Picking away

Stitches, that is.  Did it last project, and even though the current has only two colors, did it again.  I like black in a design and even as the entire work, but adding just one other color made it .... I don't know ..... muddy.  The recommended 646 was so blah with the black so I removed it and tried a more brownish gray, 3787.  Adios.  Gone.  Then I realized that something with a smidge of color will accent the black, not muddy it. 

 

So I moved on to 3011, dark and neutral, grayish but green.  Or green but grayish.  Happy dance.  Now I can fill in the area that was removed twice before.  The border was to be the 4-sided stitch but I didn't read that until it was too late.

 

My heart goes out to the families affected by the recent tragedy, but from now on, I will avoid mentioning anything related to current events.  I am so disgusted with the name calling, labeling, shouting, intolerance, and hate from hypocrites doing exactly what they are accusing others of.  I need to keep my mouth shut.  I wish others had enough respect for themselves and this country to do the same and express their opinion with an ounce of dignity.  Not with Facebook shares of stories they don't even know are true.

 

Hope your week is peaceful.

 

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A tray for smalls

Greetings folks.  Went to the mall's antique store today and came home with a divided wood tray from either a chest or tool box.  I've bought these before and most all from tool boxes are grimy and greasy.  This cleaned up easily, mostly just dust.

 

I wanted to get some of the mini samplers out of the bowls so I can see the entire piece which was the reason for the purchase.  Turning it to vertical changes the size of the smalls that I can use.  I like this better and will hang it between the door frames of two closets. 

Or...

Polyurethane the inside, drill a few small holes, run a wire through across the front.  Hang in the bath with extra rolled cloths, soaps, and lotions. 

Well I can see this will become another piece that hangs around because I can't decide where it's going or what it will be.  Just add it to the pile.

 

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From chunky to paté

Hey all.  How has your week been so far?  Hard to believe half of June will be over soon.  I had the furnace on yesterday and this morning.  So cold the tomato leaves were shivering.  Garden looks good, the Enforcer has been working well to scare away the deer.

 

I bought this little Rival brand $9 chopper at Walmart for the brats' food.  They walk away from the same old pate flavors and lick the sauce off the chunks and shreds.  My wrist was getting so tired of chopping and I thought this little gadget may do the trick.  It did. 

Doesn't puree like my Ninja (♥!) but it chops fine.  A quick rinse, a drop of dish soap with a little water, a quick whirl, and it's clean.  From chunk to pate in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I came up with a finishing idea for the PS, made a template, left it up to my husband whether it will be heart or lollipop.  He chose the pop and I agree.  I made two other ends, these were my favorites, but it may end up being simple and basic.  Hornbook handles were at the bottom, to be held up and read.  This isn't a sampler with letters mimicking the antiques, so the top is my preference. Holes for threads can be on the bottom, which confuses me.  I see many that are combination hornbook/thread palettes. What are your thoughts?  Upright for hanging?  Thread holes?

 

The sampler notebook I referred to previously, is a notebook that I attach one of my labels to so it looks nice lying about.  It's not for stitchery, it's for all the unfinished house projects, intentions that I speak of, phone calls I should make, and never do.  I need to rein in the procrastinating and that sounded like a good plan.  No I didn't make the notebook yet.  Not a good start, huh?

 

Working on the black sampler and will offer it to a reader when I'm finished, paying it forward as it was gifted to me.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

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Black

Black painted swings.  Black tuxedo cats. 

 

 

Black sampler.

 

Frances gifted me this sweet sampler, black threads with one other neutral thread in a few places.  Not very big, not complicated, I received it in the mail and looked no further for the next project.  Still nursing a slump and the less color change and counting the better.  Thank you again Frances.  My only change (you know there has to be something that bugs me) may be to a higher linen count.  This is 28 and I love 30, closing in on 32 recently.  I may bundle up my excessive amount of 28 and store it somewhere, and then order small pieces of 30 and 32 because as you know, I can't bring myself to cut a large piece of linen.  My reasoning (if you call it that) is that I have several very large samplers and do not want to cut a piece that would be perfect.  So I plan to kit those large projects and once the linen is set aside, I'm free to run with scissors.  But all these things I say I will do, never get done.  My procrastinating affliction is out of control.  I made a sampler notebook, and in it will post items that need to be taken care of from simple to complex.  Every day, at least one of them must be done or no chocolate.  The notebook is staying on the bench by my sofa so it doesn't get lost.  Wish me luck.

 

Finishing on the PS project may be just ordinary.  I have a wood box with a recessed flip lid, perfect for a padded top with interior storage but it's just a hair too short for this design.  It looks great as a drum, but I cannot find any fabric that is compatible with this blue and there is not enough linen left since it was my test sample. But I can squeak out enough of it for an envelope back.  I wanted something different and special but I don't think it will be.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Am I done or am I not

The only thing I may change is the door frame. 

I'm almost ashamed to tell you, but I have no shame so here goes.  Each leaf area in 734 was removed and stitched again.  Yep.  I loved that color against this blue/gray but after all the leaves were done, it was too much.  So this is 3013 with the darker 3012.  Better.  This is very hard to photograph and I had to tone down the color, it's brighter than this appears.   Two errors, the first is in height.  I started the vine with the house bottom and it should have been up one (should be one row of the vine beneath the house).  So why is the roof in correct count to the leaf above it?  The second is in width on the right side by one stitch.  My stitches are very wonky in this piece and of course there are errors, but do they bother you?  Do you think I make good choices with your help on the colors?  I hope so.  Because once sewn, this is my birthday giveaway.  If things go wrong and it is thrown out the window, well... I guess it will be something else.  Details this week, along with a few boxes that I didn't get to yet.

 

I have to tell you what happened this morning.  There are only a handful of  McDonalds that offer sausage gravy and biscuits, we are lucky to have one in Hubbard Ohio.  They. are. fabulous.  Really.   In walks a man with the physique of a body builder, the V-shape of huge shoulders whittling down to tight abs.  Then we saw his hat.  It was a Navy Seal hat.  Some people get excited around celebrities, these guys are mine.  I so wanted to go shake his hand, but he never got off his phone, ate quickly and left.  But was he?  Anyone can buy the hat which to me is wrong.  We'll never know.

 

Have a good one!

 

Thanks for your help and patience with this project.

 

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When I say I am weird,

I'm sure by now you know I speak the truth.

 

And you're wondering when I will finish this fruit'in fox.  Soon.  And then you will understand more about why I was always asking your opinion, which I really appreciate and thank you for.

 

After reading your comments, some of which STILL do not come through to my email thank you very much Google, I wondered if the brown would be better. 

 A little trick I do, is to use Photo Gallery and Paint to change color and placements on areas where allowable.  So I changed the color to brown to see how it would look.  I'm not crazy about it, but am leaning toward removing the black stitches and using the brown, either 3031 or 3371.  I just tossed the browns on the linen originally, this manipulated photo is a better representation.  It's a little time consuming but I have my methods honed since I do the same for the box labels.  Lots of cut copy paste resize rotate!  I'd rather see this before I remove and change only to find out I don't like it. 

 

 

I didn't take into account the black stitches on the fox, and those will show better without all the other black.  I guess when you change everything, charting the entire design in chosen colors before you start would be a MUCH better idea than winging it as you go.  I've learned a lesson.  So tonight, another removal and color change, but if it's for the better it will be worth it.  And every time I create more work for myself, I get an extra piece of chocolate.  So far, this fox had 2 bags of Dove.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

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