I'm feeling the pressure!

I just realized that I only have 2 weeks to finish my Halloween Exchange piece. Then, I have a 2 week break and have to finish my Autumn/Fall piece. Then it's the Halloween Sweetbag exchange and the Redwork exchange! YIKES!!!! I have to get busy!!! I am way behind!

My halloween exchange piece is 3/4 stitched. I am just about done with the Redwork piece. I haven't started the Autumn piece cause I am having a hard time deciding what to stitch. And I am trying to make a special design for the Sweetbag. Too much planning, not enough execution.

It doesn't help that I am in a minor stitching slump. My DH is working a ton of overtime, so that leaves me with the barn chores on top of all my regular after work stuff. I am tired! Last night I went to bed at 9:30. Also, I am feeling a bit blue, it's been a month since my Dad died. That alone sapped most of my energy.

Talk about retail therapy!!!! Yesterday during lunch, I went to the framers to have my parents photos framed. I found pictures of them when my Mom was 19 and my Dad was 21. My Mom's picture is hand tinted and my Dad's is just black and white. I framed them together with a suede mat. Each of the pictures have a filet around them that matches the frame. Then it was off to see Kim at Stitchery Row. (She's next door, so it wasn't a far walk.) I bought 2 patterns, The Artistic Collection's Bittersweet Season and Homespun Elegance's Summertime plus a couple of GAST thread that I need for Summertime. Then, I went to the fabric store after work yesterday and bought some halloween fabric some autumn-y colored fabric and some wool felt. The fabric is for a pin cushion that I want to make for the Autumn / Fall exchange. It's going to go nicely with my stitched piece. Now, I just have to stitch it! HA HA!!

And I just remembered that I MUST take my sewing machine to the shop to be serviced. Ouch, that may put a crimp in some of my best laid plans. I'll have to check and see how my back-up sewing machine is...maybe I will just have to replace the needle in it. Anyway, I am not planning on creating anything too fancy, just straight seams so the back-up machine may be all I need in a pinch.

And now, I am fighting the strong urge to add rug hooking or punch work embroidery or some felt projects. At the fabric store, there was textured and untextured wool felt in such yummy colors . I had this moment of wanting to buy a yard of each to create some of those cute autumn-y table runners...I had to be strong and I and tell myself that I don't need another project!!! LOL!!! Although, I have been trolling the websites looking for that perfect pumpkin table runner...

It doesn't help that I am at work and would rather be home playing in my stash of fabrics and cross stitch things. I keep telling myself that this job is very worth it cause it allows me to have the cash to do the fun stuff with out much question. (Although, there is GUILT involved because I have accumulated much in the last 5 years that I began stitching again. And, we shall stay away from my years of decorative painting and acquiring cute wood cut-outs, paint and pattern books.)
But without this job, I would not be having 1/2 as much fun as I am right now, nuturing my creative side. There's an up-side to everything - even WORK!