Shakespeare

Not my cup of tea, in fact, I dreaded having to read or study his works.  I have to have things laid out in print, simple storytelling, don't care about symbolism.  I still believe The Old Man and The Sea was a tale of a fisherman and a marlin, Moby Dick of a man and a whale.  I want to enjoy a story not speculate the underlying meaning. 

 

Anyway …..  the chart started as my knob hanger which was just another alphabet.  As I searched for something to relate to the crown, I stumbled across words from Shakespeare's Henry VI.  Have I read it?  No.  Do I want to?  No.  This is the quote....

 

“My Crown is in my heart, not on my head:
Not deck'd with Diamonds, and Indian stones:
Nor to be seen: my Crown is call'd Content,
A Crown it is, that seldom Kings enjoy.”

 

The front is the beginning and good enough, but I continued on the back because I liked the verse. 

 

Not able to chart it all in the limited space so I chose what would fit and make sense, each section a different color.  Originally I wanted you to decide how many and which lines you wanted to stitch, or all.  But tomorrow I am changing the back to two options and the spacing will be better.  They can also be done separately and attached to each end of a single ribbon for hanging.  Something different.  Will correct and post with color codes in a day or two, unless you would prefer the alphabet one.  Thoughts?

 

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Working on weird

Well, maybe not weird.  Different.  In the process of charting the knob hanger chart, the brain kept making left hand turns.  Which I never do in my car but my mind obviously felt like taking risks and being reckless.  Finally hit a red light and decided to let it idle for a while, and then turned off the motor.  Hopefully I won't start it up again and continue on this trip.  Ha!  Who am I kidding!  It would take days for me to find the keys.

 

I may try to stitch it, I may just give it to you to do first.  Kind of like my process, you can stop at the front, or continue on the back, choosing one of three sections, or doing it all.  Confused?  I'll post it in a few days and you can decide!!

 

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So this is it

You choose.  The anniversary offer is for ….

#1  My own design little knob hanger stitched on a dark linen, 3" x 4 1/4".  Hemp hanger is glued to the backing.


















#2  A large spiral bound notebook, Safrona Ager sampler label, 6 1/2" x 9 1/2".  Lined perforated pages with a pocket sheet.

 

#3 Plum Street Samplers Kringle & Woolard.  Darling design that I will never stitch.

 

 

Leave a comment with initials on this post, or email your entry to

samplersandsantas@gmail.com

You don't have to choose until you win!

 

Drawing will be on Wednesday at 8pm EST.

 

US only please.

 

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Just crap

That's about all that's happening.  After the sinus inflammation and headaches, something started happening and two doctors did not have an answer.  So after doing my own research and then questioning my doctor, yes indeed I diagnosed myself.  And there isn't a damn thing that can be done about it.  I developed Sjogren's syndrome.  My lips became so chapped and shriveled I could barely open my mouth.  Then they started sticking to my teeth, my tongue is so dry it is cracking which is painful, my eyes are so dry I cannot see clearly.  Now the joints, specifically knees, require a wrap or brace.  Does it get better?  She said not really.  Does it ever go away?  She said not really.  I don't have the other diseases that usually accompany this but she said the severe inflammation triggered the autoimmune response.  I'm using dry mouth treatments and loading my lips with grease, eye drops can only be taken a few times a day, and I'm hoping I will be in the very low percentage of people that recover.  Since it's only been about a month but no change, she said to expect more symptoms.  Not being able to see clearly even with magnifiers is extremely frustrating.  And other people have to deal with so so much more than this, I will shut my pie hole.  But then my lips will stick to my teeth.

I was working up the little ornament/knob hanger/tuck chart but I can't see well enough to stitch it.  So if I complete it and post it, I would appreciate seeing your finish if you decide to stitch it.  I think the giveaway will be the knob hanger or large journal.  I purchased large eco friendly notebooks with perforated lined pages a long while ago, decided to finally label them.  But I deleted all the labels from box making so only have one design left.  The three sizes are 6.5 x 9.5 spiral, 6 x 8.5 and 5 x 7 paper mache.  I had 30 of the smaller ones and took them back to Pat Catan's for their kid's craft classes as a donation since a return wasn't possible.  They never used them, but someone did.  They were $3 a piece!

The only way to not have the cover warp from the glued label, one must also be glued on the inside of the cover to keep it flat.

 

 

And look what I found while purging.  Where did I get this $2.25 punch needle kit?

 

I am having a procedure AGAIN on the varicose veins Monday morning called Varithena, easier than the EVLA.  40 compression stocking for 2 weeks and then the other leg, another 2 weeks.  Treadmill walking several times a day to prevent a clot and I don't know how that's going to work with the knees.  As long as I'm moving, slow and steady should be good enough. 

 

On top of my crabassiness, our local headline was about a 3 year old little girl that was continually beaten by her EIGHTEEN year old father.  His girlfriend witnessed the blows to the head and broken bones but never reported it.  WHY IS SHE NOT CHARGED ALSO?  Always someone that gets away with allowing the abuse.

 

Hope your weekend is going well folks. 

 

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Coming soon to a blog near you

A blogging anniversary giveaway.  What will it be?

 

Probably one of these, have not decided which.

Velvet heart, primitive journal, simple sampler tuck, knob hanger.

The last one is my own design, similar motifs taken from another design so I don't know if it's proper to chart it.  If I want to stitch again on lighter linen, I need to!

With all the charted motif books and alphabet books available, the more I think about it, this would not be an infringement.  Not only are they modified, the entire design is different. 

 

Saw this on FB, almost choked on my coffee.

 

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Revisiting

Hello hello!  The snow is melting and I went an entire day without a piece of candy.  I did have several (more than several) cookies but no Doves, no M&Ms.  That's huge.  I weighed myself and could not believe what I saw.  Never ever have I been this heavy and I am very close to changing the first number of those three digits.  On the edge.  I am so ticked at myself.  It took me months to get down to a comfortable weight and I am now 40 pounds larger in less than a year.  Bending over, exercise, steps, bending over, cramped in a back seat, bending over, are more difficult and causing me discomfort.  How did I let this happen? 

 

Anyway, several readers have commented or emailed about following my finishing posts.  I just wanted to clarify that I had several, and changed the methods as I learned.  I do not use the very heavy fusible now although it did make a really nice firm finish, switched to a lighter Pellon P44F.  No longer do I fuse before sewing seams, or cut the interfacing to fit inside the seams.  I still pull out a linen thread to follow, or mark with a Frixion pen.  Stitch the seams first, and THEN square it and fuse the facing.  Press the seams open from front and also back before trimming and turning whether using the open end or the envelope method.  This post was my last one on finishing.

 

https://samplers-and-santas.blogspot.com/2017/06/what-took-so-long.html

 

Fusing after seaming is so much easier!  And with the lighter Pellon, you can extend to the fabric edge so when trimming, it gives stability to the seam and also prevents fraying.  I usually do the backing fabric too and that can be fused before seaming.

 

Any of the methods are fine, used them all, but once my eyes opened and the brain engaged, I realized I was making it harder for myself.   But thinking back, that heavy fusible really made a crisp finish ornament.  Hmmm.  Damn.

 

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