Embroidery Projects for Donna

by Kelly

Donna recently cleaned out her cedar chest and found a couple of embroidery projects that she wanted finished. Unfortunately, she doesn't embroidery, so she passed them along to me. The first is a pretty pink rose cross stitch pattern.

Unfortunately, since the hoop and needle were left on the fabric before the project was put away, there are quite a few rust stains. I tried some stain remover (Zout) with no luck, but now I'm trying a more organic method - lemon juice and sunshine. Supposedly, this will bleach the rust stains away in a few days. If that fails, I will have to search out spot remover containing oxalic acid. I'll keep you updated on the progress.

The second project looks even more fun - embroidered violets and lace.

I get to play with my limited supply of stitch knowledge for this one. I'm going to try twisted chain stitch for the first time. I'll be learning from this video on Needle 'n Thread. Mary's videos are always really easy to follow, so I'm hoping my learning curve will be short - I'm impatient to see what it looks like on this project!

Update - for the finished projects click here.

Quilting Links

by Kelly

Dawn recently posted about the double wedding ring quilting project she and Donna are considering. I am always willing to throw myself headlong into a new project, but I have never quilted before, so I don't know how much I'll be able to contribute. So I have been scurrying around the interwebs, doing some research, and found some sites worth visiting.

 TLC has added a quilting section to their site.

Some other attractions at TLC include : knitting patterns, how to's, and a knitting quiz (part of their GetSmart Challenge), and of course their tips and videos for extreme couponing. Not that I know anyone who clips coupons...

Then there's a tutorial for a pretty lattice work pillow on Sew Sweetness

But since I'm really lazy, I think I would use wide bias tape to form the lattice, rather than piecing it out. And wouldn't this design look cute with a white lattice over rose printed fabric? And then put that pillow on a porch swing??? Now if only I had fabric with roses...or a porch swing...

But for tons of crazy quilting goodness, the best site to visit is one of my favorites, Pin Tangle.  I visit for the lovely embroidery, but quilting is really what Pin Tangle is all about.

Sharon's blog offers embroidery stitch tutorials, free patterns, and a 100 block crazy quilt that she has slowly been sharing, one square at a time. Each block is an individual work of art, and well worth a look. She's only on block fifty, so there are plenty of surprises yet to come.

A Quiet Word About Washers

by Kelly


THIS IS NOT A PAID ADVERTISEMENT. ALTHOUGH, IF GE WOULD LIKE TO SEND SOME MONEY OUR WAY, WE COULD PROBABLY BRING OURSELVES TO ACCEPT IT.


So we bought a new washing machine, and I just have to post about it, because this thing is quiet. Now, considering that our last washer had degraded to the point where it sounded like a rampaging wildebeest during their annual migration, you might be persuaded that we just aren't used to having a decent appliance. But that's not true.

The Washer in Question

Firstly, due to the high sulfur content of our water, we go through appliances like a preschooler goes through crayons, so we have seen a wide variety of brands pass through our front door. Maytag, Kenmore, Roper, and others have come and gone, and none have seemed unusual or remarkable.

Secondly, this washer is so quiet that the manufacturer kindly included a disclaimer about the extreme quietness of the wash cycle, probably to reduce the number of calls to their complaint department. Here's a picture of the disclaimer. You can see by its crumpled state that I originally scorned this piece of paper as a gratuitous bit of advertising.

The disclaimer reads in part : "This new wash system is softer and quieter in agitate than any GE washer ever before... You will notice the difference during operation."

Well, GE, Engrish aside, I'm sorry that I didn't believe you. You're right. This thing really is super quiet.  Almost unnervingly so. After the dramatic daily presentation by our old washer, we couldn't help but be suspicious of this new, silent approach. My husband and I stood around it in awe, as though we were witnessing the launch of a space mission. "Is it really washing?" we wondered. But when we opened the lid, yes, water and soap were present.


So, if you're in the market for a new washing machine, might I suggest
GE  Model # GTWN3000MWS 3.6 cubic feet, Top Load Washer? (In White, of course. I don't know why they bother to specify the color - I haven't seen a top load washer in another color since the '70's.) And if the silent operation is too much for you, turn up the TV. That's what worked for us.

Missing Crochet

So now that baby Gwen is finally here we're so excited and happy. The only downside....the dreaded Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. That last month of pregnancy it flared up really bad to where I was constantly waking up with both of my hands completely numb for most of the morning. Now, it's been constant numbness in the top half of most of my fingers which turns into shooting pain or numbness of my entire hand when I crochet, write, sleep, hold my baby.....yeah, pretty much doing anything.

I'm thinking of going to the clinic this weekend to see if they can prescribe me a brace since none of the pharmacy's I've gone to have had them OTC. But that doesn't help me to get back to my favorite hobby.

Means slow going on any new blankets. Which really sucks since while my sister and mother were down here they reorganized my yarn collection and found four unfinished blankets that I had forgotten about. And! The found a huge bag of the red yarn that I needed to finish one of the jobs I was working on when I was pregnant.

Ugh! Just terrible. One good thing is that some of the other moms I've talked to have said they had the same thing happen to them right after they had their kids and it went away after a few months.

So cross your fingers that happens to me and I don't need surgery! :)

Wedding Rings

Quilting - yikes! Dan and I stopped by to see George and Donna on Sunday to deliver some extra tomatoes from our work plot. Donna is in canning mode and we were more than happy to contribute a few tomatoes to the cause. I scored a couple of jars of salsa in return and some apple butter and pickled veggies that she just put up today. Wow that takes me back. My Grandma always referred to canning as 'putting up' - I guess that was stuck back in the mind recesses.

While we were there, Donna started talking about making quilts - color me intimidated. We have a beautiful tied denim quilt that she made for us when we first moved into our home - 14 years ago this Sept. I've always liked the double wedding ring quilt pattern and to my amazement, Donna seems willing to tackle it - not sure if we should start there or perhaps a log cabin pattern which at least wouldn't have any curves.

Cross Stitch and Embroidery Animation

by Kelly

Adding another dimension to embroidery.



An animated House cross stitch here at mr X Stitch.

A running puppy at Spool Spectrum.


And click this link to check out this  little cross stitch movie from the Craft: site. Amazing! It would be kinda neat to do something like this, but all that graphing would probably give me the heebie jeebies. I have enough trouble designing images without resorting to embroidery instead of cross stitch.

Old Magazines

By Kelly

A rainy, humid day and a huge stack of old crochet magazines (care of Donna) to look through. And I'm having fun looking for old patterns to scan into my computer.

It brings back childhood memories, of my mom coming home from a garage sale with a brown paper shopping bag full of books and magazines. Mind you, when I was a kid, the magazines were from the '60's and '70's. Now, they're dated from the '80's, but they still have that fragile look - yellowing pages and torn, worn covers. It's weird to think that little kids might one day be reading the magazines from today with the same awe that I read the ones from the 1960's. Maybe more, because printed magazines might go the way of vinyl records and reel to reel home movies.

Meanwhile, my stash of crochet and knitting patterns grows and grows...