I asked you all to let me know what you’d like me to tell you. Haven’t heard from anyone except Pat, so I’ll answer her questions. Maybe that will help you think of some more things you’d like me to write about.

Pat asked: I would LOVE to know what types of embroidery do you do now.

I‘m afraid I haven’t done any machine embroidery, or any sewing at all, in the past few years. I kind of lost my enthusiasm when I lost Bill. I do plan to get back to it soon and I’ll keep you all apprised about my projects. I have one hurdle to jump, though. This is the present condition of my sewing/crafting room:

How did it get this way you ask. Well, I had a sewing room and an office. I did embroidery in my office and sewing in my sewing room. Recently my grandson came to stay with me so my sewing room has become my guest room. In recent years, being retired, I moved my computer into the den and was using the former office for crafting. Now the sewing/embroidery machine, the cutting table, the ironing board, the sewing books, the thread, the . . . well you get the idea . . . as well as 15 plastic tubs, three of them double wide, full of fabric, are all crammed in there. It’s a mess and no, I am NOT a hoarder. If anyone in the Central Florida area would like to help me get it all sorted out I’d be glad for the help and you’ll definitely go home with an armload of “door prizes.”

Pat asked: When you embroider for fun, what do you actually enjoy doing.

When I was embroidering I liked doing sayings on tee-shirts, cute designs on clothing for the grand kids, and some gifts. When I get back to it I think I’ll be making lots of totes to use up some of that fabric.

Pat asked: Are you still traveling?  Where have you been?  (that is a double question?  - where the heck have you been and where have you traveled)

Of course I’ve been back and forth to Kentucky many times to visit my daughter’s family and back and forth  to Tallahassee many times to visit my sister. I’ve been on two cruises, one from England to the Caribbean and then back to Florida with my cousin and one by myself to the Caribbean where I was able to inter Bill’s ashes at sea during a lovely ceremony. I’ve been to Holland twice to visit my dear friends Loes and Theo van der Heijden (www.artistitch.com.)  This is a picture taken of Loes and me in Middleburg this past September:

I would love to travel more and will once I’ve saved up some more airline miles.

Pat asked: Share a tip that you think is really obscure - we all have them.

I can’t think of any tips right off hand. I’m so pleased to see that you’re still using and purchasing more of my alphabets. A few years ago, when I was still teaching, I prepared class notes for using alphabet letters. You can download the PDF here.

I think that’s about it for now. The folks here at AnnTheGran tell me that you want to keep hearing from me. If y’all won’t give me any ideas for things you’d like me to talk about I’ll have to think of something on my own.

Until next time, be kind to each other,

Ann