Heart

I've been stitching up a heart from Madame la Fee (it's a freebie, quick go to her site and look!), for a kind stitcher to incorporate into a quilt for a cancer survivor, who is also a stitcher. "C" -- Been there, don't want to do that again!  but of course very willing to bring joy to a fellow stitcher.

This is how it looked the other day:

This is how it looks now (so sorry, it's a very overcast Saturday.. but you might be able to see the flower top left that makes up the outline for the left side of the heart). I hope to finish the left side this weekend; it's all solid stitching:

I must say, I think this is the fastest I've stitched out of panic, because I have to mail this off before the end of July.. the bumble bees remind me of my younger brother, his birthday is end of July, but he's gone.. suddenly, unexpectedly, 5 years this August.  He used "bumble bee" as a term of endearment for his son,  my nephew.  He and I used to fight a lot as kids but I like to think we were getting a little closer as adults, at least I was hoping to be as we grew older  :(

Brother, I hope you know that you were/are loved .

11 questions.. down to 10 =)

I was tagged by Ms.Linda Lee of CrossN My Stitches, whose blog I am a follower of... a game of 11 questions for stitcher-bloggers, and a way to get to know them better.  I will answer the ones she sent me, then I get to come up with 11 of my own, to send to another 11 bloggers (yikes, I'm sure I don't know that many !)

1. How many years have you been stitching? Counting sporadic stitching episodes from grade school, it would be 25!

2. Name one piece on your wish list. Um.. right now it would be Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers No. 31, Blessings and Kind Wishes. Pretty! And hard to find.

3. Would you rather receive floss or fabric as a gift? Floss, but only if it's fancy.. I'd love to try HDF and WDW! If not, I'd rather have fabric. There's not much here but Aida.

4. Do you have a LNS within a 50 mile radius from your home? Yes, but nothing fancy.. it's now called a Yarn Shop! it's more a hobbyist's store than a LNS.

5. How many pieces have you got going right now? Five! one a work in very slow progress by Whimsey and Wit, my Peaches chart (a companion to a Plums chart I completed years ago), a small kit from Dimensions, a little herb kit from Cross My Heart.

6. Why do you enjoy cross stitching? The way you can make a pretty picture by your stitching.. and the pride you feel when you can say “I did that!”

7. Do you have a special chair that you use for stitching? No, but I wish I did! It would be something you could sink in, but have steady arms for balancing the stitching if needed!

8. Have you ever taught anyone to stitch? Yes, 2 of my nieces. One tried it and likes it but she hasn't got the concept of stitching completely in her mind , and the other one likes it – I'll be sending her a kit to sew!

9. Do you knot your threads on the back of your stitching? No, they go under.

10. When you plan a trip, do you look up needle shops on the routes before you leave? There's not a lot of LNSs.. but when I am in a mall I always check to see if there might be one!

11. How often do you take your needlework with you? 90% of the time, I bring it along. It's always nice to get a few stitches in and know that I'm progressing with my stitching,

Okay... I am tapping Joyce of Random Ramblings and Cindy of After the Storm.. and trimming the questions to 10!  

1. What was your first stitched piece?
2. Who (or what) first got you started on stitching?
3. Where do you usually buy your stash?
4. Who are your top 3 favorite designers?
5. What are the top 3 items on your wishlist?
6. How long do you stitch?
7. What are you working on right now?
8. How old is your oldest WIP?
9. Do you use any special tool in your stitching? If so, what is it?
10. Please share any special lesson you've learned from stitching (or stitchers)?  

Have a great day, y'all!