On a rainy day

...I made two dishes of kugel (brother and sister split one)

 

leaving out some noodles for a snack

 

shelled the Easter eggs for pickling in the pickled beet juice from the cwikla

 

and here's my progress on organizing.

I really appreciate your tips.  I'm going to try the sizing that Marilyn mentioned, will decide if color or count are more important as a few of you pointed out, and dream about having a system like Jeanne.  But not until I devour the kugel (recipe here).

My little sweet raccoon (Budette) is failing fast.  She is having trouble walking, still coming for food, and we know she is old and her end is near.  So sad.  She is just so cute and docile.  My brother has a blind groundhog that has lived under a neighbor's shed for two years.  He made it through winter and is terribly thin.  When he hears Ron he will run toward the footsteps and hit into him.  He is enjoying carrots and greens and apples but he has to have the food in a pile for the critter to bump into or he can't find it.  A roaming pit bull was pushing him from behind with his nose and Ron went out to scare him away.  Some dogs will kill groundhogs but he didn't. 

 

Appointments for myself and Carole every day the rest of the week. 

 

The sun is starting to come out so I'm going outside to sink into the mud.

 

Have a great day!

 

Thanks for reading a boring post.

 

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Winner

Greetings all!  The Nash chart is going to Monica from The Hoopless Stitcher.  I will be emailing you this evening for your address.  Thanks to everyone for your interest! 

 

In the current newsletter from the Essamplaire, they offered a link to a video (48 minutes long) from the Saco Museum showing their exhibit of Maine samplers.  The close ups aren't clear but you get to see a great group of antique samplers while listening to their history.  You can go to the site here, start the video and don't forget (like I did) to click the bottom right box to view it full screen. The video is certainly not the same as seeing these antiques in person, but it's the closest I will get so it was appreciated.

 The queen stitch borders of the first group were amazing and several near the last portion of video were on very dark linen.  I like.  Ann, whose wallets you've seen in a previous post, is working on a new one that is entirely queen stitches and I will show you her progress soon.  The project is from Ellen Chester (With My Needle) called A Work'd Pocketbook. 

That's it! 
See 'ya later.

Yours truly,
The crab-ass

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Linen limbo

Hope everyone had a great weekend and holiday. 

After a heated discussion with nephews at my sister's, I came home to relax and choose a new project.  This is what I deal with almost every time.

How do you organize linen?  I've tried using containers by color, drawers by count, kitting the projects, but I still have a mess.  When I test the floss colors, I end up with too many choices pulled, some from the count drawers, some from the color containers, tags come off, and another mess.  Now I have way too much 28 count, quite a bit of 30, and I'm leaning toward 32 and 35.  So I emptied the drawers and I'm starting over.  But how?  I'm thinking of going back to color.  All unbleached in one drawer, all neutral beiges in another, clear zippered envelopes with colors in the third.  Mystery and unwanted linen will go in the bottom and not be considered because they waste my time and confuse the heck out of me. I do not like soft linen and several that I ordered online are, but I love the color.  Maybe use a little spray starch and move them up a drawer?  So how do you organize and keep track of your fabric inventory?   

This evening I also browsed online shops for more linen in higher counts and tried to imagine what they look like.  Ridiculous isn't it?  All sized 13 x 18, no more large pieces since I have a phobia about cutting into them.  I am so weird, in a bad mood, cranky, a real crab-ass.  No project was chosen and when the crab loses her claws, she'll start over again.

 

Have a crabless day everyone.

Hope I remember the drawing!

 

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Happy Easter

Kielbasa in my Polish grandmother's dish, cwikla in Mom's.

I always use a serving dish of those to be remembered for holidays.  Aunt Nancy's compote dish has the fruit salad.  Wishing everyone a peaceful and joyous Easter.

 

Thinking today of the latest 148 young people killed in Kenya, because of their Christian belief, and all the others brutally murdered before them.  There is no peace for those being persecuted.

 

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Pay it Forward

Hello to all.  Finished the 2011 Stacy Nash club pinkeep with a few changes.  The A and B on the chart is higher than it looks in the photo and I moved them both down, raised the top right flower by one stitch, changed the bottom left, and used 829 on the bee skep and key.

 

 

 This project didn't take very long.  I'm enjoying these smaller pieces but the longer I stay away from a larger sampler, the harder it will be to start one. 

So now it's time for me to follow Connie's lead and pass the chart to someone else, and whoever gets it will pass it to another stitcher. Deal?  To enter, leave a comment on this post, initials if anonymous or no-reply.  I will have Random choose a name on Monday evening about 8pm EST.

 

Until then, I wish you all a Happy Easter.

 

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Template for Spot pouch

I've received quite a few emails asking if I had a template for Spot's pouch, and thought this would be easier than attaching a file to reply.  For any new shape, I just fold paper and cut, then hold the cut-out behind the design in a window or against a light to see how the shape and size fits the stitchery.  Might be a more scientific way to see if the template will work, but I'm lazy and need a visual.  No interfacing since I wanted it soft and wrinkled. Then I pin in several places to center and secure, mark the outline with my  .... my ..... dammit.  I posted about that pen twice and can't remember the name!  You know, the one that disappears with the iron.  Isn't that frustrating?  You know what's more frustrating?  Looking for the pen to get the name and not being able to find it which is why I am not looking for it.  I'm absolutely positive it's not where it should be.  That's my pat answer to a sarcastic "you don't know where it is, do you?".  Yes I do.  It's where it shouldn't be.  Bingo.  Once again, he has to admit that I am right.  You don't have to know the answer to be right.
This is the template I used, sized for 40 count fabric.  Just increase on a copier for other counts.  This is the SEWING line, not the cutting line.  I didn't line it, just added the wool backing (and a piece to the top front), folded the excess top to the inside to create the drawstring casing, stitched in the ditch and trimmed excess.  Lots of online videos for that.
 Click to open in another window, then right click and print.
 Hope this helps to get your Spot on!