Back in my happy place

March 5, 2023March 5, 2023 ~ Liz A ~ 26 Comments

I’m on my sixth or seventh skein of Deb’s threads, happily stitching my way across a sea of hope …

And wow, that one patch of Deb’s dyed damask makes me think of Hazel’s sailing ships … imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, even when unintentional.

We’ve actually been away … an overnight trip to the little town of Brenham …

which we reached after two hours of driving by lots of bluebonnets.

We stayed at the Main Street House …

wandered around the historic district…

had a great dinner at Las Americas …

and wished some other intriguing places had been open when we wandered by …

Sadly, the new normal in Bed & Breakfast land appears to be serve-yourself breakfast … a change from the toothsome offerings served at a common table in pre-Covid days.

Still, it was good to be venturing out in the world again … and then return home to blue skies and new leaves pushing old leaves off the live oak trees …

a sure sign of spring!

Waving

February 24, 2023February 24, 2023 ~ Liz A ~ 19 Comments

The bottom edge of My Heart’s Compass was meant to evoke the sand, the sea, and the sky …

with raw-edged patches of blue and green, some indigo, some gifted, some stitched with words from Kindred Spirits, all cobbled together into …

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite come together as I had envisioned, so over time I tried various running, blanket, and back stitches …

It still wasn’t coming together as I had hoped, so I tried satin stitching over the raw edges …

But no, that didn’t quite work either (and has since been completely unstitched).

So I’m exceedingly happy that this latest iteration with close/d herringbone stitch is (finally) working out so well …

The cloth and stitches feel more integrated, with a wonderful texture. And it’s fun to do, even though I have to reload my needle with Deb’s thread every couple of inches.

So I’ve got most of one foot done, with about five feet to go …