Sep 15, 2018

Well that took forever

It's been two days of fooling around with these charts to get them listed and obviously too cheap for the time involved!!  You can view the charts by clicking the Prairie Schooler page link below the blog header photo.  Not sure how that works for those of you using a phone.  Sale starts tomorrow night (Sunday).  I need a treat.  Will post the pumpkin zucchini bread tomorrow.  Nite!!

Sep 12, 2018

I'm not a featherweight


I saw Vonna's post about sewing machines, namely, the vintage Singer Featherweight.  It looked like mine.  So I opened the case and thought it was.  But it wasn't.  The darn thing is heavy!  I checked the model numbers and mine begins with AG 516.  After WWII, the numbers start back up with AG 526. 
 

 
 
 
 
But still, it was mom's and she treasured it.  I do think they are pretty with the stenciling and the fancy silver.  I have attachments for it but I use my other machine, not quite as vintage but still an old metal model.  And I still have the black Singer toy in box and it works.

 
 
 
 
Another reason I am not personally a featherweight ....
fried green tomatoes.
Crumble Feta cheese over and drizzle Ariston balsamic.  I have reduced balsamic to a syrup and it tastes just as good, but Ariston is handy, already a syrup.



 
 

I was going through the linen and came across the Birds of a Feather pieces that I need to figure a price for.  Do not want.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As for the PS charts, I was bombarded with requests for purchase from the entire lot to individual numbers.  I haven't priced them yet and will post a sale date, and let you know then.  Not easy because some of the charts are getting a low price and some quite a bit higher.  This Sparrow linen sold for $30 + ship for a 13 x 17 piece!  When items are no longer available it makes it more difficult.   Hopefully I will work it out this weekend, I know I keep saying that, but my sister still isn't doing much for herself even though the doc was very pleased with all her results.  She has a habit of milking it for all its worth.  She has never ever talked about after she is gone, but she sure has been doing that lately.  She's getting rid of things, giving items to family members, calling friends she has neglected.  Weird.
 
Anyway, for sure this weekend I will let you know about the chart sale for PS, the samplers another time.  It will probably be here and on my Facebook page. 
 
There isn't much I can do to help those in the path of the storm, please be overly cautious and take no chances.
 
Pumpkin zucchini bread this afternoon.
Thanks for visiting.
 
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Sep 10, 2018

Budman's 2 cents

I don't think he wants me to sell the Prairie Schoolers.  For those of you asking, these are all OLD charts starting with #9 and going to #88, but not every leaflet in sequence.  In case there is one you've been looking for, here are the numbers.
 
9   10   13    14   16   17  19   20   21   23   24   25   28   29   31   32   35   36   37   38   41   42   43   44   45   47   48   51   53   56   58   59   62   73   80   88
 
Many have Betty's name written on the front in black marker.  Still not sure if I will use EBay, but it's so easy to print a shipping label from that site rather than email back and forth for info for this number of charts.  I'm sure most of these old ones have already been stitched or are in a stash and Ebay would reach a greater number of stitchers.  Who thinks I will get disgusted with the amount of time involved and take them to Goodwill?  Raise your hand ... I know you're out there!!
 
Air conditioning in 90 degree heat three days ago and the furnace is now running along with three days of solid rain.  It should stop Tuesday.  Let's see how I make out with the wheelchair in windy rain today for her doc appt.  There is never a handicapped space open.  She will be getting her flu shot and sometimes I wonder how much protection it offers.  Last early spring she was the sickest from influenza than ever in her life.  Several stitchers were too, and many had the shot.  They start the vaccine production so early that it doesn't always contain the right strains which is what happened last year.  We still get them, but with today's advances in medicine why can't they offer more current protection with second doses?  Or something. 
 
Have a good start to a great week.
 
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Sep 9, 2018

Climbing out of a slump

may be helped by organization.  When I don't feel like stitching, having to search for a chart in random piles, look for the right color of linen (and what is that count?), try to find the right pre-cut size, and then wonder why floss bags are missing from their chest, does not spur my mojo.  So while going through what to keep I decided to finally make some changes.  The clear sheet protectors were purchased long ago to protect the hundreds of freebie copies and small designs and group them in 3 ring binders.  So many of you organize your charts and I should have followed your lead years ago! I filled two paper grocery bags with duplicates and downloads to discard and now have a binder for Christmas, freebies, and a small one with tips and help, many hand written notes from readers.  Really nice to just flip through and see my options.  This thinning was done once before yet I still kept so many designs thinking I may one day like them enough to stitch.  If I haven't by now, I won't, and out they went.  I don't know if this will encourage me to pick up a needle again but making it more enjoyable to browse charts is certainly a step in the right direction.  No more loose papers in folders.  The large samplers will stay in a box, I'm only thinking of smalls right now.  To make this even easier, I may insert linen pieces between the two pages in the protector.
 
In addition to a box of old PS designs, this pile will be leaving, and I haven't gone through my completed charts yet, many of which I want to keep and that puzzles me.  I've already stitched it, why do I need it?  A few I may want to stitch again, but certainly not the large ones.  Yet there is an attachment.  My very first sampler charts decades ago, Safrona Ager, Lydia Bond, Hannah Breed, were thrown away and I wish I hadn't done that.  The charts are still available and I've considered buying them, but why?  To keep in a file?  I've resisted and do not plan to add charts already stitched to the stash (which is now very small).  The task of scanning and describing condition for so many will be a royal PITA.  Almost all are unused which helps.
 
I'm glad I finally organized somewhat and found a few designs that I may want to work on.  Are they new to me?  Nope.  Already stitched them but since I don't really want any other pieces for display, they will be gifts or offers.  It may feel good to pull that thread through the linen, but it may not.  I've been putting it off like a trip to the dentist, and honestly, if it wasn't for blogging and the FB stitching groups, I would pack everything away. 
 
Thanks for visiting.
 
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Sep 8, 2018

And the sorting begins

Do you have one or two smalls that you love more than the others?  I do.  And I like having them on cords so I can move them at whim.  I hang them from frame corners, knobs, hooks, basket handles, window candles, sconces, sash locks, just about anywhere but on a cat.
 
 Especially when it's hot.
 
Or a drastic change in a day to cool and rainy.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So I started thinking about what I want to keep and what I want to sell.  Here's what I chose to keep, and my favorite smalls.
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 Chums was a gift and never leaving but it shows how tiny the sampler is.  The rest of the pieces are iffy right now.  I know you think I'm off kilter for selling and you're probably right.  I've sold larger samplers before, and had no regrets, but that doesn't mean I won't now.  Why not put them away and think about it later?  Good idea, they would not take much room to store.  But I still feel the need to clean the slate and refresh.  Now, the samplers may be a different story.  The work involved was considerable for their size but there are some that I once loved and are now just tolerable.  Not because of the design, mostly because of my fabric choice or it has been hanging for too long and I am just tired of it.  That happens a lot with me which is why I am always wanting to change something in the house.  Usually by the time a contractor comes or a color is chosen, enough time has passed that I have already moved on with a new plan!
 
Shaker Woods Antique show in Columbiana Ohio is this weekend and we are getting an all day rain, they already cancelled day two.  Such a shame.  We go all summer with hardly a drop and when vendors set up, mostly outside, this happens.  It's needed but did it have to be this weekend?
 
Hope your weekend goes well. 
We went from over 90 to under 70 and I am crabby as hell.
I'll get over it.  In June 2019.
 
Stay safe!!
 
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Sep 6, 2018

Oh those wheelchairs

One of the reasons Lucy is a crabby girl.
One of the hundreds that I am.
 
 
 
Mark insisted we go for blood work today since he is golfing Friday.  Parking and then going inside to get a wheelchair, back to car for her, back inside, is a hassle because of the design of this idiotic medical center.  Handicapped parking (or any other) is no where near the entrance made to be more grand than functional.  They were packed and as much as I am indecisive, my husband is impatient.  But we stayed.  Until we found out that the doctor failed to sign the orders.  Back to the car, to the doctors, back to the clinic.  Still packed.  I chose the wheelchair with less width since I was scraping the door frames last time.  Much better.  As we sat waiting to be called, I told Carole to put the foot rests down.  No.  She didn't want to because she always lifts her feet or dangles them from those very short chubby legs.  I said, put the damn foot rests down.  No.  I couldn't reach them from the position of my seat so I reached over with her cane to push the flippers down.  Unfortunately, it slipped off and, well, let's just say she had more color in her face than I've seen in weeks.  And I started that laugh again that should never be done in public.  It's not loud, it just creates a very unattractive face scrunch that scares small children followed by a low snort.  Then she started.  And we hear our names being called so I unlock the wheel and start pushing the chair.  If I would have unlocked both wheels, she would not have done a semi circle and hit into the magazine table.  Now the scrunch is severe, squinting my eyes almost shut, causing me to misjudge the door.  We made it home safely, but needed to change our pants.
 
 
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