Saturday Silliness...

 

Steve Does It Again - via In Otter News

A Wee Bit More...

It wasn't much, but I managed to start on the oranges yesterday. In reassessing my raw materials, I've realized that there's no way my remaining Kreinik Au Ver A Soi- Soi d'Alger color 614 skein (my main orange) will last for the remaining wings. So, last night I went online and purchased more to make sure I have what I need. Now I can rest easy, knowing I won't run out. 

I'll continue on this wing today, and then move to the next one while I wait for my order to arrive from Colorado. I'm hoping it doesn't take too long.

I work later today, so after I refill the bird feeders and feed the girls, (and enjoy a hot cuppa), I'll be seated back at my hoop for a while. Happy Friday, y'all!

 

Still Winging It...

I got in a bit more stitching yesterday. I sat down between loads of laundry, and enjoyed my dining room view while sheets dried on the line.

I'm working out all the edges and black sections now, and will again finish with the monarch oranges. Perhaps I'll get to that today after this morning's PT session. (I'm sure hoping so.)

What is especially fun is stitching these colors as I watch at least a half dozen Baltimore orioles (same coloration) flying past the windows to the grape jelly feeders I fill daily for them. I'll try to get a few photos of them soon.

 

Progress Has Been Made...

First Upper Monarch Wing Completed

I managed quite a bit of needle dancing over the holiday weekend. We had one rainy day that was made for stitching, and I finished this wing part that day. I'm so pleased to see it done and now waiting for the other parts to come alive.

Beginning Work On First Lower Wing

In fact, I even got a healthy start on the first lower wing! This all happened before Monday when I spend all day in the kitchen. (I baked four loaves of bread, and a half dozen hamburger buns.)

I also mixed, froze, and vacuum-sealed thirty four fresh rhubarb scones for sharing and later consumption. Lastly, I made rhubarb custard pie in a long baking dish which finished baking at midnight! I went to bed shortly after that, but not before Handsome tried it and gave it his seal of approval. (He did stay up later than I did.)

I worked my shift yesterday, and I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I changed clothes when I got home, and took a two hour nap. 

Today is going to be a "take it easy" day. I'm going to play it by ear. See you tomorrow!

 

So Much Fun...

I went to town Saturday afternoon to spend time with family, and friends who are family. We were celebrating my second-eldest niece, and my eldest niece's daughter who both had birthdays this month.

One flew in from Colorado and the other came from Minnesota with her mumma. Also in attendance were my sister Lyn's widow, and her ex who essentially raised her two daughters. (Yes, the guys do get along well.) Add two aunties, a nephew, dear friends, and besties, and we had everyone we needed to have a great celebration.

I stayed about four hours and then came home. I was so happy to see everyone and share in the celebration. The girls were staying at my Mother's so it was a short visit for me. I hope next time we can have them here for an overnight. It was a great start to our holiday weekend.

 

We Remember...

 

Sunday Scripture...

 

Psalm 46: 10-11

Sweets For The Sweet....

I spent part of yesterday making these white chocolate-covered sandwich cookies. I'm meeting up with sister,Jan to visit with our nieces who are visiting from out of town.

Don't you love the edible images I used? I purchased them from Evil Cake Genius and they have MANY images, suitable for any occasion. You can even order custom edible images for weddings, birthdays, or any other excuse occasion you can think of...or choose something like the ones I've used simply to dress up your dessert!

I haven't seen the ladies in a while, so it should be a fun reunion. I promise to take pictures! 

I hope you have a safe and restful Memorial weekend, my friends. 

May Classmate Dinner...

 

Front row: Al, Brad, and Cal  Back row: Deb, Bruce, Donna

We changed our dinner from Wednesday to Thursday this month to accommodate folks who couldn't join us on Wednesdays. As it turned out, Thursday apparently didn't work either. The result was a wonderfully small group of regulars.

Unlike the larger groups that end up with multiple conversations, we were all part of each story. We got all caught up, and truthfully, I heard one of these old friends laugh harder than I've ever heard him laugh in decades. It was great.

We're going back to Wednesdays from now on, but I'll file this month away as one of my favorites. I sure do love these people.

Buggers!...

I had PT this morning and needed it in a big way. I woke up in pain, so I finally took an anti-inflammatory and Handsome drove me to my appointment. I'm feeling much better, but that my excuse for this late post - and I'm sticking with it.

I'm sharing a photo of how I decided to preserve and protect my goldwork birds. Handsome purchased this shadowbox frame ages ago for another purpose, but I came across it still unused, so I appropriated it. 

I attached dark-colored, round-head pins and then hung the birds from those. I used similar pins to secure the bottom of each ornament to keep them from twisting. I'm quite chuffed with how it turned out, and the frame now hangs in the hall outside my studio where I can see it every day.

This afternoon is another classmate dinner, but I didn't want to leave again without writing today's post. I'll be on time tomorrow, for sure! See you then.

 

Patterns Coming...

 

I've decided to create digital patterns for my Brynwood wool pincushions. There are actually three. My Woolen Acorn pincushion isn't in this photo, but will definitely have a pattern.

I'll debut the patterns in June, but I'm letting you know here first. I'm going to create each pincushion - start to finish - so I can photograph each step. Once I've written the instructions, I'll be ready to list them up in my Etsy shop. I may even make a few kits available. (I haven't decided on that yet.)

I have two appointments today. Even so, I'm going to try to get in some stitching time. Hard to believe it's already "hump day"! Hope yours is a good one.

Another Color Block Done...

I finished another orange color block yesterday. The rest of this week is going to be busy, but I'll work on this as I'm able.

I have work today, two appointments tomorrow, classmate dinner on a Thursday this month, and then work again on Friday. Whew! Seems like a lot when I put it all out there. Almost "social butterfly" status! lol (Well, for this week, anyway.)

I'll still be sharing other fun things this week that might interest you, so I'll see you tomorrow!

 

Stitching Silk Threads...

Sorry I don't have more to share today. I actually stitched and frogged three times yesterday. I just wasn't happy with the way my work was looking, but I'm very happy now. 

I have PT mid-day today, but I'll get back to this afterward. I'm on a roll now.

Sunday Scripture...

Numbers 6:24-26

Saturday Silliness...

 

Steve Does It Again

Cha Cha Cha...

I began my day of stitching by unstitching a section of my wing. I decided that I needed an intermediate color between the peachy gold and the monarch orange, so I had to surgically remove a large swath of black silk to get to the gold color spots near the top edge of the wing. Two steps forward. Once step back. Cha cha cha.

Once that was accomplished, I had to leave for a PT appointment. By the time I got home it was late afternoon. Plenty of time to return to my needlework.

This is how far I got before calling it quits for the night. I'm much happier with the color adjustment, and I'm looking forward to getting in a few more hours with needle and thread before I work later. I admit I was a bit enthusiastic about how much I could get done on my wing, so today, I'll just do what I can do and be happy with that.

It's hard to believe it's already Friday again. I hope you have a good one. 

Progress Has Been Made...

 

I was able to blissfully stitch the day away yesterday. You can see I made a little headway on my first wing, too! 

I'm quite happy with the way it looks, so I'll continue with the black, and will add the signature orange as well. Optimistic Me thinks I might even finish this wing today! Come back tomorrow if you want to see how much I did today.

Shopping Our Pantry...

 

After a (for me) long day of work, all I really want to do is make a cup of tea and put my feet up, but (thankfully), I don't live alone. 

I always make that cup of tea (right after I change clothes into something comfortable), but I know that making (or helping make) dinner is also on the agenda. So, if I don't bring dinner home with me, the next best thing is to shop my pantry. It's for times like these that my/our canning efforts seem so worthwhile.

Last night, all I had to do was thaw out a few frozen shrimp, boil fettuccini noodles, and heat a jar of the Alfredo sauce I canned last winter. Add a few heat n' serve rolls, and in less than a half hour, dinner was served.

It was delicious, too, thanks to the great recipes I've gleaned from the channels I follow on Facebook or Instagram. I'm so grateful for the women who unselfishly share their knowledge and recipes. That's why I'm always happy to share what I find.

Handsome did cleanup last night, so I thanked him and went to bed early. My plan today is to work more on my monarch. I'm looking forward to making some progress on the first wing. Plus, the restful act of putting needle and thread to fabric is just what I need. I'll share an update tomorrow  

Slow Start...

As you can see, there isn't much progress to share. I started stitching in the morning before we went to my appointment, but when we got back home and I looked at my work, I was less than happy with it. You know me. I took it all out and started over. This was all the progress I made on my second run at it. 

I'm working today, so I'll share something else tomorrow. I doubt I'll get any "after work" needle dancing in when I get back home. I'd better go now. See you later!

 

All the wings have been wired now. Next, I'll tape the ends down so they stay out of my way and don't catch threads as I work. Once I add a few directional lines to keep me on target, it will be time to bring out my threads.

I had a restful weekend, and hope you did, too. I'm relaxed,  refreshed, and ready for the week ahead. I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished. 

I have a PT appointment, and Handsome and I have to pick up some "supplies" for Carly. She surprised us with a heat cycle on Friday. This will be her last one. She's five, and after discussion with Mike (our trainer friend) who has retired, our source for breeding/puppy sales is no longer available. So, once she's finished this heat, we'll have her spayed. No more doggie diapers in her future. 

It's kind of bittersweet for me. I would have loved to have a litter of her puppies. We've bred, raised and trained hunting retrievers for about forty five years. Although I'm sure we'll always have dogs, Carly signals the end of our breeding programs. We're definitely ending on a high note with this girl.

Time to get moving. I'll see you again tomorrow. I hope you make it a great week!

Sunday Scripture - Mother's Day...

Proverbs 31:28

 

My Mother's Garden...

 

Brynwood Needleworks "My Mother's Garden" Sampler

I designed this sampler in 1992 to honor my mum. It names my British Nanny (grandmother), Mum, and then shows my name as next in line.

The verse on this sampler is:

"If you've a mother with silvery hair, Love one another and treat her with care.

And as you grow older, the least you can do, is to do unto Mother as she did for you."

This is a verse Mum often repeated when I was growing up, and seemed fitting for this sampler.

This is one of my designs being converted to a pdf format to list in my Etsy shop very soon. It seemed appropriate to share with you this weekend.

I wish all my friends who are moms, stepmoms, or moms by heart have a Happy Mother's Day weekend.

Almost...

I had a physical therapy appointment late morning, and Handsome took me out for lunch afterward. When we got home, I went into the studio with the best intentions, but I guess my appointment was more helpful than I thought. I lay down for just a bit, and woke up a couple hours later.

I did manage to prepare the components for my artist trading cards, but still need to assemble them. I don't have to be anywhere until late afternoon to work, so I'm going to finish them today. They'll definitely mail out tomorrow.

 

They're Overdue...

I knew from the start what I wanted to do for my "Compass" prompt for the April artist trading card swap. In fact, I was so settled in it that I set my subject...and promptly forgot to do it in April!

I have an appointment this morning, but as soon as I get home, I'm going into the studio and I'm not coming out until the ATCs are finished and ready to mail. I'll share photos tomorrow.

 

Lazy Bones...

Man, these girls sure have landed in high cotton. They have a human who feeds them, cleans their litter box, and makes sure all their needs are met. 

This is a frequent view around here. Claudette on her throne, and Crystal not far away. They look so comfy, I often wish there was room there for me. (Not really, but you get the idea.)

Work went particularly well yesterday. We were really busy, and by the time I got back home, I just wanted to relax the rest of the evening. I took a cue from the little girls.

Today's another day. I harvested some rhubarb before dark last night because we were warned about freezing temps overnight. I'm going to make a dish of rhubarb crisp and a batch of rhubarb scones. 

I'm going to wire the lower wings for my Monarch, too. I'll be back tomorrow to share what I get accomplished!

Enough of This...

Sister, Jan hosted a ZenDoodle session yesterday afternoon. It looked like fun, so I thought I'd give it a go. Don't look too close. It's a mess.

I sent a message to her and asked, "Is this supposed to be fun?" She laughed.

I admitted that perhaps I was too hasty in my assessment so I'd try the second design. No. I was right the first time. The second one was even harder than the first, and I'd only drawn on half my page!

I finished the rest of the page with the relaxing doodle I've done since junior high school. Once I'd covered the page, I declared that ZenDoodle was in no way "zen" for me. I'm going to stick to needlework, thanks.

It's Tuesday, so I'll be leaving for work soon. Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow.

Wiring My Wings...

I completed the wire edges for the upper wings over the weekend. Next, I'll cover the wires for the lower wings and attach them to the fabric. The wires are kept long and taped to the side during the stitching of the wings because the wires will be attached to the butterfly body when all the stitching is done.

I'm sharing this closeup to show you how the covered wires are stitched to the ground fabric. 

The top of the buttonhole stitch faces the inside of the design. The actual wire sits just outside the drawn wing, and the buttonhole area sits right on the drawn line.

I then sew down through the buttonhole stitch using one strand of black thread. Once all four wing sections are attached, I'll be ready to start the next phase. I'll share all completed wired wings before I begin the stitching.