Two summer tips

Hi everyone.  This isn't a stitching post. 

 Just wanted to remind you of this product, invaluable for sandals and summer sling backs, tank top and spaghetti straps, and peeking bra straps.  My legs are crossed and I'm twisting my ankles, and look how the straps still hold.  I was never able to wear these because of the sling constantly falling down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can buy it wherever they sell support hosiery or at a home health care store.  Water soluble, easy to remove, doesn't stain.

My other tip is how to cut your or your kid's bangs.  When you pull from the sides to the center and make one cut, the center will be shorter and the edges slightly longer, so you don't have that straight across chop look.

 

 

I just killed this little devil in the kitchen.  Having a husband that goes into prophylactic anaphylactic shock,  I can't mess around and need to kill every one whether I can identify it or not.  Some are wasps, some yellow jackets, some hornets, and they are entering the house from a location we haven't determined.
We have the tractor narrowed down to three choices and no idea which we will choose.  I've gained 20 pounds since fall and nothing fits, so to burn a few calories, I will try cutting the yard with the little push mower a little at a time until we decide.  I hate to exercise but Leslie Sansone and I need to get back together.

Enjoy your weekend - thank you for visiting!

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Leftover tags

Good day to you.  My baskets are dyed and I moved on to the next unfinished task.  Leftover tags from the last batch.  I will probably be making more but the orders have slowed down considerably so I may take a break and move on to the boxes.  I've listed what I have left - no orders - on the Box/tag page.  If you're interested, please leave your purchase in the comments on that page.  All the old comments have been deleted so you'll be able to see if the number is available. 

Here's the baskets after their Rit dye bath of Pearl Gray, Black, Orange, and a touch of green.  Rit's brown and black have a red tone which I don't like, therefore, the green to tone it down.  Each basket dyed a little differently.

 

 

 

This basket that I wove 25 years ago came out beautifully.  The material took the dye in sort of a striated pattern - hard to tell from the photo but you can trust me.

 

 

And my Sargent Crabs made it!  They were almost dead last summer so I was hoping to see blossoms this spring.

My brother's little cat was spayed yesterday and she is doing better today.  I need to take a photo of her to post at the local pet stores and vet offices.

That's all I got!  I'm on a roll of getting these small tasks completed that have been hanging around for some time.  Feels pretty good.

Thanks for visiting - stay safe - enjoy the blooms.

 

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It's gone!

Greetings!  The garbage pickup was this morning and it's gone!  There's no getting it back.  I deliberately toss right before pick up, otherwise, I'm second guessing and dumpster diving.   The usable items are already at Goodwill.   I always get sidetracked when I'm unsure what to do with items.  Then I  get an idea for a project and start playing. 

 Isn't this cute?

I burned a dozen very small wood boxes that I planned on painting and was tired of storing, and found this little dome in with them.  I covered it - sidetracked.  Now I'm playing with the large heart boxes and some others instead of completing my work.  Which led to another idea I'm working on and can't wait to try.

I've been holding on to a dozen Currier & Ives calendar prints from the 60's and 70's.  They've yellowed but are still nice.  I will never have them framed and matted.  Why have I kept them?

 

 

  

Then I found these two tall baskets with wood lids, the small market with divided lid, and some others waiting for stain and paint.  I'll do that today.

 

 

 

 

Not much stitching or blog reading lately, and this is all the progress I have.  The letters I and J are the dyed 351 and it's beautiful!  I switched back to a 24 needle and like it much better.

 

 I'm heading out with a tub of dye for the baskets and hope to also get some weeding started.  Our lawn tractor died yesterday and we'll be shopping for another this evening.   The kitchen man is waiting for the final drawings and hopefully that will be started in July.  I'm trying really hard to put an end to procrastinating.

 

Thanks for visiting - hope you're having a great day.

 

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Pinkeeps - fact or fiction

Hello people!  My weekend is starting with bad coffee and lots of sunshine.  One out of two ain't bad.  Hope your odds are better.

Pinkeeps.  We all stitch them - do you use them?  Are you afraid to stick needles into your beautiful stitching for fear of splitting a linen thread?  I use my new one and my little box lid with Nan's design that I did a while back.

 

Both are 28 count and with the thicker threads being spaced further, I didn't think it would matter. 

 

Bingo!  Right on target.  If I made it as a pinkeep, I guess this is to be expected.  Do you ever stitch a design for this purpose, or do you display as such and not use it?  If you've used a 35 count tight weave, your chances of splitting would be greater, right?  Just curious.

My progress on Eliza is very slow because I've been very tired after scrubbing screens and windows, plus I'm still throwing things out.  Linen closet and clothes closet.  You have to know this is hard for a person who is indecisive, but instead of thinking about the item, I toss and don't look back.  It's the only way and it's working. 

 My next color was 351 and I removed the letters after seeing it in place.  The brights are growing on me, but this one was like a nerve conduction test.  So I decided to use the 351 that I dipped in a speck of gray dye.  Pretty isn't it?  Some floss took the gray with one quick dip and others, barely a change.  This was a quick dipper.

That's all I got!  Thank you for stopping by.  Welcome to new followers.  I appreciate all of you very much!  Without you, I don't think I would have starting stitching again.

Stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.

 

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Take it from the top

...or how to stitch a sampler after it's framed. Thank you for suggesting a curved needle.  Great idea!  I fixed Mary right after I posted, but will certainly remember that for next time.  Yes, I'm sure there will be a next time.

 

 

 I started with the loop knot method and picked up the threads from the bottom of the cross in the prior stitch.

Pulled through the loop, slipped the needle under the fabric, and came up at the correct spot.  The loop disappeared and I can't even tell where it was.  Keeping the needle flat, I used a piece of paper to cover the linen starting directly where the needle came out.

This made it really easy to stitch without snagging onto any other threads.  Ended with the needle beneath the fabric to catch the back threads and it worked.

Done.

Good thing I didn't have glass installed!  I keep forgetting to ask my husband about our little air compressor for inflating tires.  Instead of buying canned air, I wonder if there is a way to depress the valve and use that contraption to clean the samplers.  Or blow them off the wall.  Nah.  This isn't the type you attach tools to so it can't be that powerful.  I'll let you know.

I know there will always be the debate about glass/no glass and it really is personal preference.  Do you remember the post showing the inside of the sampler's glass?  I removed the piece to take a photo without glare, and saw why they always looked dull even though the outside of the glass was clean.

I think that's what did it for me.  And yes, they may get dusty without protection and eventually change somewhat, but that's the look we try to achieve for reproductions, and being pressed against this film can't be good either.  Being completely sealed, this must be an off-gas from the threads. Or the mounting board?  Acid free yes, but there are glues and binders in mat board and who knows what in foam.  Spacers would prevent the build up where the floss touches but would it still release something?  So do they need to breathe?  Is it because of something in my house?  Another thing I noticed - the old pieces that didn't have the paper dust cover were not as filmy. ??? Pros and cons for both methods and I like the elegant beauties behind glass, and the primitive repro's bare naked.  As I'm typing this, I'm looking at large Hannah on the wall.  The sun angles here briefly only at sunset in spring before the trees leaf, and I can see it needs to be unassembled and cleaned also.  Take a look at how dull and hazy this is. 

This is another 20+ year old piece.  After cleaning the others, big difference!  I didn't intend to open a can of worms again but the debate will continue as long as there are stitchers.

I'll shut up now.

Have a great day!  Thanks for visiting.

 

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Mary's home

Hi.  Putz here.  Always in a rush menobrain that used to have an attention span and keen perception.  After mounting Mary three different times (because of the stretched linen), sampling her inside of many mouldings to make sure it is juuuuuust the right wood tone, giving the OK to the framer before she sealed the back, I bring her home and .....

Notice anything? 

Take a good look.

 

Here's a closer shot.

 

See it now?

How could I have missed this?  I stared at her for an hour while choosing the frame!  I checked all the lines with my square for perfect mounting!  AUGH!!!!

No glass so I am trying this from the top.  If it doesn't work I'll leave it as is.  Odd though, how this is the first thing I noticed when I hung her on the wall, but never saw it before.

Putz I tell 'ya!