Motif a day

Odd birds, a dog, a tree, small flower basket.

Here's the top so far.  Haven't completed the over one, and the additional small sampler will be attached in the open area.  Another branched tree with A&E coming, I think that one will be much easier for me with the Dazor.  Hopefully, I will speak with the Brightech people today and maybe order through them but until then, my stitching spot will need to move to the Dazor's location. 

My eyes had a bad weekend and I really can't do any more.   They dry out so quickly which makes everything hazy and blurred, and every 10 minutes I need drops.  So it's best to give them a rest today.  I tried the Dazor along with a pair of 3.25 glasses which did not distort as the others did (thank you Catherine).  I will need the glasses for higher counts but 3 diopter in the lamp is perfect for me.  It's hard to get used to having a lamp over my work, sort of in the way, but it's actually not.  Just an adjustment for the better and SO much easier to see the chart symbols!  I made several errors mistaking a symbol for a similar looking one, but that will not happen under this lens.  Still surprises me that 1.75x through this lens is better than 4,25x on my face! 

I can't wait until this sampler is finished.  I think I am half way there.

I've had a number of requests for the thread and will pull a name and notify the recipient by email.


Hope your weekend went well.

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An offer in white

Hi stitching buds.  Thanks for the comments about the table.  I remember a wide adjustable table we bought to fit around the base of Mom's lift chair.  What a help that was.  Where is it?  I donated the clothing for bedridden patients I made for mom and many of the aids used to move and lift her, maybe that went with it.  

Thanks also for the comment about the LoRan products.  I do have the stand and boards and forgot!  My chart is always in the Magma but I can certainly switch back.  I am sure the arm on the Brightech would be easily moveable, we think the rust found inside the pole must also have been in the arm and prevented that.

I have two skeins of the coton a broder from DMC in blanc, numbers 20 and 25 that I am offering to someone wanting to try these threads for better coverage on higher count linens.  I haven't tried them yet, so can't say if two strands on 28/30 works, or which # is best for 32/35.  If you would like to try them, please email/click 

samplersandsantas@gmail.com. 

 Much easier than asking you to leave your address in the comments.  Some of you receive posts by email which is not until 11pm, so I'll wait until tomorrow morning to pull a name.

Have a great day!!

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Can you see it now?

Nope.  My Brightech is going to Kohl's Amazon return desk.  First of all, the 5 diopter (2.25x) was so distorted I was getting dizzy, too strong for me.  I had to keep moving the linen to get it clear, closer was best, which didn't leave much room for stitching.  I do not believe that's a quality issue with the lens, just too strong and sensitive.  3 diopter (1.75x) is much better for me (even better than my 4.0x glasses) but the return is also because of its condition.  The screws removed on the base stem (to slip the rod over) had rust in the threads.  We could not get the rod to fit over that stem, the spring inside would not depress.  Looking inside to see why, the interior of the steel rod was rusty.  The base was scuffed.  The flexible arm was not.  I did not have the strength to bend it and was expecting it to easily move up and down.  The styrofoam box was broken in two.  Was it used?  Or sitting in a warehouse too long?  We never plugged it in or actually assembled it.  Not acceptable for that price.  I'm sure this is isolated but there are sellers on Amazon that sell returns and buy rejects.  It would be the perfect size for that area and it has excellent reviews.  Ordering from the manufacturer after contacting customer service about the flexibility would be a good idea. 

As for the issue with needing glasses to view the chart symbols, solved.  I plan to order a laptop/bed tray that can be raised at an angle to hold my essentials and chart.  After testing, the chart is magnified through the Dazor with no distorted edges and perfectly clear.  No moving, no additional glasses, this is a perfect solution. 

Another option is the larger sized tray table that slides beneath chair or sofa and offers a nice flat surface over your lap, but I would want an angled book holder for the chart.  I've used a bed table before but Carole needed something after her surgery, and it's still there.   I like having a large area like this and can attach a cup holder to the side of the leg or top for my water.  Macy's has one with a drawer making smaller projects easy to tuck out of sight.











Spellcheck has disappeared from the top right corner of the post page, replaced by a T for formatting.  ????  If there are errors, deal with it.

Enjoy the weekend!!

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Motif a day 2

Almost every neighborhood has at one time had one.  

The house whose owners applied every paint sample but couldn't decide.  

The house whose owners never thought the color looked that bright on the swatch card.  

The house whose owners could not get a reputable contractor to do the roof.  

The house whose owners had to rip off a room to get to the septic pipe.

The House of Wonk

Ann Hicks, what the hell????

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Motif a day

Two more

Another fricking flower basket with a bird,
a little alien spaceship beneath it,

and a one armed bridesmaid.  Or is that a scepter and a levitating crown? I guess with a crown that size and feet that small, she wouldn't have a chance at staying upright.  There's another figure further down, quite thin, with such a crown atop the head.  That one appears to be holding a baseball bat, or large salami.

Wonky motifs are so forgiving.  No frogs required.

It does bother me to not have some symmetry, but if Ann chose to dress her in a crooked gown, give her two mouths, and miniature feet, I will follow her lead and relish the opportunity to hide errors.

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Flossy

That's what my mom called me.  My brother called me Weed because I was so tall.

I've always had issues with white floss coverage.  Improved by switching to Anchor's white, but many times, three strands were required.  Recently I saw new-to-me types of floss on the Tube purporting to have great coverage and decided to try them. Doing a little research, I found a great explanation on Mary Corbet's site. 
https://www.needlenthread.com/2014/02/cotton-floche-vs-coton-a-broder-up-close.html

These threads are non-divisible, single strand, and softer.  Just like the coverage my chair cushion gets when I park myself, the thread's softness also spreads out and fills the space.  One is called floche, the other is coton a broder (cutwork thread) available in several thicknesses.  #16 is the heavier, #25 is most similar to the floche.  I searched for days, only to find it unavailable in blanc except with a ridiculous shipping charge of $7.90 for a skein of floss.  Finally, found them all on Needle in a Haystack.  Their shop is more brick and mortar than online but you can click on the products in the left hand column for a searchable option. 

If interested, here is the thread listing, just scroll down and click the DMC threads you are interested in, they have both the floche and coton a broder.  The floche is a huge hank but you can order a smaller amount.

http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/thread.html

Taking Carole for more tests today.  I may drop her off at the door and have her ask an aide to get a chair and wheel her.  Sometimes a sharp pain will grab and stop me in my tracks, which may cause me to release the chair's handle, which in turn activates the brake, and sends Carole flying.

Have a great day!!

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