Eliza's start - again

Greetings.  The start of another week and this one is going to be warm - finally.  I'm hoping your week is off to a good start and gets better each day. 

I've begun stitching Eliza after a few color changes.  The color I objected to most was 816, and even the numerically similar were not considered.  There are many gold and orange tinged shades in this piece and the blue base reds stood out too much for me.  3777 was my choice for a substitute and goes beautifully with the other colors.  The other change was pink 309 which is now 3830.  She will be colorful, and I'm once again surprised that I like it!

 

I'm beginning to think that the linen color may be what turns me away from the brights.  Most that I've seen in little online thumbnails are chart photos that appear to show the piece stitched on a very light ground which may be the problem.  Too much contrast for me.  Choosing a slightly dark linen doesn't seem to have the same WOW effect.

I used my large screw lock ring which requires the bag's hole to be made a little larger but keeps the bags from jamming.  I think I made the right decision to stick with the true colors instead of using the aged floss I originally planned, but I'm sure I will question it along the way.  Too many colors involved in Eliza, plus her size, made me think twice.

  

  The fabric for this is a yard long so I rolled the bottom and secured with safety pins, but I'm seriously considering a stand.  I gave away most, but still have one left so maybe I'll pull it out and give it a try. 

The first large alphabet is rice stitch, with another following in eyelet.   Naturally I assumed they were both eyelet and I needed my perfect little tweezers to remove my error.  The frogs have been working overtime in recent projects and I hope this goes smoothly, otherwise, they may try to form a union. The borders on each line are a little more involved and will break the tedium of the two large alphabets.

When you're stitching, if your coffee is going right through and you need to make a dash, do you try very hard to complete that element or finish that thread first?  The older I get, that game is harder to win.  I'm drinking tons of water for renal function tests and am finding that the secure needle method we talked about is crucial in these situations.

 

Thanks for visiting - enjoy your day - stay safe!

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pear IX and fabric printing

 

Hi all.  Sick again from trying another Rx so no stitching to show.  I'm posting the new one under the Pear tab and wanted to show how I print on fabric.  I've tried the method of ironing the muslin onto freezer paper and it works, but I've had problems with the paper curling and jamming on occasion.  This is just easier for me.  The trick is not having the fabric in the top two inches of the paper since this is where the rollers first grab to pull it into the printer, and also not along the side edges. 

 

 

 I trim all hanging threads, position the muslin down a bit, and use the wide shipping tape across the entire top.  The bottom edge can be taped at the corners.  This is on card stock and the fabric has lightweight fusible interfacing on the back, but that's not necessary.  If you want to age the fabric, do it before printing.  I move the print down and do a plain paper print to check position before the fabric. 

 

 

 There are times that I want the backing to display an occasion's date or memory that is to large to stitch on a small piece, so this is my solution.  Colored print that matches the front looks good and I should have done this in a blue - but my mind failed me once again!  When sewing, I just put the fronts together and hold it up to a window which allows me to see both outlines to center it, pin, and baste.

If you would like to read the entire poem it is here.

Originally I stitched (680 gold) Never Forget in the light stripes, and had one leaf of navy/white stars fabric and another of red/taupe.  Looked nice, but not me.  But as I'm typing this...... never mind ...... too late.  I'll post both so you can decide.

Thanks for visiting - hope you like number 9.  Three more to go!

Stay safe.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Winner!

Hi everyone.  This time, I put the names on folded strips and drew one.  It said Kathy.  I clicked her name and found her blog called Mood Swings!  How appropriate is that???  She featured the Spectacles Pocket from Primitive Traditions that I've always wanted and never remembered to purchase, and that fabulous scissor case from Barbara Bernard.   Thank you all for participating once again. 

After all the words and sentiments and starred and striped leaves, I decided to remove it all and change May's pear to my liking - plain.  Simple. Dusty colors. May is Memorial Day to me all month long.  The WWII generation has always had a place in my heart, and after bawling for two days of reading poems, I decided on bits of one by Eula Gladys Lincoln, printed on muslin, and used for the back.

 

 

It's smaller than the prior pears, completely filled with stitches, and goes really nice with my pinkeeps of similar color.

I'll list the poem, how I did the back, and the simple chart this weekend.

Do you remember my red boot story?  

 Once again, the township workers were driving by while I was in the driveway with these.  I just came from the cemetery after removing the candle from mom's birthday.  The grounds are very uneven and sopping wet, especially after yesterday's rain.  Seems I always have these cracked and disgusting boots on whenever they see me, even in the summer.  They already think I'm disturbed but at least I'm going down with red boots on.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Thank you again for participating in the offer, and I hope Kathy will be happy with the box.  And as always, thank you much for visiting!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A better day

Greetings from a very wet Pennsylvania.  The bright side - it's not snow.  Yesterday was a day of mishaps starting with being rear-ended again by a distracted driver at a red light.  No damage, but any little head jerk sends the crazy bone feel back into my arms.  No numbness thank goodness.  Stopped at Giant Eagle to get my Slim-a-Bear klondikes that were on sale, and they were gone.  Rain check.  When I got home I decided to make a hole in the sofa's pile of floss and linen and didn't realize my tiny tiny needle sharp scissors were in the mix.  This was discovered when the point landed and embedded in the top of my foot.  When gathering the charts and papers, somehow they sliced me between the index and middle fingers where a bandaid is impossible.  The brats were sitting on the deck staring at the roofline so I assumed the woodpecker was tearing the siding.  When I stepped out onto the barn stone border and leaned a little too far to see, I tumbled into the soft needle pine tree which prevented me from hitting the ground.  As I composed myself and tried to pet Nitzy, he ripped the inside of my wrist trying to play with my bracelet's charm.  Need I go on?  You get the picture.  Any day I am still here to bitch is a good day but I was starting to get annoyed.

 Today made up for it all.  I received my package from Susan Hoover of Olde Threads.  She stitched Alice Trimble on osnaburg stuffed with sawdust and I am so thrilled.  I saw her work at my friend's home this Christmas and have watched her sales, hoping to nab something.  Anything!  Perfect timing because I love this design and the size.  Shirlee mentioned that she likes stitching on osnaburg also and I've decided to try it.  Love the look.  Now the sawdust thing - I have problems with.  When I stuffed a pinkeep, I had to be careful not to move it because a cloud of fine dust appeared.  Susan's could be thrown against a wall without a speck released!  Next time, I will try a double lining. 

 Check out these adorable tags.  I love primitive that isn't too cute or too grungy and these are just perfect.  I'm a happy girl!  Thank you so much Susan.   Mary Hazlehurst is ready at the framer.   AWARE (battered women shelter) was coming to pick up the dining set, dishes, tablecloths and other household items that I donated at Christmas and in my hurry to get home, I forgot Mary.  They have four beds in one room and it's really cramped, but are in need of a chest of drawers for the ladies' clothing.  I think I can find one for them.

No work has been done on what's-her-name because I'm still messing around with the pear. The basic design is the same in each but I kept adding a few words, changing them, changing them, changing them, and now - nothing.  I removed them!  Just couldn't make up my mind since I liked them all.

One other note.  My brother's black kitty - he was excited because he received a call from a girl wanting to take her that same day.  When the woman pulled up a few hours later, he recognized her from his security guard days at the hospital.  Severely disturbed and brought in to the psych ward often.  Her pets perish when she is held for lengths of time.  He donned a hat and sunglasses trying to disguise, made excuses, and she stormed out of the driveway and headed to our local shelter.  So sad, but this area no longer has facilities or homes for mentally ill who need supervision.

 I just accidentally wiped out the entire post - don't know what the heck I hit - but I found a remedy.  After the shock wore off, I hit the back arrow at the top of the post, and it all returned!!  I better stop before the day starts turning on me.

Have a great day - thank you for visiting!

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you

Hi everyone. 

 Hope you are having a good start to an even better day.  Just a quick post to say thanks.  Your concern over my sister's situation meant a lot to me so I thought a little gift would be in order. 

I made a sampler box

lined it with a burlap postcard paper

finished it with my ratty looking paint style

and if you would like to enter the offer, please leave your name, initials, or email on this post only.  I will draw a name this Friday, 4/26, at 8pm EST.  I appreciate your words and visits and probably don't tell you enough.  Not being the kissy huggy type, it's par for the course.  But I want you to know that I really do appreciate your kindness and friendship.

A big thank you again!

 

 

For the online linen buyer

Greetings! 

 Looks good, huh?  I got it close enough, it doesn't have the hand-dyed variations or the stiffness of my original, but for small projects it's perfect.  This is an unbleached that I dyed because I am afraid to mess with the newest pieces.  They are already hand-dyed and not to be wet, so I may ruin it all by trying to dip in my colors.  I'm not sure what the plan will be for the last piece since its hand is too soft for me.  It's a beautiful fabric for sure, but I need to think about it.  I have many R&R hand-dyed colors and all are 30 count and fairly stiff, so I was puzzled by this softness and sheen.  If I would have printed out this information from Needle in a Haystack, I would have know.  But then again, I think I did and just don't know where it is. 

This information lists fabrics and their available counts, and what companies use which manufacturers for specific linens.  A great help to me because I can see which linen maker is used by each hand-dyed vendor.  The 28 count Rook I just received is very different in feel from the 30 count and checking this chart, I see that the two counts are from different companies.  The 28 count hand-dyed R&R is from Zweigart, and their 30 count is Northern Cross.  Since each has their own characteristics this explains why one is softer, and their base color would be different also.  This page lists the standard cut dimensions and the characteristics of the different linens.  Reading this told me which linen is soft, stiff, fine thread vs. thick, and really helps those of us ordering online that would like to know the hand of the linen.   I'm remembering now that I posted this once so I must have copies somewhere.  I'll print again and this time store the info in my floss box lid.  Sorry if I'm repeating repeating myself!

 

That's all I have this morning.  I already broke up two cat fights and my warrior ended up with a bunch of hair in his mouth, so I'm assuming he bit her really hard.  Honestly, I thought neutering would alleviate this but it hasn't at all.  He needs a pill.  Or maybe some soy milk for a little estrogen.  I can't get near this new cat and believe she is pregnant, or a fat male that someone dropped off.  Whatever, it does NOT want to fight, just eat, so I hid a dish in the woods which the crows are devouring.  I can't win!  My brother's little solid black is getting fixed in two weeks but we can't find a home for her or an agency to take her.  As all areas, they are beyond capacity.

Enjoy your Sunday, stay safe, and thanks for visiting.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Wasting more money

Hi everyone.  Hope your weekend is going well.  No progress to show on ....????....what the heck is her name?  Who am I working on?  You know - the long one in the last post.  I'm so flustered I can't remember her name but I know what she looks like!   She's very long and the piece of linen I'm using for her was already cut, so I had to remove the top border and several rows of letters which took two evenings to do.  I would have had enough fabric to just move further down and start over, but not if I want a fringed bottom.  What's-her-name is all cleaned up and I started her once again, this time minus the top border AND - with the charted colors which is why I removed the prior stitching.  She'll be bright, but Mary Moseley surprised me when completed because I liked the bright colors, so I'll try again.   What has me upset is my second attempt at Rook.  The seller was very nice and scanned the fabric for me so I could see the color.  It looked similar, but you know our computers lie.  So I received it today, and once again, absolutely no where near my loved olive brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bottom one is the first order, the top piece is the second.  This one is very pinkish taupe and not stiff or coarse like the others.  I'm done.  No more ordering online except for the basic neutral or unbleached.  I don't have a local shop but have a vast array of dyes.  Of course it won't be the same and I really didn't want to start this again, but I've wasted enough money.  It's no one's fault, it's just the way it is.  The seller included a small swatch of another color with my order and since I know for sure what it will look like, I'm ordering a piece of that color.

On another note, the cat that has been creating a problem here is sitting in the back yard staring at the house and it appears to have quite a belly.  Probably another pregnant young female.  Trying to help her with these other wild brats chasing her will be a challenge.

I worked up the design for the next pear this morning and will stitch it this evening and tomorrow.  Hopefully, it will look like I expect it to and I won't have to come up with another!

Thank you for visiting and enjoy your weekend.

Stay safe.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Change of plans

Hi everyone.  We're having a very warm, sunny day today and I plan on being outside to enjoy it.   The day started with a real case of menobrain.  I was carrying a latch in my hand as I left the house and assumed it was my keys.  Not a problem if I could remember where the spare is hidden.  These new locksets are a royal pain and you can't buy the older style.  They are locked, but can open from the inside which creates a real problem with the elderly.  Before, to get outside you couldn't turn the knob without unlocking it.  Now you can, so my mom and my aunt would always think it was unlocked, go outside, shut the door, and be locked out.  Ridiculous setup.  I know it's for emergency exiting but it also creates a problem for those of us that had to make sure a wandering parent couldn't easily leave.  On my way into town, the car ahead had FLOSSI on their license plate which brought up the crying jag since my mom's birthday is in a few days and that was her pet name for me.  The next stop was Walmart where I accidentally took off with someone else's buggy.  I need one of those orange tennis balls that people stick on the antennae to locate their car in the lots, on my buggy handle.  I only had a brain stoppage for about 1 minute while standing in JoAnn's, trying to remember why I was there.  Oh yes.  I needed to match the latch that led to the lockout.   ????   Where the hell is it? 

I was browsing antique samplers on Madelena when I spotted this one, and then this one.

Both are my type of sampler.  So I put away the three designs I was debating and am going back to Eliza Pumroy.

 

Something I didn't notice before, is that the floral border charted above the alphabet at the very top, is not on the photo.  Good.  Not necessary.  This is the sampler whose floss colors are terribly bright, and I dyed them all in a tiny bit of Rit Pearl Gray to tone them.  ????? Where the hell are they?  If I don't find them I will use the recommended colors and gag all the way through.  Way too many to change and waste all that time, stitch a while, think it's not working, and start over.  I don't want to be bothered.  I'll dip the whole thing when completed if it really bothers me.

 

I'll be washing my car and enjoying the weather this afternoon, hopefully starting Eliza for the third time this evening.

Added note - if you email with a question, please check to see if you are no-reply.  I wasn't able to answer several recently.

Have a wonderful day - enjoy your weekend - thank you for visiting!

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

I thought I was getting Rooked!

And that's exactly what I wanted.  I LOVE Rook linen and recently ordered more with a few other discontinued colors of the 18th Century linen.  My heart sank when this came.

Left to right is 18th Century Mustard Seed, Brown, Rook, and Sea Glass.  The Sea Glass is more green than it shows in the photo, and closer to the Rook that these two pieces are stitched on.   But the Rook (to the left of the sampler) is no where close, very light, and although marked as Rook,  I have to wonder.  I love the other colors which are new to me, but the purpose was to acquire more of my favorite.  I understand that hand dyed can be inconsistent, but I never expected this.  Maybe I should stick with dyeing my own as I had been!  This piece is so similar to my hoard of unbleached that I will probably try doing just that.  Without local shops, we all take a chance when ordering new fabric since our computer screens can't replicate the actual swatch.  Ordering what we've already seen and have, we can expect some slight differences, but I wouldn't call this one slight!

I haven't started another sampler yet, and not sure if I will finish the free design I was working on.  The three new choices all have wonky borders with several color changes and flowers.  That drives this alphabet girl nuts.  We'll see what mood I'm in later for the decision. 

I don't want to bring up the tragedy because I'm sure everyone is very upset, myself included.

Enjoy your day.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

What I would have burned

Greetings!!  It's 11 am and I ran home to take care of the brat cats while my sister is resting after the cath.  Guess what?  After several years of echocardiograms showing aortic valve deterioration, an abnormal and problematic stress test, a failed CT scan, and an MRI showing damage in another area, the catheterization shows............no blockages, and MINIMAL valve damage.  No surgery.  The doc said everything looks really good!  She can't believe it.  He will explain later why the echo results are deceiving and this will be interesting.  But we're thrilled.   Thank you all again for your kind words and concern.  It meant a lot to me.

I'm still tossing and destashing - came across these pieces that were destined for the burn.  They are an odd size and I couldn't come up with an idea for display.

 

One is my sampler bag freebie that I did on another size linen for my boxes, and the other was also a box tester.

 

 

 

 

After doing the first one, I decided to use the other also.  I stuffed these little rolls with crushed walnut shells and love the bean bag feel of them.  Great little rolls for pins and needles.

The sampler had enough linen to sew together - perfect amount for the roll.  The smaller one got my sampler print fabric that I was lucky to receive as a gift, and it fits perfectly.

 

The last project to be spared is this Christmas tree done over two on 18 count linen.  You can sew "ornaments" to it, and mom's was mini jingle bells, pink ribbons, and pink buttons.  This was framed on batting and I took it apart, removed the decorations, turned the top down for a rod, and fringed the edges.  I can use various buttons and rusty stars and bells for next year and hang it on an interior door. 

 

 

 

 

I have to go back to the hospital and pick her up - just got the call.  They are releasing her after only 3 hours instead of the 6 it used to be. I made stuffed cabbage yesterday so she can't wait for supper!

Thank you for visiting - have a wonderful day!

 

Small finish and a final needle note

Good day everyone. Thank you again for the comments on your needle preference. Many of you never paid attention to size and type, you use what is comfortable and works for you. That to me is more important than following rules, as you all know. But after the bloody assault on my finger, I checked and found that the majority of my stash was composed of these little prickers, and I needed to find a solution.   Joanne made me realize something and directed me to her blog post here.  Secured needle threading.   Thank you so much Jo for pointing this out.  I have always threaded two floss ends into the eye to create the loop at the other end.  I don't like tails or having to start a stitch with any method other than slipping the needle through that loop on the backside for a secure and neat start.  Doing that drags the two pieces of floss that are in the eye, plus the 2 ends, so 4 threads are actually going through the linen and depending on the fabric, could really create floss fuzz.  I have been the victim of floss fuzz and could never figure out why it was no longer smooth.  Joanne's method pulls two strands through, and another advantage is the needle cannot slip off.  If you drop the project to run for chocolate or any other reason, the needle will stay attached - you can't lose it!  So I tried it while stitching this small, but ran into one downside.  I miss the correct placement many times and will slip the needle off and pull the stitch out, rethread, and continue.  With the secured needle method, you have to go back through the linen in the exact spot and try to remove the stitch.  I couldn't.  The needle had caught a wisp of the back threads and I was stuck.  I've gone back before to a prior stitch and it worked just fine, but this was three stitches back, so I had to cut the floss and start over. 

This is the small that I worked on.  I had completed the first one on 18th Century Rook, and this one is on unbleached.  I moved the design and colors a little.

Easy finish.

 

 

Interfacing on the backing fabric only, one layer of the thickest quilt batting (my absolute favorite stuffing),

 

 Liquid Stitch to glue it shut. 

 

 

 

 

 

 And a good squeeze to make sure the front isn't glued to the seam allowance.

My Pineberry Lane Wool designs are done!

I haven't decided on a sampler yet but it's narrowed down to three. 

I mentioned that I was going to the doc and would ask for a pill, and she obliged.  Unfortunately, it was an anti-depressant that also was to help with menopausal and anxiety issues.  I stopped it last night.  Haven't slept in days, crushing heartburn, my neck is unbearable.  After a little research, yes, a drug that works on your mood can wreak havoc on the body.  We have to be at the hospital at 6:30 am tomorrow so I'm hoping that resting today will put me back on track for an early start to a long day.

Have a great finish to your weekend - thanks for visiting.

Talk to you soon.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Needles, part 2

Greetings.  Thank you all for such great responses regarding your needles.  I've been investigating a little further because of the other problem I've had in the last year ~ the floss sticks in the eye when I try to slide the needle closer to the end of the thread, like it's snagged on something.  Now I know why.  A size 28 needle is meant for high count linen (36-45) which requires a single strand.  I'm sticking a double strand in for my 28 count which is too much thread in that size eye, but OK for the correct size needle such as 24 or 26 for 30/32 count. Using such a thin needle on my rough linen may also account for my floss sometimes shredding.  The purpose of the needle size is to spread the fiber just enough to allow the thread to pass smoothly.  Well if my needle is too thin for the fabric, the thread is probably coming in contact with the linen fibers each and every time it passes.  I came to the conclusion that the coarse linens I prefer are the reason the gold and platinum needles didn't last long at all.  They are probably like sandpaper on the needle and wore the finish off quickly.  I've received needles from shops when purchasing linen or charts but never paid attention to the size, which I will do from now on.  For those of you interested in more information about needles, my favorite site for stitch videos,  Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread, also has informative articles on various needles and manufacturers.  Click  to be directed to her index page of numerous posts, including her article on Bohin.  She mentions in The Broken Needle post about a possible change in quality in the John James and her journey trying to find where they are now made.  August 2011 lists 5 things you need to know about embroidery needles.  Her site is loaded with great information regarding needlework and I am grateful that she has taken the time to share her knowledge with us.

I also want to mention a website that many of you are familiar with, but once again, it's new to me. 
The site is Gazette94.   When I saw this post from Kaye, I read the comments and sure enough, Terri had the answer for us as to where to find that great bird chart. Well geez, where have I been? What an array of free designs.   Santa, snowmen, houses, quaker, holiday, everything!  I'll need to spend some time browsing and maybe find a few more to add to the file of never-to-be.  It's like buying something I don't need only because I have a coupon.  Make a copy of the chart and add it to the pile because it's free.  Putz.

That's all folks!  Have a great weekend - and thanks again for your input!
I appreciate your visits and comments and want to welcome the new followers.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Needles

Hi all!  Wow.  What a storm we had.  Very brief, but powerful enough to down trees throughout the valley.  We lost five a few years ago to a micro-burst but were spared this time.  Mark has been picking up limbs and raking twigs for several hours. 

***********

Needles.  Is there a real difference between current brands in design?  Do you change to a new needle after every project?  Do you have a sore hole in your middle finger from the eye end piercing through?  First time ever for me.  Most of the needles I have, and have received from others, are all DMC.  This is what I've used for years and what is available locally.  The other packs in my drawer are from Loving Touch which I'm assuming are no longer made.  Too bad - cause I like 'em. 

It's the one on the right side end, and you can see the difference from the DMC on the left.  The eye is a little wider and the hole a little shorter.  Much easier to thread and honestly, this old DMC's eye end is not blunt enough!  I actually had it pierce the skin many times leading to a really sore finger.  Yes they are really thin and my skin is really dry, but it's never happened before.  Since most of my projects are done on 28 to 32 count, I guess a size 24 is correct, but I've always preferred 26 for smooth stitching.

So these are Loving Touch size 26.  I really like the shorter wider eye and have no idea what other brand would be comparable.  Should I just move down to 24 when these are gone?  Two packs left which should last a while.  The ladies I stitched with years ago hardly ever changed to a new needle, but my sister in law changed with every project. 

I have a few that are gold plated and platinum but the eyes are really thin so they must be 28's.  Comparing the DMC size 24 to Loving Touch 26, doesn't look much different in the eye except for length.  I guess it's not a big deal but I'm still trying to rid the excess around here that I will never use. I used to have John James and liked them - but that was so many years ago I don't know if they are the same now.  I'm certainly no where near running out of needles!  But if I find something I like, I buy bunches.  Too many favorites end up discontinued or no longer carried .  I read that Bohin is popular and found several other makes online.  So what did I accomplish with this post?  Nothing really.  I have a dozen of 26 that I like, a bunch of 24's, will put away the ones I don't care for, and will add a new brand to my orders for fabric and chart.  See?  I always resolve issues during a post.  Or maybe I just wanted sore finger sympathy.
Anyone interested in the pork roast recipe can find it here.  A new treat kick for me is stirring a tablespoon of peanut butter into my vanilla Greek yogurt.  Like my favorite peanut butter pie!  Especially if you top it with ground peanuts, or chocolate syrup, or crumbled grahams, or all.  Love it.
Haven't chosen a new project yet.  I'm thinking I should try something a little larger but my patience is telling me otherwise.
We all struggle with the same decisions at times and if we make a mistake in our choice, big deal.  Picking the linen and working out color changes if needed is sometimes worse.   So I should just do it!   What's the worst that can happen?  
Have a fabulous weekend - stay safe!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

The dark side of Dorothy

I want to thank everyone for the well wishes and prayers for my sister.  They changed the date on us because of a death in the doctor's family.  Now, it is Monday.

If you notice, Dorothy was 24 years old when she stitched this sampler, far older than most of the primitive design stitchers.  Was she ill in her young life?  You would think by this age she would have mastered the needle, yet her design is still very primitive.

Backing is the perfect shade of an olive brown uncut corduroy.

 

I love her!  I still haven't received my linen order (they are located in my state) and I'm so anxious to see how dark these pieces will be. 

For those of you that asked, I will post the pork recipe tomorrow.  I need to hit the stash stack once again and spend the day in a state of confusion.   

Have a great day!

 

 

The trouble with Mary

Greetings from a warm day in PA!  Seventies today and tomorrow....then back to the 40's for the weekend.   Hope your week is starting without incident.  I'll be at the hospital all day Thursday for sis's catherization and we'll go from there.  I found out that the bad aortic valve is not an issue during this procedure and they will be checking that more closely also.  Thank you all for your concern.

I stopped at my framer's and realized under her unforgiving lights, that Mary had many dark threads showing, even though they only crossed a few linen threads.  Because of the stretching and pulling I created when trying to get those curved stem stitches positioned, and removed, and repositioned, I have a wonky center.  One side needs stretched more than the other which makes the outline way off, even though - are you sitting down - I wet her down and ran her through the dryer, twice.  Are you OK?  Linen's tough baby!!  This helped quite a bit, it's still off somewhat, and no one will notice but me.

 I brought her home to add more muslin strips.  Being 28 count and somewhat sheer, using a dark mounting board to hide the threads was not good.  She has a lot of band-aids, no?  So now I have to pin her again with my sore finger.  Reason being, my needle has been going through the skin while I'm stitching and I want to talk needles and ask for suggestions next time.

 

I knew that Dorothy would be a close call, but that I would have enough for a seam to make a pillow.  All that's left is that center motif so I'll have my full inch at the bottom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've got to get ready for my appointment but I wanted to show you two more things.  This little guy carb-loading on the bread for the deer.

 

And one of my favorite recipes.  Cranberry pork roast. 

So easy.  So good.

That's it.  Gotta run.  Have a great day!

Stay safe - thanks for visiting.

Long-arm cross

Good day to you. How the heck are you? Having fun? Relaxed? Slightly aggitated? Confused? Flashing? Frustrated? Ranting? Looking for a fight? Ready to throw something out the window? Wanting to climb a wall and upset there are no footholds? No? Maybe it's just me. I made an appointment to see my doc this week and am hoping there actually is a pill!!! Chewable.

 Now.... I'm showing you what I've been doing for the long-arm cross stitch. Most of the horizontal bands in Dorothy call for it and I usually substitute regular cross. But there was a brief moment of calm that happened about the same time, so I tried it. I always watch online videos here for the correct methods but only found diagrams this time. Most appeared to be going the opposite direction of my stitching so I was having a difficult time, but finally came across one that clicked. I'm assuming it's correct and if not, it looks good anyway.

 Start with a regular cross, come back up at the bottom left of that stitch and go over 4 threads, come out in the same line two threads down.

 

 Go back to the prior stitch and enter at the top right, come out at the bottom right.

And just keep going!

It's makes a little braid.


And here they are.


Very easy to do.

Did I do it right??  Yes Marlene you did it right, but unfortunately your left side border is off one thread.  The question is - do we dare tell you?

The End.