Steadily Stitching

How fun is this stitchery!???!  I found this kit in Duluth at a quilt show.  It is the design of Laura Heine, of Fiberworks in Billings, MT.  Her booth was unlike any I have seen at shows.  Full of gorgeous, imaginative quilts and wall quilts.  Her original patterns were for sale, along with kits of the fabrics.  Her choices of fabrics were unusual and perfect.  I sometimes hesitate to buy kits, feeling as if somehow I am "cheating".  However, in this case, each one was a work of art that I just had to have in my home.  I bought three (!!) kits that day and added them to my huge pile of to-do's.  I decided to write down all the projects I have to do, and I came up with way too many to tell you the total.  I clearly will not outlive them!  I have a quilt top done for my mom that I am waiting on a bit more backing to finish.  I decided the above kit, Summer Fun, was mostly hand stitching, so that has been my Steadily Stitching TV Project the last four nights.  At first my hand stitches were uneven and awkward.  I used to be good at this, I thought!  But, the more I stitched, the better I got....as with anything, practice helps.  I am loosely following the pattern, using my own thread color choices, embroidery stitch choices, and hand cutting out the appliques, roughly like the pattern sheet.  I figure it gives me a little satisfaction that I am being a little bit creative.  Jerilynn