The Tudor pincushion progress (or lack thereof)

and a bit of a dilemma.

Here is where I am with the pincushion. I just need to do the guilloche stitch around the lacing, and then the center bit. But I am increasingly unhappy with the amount of tarnishing on the chain stitch elements. Unfortunately, I really tied them down pretty hard on the back--it will be tough to take the gold out and re-do it. But it doesn't shine anymore and is visibly darker than the lacing.

Knowing that the lacing will also tarnish, eventually, and that it will be hard to take out the existing gold, should I or shouldn't I replace the chain stitching?

Decisions, decisions.

2012 didn't start out well.

My Uncle Lew died January 10, on my parents' 61st wedding anniversary, after a heart attack that turned out to be more damaging than we first thought. Kitty Mom lost a valiant fight against oral cancer on January 16th.

It was a very hard week.

Here's hoping that the rest of 2012 is better. I've moved into the new rental place and each week, as I bring another load of furniture and belongings from the HomeCity house, the new place is less and less like camping. It will take a few months to get everything out that we can take while leaving enough for Spouse to live on until the house is sold. I'm trying to prune as I pack. That's the plan, but I realize that after a while I may get sick of that strategy and just stuff things into boxes. Trying to hold out as long as I can!

Lots of things going on at work, research-wise, which is GREAT and keeps me busier than I thought. Living only six minutes from campus is already paying off! I am also enjoying only having one class to teach--I've never had this low a teaching load. I even managed to get some embroidery in but that's another post.