Time Seems To Fly

Hello Stitching Friends,

As I grow older it seems as though time just slips away and suddenly it's the end of the year or the beginning of a new one. Why is it that when I was young I couldn't wait for time to fly and now that I am older it's "hey...slow down"!! Guess it's that sense of my own mortality that makes me want to have the days go slower. Maybe it's the time of year. The seasons draw the earth cycle to a close and it's always so beautiful as it ends with the glorious colors of fall. Texas is usually slower than the rest of the country when it comes to fall colors. Although they aren't as brilliant as the northern fall colors, they do change and there are bright spots if you only pause to look at them. So, the last two weeks I have noticed the beauty of the season. Of course the season in Texas is short, so don't blink or you will miss the colors.

This is the ornament I designed for my home guild (Tudor Rose Sampler Guild). I was able to teach the stitches at our November Guild meeting. I think I may offer it as a kit for guilds to use as a teaching piece. It would be a good piece for those in sampler guilds to learn a lot of new stitches. The stitches include: Rice Stitch, Diamond Eyelet, Smyrna Cross, Long-Arm Cross, Alternating Double Back Stitch, Satin Stitch Variations, Montenegrin Stitch, Queen Stitch, Four-sided Stitch, Lora Standish Stitch, Two-Sided Italian Stitch, Ray Stitch, Double Herringbone Stitch, Rhodes Star Stitch, Alternating Mosaic Stitch and Cross Stitch. Stitchers will learn 15 sampler stitches. I received some very nice feedback from guild members and I am grateful for the chance to participate in guild functions with so many wonderful sampler stitchers.

I finally got the printer fixed. It only took a month for the parts to come in! I am finishing up the printing of the final pattern of the year. Of course looking at works in progress for the Nashville Market keeps my designing hat on. However, it's good to feel like I can breathe again as the pin cushions production list is winding down and the final orders are going out within the next few weeks.

I am working on my ornament for our guild Christmas ornament exchange. It's nice to stitch on something other than my own designs. There is so much out there to stitch and I have so little time to stitch on the many beautiful patterns in my stash. I am look forward to the weekly stitching time with friends on Thursday evenings. Stitching friends are really forever friends. We will be losing one of our stitching friends to Germany for two years. Although, she will be missed a great deal, I know that our friendship is strong enough to bridge the distance. Who knows, maybe I will finally get to Europe!!

I hope all of you have had some days or at least a few hours to stitch on your favority projects during the last few weeks of the year. Enjoy those hours of solitude with needle and thread!

Happy Stitching,
Gloria