I'm Still Here

This is a Lily project stitched with tapestry wool and silk! Even the box is stunning!! Love it Love it Love it I got my Dimensional Embroidery book yesterday and fell in love with a couple projects. Will I ever have time to stitch them? - read on.

You maybe wonder what happened to me. What happened to my Easter project, the bunnies and carrots? I feel really bad about that. I wanted to get them done for Easter. I had all the supplies kitted up and I was excited.

But then my stepmother needed my attention and all else was put away. Sadly.

She is 86 - born in 1920. She has good health although somewhat anemic. I don't think she eats well or often enough. Skinny and cold all the time. I realized that she has an attention span of about 2 minutes and then all is forgotten.

I spent Monday and Tuesday evening going to bed early in recovery of what I did over the weekend. She wanted her carpeting shampooed. She lives out in the country and the carpet was dirty. So I brought my rug shampooer out to her place and shampooed her carpet 3 times to get it clean. Then I cleaned the two sofas' upholstry and washed a load of clothes, made lunch and dinner and took her shopping for groceries.

The poor dear. I was the only one to bring her an Easter lily and wish her happy Easter. I know because I was there. I told her that I would come again and clean her windows, do laundry and take her shopping again next month. Her sister brings her food each week but she needs to get out and about. I know that eventually here I will have to sell my condo and move in with her to take care of her. It is such a conflict.

Cross stitch on the mind

Helan Pearce Dimensional Embroidery

Gary Clarke - Embroidery Illusions

When I was pregnant with my twin daughters, I was huge. I started out at 121 pounds and ended at 176 pounds. And that was with my doctor going off on me every time I had an office visit that I was gaining too much. That was in 1970. Well as my weight increased, my blood pressure rose. So I had to stay at home off my feet all day. THATS when I took up the needle and thread.

I had to stitch for my sanity. Day time tv was too boring. Game shows and soap operas just didn't hold my attention. I didn't know how to stitch so I bought kits in the beginning. During that time, crewel work was the most popular. Then cross stitch and needlepoint became very popular. I stitched every day, all day. I gave most everything I stitched away as gifts. After my daughters were born, I was too busy to stitch any longer! But I took it up again for evening work to settle me down after a hard day.

Now, 36 years later, I love to cross stitch again but now I want challenges. After seeing Elizabeth's work, I am ready to get back to my crewel work but now with silks! I think I will design some pictures. I like to paint. So I think I will thread paint. I have been considering a book called A to Z of Thread Painting. It is put out by the same company that puts out the Inspiration magazine. While I was looking at the book, I subscribed to Inspiration magazine. Expensive but worth it.

Oh and while I'm being creative, I want to try stumpwork. So I ordered some books.