Toy Chest Bits and Pieces

Well, as of this morning, all of the pieces to the toy chest have their interfacing (if needed). One piece has actually been completed (the scissors fob). The rest are awaiting their lining and the final put together. A couple of them promise to be challenging - the wax holder and the thimble holder. The button box has already had a manufacturer's recall ... somehow or another, I managed to stitch the capital B upside down. I'm not honoring the recall though. It will just have to stand on its head.

I think I need a break from the Toy Chest while I decide the layout for the lining cutouts.

Well, I decided to tackle the scissors fob with its twisted cord and tassel for the 2nd piece to finish. I am pretty happy with the twisted cord, and the way the fob looks in general. But, I am unhappy with the way the tassel turned out. If you don't look too closely, it is fine, but could be better...maybe.

The washer repair turned out to be a lot bigger deal than it needed to be. First, Sears called to say that they weren't going to honor the appointment they made over a week ago, but maybe they could come sometime next month, then again, maybe not. We didn't find that (either the attitude or the actually timing) to be acceptable, so we decided to find someone else to do the repairs. We found someone local to do the job. When we called around noon, he told us he couldn't come until between 4 and 7 pm .. and was apologetic that he couldn't come any sooner. He showed up around 6:15, took the dryer off of the washer (it is in a closet), and took the washer apart. Pretty soon, he announced that it would the $450 and he was through. The pump had gone bad. He did a nice job, quickly and cleaned up his mess. My biggest problem was that $450 price tag. The washer only cost us $500 several years ago. But, compared to the $800-$900 that they want for a new washer these days, $450 was cheap. I keep wondering ... if inflation is so low, how come a new washer is almost double in price????????

I didn't make it to the Oatlands meeting on Wednesday .... I was supposed to be waiting for Sears. It sounds like I missed a nice set of antique linens ... <sniff>

Picture, Finally

OK ... here is the toy chest. Ready to sew up the sides and insert a lining.

Snow, again

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for spring. The Tuesday stitching was once again cancelled due to icy roads.

I have been working on my Betsy Morgan Toy Chest. In particular, the toy chest itself. Today, I stitched the sides (front, back, right and left) to the bottom. Tomorrow, I plan to stitch the front and back to the sides, actually making the box. After that, who knows where I will head. Probably not to the lining though ... that will require making decisions about all of the lining pieces and I don't have lots of the lining fabric. Betsy gives enough to do the project, but you need to be careful to lay it out properly. I didn't layout my skirtex pieces properly, and had to go to a back-up piece.

Here is where the picture would go ... but, I'll have to do that later. While I took several pics, none of them are publishable ... one of the cuts the back in half. I'll try again and post them ... maybe today, maybe tomorrow.

11 Pipers Piping.

I'm almost happy with the beads this time. The ones in the cluster really clustered. And I like the musical notes. . . even though the thread kept pulling out and sliding under. I finally got it right!

6 more days of Christmas to go, and I am taking a break from them. I have been working on my Virgo Quaker. I don't have a lot of progress to share, but I have done a little.


The rest of my stitching time has been spent starting to put together the Betsy Morgan Toy Chest. I have the interfacing ironed down on all the pieces, and the Skirtex shapes drawn. I have actually 'skirtexed' the front and back of the box, with the sides, top, and bottom to be done tonight. When I get them finished, I'll post a picture of the pieces. And with any luck, I'll get the Toy Chest together this week...or next. It has only been almost 3 year since I stitched them, so there is no real rush.

Well, I got a much better pic of the tea cozy. The shadows in my room are unbelievable today. But, at least it is focused.

I've finished another ornament ... 12 Drummers Drummin'. this one has more beads than the rest. And since I don't like the way they are being put on, it made it harder to do. The designer likes them put on with ecru thread. It leaves a bit of thread color at the ends, but that is the way she has them on the design, so I'll live with it. Left to my own devices, I would use red thread.

I watched the Westminster Dog Show this week. Wonderful bunch of dogs! A friend has had Irish Wolf Hounds since I have known her. I've gotten to know how really great a really big dog can be. The Scottish Deer Hound that took Best in Show looks very similar to Sandy's dogs. Just too big for me. One of the Tuesday Stitchers recommended the Coton Du Tulear as a good dog ... it doesn't shed, and it is small. Two points in its favor! I'll have to track down one to see what kind of personality it has. I am of two minds on owning another dog. I'd love to have one, but at the same time, I really don't want another dog at this point in my life. Can I rent a dog for a few weeks, here and there? And would it remember me between times? Probably can't.

I have finished sewing the Tea Room onto the cozy. It looks great~but, my picture didn't look as great. I will try again to get a picture of it...perhaps one in focus would be good. My camera is SUPPPOSED to auto-focus, but somewhere along the line, a setting has gone astray.

The Tuesday Stitch group met yesterday in Stafford County. We celebrated a birthday. The group has 'big' celebrations for significant birthdays ...  every 5th year starting at age 65. Yesterday, we had a 65th birthday. Our birthday girl, Mary, has had a difficult year so far. Her mother passed away, and then her husband fell and broke his hip. He is currently in rehab, and Mary's comings and goings have been limited. However, his daughter was in town this week, so she came to celebrate not only her birthday, but to celebrate a day-out. Her hubby is in rehab at Renaissance Gardens, and as luck would have it, his room is right next door to a member of the Tuesday Stitchers. We had a pot-luck luncheon, and as always, the food was excellent. We didn't get much stitching done ... too busy chatting and eating.

Tea Room

I finished the Tea Room last night. Looked at it this morning and ripped out two leaves. I had picked up the wrong thread. I can't imagine how that happened <g>, can you.

Anyway, here is the finished Tea Room along with the Tea Cozy it will fit onto.

I had planned to go to the Loudoun Sampler Guild meeting this morning, but found out my grandson's next to last basketball game of the season was today. So, I decided the basketball game was far more important. Sorry, LSG, but Bryce comes first. Then, this morning, after it was too late to change plans again, I found out that Bryce and his family were not going to get to the game. Drat.

I have decided to enter three items in the Woodlawn Show - but I don't have pictures of all of them. Just the Christmas Blessing, which was my last finish for 2010. Maybe after they come back from the show I will get a chance to take pictures.

I'm really still here

I knew blogging was going to be the hardest part. I have been stitching away, but, blogging ... not so much.


My son-in-law has had a bit of a set-back. When he saw his oncologist, he mentioned that he had been having fairly frequent nosebleeds. The oncologist had a N&T man come down and look at it. They agreed it looked like a harmless polyp and surgery was scheduled to remove it. Much to the dismay and surprise of all, the polyp turned out to be  a metastatic tumor. He is scheduled to start treatment with Sutent ... just as soon as the pharmacy gets a stock in ... it is apparently something they don't keep on hand just in case someone walks in to need some. Meanwhile, he remains as healthy and active as a person can be.


Back to stitching. I have managed to finish another 12 days ornament. I got the leaves and back-stitching done on the 5 Golden Rings ornament.  That makes 3 stitched with 9 to go. I wish I had paid attention to how many quarter stitches were involved. I might NOT have select this set to do. Ah well, they are all started now. SO, I will finish them ... I think.














Meanwhile, I noticed my LNS was having a Super Bowl sale. So, off I went. I didn't spend  lot of money, but I am pretty pleased with what I got: The latest Little House Ornament - TWEET, and an older chart showing a TEA HOUSE ... that came with a Tea Cozy. That was on Saturday. I immediately started stitching the Tea House, and am about ... well, it's more than 1/3 done, but not quite 1/2.






Maybe I will remember to post more frequently. Maybe.
I seem to have a lot more space in the actual post than I had in the 'draft.' Something I'll have to learn to fix, but not today.

What a difference backstiching makes!

If you ever doubted that backstitching is worth your while ....

Here is the 5 golden rings ornament to be .... with the 'diamonds and the ribbon ... no backstitching


.





    

And here it is with the back stitching --------------->

Progress, of sorts

One might think that with all the snow days I would have made some progress. And one would be pretty much wrong.

5 Golden Rings has more quarter stitches than Carter used to have little liver pills. I haven't done any of the back stitching yet, so it is pretty blah. Another day or so to add the 'diamonds' on the rings, the leaves, beads and back stitching and it will look quite different - I hope.





The Virgo Quaker is beginning to shape up. I like the color (DMC 502), but didn't really like the second color suggested, so I am doing it all in 502.


My Tuesday stitch group was canceled once again. This time the hostess decided that her steps had changed into ice and the straw that decided everything was the car that was going the wrong way on the street behind her. I am beginning to wish for Spring. But, I know that once spring gets here, I will want more snow.

No pleasin' some people.

My son-in-law had some 'minor' surgery yesterday to remove some tissue in his nasal passages that was causing nose bleeds.

The big appointment with the oncologist was today, but I haven't heard back from them about the results. They are hoping that the scans showed enough improvement to continue with the IL-2. Me too.