I'm still here

Not sure where the time goes, do you? I've been stitching and doing tax returns - and retreating too! Shortly after my last post, I spent 2 1/2 days in Ohio at the annual Covered Bridge Needlearts retreat. Lori Markovic of LaDDa was our guest designer. Lori re-introduced us to using waste canvas on black velvet as part of our class piece. You don't want to see mine - the waste canvas shifted greatly, despite the pinning. But I enjoyed myself and met new stitchers and some old friends from a now-closed LNS in the Pittsburgh area.

Shortly after that weekend away, I went to Northeast PA with my Grape Arbor stitcher friends. We spend 3 nights and 2 full days in a super B & B and just stitch and talk and giggle and eat and yes, a little wine too (afterall, we are in wine country up there). Our hostess makes yummy b-fasts and is also a stitcher. We decided to choose a pattern from the '11 ornament issue and kit it up for each of us and we also included our hostess. Unfortunately I've only started one, but Christmas is 10 months away, so no hurry, right?

This past weekend was my third stitching retreat and was for a short 25 hours as those nasty tax returns are piling up around me. It sure was fun to get away with 16super ladies and see such beautiful work and just enjoy each other and forget about anything and everything else. I'm looking forward to stitching with these ladies again.

In the meantime, I've finished a few things and will do my best to add them to this post. First up are the squares I stitched for the most recent Fair and Square round. The theme was stitch red for the heart. My squares went all the way to Australia and the picture went poof off my camera. But I do have a pic of the squares I receved. This is a freebie from Aury.

Next is my version of October Word Play by Brenda Gervais. Since it was a present for an October birthday friend, I omitted the word hayrides and substituted birthday. I had help with the finishing - and just love the simplicity of the jute trim and hanger. I want to play with the December one too and work anniversary into the piece since the destination is to a couple whose anniversary is in December.

Next is Joy - for an ornament exchange in December. It turned out a little big for an ornament, but the receiver said she has several this size and they fit well on the bottom of her tree. I did the finishing and was pleased how it turned out. The backing material was Weeks wool.

I need to take a class in how to put these pictures into blogger. But hopefully you can at least see that I have been working along. I'm on an alphabet kick right now -have one finished La D Da to share next time, am almost done with a piece by The Good Huswife and have started another La D Da - all alphabets. Let's see what I can accomplish in the next 300 tax returns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be well and find some time for yourself.

Linda