Shirlee made me do it

Greetings to all.  Just realized that I didn't specify a date for the charts drawing.  How about tonight (Monday 12/16) at 9 pm EST?  It may take a while because I have to enter all the names for each drawing separately but I should have it posted around 9:30.

 

Shirlee's gift is just my style and I thought it looked like a design my friend would like too. 

 She's a little more primitive than I am, and I decided to pay it forward Shirlee style.  So I stitched this last night and finished it this morning.  Now where the hell are the 2000 jingle bells that I have?  Or maybe a rusty star?

 

I decided to wimp out and finish the easy and more primitive way. Cut to size and fringed the edges.  Fusible interfacing on the osnaburg up to the fringe to hold the sawdust,  folded the fabric over to close the back with double sided fusible, and machine sewed the sides. Using Nancy's idea of touching the ink pad directly to the fabric for aging, and I'm done.  I enjoyed my first attempt at stitching on osnaburg, love the more primitive look.  A few stitch removals over the piece because it is smaller than my usual 30 count fabric and I had a little trouble seeing the finer weave, used one strand of floss and really liked it.

When I was changing the colors on my current project, I pulled the 730's.  As always, I can't tell the difference between 731 and 732.  Just noticed this.  No wonder they look the same!  Why is 732 the same and marked as such?  I obviously missed something and don't understand. 

That's all. 

I'll be back tonight with the winners unless the note to remind me falls off the fridge.

Have a great day - thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A gift~ A start~ A brat!

How are you?  Feeling good or stressed out?  Basking in warm sunshine or covered in white crap?  We were hit with snow the entire day.  The roads are terrible which is why I didn't leave the house and won't for a few days.

I received a gift Saturday from Shirlee.  Stitched on osnaburg, aged to perfection, and just my style.  Thank you thank you Miss Shirlee. 

 Right now it's at the bottom of a small tree keeping my chenille snowman company, but tomorrow I will try several spots and choose the one that I will see most often.  I love it love it Shirlee ~ thank you again.

You can see the gloomy day of snow falling outside. 

I also discarded the five samplers I was contemplating for a new project.  The Attic's newsletter arrived and I saw the 2014 stitch-a-long (An Unidentified Essamplaire), and it triggered a memory of a similar chart.  Random Thoughts by Sheepish Designs.

 

I made a mess in the parlor that I just organized to locate it.  Did I?  No.  I think I burned it years ago, but did find the scribble copy.  I obviously planned on starting it long ago and even then, I was changing the charted colors.  Well, my taste has changed and I changed them again.

 I like these muted colors and will use some brights on the motifs. Should be a fairly quick project. But then I got distracted with small Christmas projects and when I posted the chart offer photos, I spotted the red Santa in book 53. I did the green and like the size so should I save the red one for next year, or stitch it now? Carriage House's Sampler Stocking is drawing me in and that may be next year's Christmas project along with another Mary Beale wreath that Connie gifted me.   The stocking comes up on Ebay fairly often so I should be able to snag it or locate it in an online shop.  The two smaller wreaths are still available as downloads from Mary Beale's site here, click on Christmas Ornaments. Her angel and sampler stockings are amazing but I like the shape of Kathy's better. 

I have to show you what Bad Bud did.  All the brats have their houses together in another area and I made Squeaky an open box with wool pad, and a house box with sherpa over wool.  Well.  Bud didn't want Squeak having a house so he pulled the sherpa out and away, and took up residence in the open shelter.  See the big brat in the box?  Squeak is so funny.  He brrrrrrt's constantly.  It's not a purr, it's not a cry, it's not a meow.  It's a brrrrrrt.  I touched him the other day and he bolted, but he came back.

The few boxes I had left sold, thank you very much!  I hope you continue to like them because this tall oval isn't made anymore, so I bought out what they had left.  Cases.  I guess covering them with aged paper and fabric can be done when you tire of the labels.

Have a wonderful Sunday and start to the new week.  Middle of December already.  All I can say is - spring is coming fast!

If you had an inquiry for me and I didn't reply, it's because I can't.  Your setting is no-reply and going to the Google page still doesn't show an email.  You can click the EMAIL button in the right column for contact - I think that setting applies to comments only and I may be able to respond. 

Thanks for visiting!

Stay safe, hug hard, stitch happy, eat chocolate.

 

Affluenza?

 

Are you kidding me?   Are we going to make up words to fit upbringing and allow young people to have absolutely no consequence to their actions?  I wonder if Judge Jean Boyd (Texas) would have let him off if it was her daughter or three other family members that were killed by a 16 year old who was taught that money means you are not accountable. It's not even a condition recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.  I'm sorry.  I just get more and more livid over the lack of responsibility in this country. 

 

Just wanted to tell you that there are four boxes shown on the box page, and they will be for sale Saturday morning at 10 am.   I probably will not post at that time so if you are interested, Saturday morning at 10 o'clock.  OK?  I don't want to upset anyone again.

The giveaway is going very well by using separate pages!  I'll have to keep this in mind for future offers. 

That's all.  On fire from flash and anger.  A good time to go outside in 20 degrees and burn papers.  I don't have to worry about my hair getting singed this time.  It's like menopause threw another switch and my wild hair is all of a sudden, flat, straight, soft, and yucky.  What's next?

Some of you liked the brown jugs that were in the last post. Many of them have chips but several of my favorites are perfect.  It's time to make some changes and I want them in rooms where I can see them often.  Here's the collection.

My favorites are the two in the middle of the middle shelf, and the 3 gallon to the left of the basket.

 

 

  We saw Ed a few days ago and he is too busy to come back anytime soon, so I'll just pick up the crown moulding and registers from the floor and move them elsewhere until after the holidays.

 

I'm finally starting a sampler tonight and have three four five in mind.  Decisions, decisions.  They range from very large to small.  Small would be the better choice, but they are all kitted and ready.

Have a wonderful weekend and a safe Friday the 13th!

Thanks for taking time to visit.

 

 

 

Who wants a Schooler chart?

Greetings from once again covered with white crap PA.  Before I forget - to Kathy who requested info on the large Postman Santa - you are no-reply so I couldn't send a close-up.  But a larger photo and the source is on the Stitcher's Christmas page under my header.  Now.  Here's the confusing stuff.  I told you that Connie generously offered some of our favorite Schooler Santa charts to me and said to offer them to others if I had duplicates.  Well, I do, so I will.  Here's the catch - with that same spirit, you must pass the charts on to other stitchers when you're done. These are books 43, 53, 58, and 62.

I would like to have 4 separate drawings because many of you already have one or more.  Having you specify the book you would like won't help because Random may draw 4 names that want the same.  So I'm listing one book on one page.  Under the header photo, click on the BOOK # tab to see each one and leave your comment on the page of the book you would like.  Geez I hope this works.  If it doesn't, I'll start over with individual offers.  Don't forget your initials if you're anonymous or no-reply!!

 

In others news, I have an A&E and a lamb box left, and I think I will make two more and offer them this weekend.  I will do a post when they are ready if anyone is interested.

I got an email from Maureen in Canada, who used one of my pear designs to stitch (in silk) eleven different colors for her assistants' gifts.  Beautiful!  Thank you Maureen!

  I loved this design many years ago from Barbara Bourgeau Richards and had it custom framed, but am tired of it.  Still love the big hipped family though.  Pierogis and pasta?  Or Mounds bars?

 

And this is Niky's little free chart that I mentioned.  So quick.  I'm not sure how I will finish it.  And that's about it.  I have some other Santa cards to offer but it's too much right now so I'll wait.  I want to thank Connie again for offering these charts.  You will make several stitchers very happy Connie!!!  And remember - pay it forward.

That's all folks. 

 I got my little parlor cleaned out and found some of my smalls stuck in a basket.  Floss is all back in the floss box and linen (that was thrown everywhere) is ready to be sorted and returned to the drawers.  The only thing I never misplace is my Dove with almonds.  And my yellow car.

Thank you for visiting!

Enjoy the coming weekend.

 

Simpler...

but still too much.  And I left two trees in the attic!   My trees are small, the biggest is the six foot with the Santas, but it's still becoming a real chore to decorate them.  Do you follow the same scheme every year?  I think if I did, it would be a lot easier than changing things every year.  Next year may be fresh greens on cupboard doors and shelves, pomanders, no trees.  Who am I kidding.

 

This little tree was a tall alpine last year and I pulled the trunk off the stand, cut a foot off, trimmed the branches by several inches, and I like it now.  With all the PS Santas on one tree, I simplified the mantel this year.  Instead of spreading the other smalls around, I hung them from the large basket.

How?  These are all .... what the heck do you call little puffy things that can't hang ..... tucks?  Pillows?  Little puffy things? 

This is how I hang my stitchery because I'm always changing my mind and don't want to have sewn in hangers showing.  But for the basket, this was easier.  The safety pin is vertical and I can use the wire hooks which are easily bent to the height I need.  The further down on the back, the flatter it hangs.  Such an easy no sew way to allow changes.  And I'm all about changes.

 
 
 
 

I started stitching Niky's little free design that you can find here. So small and quick and cute.  I need something like that before I start a sampler.   I want to order her Primitive Christmas pattern too, but as usual, I procrastinate.

 I have all the gifts bought and finally found a cup holder for my cousin's wheelchair that is stable and sturdy, plus other accessories to make it easier for her.  I had everything shipped direct to CA so that's taken care of.

I can't wait until Frazier is back on at night and Lucy in the morning.  The new comedies are not funny to me.  I guess I'm just old, but their situations and constant mention of smoking weed are so gratuitous and really not funny.  Give me Frazier and Raymond and Seinfeld and MASH and Cheers, back when writers had talent and networks didn't have agendas.  I wish Hallmark would run Gleason's Honeymooners once in a while.  Yes, I'm old!

 

Thank you all for taking time to visit and welcome to new followers!

Hope your week is going well.

 

 

 

Santa tree

Hiya.  Regarding the prior post, I have no idea how the tiny bit of bleach will affect the floss in years to come.  I'm assuming it will be OK since it was just touched lightly, but you never know!  By the time it deteriorates, I may be gone.  If not, I'll stitch them again on linen.  So the correct answer to daredevil or stupid, won't be known for a while.  Stitching white after staining is the best practice, but these are 20 years old and I wanted to darken the light green fabric.  Removing the stuffing and dunking in cold water would certainly be a good idea, but I'm lazy. Anything other than a full rinse would allow the bleach to seep to the fabric.   But if I rinse them, the coffee stain will change too. Actually, taking them apart wouldn't be a bad idea because back then, I didn't use fusible interfacing and the difference between these and my recent finishes is huge.  I really prefer the structure and firm feel of the fusible and should do that.  Later.  And here they are with the others.

All Prairie Schoolers topped with a Mary Beale wreath, rusty stars and bells.

Unlit

 

With lights.

 

 Other than a few sprigs of greenery here and there, I'm done.

Thanks for visiting!