My sampler sack is done!

Hi everyone.  My sack would have been completed a day or two ago if I hadn't ripped out areas over and over to change colors. I have been stitching like crazy for a few days and wasting a lot of paper with changes. One thing I learned - always tear up the prior chart when a revision is made. That was another big time waster. I wanted to show you the bottom corner and how I sneaked the year into the sampler.  Well.....kind of.

 

I will be doing the finishing work tomorrow and then figure out what to do next.  A trip to Staples should help me with that.

 

 

And a few changes outside this year.  Inside of hanging my rusty paint cans on the hooks, I decided to hang a few from the arbor.

 

 

 

 

 

My galvanized tubs aren't on hooks this year either.  Just propped at an angle with a rock and the hanging basket inside.

 

 

 To Barbara - you asked me which magazine I was referring to regarding the sampler bag and you're no-reply so I can't email.  It is Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly.

 

I'm going to sit on my swing and relax for a while now.  Finally warm enough to not need a sweater!  Bud says hi.  He has stopped fighting with the newest stray which I call #4, but there are still a few growling sessions.  Nitzy chases it all the time too. 

 

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay safe.

More later!  Thanks for visiting.

 

 

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More confessions

Hello hello hello.  Hope you're all well and enjoying your day. 

In prior posts I've confessed this

"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."  That was taken from this post.  As I'm stitching Eliza with the excess fabric rolled up and held with safety pins, a Dove dark chocolate with almonds (my new favorite) nearby, a full cup of coffee sitting on the bench where I throw the project when I get up, I was reminded of my confession of being a reckless stitcher.  I have another.  I'm a sampler snob.  No longer can I see cute projects and want to stitch them, or even a newly designed symmetrical sampler that would look fabulous in someone's home.  Just not mine.  I learned by working on reproduction samplers but did other pieces, including angels from Told in a Garden.  The shops I had here many years ago displayed samplers large and small, framed and not, mostly on unbleached linen and all reproductions.  I was in heaven.  The one in town displayed more traditionals and florals which was OK back then, but not now.  I enjoy seeing the variety of your work and admire it, but unless it's primitive in design, a reproduction, or a marking sampler, I have no desire to stitch it.  So many designers have projects that I would like to do, but I end up purchasing and not completing.  I thought it was because of my home style that is turning toward stark primitive/colonial and these designs don't fit in, but I don't want to stitch them as gifts either.  I'm a sampler snob!  I know that everyone has a preference of designers, tastes, and styles, but I think I've become very rigid.  Santas, ornaments, pinkeeps are still delightful and these smalls are the exception. 

 I think that about wraps up my confessions.

The kitchen man has not called and I'm getting concerned.  I emailed the plans and he's probably thinking ............ she's going to change it again.  Well I'm not.  But I did come up with another idea.  This is a photo from The Seraph of a corner pantry.

And this one is from Bridgewater Primitives.

I don't want either of these, but I came up with a plan for something similar. 

Instead of squeezing into my little kitchen, I plan on using this corner and back of the kitchen wall, to have some open shelves and cupboards, storing potatoes, larger items, and whatever I want.  I wanted to have my little beat up table under the window with an upholstered chair but it's awkward and I think a unit from the window wrapped to the door opening would be great storage.  This wood floor will be removed and the new one installed throughout.  It's ash and difficult to stain so we decided to just start over.  The other end of this room was mom's TV room and it had carpeting so trying to match a new floor of a different wood would not work.  I've decided to put everything I can in large plastic bins to make it easier to move from room to room and keep it protected from the dust.  What a mess!!  Many things were found in this upheaval that were missing, but not all of my tags supplies yet. 

My husband will be coming home from fishing soon and we're having hot dogs, baked beans and cob corn.  I try to watch fat intake so I got the "light" weiners.  You know why they're light?  Because half of them is missing!  They're a little thicker than a pencil.  With enough chili sauce, hopefully he won't notice.

Have a great day everyone - thanks for visiting.

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p.s.  Giveaway coming soon - I know why but I don't know what.

 

Sampler bag start

Greetings!  I may be able to take my sweatshirt off today.  Ed was working here yesterday so another mess on my hands.  He wants to take up the old floor and install the hardwood before the kitchen is worked on.  Yikes.  Three rooms at one time of moving furniture and sheets!

I worked up a design for the long skinny sampler bag the same day the magazine arrived.  Couldn't wait to start.  Very anxious to finish Eliza and although new to me, I may be working on two samplers at one time.  With my lack of decision making ability, I may spend more time trying to determine which to pick up than stitching.

There will be errors and oddities along the way because I am changing color as I go along, and you can see in the aqua border, if I get tired of doing the same stitch or impatient to complete a line, plans will change.  Yes, the top border's broken stitches are deliberate since this would be the likely corner of the bag that would be handled the most.

 

Two other things to show.  The size of my $18 basket compared to the local nursery's standard 10" hanging basket...................

and a full house!

Thanks for visiting.

Stay safe and enjoy your day!

 

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What to do with those hankies and my coloring lesson

Good day all.  We're back to needing a sweatshirt today!  There seems to be no happy medium. 

 As most of you do, I use the thin highlight pens to color my charts.  This time, I learned something from it.  Whenever I came across the type of three row border that consisted of adjoining X's, I went from top to bottom skipping the two threads between each.  Well, DAH!  When I was coloring this time, I realized that the X was not the pattern, a diagonal row was easier, quicker, and a much neater back.  Why it came to me this time and never before is anyone's guess.  It still baffles my menobrain that these slants create an X!!  I would be lost without doing this to my multi color rows and it certainly helps define the pattern before I even start stitching.

 

Back to the hankies.  Just wanted to share what I've done over the years with the more special pieces.  First off, mom's friends that shared her life received a hanky in a note thanking them for their help and condolences after the funeral.  The newer ones were donated to the nursing home and they brought on many smiles. 

When mom first moved in with us and we teased her about the number of hankies,  I stuffed them in the center, tied them up and created a hanky Christmas tree for her.  We also made sachets for our drawers with lavender. 

 Scoop lavender or potpourri into the center (or make little muslin bags), pull the center of the sides in first, then the corners, tie and voila.

They make sweet little favors for a party too.  What I used to make and sell many years ago, is the hanky envelope sachet.  I made muslin inserts to fit and lie flat.  They're pretty without anything inside too, and so easy to make.  All you need is an iron.  You can insert a special handwritten note to your loved one, or one from them.  A little stitch can hold them together, or the temporary glue stick for quilting.  Here's a sampling of some.

Most need to be lined with another plain hanky, paper, or a piece of muslin.  You can see the difference in these two.  Pressing these for the photos made me want to start selling them again.

 

 

 

  Just fold the sides in and overlap, then the bottom flap up, and fold the top over.  Envelope!  Using paper as the lining helps them lay nicely in a basket or stand against a vase.  Using fusible interfacing helps but it will never be a hanky again. That's my lessons for today!  But you already knew all this didn't you?  But did you know you can also cut corners off fancy napkins and embroidered pieces, sew into a square, and make an envelope from almost anything?  You did?  Well, there has to be someone out there that didn't because it was unknown to my sister.

 

Have a great day!  Thanks for visiting!

 

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Linens of another sort

Hi everyone.  Hope your weekend has been enjoyable.  After three consecutive chiropractic treatments my back is much better and I can bend over, so I'm back to cleaning the mess from the remodeling.  Still exhausted, but working as I can.  I'm sure you all know how one task can trigger a thought that leads you away from said task, onto another adventure.  I ended up finally removing the majority of mom's doilies and linens.  There are a few I want to show you because I don't think you can get the quality of 50 years ago, today. 

We'll start with mom's hankies.  I remember her schedule of Monday being washday, and then the linens would be dampened and kept in the fridge overnight for ironing on Tuesday.  Her hankies and dresser scarves were well cared for and pressed perfectly. 

 

 A very small sampling and a few of my favorites. 

The dresser scarves and doilies are gone.  Sad to say, but I only kept a few that were unusual, and cut the embroidered parts off others for another use.  Way too many to wash and press and selling them would be more trouble than worth.  I moved on to the tablecloths, many of which I never saw before.  

This one is such beautiful and heavy fabric which I think is all cotton. 

But this one is really special.  Can you see the stars and stripes? 

Opening it further I found the US in the center. 

 

 

Now for the linen I'm more familiar with.  Another colorful border and one more line before the good part of the sampler.  I was distracted with the pear design and another project.  Remember the cover of SANQ that sent a thrill up my leg?  I received it and I'm disappointed to find that the bag is a wide sampler folded in half.  I don't think so.  Why would I do all that work to hang on a wall with half of it unseen?  So I designed my own long skinny bag and I may put Eliza aside and work on it.  If it ends up looking good, I may offer it as my first design that isn't free!

Did I just hear someone whine?

That's it boys and girls.  I need to continue finding some order here before the next big mess.  I have a feeling this will continue in bits and pieces all summer, but that's OK.  As long as there is progress.

And I may have some really good news in a few weeks.

Enjoy your day - thank you so much for visiting with me.  Hello and welcome to new followers.  I have to apologize to everyone for not having time to keep up with all the blogs and emails, but if I get distracted by this computer, nothing will get done!  So with that, I will close this lid and get moving.

Stay safe!

 

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Done! Pear X

Hi all.  June has three birthstones, one being alexandrite, a grayish lavender.  Since June is my birth month, I thought I would use that shade for the June pear. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Both 451 and 452 are very gray with a hint of lavender, which is why I chose them over my second choice of 3041 and 3042.  Hope you like it!

 

Chart is posted under the Pears tab.