Taking inventory

With all the baby stuff I will need to buy, it's time to tighten the belt on the stash buying. That means finishing WIPs and kits before buying anything new. So, let's see what we have.

WIPS
HAED The Awakening
HAED Eternal Promise
Magnificent Wizard
TW Angel Procession
Maggie the Messmaker
Barnabee's Quest (done)
Rose and Butterfly Quilt
A Fish Tale (French knots)
12 Days of Christmas Whimzi (done)

Finishing
TrickORTreat
Angel of Summer (for mom)
Generosity (done)

Kitted
TW Castle Sampler
Chatelaine Convent's Herbal Garden
Chatelaine Summer Afternoon
TW Futurecast
Porcelain Nosegay
Horrified
Poor Jack
Daffodil Run

So this is the list I need to work from. We'll see how far I get!

(I'm considering selling Summer Afternoon. Not sure I want to do it now.)

Mom the master seamstress

Mom made this cute bib on her fancy sewing machine. Note the embroidery that says, "I love my granny." Cajun grandmothers are called ... something sort of pronounced "muh-MAW." I guess she couldn't spell that one! I need to take a pic of the second one she did.

She went home Monday, and I miss her! And not just because she cleaned my kitchen and bathroom. ;-) I really need to figure out how to get her here when I go into labor in September/October. I need my Momma!

I didn't stitch much while she was here. Yesterday I did finish a tiny ladybug kit she wanted me to do for her friend. Of course I forgot to take a picture before I packaged it up to mail to Louisiana.

She also finished off my piece for the SBEBB Garden Exchange. She's such an amazing seamstress. I might have been able to do what she did, but it wouldn't have looked as good, and it would have taken me 10 times as long. I hope the recipient likes it. I plan to mail it tomorrow.

Sadly, I think I'm going to have to withdraw from the SBEBB. I was so thrilled to become a member (highly selective), and then I got pregnant. I just don't think I'll have the time once the baby comes. I'm also not going to do any round robins or exchanges for a while, after I finish the HAED RR (just two pieces left to stitch on). I'm sure everyone runs into these life changes once in a while.

Gaming: City of Heroes came out with an auction house. Of course I'm addicted now, checking my auctions day and night. Shades of World of Warcraft! Argh!

Wanda's HAED RR finished

I finished my section (top right) of Wanda's HAED round robin piece. It's Verdure by Linda Ravenscroft.

This weekend Mom's coming for a visit--arriving Saturday morning and leaving Monday morning. It's a really long drive (Louisiana to Texas) just for the day, but she wants to see me and help. I'm going to see if she can help me finish my Garden Exchange piece (hehe).

Next on the stitching agenda is The Awakening. I haven't finished my page for this month, and I only have a week left!

Garden Exchange stitching done

I finished the stitching on my Garden Exchange piece for the SBEBB. I now have to figure out how I want to finish it!

I'm now working on Wilma's piece for the HAED RR. She picked Verdure by Linda Ravenscroft, and we're doing sections of it.

Baby: We had the ultrasound last Friday. Good news is that the baby is fine. Bad news is that the baby was curled up with his/her legs crossed so we couldn't tell the sex. The doctor said he can try again next month. I'm really itching to buy baby stuff, but so much of it is either male or female. I wonder what people who want to be surprised do! We did manage to get the crib and the dresser/changing table (which is on order). That was a task. My feet are so swollen and painful that I really can't get around much anymore. No more driving in to work either. Good thing I work at home!

Eternal Promise Page 1

I finished page 1! The piece is a HAED, and the original art was by Matthew Stewart. (I don't know why Blogger makes my scanned images look so bad. Click the pic to get to a better one.)

This page was mostly border, but it was nice to stitch on something different. There was a ton of confetti, so it wasn't as easy (or quick) as I thought it would be.

I need to get working on my Garden Exchange piece now! It's due at the end of this month. I also have Wanda's RR to stitch on.

Pregnancy: I opted not to get the amnio because I'm so terrified of it. We'll just have to live with the consequences. I also have swollen feet all the time, and my lower back hurts. I can hardly get around. And I'm only at 20 weeks! Ugh.

My Stitching Treasures box finish

I finished placing My Stitching Treasures in the box made for it. I actually managed it myself. I cut a piece of foam core, glued batting to it, and then pinned and laced the piece to the foam core. I then placed a piece of matboard behind it and used my framing gun to secure it. I didn't back it with paper because it looks pretty neat as is, and paper is somewhat fragile and could get torn.

I'm pretty satisfied with it, though it's not perfect. I wish there were framing classes so I could learn the proper way to do these things.

I haven't figured out where I'm going to put the box. There aren't that many flat surfaces available for display items. And then there's the concern about dust since I don't use glass. Hm. I'd hate to just stick it in the closet.

I've been stitching on Eternal Promise, though it's slow going. My brain has turned to finishing off stitched pieces, so I may work on a few of those.

Pregnancy: I'm currently debating about whether to get an amniocentesis done. Logically I think we should, but I am absolutely terrified at the thought of it. I have a phobia about certain medical things (IVs in the hands being one). My dad was shot when I was a kid, and I've managed to get over my fear of hospitals, but there are still a few things lingering. But then who wants to get stuck in the gut with a needle?