Why did she ask that?

Hey.  What's up with your bad self?  That's what husband always asks Bud, our warrior cat.  He comes in every night for a good back scratching.   My morning is dark and rainy which makes the newly painted room look even darker and although the wall color is very light, I think it's too dark.  Does that make sense?  I picked up more samples and may have it redone lighter.  If I won't be happy, now is the time to change it before the trim goes on.

Jeanne asked me if I used the recommended colors on the PS Santa, which I did, surprisingly.  Well that jolted my brain into its revision mode.  Right after I replied that I didn't change any colors, I did. This guy's pants are now gray instead of green.  So I'm glad she asked because I think it will lead to some Santas that are more my style.

 I pulled another piece of 14" x 18" 32 count which was unbleached, and bleached it.  I cut a small section to test because sometimes the warp (weft?) lightens and the weft (warp?) doesn't, leaving striations that I don't like.  This piece did just fine, better than fine in fact. Just a little lighter but enough.  Didn't want to push my luck.  This is it compared to the current linen for #88.  I wanted eight more pieces for the next series and am anxious to start. 

 

 

The plan is to do book #80 with completely different colors than I've ever used for Santa, and the darker linen would contribute to the look I'm going for.  So here's the choices so far. 

 

 All of the pieces in book #80 are red which I don't want, so I will try these colors instead, or maybe incorporate a few into the current work.  I'm anxious to see what they will look like subdued and dusty compared to the red and green I'm used to.  May not be nice at all!

In Scarlet Letter's October newsletter, she offered this book to the first person who could identify the flower in the photo. Me!! I won! What a lovely book it is.

 

 

 

 I also received my two SL samplers from Ebay and am thrilled with Mary Elliott.  She's a big girl! 

  

 

 

 

  I'll have to make some adjustments to Sally Hunt.  The body of the house and everything beneath it is over one.  The background around the bottom verse is filled with tent stitch.  I'm sure I can change the stitching for the house and grounds, but the verse will have to stay over one, and I will probably not fill around it.  I know this bothers those of you that take pride in reproductions, but it doesn't really matter to me if changes are made.

Thank you for the compliments on the header photo.  Two of the samplers are from many years ago, Scarlet Letter's Lydia Bond and Chloe Lincoln, with Mary Haslehurst in the center.

 

We'll be busy the next few days but I should have a few more ornaments done by the weekend.  I hope the new colors work out and I'm not wasting my time, but this will be interesting!

Hope your week finishes with good stitches and great pie.

Yep.  Making another today.

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

Just like a potato chip...

you can't stop at one.  Hiya!  Just finished this little guy and now have the Santa bug.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is from Old World Santas II,  Prairie Schooler book #88.

 

And here's stray #4 - Squeaky.  He doesn't meow, he squeaks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another dirt roller.

 

I can't touch him but he rolls for me and cries.  Bud has really laid into him several times and I'm not sure if it will stop, but he seems to be tolerating him.  Sometimes.

Have a great week.  Thanks for visiting!

 

Good grief. Linen. Again.

Hello people.  I'm having a bit of a stash fit.  For a few days, I've been trying to organize the mess in the room where my charts and supplies are kept.  I've done this before.  And before that.  But nothing changes!  I keep sorting and folding and rolling and putting the material back in the drawers.  Half of if is mystery linen that I've bleached and dyed, much of it is soft and silky, and some are new pieces gifted to me or purchased that I love.  Is it a sin to burn linen?   I made a small pile of bad dye jobs, flimsy see through pieces, and small counts, and topped it off with my lighter.  The way I was told to check a piece of fabric to see if it is wool or a blend, was to take a match to a corner.  If it curls up and melts, it's not natural fabric/wool.  Then why did some of this linen melt? 

I have it narrowed down to several bags by counts, which on some is just a guess.  Is this the right way to find the count?  I go over and under every two threads and then measure.  What's the easiest way?

 

 

 

  

 

  Here's the results after the fire.  But I was missing my yardage from Scarlet Letter.  Unbleached and Golden Streak.  And where were all the larger pieces?  I forgot that I have two boxes, one holding larger charts and one for smalls, many with the linen.

 

 

I think my option right now is to box the pieces I don't plan on using and store them in a place I will never remember.  Can't put it behind the TV.  But at least I won't be sorry that I pitched it all.  There isn't much difference between 28 and 30, but I still prefer 30 or 32 and 3/4 of the pieces are 28.  I'm hoarding some smaller pieces of fabulous colors in 35/36, and look forward to using them.  So not only do I have a problem cutting into a yard or large piece of linen, I can't let go of the outcasts. 

 

 I started on book 88 and cut eight pieces from a 14 x 18 piece of 32 count and I love it.  Great texture and heft.  I will finish the first one this evening.   

Not many were interested in the santa charts so I just chose a name and will send those off tomorrow.

As I'm typing this, a headline is glaring from the nearby newspaper.  I don't bring up things like this, but I'm getting sick of these types of findings, and this disgrace was committed to VETERANS.  I am livid.

"A two month Pittsburgh Tribune-Review investigation found Veterans Administration workers or contractors committed 14,215 privacy violations at 167 facilities from 2010 through May 31, victimizing at least 101,018 veterans and 551 agency employees.  Some had photos of their anatomy posted on social media; others had their stolen IDs used to make fraudulent credit cards." 

How many do you think will lose their jobs?  None.  Never do.  You won't even hear about it on the network news.  Just move them somewhere else.  I think the government should stay shut down and start paying firms where employees are supervised, have consequences to actions, enough work to keep them busy so they don't have time for this garbage, and the managers in charge of them can also be fired.

I was going to leave you with a photo of cat #4 but I'm too angry now.  I think I'll grab some linen and a lighter.

Thanks for visiting. 

 

Santas anyone?

Good day.  I have two tips today for menodistracted minds.

First - when you are at the bank's drive thru, and the teller says "thank you, have a nice day", don't drive away.  Wait until the tube spits out your money.

 

Second - if you remove your shirt so you don't get paint on it, but you're still wearing your neck warmer, don't let it trick you into thinking you are clothed.  Stay in the house until you put the shirt back on.

 

I would like to do a few Santas and had to go into my Prairie Schooler library to get the charts.  Most of the Santa charts are duplicates and I'm wondering why I can't find the extras.  Then I remembered that I had a giveaway and sent out #62, 80, and 88.  So did I have three originally?  I don't know.  I decided on book 88, but that may quickly change.  On 28 count, the ornaments would be a little too large for my tree, but I don't have a large enough piece of 32 in a lighter tan for the entire book.  I don't like to mix fabric in a series.  So the cream piece will be dyed today since I have no idea what the linen colors will look like if I place an order.  There is a lot of the thick weave 32 count that I dyed, but I can't stitch on it.  It needs to go. Looking at some smaller pieces of 35/36, has me confused.  They are still marked from the shop so the count is correct, but some look SO tiny and tight, not like the one I just worked on.  Such a hassle for SWAS (stitchers without a shop).  

Back to Santa. I found these Sew Fine Olde Santas, Collections 1 through 7.  Anyone interested?   One offer for all of them, not individually.  I will never stitch these because of the color changes and details.  The charts are large and very easy to read, but it's not my type of stitching any longer so if someone would like them, leave a comment.  More than one, I'll draw a name this week.  Free, except for international shipping which would be close to $8.   I'm loading up the photos for you because I didn't find all of these old 1980's charts online for you to see.

 Stitch counts 63x93 and 59x93                        84x82 and 57x84

 

Stitch counts 49x102 44x88                          57x100 and 56x91

 

Stitch counts 60x87 and 51x87                   65x105 and 63x97

Betty's name or the shop's stamp is on some of them but the insides are fine, never used.  I think you can click on the photos for a larger view or check EBay since they usually have them.

Stitch count 48x91 and 39x91

 

Hope you have an enjoyable weekend, in this, the MIDDLE OF OCTOBER!!!

Can't believe how fast time is flying.

Thanks for visiting!!!

 

 

 

 

The winner and another little finish

Hi all.  First off, I need to clear up a misunderstanding, that is my fault.  In the post before the offer, I mentioned that I would be offering the charts.  In the offer post, I didn't specifically state that it was the charts, not the samplers that I was offering.  I did mention about using your own colors but it was my fault for not being specific.  It's the charts.  I held my breath when Random was choosing a number because if it was the samplers that the winner was expecting, I would have to say good-bye to these babies.   Believe it or not, the name scramble and then number, came out to be the very first entry - Helen.  Whew!  She mentioned in her entry that she would love to win the sampler CHARTS!!  Helen, I need your address and I will get these in the mail to you.  Have fun with your color choices.  Thanks to everyone for participating.

Now my other little finish. 

I'm sorry I didn't follow the design exactly, but I was constantly interrupted or distracted and made so many errors, that I changed the spacing to accommodate them.  I love this design.  Thank you Eszter!  The colors I used ...

DMC 3857, 3011, 3021, 830, 831(or 3829) - can't remember and I have floss bags everywhere.  My border is only one row instead of the three charted, and I may go back and add them before finishing. 

I bought two Scarlet Letter samplers on Ebay today.  Both buy-it-now and I grabbed them as soon as I got the notice.

Mary Elliot and Sally Hunt.  Scarlet Letter still has my favorite piece, Hannah Breed, which you can see here.  There are many that I consider favorites, but she is at the top. 

I bought a few odd color and shape pumpkins today and took a white knuckle ride to get our baseboard.  Need to pick that paint color quick.  Thanks for all your suggestions!  

To Jocelyn - In the peach recipe, you have to use the box of Jello labeled "cook and serve" and not "instant".

That's it.  I'm wiped out with another virus and the second part of the pneumonia shot I got today is throbbing and spreading under my arm and across my chest. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Thanks for visiting!

 

Edited - Right after I published this post, I read that Cathey has passed.  I am so upset and angry I could rip down my walls. 

 

The next little sampler - and it was free

Greetings. I've mentioned before about the Eszter's blog Sub Rosa, her wonderful designs, and her generosity in offering her talent.

This little piece is 81 x 66, Harriot Simpson was 83 x 66, and being almost exactly the same, I decided to choose it as the next project.  My criterion for new projects never really makes sense. You can find the chart here.  The pages take forever to load on my computer, but it's well worth the wait.  IE kept shutting down and the laptop almost ended up outside.  Scroll down to the labels column on the right, and click on "free" to browse several pages of really nice charts.  To purchase her patterns for sale on the left, click on the photo for her email and instructions.  The Google translate bar doesn't always show up for me - so I right clicked and chose Bing translator.

 

 Can you see the marks from removed stitches on the left where I messed up the border placement?  I'm using some of my favorite colors as I go along without deciding on which until I get there.

 

 

Gotta get busy!  Just thought I would show you another small sampler for a quick stitch.  

 

One of my favorite dinners, the beef short ribs recipe, is in the crock pot and smelling divine!

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting!