crazy 3 weeks

Yup, it's been nuts around here. We came back from camp to find out my dad was in hospital. Then he died. We were estranged for a very long time, but still, the urge to go to his funeral was big. It took some figuring out and a lot of stress and I decided the best place to be was at home. 8 days later, Steve's mom died. It felt like a re-run, slightly healthier, but still, all the same kinds of conversations. We have decided to go to a memorial in mid-October and that all needed sorting through. To add interest to the mix, I had earlier planned a trip to my mom's and then on to my daughter's. This trip happens just 24 hours after a surprise birthday party for Steve. We are the same age and we didn't get around to celebrating our 50th birthdays. Five years later and I have organized a small gathering of Steve's friends. It will be a happening place here tonight. Tomorrow, Steve and Lucas head off to a musical jam near our camp, while I fly of to Toronto for a few days and then to Ottawa.

Amongst all that, I did manage to get some stitching done. First up, the miracle apron.

Alex is modeling, thank you friend. Put this little number on and the amount of food falling on the bosom decreases dramatically. Laundry tapers off to almost nil.Note the two huge pockets. They are for forgetting lists in.

The back is nice and high, meaning that the shoulder straps stay up.

The armholes are generous, so it is cool to wear in summer and easy to wear over a sweater in winter. I'm taking this one to Toronto for my Mom, because she suffers from "food on chest" syndrome as well.

I finished this little piece while manning the phones and planning umpteen things. The original image comes from Dee Mallon Cloth Company blogsite (here)

All I've changed are the stitching details. I couldn't find the original blogpost that I found it on, but it is definitely her image.

I've used wool for the tree, trunk, background, cotton batting, and cotton backing.

Cleo Belle and I are considering. Is this piece done except for hems? It wasn't until I taped it to the window that I realized how well those reverse applique large circles work. This piece came with me to London where Karen Ruane gave me a critique (the good kind) and a scolding (the bad kind) because I had told her that I had thrown it out then changed my mind just before packing to travel.

Looks like I need to photograph this differently. It looks a lot better in ViewNX, but fades out here.

My autumn project is to get serious about setting up a place for good image taking. I will try to blog from Toronto but no promises.