I haven't been here in a long time but maybe someone here remembers me.
I haven't been doing much CCS because I can't find anything particularly appealing on the market right now. There are a lot of really big complicated projects that are just too big for me, or a lot of tiny primitive or cartoony stuff, but nothing in the middle size with a decent look to it.
That hasn't stopped me from doing needlework. I just switched over to a different form. I've been working on quilts and have found I really prefer applique blocks over pieced ones. Sure, I do some machine applique, but I really enjoy hand stitching them. Applique blocks lend themselves well to embellishments of all sorts, which keeps me working on a little surface embroidery and adding charms, beads, buttons, lace, and such too. I also like applique because I can use different fabrics other than just cotton prints, like a cat made of fun fur, a rabbit of velvet, or a butterfly wing of satin. I've really been having fun with a Block of the Month that has, so far, included blossoms and pretty bugs. I hope there are some birds in the future blocks, then I could name the finished quilt "Birds, Bugs, and Blossoms".
Currently I'm working on a lady bug block that might include buttons for the black spots as well as embroidering some details. On future blocks I plan to add some padded applique and perhaps some trapunto.
Debra in VA See my quilts at