Catching Up on the #52tags Project

 I've been keeping up with Anne Brooke's #52tagshannemade project pretty well so far this year. I find I have to sit with each new prompt for a few days before I'm ready to start stitching. We left off with tags nine and ten, in this post I'll show you what I've done for weeks eleven through fourteen.  😊

The key word for the eleventh week was "rings." Anne asked us to find washers or some other type of ring to cover with blanket stitches. I used some plastic curtain rings I had in my stash from long ago.

And variegated threads. I love variegated threads! The big ring was done with a Perle cotton, the others with cotton floss. I did cheat just a tiny bit and add the shisha mirror at the bottom that was made overseas.

Interestingly, she followed that up with straightforward blanket stitches. She encouraged us to play, explore what could be done with the stitch. Circles, single scattered stitches or elongated legs, that sort of thing.

I wasn't in an experimental mood apparently. I found this piece of plaid wool and used it to direct my stitching. I'm also finding that the 2.5" x 3.5" ATC format that I'm using doesn't allow for a lot of room to play. The tags are usually done in a matter of hours though!

Week thirteen was to be many layers of yellow or gold in celebration of the return of spring sunshine. 

I managed eight layers of various textiles. I'm learning I don't like covering up prints I've just put down!

It took some time to figure out what I would do for week fourteen. The prompt was "a place, a pocket, and a treasure." Hmm, what place, and what treasure? The treasure could dictate the place or vice versa. The pocket was the least of my worries. 

Anne used the beach she loves to visit in the summertime and a shell from one of her family trips there. I had to cast my mind way back ("Sherman, let's use the WayBack machine." Does anyone else remember those segments from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons on TV?) I went back to my teen years and our family cottage on the lake. And I went for the interior, not the outdoors as might have been expected. Knotty pine cupboards and a green linoleum countertop in the kitchen for the body of the ATC and our favorite recipe for quick chocolate cookies in the pocket.

The cookies are made in a saucepan on the stovetop and then dropped by the spoonful onto waxed paper to cool. I used a bit of tulle for the wax paper and French knots for the cookies.

We would make a batch of these cookies before going out to swim or sail on the lake. By the time we got back they were ready to eat. Perfect summer food!