The Next Step Sampler

 

Hi ho people! While you're picking pears, I'm stitching a little. And I mean little! I want to stitch a few of these for gifts and the chart is an oldie from The Needle's Prayse called The Next Step Sampler. It uses a variety of stitches (instructions included) without getting involved in a large piece. The outside border is rice, first band is 4-sided, another is herringbone, then there's reversible, the dreaded Queen, a few eyelets and Smyrna cross.  A nice project for trying new stitches in very small sections.

Or substitute regular cross for most as I did.   I'm a lazy stitch wimp as we already know.  All I want to do is make little crosses on a simple marking sampler without fancy stuff and constant thread changes, so I stitched what I wanted and even left off the Queen band completely.
 

I think this one will stay with me.  I plan on using it as a pocket on the outside of my old jeans pocket and adding leather lacing for a hanging strap.  I always cut off my pockets as a memorial to a once smaller behind.  I use them for a variety of projects and even sew them to sweatshirts.  This one is larger than the standard jean pocket.

The finished size of this design on 30 count with my changes is 3 ¼" x 4" -  a perfect size to hang from a cupboard knob.  Hmm.  Maybe I'll ditch the denim.

I didn't get a reply from CalamityJr about her choice so I can't draw another name yet.  While looking for the next project, I found two other pears that I charted but never stitched.  Maybe I'll stitch them and offer the charts. 

 

Enjoy your hump day!

 

 

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Three left!

Tired of this yet?
   CalamityJr will be choosing one of these three.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another favorite plant, the Black Scallop Ajuga.  This fast growing ground cover has beautiful blue flowers in spring, and one little plant can fill in like this in one year. 

 

 

 

 

It forms a really dense mat, so thick and low that a chipmunk can't get in to hide.  I had to rescue three babies from the brats.  Nitzy is the worst and most wild of the three.

 

 

Speaking of them...

 

 

 

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Second drawing

Good day!  I hope so anyway.  Amazingly, I didn't accidentally close the tab and Random can still scramble.   Carol - come on down!  You're the next contestant on To Pick a Pear!  

 

 

My Blue Angel hostas.  LOVE these leaves.

It seems Missy and I have the same attitude.

 

 

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And the first winner is...

wait a minute.  Here's the plan.  Rather than doing this several more times, I am going to keep Random's page open, remove the previous winner, scramble again, and post another winner until they are gone.  I will show the remaining designs after the winners choose, and if you are selected but not interested in what's left, you can decline the offer.  I'll just keep going with the entries - no need to enter again.  

 

Winner of the first drawing is Nancy P. and I will be emailing her shortly.

 

 Still very surprised when trying to reply to comments that more and more have become no-reply.  And when I click on names to check for new blogs, because I am not registered as Google+, I can't view anything. 

 

I've been painting and working outside, trying to get out of the menomushball crying jags that started a few weeks ago.  It will pass, always does.  The only constant in this hormone hell is attitude.  The Queen has her crown and will never leave Bitchdom.  Do NOT touch my crown.  Ever.

 

Be back with another winner soon. 

 

 

 

 

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Father's Day

To those of us that lost our dads
today will bring some tears.

To those of you that have your dads
give hugs and hold them near.

For there will come a time when
you'll look back upon the years,

And wish you had just one more day
with the Dad you held so dear.

I knew that time would come and
it was one of my biggest fears.

But I didn't know that time wouldn't lessen
the pain of not having him here.

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Happy Flag Day

Greetings on this sunny Saturday.  I hope your weekend is off to a great start.  I just had to post this and share.  I think I may have come up with the perfect putty formula.  Enough pink tones to not turn green under lights, enough warmth to not be cold, darker than cream but lighter than a mid tone.  Eureka!!!   The little sample jars are great and believe me I bought a ton of them, but you can't get the exact breakdown of tints in such a small amount.  All my dark samples were dumped into a plastic coffee can, same with the lights, and after mixing well, the color is not bad!  I'm sure I can use them somewhere.   Here is the new and possibly FINAL formula. 

AXL 0...6    CL-0...96   LL-0...345

 

 

 

 

If you happen to be around Hobby Lobby, stop in for their clearance of Sullivan floss.  NINE cents a skein!  I found them on the clearance wall, not with the DMC.  Did I need floss?  Absolutely not, but I can't pass a bargain and some colors are a little nicer than the DMC match.

The cats are content!  I keep a folded cardboard box here and this is where I sprinkle and rub in catnip.  They love to slide around the cardboard when rolling from their high.  Then they sleep!

 

I'll be painting this afternoon, and this time, it will not change. Famous words, huh?

I can't believe how bad my memory has become. I may have to start sleeping in my bra so I don't forget it when dressing. Not than anyone could tell the difference, but I have a habit of flapping my top during a hot flash and that may create a different type of flashing.

Not pretty.

Have a great day!!!

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