What I would have burned

Greetings!!  It's 11 am and I ran home to take care of the brat cats while my sister is resting after the cath.  Guess what?  After several years of echocardiograms showing aortic valve deterioration, an abnormal and problematic stress test, a failed CT scan, and an MRI showing damage in another area, the catheterization shows............no blockages, and MINIMAL valve damage.  No surgery.  The doc said everything looks really good!  She can't believe it.  He will explain later why the echo results are deceiving and this will be interesting.  But we're thrilled.   Thank you all again for your kind words and concern.  It meant a lot to me.

I'm still tossing and destashing - came across these pieces that were destined for the burn.  They are an odd size and I couldn't come up with an idea for display.

 

One is my sampler bag freebie that I did on another size linen for my boxes, and the other was also a box tester.

 

 

 

 

After doing the first one, I decided to use the other also.  I stuffed these little rolls with crushed walnut shells and love the bean bag feel of them.  Great little rolls for pins and needles.

The sampler had enough linen to sew together - perfect amount for the roll.  The smaller one got my sampler print fabric that I was lucky to receive as a gift, and it fits perfectly.

 

The last project to be spared is this Christmas tree done over two on 18 count linen.  You can sew "ornaments" to it, and mom's was mini jingle bells, pink ribbons, and pink buttons.  This was framed on batting and I took it apart, removed the decorations, turned the top down for a rod, and fringed the edges.  I can use various buttons and rusty stars and bells for next year and hang it on an interior door. 

 

 

 

 

I have to go back to the hospital and pick her up - just got the call.  They are releasing her after only 3 hours instead of the 6 it used to be. I made stuffed cabbage yesterday so she can't wait for supper!

Thank you for visiting - have a wonderful day!

 

Small finish and a final needle note

Good day everyone. Thank you again for the comments on your needle preference. Many of you never paid attention to size and type, you use what is comfortable and works for you. That to me is more important than following rules, as you all know. But after the bloody assault on my finger, I checked and found that the majority of my stash was composed of these little prickers, and I needed to find a solution.   Joanne made me realize something and directed me to her blog post here.  Secured needle threading.   Thank you so much Jo for pointing this out.  I have always threaded two floss ends into the eye to create the loop at the other end.  I don't like tails or having to start a stitch with any method other than slipping the needle through that loop on the backside for a secure and neat start.  Doing that drags the two pieces of floss that are in the eye, plus the 2 ends, so 4 threads are actually going through the linen and depending on the fabric, could really create floss fuzz.  I have been the victim of floss fuzz and could never figure out why it was no longer smooth.  Joanne's method pulls two strands through, and another advantage is the needle cannot slip off.  If you drop the project to run for chocolate or any other reason, the needle will stay attached - you can't lose it!  So I tried it while stitching this small, but ran into one downside.  I miss the correct placement many times and will slip the needle off and pull the stitch out, rethread, and continue.  With the secured needle method, you have to go back through the linen in the exact spot and try to remove the stitch.  I couldn't.  The needle had caught a wisp of the back threads and I was stuck.  I've gone back before to a prior stitch and it worked just fine, but this was three stitches back, so I had to cut the floss and start over. 

This is the small that I worked on.  I had completed the first one on 18th Century Rook, and this one is on unbleached.  I moved the design and colors a little.

Easy finish.

 

 

Interfacing on the backing fabric only, one layer of the thickest quilt batting (my absolute favorite stuffing),

 

 Liquid Stitch to glue it shut. 

 

 

 

 

 

 And a good squeeze to make sure the front isn't glued to the seam allowance.

My Pineberry Lane Wool designs are done!

I haven't decided on a sampler yet but it's narrowed down to three. 

I mentioned that I was going to the doc and would ask for a pill, and she obliged.  Unfortunately, it was an anti-depressant that also was to help with menopausal and anxiety issues.  I stopped it last night.  Haven't slept in days, crushing heartburn, my neck is unbearable.  After a little research, yes, a drug that works on your mood can wreak havoc on the body.  We have to be at the hospital at 6:30 am tomorrow so I'm hoping that resting today will put me back on track for an early start to a long day.

Have a great finish to your weekend - thanks for visiting.

Talk to you soon.

 

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Needles, part 2

Greetings.  Thank you all for such great responses regarding your needles.  I've been investigating a little further because of the other problem I've had in the last year ~ the floss sticks in the eye when I try to slide the needle closer to the end of the thread, like it's snagged on something.  Now I know why.  A size 28 needle is meant for high count linen (36-45) which requires a single strand.  I'm sticking a double strand in for my 28 count which is too much thread in that size eye, but OK for the correct size needle such as 24 or 26 for 30/32 count. Using such a thin needle on my rough linen may also account for my floss sometimes shredding.  The purpose of the needle size is to spread the fiber just enough to allow the thread to pass smoothly.  Well if my needle is too thin for the fabric, the thread is probably coming in contact with the linen fibers each and every time it passes.  I came to the conclusion that the coarse linens I prefer are the reason the gold and platinum needles didn't last long at all.  They are probably like sandpaper on the needle and wore the finish off quickly.  I've received needles from shops when purchasing linen or charts but never paid attention to the size, which I will do from now on.  For those of you interested in more information about needles, my favorite site for stitch videos,  Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread, also has informative articles on various needles and manufacturers.  Click  to be directed to her index page of numerous posts, including her article on Bohin.  She mentions in The Broken Needle post about a possible change in quality in the John James and her journey trying to find where they are now made.  August 2011 lists 5 things you need to know about embroidery needles.  Her site is loaded with great information regarding needlework and I am grateful that she has taken the time to share her knowledge with us.

I also want to mention a website that many of you are familiar with, but once again, it's new to me. 
The site is Gazette94.   When I saw this post from Kaye, I read the comments and sure enough, Terri had the answer for us as to where to find that great bird chart. Well geez, where have I been? What an array of free designs.   Santa, snowmen, houses, quaker, holiday, everything!  I'll need to spend some time browsing and maybe find a few more to add to the file of never-to-be.  It's like buying something I don't need only because I have a coupon.  Make a copy of the chart and add it to the pile because it's free.  Putz.

That's all folks!  Have a great weekend - and thanks again for your input!
I appreciate your visits and comments and want to welcome the new followers.

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Needles

Hi all!  Wow.  What a storm we had.  Very brief, but powerful enough to down trees throughout the valley.  We lost five a few years ago to a micro-burst but were spared this time.  Mark has been picking up limbs and raking twigs for several hours. 

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Needles.  Is there a real difference between current brands in design?  Do you change to a new needle after every project?  Do you have a sore hole in your middle finger from the eye end piercing through?  First time ever for me.  Most of the needles I have, and have received from others, are all DMC.  This is what I've used for years and what is available locally.  The other packs in my drawer are from Loving Touch which I'm assuming are no longer made.  Too bad - cause I like 'em. 

It's the one on the right side end, and you can see the difference from the DMC on the left.  The eye is a little wider and the hole a little shorter.  Much easier to thread and honestly, this old DMC's eye end is not blunt enough!  I actually had it pierce the skin many times leading to a really sore finger.  Yes they are really thin and my skin is really dry, but it's never happened before.  Since most of my projects are done on 28 to 32 count, I guess a size 24 is correct, but I've always preferred 26 for smooth stitching.

So these are Loving Touch size 26.  I really like the shorter wider eye and have no idea what other brand would be comparable.  Should I just move down to 24 when these are gone?  Two packs left which should last a while.  The ladies I stitched with years ago hardly ever changed to a new needle, but my sister in law changed with every project. 

I have a few that are gold plated and platinum but the eyes are really thin so they must be 28's.  Comparing the DMC size 24 to Loving Touch 26, doesn't look much different in the eye except for length.  I guess it's not a big deal but I'm still trying to rid the excess around here that I will never use. I used to have John James and liked them - but that was so many years ago I don't know if they are the same now.  I'm certainly no where near running out of needles!  But if I find something I like, I buy bunches.  Too many favorites end up discontinued or no longer carried .  I read that Bohin is popular and found several other makes online.  So what did I accomplish with this post?  Nothing really.  I have a dozen of 26 that I like, a bunch of 24's, will put away the ones I don't care for, and will add a new brand to my orders for fabric and chart.  See?  I always resolve issues during a post.  Or maybe I just wanted sore finger sympathy.
Anyone interested in the pork roast recipe can find it here.  A new treat kick for me is stirring a tablespoon of peanut butter into my vanilla Greek yogurt.  Like my favorite peanut butter pie!  Especially if you top it with ground peanuts, or chocolate syrup, or crumbled grahams, or all.  Love it.
Haven't chosen a new project yet.  I'm thinking I should try something a little larger but my patience is telling me otherwise.
We all struggle with the same decisions at times and if we make a mistake in our choice, big deal.  Picking the linen and working out color changes if needed is sometimes worse.   So I should just do it!   What's the worst that can happen?  
Have a fabulous weekend - stay safe!

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The dark side of Dorothy

I want to thank everyone for the well wishes and prayers for my sister.  They changed the date on us because of a death in the doctor's family.  Now, it is Monday.

If you notice, Dorothy was 24 years old when she stitched this sampler, far older than most of the primitive design stitchers.  Was she ill in her young life?  You would think by this age she would have mastered the needle, yet her design is still very primitive.

Backing is the perfect shade of an olive brown uncut corduroy.

 

I love her!  I still haven't received my linen order (they are located in my state) and I'm so anxious to see how dark these pieces will be. 

For those of you that asked, I will post the pork recipe tomorrow.  I need to hit the stash stack once again and spend the day in a state of confusion.   

Have a great day!

 

 

The trouble with Mary

Greetings from a warm day in PA!  Seventies today and tomorrow....then back to the 40's for the weekend.   Hope your week is starting without incident.  I'll be at the hospital all day Thursday for sis's catherization and we'll go from there.  I found out that the bad aortic valve is not an issue during this procedure and they will be checking that more closely also.  Thank you all for your concern.

I stopped at my framer's and realized under her unforgiving lights, that Mary had many dark threads showing, even though they only crossed a few linen threads.  Because of the stretching and pulling I created when trying to get those curved stem stitches positioned, and removed, and repositioned, I have a wonky center.  One side needs stretched more than the other which makes the outline way off, even though - are you sitting down - I wet her down and ran her through the dryer, twice.  Are you OK?  Linen's tough baby!!  This helped quite a bit, it's still off somewhat, and no one will notice but me.

 I brought her home to add more muslin strips.  Being 28 count and somewhat sheer, using a dark mounting board to hide the threads was not good.  She has a lot of band-aids, no?  So now I have to pin her again with my sore finger.  Reason being, my needle has been going through the skin while I'm stitching and I want to talk needles and ask for suggestions next time.

 

I knew that Dorothy would be a close call, but that I would have enough for a seam to make a pillow.  All that's left is that center motif so I'll have my full inch at the bottom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've got to get ready for my appointment but I wanted to show you two more things.  This little guy carb-loading on the bread for the deer.

 

And one of my favorite recipes.  Cranberry pork roast. 

So easy.  So good.

That's it.  Gotta run.  Have a great day!

Stay safe - thanks for visiting.