Have you ever wondered .....

.... how fabric and threads can be so addictive? I mean we have plenty, right? And yet we buy more. Then once we have them in our clutches we MUST start them. (Small counter fact: once started we do not feel compelled to finish them with any alacrity.) Once started, we tend to get on a roll and the next thing we know it's dawn and we've stitched all night. It's not like dinner isn't my friend and last week I caught myself putting it off for "one more stitch" for round about an hour... despite the fact that I really wanted dinner.

So, you can probably tell I'm in one of my stitchy-phases. I almost skipped dinner. I pick foods based on what I can eat quickly and get back to stitching. Heck I even get grumpy about things like trips to the bathroom interrupting my needle! You'd think for all my obsessed phase, you'd think I'd get more stuff done. Sigh. It's just not the case.

So here's what I can show you of what I've been up to lately --

That's Ursula Michaels' We the People -- I've actually made it further than this picture, but I haven't got that picture yet. It's remarkably fast to stitch, but I gotta say that that long blue line was really boring.

I finished up a group of things I can't show you, so to celebrate those finishes and my progress on WE the People, I started.... say it with me ... something new!'

Heart in Hand's Spooky which our friend Kathryn gave this to me and I've been itching to start it. I've changed it up for Belle Soies and over one --

So far so good. I'm really enjoying working on it. Thanks, Kathryn!

Oh and I finally found the picture for my 4th of July squares for Susan P:

It's a modified version of an LHN pattern.

You'd think I could settle in to stitching and not feel compelled for more stash, but nooooo. You see we had this trunk show at the shop...




Aren't they cool. On weekend one of the sale I fell for this little darling--


So, that's on stretcher bars in my bag as we speak.

I also almost fell for this series:

But then I looked at the whole set and some of them were too weird -- the lords a leaping were Santa's boots in the chimney. Thus I was saved from that pile of stash. Alas, on weekend two I fell for this:

I was just really fond of it -- after all, what did I need with a pear? Anyway, I was fine with just commenting to everyone how cool it was and how there was a whole set of pears and apples and strawberries and citrus fruit. Then someone mentioned the term "fruit bowl" and it was all over but the shouting. I inherited a large Steuben glass fruit bowl... you see it now right? I plan to order over time 2 pears (the one above and a red one with paisley patterns),


2 apples (red and golden),


2 strawberries (just plain ole strawberries),

a lemon,

a lime,

and an orange

It may take me years, but I'm sooo looking forward to my fruit bowl.

Ok, before I go I have to share a recent humor with you. I came home one night to find out that my manager had had all the hall doors painted (no wet paint signs though -- those would have been handy) and had even had the numbers removed from the doors. A few days later I'm home to hear hammering moving around the halls. I think, "A ha! We're getting our new numbers." After they finish my hall I go out, check, and fall out laughing.

Yes, they carefully removed the old numbers to avoid getting paint n them, then reinstalled them. Only they are the same number plates they've used for probably 20 years and they've been painted over repeatedly already. lol My pretty fresh door with it's antique paint-encrusted number plate! Such a sight!