I managed to knock out two finish-finishes this week!
First, I framed "Golden Poppies" from the March/April 1986 issue of Cross Stitch & County Crafts. Yes, I started it way back then. It sat in a box for over 20 years about half-stitched until I retrieved it last year. It had been put away without the threads or the chart. I found the chart when I was flipping through my old magazines looking for something else. I pulled the threads from my aging stash and finished the stitching. I have no idea why I packed it away because there weren't any counting errors, I've always loved the subject, and I had all the threads. It's a mystery.
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| Golden Poppies Cross Stitch & Country Crafts magazine, M/A 1986 Sttiched on 14 ct fiddlers weave aida Recommended DMC threads Backstitching and initial omitted (personal preference) Ribba frame from Ikea |
My second finished-finish was the "Christmas Joy" ornament by Angel Stitchin' from the 2003 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue. This was stitched in 2009 and I had already laced the front of the ornament and glued up the back before it went into the pile. I guess the glue needed over a year to dry??? I gathered the parts and whipped it together in no time. It took longer for the glue to dry (really, this time) than for anything else. Too bad it's going to have to be packed away until the holidays. :o)
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| Christmas Joy Angel Stitchin' Published in 2003 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue Stitched on 32 ct. Cafe Mocha linen Unknown overdyed threads from stash |
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| Backing fabric from stash Edged with feather-edged burgundy ribbon by Offray Bow and hanger in same color 6 mm single-sided satin ribbon |
I'm making slow but steady progress on my current WIP, a Dimensions Wire Whimsy kit called Christmas Birdhouse. This has been a UFO for I don't know how long. The copyright is 1994, so somewhere around then must be when I started it. I know full well why this was a UFO. It's on 14 ct plastic canvas, which I hate, and it's stitched using 3 strands, which I also hate. So it was double-whammied, as either one of those would have been enough for me to lose interest. I'll be sooooooooooo glad when this one is done and dusted. I've only got a little more cross-stitching to go, then it will be back-stitch, a few French knots, and assembly.
I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to get in a rut and cook the same dishes over and over (and over and over) again for my family. Sometimes, though, I crave something different. Yesterday was one of those days. As a break from some form of chicken or another, I had pulled a pound of smoked sausage out of the freezer yesterday morning for last night's dinner. I had no idea how I was going to serve it. On my way home from work I started thinking about it and got an overwhelming craving for zucchini with tomatoes and peppers. I thought the combination would go well with the sausage, and boy was it ever good! (Sorry, I didn't think to take a picture.) Here's what I came up with:
Sausage and Stewed Vegetables
1 14.5 oz. can Hunt's stewed tomatoes
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 medium bell pepper, cut in 1/2" - 3/4" pieces
1/2 pound frozen zucchini slices
1 pound beef smoked sausage, angle-cut into 1/4" slices
Simmer tomatoes, onion, pepper, and zucchini in a covered skillet until the onions and peppers are tender. Add just a little water, only if the liquid has cooked off.* Add sausage, cover, and heat thoroughly. Serve with your favorite side dish. Serves 3-4
*The sausage added a lot of moisture, so a little water will go a long way.
This will probably be my last update for a while. We have a trip coming up the last week of the month and there's a lot of prep and packing to be done beforehand.
Best to all,
Diane
