Why selfish stitching works (and unselfish stitching doesn't)

A couple of weeks ago, Harmien and I decided to do a personal Halloween-themed floss ring tag exchange. I thought that was a good idea. Harmien is my best friend. she knows me, she will probably count on me not making the deadline. In fact, she knows I won't make it before I myself discover that there is no way I will. It doesn't help that I have a child who will try his darndest to never, ever have me make a deadline, but - as Harmien so rightfully pointed out - I shouldn't blame him for my own inability to not procrastinate. It's not his fault that he's been ill for more than a week. He can't help it that his stomach upset led to a runny nose, inflamed ears and wheezing lungs and kept me up for nigh-on a week so. And it's not Vonna's fault that I didn't finish the exchange on time either. No, it's not. The fact that she came up with this Me, Myself & I Neighbourhood and Blog is no reason for me to abandon everything I was working on to start planning yet another neighbourhood. It is nobody's fault, except my own, that Harmien arrived on Friday bearing the Halloween Exchange she so industriously finished on time, and that I had nothing to show in return, except a couple of sad pieces of fabric containing even sadder half-finished stitcheries. What I'm trying to say in a very roundabout way, is that I received some lovely, lovely gifts from Harmien...

...and that she didn't get anything from me. I feel bad. Especially because these are such beauties that I can't stop drooling over. Thank you, Harmien, and I can't tell you how sorry I am that you will have to wait for another week :o((((

Okay, enough of that. There was actually something I could give Harmien. It was a gift I stitched for her and Erik, as a sort of (very meager) thank you gift for everything they did for me this year:

Dear Friend by Blackbird Designs, adapted slightly to make room for our initials, and for the extra 'S' at the end (the original says 'Dear Friend'). The heart at the right is stitched in Queen's stitches. A first, and also a last for me, to be perfectly frank. Well, at least it lends the piece a sort of... primitive, school sampler-like look. The picture is appalling. The fabric was, apparently, mounted on a white board, which shines through because of the flash of the camera. I don't think you can actually see it IRL.

Another finish I picked up from the framer's is Herb Garden by Little House Needleworks. What a sweety, huh? And such a quick stitch! I love it to bits.

And now for my Me, Myself & I Neighbourhood. Like most builders in this new neighbourhood, I haven't been able to sleep properly since this project was set up, so during the very few hours that Pelle wasn't gasping for breath or throwing up or crying, I actually lay awake thinking of houses to build in my neighbourhood, poems and sayings and beasties and trees, and I think I'm mostly done planning. As to the name of my neighbourhood, I haven't quite decided if it will be ' Woodsy Wanderings' or 'Wacky Woodlands'. What do you think? I think I prefer 'Woodsy Wanderings', because I'm not planning anything too wacky right now. It's going to be a rather primitive affair, though, lots of Workbasket Designs and La-D-Da. I've found a poem to go around the design in a border (YES! A border!), but I'm waiting for the collection of poems I ordered before I share it with you, because no-one on the internet seems to know exactly how the poem goes. Barbara, for your information, it's a poem by e e cummings.

One more thing before I start dinner: I had wanted to explain, in my previous post, that even though my Green Award went to four ladies who happened to be mothers of children, I didn't mean to say that ladies with no children don't make me green with envy every once in a while. Rest assured, ladies, you certainly do. It's just that, I have enough work raising 'only' one child, and I cannot for the life of me imagine raising more and still having time to stitch, design, work, etc. On the other hand, when I hear of the trouble fur babies can cause, I can only say I'm glad I have a baby of the non-furry variety to take care of :o)

Next time, I hope to show you at least part - if not all - of my Halloween Exchange for Harmien. I'm not making any promises, though. Not ever again.