Progress at last!

This week has seen the completion of the back pack.  I don't have a pic of it as it didn't show up well due to the dark fabric.  Nonetheless, it is winging it's way to Nashville.  Hope Kayla enjoys it!

The Bible cover is coming along nicely. 

I've used the Sticky Fabri-Solvy to place the design on the cotton fabric then ran a small basting stitch around the edge of the solvy to keep it from lifting.  This is a new product to me and so far I am delighted with it.  It is a wash-away stabilizer that one can run through one's printer instead of laboriously copying the design onto the fabric itself.  It is only slightly more difficult to push a needle through for embroidering than it would be to just sew through the cotton.   Without using the fabri-solvy, it would have taken several hours to transfer the design using any of the established methods.

Since there is so much fabric to the left of the design (to go around to the back of the Bible) i decided to dig out my old scroll frame instead of using a hoop.  While it is not a slate frame or any of the wonderful stretcher bar frames it is doing a good job and is serving the purpose of keeping the fabric taut!  I think i need to put a set of washers on the back of the frame though.  I can only tighten the wing nuts to a certain point before the screw starts turning so I'm going to try to put some washers on the back between the screw head and the frame itself.  Lacing the fabric around the side bars (only in this view it's the top and bottom bars) is adding some extra tension and makes stitching nice.

I've only made a little progress on my lilies cross stitch project due to working on the Bible cover.  I need to get to the store today and get some more Floche, 3 blues and three golds ( stash building at it's finest!).  In the meantime i have been doodling around with stitches to determine what other stitches I'm going to use on this cover.

I'm still working on a fabric covered box.  As usual I'm running into some snags, but hey it's my first one like this.  Yuk,  I don't enjoy all this gluing....but hot glue would be even worse i think.  I do not like using hot glue too much; it gets HOT!!! and burns the fingers.  I have most of the fabric glued to the cardboard pieces and am almost ready to put them together.  I need to get some ribbons and lace for trim in the decorating step though.  the instructions call for nine different kinds/sizes of ribbon and three kinds of lace....oh no!!  another stash to organize...sigh.  Pics will follow. 

The quest for organization is ongoing...lol...maybe i should hire a professional organizer--- ;-}.