Mary Mary, quite contrary

Greetings everyone.  Thanks for all your comments on the knotting issue.  We've discussed glass or no glass, knot or no knot, and there is one topic that I'm almost embarrassed to bring up.  So I won't.  Not this post.  But soon.  I worked on Mary yesterday and as I sat outside to stitch today.....uh-oh.  Mary was going along quite well, but no longer!  First off, the 612 was too light so I changed to 611, the ecru wasn't showing up either so I chose a gold, and 3790 isn't visible either.  The latter is only one border and a few stitches at the bottom so I'm just substituting a current color.  I don't mind samplers that change color every two letters, but am not fond of every other letter such as this.  I don't know why but it's like static to me.  

So I just went ahead and did the lower case letters in one color, which kind of pertains to the topic I want to confess....later.  This is where I was to begin today.  Here's my major error on the line containing Mary Oldfield. 

Looking at the chart, you'll see the symbols are on the line instead of in the square, which started with the "a" in Mary at the beginning of that line.  I assumed this meant that instead of being two lines over, it was one.  Well that's only partially correct.  Each individual letter needs to be positioned separately, and I just moved the first and continued on, thinking the entire line would be one thread over since it started that way.   Dummy me thought the letter in the square just happened to line up correctly, and the letters on the line fell on the offset.   I am off by seven stitches now.

So here's my option.....remove that line and start over, or leave out the crown and just stitch "her" and the cross design.  Obviously I should remove the line and probably will.  But alter ego stitcher considered the lazy way out.  Looks like my new tweezers from Carole will get a workout tonight.  Thank you again Carole!

A sure sign of fall is my doe with her new dark coat coming in for winter, and the spots almost completely gone from her twins.  You can see the color difference.  Her beautiful reddish coat is now drab.

They ignored what was happening a few feet away.

BOX

BOXING MATCH

Carried into the yard with a few good flips, and finally roughhousing was over.

Hope your week is going well.  With these house projects finally getting lined up, I've been pretty busy with ..... changes.... and getting materials, so I haven't been reading and commenting as much as I'd like.   Pretty soon it will be leaf blowing time.  I LOVE my Little Wonder blower.  But hate fall.  So until next time, thank you so much for visiting ~ hello and welcome to new followers!

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In case you're interested

Hiya.  Just a quick post to mention a very interesting site.  It is Antique Pattern Library and has an amazing number of books and patterns from as far back as 1800.  First, you have to download the latest version of Adobe reader which I thought I had but nothing worked.  Once I upgraded, I had no problem.  The first time I clicked on the PDF button for viewing, I had to allow Adobe to read the files which led me to the product's usage agreement, and then viewing commenced.  If you already have Adobe (your PDF reader) in the 10. version you'll be OK.  So.  When you go to the site, click on "catalog" at the top.  Any booklet that you would like to view, just click the PDF button and their site's disclaimer will appear, scroll down to view by page.  Hover on the bottom and the bar will allow you to save the entire book to your computer, print, or print certain pages.

 You will find tassels, filet, knitting, Battenburg, tatting, maltese, thread crochet, Berlin work, naval knotting, lace making, cross stitching, embroidery, quilt patterns, beading, things I never heard of, and on and on. 

 

There is a brief description of each with the name of the person who scanned their antiques to share with others.  Very interesting and some gorgeous bags, shawls, sweaters, and lace. Several books on cross stitch with borders, florals, and
ethnic designs.

Instructions are in most booklets and those old time photos with proper ladies.  When done viewing just hit your back arrow and it will take you right back to the site. 

So if you are interested in browsing through these antique patterns and being amazed at the detailed needlework our ancestors learned, expect to spend quite a bit of time.  I was thinking of printing some of the pages for framing in my sewing room but it will take forever to decide which!  It's been a while since I bookmarked the site and still haven't viewed them all.

On another topic, I ran into a girl (lady, woman, whatever) that I worked with many years ago and we yakked while our frozen desserts melted in our shopping carts.  It ended with her asking me if MaryAnn was still around, and I answered that I hadn't seen her name in the obituaries so yes, she is.  Genny cracked up and said "I meant is she still living in town!".  A younger person would have know that, but as we age, we think differently.  "Still around" to me means you're still alive!! 

THE SENILITY PRAYER:

Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked,

the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

I don't want to brag or make anyone jealous or anything, but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school. 

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I've been busy stitching new designs for labels, but I'm not finding box sets to my satisfaction.  They aren't true ovals and some are really wonky.  I told the manager months ago but it seems the factory overseas has changed their quality control.  I can't find the boxes anywhere else and would certainly not trust ordering online.  I'm still trying and will hopefully be successful!  Today I'll work on Mary again during the dust storm my guy will be making.  I'm so glad to have found him.  He has a square and knows how to use it!  He told me I was the only woman that asked to see his square and checked his level. 

Back in a few days!  Hope you week is starting off great.

Thanks for visiting!

I made a decision for your gift!

Hi everyone.  Hope this post finds you well and safe!  I don't have a lot of time to post about stitching, or even to stitch!  My contractor showed up today and I am glad to get started on these unfinished projects.  The scanner and printer are under a sheet in a pile of stuff so I am limited in what I can accomplish. 

But short and sweet - here's your gift....offer.....giveaway.  Finishing has been mentioned lately so I thought some supplies might be a good idea.  First off, an oval box with my sampler bag design as a label (it got a little too much flame with my limited movement so I may do another).    Inside the little box, you will find 3 fat 1/8's of backing fabric.  One is orange with pumpkins, another is brown with holly, and the third is mustard with moon & stars.

  

To finish it off, a new bottle of my favorite fabric glue, Liquid Stitch, a temporary fabric glue stick to hold trims and edges while stitching, and of course, Fray Check.

So the total offer is for the little fabric pieces, finishing helpers, and the box. 

 Leave a comment on this post only. 

I will draw a name on the 15th, next Saturday, at 8 pm.  Enjoy your weekend.  Thank you for visiting and talk to you soon!

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A knotty girl

Yes I am!  Hi everyone.  I admit it.  Much to the dismay of my sister in law who was an exceptional needleworker.  But it's all out in the open now.  I don't know why cross stitch instructions are so adamant about knot having knots.  Am I the only one or do you slip a few here and there?  Because I don't use a high count linen, my thread is always doubled. 

 When ending the thread, I pick up and go through one thread from the last stitch, then again to knot, then run along the back of adjacent stitches.  It secures that last stitch from becoming a little loose from lack of tension, and allows me to cut the tails closer. 

 Am I making you queasy again?  I can't see what the big deal about knot knotting is.  It doesn't make a bump on the other side, and when doing a small motif of several colors, you end up with a much thicker area when thread after thread is ended under stitches. 

So there you have it. 

Another non-traditional, reckless, wild, and defiant act.  I'm such a rebel.

I've been working on Mary and changed a few colors, mainly because I don't like thread so light it blends with the fabric.  I choose 931 instead of 161 and decided to tone it down a bit with the Pearl Gray dye.  It's just enough. 

 And didn't I just post about not keeping several skeins of the same color together?    Totally forgot and when pulling another thread, I noticed this difference in the same color.  It's not a big deal but it can be in some designs so I really need to pay attention.   

I also started my sampler bag free chart on a lighter fabric using these same colors.  Looking at the two together, I can see what I thought would be a subtle difference in 28 and 32 count.  I was wrong.  Much nicer on the 32. 

I dyed a few pieces of off white linen and got three different results.  Originally, they looked exactly the same ivory, but in the dye bath, one came out tan, one beige, and one a pinkish shade.

Today we went to Volant.  I had a signed print from a local artist of The Tavern in New Wilmington, a charming eatery that has been there for decades.  I never had it framed and decided to offer it after reading an article about the landmark.   In return, I got a dozen of their sticky buns.  Guess how many are left?

We also stopped at the antique store and I purchased this nasty wall cabinet.  It's bad isn't it?   24" x 34" of nasty.

 Made from old crates with hinges I've never seen before.  Wasn't too much money so Mark told me to buy it because we weren't going back tomorrow.  He knew if I didn't buy it, I would want it, and if I bought it, I would be sorry.  That's me.  But I can work with it - a long skinny basket from Ann  on top and a skimpy vine wreath on the door.  Ann framed her Lydia Broome and guess what?  Before seeing hers I had already disassembled my Lydia pillow and mounted it for framing.  Now I'm glad I did and will be ordering a frame from Ebay.

I'm still having a small offer for 400 followers and 200 posts but not sure what it will be yet.  And this has nothing to do with anything, but did you know that women's pants can be ordered by inseam length from Land's End?  Their clothes are good quality, and they have closeout and special deals.  Excellent customer service.

That's it.  There was more but I can't remember, so until I do, thank you for visiting!  Hope you all had a great weekend. 

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The stitchin' swing

Hi to everyone on a sad day for me.  Summer's over.  September starts the fall season for me even if the temps are still high, which they are today.  I'm taking advantage of the warmth, and my swings.  There's something about that slow steady movement that calms the nerves and relieves the stress.  It does it for babies, and carries through to elderly folks.  My mom and dad always had a backyard swing, the first being held by a stand made from shiny black pipes.  The last was a wooden stand with that same black swing, now hanging in my garage.  It calmed mom and put dad to sleep.  They would bundle up even when it was cold and enjoy the soothing motion.  I've found that it does the same for me. 

The single swing we had built for mom when she lived here, is purposely high enough for my feet to swing free.  It starts with a slow but deliberate motion and as the stress melts away, I swing as high as the kids on playgrounds. Really high.  It's so much fun, and I always end in a upbeat mood.  When I'm not reaching for the sky, I stitch here.

I have hanging hooks that I use to hold necessities, and the handle installed for mom to lift herself off the swing will always be in place to hang my scissors.  The big swing is another stitching spot and offers more room, but my favorite is mom's.  So today is when I realize there won't be many more stitching afternoons in my favorite spots. 

My wrist is getting no better and I believe there is a crack, a tendon/ligament tear, or something related that they missed.  I have a new very restrictive brace and holding the fabric is still painful. But I started a sampler that I came across by accident.  Mary Oldfield from SANQ #41.  You can see a finished example from Tempus Fugit here, the fabulous blog!  Mary happened to be in with the santa charts and since I can't hold too wide of a fabric, thought she would be a good choice to start.  And I did.  On three different linens, deciding on the medium shade, and also because the linen piece was narrower and easier to hold.  See that?  A decision!  But that's the only one. I would love to hire a decision maker, but so far haven't found that heading in the Yellow Pages. And when I do, I hope there's only one cause I don't want to be confronted with a hiring decision.  If you're wondering why it's every other letter, I haven't decided on the other floss shade I want to use for this linen color.  I have two other much smaller samplers lined up and may switch to them if I can't handle this amount of fabric.

 I'm going back outside to sit with Bud and stitch more.  I'll leave you with a photo of him in his favorite box.

 My doe is still coming for bread several times a day and her fawns are losing their spots.  She came one night about midnight and scared the heck out of me when I saw a figure moving outside the window!

I hope if any one of you or your loved ones are affected by the flooding, that you find relief and help quickly.  Thank you again for visiting with me, and welcome to new followers.  I hope there's enough to keep all of you interested, entertained, or inspired.  I gain inspiration and the most wonderful finishing ideas, help and instruction, information and new products, or just awesome photos from visiting yours.  And, of course, stash enabling.  So to all of you stitching bloggers, thank you.  Stay safe, enjoy the holiday weekend, talk to you soon.

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Eunice's frame and sticky pins

Hello!  My frame for Eunice came in on time.  I had the sampler here and took it to Hobby Lobby to have them assemble the work.  This is my first piece of Museum glass and the clarity is amazing!  But.  It has the same glare as the other glass at certain angles. 

I hung her where it is the worst to see if there would be any difference.  No. Worth almost 3x the cost of regular glass?  There is a huge difference in your work's appearance, but not in reflections so for me, no.  The cost for this glass in Lucy's frame would be $124.  Mark said for everything Lucy put me through, I should get it!  I'm not.

This 2" wide pumpkin colored frame was not first choice since I always go for a dark wood, but the more I thought about it ......  so I changed the order.  I question and doubt everything, wondering if it's another quirk of menopause or was I always like this.  I can't remember.  So for those of you interested in how they did, the frame is perfect.  As for mounting the work itself, I can't comment since I did my own.   Staples were used and he didn't shoot them into the linen.  I noticed a tiny piece of something on the light linen that should have been blown off and as soon as we got in the car, Mark said, "you're taking it apart aren't you", to which I replied with a look he clearly understands after 42 years.  Museum glass is very tricky and the interior side's coating can scratch, or leave fingerprints so I won't touch it.  The price for the  9" x 9 1/2" frame and Museum glass was $69 -   $45.90 frame, $4.50 for spacers, $3 for acid free back board, $15 for Museum glass with coupon or $5 for regular.  I also bought a large piece of acid free foam board with 40% off.  A similar frame for a smaller 5 x 7 piece at my local shop will be close to that.  I found several online framers that are reasonable and may take a chance ordering a few that way.      

I've read articles on using stainless steel pins for mounting and how the magnets we use to find dropped pins, do not work on stainless.  Well, looky here.    Every pin in this new box jumped on to the magnet, which is a strong one, but they also stuck to a fridge magnet.  Yes there is a magnetic stainless which I thought was only used in specific industrial applications.  My few older pins are not magnetic, neither are the ones in men's new dress shirt collars, and why would framers mention the lack of magnetic properties?   It states stainless on the package and  I wrote to them but haven't heard back. 

I'm sure you're all familiar with the greatest curtain catalog, Country Curtains, and when I received my latest issue I found sheers in a gingham check (which mom would have loved) and these Parisian Note panels and valances.  Neat!  Not for me, but neat!  They have the nicest selection and quality materials.

I mentioned that I should be offering a thank you gift for reaching 400 followers and haven't made a decision on that yet but will soon.  There's that word again - decision.  You have no idea how many days I've wasted on the $#%@ kitchen.  I need a pill!!!  That's it.  I can't believe it's Labor Day.  NOOO!!!!  I don't want summer to end but I can see the dying flowers and leaves cluttering the yard.  
Cool nights.  Darkness coming earlier each week.  Say it ain't so.

Thanks for visiting.  Enjoy the week - talk to you soon!

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