Leather britches

Greetings.  How's the weekend going?  Are you finding the things that you had in your hand a minute ago and magically disappeared?  Are you carrying these items with you like they are stuck to your hand and depositing them elsewhere, a place you would never think them to be?  Are you getting frustrated while you climb over tables, chairs, stacks of flooring, bakeware, and stitching supplies?  Are you wondering if someone deliberately took it while a hidden camera is studying the detonation timetable of menopause subjects? 

WELL ARE YOU?????

So these are leather britches.

This photo is from York Mountain Primitives where you can purchase a strand or two.

 

A long ago method of drying beans for winter use which is so simple.  I saw several photos of buttery and kitchen cupboards with a long strand across the top as garland or hanging straight down along the side.  I couldn't find any really long ones so I decided to try making my own. 

 You can string them from the ends so they hang straight down but I prefer the center.  Robin featured this string on her blog The Cranky Crow.

 

I used a large doll making needle with cotton string to pierce the beans.  The smaller needle worked just as well, but the larger created a hole large enough to move them along the string easily, so I can slide them together as they shrink.

 

Here's mine drying in the garage.  It's pretty heavy right now and I used over 2# of fresh firm beans.  Allowing it to hang straight down will probably give me a better result.

I made another little pillow and changed the blues to rusty browns.  I'll probably do another this evening and maybe put the crowns from the sampler design within the heart.  It's such a quick and fun stitch!  This afternoon I will muddle through the mess and pull out the sampler charts.  Choosing the linen is harder than the design. 

I need to continue my search for a few items but taking time for the swing usually calms me down.  My single seat one that we had made for mom will go really high and the more uptight I am, the higher I go.  It's time to crank it up!  One day Mark will come home and find me sprawled out on top of the arbor. 

Thanks for visiting ~ enjoy your weekend!

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Goodbye final pear!

Hi everyone.  After having to enter all the names THREE times into Random's list randomizer, they finally were scrambled, and the number that was generated belonged to C.M. Designs.  I have your email and will contact you this evening for your address.  And so ends the pears, with the final one leaving home.  I guess I'll have to stitch it again if I want the complete set.  Or maybe give the rest away?  I'll have empty bowl syndrome!  But I'll get over it.  Stay tuned!

 

Karen of Karen's Handiwork has stitched my pears and I showed them before. Since then she has added a few more. Check out the bushel of pears post to see her fabulous finishing.

 

I was busy with needle today but it was beans that I was sewing.  I'm attempting a string bean garland or leather britches as they are sometimes called.  I don't know why.  I'll show you how I did it and I'll post the drying process if any of you are interested in making one.

 

Again, thank you so much for participating.

Have a great weekend and stay safe!!

 

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I found my ideal weight

Hiya.  How the heck are you?  I'm about menopaused out.  Ishkaboobled day I had, let me tell you!  Nothing went right and the more frustrated I became, the hotter the flash, the more chocolate I ate, the more potty mouth I yelled.  

 But anyway, I finished a little project.  My interfacing choice of late has been lightweight but it really doesn't feel like that.  For this little pillow I tried the midweight and guess what?  Unless my mind is backwards, it feels lighter than the lightweight.  Very nice body and stiffness.  I'll have to do a comparison on the same fabric to really tell.  For now, my ideal weight is this one.  To avoid choices, decisions, and confusion, I would rather have one product to use for all projects.  It just makes my life easier.  That little 3 drawer chest that was going to hold three needle sizes - forget it.  I'm sticking with one size and  getting rid of the rest.

 

Here's the little pillow.  I found this chart, Dutch Sampler, when I was doing the Ebay listings and planned on selling it, but I'm glad I changed my mind.  I think this design fits a lot of decors, even primitive, and it was a very quick and easy stitch.  There is an error on the chart but easily corrected.  It's OOP but on Ebay right now and Etsy. 

This is the book.  The sampler is very nice also but I really like the friend pillow.  I backed it with a brown that has a little blue dot.

I had to buy a new printer which has been the hold-up on the tags.  Didn't really want HP again and after an easy set-up, two color cartridges wouldn't align and the intake rollers mark every sheet.  Not happy.  Bud liked the box though.

I found two new items last week and with wood everywhere and the rest of the crowded mess, I just stuck them here for now.  I love red boxes and this is a ???? butter churn thingy-ma-do?

Tomorrow it's back to the doc that did the EVLA on my legs last year, which failed, and my legs are worse than before so they want another 2 hour ultrasound.  If they think I'm going through another EVLA, they're nuts.  We'll see what the test shows.

Thanks for all the entries for the pear!  Oh.  One of the blogs I wanted to mention is Eff's Needle.  I came across her post on the Mary Beale sampler wreath and enjoyed seeing her other work.  Translate button is at the top of her page.  I really love the Beale wreath but I'm not sure if I would stitch it.  Her Christmas wreath that I stitched last year became my favorite holiday piece. 

Back to my mess!  Thanks for visiting.  If I forget to draw a name Friday, please email to let me know!  My email button is in the right hand column.

Have a safe and enjoyable end of week!

 

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Chart is posted

I've had several requests so I thought I would let you know it's here, under the Pears tab.   Some of us are busy, some ..... not so much.

Swan Song offering

Hello people.  I don't have the chart ready but I do want to get started on the offer since I would like to draw a name on Friday.  Ed is going to rip out the kitchen cabinets and flooring to start laying the new oak, so the confusion and misplaced items will be ......... well ...... let's just say MORE than usual.

The pear is stitched on 28 count linen, and the backing fabric is one of Blackbird's sampler prints.  The stem is a grapevine piece, crooked, and sporting a wonky leaf that I may change.  I'm in control so I can do that. 

 

 

 Leave your entry on THIS POST ONLY, please include your initials in case there is more than one Deb Mary Jan Bev Carol, and a way to contact you if you are no-reply.  I will open the comments to anonymous entries and these must have a name or initial.  Drawing will be Friday 8/2 at 7pm EST. 

Open to all!!!

I really want to bring up two blogs that you should visit and will do that next time. 

 

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My swan song

Hi everyone.  Just a quick post about my swan song.  I enjoyed these 12 pears, but am glad I won't have to rush every month to come up with a design and stitch it!

This last one features two dogs (my two dearly missed Labs) a black sheep (who could that possibly be?), and a pair of swans.  

Our local park which features a mansion overlooking a lake, had a pair of resident swans and everyone so enjoyed watching these majestic beauties and their offspring every year.  A few weeks ago, an idiot ran them over with his truck and killed both.  There is no way you could miss seeing this extremely large white pair, on a side street of the park.  Both of them.  Their young were not hurt.  So I included them to represent not only the beauty, but the evil in this world.

I am still not up to par and my head is pounding so I will just show you my swan song, and post the chart in a day or two.  It seems I ate tainted meat or fruit and bacteria decided to take up residence.  I am better.  I can't swallow pills so I cut the meds, and the taste is so horrible even an entire bag of Dove doesn't remove it.  Anyway, another little surprise.

This final pear will be offered as a giveaway - my cousin came home!!!  She is in a wheelchair and has her right arm held in a sling since it is unusable.  But she's home.

So tomorrow or Tuesday, I will post the details and the chart.  Tags are still coming!

 

I hope you like this final design - thanks so much for your compliments and comments this last year, and thanks for visiting.

 

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