2025 finish #1

Paperbark 40 count, 4.75" x 5.5", centered, DMC. 

Such a sad day for the needlework community.

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One more motif

 

Didn't think I would finish.

I will!

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Line up!

I always work full rows left to right.  But since I am trying to center some motifs, worked to the bottom first so the border can be my guide. 

She is petite.

Enjoy your day.

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Uh-oh

Interest waning.  

But I will continue until completed.  

Changed the central motif urn to two shades of gray instead of blue and green.  This is what I envisioned from the first glance and seems to be in the chart's photo, so gray was my choice.

Still loving the design, just not feeling as much needle love as I had hoped.

Enjoy your day.

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Love

 Even though I dislike floral motifs with many color changes, and requiring constant chart checks, I adore this.

 Removed two colors I did not like, stitched again with lighter shades.  After three tries, settled on the perfect thread for the tree.

I do like my color changes, but seeing the design stitched made me realize the charted for the florals would have been very nice also.

Hope you have a pleasant Friday.

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More changes

In color and minor placements.  Should have studied the chart, I didn't see the lack of symmetry in the top section.  

I moved the left outline one row closer, center floral one to left, will add extra row to right side outline.  The rest will be easy to adjust. 

I wonder how long I will hear her pleas for help before closing my eyes at night and opening them every morning.  I guess never, and will have to learn to move away from those days.  So far, happy memories haven't replaced them.  They will.  In time.

My local JoAnn closed and Michael's will move in by summer, very small store.  They were here once and failed.  Since then Hobby Lobby opened so I don't see their reasoning.  Thankfully, Kohl's will be staying.  TJMaxx is the only other clothing store now.  I miss our stores and mall.

Another hour and season premier of Expedition Bigfoot will be on.  Yep.  I watch it!

Stay safe folks.

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Classification

Do the projects I recently started and dropped classify as WIPs if I lost interest?

This booklet has a sampler that I adore, not my usual comfort stitch of alphabets.

 Gentle on my patience since mistakes will blend in nicely.

Three color changes so far in thread.  Forty count Paperbark with dmc.

Ain't it sweet?

Pizzelle batch again today.  Surprised at how easy and quick they are to make. 

Have a good day.

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My new hook

 So.  Do I have to beat my tablet's screen to act on my touch because it's over a decade old, or because my finger is numb from the carpal?  Methinks a little of both since the stylus fails at times also.  Will have to take care of this soon because I am dropping things regularly.  Took a bowl of melted butter for pizzelles out of the microwave, and lost my grip.  Upside down, butter splashed walls, cabinets, and my clothes.  Thank goodness for Lestoil!  Full strength drop on each grease spot both jeans and sweatshirt, rinse well, gone.  Gone.  That stuff has saved many a piece of clothing.

Finally starting to move on the interior painting.  Doors, windows, baseboards first, then walls (all Ben Moore White Dove).  No other brands have color matched it well enough, not messing around.  Wrought hooks of various styles are installed on my doors as previously told, but they are quite narrow which looked fine on the dark paint.  But lost on this very light.  I found these black for a few bucks at Lowe's, really like the heft.  If installed on hollow doors, a bolt going through to other side and secured with a nut works.  Or adhesive caulk.

Really dresses up the expanse of white and perfect for hanging baskets, stitchery, easy to change, out of pets' grab.  I like to finish some projects into pouches and a door is a great place to display them.

As for the kitchen cabinets, I am considering one of the sprayers seen on IG that appear to lay a great finish on them.  When it warms up!

Baby it's cold outside.

Along with Neon Dion, only four cardinal pairs have been feeding daily. With the cold temps coming back, I expect the mob to visit again.

Thank you for mentioning this Mary .... the Epley maneuver for at home treatment of vertigo works for so many, and my uncle was told to practice it regularly while on chemo. I am hesitant to do it this time, it feels different than my usual vertigo and may have something to do with the fall I took in November after which episodes became frequent and lasted for days.  My knee is a mess, physically and visually (scars are horrible). 

New pizzelle maker being delivered today, and nowhere to recycle the dead one.  This time, I'm banned from butter handling.  Found the aluminum plates model, non stick coating on any cookware is avoided.  We alternate anise seeds/flavoring with the vanilla butter nut (favorite of family).

Be warm, be well, be safe.

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Spinning

How is everyone?  

So much sadness and loss on both sides of the US, difficult to imagine being in those situations.  Samaritan's Purse has become my preferred organization for donations.  North Carolinians who had little before, nothing now, still waiting  for help.  

I had vertigo again for a few days so no stitching or browsing.  Trying to get in to ENT doc or PT for maneuver to reset ear crystals.  I did get my echocardiogram report faxed to my useless PCP so I can get answers.  The closed office cannot give info/treat patients because they have no malpractice insurance since hospital closed.

Does anyone recognize this design?  Stitched for Carole, now with me, I can't remember.

EDIT -  already answered by a friend that is always a huge help.

This is from 1993 Leisure Arts Mini Samplers

I discarded SO many charts after stitching (except the Cat), and was surprised when searching blog entries for this the number of completed designs I sold.  Really wish I kept track so no time is wasted searching!

Stay warm, well, and safe.

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Routine letters

 You know.  The standard outline or shape of the alphabet letters stitched in the majority of samplers.  Basic.  No need to check the chart except for spacing between them.  That's what I should be working on, especially with 46 count.

Still not able to focus ... concentrate .... pay attention!  Choosing to stitch the bottom half of this previously stitched sampler with dmc 3831 on 46 may cause a match to be lit.  In three letters, six errors to frog.   

 I will try again this evening before deciding.

Sunny and warmer today, Ollie takes advantage of the sun heating the dark wood siding.

Be well.  Stay safe.

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Ethel's bling

I prefer the E, hubs likes the heart.  Hence ....

Fred may stay more casual.  Hope to finish them in the next few days.

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They're back

This new finish is from Kathy Barrick, I don't see a date on the chart but it's probably old.  I left off the date and initials, rarely do I add those.

Changed the green and the house color, on 46 count over two.

We've always had loads of cardinals, the majority appear during very cold temps or snow.  They were absent the day after the last photos.  Today there is only about three dozen, the gathering here is behind the suet cakes, waiting their turn.  The few others are on the bird feeder.

Six females in this one.

Same gathering, hard to get them all since many are higher in the twigs.

Many of you seem to enjoy these photos so I took them today again.  They appeared right before the fine snow started falling.  I think that black spot is the Towhee.

Enjoy your day  Be safe.

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The birds

Today, as usual, loaded with cardinals.

Taken at the same time  Quite difficult to catch them together, my movement in the window scatters them.  Three pine trees surrounding the feeder, more were on the ground, and the bare branches along the pines.

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A plan

 Or close to one.

As I sit here in comfort watching Neon Dion and his friends feast against the fricking white snow, my heart aches for those in CA.  Unfathomable tragedy.  And as always, heartless scum start looting.  Enough.

My plan is to work on started-and-abandoned Mary Hughes.  I will continue stitching the bottom section and fill as needed for a drum.  

The bird will be stitched on the drum's top piece.

I really would prefer a very small mono sampler.  Helen asked which was peeking out in a recent post ... 

 2009 free BBD chart Petites Lettres Rouges

Be safe.

Be grateful. 

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Very difficult day

 Handwritten recipes.

Mother, sister, aunts.

 

Going through them is very emotional.  Not only seeing handwriting of loved ones passed, but the memories of gatherings where those dishes were served.  Flood of memories from decades ago when things were so different.  How I miss those women, their focus on family, their laugh, the joy they shared when having everyone gather.

The importance to them of taking pen in hand to a decorated recipe card, and filing in a pretty box what their families requested, was to hopefully pass on.  Little did they know, that many years ago, cursive would be deemed useless.   None can be read by adult grands and great grands.  Not even the title.  I kept what I wanted, not for the recipe itself, but the memory of that dish.  Also found some from the church cookbook of the 60's.  But that's not the way I've ever seen pierogi spelled.

Carole had six boxes of cards in addition to books and magazine snips.  Yes, she loved to cook!

How do younger postal workers know what is on that envelope?  Zip code alone doesn't sort by route or street.  Bills and most mail is in print, but what about script or written greeting cards?  Invitations?  Is reading cursive required for hiring?  Honestly, if looked at closely, why couldn't it be understood with a little effort?  Carole's handwriting is quite scratchy, hard for even me to read.

It's a bird day.

And the trees are loaded with cardinals.  

We have a third piebald, even lighter than the first, but smaller in size.

Hope you are having a good day.  

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Casual cat

Hiya. Is your area as cold as mine?

Every day brings us closer to summer.  

I finished Fred's girlfriend Ethel. Is it 46 count or 48 count? One of those. I thought about giving her a necklace with a charm to reflect the season or holiday, but I don't have the energy or patience to search for them. Would I even hold interest long enough to change them throughout the year? No.  

Ethel may get a small heart charm, Fred may get a bowtie. I'm giving myself one day to decide. I want to finish them and would need to stitch the neck area first if adornments aren't added. 

Regarding the cardiology practice, they are a part of the hospital that closed. Several locations with five docs and two NPs, same name as hospital. They will need to establish the group as a stand alone practice? But no hospital here for them to become staff, continue heart surgeries, or admit patients.  

Hope you're all doing well. Covid is rampant here. Hubs and I are negative, my cousins ​​are positive. When I had my echocardiogram (can't get the results since now closed), he recounted spending a month in ICU in 2021 with failing organs from it. He knows Carole and I from yearly testing, and feels it was certainly her covid that hit her heart and kidneys so quickly.

No holiday decorations to put away this year. Painting will begin soon, found a husband wife team to do it.  

Stay well.

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Close to finish

 We expanded and revised Scott's work in the mini powder room.  Rather than a wood pedestal to enclose/hide pipes, we cut it down the center, added frame, made a door, matched to the wall cupboard.  Much better.

I plan to get baskets to fit along each side, making a shelf midway to hold four.  We could have made this full width but that's too much painted finish, I'd like some naturals/browns mixed in. The wood vanity will blend nicely.

 Haven't decided on the backsplash yet.  

This was Christmas. 

Read this beautiful card from Brenda.

My hubs said, "huh. Every day is Christmas."

My cardiologist canceled my appointment, temporarily closed the practice in order to decide their future.  The hospital closed today. What do I and others needing heart care do now?  The other hospital has a cardio, packed with transferring patients.  I am going there for a CT scan in two weeks.  Their ER and other staff look no diferent than patients.  T shirts, cargo pants, jeans, no uniforms or even cohesive color/matchings scrub tops.  I didn't know who was what, who to ask.  Two women in the hall I questioned were patients' relatives in ER!

That's all. 

Hope you're doing well.

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Goodbye bubble

All gone.  Checkup was good, still have a few flashes but the retina looked good to the doc. 

Just wanted to mention that if you are considering a purchase of Tobias linen, I checked with Seraphim and that light Affogato-y shade is now Tobias.  Completely different but the name was not changed.  I haven't found any online shops that have the original darker bronze linen and once I have even the slightest pickle, I move on.  So now I don't want it.

I usually order from 123Stitch, Hobby House, Hollis Hands Create, and recently Farm Girl.  You can check with any shop before ordering about returns,  Hobby House is accommodating if your purchase is not what you expected (as the significant difference I showed).  Although this is a nice piece of linen, I don't care for the slight greenish hue and have Affogato in my stash that is very close.  Or sell it?  Still have the few pieces mentioned previously that I want to sell, I need to decide. 

These tiny ornaments were found at Carole's, I know my SIL stitched them.  Not being a bead or Mill Hill stitcher, I may become one.  I will be searching for similar projects online.  Aren't they precious?

Hope you are doing well.  

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