The safety pin

Good day fellow stitchers.  I hope your weekend is enjoyable and peaceful.

The early sun rays are breaking through....

 

the pinks are showing off,

 

the giants are showing their blue,

Mom's old chipped planter is gleaming against the dark shadows.

What a quiet, peaceful, and beautiful morning.  Until the scream of Yellow Cat, Nit, and Missy in a brawl.  Good grief.  I think the cat is a stray that just wants food but unlike Squeak (who hasn't been here in almost a month), they will not tolerate him and vice versa.  I don't know what to do.  He is extremely skittish, and too smart for a trap.  I think he would hurt himself if he was trapped, but my goofball Nitzy would probably be the one in it all the time.

 

As for stitching, nothing.  Buying more charts and linen, but when I got to Sally's over one part, I pooped out.  I think I may have to set her aside and do something small before the mojo takes a hike.  I will definitely finish Sally, but if it's not the right time, I should switch to a small.

 

 So I've been messing around with pieces that are not in their final pose yet.  It would be easy if everything I did was framed but as you know, it's not.  Originally I mentioned doing a side-sack (you know I love sacks) of Hannah Haines but ended up with a stuffed pillow.  This is how I closed her on one end, just in case!

And here she is today.  Took off the pin, pulled out the batting, added the leather.  I can always go back to the pillow.  Just like cutting down the button sampler from the larger size, I like to keep the options open and usually don't cut off all the excess linen.  Glued?  I've been able to open the seams even though it's permanent.  Putting it in the freezer usually makes ungluing anything easier.  Except wood. I like safety pins even though my life started out with a very unpleasant experience.  I screamed and screamed all the way home from the hospital.  Once there, opening my blanket revealed blood on the diaper.  The nurse had gone deep through my skin with the pin.  In those days of long ago, there was one large pin in the center and I had a little scar by my navel until I was an adult. 

 

I wanted to show you how Truus from the Netherlands finished my Bold Heart.  A tray - isn't this a great idea?  She changed the color too.  Thank you Truus!!

I'm going to sit outside with coffee for a while, trying to locate Nitzy who took off into the woods when I broke up the fight.  Stupid tiny Missy jumped into the fray too.  Someone will definitely be hurt and needing attention.  I did after attempting to de-flea Nit.  Which hand did he get?  The arthritic one of course.  That's an expensive little vial to waste, and I wish manufacturers would give people a break.  Ridiculously expensive for people that take in strays and have many pets.  They are miserable with fleas and ticks and owners can't afford that kind of money every month.

 

Thanks for the suggestions on OTC remedies for the stiffness and pain.  As long as I can crush, chop, split, or chew a pill, I'll get it down. 

 

Have a great week!

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Linens by Design

aka Birds of a Feather linen.  Several requests for where I purchased my pieces and since then, not much left.  To Lisa B., I could not answer with the source because you are no-reply and your email is not listed in your profile either.  Sorry!  I also found out that AOL accounts are not the only comments that are not sent to my email, Yahoo isn't either.  Google, grow up.  Play nice.  Let these nice folks through to our email!

 

There isn't much linen left at all since a few days ago.  They had several other colors that are now gone and a large piece of Meadow Lark - gone.  Guess the Google search was on.  I found it somewhere else too but I had to clear the cache from computer problems and lost the source.  So anyway, Needle in a Haystack fabric page for them is here.  I think it's discontinued so it's hot stuff.

 

 

And speaking of hot stuff, I have never had Jalapenos this hot.  I used a grapefruit knife to core out the seeds and all the ribs, but it didn't help one bit.  I showed these before and we love them, but for the first time could not eat them.  We removed the breakfast sausage which was precooked and they were fiery too, but edible.

Forget what the doctor said - I needed dark chocolate to calm the mouth burn!!  Ahhh.  Never said to stay away from spicy foods, just caffeine. Many Sweet Teas with little ice tore up my stomach pretty good from the acid and caffeine.  Still not healed.  (I drink decaf).

 

That's it.  Taking my time painting and feeling like an old lady.  Arthritis is getting bad fast and it shows in my walk.  I used to go like a bat outta hell but that turtle we saved could probably beat me now.

 

Have a great weekend!!

 

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My eye is on the Sparrow

And my hands are full of paint.  Yes indeedy.  I have been going through the hassle again of painting the cupboards but I can't help it.  If you aren't happy, change it.  I'm too old to "live with it for a few years".  This stuff really sticks to your hands if you're a messy painter (raise your hand if you are - mine is waving wildly) and when my little package came in the mail, I couldn't get the damn paint off fast enough.  

Linen.  Yes more linen.  I was seeing mention of Birds of a Feather fabric and having never seen it, heard of it, or having a local source, I ordered clueless.  Happy dance.  Hard to do with swollen feet and toes but this was worth the pain.  Usually I get color or texture that I don't care for but I like this.  Not as much as my original stiff Rook, but we have to move on at some point and stop whining.  Sparrow on the left.  Sparrow!!  Immediately ordered more in a different count.  Plus, Meadow Lark.  Who knew?  I didn't.  Stitchers without shops (we should have our own group and ban the fortunates) really miss out on a lot of designers, fabrics, and colors.  I can picture a red santa on this brown but if not, I will have it.  We all have that sickness of HAVING TO HAVE IT even if we don't use it.   Don't we?  Am I alone? 

My Midge/Missy/Little Girl was sleeping outside the kitchen window I was painting.  Bought the last pack of impatiens in my pink because some are not doing well.

 

Taking a paint break for the night, may do some stitching but painting has made my right hand stiff and sore.  Too chilly to sit outside.

 

 

A few of you wanted to know what we were doing with legs on the cabinets and what I meant by the recess.  Here it is.  That toe kick area is usually the same finish as the cabinet, but the leg detail just blended in with everything painted the same.  I've seen some painted black to recede but to me it's too obvious.  So we stained the wood to match the floor and now that area isn't noticeable at all and the legs show up nicely.  They will of course be painted to match the cabinets. 

 

 

Carole is finally hooked up to the correct monitoring device.  She's anxious to get Mark's Explorer but we haven't picked out a new car yet.  We're very bad at making decisions.  His is a 2005 with 55,000 miles.  Mine is a 2003 with 50,000.  We need to get out more.

 

Take care and stay safe!

 

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June

Already!  Soon I'll be complaining that summer is over.

 

Sally will be larger than Lucy.  And Marlene is as large as she has ever been.

 

 

Wanted to stitch this for Patti but she deteriorated much sooner than I expected and it was not recommended by family to visit.  Still plan on stitching with our initials, softer dress colors.  I was going to do them in pink for breast cancer but decided not to define her by that reference.

 

 

Tonight will be a bloody battle of flea control application.  I almost never get it anywhere but on their hair.  Found three ticks, one alive on my floor.  That's quite enough.

 

 

After storms and torrential rains, we are freezing today.  Working on the leg aprons for the cabinets.

 

 

Thanks for identifying the Trolley Needle.  I looked up the item and am glad I did.  First of all, I was wearing it upside down (with needle on top of the finger) but I also saw other uses.  One is for feeding material through the sewing machine, another is opening seams when pressing with a hot iron.   I have the silicone finger guards (but where?), this skinny helper will be much better.  Thanks!!!

 

Have a wonderful day!!

 

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Repurposed linen

Hiya.  Started cleaning the mess again.  Still have mystery linens I don't care for and no desire to stitch a row to determine the count.  I got rid of so much Klostern and cork linen, but found more burlap feeling low count pieces.  One seems to be 14 count and the larger piece is 20.  Some sites list cork linen as 18 and others 20 so does this mean there are two counts?  At the same time, I was looking for a mat to rest my coffee cup on and thought - why not cut this up for mats? 

So I did.  Moisture may still go through so I may pad and line the back of a few, but the majority of them will be for preventing scratches on the soapstone and other surfaces.  (I knew soapstone would scratch and chip if hit but this is ridiculous.) I think the long thin piece would be nice as a table runner under a wooden bowl. 

This square piece (18 count) will be stained/dyed and used as a cloth over ????.  I don't use tablecloths or fine linens or doilies, but I have to say that I don't object to this very rough looking linen under a display or hanging on a bench.  In fact, after some real aging, I think I will like it a lot.  Possibly a hanging sack for the turkey feathers my cousin gave to me.

 

I just cut and fringed, then folded and cut into the fringe so it's not perfectly even and nice looking. 

 

 

Still have several pieces and you can only use so many mats and runners.  The sack is sounding like a good idea.  How about sachets?  Soap bags?  I'll find other ways to use it up since I will never stitch on it.

 

 

 

Then I found this wicked looking thing. Obviously something to put on your finger tip but it looked so disturbing I didn't want to take a picture wearing it.  What is it?
Edited - M left a comment informing me that this is a laying tool.  Something tells me I would poke my eye out with it.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for the turtle, he was a painted turtle, not unlike many that Mark has found while fishing.  They burrow into the mud at water's edge and hibernate over winter. 
The hostas - no fertilizer.  The Blue Angel is one of the largest of the hostas and needs no help. If you'd like to see the varieties of giant hostas, go to this site, or another nursery here.

Thirty years ago today, the F5 tornado took Mark's best friend along with others within a mile of our house.  We were on the back side and never had the hail, the wind, nothing.  But we heard the terrifying roar.

More Arby's orange cream shakes this weekend.  Can't get enough.
Have a great week - stay safe.

Thanks for visiting.

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A turtle tail

Hello people.  Just want to share what put a smile on my face today.  On our way back home after grabbing a pizza, I was doing my usual sucking air white knuckle dashboard grab.  A car at the corner was sliding through the stop sign as we were approaching.  But all of a sudden my husband yells OH NO and turns our car into a little parking lot in the residential area of very close houses.  I thought - did we hit the other car and I didn't feel it?  Nope.  He spotted a turtle.  He jumps out and runs down the middle of the road, scoops up a turtle almost the size of my hand.  He asked the people sitting on their porch if they knew of any kids having turtles - nope.  So he brings him to me.  I put the pizza boxes on the floor and held on to the turtle.  I had no idea how long and sharp their claws were.  Yikes.  He was fighting me all the way and I thought his head was going to twist off.  Strong legs and sharp claws, but Mark didn't want him to get run over.  Besides, there was nothing but house after house and paved streets.  Not a happy place for a turtle.  Probably a pet someone tired of and discarded.  He continued fighting me, scratching with his legs outstretched and whipping that scrawny neck around.  Then I see his tail.  How cute!  Skinny, long, pointed, outlined in yellow.  As I'm studying it, I see things falling from beneath it.  

Yep.  He pooped yellow on me and my car's seat, along with a good amount of pee.  As I held him away, some landed on the pizza box on the floor.  That one was my sister's.  I wiped and cleaned the best I could while holding on to a squiggling creature with nails as long and sharp as Lady Gaga's.  Finally we get to a small pond not far from our house and he is set free to swim out his days.  You could tell he was happy as he slid into the water and we watched his bubbles go farther out.  We've seen a number of large turtles smashed into the road near a bridge we pass daily.  It's not like they surprise you and run out in front of the car.  Why can't idiots slow down or go around them?  Remember the swans from our local park that were victims of a hit and run driver?   My final pear (Swan Song) was in memory of them.  Well another idiot ran over the new pair and killed them.  They're quite large, they're bright white, how could you not see them?  I hate people.  So we saved a turtle from a cruel existence or death.  I hope he has a long happy life in the isolated pond.  And I hope the stain comes out of my seat.

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