Latest Finishes

A few weeks ago I got the urge to go through one (get that - one!) of my UFO (Un-Finished Objects) boxes and found two pieces I wanted to finally finish.  The oldest one was a Ewe and Ewe and Friends design called "Sampler Pincushion."  I had finished stitching the sampler part in 2007 but got stumped by the section the designer had left blank with the instructions to "Be creative!"   So I set it aside.  I've taken it out and looked at it several times since then but couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with the blank section.  Then, finally, inspiration struck.  I had another pattern that had some stitched "lace" sections (that too was a UFO), and I decided to combine some of the lace sections from that pattern with this sampler.  And voila!  A six-year old finish!

My second UFO finish is a bit more recent: "Take Time to Quilt" by Jeannette Douglas Designs.  I started this back in 2011 and set it aside once because I couldn't decide what saying to put in the center. When I decided on "Autumn Colors," I stitched some more and then set it aside again when everything was done except the block in the lower left corner.  I simply could not figure out the instructions. This time I was determined to finish the project with its gorgeous colors.  Though I still couldn't figure out the instructions, I did figure out that if I put the booklet cover under my magnifying light, I could see how it was stitched and follow that as my stitching guide.

This past spring I completed "Variations on a Rhodes Theme," in honor of our cruise last winter that ended up having Rhodes as a port of call.  That was the first of three Rhodes patterns, and I more recently completed another of the patterns, "More Rhodes to Follow."  There is a third pattern, "All Rhodes Lead to Stitching" that is in my "to do" pile.  I am using the same colors throughout all three pieces.

Lest you think all I do is stitch, a friend and I took a two-part Introduction to Islam class that was very informative.  I'm also attending a six-part class on Anton Chekov.  I didn't study him in school so was not at all familiar with any of his work.  We started the class by reading his short story, "The Lady with the Little dog," then moved to his play, "The Seagull."  We are now discussing "In the Ravine," a long short story.