Struggling

When you must struggle to pick up that needle, and it becomes a chore instead of a pleasure, it's time.  It happens, but when it continues for months, a serious reassessment is in order. 

I can't even finish this tiny sampler.

 

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Bean me up Scotty

A big thank you for your help!  The black votes won and with more Bondo and a grinder, I am happy to say the bean has landed.  I thought about black knobs, but I put a lot of work into these wood ones, staining, painting, aging, chipping, sealing, so decided against that.  Using black handles on all the drawers would be too much.  Especially with the size of this handle, not the typical 4" but 7".  I wanted it larger to balance the 24" width and also to be able to hang a towel or cloth through it.  So with grinder in hand, Mark reduced the big bean to smaller beans and we are both feeling this is a much better look.  Baby bean.

 

The holes of the larger beans had to be filled and with a skinny dowel, glue, and Bondo, a fresh coat of paint covered those screw holes nicely. Even after sanding there will be some red Bondo left and I don't know if a stain will blend it.  Since we paint most all wood it's not a problem for us.

Doesn't look as bulky now does it?  And it still matches the bean towel holder.  I bought it so many years ago, probably at a shop in Volant, and haven't found another one even close. 

 

Found out that the last remaining antique market we had closed at the end of 2017.  There is nothing left around here.

 

And with the a few coats of matte polyurethane, I don't have to worry about the black finish wearing off or the iron rusting with a damp towel. 

 

DONE!  Except for the legs but with continual rain, it's hard to  do any cutting outside.  Sorry I've bored you with the bean saga but I've been using it as an excuse to not stitch and felt documenting that justified it.  Did it work?

 

Have a great weekend!!

 

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Beans of a different color

HELP! 

Because of the towel holder,

and the closet door handles in other rooms (which is the same handle as the dishwasher),

and having black hinges on the cabinets, I thought the panel's handle should be black.  Mark always thought the knobs should be but I vetoed that from the start.  I have an extra handle (Gemini people always buy in two's) and painted it the color of the cabinets which Mark prefers over this....

It does blend in but now I can't decide if the black or painted would be better.  Would you mind offering your opinion to a fickle pickle? 

Same color as the cabinets or leave it black? 

 

We got my sister's dilemma resolved, she misunderstood and will be responsible for paying back a few months of help, not all those years.  She gets confused when she is upset.  I get confused all the time. 

 

We had another warm day but it's ending and the chill is coming back.  Can you believe next week is March already?  I really hate to change February's fabulous desktop calendar but I'll get over it.

 

Enjoy what's left!

 

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Melt-away

is one of my favorite candies from the chocolate shop, it's what is happening to the snow, but unfortunately not to my hips.  I am so tired of following guidelines and getting no where.  Even started exercising (with one arm) and I gained two pounds.  Makes me want to stuff my face with Dove.

 

I still have not located my current tiny project but we've been pretty busy.  After waiting over a year to find someone that has the profile cutter for our raised panels (and then finding out the hundreds it would cost for them to set it up for only one door), we decided to wing it.  The cabinet doors and two top drawers from the old sink base were too large for the dishwasher panel.  Since we had no where else to use them, we cut them in half, glued, filled with Bondo, sanded and painted.  Voila.

 

We made one drawer front from two and cut the two doors to fit.  Bondo was new to us (it's for cars) but a cabinetmaker told us he uses it exclusively so we bought the smallest tube.  Does not shrink like every wood filler we have tried, sands so easily, and fills beautifully.  We finally have a dishwasher panel.  The hinges were cut down and attached and a bean style Acorn handle will go on the drawer front.  Right now we have a string applied to open in case it happens to close completely. 

 

The handle's beans were large and Mark ground them down somewhat, and the black paint is drying.  Tomorrow we will have it completed.  It was a real hassle for us to get it centered and lined up with the screw holes since this dishwasher moves.  It's a Bosch and having a stone countertop does not allow top clips to be screwed in, so the side clips were used.  Useless.  It can still move a little.  But it is what it is and finally finished.  All the little shaker knobs that I love (cabinet to the right) will be replaced with the shaker style on the new panel.  We've always found great wood knobs and screws here https://niceknobs.com/.

 

 

The leg/skirt on the right one with be removed and a new one made the full width to the sink.  I guess we will also need the wood stained board to cover the base.  After all this, a piece of cake!  Cake.  Yummo.  Make a pistachio 13 x 9 with the quick pistachio icing and it was light and luscious.  Just a small piece, it was taken to my sister's for her grandson's birthday.  Thank goodness.

 

Mark's MRI is Friday and we've been back and forth to the doc.  I bought a new wrist BP monitor from Target online (Omron 7 series #652) and it's so much lighter and easier than our old one.  This has a blue light that tells you when it is in the correct alignment with your heart for an accurate reading.  Many do not know how important that is and the older units did not have it.  Turns out that the Mr.'s BP was over 180/110.  Consistently.  Even when he doubled his BP meds.  All else is fine but even the new plan with two different meds are not working that well.  Back again!  Good thing we got the new cuff.  Much easier to use than our old one.

 

Hope all is well with y'all.  I plan to get back to ridding and I'm sure I will find my project.  But I really do not miss stitching at all.  So why did I rush to purchase SANQ hardcover volume 2 when I saw Melinda's huswife from it?  Who knows.

 

My sister is in a panic because she has been cut off from utility bill help.  She is well below the income levels and always received help with her power bill.  A letter came last week stating that she did not recertify in time even though she mailed it two weeks before it was due.  Guess who her postal carrier is?  (Has anyone read the comment left on the prior post from Penny?)  So now she is trying to rectify the situation but they don't really care and in order to get back on, she must reimburse the agency for all monies they contributed the last 10 years.  Are you kidding me?  Nope. 

 

I hope your week is going well.

Spring is coming.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Vintage ribbon

Hello everyone.  I have a little over eight yards of this 3/8" embroidered ribbon, white with pink and blue flowers, that I have no use for.  I purchased two cards of this decades ago, aged one to a nice beige, and have this original white left.  If anyone would like it for a little girl's dress or other projects, I will send in a bubble envelope for $5.00 which includes shipping.
SOLD!

 

 

 

Missy was enjoying the 60 degrees today and getting some fresh air. 

 

I haven't found the little project I have been working on since I last showed it.  It's somewhere! 

 

And about my mail carrier.  Complaints have been plentiful for years since she started as a fill-in.  She just doesn't have the common sense to do the job and hardly ever picks up mail from the box.  It's not that she doesn't see it, she moves it out of the way to throw in the day's delivery.  Today, she left my package on the front (uncovered) porch and exposed from beneath it on the WET deck I found the rest of our mail, bills and a check, sopping wet and smeared from the rain.  Too fricking lazy and stupid to put it where it belongs, IN THE MAILBOX.  This is so ridiculous that government employees incapable or unwilling to work cannot be fired or at least put in a different position. 

 

Turning the corner to February's close, before you know it, we'll be thinking of flowers.  But that is not what everyone's thoughts are of today.

 

Let me know if you would like the ribbon.

Thanks for visiting.

 

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A bag of rice ...

a little sewing, and a new neck warmer is born.  I used all cotton fabric for the inside bag, added less than 1 1/2 cups of rice in each of the four sections, and made a removable cover for washing.  Following my current ratty warmer, the fabric is 24" x 12", folded over and sewn with 1/2" seam on the long edge and one end.  Turned right side out, FriXion pen marked a straight line every 6 inches for seams, and cuffed it over on itself so there aren't any folds for rice to settle in.  After filling each section, I pinned as if I was quilting 1/2" from the seam mark, and sewed.  This kept the rice from moving into the seam and allowed enough room for the machine foot.

The final edge section was folded under 1/2" and sewn shut.  I used a checked linen dish towel which was two inches longer than the inside bag, seamed and trimmed to the right width, and added two handles made from the same.

I didn't want to use a heavier towel but a thin terry one works well too.  Any material used throughout must be 100% cotton, linen, or wool, no synthetics which may melt in the microwave when heating.  I need to attach and large wooden button and loop to prevent the rice bag from slipping out, or maybe just sew a few basting stitches across the center.  It's only a few inches to remove for washing and I doubt that would be frequent.  My next one will be buckwheat, assuming it would be much lighter than the rice.  Even though the rice sits heavy on my neck, that weight sometimes feels good.  I heat mine for 2 1/2 minutes on high in a small 700 watt microwave.

 

Mark's foot has suddenly flared up again, back in the boot, and an MRI will be scheduled.  Doc thinks surgery may be on the horizon.  As for my shoulder/bicep, one week after the injection and today it is very painful at the joint for some reason.  No change in the bicep yet, maybe this new pain means it's healing somewhat and I will soon be able to lift high enough to apply deodorant.  That would be nice for all concerned.

 

Hope the week is going well.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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