Stacy...where are you?

If it wasn't for my sore finger from making pomanders, I would be further along on Fanny.  The cloves stained my fingers but I doubt if it would transfer to the linen.  Here's a fresh, half dried, and fully dried.  Big difference!

The alphabet is finished, numbers next, and then the motifs.  Hopefully I will get to them tonight.

 I decided to do Stacy Nash's Pears and Strawberries, but I can't find it.  I've torn the house apart and now my stash that took me months to put away is all over the place.  How can I lose it?   I hope I didn't burn it yesterday!  Nah.  It will show up eventually in a weird place.  So I picked a few others.  One is the Ohio Sampler from Eye&Ewe.

The next is Pears Two from Historic Needlework Guild. 

I've had it for a very long time, LOVE it, but there's that "over one" thing.  Since it's so tiny, I think I may go ahead with it.  I don't plan on doing the back in drawn thread as it calls for, just using the same linen fabric for the back.  Unless I find Stacy! 
I can't tell you how many times I've had an item in hand, and then it magically disappears.   Some I still haven't found, but I'm sure Stacy is here somewhere.  In the search I came across a lot of other stuff I have no use for.  DMC metallic threads, metallic spools,  a lot of fuzzy stuff in several colors (Santa's beard thread?).  I may just pull that bead offer off since no one is interested.  In fact, I'll do it right now.  Goodwill is starting to have its own cross stitch section with all the stash I've taken in!  I even carry excess in my car in case I run into an Amish family.  Last week I approached a woman with her daughters and gave her 20 packs of embroidery needles.  She was a little apprehensive when she saw me calling to her.  I seem to have that effect on people. 

Was it the bear...or me?

This isn't related to stitching (except for the burning AidaUglies) but I mentioned in the prior post about burning papers and such, which I did this morning.  No hair involvement, which is good.  I knew I was not complying with the township burning hours, but we're on a dead end street with little traffic.  This morning was different.  There was a horrific fire that destroyed a home and business at 5 am, and firefighters (my nephews) and policeman were all over the area.  I didn't know of this, even though it was fairly close to my street.   I have a lid on my barrel and always take a bucket of water with me because even though I love to see those flames, I am extremely aware of the damage they can cause.  Because of the yard swamp, I had my red boots on, and there I stood at the fire when a police car came down.  Uh-oh.  I wondered how big the fine would be.  Maybe because it was drizzling and I had my water bucket he would let me go?  Or maybe the red boots would trigger a flashback he would rather forget....

A few years back when Mom had a visitor, I took the opportunity to work outside in the area behind my shed overgrown with brush and hanging limbs.  We have lots of briers, wild multiflora rose, and poison ivy so even though it was very hot and humid, I had on my red knee high boots, paint stained capris and tee, a huge torn nylon jacket with the lining showing through, big work gloves, and safety glasses.  Hey - I needed protection.  I cleared the brush and the bushes, sweating buckets, then took my bow saw and started cutting limbs.  Looking up as I sawed, the fine sawdust fell onto my sweaty face. One limb scratched my cheek pretty deep. I was out there for over 2 hours and then I heard "Yo!"   Startled, I popped out from behind the shed and there was a policeman standing in my back yard.  He was startled too and took a step back.  He was going house to house to warn of a bear that crossed the highway and went into the woods behind my house.  He still looked startled, I thanked him, and decided to get back in the house.  I proceeded to the bathroom where the full length mirror told me it wasn't the bear that put that look on his face.  What popped out at him was a 5'10" woman on a 92 degree day, soaking wet, with red boots, a torn jacket, red paint (or blood!) on a t-shirt, dried blood on her cheek, two huge black eyes from mascara and liner melted behind tight safety glasses, an indescribable facial skin texture caused from an even coating of sawdust stuck to sweat, a wild head of curly hair that had little twigs and sticks extending in all directions, holding a bow saw and a hatchet.  I'll bet he thought he needed to warn the bear about me - he figured I could take 'em.  Can you imagine seeing a lady looking like this holding a saw behind a shed in the woods?  That image may be why his car kept going and I didn't get fined.

48 what?

Guess what?  I learned something else about linen. There is a FORTY EIGHT count!  What?  When Bonnie first wrote to me about her 48 count stitching, I thought ...... what?   WHAT?  That's 18 more threads to that little inch than I use!  Say it ain't so!   Did she make a typing error?   Hit a 4 instead of 2, or maybe an 8 instead of a 0?   I feel like a stitch wimp trying to catch up to you 40 counters and here is a girl using 48!   And this was the real shocker - she likes to stitch over one.  The color drained from my floss and my linen went limp.  And then I remembered what a friend recently told me ...."you must remember to stay true to yourself and what you like".  And she is absolutely right. I will never be a 40 or 48 counter, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate and enjoy looking at the amazing pieces of work done by stitchers who are.   I have to do what makes me enjoy stitching, relax, and be comfortable with chosen projects.   I shouldn't feel inadequate because I can't keep up with the experienced and proficient stitchers whose blogs I visit almost daily, or the amazing .....

Bonnie The XLVIII.  

I am Marly The XXX!!!  

My projects will be a little larger and my background will show a little more, but I will not fret about pushing myself, or get frustrated enough to give it up.   I'm starting over, and maybe one day I will test myself with something more difficult but it should be when I am ready, if ever!   When I see these projects on your blogs,  it should be and is inspiring.   But not to choose the same fabric or count, or cotton or silk, but to stitch something just as beautiful, and be just as content doing so.   

I am Marly The XXX!! 

Give me chocolate!!!

This is Bonnie's Pine Tree Farm pinkeeps from Stacy Nash, on 48 count linen, walnut aged.  Below is Bonnie's Jane Thomas 1822 from Cardan on 48.

Thank you Bonnie for sharing your photos,  thank you all for inspiring me, and thank you Carol for your wisdom. 

The color of linen

These are my unbleached linens, 28 to 32 count, obviously from various sources, and the latest Golden Streak (Scarlet Letter) on the right.  They were purchased as yardage for future projects, wrapped and stored, and I never really compared them.   I didn't realize the variances in tone between manufacturers, thinking that "unbleached" would be about the same.  I feel like starting over with a new "as needed" policy!

When I started stitching, all of my samplers were kits from The Scarlet Letter on natural unbleached linen and I liked that look so I continued using what I'd started with for other samplers.  Many called for that same linen, others didn't so I changed to stronger thread colors.   I'm somewhere in between now and liking a softer golden brown that displays thread colors.  I still don't care for the very light shades...too modern and bright for me.  Sure there are colors out there I would use, but I don't trust the thumbnails online and my monitor.  Most of my drawer pieces are unmarked and some are kind of taupe or pinkish beige and I hate them along with Amber.  Time for some Clorox and Rit!   I didn't mess around with tea/coffee staining 25 years ago - no reason to, but it's a option for a warmer tint on light backgrounds.  Walnut stain is a little scarier because it stains immediately but I have some to try.  I've been playing around with old projects to gauge results.  These little hearts were puffy (no longer a fan of that) and bright until I worked on them today.  I used the coffee left in the filter to press on to the fabric and kept adding more water.  Yes it can break open! 

I've tried strong coffee in a little spray bottle too.  It dried a lot lighter than it looks here.

After I stained, I did the steam 'n smash.  You can see how they are still filled but much less puffy.

It's toned down, still pretty light and enough for now.

This flat cat is steamed and stained but when he was first completed, he was bright and plump.

I love this design but this unbleached linen is grayish and so drab, behind glass it's worse.  I still have a stash of this and will definitely have to change it. 

Also unbleached, but a warm brown - I like this shade and the colors stand out better. 

Unbleached again, this is my absolute favorite from 
Scarlet Letter. 







Wasn't this boring?  It is.  Boring.  I'm noting some changes and discoveries of being away from stitching for 20 years so it must be a yawn and I apologize for that.  I'll end with this tiny antique coin purse that I recently purchased.  I just love it.  My husband asked me "why?"!

The error of our ways

I hope this cold dreary wet morning finds you all well.  I'm a bit snarky.  The "s" word is in our forecast and even though it won't stay for long, just its name causes my hair to curl.  I wanted to show my progress on Fanny and tell you there is an error - and I don't care!!  How's that?  And my four-sided stitches on this thin linen are not real pretty - and I don't care!!  I 'm  loving this new found attitude. 

How did the term frogging come to be?  Back in the old days, we just said we needed to rip it out.  Of all the reproductions that I've stitched, I can't remember one that didn't have a mis-stitch.  Is that a word?  I'm sure there are some that are perfect, and frankly I hope I never stitch them.   The young  girls whose names are on the those samplers, made some obvious miscalculations and we embrace - not change them.  Wonky borders, missing stitches, and my personal irritant - those few stitches extending from the outline of the design that make framing difficult.   We're stitching from a chart, but it's still our work that is the final product, and if we change the size, color of linen, or thread, it's our interpretation of the design.  Those changes and our errors personalize the piece.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Researching the history of needlework or samplers isn't important to me.  Someone stitched it.  I like it.  I'll stitch it.  I don't care where it originated, or if the stitcher was 8 or 40 years old.  I do get upset with some of the young snots that were obviously trying to show off with their design's complexity.  So here's a question for you schooled needleworkers....were these young women's more detailed samplers charted before stitching?  Or did they pick up a needle and wing it?  How do we know for sure?  Is this a stupid question because we all should know?  Are there any old papers found that show their designs were planned?  I thought the complex borders would require forethought but they don't if the top and one side are completed before the center.   Doing a large focal point in the center would just require a fold, or an extension of the border.  Maybe some did and some didn't, or just certain aspects were planned in advance.  Do I care?  No, not really.  I was just curious and wanted justification for having my own uncorrected errors.   I had this post planned about linen colors and got all my pictures ready and then I go off on a tangent about this.  Maybe tomorrow.

Working on Fanny

Not much to show.  But having anything to show is progress for me.  I haven't started any other projects yet but I'm taking your advice and digging through the linen drawer. 

I've been spending more time exercising instead of stitching because of those little pastel colored foil kisses.  Damn.  You would think getting up and down twenty times to get more would be enough movement but it's not.  Trying to stop eating chocolate is like trying to get the pink off a pig. 

I received my gift from Beth..... Christmas note cards!

Something looked familiar in the photo - one of my favorite samplers!

 Thank you again Beth!  She has a video of the puppies (who are a little mouthy to say the least) which brought back memories of picking out our labs. 

Thank you all for your encouragement, it is certainly making a big difference.  So is the chocolate but in a completely different way.