My Crafty Year in Review 2023

Is it really time to start dedecking the halls??? Say it isn’t so!!! I’m going to take my time even though I have been enjoying all of my decor since Thanksgiving weekend. This morning I removed the window candle lights and took care of the outdoor items which among other things meant removing the spotlight, taking down the ornaments from the front railings and from the shepherd’s hooks in the backyard, and finally lugging the old sled back into the garage. Mission accomplished. This afternoon I packed up the festive kitchen decor, but I’ll drag my heels packing away the ornaments. :-) Couldn’t I just leave the tree up in the corner of the living room as a decorative accent all year long?

Anyway, let’s get back to a review of what I have accomplished this year in my crafty life. :-) 

 Cross Stitch - I fully finished twenty-four pieces. My favorite was Mary Poppins.

Quilting . . . not so much - While I have worked on pillowcases, isolette covers for a Boston hospital, a wheelchair quilt for a veteran, comfort pillows, and a few other things that our Crosstown Quilt Quild donates to worthy organizations,  I only made one quilt, and that had been started years ago. Therefore, it  was my favorite completed quilt in 2023.

Wool Applique - I completed a few pieces, and this large Americana table runner was my favorite.

So, I managed to complete a few things last year, and I’ve already picked out a number of projects to begin working on this week. 

Today’s Youtube Tip:  End the season on a high note with “ Run, Run, Rudolph,”  with Brad Paisley and Steven Tyler 3:18 minutes of pure rockin’ fun. Promise me you will check this one out. Even if you only put “Brad Paisley” in the search, it will comes up. I hope these two collaborate on something else. :-)

Resolutions: once again . . . Lose ten pounds, read more, pick up my flute which I stopped playing during the pandemic, quilt more, have fun, travel . . . 

I heard someone on tv this morning point out that 2024 is a leap year.    Let’s all plan something really special for February 29th. 

Finally, my friend Laurel sent this along, and both Emma and I think it is adorable.

Mary Poppins Cross Stitch Finish

I’m just poppin’ in to wish you all a very Happy Easter and to show you my latest cross stitch finish which I picked up from the framers on Thursday. :-) Non-cross stitchers would be surprised at how many different Mary Poppins charts there are available, but this by far is my favorite.  It is a design by Laura Rimola, the Little Stitcher. 

This was my birthday start last July, and it was stitched on 14 count Denim Dyed Effect from Fabric Flair. There was supposed to be some wording in the middle but it was awkward, so I skipped it. I used the ‘called-for’ floss, but I added a different color floss to emphasize the upper structure of the clock tower. I am thrilled how it turned out.

Now, less you think this is the end of the story, there is more. Way, way back when I was in college, my cousin Jane and her husband welcomed a baby girl to our family. I was given the great honor of being her godmother. I was excited beyond words and wanted to make something special for baby Kristin. Mary Poppins came to mind. In those day I did both needlepoint and crewel. I purchased a Mary Poppins book and a coloring book and designed a crewel piece to stitch. My dad made the frame and cut the glass for it. 

This Mary Poppins piece hung in her childhood bedroom and later moved to her home when she herself was blessed with two baby girls. It still hangs in her home today. So, here is the piece that I created and stitched fifty years ago. :-) (Even then I put my initials and the year in the lower right hand corner.)

Isn’t that fun!!! 

Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Happy Spring!