Normal stitching resumes...sort of

First up, some very important news...I got RAK'ed! Me...little ole me! I received this amazing piece of fabric in the mail just last week:



It's a pretty fantastic thing!

I did manage to finish the A to Z project a week early, so I started back on the wording for Rainy Wedding and managed to finish it not 30 minutes ago:

I altered the pattern considerably (yes, you read that right, I altered a pattern!). The bottom was supposed to be a mirror of the top, but it was so overpowering considering the lettering was so small, I needed a softer finish.

Now the big decision, do I put the wording at the top (imagine both projects mounted together with a mat covering the seam lines):

or the bottom:

The initial plan was for the bottom, but I'm beginning tho think it might look better at the top...what do you guys think?

On to other matters, I started a new hobby. I was watching one of my usual Flosstubers, and she mentioned Diamond Cross Stitch. I started looking around YouTube and had a lot of trouble finding details about it, but I found this one that describes the process pretty well:

I got my first one at the beginning of the week and managed to hold off until Wednesday, but after about five minutes, I was completely hooked! I managed to finish the first one by Thursday:

My second by midday Saturday:

And I started the biggest on Saturday although I forced myself not to touch it today:

There are different styles, round and square and they are as different as night and day! I've ordered several more kits, but they take a while to come in. When they do, they come with the beads (which thankfully match DMC colors):

They come with all the supplies you need:

The little trays are great...you dump a bunch of beads in the tray, shake it, and they line up like soldiers!

Up close, you can tell the difference between square:

and round:

I need to back a regular cross stitch routine, but this is so enjoyable, it's all I'm thinking about right now. The fact that the big one is already short on beads has me a bit flustered though. And it's pretty uncomfortable being all hunched over at the kitchen table, at least with stitching I can sit comfortably in my recliner.