Question

Hello stitching buds. 

 I am asking for your input and help in choosing a magnifying lamp.  Another flare up, and I have been struggling with 28 count while wearing 4.0 glasses.  Over two has become over one or three and I am running in place and getting nowhere fast.  

Many recommend the Brightech and I like the flexible arm model.  The 5 diopter, what I think would be best, requires the work to be held closer to the lens for clarity.  The 3 diopter at only 1.75x may not be enough even with my glasses if I want to use a 35 count.  Does anyone have the 5 (2.25x) and is it hard to stitch because of the proximity to the lens?   Or would the 1.75x be enough with my glasses?  I would appreciate your opinions!!  

Thank you.

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A motif a day

keeps the slump away.  The larger vase by the tree, heart, a purple dog, a green dog, and a small stag (or unusual creature).  Hopefully I can continue this way so I don't feel overwhelmed.  My next decision is whether to move to the right or continue down the left.

I laid my book of floss bags in a plastic bin and it's like a Rolodex and easy to use since I am not moving it!  This bin is a perfect size for the Magma, floss, glasses, the large piece of linen, and everything else I need.  It's portable and accessible.  And when I throw the lid over, no curious cats can enter.

These new bags are a royal PITA to open which could just be my hand issue, but I came up with a solution.  By folding over a piece of tape on one side of the top, it makes it much easier.  The tape doesn't allow the plastic to stick together and I can slip my finger in to open.

I've been seeing different styles and types of thread catchers or whatever they are called.  Some are wool, others felt, and a few quilt batting.  Mounted to mat board or lined with soft fleece and foldable.  All great options.  

When using my sewing machine, the cut threads seem to be everywhere so I looked for something simple that could corral them.  Without gluing, sewing, or additional fabric, this small piece of felted wool was perfect.  Michael's and HL carry rolled pieces of this, some quite thick, and I cut small squares in various colors for the ironing board, sewing table, and stitching spot.

That's all I got!  Hope the last weekend of January was good.  Onward  to spring!

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Slowly I stitch

Step by step.  Inch by inch.

Step by step.  Inch by inch.

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It did help

but unfortunately, only after I screwed up.  When I sewed my row to help with alignment, I started it at the edge of the grass.  Why?  That wasn't even close to the edge of the graph.  So using it to count down and start my motif section where it should be worked perfectly.  But counting in from the edge was a huge error.  Thank goodness I caught on two birds later.  It looked odd, and since I'm not referring to the finished piece photo, I didn't realize it at first.  I was so happy my method worked and I didn't have to be concerned with the errors above, I just hummed along in ignorant bliss.  I altered this photo to show where they were initially,

and this is where they are now after the correction.

Can you imagine what would have happened had I not caught this and positioned the other motifs off of them?  Holy crabass.

My floss bags on large ring have been a mess, even though in numeric order.  So I moved them all to the booklet style and that was another mistake.  The rings are extra large but there is too much floss in my bags, or too many colors.

So it stays open all the time, but I guess that's OK.  What am I doing wrong?

As a last resort, I plan to move the bags to the stand Mark made for me and honestly, I would love to make these to sell because they are very nice to use.  This one is the short version but the very tall one is better because it secures beneath your seat cushion.

We drove to Boardman today to browse the huge selection of golf shoes at Gold Headquarters, and I wanted to visit the With Needle in Hand shop.  For the third time, this clueless old lady failed to check their website for hours.  They are closed on Tuesdays, and I should have remembered that from the last two failed trips!  Oh well.  Mark got his shoes and we stopped at two Italian stores and came home with pounds of chestnuts to roast, the last of holiday figs, and aged Asiago and Fontina that are not found locally.

This happened today.  First of all, this sweet cat is the one being driven away and attacked by Petey, both have injuries to face and ears, possibly elsewhere.

And then there was this.  A show of dominance?  An exercise in tolerance?  There was no fight, and Nitzy blocked the exit a while, then went inside the shelter when Petey left through the back.  That poor boy looks inside the door several times a day and wants to be a part of the brat pack.  Missy still will not accept him at all.  I found a pile of what looked like angel hair pasta on his patio area and realized he is loaded with round worms.  I called the vet for an OTC liquid to add to his food and explained what I saw in the vomit.  He won't prescribe anything for worms or a sedative because he hasn't seen him and I can understand that.  There are online products that may offer some help.

My sister was in Urgent Care yesterday, she has cellulitis in her toe and foot.  Being treated with antibiotic and hopefully this will take care of it and it won't lead to a more serious treatment.

Pretty soon, it'll be February and onward to spring.

Thanks for visiting!

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This should help!

Hi folks.  Spending the weekend at home because of weather, and I came up with what I hope will help me with the motif placements.

I started at the bottom of the grass and highlighted the graph into five rows.  Using a bright thread, I wove it into the margin matching the graph.  This should allow me to check the position of the motifs along that left edge.  It's difficult for me to see the linen threads and I am very unsure of myself.  Counting off of them will be much easier and I can be more confident that my placement is close to the chart.  

I've been using my new Oxo duster, and these old bentwood stools took only minutes.  They were always a PITA because of the tight curves and this duster took care of it all.  Happy dance.  I've been looking for new stools for quite a while but since we have only one furniture store and they have ... well.... nothing that I like, I am forced to order online.  I don't know about you, but I prefer placing my rear on the seat to test comfort and not have to assemble, but I have no choice. I guess cushions can always be added.

I sprayed a lot of the Feliway on a mat inside the carrier, and Bud handled the vet visit much better than before.  He did cry, but only a few times and actually laid on the mat instead of pacing.  Even at the office, he was afraid and anxious but not like before.  I hasn't worked on their favorite napping spots in the house, but I do believe it helped in the carrier.  We are trying the tiny cut of Valium to get Missy manageable but there is always a chance it will have the opposite effect.  Carole took Valium once and felt like she wanted to crawl up the walls.  We'll see.  He's on an antibiotic and his heart is not doing well, so we are also to give him 1/8 of a 81 mg aspirin every three days.  No more.  That is very difficult to cut into such a small piece.  He should start to feel better in a few days.

I was gathering fabric to make my own little thread catcher/holder, and found uncut corduroy to work really well, as did velveteen.  I was working on a pattern to make one with two sides, two colors, one for dark threads and one for light.  Not sure I will go any further.

Hope the weekend is going well!

Corner doors

Hey!  Just wanted to show a few tiny corner units that I think are really unique.  Extending Grace is a lovely shop in Hubbard Ohio and I saw this on their Instagram and FB page featuring their offers, so I did a little searching and found other examples on Pinterest.  

Have you ever seen this done?

Cut an old door in half with a miter or straight cut, add some thick shelves, and what a great unit for a small corner.  Never saw this before!   But if we find a door and try it, I have to remember to cut one side shorter by the thickness of the wood so when it overlaps the other half, they will be the same depth.  Our table saw does not have an extension so cutting this length on a miter would be tricky.

Getting ready to head out onto the bad roads with Bud.  He remembers the carrier and is hiding.  This won't be pleasant for him but it's necessary, he needs antibiotics.

Thanks for the suggestions on Ann.  Haven't made a plan yet but I need to soon because I can't do any other motifs until I figure out if all will need to be moved.  I'm thinking that should be the case, and I can go back and correct the culprit later if I choose to.

Have a good day!!

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