True or false?

Greetings!  How was your 4th?  Pretty noisy around here for days.  The picnic table's 1 1/2" pipe base and brackets were somehow bent.  Yep.  Putting it back together did not go smoothly.  I called my sister and asked how he was making out after about an hour, and she was sitting in her bedroom and not even watching.  I didn't know until hours later when he got home that there were major problems, but it's done.  She looked out the window when he was leaving and said it looks new.  Well of course it does!  He used the grinder on the rusted metal, filled the holes, sanded, painted it black, got all new wood for the top and benches.  Sometimes ..... well, never mind.

 

My Bubblegum petunias are doing well, some of the others are lagging behind, and when searching for growing tips I came across a bit of info that was unknown to me.  Seed pods.  After the tunia flowers and wilts, the bract that held it will develop seeds.  When the plant is putting out seeds, it believes it is dying and stops producing an abundance of flowers.  Makes sense I guess.  So I checked.  There were tons of them that the article said should be cut off.  They are green to brown and very hard, shaped like a Hershey's Kiss. 

Here's the difference.  You can also tell by feeling because the bud is very soft and the pod very hard.  So all along the stems where flowers had faded, there were pods, which I removed, and we'll see if it makes a difference. I didn't find the large ones on Bubblegum or the Supertunias, but all of the Wave petunias were loaded, some already brown and broke open. 

The article said this is mainly why the  Calibrachoa or Million Bells fail and die out in the center.  That and not enough cutting back.  Maybe the pods are too small to see on other varieties, maybe the guy didn't know what he was talking about and it doesn't make a difference in performance.  Does anyone know - true or false?

 

 

 

 

We finally have a few hot days coming which started today, and after Mark busted his butt working out in the sun, we cooled off with one of our favorite summer drinks, chocolate Coke.  Ice cold Coke, add a heaping measuring spoon (Tablespoon or more!) of Hersheys, whisk, add ice, oh baby.

 

He made my hornbooks for the two samplers and we've been to Lowe's, Home Depot, the local lumber shop, and NO one has a scroll saw.  Sears has one, their brand, and I guess it's our only option.  I do not want to order online sight unseen.  And Pat Catan's does not have the larger 6" round/tall box.  No more.  They only sell it in sets of seven now from 3" to 9".  I don't need them all and I will not order from web sources since quality is bad and I need to check each one.  Plus the price is almost double and I would have to pass that on.  Hobby Lobby had one, they break the sets open and sell individually so you get one at a time.  One more source about 45 minutes from here to check.

 

That's it folks.  I'm ready for another chocolate Coke.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Pin stitch

Almost forgot! - Susan's name was drawn as the chart winner.

Pin stitch?  Being isolated from shops and other stitchers, I had no idea about the pin stitch for .... isolated stitches!  You know about this don't you?  Well for others like me that don't, here 'ya go.  I was trying to keep off my feet so browsed a few sites and videos and found this method for those solitary stitches out in the middle of nowhere. Here's what I learned about the pin stitch, which I found done several ways but this was the best.  This method would secure an isolated stitch better with the multiple crossing. 

 

 

 

 

This method requires no special stitching and the single stitch only has one tail.  I use this loop method for all my stitching because it's a quick and secure start creating a neater back.  I know it's frowned upon by experienced stitchers, but I'll never be one and still like being a rebel.  The only tattoo I have is my eyebrows, so being a reckless stitcher makes me feel a little wild.  That says a lot.

 

"Hey lady!  You consider yourself a rebel, a little on the wild side.  Why is that?"

 

"Well Bubba, I use the loop method, my floss is twisted, I eat while stitching, have a drink nearby, rarely use a hoop, carry over too far, deliberately stain my work, wash and dry to age and wrinkle, use the hard stuff (glue), fringe edges, hang without framing, and sometimes .... I even knot.  And my tension is off the charts.  While others fear the needle and cloth, I show it no mercy.  And if I get any lip, I set it on fire and move on.  Be afraid Bub."

Yep that's me.  Big chicken clucking her way through life, but give me linen and floss and I am fearless.  Confused, indecisive, fusspotty, but fearless.  I mean reckless.

And you know what?  I think that's OK.  If I had to worry about proper this that and the other thing, I would not have the patience to stitch, nor enjoy it.  It's not going in a museum.  My pieces will end up at a garage sale when I'm gone so I don't care if they last 100 years.  I would love to have the talent and technique for an exquisite sampler but I don't, so I stitch for the enjoyment of seeing the finished piece and can't fret over my inadequacies.  I still fuss over errors, colors, and tension but in the end, the final result as a whole is more important to me.  The look more than the details.  Practicing the rules and methods, learning advanced techniques to become a proficient needleworker, striving to create a glorious result to be passed down to family is not the goal of all stitchers.  I don't have a need to justify my ways, but I've received a number of emails from readers worried about trying linen, different stitches, finishing, technique.  For anyone who wants to get back into stitching, just starting, or feeling their work is inadequate, just do it. You may end up with a perfect finish, you may end up like me.  And that's OK.  Learn what you can about needlework, stitch to the best of your ability, use the methods that you are comfortable with, and enjoy!

Yours in wonky tension,
The Reckless Stitcher

 

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Test samples for squares

I'm surprised at the number of entries for the chart - close to 50 so far!!  Hope I remember to draw a name tonight.
Happened again - I searched for the Sweet Liberty bag and was getting really mad, checked the blog, gave it away!

 

Foot is better, thank you all for your concern.  Body feels like I was in a car accident.  Very stiff and sore but I'll get over it.  Getting the wood and putting Carole's picnic table back together today.   Hope your day is more fun than that!!

 

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Happy 4th

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe Independence Day.

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Lydia C. Durgin

 

Ladder hang with Hannah Haines.

Hannah is black with 434, another great color to use in Lydia.  I went back to double check and found a post giving Hannah away.  No wonder I couldn't find her.  This happens so often that I think I should revisit the last several years' posts and see what I gave away.  Could very well be that I don't misplace as often as I think.  I don't have it anymore!  But isn't forgetting that I gave it away just as bad?

 

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The chart, the fall, the luck

Greetings to all.  But not to July.  Slow down!

 

First off, I want to pass on the chart that Frances was nice enough to send me, paying it forward.  It's Lydia  C. Durgin from Elizabeth's Garden.

 

I did not stitch the 4-sided border as charted, just did the regular cross stitch, and changed DMC 646 to DMC 3011.  I think reds, lavender, mustard, just about any color can be substituted.  The top band is all I need for a finish and I though the weekend would be the best time for everyone to see the offer.  Please email me - samplersandsantas@gmail.com if you would like to be included in the drawing Monday evening at 9pm.  Sometimes comments are not specific and I'm not sure if it's a comment or an entry so emails are better. 

 

I won't be doing much this weekend since I had another bad fall.  But luck was with me.  We were coming out of a locally owned hardware store and I slipped in a slurry of what looked like wet concrete.  This is under a roof and I think their cement bags had leaked, mixed with dripping water from the roof right in front of the parking lot and our car.  The first ankle twisted sideways and then the other slipped opposite as I tried to stop the fall. 

 I don't think there are any breaks but I can't twist or move my left foot much.  It's still cool so I had long jeans on which were covered in the cement, and only a few scrapes and cuts through my top. The luck part?  My head missed the 8" cement column holding up the roof by 1/2".  It was against my cheek when I tried to get up, after I destroyed the downspout attached to its side.  Yikes.  That would have been an ugly sound.   So I am wrapped, iced, and chewing Advils which so far, have done nothing.  Methinks tomorrow will be a bad day.  But I am still here to moan which is a good day.

 

I planned on taking a drive tomorrow to find boxes since there are none at Pat Catan's here.  Mark will help me so I may still get out and try to find them, including what I need for the corner squares.  Thanks for the input and sources.  Never knew there were charts for the tiny bags to hold them.  So stinkin' cute.

 

Have a great weekend, be safe!

Don't forget to email if you want the chart- HERE.

 

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