Sometimes my stupidity is astounding, even to me....

I've been working on 4th of July pieces and saw the Prairie Schooler American Strawberries and thought of all of us that have year round trees and thought these would be perfect.  So I picked the one which looked like it was all American flags.  It stitched up quickly, done in 2 days, so I tackled the bargello inspired strawberry since I love bargello.  It took a little longer, 3 days as it's not really bargello but looks like it.  This morning I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and headed to the summer room to start finishing.  This is where my stupidity took over.  I sewed a seam and thought it looked wrong, but did that stop me, nooo, I cut the excess fabric, and gathered what I assumed was top,  and could tell it was wrong since it looked more like a Christmas stocking.  And yet, that didn't stop me, I was committed.  (I should have been committed at this point..to the nearest hospital.)  Then I began to cuss Prairie Schooler and wondered why no one else had bitched about this.  I loaded the lizard litter, and then thought perhaps I should have something to eat and have time to reconsider how screwed up this strawberry had gotten.  So after a break, a couple of waffles and a drink of tea I headed back to look at the red hot mess.  I finally decided to make a paper pattern and see if I could figure this out.  I headed over to the sewing machine, sat there, sewed a different line, what I thought was the top before and voila....the first time I sewed around the top instead of realizing that the curved part was for gathering.   Once I sewed a paper pattern of the strawberry and just sewed the straight line I saw what should have been obvious to anyone.   So I did my bargello strawberry which took all of 15 min. start to finish and now I'm going to try to figure out what the heck I can do with the one I screwed up...but I'm thinking I'm going to have to restitch it.  - 30 minutes later -  Well, as luck would have it I took out the machine stitching on my first strawberry and while I didn't have a lot of room to put a gathering stitch, I managed to do it and now I have both strawberries completed.  What was so simple I managed to make so hard, lesson learned.  A paper pattern next time when something alludes me.  And now....new project alert.  I have two I'm dying to do for the 4th, Threadworks Primitive, "      "  and the new Plum Street Sampler's, "       " .  Now that I'm on the American Strawberries projects,  I also want to do a large strawberry from the booklet on 20 ct. linen over 2 so it would be the momma of all strawberries.  

Went to the shop for supplies, and to drop off models, and was able to get a picture of the "Home of the Free" from Primrose Cottage Stitches.  I changed out the linen for 20 ct. Weeks Dye Works linen so that I could make a pillow that would sit on a chair.  But Vernon was here right when I finished it and said, "I got more of your favorite star frame moulding in case you want to frame it."  So, of course I took the easier route and framed it.  Any time I can stay away from machine sewing, I'm on board.  

In place of the floss, I switched to #5 Perle Cottons from DMC & Weeks Dye Works. I like the way it turned out framed.  Good job Vernon!0

There are so many wonderful patriotic charts it's really hard to decide what to do next, but I have started the Momma Strawberry and I have one more day of stitching to do on it and then I'll post it.  I hope you have had time to stitch this week.  We've had a deluge of rain and now it's a steamy 80-83, so the only place I want to be is inside stitching.  Have a great week and I'll be talking to you again soon.