A FEW LITTLE STITCHES...

Today is a "pamper me" day.  After Dear Hubby and I ran a few short errands I came home and snuggled down in my ESR (Expanded Sewing Room) under my electric throw.  The heat really helps the deep muscle aching and sitting or lying down is best for me when I have this level of exhaustion.  

While I was watching my favorite channel on TV, I pulled out my embroidery kit to do a little bit of stitching.  Isn't it amazing that my Button Embroidery Kit matches the rug?  A very happy coincidence!  My pain level is really bad today, as is my weakness...extreme today...but my tremor is not bad.  Go figure.  No rhyme nor reason, but I am happy for the chance to complete a few stitches!

I haven't worked on this little stitchery in AGES and it has gotten really wrinkled in my bag.  Plus I had used a hoop for the first part of stitching and accidentally left it on my fabric (OOPS!) , but I have discovered I am really much more comfortable stitching without the hoop!  I managed to finish up five of the broken heart lines today.  Progress!  It's always a good thing!

Dear Hubby is taking me out to dinner tonight.  I am really much too under the weather today to handle lifting pots and pans on and off of the stove.  I told Hubby to pick the place as even my taste buds are too exhausted right now to care what I eat.  Wonder what he will pick...

A THRIFT STORE SCORE AND A THRIFTY FIX FOR MY FAVORITE TRAVEL EPP BOX

 

These days I am pinching pennies and turning to my favorite thrift store to meet my needs, particularly when it comes to my crafting and sewing room decor. 

Several years ago I purchased a WONDERFUL travel sewing box at our neighborhood garage sale.  I think I paid only $3.00 for the box.  

It is wonderful, with a padded handle, strap, prongs to hold my thread, little containers to hold bobbins, etc.  

 The bottom is large enough to hold a ton of supplies for my EPP, and can also hold the travel stitchery kit I use for my embroidery!  It all fits wonderfully (although the embroidery stitchery kit is not show above) and makes taking my handwork in the car a breeze!

The only problem with it...the handle and strap are attached to the lid of the box...and the only thing holding the box closed is a plastic latch, which doesn't close all the way and will probably break off from frequent use.   I can understand the handle being attached to the lid, but why didn't they attach the strap to the BOTTOM part of the box?  

 I searched through my scrap containers and found some green material that I thought would work well as a strap to go around the sewing box, like the bands you put around suitcases to keep them from opening in airport baggage claim.  I didn't have anything to hook the strap with so I searched the sewing area of my thrift store to find the above latch...for $.25! 

I came home from the thrift store and pulled out my material and quickly sewed up a strap.

I am really happy with the way it turned out.  It should prevent any opening of the box...and the material is a pretty good match to the pattern on the box!  Free material and a $.25 latch.  Definitely a thrifty fix!

While at the thrift store I found a pretty metal basket to hold my packages of rick-rack.  I was using a clear plastic jar (from peanuts), but I really wasn't happy with it.  This is much more "my style" and there is still room for a lot more rick-rack in the basket... a good thing in a sewing room!

I also picked up a skein of green yarn for my queen sized bobble afghan.  It isn't a perfect match to the green I started out with, but since it is separated from the previous row of green by a lot of other colors, I'm hoping the match is "good enough".  Of course I will keep looking in case I find something that matches better, but I couldn't let this one go by as it was close enough to be "passable".  I also picked up 12 skeins of embroidery floss for $.25 each.  They had two full shoeboxes of embroidery floss and I could have spent a LOT of money, but I tried to pick up colors I thought I might use in the future.  I will try to pick up a couple more skeins the next time I am in the shop.  

All in all it was a great thrift shopping day.  Unfortunately the store moved the "craft" items and the new location is HORRIBLE...way too crowded given the number of people who shop for crafting supplies.  I heard several other people complaining as we had to keep scootching up to the shelves to allow a person to fit down the aisle.  If someone had a cart we would have to move completely out of the way so they could get through.  Hopefully if enough people complain they will move the crafts area back to where it was!  Browsing was SO much easier in the prior location!

PUTTIN' IT TO THE TEST...

Back in February 2013 I began work on  Hand Stitching Bags and Accessories for my shop.  I fell particularly hard for this purple, orange and green combination and decided to keep it for my own!

It didn't take long to finish the Stitching Kit and I hung it on the door in my Expanded Sewing Room waiting for hand stitching inspiration to strike.  And there it hung...

Then in June 2013 an idea for a Collapsible Craft Container began to take shape in my mind.  After completing my prototype and being very happy with the result, I set about to make a Collapsible Craft Container to use as a thread catcher in my Hand Stitching Kit. 

Ah...more purple, orange and green love!

Then in July I began to "doodle" on a piece of scrap paper.  My "doodle" became a full fledged design that I scanned into my computer and printed onto a piece of light gray cotton.  Finally!  Something to hand stitch.  But, could I do it?

 

Several years ago when my Essential Tremor became worse I gave away the last of my embroidery and cross stitch supplies.  I didn't think I would EVER be able to do hand stitching again.  But, I have discovered that my ability to stitch comes in tiny "steady hands" chunks of time.  Five minutes here, 10 minutes there.  I can't do much at any one time...maybe four inches?  But I CAN still hand stitch...just differently!  

I decided to use my "doodle" design as the centerpiece of a throw pillow.  I went to the store and purchased the appropriately colored embroidery floss to match a charm pack of "Happy-go-lucky" fabric, which would make up the pieced portion of my pillow cover.  I used my Sizzix Big Shot to cut out some embroidery floss cards to hold my thread. 

 I then found a small plastic sleeve (it once held a fold up embrella) to hold the floss inside of my Stitching Kit. 

 

Last evening I spent a few minutes with my Stitching Kit and completed about 4 inches on my project.  I have to say, the kit worked wonderfully.  Everything I needed was right at my hand and it was easy to set up and get started and easy to put it all away when I finished.  Hopefully today I will have another chunk of time to do a bit more stitching.  

If I do, I know my Stitching Kit will be ready and waiting for me! 

Shared at:   <a href="http://www.myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com/p/needle-and-thread-

THE WEEK IN REVIEW...

This week has flown by in misty blur.  We have had rain, on top of Rain, on top of RAIN...accompanied by ridiculously high temperatures.  Tomorrow is supposed to be the cool day of the coming week.  Round about Wednesday we could have real-feel temps around 104-105 F.  That is unheard of in this area!  To make it worse, it will likely be a muggy heat too, not the beautiful dry heat of the Southwestern part of our country.  This hot and muggy weather has even led to some tornado warnings in our area!

This hasn't been a particularly good week for me health-wise.  After a three day bout of Trigeminal Neuralgia (someone please numb me from the neck up!) I finally got relief from the TN only to be hit with a day long migraine!  I went to my family physician for a routine check up yesterday and told him I have also been having more "all over" pain this past week...without even starting any weaning of my medication (that starts in 2 weeks and I am DREADING it)!  My doctor wisely pointed out our horrendously hot and muggy weather and commented that many of his patients with rheumatologic disorders have been having a particularly hard time of it this week.  Well....DUH...I made the connection between my pain and the weather over a year ago.  I will blame my memory blip on my Fibro fog, lol. 

I have accomplished a few things this past week.  Remember the doodling I mentioned in my last post?  Well, I finished my "doodle", scanned it into my computer and printed it onto some light gray cotton.  I have decided to use it as the centerpiece of a new pillow...sewn with the super fun fabrics of "Happy Go Lucky" from Moda.  Making things even better, a few weeks ago my Dear Hubby threw out a shirt that was wearing out a bit in the cuffs.  I rescued it from the trashcan and just discovered that it is a perfect match to the green and navy in the "Happy Go Lucky" charm pack.  I think the front placket of the shirt will make an adorable back for the pillow.   Dang, I just noticed that the interfacing I used is wrinkled from folding the cotton.  I sure hope it irons out eventually!


My hope is to embroider the design, although I know it is going to take a very, VERY long time working in teeny "steady hand" chunks.  So yesterday I went to JoAnn's and bought a few skeins of embroidery floss in bright and happy colors...red, yellow, orange, green, gray, navy, and aqua.  They were so bright and cheery that I smiled all the way home from the store! 


When I began having problems doing hand sewing I gave away all of my embroidery supplies.  I was going to buy cards to wind my new floss onto and then thought I would look and see if my new Sizzix Big Shot could supply me with something suitable at no further cost.  The Sizzix is my birthday present from Dear Hubby, but he insisted that I begin using it now rather than waiting a month for my birthday.  Cutting shapes with scissors is really problematic sometimes so he wants me to take advantage of the Big Shot.   

I found just what I needed!  My Big Shot came with a free assortment of dies and embossing plates.  I found the PERFECT frame die in the bundle of accessories.  So I tried out my Big Shot to make sure it works (I can now throw away the shipping box) and I made myself cute little embroidery floss cards in the process! See!  Aren't they cute?  I just wish there was a way to have the Sizzix cut the little slits for starting and ending the winding.  Trying to cut those were the PITS.  I had to squeeze my arms against my sides and press my arms on the tabletop to steady myself enough to cut just those little slits.  Phooey!  My tremor has been really BAD this week; typing and texting has been rife with wrong letters and double strikes.  It just KILLS the transcriptionist in me!  To think I used to type 130 words per minute with 98% accuracy.......ugh......those days are definitely GONE.

In better news, a few days ago I was reading the blog, "Jenny of Elefantz" (fabulous blog by the way!).  In one of her posts she mentioned a delicious Irish Tea Bread that she had found on another blog.  So I followed the link and printed out a copy.  On Thursday night I started the raisins and sugar (I reduced it by about a third) soaking in the tea.  Friday morning I only needed to add some flour and one egg and pour the batter into my cast iron bread pans and bake. 

I hate to admit it, but by last night one whole loaf was gone.  Even Dear Hubby liked it!  In all honesty I probably should have only used one pan instead of two as it made rather short loaves.  But, it was FABULOUS. 

I had a piece of the second loaf this morning with my coffee.  The recipe said that the bread gets even better the longer it sits.  Oh yea....it was even yummier this morning!  I am going to try to eat just a skinny little slice with my coffee every morning to try to see at which point "post baking" it reaches its peak taste.  Do we think it will last that long?  Hehehe...I doubt it!  The next time I make it I am going to reduce the sugar even further and maybe even cut back a bit on the raisins.  I have found that most recipes can be adjusted quite a bit before it starts to mess up the end result. 

The other big news around here is that I have gotten my half of our anniversary gift...an IPAD!  I have wanted one that I can use when I am out and about, or when I'm waiting in doctor's offices, etc., and on our vacation every year.  I have been using a Netbook that Dear Hubby won a few years back, but it is not working properly and has a mind of its own...usually losing whatever I am typing or reading!  As it was a very inexpensive, very low end model (hey, what did I expect it was a door prize!) I can't say it owes me one penny.  I have used it long and hard for quite a few years and it has earned its retirement.  Dear Hubby will also be getting some type of tablet for his half of our anniversary gift.  However, as he wants to use his for doing work on our vacations (yes he works every day we are away, lol) and for traveling to the UK for work, he has to wait until the IT Department tells him the exact specs he needs.  They are doing a lot of upgrades and he doesn't want to buy his anniversary gift and then find out it isn't compatible with the specs.  

So, that is my week in a nutshell.  I am sure there are a few other "happenings" that I have forgotten to mention.  Knowing how bad my memory can be, I had intended to keep a running list of things I wanted to tell you.  But, thanks to my lousy memory I forgot to start the list, lol.  Oh well, no big loss.  It's not like I hit the lottery and forgot to mention it!

A SNEAK PEEK (and a request for direction)

Many, many years ago I was very involved in crafting of all types.  I crocheted oodles of handbags, afghans, hats and scarves.  I made enough to keep my family warm twice over!  I also loved to embroider and cross stitch.  I made a glut of tea towels, Christmas decors, framed pieces to hang on the walls, etc.  I doodled constantly (ask my mom about the covers of my school books, lol) and even embroidered some of my doodles!  

Then I grew up, life intervened and, despite loving handwork, my interests changed.  I was a wife, mother and business owner.  Crafting took a back seat to living.   Thinking back over the years I realize that I have not embroidered anything since 1988! WOW!  I can hardly believe it has been 25 years since I have picked up an embroidery needle!

Now that I am retired I have re-discovered my love of handcrafts.  Of course the timing is LOUSY (never let it be said I do things the easy way), given my Essential Tremor and inability to hold a needle most days.   Occasionally, though, I will have a short tremor free period and during those rare instances I have once again picked up a needle...CAREFULLY, lol.  I haven't accomplished very much hand sewing, but...Oh!...the joy in holding a needle and thread once more.

A few days ago, while talking on the phone, I found myself doodling.  As the doodles grew I began to fall in love with the design.  

Maybe it is time to turn my doodles into pretty little stitcheries?  I know it will take months and months and MONTHS to finish this tiny design by hand, but a small voice inside says it is a joy worth attempting....even in teeny, tiny bites (Band-Aids at the ready, lol). 

So, for now I will give you a sneak peek into a creative endeavor that brings back joys of the past and hopes for the future.  Will I ever be able to complete this tiny stitchery?  Only time will tell.  But the excitement of seeing the designs swirling through my head flow onto paper may be all the incentive I need!

Just in case I am unable to hand stitch this design, if anyone out there in Blogland knows how to digitize a drawing to a PES format to use on my Baby Lock....please leave a comment and point me in the right direction to transfer my designs.  I would love to know what is involved in the process.  Thank you!