Stitch From Stash - August

Well SFS is past the halfway point.  It's all downhill from here.  Once again, it's time to report on the Stitch From Stash challenge coordinated by Mel at Epic Stitching.  At over the halfway point, I think I've done pretty well.  The idea of SFS is to stitch from our stash to reduce spending. 

I also look at it as a way to focus on reducing my accumulation of stash.  Actually it's fun to "shop" from our own stash.

During the month of August, I spent $8 on Button Up For Christmas #2 by Victoria Sampler.

No finishes since last month, but I did pull out Eight Immortals have been working on it all month as part of a online stitching challenge.  For the month of August, we are stitching on something with people in it.  Since I hadn't worked on Eight Immortals since February 2013 *gasp*, I thought it was appropriate for this challenge.  I've made quite a bit of progress:

I made more progress on Heart of America.  Since the weather has been so humid lately, HoA has become my lunch hour project.  As you can see, I'm 2/3 done.

I'm really enjoying stitching both projects.

Until the next SFS,

In Memoriam

It is with a heavy heart I'm letting my blogging friends know that my Dad passed away at 9:15am in his sleep on July 13th.  It was a Sunday.  A few days prior, my Dad had told my brother when he died it would be on the day of rest.  He is no longer in pain and may he be having a beer and fishing with his brothers in the afterlife.

Several years ago, I wrote a Father's Day tribute to my Dad to share a bit about him and what kind of guy he was.  You can read about him HERE.

My Dad's Life... In Pictures

 

I never knew my Dad had dimples.
Somewhere along the line, he lost them.

 

Leaving for Duty - 1964

He signed the back of this "A Sailor in White Ready to Fight"

Wedding Day - 1967

His Young Family

 

My Dad loved to go fishing!

 

Dad and His Two Sons

 

In his day, he enjoyed his beer.

Dad and His Grandkids, minus one who wasn't born yet.

Dad and My Sister

Me and Dad

This is the only time I can remember Dad
dressed in anything other than a tshirt.  On holidays,
sometimes he'd wear a knit shirt with a collar.
He is also smiling in this photo... He never smiles
when he gets a picture taken.

Christmas 2013

One of the last photos of Dad - May 2014
(with his only grandson)

Dealing with my Dad's illness, funeral planning, and estate administration has been one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do in my life.  I have received many cards and condolences from the online community.  I thank you all for your support and sentiments.

Until Next Time,

Journey Through Time

Have you ever thought about the evolution of your stitching area?  No?  Me either. Until just recently.  Sisters in stitching had posted photos of their "stitching nest"... prompted me to post some as well.  Heck, I didn't want to be outdone!

As I looked through my photos (and there are thousands, let me tell you!), I couldn't find a recent photo of my stitching area.  What I did find was two photos of previous areas.  Of course, this meant I had to tidy up my "nest" so that I could take a decent photo.  What better reason to tidy up, eh?

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

When I moved into The Townhouse, I had very little stash.  In fact, I had stitched very little in the previous five years or so because an un-named exH complained about me doing it.  Pfft.  After moving to The Townhouse, I set up my $10 lighting solution and sat on the end of my sofa.

 

 After purchasing The Homestead, I originally sat on the end of the sofa but eventually picked up a second hand recliner chair.  A TV tray became a makeshift side table.  I made the green tablecloth and topped it with a doily.  No one was the wiser.  Oops... I let my secret out. lol

 

Currently, I have a comfty recliner to sit in.  A music stand holds my charts and magnet board, along with a sock monkey beanie baby.  He's so cute!  My side table is now a 2-drawer cabinet that I refurbished (here).  As you can see, I still use the same light and MagEyes.

How about you?  How has your stitching area evolved over time?

Until next time,