My weekend deadline

Hello people.  I hope everyone is well, safe, and enjoying the weekend's start.  Things have not been going well for me.  Animal wise.  Very upsetting and it's been a rough couple of days - not sure what to expect for the next few.

I worked on the final pear design for two days.  Most of the ideas I had were not compatible with the size, and then I thought maybe it should be a large one.  Really large.  So naturally I want to do one now.  But first I need to stitch XII and there's more stitching than usual.  I hope the last one (?????) will be appealing to you. 

My progress on Eliza was slowed because of it but I think I will make my weekend deadline and should be able to show the finish tomorrow.  It won't be long!  Lots of satin stitched leaves, the roof, and one more side element.  Mark thinks it should be framed, I want to fringe the bottom.  Guess which it will be?  Bingo.  I can always have it framed later but I like the long long samplers without.  I should have continued on her instead of the pear, but it's so close to month's end and I needed to try out a few ideas.  Where did July go?  My brother's 70th is tomorrow and I can't have him over for dinner.  Can't use the room with the new unfinished wood, the dining room and parlor are packed with flooring bundles for the back of the house, so we have no where to serve!  The kitchen bar is where we eat, just enough for two.

Tomorrow I get in the stirrups for the doc that gave me my hysterectobelly.  Fun for all.  Speaking of stirrups, I've had my comments closed to only registered users because of the amount of spam I receive.  Most of it porn spam.  They are wasting their time because embarrassingly, I have no idea what they're referring to.  I would have to look up half of the words, and the rest I am totally clueless.  Before I get back to stitching, I'll show you Nitzy sitting in the shade, thinking of what trouble to get into next.

Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow to show off my long time coming, long arce sampler.

 

Stay safe!

Thank you for taking the time to visit.

 

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Not much stitching - here's why

 And the kitchen guy didn't even get back to me yet.  This was just removing a wall by the fridge so I can have a fridge cabinet built, which creates more drywall dust than a new wall!

Here's the floor.

Yes the table is wearing socks.

Here's the other end showing the new doorway.

You can see how many doors I would have had to repaint, because I wanted a different trim color in the new room. The broom closet is a single door but those other two have two doors each.  Closing it off defined the room, the foyer, and the new door to the garage is the only one I need to paint now.  A simple solution and now I can choose any color I want. 

But I did get some stitching in and will continue to do so, in 95 degree temps with 2,514% humidity, with a hot pack on my neck so I can look down.  Between the flashes, the temps, and the pack, stick a fork in me - I'm cooked.

And finally - meet the newest members of my crew.

Mickey and Sparky.

These two are Skinny Limper's babes.

So darn sweet!

I'm still cleaning up dust and don't know why because more is to come.  Besides, I want Eliza finished by the end of the week so maybe the dust should stay.  My other project is coming up with the final pear. Can you believe half of July is over already?  Honestly, the graph is a complete blank.   My pear has shriveled up like everything else.

 

Thanks for visiting!  Stay safe!!

 

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Lazy Daisy/Busy Bees

Hiya.  How's everyone?  Hot?  If you already know the Lazy Daisy stitch (which most of you do) and you're not interested in seeing the reckless stitcher's version,  you won't learn anything by reading further.

Lazy Daisy                                            Busy Bees                             

                                                                

 I tried to follow the chart's uneven petals.  Some times it's harder to follow a reproduction than a more complicated new sampler.  Remember the completed sampler I bought?  This is it.  Very nicely stitched on linen for only $25 which I thought was reasonable!  It was the only one she had (myoldejunque on eCrater) but she had tons of magazines and older books for crochet, knitting, needlework.

On to the laziness.

I start with my usual loop knot and run it under the floss of a stitch on the back.

Come up through the fabric leaving a large loop of floss and insert the needle back down into the same hole but don't pull the floss through.

 Bring the needle up through the fabric again with the same motion, in the spot you want the petal to end, making sure the floss is under the needle, not on top.

Now pull the floss but not so tight that you don't have a loop.

Secure the loop by going down into the next hole in the fabric.

 

Lazy Daisy - right or wrong. Then do it again.

 

 

That's it!

 

 

Between the air compressor coming on every five minutes and scaring the heck out of me, the nail gun, the saws, the dust, and the heat, I'm not in the mood to do much of anything.

I'll stitch more this evening. 

 I just noticed that the above photo on the left showing part of the house looks like the stitches are crossed in different directions.  So I kept enlarging the photo to see if that was the case.   I have the stitched piece right next to me, why am I straining to check the photo?  Anyway, here's a close up and they are crossed the same, but some being stitched horizontally and others vertically must be the illusion in the other photo.

They're almost done with the floor now and he'll be back tomorrow for the doorway and electrical.  His son came with him today and he may be the guy to make the corner unit since Ed doesn't have time.  We'll see.

I also have to apologize for not reading and commenting on your blogs.  With everything going on, I try to keep my free time for stitching and avoid the computer.  Except for Pinterest which gets me in more trouble than usual.

Take care and stay safe.

Thanks for visiting!

 

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Progress, but no donuts

Greetings!!!  First off, the cats want to know what that bright light is.  Sun!!!  Finally an end to the rains and humidity.

Missy feels pretty good about it.

Progress on the house project.  After waiting two weeks Ed is finally coming Monday to start the flooring so we had it delivered today.  We planned on bringing it into the dining room but the delivery man said it's over 2000# - don't do that!

We ordered 6-10 foot lengths instead of the smaller piece bundles.  We got everything ready for him since he is so far behind.

 

Also making progress on stitching.  These simple to do vines are on both sides and the bottom so I 'm getting excited.  I changed 3011 to 3012 in the flowers.  I saw a kit (can't remember which) that contained 36 count linen and a 26 needle.  Hmmm.  I thought that required a 28 needle.  So I went down to 24 for my 30 count, just to see how I like it.  I had quite a time of it trying to secure the floss ends on the back.  The needle was a little too large to go under the threads.  Back to 26.  If you take a good look at the house, you can see where I changed direction.  I use the sewing method and over the bottom window on the left, you can see how it looks like the rows are off a little.  I stitched vertical rows and the rest horizontal.  Yes I know that's another needlework rule that I fail to follow.  Been there before, and I run the eye of the needle, letter opener, bone folder, ruler edge, little screwdriver, nail file, my nail, laying tool between the rows in one direction and it usually solves the problem.  Strange isn't it, how the same exact thread and same stitch can look different depending on direction?  Sort of like the nap on velvet. Well I did it, I'm not sorry, and I'll do it again. The top windows were all done vertically between them and the very top horizontal.   OK, quit looking for more.

I was waiting for snap rings before I offer a few tags, and check this out.  The package (which are 89 cents for 2) states 1".  So I ordered 1" in bulk online to get them a little cheaper.  Here's what their 1" is like compared to the others.  Looks a bull's nose ring.  So now what?  Do you care if the ring is larger?  Should I quit offering the rings?  Do you use them? 

 

Oh my, I just had a hot flash and my head picked up like a buck smelling a doe, but it was a donut that I was looking for.  Damn.  I ate the last one.

And finally, in my stash tossing I found this.  I lined the inside of the tiny drawers with a heavy red cardstock and I plan on painting/distressing the piece, and adding old gold lettering in 24, 26, and 28 on each drawer for needles.  Sounds like a good plan, but I think I should put a few needles in and see if my fat crooked finger can retrieve them from these tiny drawers first.

 

I have to run over to my sister's and let her have my car for the day so I best be moving.

Thanks for visiting!

Enjoy the weekend and stay safe.

 

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Some progress is better than none

Hi everyone.  Hope your week started off great!  First off, I added two Ewe & Eye house designs, Goode Huswife's Sibley Hall, and Notforgotten's Halloween Queen to the Ebay offer.  I happened to find them in another file and the other charts I wanted to sell are still MIA.  Both winners of my kit giveaway have received them and were kind enough to let me know that they are pleased.  Thank you both!  Don't forget about Ann's basket drawing this Friday.

Eliza's house is completed except for the roof fill and I think I will use the 632 color as recommended.  I'm glad I changed the house to the darker yellow instead of the 3046 that you see in the eyelet and rice stitch border.

Satin stitched flowers on vines will be next and I'm hoping it goes fast.   Choosing the next project should be considered now since it will take me a while to decide.  Ed is coming Monday (finally) to start installing the floor but he is so busy, I doubt that he will be able to make the corner cupboard/pantry that I want.  Haven't heard back from kitchen guy but I've made a decision on the re-do.  I have no intentions to spend upwards of 20 grand for a kitchen that will be almost what I have now.   I contacted my cabinet manufacturer and they will ship the cupboard doors to me, to my specs, and I will have the cabinet boxes made.

We had torrential rains again last night and I think our garden will be a bust this year.  One of the reasons, is the gang of four.

They have never eaten tomato plants before, but hoof prints don't lie.  They seem to enjoy the jalapeno plants too.  I hate it when animals in my yard have bigger racks than I do.

The sun is coming out but I still can't sit outside because our furniture is soaked and hasn't been able to dry out with the humidity.  I'll do my 15 minutes of stitching and half hour breaks indoors with a bag of Dove chocolate to wash down the Advil.

Thanks for visiting - enjoy your day - stay safe.

 

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Going back home

No stitching.  Just sadness.

A moment of silence and a tribute to 19 young men.

 

  

Rest in Peace.