Hello Lizzie

 Charts printed without issue!  So I tried two others and they did not.  Someday, at some place, they will.  Mary Gibson from Haslemere Museum prints all text but no chart. 

Lizzie will definitely be started soon, and I really think the flower thread will create the look I desire.  But color matching is impossible with its limited selection.  So I pulled the DMC and plan to work on 32 count with two threads.  I may try a 40 count with one thread but don't believe it would result in the primitive texture of the original.  We'll see.  I need two colors and will get them at HL on Tuesday when I meet Carole at her doctor visit.

Since I kitted several large projects, I am constantly looking through their threads for colors needed for other projects.  I do not buy new DMC for every project unless it's needed for several kits at one time.  So I finally wised up and added a note listing the floss in each kit, no more searching the pouches or opening the charts for the legend.   If any skeins are removed, I can note the number and add back when I work on that project..

I cut a plastic bag and attach with clear packing tape making a pocket on the outside of the pouch for chart name and linen size, now I have the floss listed.  Why didn't I do this before?

No one asked me to prepare anything for Easter.  The plan was in place but Matt's out of town mother requested their presence Saturday.  Without going into detail of that story and relationship, and what is happening with his kids' mom and her new live-in drug dealer, there was too much going on.  No time to prepare a dinner, so I offered to make the Isaly's ham and sauce sandwiches and buy the sides.  Carole made one crock pot side and the grape dessert, it was such an easy and no-stress meal.  Will this be her last Easter?  Mark's?  Mine?  Anyone else?  We never know.  I learned something too late after my aunts passed.  Regardless of the work, inconvenience, it's only a few hours or an afternoon, minimal sacrifice of time.  I won't have the regrets I now have about other family that I could have, should have, why didn't I.

It's April.  And already almost two weeks in!!  Holy hot cakes.

Hope your weekend was special.

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Staples!

 Hi folks.  Hoping Staples will print these three charts for me today.  I didn't see the copyright symbol (or I missed it) so we'll see if that is the reason the others won't print.  Maybe one will be the next project! 

Ohhhh Lizzie.  Your chubby threads are calling me.  GT flower thread?  Wool?  I haven't read through the chart and hope to study them all this evening.  I am old school and for some reason, scrolling doesn't allow info to sink in deep enough.  A real help in viewing the chart though!  The texture in these antiques is very appealing to me.

I'm sure the stores will be packed today and I will be adding to the chaos.  The dinner for Carole's family and grands was planned to be prepared by them and as usual, well..... let's just say I need to come up with a simple meal for eight.  Because of limited time and old lady fatigue, most sides will be cold and purchased, and something shredded or sauced will be put on a bun IF there are any left!!  Easy peasy.

Wishing you a Happy Easter.

Enjoy the holiday weekend, whatever you believe.

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Short Maud

 Done.

I started stitching her age and date, and that extra row was enough to make it a little too large for the finish I envisioned, so frogged it was. The drum is still considered, but a sweet little pincushion with fussy edging is also.  Since seeing vintage and antique needlework on IG  with some razzle dazzle, a beaded hanging edge trim may be fun.  Perfect little sampler to mix with berries and drums in a bowl, I'm liking short Maud.

She lived to be 93 and passed away in 1971.  I was 20 and causing problems at work!

Be safe folks.

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Two days off

 but stitched this evening.   And I am quickly falling out of love, or starting a slump snag.  I am considering ending this after Maud's name and turning into a small drum.  Maybe tomorrow will be different, but today feels like a snag.

Temperature was very warm, I worked outside, overdid.  Is that a word?  Lots of moss and weeds around peonies and irises.  Moved the rhizomes to a better spot, edged, added mulch.  Very small area and the only place soil is plantable since sand was dumped there in order to pass a perc test.  I decided to add two perennials and left empty gallon pots where they will go so all I have to do is remove them and plop in the new plant.  That way, I avoid digging a mess later and can spread mulch now.

I couldn't finish the whole area, so pulled a chair from the basement, my most comfy wooden one.  Deep seat for my long legs, perfect curve for back support, writing table attached, enjoyed the breeze and warmth.

Thursday is Carole's again to finish the closet shelves.  Last two attempts were cut short by power outages.

Hope everyone is safe and well.

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April fool

Not funny.

Another Saturday working at Carole's and 70 mph winds sent us to pioneer days again.   Not only her house, but ours and thousands others.  Two layers of sweat clothes needed, no water (we have a well), oil lamps and battery candles. They closed the highway we use, the two roads that offer access to town, and we had a nice ride several times a day to find ice for the coolers.  We are back on now, others waiting until tomorrow.  If it wasn't for the state road needing reopened, we would certainly be in that group.  Workers from across the state were still here from the prior outage which helped tremendously.  I think neighboring Ohio towns, especially Hubbard, were affected just as bad if not worse. 

We tried a new "save the food" method and was surprised that it worked.  The perishables that did not fit in the cooler stayed in the fridge, and we used a 7# ice bag set in a metal roasting pan on the middle shelf.  Purpose was to catch the melting ice but it became essential in actually lowering the fridge temp.  We went from 50 degrees to 42 in two hours.  We also filled the veggie bins with loose ice and added condiment jars and whatever would fit.  It worked beautifully.  Half the ice in the coolers had melted and the fridge ice, hardly at all.  So glad we tried this!  There were no generators in stock here, they sold 38 in the first hour at Lowes.  I do plan to order one online.

This is Maud.  Redux.  I do not like that word.  Notice how she repeated the color pattern.  Two gold, two red, two pink, two blue, two green, two brown.  Maybe common in samplers and I never noticed.

This is how I stitched in the dark.  LED headlamp strapped onto my Dazor.  Better than my head!  Every slight movement moved the light and made me dizzy, much better on a stationary object.

Anyway, trying to stitch with natural light showed the 816 to be that shade of lipstick that has a cool tone.  So I removed along with the ghosted green and tried several others.  The chart calls for 221 and I returned to it, liked it, and decided to use two strands on the wiggly band even though this is 36 count.  That is the feature that drew me to Maud and I was not going to be happy until it mimicked the chubby look.  Eureka!  Perfect.  I have DMC here, no wool as Maud used, and I did not want to use 28 count.  Thought about 32 but it's hard to rummage through linen with a flashlight.  I changed the 524 green to the awful 3348, but on this linen in this piece .... perfect.  Who knew?  The 524 is KL in top line and 3348 is uv above the wiggle, just enough of a change to be noticed.  Two threads are only used on the wiggle, so far.  Much better in person.

We have quite warm temps and the day will be consumed with once again, sticks and limbs pick up and burn. Here's a peek at the larger shelf we installed after removing the dresser's mirror, and the file holders that are working great.  More items to add to the shelf but for now, these large heavy (and handy) oil lamps are in a safe place (the shelf has a lip).

Hope to catch up with all I missed for three days, still need an email program!

Hope you have light and warmth!  Be safe.

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Maud revisit

 And then there's Maud.  Again.  I'm OK with the thread colors after realizing I can't recreate the original.  

That red is now dmc 816.  The others were even darker as they should be, but not showy.  Changing the linen solved that but caused the other brights to ghost somewhat.  I think a thicker thread would be the ticket, two strands on 32 count.  But what I'm doing now is good.  Unless I decide to test the 32 count.  Any bets?

We will go to the fabulous Italian place for veggie ranch pizza slices, take one to Carole, and do the work we had planned for yesterday before the wind storm hits. She has been sick since the four days of a 50 degree bedroom.  Cough is choking, along with a cold.  Keeping the head raised on her bed, but mobility is only with her chair.  I will dig out my spirometer and make sure she uses it several times a day.

Hope your weekend is peaceful.

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