Sh-h-h, I am back

Sh-h-h-h, I am trying to stage a blog come back. You know what I learned about complaining…it can get worse. I thought May was the pits but June was no bed of roses either and now July started off with a bang.

Remember our house guests? My second son, Hugh and his wife Anne, who were living with us, were preparing to move into their new home June 1^st. On May 31 about 1:00 AM, I heard them leave the house and figured they were going to their new house to look around. I went to sleep. Next morning, I heard someone come in the front door and Anne told me they had been at the hospital all night. They had been on there way to bed when he complained that he felt like he could not get his breath, his arms felt heavy and he was light headed, but no sharp pains. Anne decided to go have it checked out at the emergency room and Hugh did not argue. They did an EKG and no heart damage or heart attack showed up but since they were already at the hospital the doctor decided to keep him and run a stress test in the morning. To make a long story short, he flunked the stress test (lasted 1 minute 45 seconds), could not have do balloon angioplasty or use a stint because of the location of the blockages and so on June 2 he had triple bypass heart surgery. Then he could not get his oxygen levels back to normal, so he was in the hospital 2 weeks.

But Hugh and Anne have good friends and family and they helped them move into their house while Hugh was in the hospital. The mother in me wanted him to come home so I could hover but since he is 39 yrs old I knew he would be happier in his own space and his house was all on one level and better for him. He is doing well now and has no restrictions but still needs to progress slowly. And now a few words from my soap box…

SOAP BOX: If YOU SMOKE, PLEASE STOP!

His doctors told him this was all a result of his smoking. He did not have heart disease or high cholesterol…it is all because he smoked. He has been a textbook case from beginning to end and that he is recovering at a great rate. He has no diet restrictions, is not doing a typical heart rehab, and has stopped smoking.

I really feel so blessed that he had moved back to his hometown and was here when this happened. Here he had friends and family to support him and Anne. If he had still been in Louisiana or had ignored the symptoms, this could be a very different post.

And this was just the first two weeks of June…

There were three teachers biting their finger nails hoping I had not forgotten their instructions needed to be completed for pilot classes. So three sets of instructions later I thought June was looking better, but the month wasn’t over yet… 

Phone call from western Kansas from youngest son, Edward. He and his family are moving back home immediately and can he stay at our house for a week starting July 5th. He is starting a new job and his family is going to pack up the house and they will move this week-end. Luckily, their house never sold and they will have a roof over their heads. Even if they wan to move they have a place to rest their heads until they find a new adobe.

Okay, come on home. The sheets are clean and the guest room dusted. So Edward has been with us this week, I hardly knew he was here and today he is going back to western Kansas to pack up and move back home.

So even though it has been less than a perfect month, there is good news…This mother has all her chicks (3 sons, their wives and children) all here in their and our hometown. How fortunate can I be…how often in this day and age do you get lucky enough to have all your family close to you?  I am so blessed!

Oh yes, I did stitch during this time. This was my sanity keeper otherwise I would have been in the psyche ward…I’ll post a few as time permits.

Thanks for continuing to check in on me and I am sorry for the absence but there are only so many hours in a day and I do like to sleep occasionally. Thank you to all of you who blog regularly… I kept up with all of you through your blogs and read them regularly. They made me feel connected. Thank you.

ttfn…sue

May $?!*

I cannot begin to tell you all how happy I am that this month is finally almost over! It has been a very busy month and has had its extreme highs and also its extreme lows.

We had three of the next generation graduate this month: Blair graduated 8^th grade, Valedictorian; Michael Kelly graduated High School with a full scholarship to college courtesy of the Army; and Joshua Hugh graduated High School with the President’s Achievement Award and most improved student at his school (quite an accomplishment, since he was only there two years.) A Grandmother cannot be prouder of any of the family than she was of these young people. Parties, assemblies, school programs and graduations filled most of the month, I felt like the Energizer Bunny but I am too old to keep this pace.  And of course, our house was the host to two events this month; I am house cleaned and food prepared out.

And the midst of all the comings and goings, my comfort zone was ruffled. When I need down time or relax time, my computer and needlepoint are my comfort zones. Last week in the height of graduations and party planning, my computer caught a bug (The Swine flu of computers!), got really sick and almost died. My computer locked up on Monday, May 18^th and it took four days of intensive care to resurrect her. She is fully recovered now I hope, but the experience has changed her forever. I have gently been spending time with her and not pushing her to do more than the basics. So far I know that my home page on the internet is gone and I lost my list of regularly read blogs… I feel like I have lost a real connection to my world. I am hoping that after I have messed around more, I might be able to find some of you and return you to my list. It will probably take me weeks, and I may never get everything back to my old comfort zone. Oh well, will just have to find a new comfort level.

There is good news; I have an external hard drive, so everything was not a total loss, but I have not yet reconnected that drive to see if it was infected, and/or how much I had backed up on this drive. I am hoping that I was sufficiently backed up that I am not in a world of hurt and that the bug did not infect this drive. I just do not feel up to tackling this task yet, but need to do so as I have two deadlines to meet.

And if that weren’t enough, I had nothing to stitch (a toss up to computer failure!) nor did I have anything to read. Well, that is not entirely accurate; I have drawers of canvases and kits to stitch and closet full of threads. But in crises mode, with most of my patience gone, I almost pulled my hair out.  I always try to keep the to go projects handy…those projects that are small and easy to transport, quick to complete… no brainers and that keep me busy and relaxed.. Every thing that was put together to stitch, i.e. Tony Minier’s Chicago Du Soir, required more concentration and brain power than I could muster last week.

If I had time to shop I would have, but I didn’t even have extra time allotted and had to trust my computer to the hands of others and pray. The stress level was unbelievable and I still have not recovered completely from this unbelievable breakdown of my comfort zone. I finally found an ornament that require one thread and a small canvas and have been pulling thread through canvas at a steady, hard pull. I am afraid that this poor canvas is going to have to be donated to the “Unfinished project” place since every time I pick it up I am reminded of this low time in May.

I know that was my worst week of my 2009, things have got to look up from here. Our house guests will be moving in about a week and the parties and events are over.  Today, is a new day and life is hopefully returning to normal.  I am off to start the computer projects that must be completed and then I will tackle returning my computer to my comfort level. I am also going to make sure I have to-go stitching projects lined up.

ttfn…sue

Happy Mother’s Day!

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and I want to wish all Mother’s a Happy Day. May you spend it, doing just what you like to do best. I envy all of you who will have time to stitch, I might get to put a stitch or two in tomorrow evening if I am lucky.

We are celebrating with a graduation (one of three) with one of our Grandsons, a daughter-in-law’s birthday, another Grandson’s birthday and Mother’s Day. Family is important and I take great pride in the fact that if I were not a Mother none of this would be happening in my life.

ttfn…sue

It’s May!

Before everyone thinks I have dropped out of blogging I thought I should explain.

It is May!

Unlike Camelot, where everyone frolics in the meadow singing:

“Tra la! It’s May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev’ryone goes
Blissfully astray.
Tra la! It’s here!
That shocking time of year…”

 Blissful is not a word I would use to describe this month; shocking is more like it!  I am running from pillar to post like the Mad Hatter. “I’m late; I’m late for a very important date.”  I think I even passed myself on the street the other day wearing the same outfit.

 We have house guests for two months; one of our three sons, Hugh and Anie, 2 dogs and 2 cats have moved in with us until their house is ready sometime around June 1. Even with the added confusion, it is great because Hugh is a great cook. I love it when he starts looking around my kitchen or comes in carrying grocery sacks…it means some culinary delight is about to appear.

 I am working on teacher projects between May Day celebrations, graduations (and all the other days leading up to these events), birthdays and getting Grandson tested and enrolled in Junior College. May ranks right up there with December as a busy time of year. So, if you don’t hear from me very often know that I am reading everyone’s blogs when I can squeeze out a few minutes. Barbara Bergsten (http://createneedlepoint.typepad.com/create_needlepoint/) wrote on her blog about where we stitch (http://createneedlepoint.typepad.com/create_needlepoint/2009/05/where-do-you-stitch.html). Right now, all I do is think about stitching. I can’t remember the last time I had a needle in my hand…Oh yes; it was on my way to someone’s birthday…I was sewing on a button in the car.

 And after I get my house back, I am going to think about re-organizing my stash in my stitching room. I read Barbara Bergsten’s storing stash (http://createneedlepoint.typepad.com/create_needlepoint/2009/05/stash-organization.html). I always wonder how others organize their stash. Right now, mine is by thread type: Rainbow Gallery silks are in one container sorted by number; Silk n Ivory is in another container, but it is sorted by color. Most of the threads are sorted by type and number. How do you store your stash and why?

Okay, my schedule for the day has changed yet again and I need to be off to the rat races…I am so far behind I look like I am winning the race. I will keep steeling a few minutes to read all your blogs and I will be back soon.

ttfn…sue

TJ is going to the finisher tomorrow

 

 

 Stitching TJ,aka Thomas Jefferson from ABS Designs (http://www.absdesignsonline.com/) was fun…I used Rainbow Gallery Very Velvet for most of his clothing and Rainbow Gallery (http://rainbowgallery.com/) Patent Leather for TJ’s shoes. Very Velvet and Patent Leather are easy to use for stitching if you follow a few easy hints: #1. Use short lengths – I use 12 to 15 inches max. #2 Use a larger needle than you would normally use to stitch- I use a #20 or #22 Tapestry or Chenille on 18 count canvas. #3 When threading needle use a short tail and do not move the needle around on the thread while stitching. The Patent Leather will not wear like the Very Velvet but it will distress the thread at the eye of the needle. I also lay the Patent Leather on the front and back.  

 

 

  

  

 For me, the hardest part of stitching TJ was his hair, it is a Loose Basketweave. For me, Basketweave is one of those stitches that is relaxing and a “no brainer”; and I can tell if I’m tired or irritated because my Basketweave stitches are tighter. For the most part my tension on the thread becomes second nature, it is just part of the stitch process… But if that tension is changed on purpose it takes concentration. I kept finding myself, watching TV and just normally stitching and then would have to “frog stitch” and then loosely re-stitch the Basketweave. After all the stitching is complete, it is then picked/pulled with a sharp needle and that gives TJ his soft curly look. It is a good stitch to learn, so that when French Knots seems too much Loose Basketweave is a good substitute. The stitch can even be stitched looser and can have a loop effect; play with this, it is fun.

 

I think he turned out very nice and can hardly wait to get him back…I’ll post a picture of him finished. Now I am going to go back to work and do some computer work for a few days.

 

ttfn…sue

TJ update

Thomas Jefferson is progressing. I think I am becoming one of those stitchers who does not like to stitch black on black. I had a difficult time keeping RG Very Velvet (http://rainbowgallery.com/ ) on the true diagonal for his hat. I tried the white cloth of the lap, light under the canvas, more powerful magnification, every trick I had been told over the years…but the best for me seemed to be daylight window with white cloth on my lap.

 

Anyway the black is all completed now but I have to make a trip [oh darn ] to LNS to get gold (002) Kreinik (http://www.kreinik.com/) #8 braid; I have #4-12-16 and ribbon but no #8 (at least that I can find). And I’m sure something else will pop into my hands, this is how stash enhancement starts. You never get just what you are going to purchase and pretty soon you have a whole room of necessary stitching supplies…But alas, never the ones you need for the current project.

 

I also need (notice I say need not want) to look for hair threads.  On the right of  TJ canvas you can see when I have been experimenting with TJ’s hair color. This is what I had decided upon, 2 colors of Epic (http://www.epicyarn.com/index.html) mixed in the needle…but you never know what I might discover. History trivia: Thomas Jefferson was described as a strawberry blond or light red head. And even though powdered wigs and hair were the style of the day, Jefferson never did anything to his golden locks.  

 

Stash Enhancement…a beautiful circle of stitching life.

 

ttfn…sue

Happy Birthday TJ

Saturday and Sunday I pulled the threads for my new take along project; ABS Designs’  (http://www.absdesignsonline.com/) Thomas Jefferson or TJ as I like to call him. I am a big Thomas Jefferson fan and April 13^th was his birthday, so “Happy Birthday TJ.”

 

Thomas Jefferson (http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/thomasjefferson/ ) is my favorite president; he has my favorite monument (http://www.nps.gov/thje/ ) in Washington DC and Monticello (http://www.monticello.org/ )  is my favorite president’s home. Thomas Jefferson felt you were never too old to learn and grow. His love of country is documented in his service to our country: Governor of Virginia, Minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice-President, and 2 terms President. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statue of Virginia for Religious Freedom; gave books to start the Library of Congress; lawyer; inventor; architect; and horticulturist. He was responsible for the largest acquisition of land to the US (Louisiana Purchase) and exploration of those lands (Lewis and Clark expedition) and he founded the University of Virginia. The epitaph on his tombstone tells what he was most proud of:

HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON

AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE

OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

 

I never go back east that I don’t try to visit Monticello. One year, my husband and I did the garden tour and the sunflowers were in full bloom. We have this running joke about sunflowers; they are the state flower of Kansas and grow wild everywhere in Kansas & Missouri. So, I said to my husband, “Obnoxious weed, Jefferson must have been trying to figure out how to kill it.” Anyway the docent heard me and very indignantly informed me that these sunflowers were from the original seed brought back from the Lewis and Clark expedition and are a cash crop. She went on to say that many plants had been sent back to Jefferson during the expedition. Imagine that, the first UPS system from the middle of the Louisianan Purchase to Monticello. I am not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination, but I am told by gardeners that the diaries kept by Jefferson are wonderful. And his gardens are a picture!

 

Thomas Jefferson died on July 4^th.. It never ceases to amaze me how far he traveled and what he accomplished; AND all without cars & planes; computers & cell phones; Facebook, twitter, etc.

 

Who knew you were going to get a history class and stitching all in the same post?

 

 

 

Back to my stitching…Thomas Jefferson’s eyes are up for discussion. Some say they were light blue, light gray, hazel or brown. I chose to think of his eyes as a blue gray and combined gray (DMC 415) with blue (DMC 926.)

 

The White House biography and many pictures show and describe him as, “Freckled and sandy-haired” so after basketweaving his face with flesh (DMC 948), I randomly overstitched his face with 2 ply darker flesh (DMC 758) to give him the ruddy, freckled face as described.

 

I didn’t get to far yesterday, but I was taking life easy after Easter.  But TJ was begun on his birthday and by the 4^th of July should be proudly displayed in the summer needlepoint collects. Then in December, he is going to be a birthday gift to my granddaughter who collects nutcrackers.

 

 ttfn…sue

Eggs…the stitched variety

These are the Easter eggs I’ve stitched.

 

My design and I also finished can you tell? I did this about 3 years ago and did not keep track of threads, although I think they are Rainbow Gallery (http://rainbowgallery.com/index.html): Purple Cresta d’Ore C27 and Overture Tequila Sunrise and red perle cotton.

 

 

 

These are two others I did several years ago and just got back from Patty. I stitched them but never finished. I didn’t like my finishing, so I put them in the finish another year pile. But now they look really spiffy thanks to Patty. The blue one is Silk and Ivory (http://www.brownpaperpackages.com/), Silk, an overdyed rayon tube, and Cresta d’Ore Opal multi C61. The pink is an overdyed silk and silk floss and metallic in pinks. I’ll stitch more for next year and keep better track of threads I use.

 

The next eggs are a Lee Needlearts Canvases Hyacinth (na) and Lilly of Valley(XM408). Pocket Full of Stitches has a page of these eggs (http://pfos.com/Needlepoint/Lee/Page11.HTM ) but your local needlepoint store can order for you.  I sure would love to have the Tulips too, but I think it has been discontinued. They are all stitched with Kreinik braids to give that ‘Faberge’ egg look and the background is Rainbow Gallery Splendor blue #856.

 

 

I love they way Patty finished all the eggs because I can lay them all in a basket or stand them up individually.

 

 

 

If you ever have trouble viewing pictures here, most pictures are also on my Flicker page. I think you can access it from the right column or here is the http: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sudukc/ 

 

Okay, even though my week started off poorly and it is cool and rainy for Easter; I hope everyone has a Happy Bunny and Egg Day and eats lots of chocolate. I’m off to the kitchen to fix food for tomorrow.

 

ttfn…sue

Bunnies

Monday, I went to see my finisher. She finished my new Easter pillow and two eggs. The pillow is so-o-o cute (so are the eggs…but bunnies first)!

            

 

 

 My pillow is a Princess and Me canvas Peter Rabbit (E107). It has been discontinued but Princess and Me (http://www.princessandme.com/ ) offered to fill orders if anyone would like one. I used Peluche for his ears, overdyed Rachel/Flair for carrot, and Cast-on Bullions in an overdye for carrot tops. I have a mini stitch guide I sent to Princess and Me but I will share with anyone who has the canvas also. I guess trust is an important word here.

  I also spent the last few days trying to track down and/or request permission from the designers for my other needlepoint canvases, but no luck except for one. Brenda Stofft (http://www.brendastofftdesigns.com/ ) gave me permission to show her cute bunny. He is an old canvas but Brenda has some great new canvases too. I like my two sided bunny, so every time I walk past my collection cabinet I turn him…gotta see both sides! He also has Cast-on Bullions for carrot tops and an uncut Turkey Tufting tail.

You will notice most of these bunnies have the same blue for their clothing and if the carrot is stitched, it will usually be an overdye. Before Elaine Warner of Needle Necessities passed away I bought oodles of overdyed orange for my carrots and Madras blues (#809) for the coat. I contacted ThreadworX (http://threadworx.com/index.php) to see if maybe they were planning to re-issue but have not heard back from them. I guess I can use floss but will have to look for other threads for carrots.

 

The first little guy is about 5-6 inches tall and I thought he was a Rosalie Peters but they tell me he is not. I finished him myself because if you look at the base you can see the denim…I finish the bunnies in blue jeans with old blue jean fabric. I have been recycling before it was fashionable.

 

The next guy is one of my favorites; he is about 8-10 inches tall. I like my Random stitching of his face; it almost made him too realistic. I also like the sweater, it is a Vandyke Stitch worked horizontally and back and forth from left to right with overdyed perle cotton. This is another canvas I do not know the designer.

 

And the last of the canvases I have finished myself is the little guy with sunglasses. I must have stitched him for one of my grandsons because he has AJ on his jeans pocket and that is what I call my third grandson. AJ must have had influence in the choosing of threads. This canvas was from Susan Treglown and I believe the artist was Susan Hayes. I think this was a monthly design and this little guy was March.

 

The Tall Hare (Ewe and Eye and friends) I bought from a needlepoint shop, Two the Point (http://www.twothepointneedlearts.com/). I think originally you were to stitch the outlines and then fill in the rest, but the shop chose to just do the outlines. I think he is too cute and I like the finishing. The finisher added the basket with stitching supplies…one of the few rabbits I have without a carrot, just stitching stuff!

 

This is a Heart in Hand (http://www.heartinhand.com/ ) design, Wool Whimsy: Harriet. It came as a complete kit except for the box . The box is a Treasure box with the 3 ½ inch opening from Romancing the Past (http://www.romancingthepast-lowery.com/index.htm) . I don’t know if you can still get the all walnut box or not.

This rabbit was a gift, I think he is maybe a Mosey and Me cross stitch but am not sure. If anyone knows the origin of these bunnies, please let me know and I will give them credit here too.

 

 

 The lop eared bunny egg is my design. I stitched it in mostly perle cotton and floss to make sure it worked. At first I didn’t like it much but now I think he is cute. I really like his Bargello cheeks.

 

 

And last but not least, my favorite is Peter Rabbit from Needle Treasures. When I worked at Two the Point every Grandmother I knew bought and stitched this kit. I never liked the threads in the kit but one day I thought about using Epic threads and my own stitches and viola Peter came to life. He is one of the two pieces I feel like I did an excellent job on the Random Stitching (aka: Long & Short). I taught him one time at the shop and have a stitch guide for him. This kit is sometimes available on ebay.

Tomorrow the eggs…I don’t have as many eggs stitched but there is always next year.

ttfn…sue

P.S. My Dulle(s)/tulips just arrived from Teleflora (http://www.teleflora.com/flowers/bouquet/telefloras-peter-rabbit-bouquet-229184p.asp) …in their Peter Rabbit jar. The card said: 2Me 4Me from Me.

Spring is supposed to be here!

This week is getting away from me fast! And the weather is not helping out one bit…two days nice and seasonable temperatures, the next two days cold, rainy (snow) … my poor blood can’t decide whether to thicken up or thin down. I am ready for Spring! In case Mother Nature forgot to look at her calendar, it was March 20th.

Remember I told you in my family if three is a good collection, a hundred is better. Well in order to keep the rabbit population controlled (at least at my house), I only wanted to collect Peter Rabbits, the official Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit. My family thought this much too limiting and expanded the definition to mean: any rabbit with a blue clothing (coat, overalls, pants, vest) and (sometimes or) a carrot (and carrot may be purchased separately) You get the picture…we have bunnies! This is a picture of “the collection cabinet” as we call it with Easter Rabbits.

 Tomorrow, I am getting a bouquet of tulips (our last name means tulip in German) in a new Peter Rabbit container (http://www.teleflora.com/flowers/bouquet/telefloras-peter-rabbit-bouquet-229184p.asp) from me. 2 Me 4 Me from Me! I deserve it since I will be having breakfast/lunch for whoever shows up at my house.

Thankfully, with the economy and the fact that I have way enough collections the rabbit population is not increasing rapidly unless I buy one or stitch one. And I have stitched a few…I’ll post them tomorrow, I am still trying to remember  the designers… I have not been the best about keeping track of this information.

ttfn…sue