Pink Paisley!

Hi everyone.  Surgery was cancelled/postponed until after Thanksgiving.  Thank you for the well wishes.  Since Mark had already scheduled the day off and they postponed last minute, we decided to drive to the outlets and I stopped at the quilt shop in New Wilmington.  The pink linen I'm offering has been really difficult to match with a backing fabric since it's a warmer pink.  In the entire shop, we only found one line that matched and it's Martinique by Moda (3 sisters) in shell.   Other fabric patterns with the shell background in that line work, but I think the paisley is something different.  This fat quarter will be included with the offer.  

Isn't it gorgeous?  If you don't care for this, check the Martinique line for a good match if you require a backing.

  I found this photo on Pinterest

 and  it reaffirmed my desire for unframed pieces.  Here I go again making some of you queasy, but I like how the bottom one is hanging the best.  Yikes.  Yes I know this would distort the linen threads.  But as I said, linen is very strong and when I'm saying goodbye to this world,  I won't be thinking about how my pieces will survive.  I want to enjoy my work, not preserve it.  When I showed you the way I hang samplers on large baskets (the mylar strip inside a folded edge), same principle here.  If the sampler is to be hem stitched, I would sew twill tape inside the top hem. 

    I've tried the 3M mounting tapes and they stick to the wall, but not the linen.  I'm thinking - poking nails through the ends of twill tape.  At the linen's top edge, machine sew the top and bottom of the nail tape to the linen with a basting stitch and matching thread.   With careful measuring for placement, I think this would work great. The nail heads would be hidden, embedded in the tape, no holes or strain on the linen.  The matching machine thread would disappear so it won't matter if I have the piece fringed or hemmed to begin with.  And no marks on the front to interfere with framing later.  You know......just in case I change my mind.   I'm trying this!  I'll let you know how it works.

That's it.  I've been working on boxes and will have a few for sale in the near future.  I've been waiting for more to come in for weeks and ........ still waiting.  Today I am hopefully stitching without a brace most of the day while I sit here nursing a minor head cold.  I'm having fun with pear designs and worked up a few more that need to be stitched, too.  Hopefully I'll have progress to show next post.  Until then, enjoy this week of October, with its cold nights and cool days, dreary damp rainy days, brilliant colored leaves stuck in the mud, dead summer flowers, woodpeckers drilling your siding for a new home, and spiders as big as a VW trying to get into a warm house.  Did I happen to mention I miss summer?

Hello and welcome to new followers - hope you enjoy your visits.  And thank you all for spending your time with me.

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Something pink for you, and a rest for me!

Hi all.  It's October.   *#&*!  The month of pink.  In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, I am offering an 18 x 25 piece of a beautiful shade of pink linen (30 count?), matching jumbo rick rack called Sweet Peach that is discontinued, Wildflowers in Rosebud, Cherry Cordial, and 2 skeins of Parfait.  Rosebud doesn't appear to be a full skein.  If you would like to have this small offering of pinkness, please leave a comment stating so.

Thursday evening I received a call from my carpenter/construction wizard, saying he had Friday free and could come over to work.  YES!!!  We had to have 5/8" dense and heavy underlayment removed beneath carpeting in preparation for 3/4" wood flooring.  A nightmare, and we knew it would be.  It was nailed every 4 inches so the pry bars were breaking off pieces that went flying through the air along with a heavy dust.  I was carrying garbage cans filled with pieces and nails outside, and anything bigger than 5" was taken dragged to the spit to burn.  I begged him to take breaks!!   He works alone, fast, and hard and I could barely keep up.  We didn't have a dumpster or any plan since it was such short notice.  But I'm not complaining - it's done.  Here he is on the last few nails after cleanup, and my fire with the only two larger pieces on top of the burning smalls.  This pile was only 1 hour into the work, and we worked for 6 hours.  Before someone asks, no we don't roast lambs here - we don't eat babies including veal.  He put the carpeting back down over the plywood and it's ready for the new floor.  Furniture is back and most of the "stuff" from the room is somewhere - not sure where - don't really care.

I am sucking down the Advil again today and almost fully recovered but I have to say - I really felt my age.  My wrist brace made it more difficult and my sore leg didn't help either.  But there's nothing wrong with a little hard work and aches are only temporary.  He'll be back to remove the ash floor in the kitchen and put down whatever we decide throughout.  I want pine.  No one agrees. 

I had a wonderful surprise as I dragged my butt to the mailbox.  Penny was so sweet to send me some strawberry corn!!  Thank you again Penny!!  I plan on making a garland. 

I also forgot to mention in the last post that the flexible cutting mat for the kitchen can be used in place of Mylar if you can't find a nice piece. It's much heavier but still flexible.  I tried it for a colonial style sewing bag/pouch but being so flexible, it didn't keep the larger piece's top edge from bending when hung from its straps.  Usually I slip the bottom of a wire hanger or a small diameter dowel rod in the top edge to hold it open and flat.  That works great. 

A few stitchers have stitched my pear!   The first one is here -eefsneedle. 

The second is found here - jubama. She used Crescent Colours.   Love the photos and both used a real stem.  I'm so glad to see these and am happy you like the design.  It's a quick stitch! 

 I'll end on this observation ~ really~ where did the phrase "worked my ass off" come from because in 61 years, it's never happened.  It seems to hang lower and get wider with every job, but it doesn't appear to be leaving.  Just curious.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend.  I appreciate your visit and have so many new blogs to check out!    Don't forget - if you want the pink supplies, please let me know in a comment on this post.  I'll draw a name next Friday at 9pm.

Stay safe and thank you so much for visiting!!

Mylar and Mary and a sticky solution

Hello to you! What a gorgeous day we're having in PA.
Sunny, breezy, warm, and colorful, with all those damn leaves. I'm having another ultrasound and mapping (fake tattoo!) for the left leg in preparation for the second zap surgery next Tuesday. With wearing the compression stockings, I found a new product. It's called "It Stays!" and you may already know about it, but it is a skin glue for holding up the compression hosiery. Well it works on just about anything apparel related. It's very tacky, clear, and easily removed with water yet holds very well and stays flexible. I decided to try it on my sling backs that keep falling off my heels and it worked great. A few swipes inside the strap held it on, and also worked on an annoying bra strap. Keeping a camisole from gaping open, spaghetti straps, men's socks, trouser socks, you name it. Great great product sold where you'd find compression stockings. On to Mary.

I'm making progress on the bottom area and have the people and a few birds and small motifs before moving back into the verse. I changed the birds from ecru to 3768 and the lions from the 316 (mulberry!) to gold 680. I plan on repeating that bird blue in the bottom design and I think the verse's lighter blue will work nicely so it will remain that shade. It seems that adding the darker blue into this area will really pull it all together. I'm glad I moved to the bottom because it really brought the piece's colors into perspective for me. Without seeing that area stitched, I think I would still be changing the verse's color. Not sure which blue I will use to complete the upper alphabet. 

Now on to the Mylar. It's great for ornaments that you don't want too puffy, or don't want to mount to board backing with the gluing and trims involved. It works for any small project, except usable pincushions. If you want a stiff unbendable ornament, mylar isn't it since it is very flexible. For those, the styrofoam or mat board is still a good option to slip inside.

Here's the steps I use when choosing to "insert plastic"! Trace and cut slightly smaller than the finished piece, bend to insert. You can bend it back to being flat if it develops a little curve. Make sure it is fit and not too large or it will make the entire piece bend.

Slip it in against the fabric with the seam allowances on the back side of the mylar so they don't show through the front if you're not adding batting. I chose to add fill - cut it to fit, slid it in on the front side, decided to add another piece to the back of the mylar, and you can see the difference between just the mylar and the two additions of batting. It's very soft and pliable but still holds shape.

  

So there she is. Slightly puffy, nicely smooth from the fusible interfacing, and not distorted because of filling.

I'm done. Gotta get moving.

Have a great evening, thank you for visiting!

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A little freebie for your kindness

Hiya!!  First off - I still hate the new Reading List in Blogger - too much text! I have so many blogs in there and if they would enter just the new post title, the list would have room to show all the new posts without clicking and scrolling multiple pages.  I think I'm missing quite a bit. Finally found that clicking on the orange "g" in top left will take me back to the dashboard.
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I've been having giveaways but still feel it's not enough for all the support I receive.  So yesterday I worked up a little pear design and stitched it for you.  This morning after a much needed haircut (I swear I lost 3# after the cut), I sewed the little bugger together. 

 As you know, I love pear shapes.  I'm considering designing one a month for you of different sizes.  But please don't count on it!  A forgetful procrastinator cannot be relied upon.  I haven't stuffed this yet and am thinking of using the Mylar inside with fleece, not batting.  I already used a mid-weight interfacing but haven't decided yet on a final fill.   I love the colors on this.  I used a piece of rolled wool for the stem and green felt for the leaf. 

These shapes are not easy for me to sew, mainly because of my lack of preparation and patience.  I just follow the outline of the stitching about an inch out, and then turn it right side outside 40,358 times to add or remove a few stitches here and there. 

Making a template would cut that time down one quarter, but I am a putz and always think I'll get it right the first time.  There are two things that help me with this shape, and also for heart designs.  After stitching, I fold in half matching the stitches on each side to see where the shape needs tweaking.   This can go on for quite a while so I use basting stitches on the sewing machine until the sides match. 

Once I have the shape to my fusspot satisfaction, I sew the seams with a regular stitch and use pinking shears.  I trim away the rounded bottom corners instead of clipping, well before the stitched seam ends, which gives me less bulk and a smoother bottom for hand sewing (or gluing) shut.  Nothing is trimmed until I'm sure there will be no more tweaking.  So there you have it.  You should be able to click on the photo and right click to save, or print from there.    I hope you like this design.  And thank you again for your concern over my wrist, for your support of my "style", and for taking time to visit with me.  Much appreciated!!! 
Welcome to new followers - hope you will enjoy your visits! 

Confession time

Hello everyone.  I've mentioned in the prior posts about wanting to talk about a needlework issue.  Time's up.  Here I go, mixed in with a few photos of Fall (ick) decorating.  And Mary.  We'll talk about her first.  The brace is back on and it has a formed cup fitted to the palm, which makes it difficult to hold small items.  I can't do it for long without taking a break so progress has been limited.  Stitching the bottom is giving me a better idea of what color I want to use for the verse.  I agree that the blue should be darker, so we'll see. 

Looking at this wrinkled piece with safety pins in the bottom holding the excess linen, my needle left in the fabric, is a good start to my confession.   

I don't follow the rules, I don't baby the linen, I snack while I'm stitching, I leave the needle(s) in the fabric, I knot the floss, I've wet and machine dried a finished piece, I don't use glass anymore, I even used a heat gun to quickly dry a spot, I insert plastic, I glue seams.  For those of you that fainted, my apologies. 

When I began stitching 30 years (or more) ago, my SIL and the shop owners were proper needlewomen.  Even to the point of wearing white gloves when going through their linens.  NEVER leaving a needle in fabric, always neatly rolling and covering current projects, following design to the letter and executing perfect stitches. I started with this respect for the supplies, the design, the process.  Forward to present day ~ what happened?   The break for many years changed my attitude, or did I change during the break?  My Dad's horrific and unnecessary death, adding on to my home immediately after for Mom, taking care of her for years and being homebound, dealing with dementia and issues, constantly in a rush, losing all trace of patience, MENOPAUSE, aging.  I'll never know the reason and I guess it really doesn't matter. 

 What I do know is it's a piece of linen.  Strong, very durable, washable, natural, used for centuries, lasting for decades, and unless the heat gun catches it on fire, virtually indestructible from my hands.  I leave my projects lying about, unprotected, wrinkled.  My SIL would be very upset with me, but it's me.  I don't follow the rules anymore, I don't fret over protocol.   Ready?  I AM A RECKLESS CARELESS STITCHER.  And here's the kicker.  I don't care.  I do this because I like the results, not the process.  It's an enjoyable pastime, which would turn into an unpleasant chore if I followed all the rules.  If my SIL was still with us and saw me using glue to close a seam or attach a trim, I would get a stern lecture along with another mention of those knots.  And the mylar!  God forbid.  Plastic inside of a project??

 When the linen is especially wimpy and I don't want a lot of stuffing for structure, I use mylar - this stuff that you buy to cut stencils.  I insert a piece between two thin batting layers and it holds shape.  Fusible interfacing?  Yep, depending on the look I want, and SIL would also disapprove.

I care about color and aesthetics and finishing.  Once completed, no one can tell the difference, unless, there is a burn mark from the heat gun.  Then again, I don't do the colorful beauties on light colored and fine linen because they are not my style to stitch.  Could I live with them on my walls?  You betcha!  Could I stitch their intricate borders with silk threads?  No.  Caring for expensive silk skeins and not being able to dye or wet the piece when completed, is not something I want to do.  I tried separating threads of a wool/silk blend and my reckless pulling and lack of patience caused a knotted ball that is in the waste can.  Except for smalls, I don't even bother to look at designs other than reproduction samplers.  Is my recklessness going to make that sampler degrade before my SIL's work?  No.  And who would even care 30 years from now?  Reproductions are just that and 50 years from now, will not be considered originals, just a piece of beautiful needlework at an estate sale.  My SIL would take it apart and study the back, which I still have an interest and curiosity to see.  The attention, care, and skill of needleworkers will always impress me, while leaving a slight pang of jealousy. 

 I'm absolutely not criticizing needlewomen like my SIL who was my best friend, or any of you that honor the craft and stitch properly.  Following with respect the principles of needlework and for those before us that offered their knowledge and expertise, will allow it to continue with proper direction for future stitchers.  But forgive me for not being a part of that respected group.  I don't want you to think I'm making light of this work by using my methods that some think as shameful.   I was once, and wish I was again, that serious needleworker, but she's gone.  I know in my heart I could not be her again, and it's one of the reasons I am so amazed when viewing your magnificent work.  If I had to go back, I would not be stitching.  Although many of you don't agree, I would rather be a reckless stitcher, than none at all.  I'm like the Little Leaguer that can hit the ball, but not far enough.  She knows she's not as good as other players, and sometimes breaks the rules, but she's having fun and wants to stay in the game.

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Jingles coming your way

Good evening all.  I feel badly about not being able to send everyone a few bells.  Seems like they are hard to find across the country.  I checked today and except for the large ones, sold out!  Ebay has a nice assortment and even multiple sizes in one package.  The winner is pj in Iowa.  Email your address to me pj and your postal carrier will be delivering with bells on!

Thank you again for your well wishes, the leg is doing fine.  The wrist, terrible.  Something is radically wrong and I heard a little snap that brought me to my knees yesterday.  I can't go into the MRI tube and I don't consider a little side slit to be "open".  Why can't I lay outside the machine and stretch my arm in?  Anyway,

 I bought another pumpkin - 55#er.  Yep, it's big.  And I hung a large gourd on the door, an added another mum.  This does NOT mean I am happy about fall.  I just hate being left out.

I painted a few safety pins with the Flat Brown I talked about.  They aren't rusted, but good enough.  I just spray lightly in every possible direction and only had a problem one time with the paint remaining tacky so I don't know if it was the pins or the paint.  Adding a final coat of a clear satin finish really helps with the pins going smoothly through fabric.  ????  Did I ever look to see if that color comes in a satin?  Nope.  Better check.

 That's it.  Can't type very long ~ the 4 hours are up and I'm ready for more Advil.  Thank you for visiting with me and participating once again.  I have a few other things planned!!!  And I still want to talk about how my needlework has changed but that would take forever with one hand typing.  Maybe next time!!

Have a wonderful and safe weekend.

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