Corner squares

Tammy Black's blog Scattered Seed Samplers featured a post of her wonderful strawberry collection and other items for readers to drool over.  This is one of the photos from that post, her corner squares for measuring your start.  She was kind enough to answer my request for the source and being of unsound mind, I forgot all about calling the shop where she bought them. 

They are from IntheCompanyofFriends but there is nothing for sale on that website.  I need to contact the shop that sold them.  I don't measure and if I did, have a quilting grid that I can use.  But I like them and you know what?  I am sick and tired of paying for everything for everyone else and depriving myself in order to do so.  Yes I can make them, but why should I.  Or maybe I will tell someone in my family to buy them for my birthday gift that I haven't received for years.

 

What reminded me of them was the floss tags I used to make.  I found a few left over blanks and the size triggered the old memory so I started playing.  I came up with a pretty good plan for the back of the square and worked out labels.  If I can't find Tammy's squares, then I am ready to make my own.  This is my favorite so far.  You know what?  I may end up liking mine more, so here we go again.  If you give me a little time, I will change my mind.  This menomind drives me nuts.  That's it!  I'm making them with my favorite house snippets.

Did anyone read the comment from Amanda answering my query about the F word?  In case you missed it, here it is...

"Bit of history of the f-bomb. Earliest written use in English goes back to the 1500s and some uncomplimentary comments on the relationships between the Friars of Ely and the town's housewives. It seems to have made it to the US by the time of the Revolution, and its modern usage was well established by the turn of the 20th Century, at least among the working classes. It moved into the more general society after WWII via returning GIs. So whether your movie had an accurate usage depends on both time and what social class the character was."

 

So thanks to her knowledge, I finally have my answer.  Her blog Saint Ann's Reel is very entertaining and I like her writings.  She stitches, knits, and ...... weaves!  Those complicated looking beautiful coverlet patterns in smaller pieces on her loom!  If you have some time, go through her old and new posts.  Thank you Amanda!

 

Still finding floss balls in that messy room and Bud followed her in there yesterday.  He is so big and slow I can deflect him, but she is a spitfire and too quick for me.  I turn around and she is no where in sight.

 

Hope to show my finish and offer the chart this weekend.

Have a good one.

Joanie said to eat that damn chocolate cake.

 

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Ooooooh baby

It took three hours, but I think it was worth it. 

I may have to keep this one.

 

 

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Judy!!!

I'm so glad I waited to post the third number drawn!  I hesitated last night, wrote and saved the post this morning, decided to publish the new winner at noon, then went in the basement to open another bag of Dove dark, and voila!  There it was.  An email from the winner, Judy. 

So the blue fox will be on its way to a new home. 

I decided to bring the entire of bag of chocolate upstairs with me because I am working on labels.  Two flights to get a piece is asking a bit much of these damaged knees.  Also bummed about losing June so a few extra pieces today are warranted.

Linda, there was very little offensive language in the movie, just heard it a few times but still wondered about its use back then.  Most of the movie is grunting and groaning from injuries sustained by a mama grizzly attack that would have killed anyone else, let alone having the 1000 pound bear fall onto you with nary a broken bone.  But of course, Leo is a superior human being to us all, as are most of the Hollywood Hypocrites.

Have a few extra sweets today.

 

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Not again

Geez.  I thought I could email the blue fox winner but nope.  No-reply.  She's not visited to see who won and I sure hope everything is OK.  I gave the first winner three days to claim, and this is longer so if I don't hear from her this evening, I will enter all the names once again and Random will choose another winner at 9pm tonight.

 

Haven't been getting much done because my sister's air conditioner has been failing, taking her to the dentist, and now repairing an old, solid picnic table that she didn't take care of. 

New boards, the metal needs blasted, bolts rusted off, what a job.  Mark said tell her to buy a new one.  I couldn't believe it!  This is what her heavy gauge steel with wood looks like (used to) and at Lowe's, it's $900!!!  Well the air conditioner is fixed and the teeth are being worked on so two out of three are taken care of.  But it certainly won't stop there.  One of these days I will probably do a rant about all this because sometimes it really gets to me. 

We rented The Revenant over the weekend and I have a question for you.  When did the F word become commonplace?  Back in 1823?  It must have been in writings found from those time periods.  Every time I see a depiction of early times and it is used over and over, I always wonder.  What a silly thing to think of.

 

Have a good evening.  I may be back after 9!

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MISSY!!!

Before I forget - answers to no-reply.
Maureen, I enlarged the print of the free chart by 150% on the copier.
Debbie, the sampler chart is Lydia Durgin from Elizabeth's Garden.

I didn't think it was unusual for me to lose floss colors.  I have my favorites, use them often, yet they were disappearing.  ?  Tore the little parlor apart looking and ended up with more floss bags scattered than in the floss box.  Blamed it on my complete lack of organization and habit of misplacing items. 

 

Whenever I let Missy into the house she runs up the stairs.  But for several weeks she has been running into the parlor where I caught her a while ago, sleeping atop my linen and floss bags on the sofa.  But now when I try to get her back out, she is coming from behind it. 

So I took a peek thinking she may have dropped a mouse back there.  No.  It's my floss.  The bags must slide across the floor for fun but even more fun is taking a new skein and destroying it.  I don't always seal the bags properly and somehow she got her dirty little paw inside to pull out the thread.  There's quite a bit more beneath the sofa.  This tells you how often I dust my floors in what Mark calls "the stitching mess".  Little brat.

 

 I told you years ago that I was going to spray dye this sofa and of course, I haven't yet.  But I did use a light mist of Dawn to remove sizing and then spritzed it with plain water to check absorption.  My other furniture has duct tape on the Waverly fabric which did not hold up at all.  Some pieces are strong synthetic weaves but they also have broken threads.  If you have springs and solid furniture, is it worth it to reupholster or just buy new?  These sofas are very long at 84" and I'm leaning toward buying new and smaller. 

 
Would you trust a weathered brittle grapevine wreath to hold a large hanging basket?  I think it will be fine, can't break through all of it but I'll keep watching.


Can you hear me whining about June ending?  I am.  Loud and clear.

Have a good week.

Thanks for visiting.

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Still blue

Greetings pals.  Was the weekend good?  Hope so.  But it's over now and the last week of June is upon us.  Damn.  Damn damn.  Slow down!

 

I haven't been browsing Pinterest as often as before but while sitting on the swing enjoying a breeze, I did.  Came across this free design from The Nebby Needle back in 2014.  Another small I think I would like to stitch, but where do I put it? 

 

When I was playing with dye and trying to get a dark gray blue, this piece took the color so far and then quit.  It's not as dark as the Fox fabric and is a long thin cut.  I thought of it as soon as I saw this chart.  That doesn't mean it's a good choice and I won't know until the floss is worked in.   Will I ever get that far?  There are decisions!  America in white, border in red, God Bless in gold?  Three color choices with many options for placement.  Maybe it would look best on light tan.

 

Speaking of the blue Fox (notice how sometimes it's capitalized and others not - just messing with you), I have not heard from the winner.  Probably busy with weekend fun so we'll give her a few more days.

 

My decision to follow the chart and not the photo on this sampler was a good one.  I don't mind all black pieces but that 3011 neutral really spares the monotony.  Doesn't this look good with it in the dividing bands instead of all black?

  This chart will be passed on to someone interested as soon as I am finished.

 

That's it folks.  Getting dark out here with hungry mosquitoes.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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The last winner of the first offer

The second winner of the first giveaway which is the blue linen fox that was not chosen in the first drawing for the blue fox which had a brown fox added and confused everyone but obviously not Susan because she knew what she wanted and chose the brown which left the blue which brings us back to where we started.  .....  Random chose Heartland Stitcher.  I will be emailing you soon and when I remember where I put the fox so I wouldn't misplace it, I will pack it.   Thank you once again to everyone who participated in the great 65 giveaway. 

 

My brother still doesn't get it.  He wanted me to sell this heavy little stool that he painstakingly painted a great blue/teal for $5.  I was going to age it and then see if a local shop was interested.  Well, I got carried away and decided I better just pay him and keep it myself.  He can't believe what I did to it after his perfect paint job and still doesn't understand that chipped paint and rust sells easier than perfect paint.  It was really nice and could have been a great accent with a little edge aging but it's too late now.  Mine baby.  I'll give him $10 for it.

For those of you interested in seeing the tat brows, here they are.  They appear very exact and intense for the first few days and will soften within a week.  I will go back in 4 weeks for touch up or adjustment if needed.  From the middle out, I had six hairs at most.  This is a method called Soft-tap which is gentler than the traditional buzzing needle.  Some cosmetic artists make heavy diagonal lines to replicate hair and they look pretty phony.  Others do microhairs and a powdery fill look.  If you are interested, make sure you see photos of their work.  This method will fade entirely in about 5-6 years but last forever if you have them touched up every two years or less.  When mine start softening I will be able to see the details, right now the ink is pretty heavy.

 

  Hope everyone that is dealing with wicked weather is safe. 

Enjoy your weekend.

The simple sampler

Hello people.  How's your week going?  In a week it will be July!  I can't believe how fast the months are passing.  I know the 4th is coming up because I hear firecrackers/bombs all day and evening. 

 

 

I wanted to show you the progress on the simple sampler from Frances.  While working on the dividing bands, I happened to look more closely at the chart (doesn't happen often enough), and saw that some of the bands in the center are not black, they are the other neutral. 

The chart photo shows them stitched in black.  Now I'm not sure which is correct but it doesn't matter to me since I rarely stitch the reproductions as charted.  So I guess it's my decision, which I wasn't planning on.  Either would be nice but I'm leaning toward using the neutral, just to break up the black.  Hey!  I made a decision. 

 

Do you remember back in 2011 I mentioned having my eyebrows tattooed?  Well I finally got around to making the appointment with a permanent makeup artist.  Went today and they will be prominent for a few days to a week until the excess ink fades.  I already know I will have a touch up in a few weeks and am happy I did it.  I've heard so many sources say they go to her and are thrilled with their results so I knew she was good.  I have hardly any brows left and thinning more every year with two completely bare spots. The way I sweat from flashes makes it difficult to keep them penciled, now I can wipe away and the color will stay.  I really wanted the traditional permanent method but no one does it around here so I went with the cosmetic (Soft-tap) type which will need touched up every year or two as it fades.  I may even get the thin eyeliner.

 

I'll be wearing the 30 day event monitor and I'm thinking....those electrodes better have industrial strength sticky because I will sweat them right off, or short them out from moisture.

 

Sorry I didn't enter the names again yet so I will set a time which forces me to do it.

Friday night at 8pm! 

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Going overboard

Greetings to you.  Susan chose the brown Fox so the original offer of the blue linen will be coming up. As I mentioned before, for some reason, maybe the rough linen, the floss seemed to get fuzzy in some areas and I'm not happy with the stitching.  But hey. It's free. I saved all the email entries and comments but will have to enter them into Random again.  IE shut down as it always does and then recovered Random's page, but the names weren't saved.  I hope to have them re-entered (minus Susan!) and another winner chosen in the next few days.  No need to enter your name again.

 

Maybe because it's new to me, but now I want to mount everything on that hornbook thingamabob hickey.  Procrastination worked out well this time because two samplers that were never finished the way I had planned are up next.  I don't want to use 3/4" thick wood for small pieces and we don't have access to 1/2" that is wider than 5 1/4". 

The craft store yielded two pieces that will work nicely.  The one for Martha (which requires at least a 6" wide base) was found hanging in the unfinished wood section as a sign on 3/8" pine.  Perfect.  We'll cut it down to width and have plenty in length for a longer handle. 

 

 

The other is Hannah which was to be sewn into a bag.  She is very small and will also be an easy cut from this breadboard. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I will be searching for others that can be adapted to this finish because I always go overboard when I like something.  They don't look good now, but after seeing the foxes, I know they'll be great.  I think a dark red board would be ideal for Martha, but maybe that dark linen on a dark board will not be as nice as I expect. 

 

I didn't have much trouble with the mitered corners or mounting on the second fox, and did learn that you need a fusible interfacing or some sort of lining for the linen in addition to the cotton fleece.  The flat surface being wrapped around sharp corners is tricky and needs some protection.  If it would be stuffed with batting or fill and raised somewhat, that corner would not be the severe U turn to the back.  Using a cording around the stitchery would alleviate the miter but I like this bare look.

I need to catch up on blogs, haven't had much time but hope to this weekend depending on how much outside work I get done at Carole's.

 

Can you believe June will be over soon? 

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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The choice will be made by

 

Susan Cox.  She was one of 36 email entries added to the comment entries - 

I love reading your blog and hearing about your many "adventures"   it makes my day.  I used to cross stitch in my 20's but now my 60 year old eyes won't allow it.

Please enter me in your drawing.  Thank you!

Susan Cox
Troutville,VA

Thanks to everyone who entered the 65 year old's giveaway.  65 year old.  I am STILL going to check the age box 55-64 in those damn surveys.  They'll never know.  Depending on which color is chosen, the second Fox may be another giveaway and I would use the same entries.  We'll see.  I enjoyed this design, even though I haven't crawled out of the slump, but once completed I just don't know what to do/where to put these smalls.

 

If you look closely at the photo of the brown Fox, you'll see one top left leaf has an open space of two stitches and the right one has three spaces.  Saw it too late.  It should be three but since I can't remove, I decided to add.  The John James petite (size 26) needles are short enough to slip beneath and come back up, cannot do it with my regulars and the curved are too heavy. I use one strand and do the cross twice rather than use two threads.  This way, it locks the stitch better.  I leave a long tail beginning and ending and then run it beneath when finished.  So now they match.  It's not the first time I added one or more stitches after the piece was mounted and it won't be the last.

 

Susan, take a look and let me know which you would like, I will email you soon.

 

 

That's it folks.  My sister just called and told me that the new dentures we paid for three months ago, have cracked and split.  Is there anything made today by people who care about doing their job correctly?  Or has mediocre become the norm and striving to do better is not a goal?  Yes I am PO'd.

 

Thanks again everyone, will let you know what I decide.

 

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Your decision

Here are both hornbooks.  I must say that the second one, on the brown linen, is much nicer.  The mounting went better than the first, the floss was new and not fuzzy, it just looks better.  But the decision is yours.  I used 935/3052 for the leaves instead of the charted 500/501.  There are errors in both and it ticks me off.  After this morning's post, I had to remove the bottom half of one side and stitch it all over again because the edge was off two and it was obvious once mounted.  There is still one other error.   Be back late this evening with the winner.

 

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Looks like I will make it!

And that means it will be decision time for the winner.  I kept saying I would like this on dark brown and this 18th Century Brown was the darkest I had.  Birds of a Feather's Sparrow was the color I preferred but I don't like stitching on it so I set it aside. I am ASSUMING this will be finished for the drawing.  Not sure if it will be a hornbook or pillow.  I started Saturday and finished it this morning.

 

One last area to stitch and I wanted to show you how I sometimes work an image to help picture a finish.  I mentioned before about using the Paint program and all its little tweaks, here it is for color.  In one photo, I used the color of the grapes for the door, the other I manipulated the stitching and moved it for the brown.  Need to decide which I like better.

 

 

Yes I am a crazy crab.

 

Be back tomorrow!

 

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Summer

Finally here.  For those of you lucky enough to have your Dad, enjoy the day with him.  The rest of us will be remembering and wishing for just one more day.

 

I love my crow.  Perched from the kitchen window.....

 

 or next to my swing.  Added bonus here, his bucket is a great hideaway for Dove wrappers.  My husband can spot those bright red foils a mile away.  He doesn't care if I consume more than I should, it's just embarrassing when you keep screaming "I have to lose this weight!"

The brats are still terrorizing and killing chipmunks.  My cousin saw a munk climb into her bush outside her office window, and snatch baby cardinals from their nest.  Mother Nature is one sick cookie.

You know how I hate decision making, mainly because it incapacitates me.  So I may be forcing one on you.  If things work out and I can focus (another elusive trait), well, we'll see.

 

Enjoy your day.

 

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Out fox!

Get out of my house!!!  I have had enough of this project!

 

So here's the deal.... leave a comment on this post if you would like to enter the giveaway for this upside down hornbook.  If you are unable to do so, enter by email link at right.  This will be my birthday offer to you, my stitching buds.  The drawing will be Tuesday night the 21th at 9pm EST.  As always, the majority are no-reply so make sure you leave your initials or name, especially if you are anonymous.  If you receive posts through email, you cannot reply to them and must email me directly through the blog page.  If I cannot contact the winner and there is no response to me by the 24th (Friday morning), another entry will be drawn.

The stitches are uneven, some loose, some tight, some in the wrong hole, and they could all be yours.  Enter now!

 

Thanks for all your help with the pain in the ass fox. 

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My crow is on its way

Hello folks.  I'm sure many of you follow Misi of Gable House Goods.  Love her style of decorating and her home photos. 

In one of the outdoor shots, I saw a metal crow with a bucket.  Since then, I have searched high and low to no avail.  Recently, Pine Cone Gift Shop's post featured their arrival.  Since my neck condition has me paranoid about long car rides, I didn't want to take the 100 minute drive.  But then, I found a source!  P Allen Smith has them and I used a coupon code for 25% off and my bird is on its way!  If any of you have been searching for this yard stake, go here and use code thanks25 for your discount.  The site has two crow fountains that are also very nice, but I do not need the sound of trickling water while having a cup of coffee on my swing.  I can barely make it inside fast enough as it is.

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Wish me luck

I said I would not mention current events.  That doesn't mean they are not breaking my heart.  The local child abuse, many resulting in deaths, puts me into a zone that can bring me down for days.  The babies left to suffer and die in cars, is inexplicable to me, and this latest unintended tragedy at Disney has me entering that zone again.

 

Hornbook assembly.  I have the board ready with a section left unsealed where the project will be attached.  Still don't know if it will be handle up or down, but I've decided to add a hole for a nail head that will not go all the way through.  Only visible from the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took Linda's advice and got a thin piece of basswood which is what my locals carry, 1/16" thick.  It's covered by the batting but I sealed it with acrylic anyway.  Acid free or regular mat board will work too.

 

I'm using only one layer of thin cotton batting which makes the finish this thick, including the basswood.

 

Next, I will tape the linen in place while centering.  Then I will lace it, which I hate and have never done properly.  The fabric glue may suddenly appear and save me from myself.  But should I trust that it won't prevent the stretched linen from loosening?  You know by now that fabric glue is my buddy and I don't care what happens to my stitchery 100 years from now.

 

When that is completed and trimmed, I will use the E6000 on the basswood part of the mounting which will be most of the center.  Melinda suggested Tacky glue and I know many of you like that product, will give it a try on the linen edges.  I don't have the time to wait for the mounting tape that Michelle and Truus mentioned, but will add it to my next stitching order.

Thank you all for your help!

 I want it done as nicely as menopossible since this is a giveaway.

 

So wish me luck!  If I would have assembled this BEFORE I decided to offer it, it would have been much easier on me.

 

As for the flag chart I offered two years ago, I took the little bag apart long ago and just made a knob hanger.  It's so stinkin' cute.

 

Enjoy your day.

 

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Flag Day

I searched for the little flag chart in the Free tab and could not find it.  In case you would like a quick stitch flag, here it is again, from August 12, 2014.

 

 

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The thingamabob hickey

Hello everyone.  Once again, I'm asking for your suggestions.  The natural wood was my first choice but dark wood grain did not look good with this dark linen, in my humble opinion.  So I chose a brown crackle finish for it (although it doesn't look bad on the light primer).  Since this is my first hornbook type thingamabob hickey, I'll tell you how I plan to mount it, and you tell me a better way. 

 

I do not want a trim around it so the corners must be mitered. I will stitch them into place, trim and Tacky glue for extra hold.  I plan on a thin layer of cotton batting beneath the stitchery, no pouf, just for softness.  The inside board is not a thick mount board but a thin mat since I want it sort of flat.  When I finally get the corners right and the entire piece is fixed on the mat, I will use E6000 in a few spots to glue to the hornbook type thingamabob hickey.  No plans for tacks around the piece, no trim ....but ... should I trim it and pouf it?  Floss cording in the linen color, thin hemp cord, chenille?  I think I'm doing the actual prep and attach OK, but how do you think the final finish should look?  What do you do?  Should I put a hole for hanging in the handle?  Any suggestions or help would be welcomed.  I would like to have the offer listed this Friday. 

 

We're having perfect weather today, I hope you are having a good day.

 

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Picking away

Stitches, that is.  Did it last project, and even though the current has only two colors, did it again.  I like black in a design and even as the entire work, but adding just one other color made it .... I don't know ..... muddy.  The recommended 646 was so blah with the black so I removed it and tried a more brownish gray, 3787.  Adios.  Gone.  Then I realized that something with a smidge of color will accent the black, not muddy it. 

 

So I moved on to 3011, dark and neutral, grayish but green.  Or green but grayish.  Happy dance.  Now I can fill in the area that was removed twice before.  The border was to be the 4-sided stitch but I didn't read that until it was too late.

 

My heart goes out to the families affected by the recent tragedy, but from now on, I will avoid mentioning anything related to current events.  I am so disgusted with the name calling, labeling, shouting, intolerance, and hate from hypocrites doing exactly what they are accusing others of.  I need to keep my mouth shut.  I wish others had enough respect for themselves and this country to do the same and express their opinion with an ounce of dignity.  Not with Facebook shares of stories they don't even know are true.

 

Hope your week is peaceful.

 

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A tray for smalls

Greetings folks.  Went to the mall's antique store today and came home with a divided wood tray from either a chest or tool box.  I've bought these before and most all from tool boxes are grimy and greasy.  This cleaned up easily, mostly just dust.

 

I wanted to get some of the mini samplers out of the bowls so I can see the entire piece which was the reason for the purchase.  Turning it to vertical changes the size of the smalls that I can use.  I like this better and will hang it between the door frames of two closets. 

Or...

Polyurethane the inside, drill a few small holes, run a wire through across the front.  Hang in the bath with extra rolled cloths, soaps, and lotions. 

Well I can see this will become another piece that hangs around because I can't decide where it's going or what it will be.  Just add it to the pile.

 

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From chunky to paté

Hey all.  How has your week been so far?  Hard to believe half of June will be over soon.  I had the furnace on yesterday and this morning.  So cold the tomato leaves were shivering.  Garden looks good, the Enforcer has been working well to scare away the deer.

 

I bought this little Rival brand $9 chopper at Walmart for the brats' food.  They walk away from the same old pate flavors and lick the sauce off the chunks and shreds.  My wrist was getting so tired of chopping and I thought this little gadget may do the trick.  It did. 

Doesn't puree like my Ninja (♥!) but it chops fine.  A quick rinse, a drop of dish soap with a little water, a quick whirl, and it's clean.  From chunk to pate in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came up with a finishing idea for the PS, made a template, left it up to my husband whether it will be heart or lollipop.  He chose the pop and I agree.  I made two other ends, these were my favorites, but it may end up being simple and basic.  Hornbook handles were at the bottom, to be held up and read.  This isn't a sampler with letters mimicking the antiques, so the top is my preference. Holes for threads can be on the bottom, which confuses me.  I see many that are combination hornbook/thread palettes. What are your thoughts?  Upright for hanging?  Thread holes?

 

The sampler notebook I referred to previously, is a notebook that I attach one of my labels to so it looks nice lying about.  It's not for stitchery, it's for all the unfinished house projects, intentions that I speak of, phone calls I should make, and never do.  I need to rein in the procrastinating and that sounded like a good plan.  No I didn't make the notebook yet.  Not a good start, huh?

 

Working on the black sampler and will offer it to a reader when I'm finished, paying it forward as it was gifted to me.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

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Black

Black painted swings.  Black tuxedo cats. 

 

 

Black sampler.

 

Frances gifted me this sweet sampler, black threads with one other neutral thread in a few places.  Not very big, not complicated, I received it in the mail and looked no further for the next project.  Still nursing a slump and the less color change and counting the better.  Thank you again Frances.  My only change (you know there has to be something that bugs me) may be to a higher linen count.  This is 28 and I love 30, closing in on 32 recently.  I may bundle up my excessive amount of 28 and store it somewhere, and then order small pieces of 30 and 32 because as you know, I can't bring myself to cut a large piece of linen.  My reasoning (if you call it that) is that I have several very large samplers and do not want to cut a piece that would be perfect.  So I plan to kit those large projects and once the linen is set aside, I'm free to run with scissors.  But all these things I say I will do, never get done.  My procrastinating affliction is out of control.  I made a sampler notebook, and in it will post items that need to be taken care of from simple to complex.  Every day, at least one of them must be done or no chocolate.  The notebook is staying on the bench by my sofa so it doesn't get lost.  Wish me luck.

 

Finishing on the PS project may be just ordinary.  I have a wood box with a recessed flip lid, perfect for a padded top with interior storage but it's just a hair too short for this design.  It looks great as a drum, but I cannot find any fabric that is compatible with this blue and there is not enough linen left since it was my test sample. But I can squeak out enough of it for an envelope back.  I wanted something different and special but I don't think it will be.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Am I done or am I not

The only thing I may change is the door frame. 

I'm almost ashamed to tell you, but I have no shame so here goes.  Each leaf area in 734 was removed and stitched again.  Yep.  I loved that color against this blue/gray but after all the leaves were done, it was too much.  So this is 3013 with the darker 3012.  Better.  This is very hard to photograph and I had to tone down the color, it's brighter than this appears.   Two errors, the first is in height.  I started the vine with the house bottom and it should have been up one (should be one row of the vine beneath the house).  So why is the roof in correct count to the leaf above it?  The second is in width on the right side by one stitch.  My stitches are very wonky in this piece and of course there are errors, but do they bother you?  Do you think I make good choices with your help on the colors?  I hope so.  Because once sewn, this is my birthday giveaway.  If things go wrong and it is thrown out the window, well... I guess it will be something else.  Details this week, along with a few boxes that I didn't get to yet.

 

I have to tell you what happened this morning.  There are only a handful of  McDonalds that offer sausage gravy and biscuits, we are lucky to have one in Hubbard Ohio.  They. are. fabulous.  Really.   In walks a man with the physique of a body builder, the V-shape of huge shoulders whittling down to tight abs.  Then we saw his hat.  It was a Navy Seal hat.  Some people get excited around celebrities, these guys are mine.  I so wanted to go shake his hand, but he never got off his phone, ate quickly and left.  But was he?  Anyone can buy the hat which to me is wrong.  We'll never know.

 

Have a good one!

 

Thanks for your help and patience with this project.

 

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When I say I am weird,

I'm sure by now you know I speak the truth.

 

And you're wondering when I will finish this fruit'in fox.  Soon.  And then you will understand more about why I was always asking your opinion, which I really appreciate and thank you for.

 

After reading your comments, some of which STILL do not come through to my email thank you very much Google, I wondered if the brown would be better. 

 A little trick I do, is to use Photo Gallery and Paint to change color and placements on areas where allowable.  So I changed the color to brown to see how it would look.  I'm not crazy about it, but am leaning toward removing the black stitches and using the brown, either 3031 or 3371.  I just tossed the browns on the linen originally, this manipulated photo is a better representation.  It's a little time consuming but I have my methods honed since I do the same for the box labels.  Lots of cut copy paste resize rotate!  I'd rather see this before I remove and change only to find out I don't like it. 

 

 

I didn't take into account the black stitches on the fox, and those will show better without all the other black.  I guess when you change everything, charting the entire design in chosen colors before you start would be a MUCH better idea than winging it as you go.  I've learned a lesson.  So tonight, another removal and color change, but if it's for the better it will be worth it.  And every time I create more work for myself, I get an extra piece of chocolate.  So far, this fox had 2 bags of Dove.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

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And now a word from a walking glue stick

  I'm sure you are tired of seeing every little area of this small design's choices but I don't care.  I need your help, I've used your suggestions, and I'm dragging you down with me.  At least you can click to another page.  It's not that I am disliking this stitch, it's just very different for me.  When I change colors on a sampler the effect is minuscule because letters of different colors are common, sometimes clashing, not noticeable if changed.  But changing an entire design where one wrong color could throw the work off, is more involved.   I don't like involved.  This would be great on dark brown linen, more so than this blue.  Just my opinion.  But I'm told often that I am always right.

 

For the roof, most dark grays were very close to this blue/gray linen, so black it was.  Too stark, so I switched to one strand of floss and here is the difference.  Left is two, right is one.  Just enough to soften it.  Original design called for 844 on the roof and the bird in black, and since I saw no other color that was acceptable for the bird, I stuck with black using two strands.  Subtle difference from the roof, but it's good.  Fox - 300 or 400?  Brighter or toned?  I'm sure I won't know until those colors are stitched into the piece. 
Stopped in Volant today.  In James Creek, which has changed a bit, I met the new gal named Judy for the first time.  Usually, the owner is present but not today.  Great personality, we talked quite a bit.  Anyway, they have lots of colonial style fabrics that I can order for the upholsterer.  Good to know.  I also stopped to see Wendy two shops down who used to take care of James Creek for many years. 

Found this little wooden container at Cottage House Antiques. 

 Continued on to the outlets in Grove City, got nothing, and then stopped at another Amish greenhouse finding this 6" hanging basket of tiny burgundy with new growth green leaves.  Looks like a sedum but it's not, she said to bring it inside before frost as a houseplant.  Sweet little ball of ......  this.  I got two, on sale for $4 each (can't pass up a bargain) and will give them to Carole.

It was hot and humid, I was flashing all day, and the greenhouse heat sent me into a fast talking frizzy haired Velma Velcro, Emma Elmer, Mary Modge Podge, Patti Paste, sticking to the world like white on rice.  Pink on a pig.  Fat on my ass.  Sauce on my pasta.  Cat hair on chairs.  Did you know that wiping upholstery with a latex glove will pull up most all of the pet hair?  Does anyone remember the commercials for the Playtex Living Glove?  I never understood the Living part.  

But don't touch her with that glove!  All that food, flea relief, cozy bedding, and I still get that look from this pint sized pain in the petunia.

 

Have a good day.

Thanks for stopping by.
 

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