Just Back From Massachusetts Trip

I'm so happy to be home after a wonderful visit with my son, DiL, and darling little grandbaby, Hadley! DH and I came home with sneezes and sinus issues, and friends here in Naples tell us, "That's why we don't go North in the Winter!" Oh...I didn't get that message soon enough! LOLStitched on my Taj Mahal quite a bit while travelling, (my son called stitching "self-soothing"...a new fathering term he's picked up, which I kinda like!) but I couldn't photograph it well. I think the light yellow opalescent fabric reflects too much light! The silks are much brighter in reality.

I have some magazine pics for you to see. There are some really great designs in the current stitching magazines for this month. I had so much fun on the plane reading and dreaming through $40 worth of them! "The World of Cross Stitching," probably is my favorite of the month, because of a variety of fun charts: the Jane Austenesque girl and her spaniel, the blue and white smallies, were just a couple of the ones in this magazine I really liked. Speaking of smallies; here is the beginning of my latest needlecase. It's a freebie from Papillion Creations called "The Three Emblems." I'm sure I may be the last to know about this very generous designer and all her freebie charts! I have a great love of all things Scots and English, so this companion piece to the Mary Queen of Scots Sampler (which is in my stash) caught my eye. I used Vicki Clayton's silk "Amethyst." The picture isn't great...sorry... But, it's been a fun, quickie for the weekend to stitch-n-carry with me. And, as a final word, I want to thank Isabelle (Kitty Couture) for making such a fuss (as we say in the South/NC, where she taught for some time...) over her RAK from me! :) It was such a pleasure to put together for her and I was just delighted to know she liked it so much. Isn't that what it's all about!?

Thank you all for commenting and keeping me going with your kind words of encouragement. I stitch because I love it, but having friends like you makes it more precious to me every day.