TUSAL 2018

Hello friends! Today is the first New Moon of 2018, which means it is time for our first TUSAL check-in of the year. TUSAL stands for Totally Useless SAL and this SAL has been around for several years now. I didn't take part last year because I wasn't able to stitch for a good portion of it, but it's a fun SAL and I'm glad to join in again for 2018.

 To participate, you must have a blog or join the Facebook group (to post) and all you do is collect your ORTs  (those little leftover bits of floss) all month and post on each New Moon. It's fun, and if you want to join you can go here for all the details.

I've brought my Froggy out of retirement to help me share my orts for this month. There hasn't been as much stitching happening as I had planned, but I did start a few new projects, so the basket isn't empty!

Until next time, please remember to be kind to yourself and others and be grateful for every day!

Thanks for visiting!

december 24 - 'twas the night before Chrsitmas

Here is a photo of this month's collected threads for my TUSAL. Unfortunately, my large container with all my accumulated threads for the whole year has disappeared! I'm sure it will turn up, but for now I have no idea where it went off to.

Maybe it is hiding along with the three other items I cannot find...one of Asher's little presents (some bath toys that we can just pull out whenever they turn up), my daughter's stocking (which has been replaced, but I know I just saw it recently), and my tiny address book that has all my passwords in it.

I hate misplacing things...maybe I will finally get more organized in the coming year!

I am waiting at the hospital for hubby to finish his meeting, and then we are off to the airport to pick up our daughter. I hope everyone has a very happy Christmas, and if you don't celebrate, I hope you will have a relaxing rest of your weekend!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

nov. 26 - TUSAL

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

I know I'm a day late, but here is my TUSAL for November.


I managed to get a few small pieces done and finished so there are some ribbon and fabric bits in there as well!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

october 26 - just a quickie

Just a quick post to show my Totally Useless SAL for this month...not too much added...mostly threads from Carol's SAL and a couple of exchanges. Next month should include lots of ornie stitching...I hope!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

september 28 - two SALs

So, I have been in the midst of chaos since Sunday night trying to empty out the closets in our upstairs rooms. I don't know why I thought it would be easier...I mean, I knew I had a huge amount of stuff, but it was even worse than I thought...way worse! So now the floors are cleared, the shelves are cleared, and the bathrooms are stuffed with boxes and bags! Luckily, Jeff is on his way home from his conference and we are both off tomorrow, so we can do all the last minute things. He'll be home Friday when the guys come to actually install the carpet...I can't wait. I vow never to let things get to this point again. If they do, please lock me in a little room and don't let me out! I have made lots of discoveries though...patterns that I didn't think I owned so bought another, lots of freebies that really do have to be sorted, lots of designs I know I will never ever stitch, and lots of treasures that I was so excited to see. I see a big sale or lots of giveaways in my future!

I remembered that yesterday was the new moon, but didn't remember until this morning around 4am...so here is my pathetic TUSAL offering. All those blue threads on the top are the new ones. Before Sunday, there was like one little thread in my bowl, but on Sunday I got all caught up with Carol's SAL so I was able to have at least a little something to show. While stitching Part 4, I realized I was off one stitch in Part 2, so had lots of frogging to do...but now I am all caught up. Carol re-sized the photo for me, but I can't seem to get it over here to the blog, so please check out her blog to see my progress and all the other wonderful pieces that are being stitched. And here is my totally useless SAL for this month...


Thanks for taking the time to visit!

august 29 - it's TUSAL time!

It seems like we just did this, but it's another new moon and that means another TUSAL posting. I had to change containers...my original one has become too small. I'm on the lookout for something nicer, but until then, this will have to do! There are lots of bits and pieces this month. I don't feel like I've accomplished much but I have been putting needle and thread to fabric, and here is the result. Lots of pretty colors....

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

july 30 - a quick TUSAL post

We're on our way to the Maryhill Winery for a concert - Yes & Styx, but I didn't want to forget my TUSAL check-in. Not much added this month, and I think there is a needle in there as well!


Thanks for visiting!

Strawberries, TUSAL, & losing things

We are finally getting some wonderfully delicious strawberries and I am taking every opportunity to eat them while they are ripe...in pies or just in a bowl...they are so yummy! I even stitched a strawberry for my anniversary block for Stitcher's Timeout...Berry-corn from Cross-Eyed Cricket.
And another month has flown by...which means time for the latest installments of our totally useless SALs! I didn't stitch much this month...at least it didn't seem like I did, but I managed to add a bit to my little jar. The colors all look so pretty mixed up together!
Do any of you have a problem with losing things...in your own house? I realized that I have lost two pair of my Gingher embroidery scissors...it's like they have vanished into thin air. I know they are here someplace, probably in the bottom of one of my stitching bags...but I just can't figure out where. It is so frustrating! I did finally find my kitted up Mary Wigham Sampler...after I had printed it off yet again and was on the lookout for new fabric and threads. I knew I had kitted it up when it first appeared, but it too was lost.And then I found it while looking for something else. Geesh! I think I need an intervention! So hopefully I will get it started...there is a SAL in progress over at Friendly Stitchers...and have a progress pic to show soon.

The sun is shining and the forecast is good for the next few days and I am so ready for it. Our annual blues festival is being held this weekend...it is one of the largest in the country and goes through Monday. And it's all a fund-raiser for the Oregon Food Bank which is a great reason to head out and enjoy the sunshine and good music.

I hope that all my US friends will have a safe and happy holiday...and that everyone will enjoy a relaxing weekend with some time to sit & stitch.

Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment. I do appreciate it!

june 2 - a finish, a traveling pattern and TUSAL

I can't believe that another month has gone flown by. I have been really busy at work between meetings and trying to get all the summer reading stuff ready for the children. Sign-up started yesterday...let the fun begin!

I haven't been stitching much at all, but I did manage to do the stitching on two ornaments (I'll wait to show a picture until they are "finished"), and a small Bent Creek piece. This is Are You My Mother?...a piece I've wanted to stitch for a long time. It's stitched on a pale yellow jobelan with Weeks and GAST threads.


I've also been stitching on Count Your Blessings from Shakespeare's Peddler. This is a traveling pattern and it is such a cute design and a great reminder to be thankful for all the things in our lives...big and small. I am not quite finished with it, but very close, so I thought I would post now to see who might be interested in stitching this one next. This is the pattern:


If you would like a chance to be the next stitcher, please leave a comment on this post and let me know that you are interested. All that is asked is that once you receive the pattern, you stitch it in a reasonable amount of time, sign your name to the chart, and then send it along to the next person. We're going away for the weekend, so I will choose the next stitcher on Monday.

Finally, it's time for the monthly posting of our collected orts - TUSAL! My little jar is looking pretty full...it looks like there is a lot of blue in there, but I can't remember what I stitched this month that had blue threads! Hmmm....one more mystery to solve!


And, just because...here's a photo of my little grandson. He came by the other night for a surprise visit and made his grandma & grandpa very happy!


Until next time, thanks for visiting!

may 3 - Sunshine and a New Moon

Another New Moon, which means another TUSAL update. I did not do as much stitching this month as I had hoped, but I still seemed to almost fill this jar. I think I will need a new one for next month.


The dogs and I had a wonderful walk in the sunshine when I got home from work...yes, you read that right...sunshine! What a treat!

I had a wonderful surprise in yesterday's mail. I am participating in the latest round of the Blackbird Designs exchange, and my exchange arrived yesterday. Catherine stitched this beautiful pillow for me. The design is For My Daughter, but she made some changes to the design. It says "spring 2011" on the left side and is filled with something that feels like crushed shells. The thread colors are all beautiful muted pastels, and Catherine even added some pins to the pillow. This photo does not do it justice...trust me...it is perfectly stitched and I just love it. Thanks again Catherine for a wonderful exchange!


Well, I think I will go back outside and enjoy some more of this sunshine before it gets too late! Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

april 3 - totally useless

Another new moon is upon us...where do these months go?

We had our grandson for a sleepover last night and spent some time yesterday at a great indoor play area...the best part about this one is that they had a special section just for the little ones with the same kinds of activities but in a scaled down size. It was lots of fun!

I'm working on a small spring piece right now but don't have a photo yet, but I do have a photo of my TUSAL jar ...I think I may have to look for a larger jar soon! This month I have added threads from lots of small projects as well as a few finishing bits & pieces.

Thanks for visiting!

march 4 - totally useless SAL update

Well, another month has passed and it's time for the new moon again...and with that comes our TUSAL updates. I love watching this little jar fill up each month! I thought I had set this to automatically post , but I guess I didn't do it right. Sorry to be late!

Thanks for visiting!

february 3 - draggin myself through the day

I stayed up late last night so I could pre-order the i-phone from Verizon - but if course they are having problems with the website! I tried for a half hour and then knew I had to get some sleep for work, so I went to bed. I've been trying to get in all morning, off and on, and there is still an error message. Maybe this is a sign that I should not bother with this particular phone! I'm thinking of maybe trying the Droid. Some of you must have smartphones (seems like everyone around here does but me!)...does anyone have any advice? Pros? Cons? Guess I'll keep trying....

Today is the New Moon, which means TUSAL Day, so here is my little jar. I read on someone's blog that they thought their photo was kind of boring so they were going to jazz it up a bit...maybe I'll do that next month...this does look kind of lonely!



So I'm off to City Hall to pay some bills, get some cash and some fresh air...maybe the outdoor air will wake me up a bit!

Thanks for visiting!

january 4 - first new moon of the new year

It's the first new moon of the new year, and that means it's time to post our "Totally Useless SAL" or TUSALs. I emptied my jar from last year (which had pretty slim pickins!) into a larger container and am starting fresh for this year. With all the new starts this should start filling up pretty fast! You can still sign-up here, but you have to hurry!


Thanks for all the lovely comments on the baby sampler. I really like the way it is turning out. I finished one of the birds last night and started on the flowers. Until this is finished, it will be my main focus, especially since I put myself on this ridiculous deadline...that was I thinking?

But I did make a small...well, tiny...start on a new project this morning...Pumpkins and Peacocks from The Goode Huswife.


When I say a tiny start, I really mean it...there are maybe thirty stitches here! But I don't think I like this fabric. It was a piece I had in my stash and I thought it would work, but I'm afraid the two green threads will just vanish into it. It's a very dark green fabric. You might be able to see a bit of it in this photo...probably not. So I can either change the greens or start over on new fabric. I'll think about it some more today.



And finally, I thought I should probably start on one of the UFO's, so I am starting with a small one...Flying Monkeys from Glory Bee.



It was so cold this morning...I still have a chill even though I've been inside for hours! Think I'll make some hot cider and take a break (I've been so hard at work!) and stitch for a bit before the library opens!

Thanks for visiting!