This week’s to-do list on Monday morning included setting up two embroidery projects that I’ll be working on after I finish the leafy tree project.

I like to set up embroidery projects a little in advance of a finish, so that when I finish a project, I’ll have something to start stitching on right away. With these two new projects, my plan was to get them set up this week, but not to stitch on them.

First, I need to finish the leafy tree. I have three more leaves on it. They’ll take a total of, what? Thirty minutes, maybe! I just haven’t tackled those yet.

Then, I have a bunch of computer work begging for my attention, so the next three work days must involve focusing on the computer. I can’t just lallygag around stitching – not when my computer is insisting on work, right?

So of course I’m not going to start stitching on any new project right now! There are priorities, after all!

I went about setting up project #1. This is a very simple embroidery project that I’m going to use to establish a few basic points about embroidery (more on those later).

It’s one of those projects that will probably take a weekend to stitch. Everything about it is relatively simple.

When I set up a project, I transfer the design if necessary and then I pull the embroidery thread in the colors I want to work with. I gather the necessary tools – hoop or frame, scissors, needles – and put everything together either in a project bag or in a box or maybe on a tray or something that’s easily accessible.

In this case, I put everything together on a little tray. If I need to cover it or transport it, I can slide all that easily into a project bag or even a large ziplock.

Did I mention those trays? They’re lunch trays for kids. But they work great for keeping embroidery supplies neat and tidy on a table.

I picked them up on clearance at Target. What I like about them is that they can fit in a project bag, and when you’re out and about – or just moving from room to room – with your stitchery, everything fits nicely on the tray and stays organized.

This is the photo of the tray that I posted on social media when I was working on my holly towels around Christmas:

But we are not talking about Christmas here! No, no. We’re talking about Spring.

This little project that I set up is particularly Springy.

I set it aside safely and planned to ignore it until I took care of all my other To-Do List Priorities.

You understand how this is going to go, don’t you?

Well, it’s been so cold and gloomy in Kansas. And this week is no exception. Snow, ice, cold. Gray skies. It’s cozy indoor weather for stitching, sure. But once in a while, you just want some Sunshine and the promise of Spring!

And darn it. Yesterday I was cold. There was nothing for it! I sat down in front of my window, where the birds were wreaking havoc on the feeders. I turned on my cheesy fireplace space heater (which I love and I’m not apologizing for!), and …

… you know the rest.

It was as magical! I swear, when I looked outside, the grass looked greener. The sun seemed stronger. The birds sang more sweetly and were a little less voracious around the feeders. And that wasn’t snow and ice coming down! Surely it was soft, warm rain!

It didn’t last very long. I had to go out and de-ice the walkway, a chilly task which brought me back to reality in a jolly hurry.

But isn’t it wonderful what embroidery can do? It transports a person! It’s perfect for lifting the spirits on cold and gloomy winter days!

Hope your week is going well so far! A little thread talk coming up later this week. I’ve also been reading a couple new-to-me embroidery books that I’ll review in the near future. And I’ll show you the finish on that tree, too!