Freedom

Happy Saturday.  It's almost over so have a happy Sunday. 

First off, Kellie from Indiana (no blog) will be receiving the charts.   If you'll notice, the first one opened says "Splenda".  I jotted it down as a reminder and must have thought it looked like a name.  Kellie, email me with your address and I'll get them in the mail to you Monday.  Thank you to all who participated!

Now for the glass debate.  I feel defiant!  Reckless!  Like a bra burner!  But I really like the way it looks.   .....   No.  Not without the bra, without the glass.  I took a few shots to show you how the experiment is going.  Of course you all know the difference in the appearance, but I wanted you to see how hidden my pieces were in my setting.

This is how I see them and if you look closely, you'll see that the glass is off one.  Here we go with it removed from this grouping.  I can't believe how the white goose stands out!  As I look at the wall now at dusk with lighting, fabulous.

 Now for two different samplers before and after.  Nice!  I never liked the frame on the bottom one and may change it to a small pillow.   My sister in law stitched it for me and had her framer pick the frame and mount it.  Not a good choice at all.

Now take a look at the inside of this one.

No back board and the metal clips right up against the linen.  Here's another of mine from the same folks.

Again no back board.  The taped piece was 25 years ago, and the one without the tape is newer and after the class action lawsuit was brought to them from a customer that found out they taped his work.  He contacted as many stitchers as possible to bring the lawsuit (I wasn't notified) and the judgment was to reframe and remount all the taped pieces.  Now the really bad one. 

This was taped, mounted on double boards, styrofoam back board, and shot with staples THROUGH my work.  The linen thread is broken in quite a few places and this was framed right to the border.  So I guess unless you know your framer well and trust them, you don't know what you'll find when you open the back.  I may work on the larger pieces in the dining room tomorrow but I need to finalize the kitchen (yes, the damn kitchen) drawings. I have the small wall on paper but I'm still having a hard time.  Moving the doorway is the sticking point in this tiny kitchen that you would think could only be laid out a few ways but NOOOooooo.  I had to come up with seven different layouts.   

I'll leave you with a picture of Bud, Nitwit's father.  I put a few boxes outside to see if they would get in and he picked the smallest.  He's in there all day, every day.  Unless Missy gets in first, then he pouts in the bigger box. 

Enjoy your weekend.  Stay safe.  Thank you for visiting.  I may have a surprise for you this coming week!

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A sweet surprise

Hello all.  I received a package in the mail from a reader wanting to help me remove my errors without using duct tape!  She sent this darling little two pocket pouch with these perfect little tweezers, and this fabulous laying tool.   It's so smooth that I kept holding it and rubbing it like a worry stone!  Remember those?

Without a local shop, as many of us, I never saw these tools and she was gracious enough to write a little note with beautiful handwriting (yes!) about these tools being so helpful.  Thank you again Carole!  We meet some wonderful people blogging, don't we?   

I finally came up with some relief for my wrist.  See this swollen bump?  This entire side is killing me and radiates up the arm.  The brace they keep giving me immobilizes the thumb which is not helping one bit.  I need to stabilize the opposite side.  Long story short, I did my own thing and turned the brace around.  It worked.  I can't move the wrist to the left and that stopped the pain.  My thumb is now free and can bend to hold a piece of linen, and although wearing it backwards is not comfortable at all, it certainly helps.

  Now for another decision that I'm pondering.  Glass?  No glass?  My latest frame will come in with museum glass but after seeing another display of the product, it will still reflect my windows.  I had a talk with the local framer and we discussed the glass debate.  Many of her customers frame without, and the majority of the antique pieces she got in, never had glass.

 

I'm tired of seeing the curtains and windows instead of the samplers.  (And that old chandelier I need to sell.) That's Fanny taped over the reflection as a little test.  Then I removed the glass from a framed piece and really liked it.  Such a different mood and look!  Texture, no reflections, clarity.  I'm thinking.... what the heck?  I'll keep the glass, marking and wrapping each individually, and have the option of returning it to the frame if I change my mind.   I have many pieces that are cupboard tucks, little pillows, sewing bags, box lids.....I wasn't worried about them, and they would certainly get more dust than a vertical piece.  I can't picture Margaret's or Glenna's samplers without glass, and after all these years, I'm a little uncomfortable thinking that mine will look unfinished.  But I'll try it.  The framer recommends the canned air dusters be used every couple months and no direct sun, which wouldn't be a problem.  She also told me that the film collecting on the inside of the glass is actually off-gases from the styrofoam, certain mats, types of threads, even the unsealed wood edges. 

 I asked her for a discontinued frame sample that I could use to check my mounting margins.  Wasn't that a long overdue good idea?  What a great help this will be.  Next visit I will ask for a straight piece she has no use for to help with long edges.

One more thing.  I happened to notice my followers have reached 400.  May not stay at that number because I lose a few every once in a while.  But thank you.  Really.  Thank you!   I have a lot of decisions to make this weekend.  One of them will be whether I should have another thank you offer.  Of what?  Hmmm.

I'll be back tomorrow after drawing a name for the charts.  I see that some of you are interested in one design but I originally stated that they are one offer so I'm sorry I can't separate them.

Thank you to all followers, new and old, and for everyone taking the time to visit.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate your interest.

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A few Santa charts for you

Hi everyone.  Since I can't stitch right now, I thought I would go through charts to find a few projects to kit.  I came across some older Christmas designs that I know I will never stitch and wondered if someone would be interested.  Leave your name on this post and if more than one are interested, I will draw a name this Saturday. 

 All five are one offer.

Merry Old Santa

Leisure Arts

Debbie Mumm

Country Noel

Susan Fouts
Homespun Holiday
Perforated paper or fabric

  Heartstrings

The Jolly Company



Homespun Sampler

Angels Among Us

Perforated paper and fabric

That's all for now!

Leave your name if you're interested and have a great week.

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Lydia's finale and Wool

Hiya.  How is everyone enjoying the weekend?  I'm freezing and needless to say, not happy.  I'm slowly organizing and trying to get finished pieces in permanent places.  My husband still thinks Fanny Erb should be on the basket, but I have her mounted and ready to go.  France F (in the header photo) will not be moved, but Lucy will definitely be framed,  Fanny is now up in the air.  Maybe if I hemstitch her edges or line her it would change my mind. 

The pouch finish I had for Lydia just wasn't coming to me and fabric is difficult to find for DMC color 3021, so she ended up as a small pillow and I'm OK with that.  Easy to move her around.

Just in case I decide to frame her later, I didn't trim the linen, and with its heft, didn't need interfacing.  Whenever I do this, I use Craft Fleece (not batting) like this.

To compensate for the excess seam allowance bulk, I lay a piece of this against the back of the stitched piece, and fold the fabric over it.  It just helps a little with concealing.  Before I do this, I press the excess to the center and fold the corners over one another.  Once turned, I stick my hand in and make sure the folds are flat.

To prevent the batting from grabbing on to the fleece and moving it when inserting, I lay a sheet of paper over it, slide the batting in, and then pull the paper out.  Once again, showing you things you already know.  And yes,  I glued her shut!  I'm loving this glue method.  I don't know if other fabric glues are as easy to use as Liquid Stitch, but it's very tacky and doesn't take but 30 seconds of holding for it to grab, yet you can pull open and adjust for several minutes.  Only a tiny line is needed and I sometimes use an artist brush or Q-tip.  Now for Wool. 

I finally found the misplaced chart, stitched, and sewed.  This linen is also very stiff and no interfacing was needed.  Tough color to match so I used a black with brown print.  The ivory threads were Medici wool, and I changed the stars on the right to 642 and a gold that I dyed.  Just wanted a little color and saw gold as a good choice. 

I plan on doing the companion chart but haven't decided which linen, and whether I will use the black or gray Medici instead of floss.

 

When I trim a seam allowance and clip the corners, I always add Fray Check to the inside as a precaution.  I've made too many mistakes when sewing and don't want to worry about a corner raveling if I need to remove machine stitches. 

I used the thickest batting, which I always bevel cut so it doesn't bunch, and those excess cuttings are stuffed into corners.  I sometimes add a much smaller piece to the back, which pulls up the backing fabric so I don't have it showing at the seam.  Doesn't always work on softer pieces but this baby is stiff. 

I haven't been reading too many blogs recently, and need to apologize for not replying to comments.  Something happened to my left wrist a week ago and my store bought brace with Advil, isn't helping.  It's getting worse and typing is very painful, as is holding a piece of fabric to stitch.  To be honest, anything I do is painful!  I'm starting to get shooting pains even when it's stationary so I need to lay off everything for a week and use the bigger brace - another reason I tried to get these projects done now.  Doc appointment isn't for a week.  Maybe this down time will help me make a decision on the kitchen which is narrowed down to two choices.  I prefer one for layout, but am not happy with the doorway having to be in a bad position in the adjoining room.  So anyway, I'll be back next weekend or maybe sooner.  Have a great week - stay safe - thank you so much for visiting with me!

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A light of a different color

Greetings! 

I was at Hobby Lobby picking out a frame (again) and decided on a very wide pumpkin color with black veining for Eunice.  Quite a departure from the black profile I had planned.  I fell in love with it and hope it will look spectacular.  I really like the wider frames with small pieces but Eunice isn't that small so we'll have to wait and see.  Unfortunately, they order frames on Tuesday and the delivery is Friday afternoon so I won't see it until the 28th.  Fanny and Lucy will be framed locally because their selection is not stellar and I couldn't find a wood tone that made me dance.  I checked into the museum glass since all my samplers reflect curtains, windows, and anything else BUT the stitching.  It looked great, until I looked sideways.  I saw the ceiling lights and the paper on the counter reflecting.  Straight ahead - beautiful!  Side, not much different than the regular and that is the angle of the sampler wall.  I can change that order and may since it's a smaller sampler, just to try it out.  If it works, (doubtful on that wall), I may change my old pieces, one by one.  You can use their 40% coupon on the museum glass.  But here's what shocked me.  Lucy came along for the ride (unmounted after her dryer incident) and as she lay on the counter, I couldn't believe what I saw.  I don't know if the photos will show it, since it isn't as noticeable in my home, but take a look at this.

Under their lighting, I noticed areas of the gold thread that were actually VERY green.    I tried to replicate the lighting at home but I'm not getting the shade as definitive as I saw it.  The DMC #420 skeins in my floss bag were both started, looked exactly the same, and I obviously was just pulling as I went.  Not a noticeable difference by eye, but certainly by light source.  Many areas started as gold and finished a greenish gold.  The framer noticed it right away.  You can see the initial M is green and the F beneath it gold.  I'm not changing anything within the body of the sampler but will certainly change the border.  You can see the left photo in natural light is perfectly fine!!  But under certain lights, huge difference!  Mark said since it looks the same in our home, leave it alone.  But who knows what kind of light bulb we will be forced to use in the future.  All fluorescent?  LED?  Halogen?  I'm not taking the chance, and if Lucy didn't tag along, I would never have known.  Lesson learned.  I have so many floss skeins started and some bags have 10 skeins in them, usually purchased at the same time, but this little episode will change that.  Here's two more.  You can see the MH is more greenish than the FH beneath it under flourescent, but not on the left.  Still doesn't show as prominently and from my testing, I think it's the fluorescent that changed it.   Halogen did not.

I'm anxious to get back to Pumroy and didn't think I showed you the Pearl Gray dip difference.  I used 1/8 tsp. in a cup of hot water and added a few crystals more as I went along.  Better to start with less and keep it dipped longer.  The very bright yellow turned a greenish shade so I will sub that one.  Still not sure which will work, be dipped again, or subbed.

Here's a photo of them on white background next to the original color.

I wasn't happy with the 1871 pin pillow - just too nice and neat.  So I spilled coffee on it, dabbed it with the wet grounds, scrunched it in my hand to wrinkle, and GG Patti - if you would like it - it's yours.    There I go again.  Giving you a stomach ache hearing this?   Yes I'm a little rough with some things but that's my style!  I have two tables from my mom (Italian provincial I think) with marble inlays and I can't handle it!!  Give me a beat up piece of old wood.

Thank you for your concern over my gums and pain.  Handling it just fine!  Summer ending hurts a lot more.  About the heart box and tray - heart weighs 2# and tray is almost 4# from zip code 16159.  If you're interested in purchasing, just go to USPS to get an idea of the rate for the package weight to your location.

That about wraps up this episode of what the hell is she doing now.  Sorry I made some of you cringe at Lucy in the dryer.  Have a wonderful and safe weekend!

Thank you for taking the time to visit and I'll talk to you soon. 

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A failed challenge

Hiya.  Thanks to everyone who has been so thoughtful to help me with the threads.  I've learned a lot and I appreciate your help!   I have another little finish to show.  Little.  Did you all see Lori's Notforgotten Farm's freebie challenge?  You can find it here.  As soon as I saw the design, I pictured it stitched on a tan linen and applied to (or bound) by a black/tan check homespun.  The finished piece would be sewn or safety pinned to a black t-shirt or sweatshirt.  I failed. 

I got through the 18 and thought - I don't have a black top (from years of yellow Labradors).  So I just finished the date and made it into a little pinkeep.  You know the odd shade of DMC's 830's, kind of brown with olive.  I was surprised to find a fabric that coordinated well even though the photo doesn't show it.  I told my husband that this is the reason to continually buy fat quarters of every color.  When I go to the quilt shop I'm worse than a kid in a candy store.  When he asked if I really needed 100 fat quarters just for a 3" x 4" piece, I knew he still didn't understand.  I asked him why he needs four sectioned storage boxes with plastic worms of every color, 6 hook sizes, split shots, sinkers, bobbers, lures, Mister Twisters, bobber stops, floating jig heads, and the sparkly chartreuse and orange crazy thing that doesn't even look like a known species, just to go fishing for a few hours.  And do you really need a complete set of irons for golf?   Buy one iron, hit it softer for close shots and harder for distance.  Get an average degree and turn the club face to compensate for loft.  Or bend a little more contorting your shoulder downward.  There's no reason to have a choice, right?  One should be enough? 

I have Fanny and Eunice ready and waiting for the trip to the framer, but Lucy.....that Lucy.  The design area is around 20 x 21 and I was very close to finishing her mounting when I realized one side was stretched too much (from stitching) and if I stretched the mount, it wouldn't leave enough to clear the rabbet.  There was just too much fabric and the other side was perfect.  So I took her apart, spritzed lightly with water, and threw her in the dryer.  I'll bet this makes some of you squeamish along with gluing seams shut!  I knew from all the dyeing I did that she would return to square or even shrink a little.  She did.  Both.  So I need to start over.  Joy has been helping me with tips and I found a YouTube video that instructs on lacing your needlework.  Lucy is way too big, I need to start with a smaller project.  If anyone is interested in watching this lacing method, the video is here.

The name drawn for Stella's chart was stitchinPeanut.  I visited her blog Peanut's Place for the first time and like it!

That's all folks.  Sucking down the Advil after periodontal surgery on one side and an extraction of the last molar.  Not as bad as I expected!   I just caught a glimpse of something - my deer is wanting her bread so she is looking in the side window!!  She must really be hungry!!   I have the heart box and tray packed and weighed and I will post the weights next time so you can figure the postage in case you are contemplating purchasing one.

Thanks for visiting - stay safe - talk to you soon.

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