The crash of 2011

Hello everyone.  I visited a blog Friday night and all hell broke loose!  My laptop, which was mailed back to HP within months because it failed, and then lost its battery after only 9 months, threw a hissy fit and died that night.  I'm deciding what to do - repair or replace - and using my dinosaur until then.  This one is preventing me from opening most of your blogs, and when it does it takes forever!  The monitor is so different in color than the dead one.  My blog looks a soft beige but the dinosaur's view looks caramel.  Caramello bars.  OMG.  I made a caramel cream pie once and then threw the recipe away to prevent future piggishness.   Spellcheck didn't flag that so it must be a real word.  I finished Stacy but can't load any photos.  True to form, even the last stitches had to be ripped and re-stitched!  The 18 in 1820 ended up four stitches lower than the 20 and it was obvious.  I counted over from the berry instead of the vase, so obviously the stupid berry is off too!  Thank goodness it's over, but now the computer is causing me grief.  Hopefully I will find a fixer (Staples is too pricey), reinstall myself (fun to do but I will lose everything I didn't back up), or throw it out the window since it wouldn't burn well (put your money on this option).   I can see from my reader that there are a lot of new posts so I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do.  Hope to show you my Stacy bag soon.

Almost done!

Hello everyone.   I guess Blogger had a few hiccups lately!  I was unable to leave comments on several blogs and for a while, I was taking it personally.   But then I realized I couldn't even log into my own so I settled down and had a piece of chocolate.  Chocolate, I may add, that I purchased specifically to include as a little treat with my giveaways.  You are SOL.  


My sampler sewing bag, which has been a real test of my newly found patience, continued to aggravate the heck out of me and I am so proud of myself that I stuck with it.   I never thought that one stitch....maybe two....in a design as open as this, would create such a problem!   So after redoing the pear 3 times, don't ask me how, but there was still an error of a missing stitch in width which should have made the pattern move to the left.  I lined up the re-stitched pear to the alphabet as shown on the chart and adjusted the vines on the left.  So after stitching the second pear and the vines, I found that the alphabet "T" didn't fit.  I had to move it over because it was in the flower.  After adjusting the remaining letters, I checked again and found that the left 3X pear was still short in width.  But why it's still to the right and also one stitch higher - don't know - don't care.  The vase will be stitched wherever the hell I put it.  So there.  And it will be done!  Using the persimmon linen for the bag as suggested and planned, is looking less likely the more I complete.  Then I remembered I have some wool fabric for a blazer that may work but it was a little too ????? so I stained it, and here it is.  Once again, it looks much better than the colors in the photo.

 It smelled like burnt coffee so I had to decide which of these to spray. 

I love this stuff.  I use it on towels to freshen the bath and upholstery throughout the house and it did kill the coffee smell. 

I think the worst is over and the vase should be free of errors since nothing needs to line up with it.  Can't wait to start sewing the bag together.   

On another note, my Orioles are gone and I don't know why.  But I heard that familiar squeaking sound so I got out the feeder and there she was.  Hummers are back.  I found a system that works for me to keep ants off which is a real problem here. 

I use a thick line of E6000 glue to attach a spray paint can lid to a plastic plate after drawing the placement.  Then I glue the bottom of the feeder to the top of the lid and let it all set for at least a day.  I cut a few holes in the edge of the plate for rain water to run out, but the syrup dripping out lands on the plate, not the ground, and I've not had any ants since.

I've had to re-glue the other feeder but even when I clean them every few weeks with full strength Clorox, the glue still holds.  The Clorox takes all that black stuff away that develops. 

So that's it.  Next post will be the finish!  I want to thank all of you for reading, visiting my blog, leaving comments, sending emails, and helping me with your suggestions.  I'm new to the Blogasphere and still learning etiquette, if there is any.  I used to visit all the queens of thread blogs and never leave comments, feeling a little like an outsider.  Then I thought if I commented too often, I would be a pest.  I was wrong.  If bloggers didn't want to share, they wouldn't have a blog.  One of the queens helped me realize this and I want to thank her for that.  So unless the hot flash juice is dripping on to the keyboard and I'm concerned about electrocution, I'll be bugging more of you. 

The Biblical Wreath

Hello everyone.  Many years ago I purchased two prints of the Biblical Wreath, framed one for my sister, and misplaced mine.  I found it.  Unfortunately, my toy Singer was not with it.  Anyway, this is one of the softest, most beautiful prints, and everyone that enters my sister's home comments on it and asks where to buy one.   It lists the  Biblical reference for each plant in the wreath.  They were the last two available and since then, we've had no luck locating the wreath, in fact, our local shops have never heard of it. 

The website is HERE and another photo of its full size  is HERE.   The entire print is 18" x 24" and here are a few close ups..

It's shipped in a mailing tube for $20 and you can frame it any way you'd like.  Now that I've found the site, my sister will be giving these as gifts I'm sure.  There is also a framed full color canvas available which is so beautiful, but I like the sepia toned print.   Certainly not a sampler or anything stitching related, but I think it is interesting and thought you may too.

Third time is no charm

Hope everyone had a beautiful Mom's day.  We've had sunshine for a few days now with warmer temperatures and it's such a treat!  But this project is NOT.  I love it, I have done it no harm, and I'm setting it aside till this evening.  I ended up having to rip out the whole pear.  First, the top half only, then restitched, then removed the bottom half, restitched, then ripped out the entire pear and started over.  I would have let it go except for the fact that it was four stitches to the right of the design. ????  The basket and other pear would never have lined up.  I knew where I missed one in the stem, but it should have brought the pear to the left.  I went over this chart time and again, couldn't find it.    Since it was so far off, I had no choice, and I surprised myself once again by not tossing it.    In the process, I realized a lot of my counting errors were stitching errors.  The top part of the stitch was over two, but the bottoms, were over three.  The row beneath, I would just follow the upper stitches and unknowingly continue the error.   So instead of making good progress this weekend, I instead have a real neck problem!  Here's where I am now, with the two darners I found at the antique store..

I was trying to decide if I should order the matka as recommended for finishing this pocket, or use some of my LWAC (linen without a chart).  So here's Scarlet Letter's ????.  It was purchased over 20 years ago and it's hand dyed..... persimmon?

And this is just as old - SL's hand dyed saffron...

The saffron is darker than this photo and looks great, but I think I would prefer something in browns. Too soon to tell - need more of the design completed, especially the reds.  The persimmon is almost exactly the 918 but I don't know if it will be too strong.  None of my pictures show true colors and I have to play with them to get them close which neither of these are, so I bought a new camera.  A little Canon something or other that's still in the box.  The salesman told me it is the best for close ups, but I also want to zoom in on the Orioles and other bright birds in my yard.  The way the pears were going, I didn't think it was a good idea to break out a new camera and try to understand the instructions when I couldn't even count a few x's correctly.  I came across the amber linen when I pulled SL's out and I really don't like it, as I've already said several times.  When I don't like something, it's like I have to beat it to death, just can't let it go.  I don't like amber linen.   It just happened that I steamed and smashed this little pillow from my SIL yesterday, and wished I knew the linen color since I like it.  I checked my stash - it's amber.  I guess doing a 180  has become a habit.

 NEVER would have thought it could look this good when stitched!  So I guess you can't judge a linen by its color, until you see it in a finished piece.  Matches the little bear I stitched many years ago, and will never do again.  Isn't he sweet?  Look at that face!

I'm going to take 3 Advil now and when they kick in, go outside and plant my new tree.  In my yard, with 2 types of clay soil, I either dig a hole and it fills up with water, or I need a spud bar and pick to get through the dirt.  This area, spud bar and pick.  I usually do chores that aggravate my neck when it's already aggravated.  Why suffer twice?  Hope you're all having sunshine!

I'm getting the MO in my MOJO

Hello people.  I'm a little more excited on this project than I was on the last, and quite a bit more than the two prior.  Does that mean I've got MO and am closing in on MOJO??  I think so, but believe me I'm making SO many errors.  I've never had this much trouble with counting threads - don't know if  I'm rusty - or because it's not my usual 28/30.  It's only 32, but my goodness!  I can't tell you how many times I redid a circle in the border.  The other errors on the stems I redid only if I caught them early.  I had to rip all the flower designs because the symbols (to me) were so close that I didn't notice one was an H and one was an X.  Obviously, I'm still not paying enough attention to the chart. 

Then I started the pear and found out I'm off on that too.  How did I end up with a wider pear?  The right side edge is where it cuts off to page 2, but it's only one-two stitches.  Well, that's what I'm off but I counted!!  Honest I did.  So whatever....I have a wide pear.  Matches my.....              So here's my progress....

I wasted time thinking the color 829 for the leaves and stems was not enough green for me, so I played around until I found a substitute..

 

But after all that, I starting seeing that once stitched, it showed differently.  Glad I wasted all that time once again.   Surprisingly, I didn't even think about throwing this out the window (the path my tree rocket took at Christmas during a nasty light string incident), deliberately scorching it under a hot iron (a sewing project too ugly to describe), or setting it on fire (my personal favorite).  I'm enjoying it!!!   Even with the frustration of the errors.  I might even finish this weekend!  
The sun is out - two days now.   The sargeant crab trees we planted last fall made it through winter and will be blooming in a day or two. 

I now have two sets of Baltimore Orioles, and a sad note.  These little eggs had their mother robin ripped right off the nest by a hawk. 

And to all you loving and caring moms out there, I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day.    To the others I've seen in the office or in public mistreating and talking trash to their babes, I hope one day to meet you in a dark alley. 

Edited to add - Just found out about a giveaway on Hamilton House blog.  Some of these giveaways are so loaded with goodies, I think mine will be wimpy!  Better amp it up.

Welcome back Stacy

Hi everyone.   My Pears & Strawberries Sewing Bag is back!  I don't know if it has ever happened to you, but I looked in all my stitching boxes several times, for several days.  I found her in the box of silks and overdyed - not a lot in the box - easy to see since there are no layers of supplies - I even went through those silks for the Pears Two - SHE WASN'T THERE.  She couldn't have been.  How could you miss a chart in a bag amidst little skeins????  There is no one here except for hub, and he knows what happens if he touches my stuff so I know it wasn't him.  In fact, he doesn't even set foot in the tiny parlor where my charts and supplies reside.  The closest he comes is shutting the door of an upstairs bedroom, considered my craft room, when he can't take seeing the growing clutter. 

I decided to start the Nash since I removed all the stitching from Pears Two and counted those eye-crossing threads - it is 35/36 count.  My eyes seem to do this sideways dance for a second whenever I'm counting and it always happens right before I mark the thread.  I had planned on doing the Nash design before the Pear and before she disappears again, I opened and read the chart.  I didn't know this was inside...

Isn't that sweet?  What surprised me is the size of this project.  I thought this was going to be about 6" or so and it's much larger than that, over 9" wide for the design area, and I'm a little disappointed.   My perception must be way off or those little scissors aren't as little as I think they are.  Doesn't this look like a small bag in the photos?  Maybe she used 36 count originally which is why she states one strand of floss.  I am using the 32 count recommended which is one of the few pieces actually marked in my stash.  Although the linen count is correct, I'm not using one strand of floss as suggested.  I didn't like the coverage and one of the colors is too close to my linen to show up, so I redid all of that.  Between the Pear and this, I've done more removing than adding.  I've been making a lot of errors on the top border circles - can't seem to get that pattern memorized, but at least the errors are caught right away.  I can't wait to get to the fruit.  I found the chenille trim on EBay after searching the web for suppliers, which aren't many.  I didn't see it offered on the online shops so I'm not sure if it's the same, but how many chenille trims can there be??  I think it's one of those small items that you find when you actually visit,  which is why not having a shop is sad.  All I see are charts, linens, and thread, oh my!  I received the colors I ordered quickly, they are reasonable, and she was very nice so I'm happy.  Well, I was then.  So here's my progress...

I'm still going to give PearsTwo a try on the 35/36 with one strand, so I may be working on two projects at a time - a first for me.  I have quite a few CBU's (completed but unfinished) to sew into something including the little Blackbird design I recently finished.  I was thinking of doing a roll and offering it as a giveaway but it depends on how many flashes I have during finishing.  That's a huge factor in quality of workmanship, let alone a possible demise.  Haven't decided about Fanny - frame or not.  I saw a frame that made my skirt fly up on the Queen's webshots.  You know who I'm talking about -  SamplerFarmer!  Check out this frame on one of her latest entries.  Never saw a frame like that and my local doesn't have it.  She posted Jenny Bean, Mrs. Pearson, E. Traill, and Two Horses recently.  Hail Queen! 

 It's 9am right now and the rain is just pounding my house and this is how dark it is....We saw the sun two days in four weeks and the rain is relentless.  I need boots to walk this yard swamp just to feed my birds.  Oh wait - look what came to visit yesterday - bad picture I know - an Indigo Bunting!   He's in the top left.

I had the orange Baltimore Oriole, my red Cardinals, bright yellow Goldfinch, this bright blue Bunting, and my usual  Grosbeaks (my personal favorite).  Our black oil sunflower seed went from $16.99 for 50# to $26.99 in one shipment, and the next will be $29.99 we were told.  The Grosbeaks (the guy on the right) are tearing into suet cages so hopefully that won't be rising too.

I hope you all have been safe and not affected by the ravaging storms. We had the May 1985 F5 tornado pass right below our home, and take our best friend while he saved two children.  Pictures on the screens don't come close to experiencing in person the shock and disbelief of the devastation that can occur in a matter of minutes.  Hopefully, better weather is on the way.  After the long white winter, we're having a dark wet spring!  As long as our loved ones are safe, I guess the weather really doesn't matter.  Puts things in perspective doesn't it?