was seen at three different hospitals with the first saying wait and see it's a virus, the second recognizing her serious condition then transporting her within 14 hours to another hospital that could care for her, thus the ICU admission there.

I'm so grateful for the health DH and I do have and also that this CCS- The Red Thread is Done!

That makes item number 2 from my Q-2, 2016 project list completely done!
Whoot - hoot!!!

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

PS: Just so you know it's really me- I still have plenty more to catch up on with blogging.
Am trying to come up with a different way of staying more up to date for my posts and yet still be productive.  I'll let you know how it works.   ; )