Sunday, September 22, 2013

Plans aren't worth the paper they're written on.....

I had wonderful plans for this month. I actually thought ahead. I knew I was going to be down for the first weekend due to a minor surgery. (Nothing major, just an ongoing tooth issue. I had a bone graft to beef up my jaw bone in preparation for an implant.) So I didn't sign up for any of the wonderful swaps going on this month.Yes, I know I am missing out, but I didn't want the pressure. You know what I mean, don't you?!?! 

I am so very glad that I only have my long term Bee's to sew for this month. As it turns out Mother Nature, in the form of gravity, has once again supported my mother's decision to NOT name me Grace. Only four days after my surgery I managed to somehow lose my footing and fall down the stairs. In front of half of my co-workers. The result of my impromptu gymnastics has been me being couch bound with an elevated left leg. Seems I am systematically incapacitating my left side. The slight sunburn on my left arm seems petty to mention, so I won't elaborate. 

I HAVE been keeping busy with hand stitching. I signed up for The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Halloween Spooky Sampler stitch along knowing about the surgery. I figured that after the first day or so of really good painkillers, I would be able to keep up. I hadn't counted on the second round of painkillers. So, even though I am not graceful, I consider myself smart for having planned ahead. 

Now for the Spooky Halloween Sampler:



H is for Haunted House
A is for Apparition
L is for Lightening
L is for Lollipops
O is for Owls
W if for Witch

The frame was to have been completed before the beginning of WEEK ONE. I didn't make that deadline, but I DID finish it before the start of WEEK TWO. The first row was supposed to have been all stitched up before WEEK TWO. WEEK THREE starts tomorrow and I just last night finished WEEK TWO. 

All in all, I don't think I am doing that bad. Sure I have made some 'customizations', but who doesn't. (Customizations are basically mistakes that I can live with.) The door on the Haunted House is supposed to be orange. Oops. The ghosts aren't supposed to be outlined, but the white doesn't show up well enough, so I did it any way. Another oops. One of the bats in the frame only has one eye open. Oopsy. And there are a couple more. But the point is that they aren't bad enough to ruin the piece, so I consider them customizations.

Except that along with WEEK THREE, tomorrow also marks the beginning of the Autumn Sampler Stitch Along. And you guessed it, I am signed up for that one too.

Wish me luck. 

P.S. The jaw is healing wonderfully, as is the lower leg. Mostly the shin. The zombie toe is doing well too. I'm ready to sit at the sewing machine again, and will this coming Friday.

3 comments:

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

I always say that mistakes in art are opportunities for innovation, and that's exactly what you did. This is an amazingly detailed piece, and one that will be treasured for generations to come. Blessings!

Chat Noir said...

You had me carefully studying every last stitch looking for the one-eyed bat! Good thing I like hidden object puzzles.......and what the heck! That's what makes it our own. Customisation indeed.....should be mandatory! Love this stitchery, but dont think I want what gave you all the time to do it.

leanne said...

oh my goodness Jana - I do hope your getting better - I've been thinking of you lately so I should have been sending well wishes! I want to thank you for my absolutely adorable coffee cozy and mug rug - the mice are to die for - I love that you did hexies - they are both just gorgeous. So the reason I'm leaving a comment on your blog is that I thought I'd sent you an email - which I discovered last night didn't get sent - so I'm not leaving it to chance again !

They arrived almost two weeks ago so I'm really sorry if you might have thought they were lost as you didn't hear from me - they are doing well - no spills on the coffee cozy so far but there have been crumbs on the mug rug :)

thanks again for being such an amazing angel ! hopefully some of that positive kharma will come around soon :)