before thanksgiving

It has been a really, really rough week and a half. In 7 days Cameron and I have been to see the doctor 4 times - three times for Cameron and once for myself. Luckily for us both we’re clearing up but we have lingering effects. Cameron was nearing a series of shots to cure his infection, but thankfully his round of oral meds finally kicked in and knocked down the infection tremendously.

After his 2-day vomit fest and 3-4 days of 103-104 temperature he developed a head-to-toe rash. At first I thought maybe he had an allergy to the antibiotic but he saw the doctor (3rd visit) and found that he had the Roseola virus and his ear infection was at its ultimate worst. Now he’s over ALL that and becoming his spunky, kicky-self again. He still has a runny nose and a slight cough, still on meds, but definitely on the mend.

Cameron sporting his dashing smile again and the new Christmas jammies his Nana gave him. They have doggies on them.

Since Cameron has been so sick and one of our daily, minute-by-minute challenges has been wiping a snotty nose he’s been influenced some into helping Blue Bear with his supposed snotty nose too. Only Cameron used some of mommy’s batting instead of tissue or toilet paper. Speaking of which...

I am doing better, but I too have a lingering cough. Sinuses are still a bother and my voice isn’t quite mine. I asked Cameron to get me “some” tissue and he brought back the remaining toilet paper unraveled. Isn’t he adorable?! I just had to capture this. Luckily I had the camera on the table where I was sitting. Cameron’s so funny – LOL.

I have been productive…I think. If that’s what you call it. I have done stuff. For starters I went to Moonlight Stitching at the LNS on Saturday and I had a fabulous time – one of the best times actually. I know it’s partly because of my mood but also bc of the company I kept. It would have been even better if mom were there. I sure did miss her and so did everyone else.

My friend, Sally, gave me a couple of her finished projects to finish-finish. This is one of them by LK. We’ll be finishing it into a hanging ornament which I’ve started, but I’m not posting pics until it’s complete. The orange fabric is for backing the ornament and it’s really cute. The DMC is for twisted cord.

I finished stitching primitivebettys Thankful freebie and I’ve started to finish-finish it into a hanging ornament, but no pictures of that one yet either. I’m bummed I have nothing to show on that front bc I was hoping I would before Thanksgiving but it doesn’t look that way. I've had my hands terribly full with an ill child and a sick self. I'm surprised I've gotten as much started as I have all things considering.

I joined my first SAL a week ago - The Prairie Schooler ABC Bee. I asked the LNS if they would order the first ABC chart (and they did!) and they got it in next day. Way cool! I had a piece of linen (28 ct. Natural) and the DMC in my stash so off on my start I went. I’ll post a progress photo after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Today I experimented with dyeing fabric with cinnamon ground for the first time as well as the usual dyeing process with Rit and coffee. I used scrap pieces for the job. The darker pieces are with Rit and the lighter pieces are with cinnamon and coffee. The grey/blue is with Rit. Just having some experimental dyeing fun that’s all.

Cameron and I went by the LNS today to pick up a piece of 36 ct. linen; Antique White to be exact. That wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, but that’s what I ended up getting. I had a $20.00 punch card so I used that for linen, a JBW design, and a skein of WDW. My total came to $19.39. Not bad, ugh? Anyhoo, I plan on dyeing the fabric – it’s for a specific project that I started this evening.

Well, that’s it for me. It’s seriously late. Past midnight. Tomorrow I have to pack. The boys and I are riding along with my parents to Arkansas for Thanksgiving to visit with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Jimmy. I’ve scheduled a blog post while I’m away so that’s checked off my to-do list. ;-)

I hope you all have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday! Hugs! Talk soon!

i dyed last night

I actually did. I dyed some fabric last night. Not much; just a 16x16 of 32 ct. Antique White linen piece.

I used Rit dye in Taupe and actually dipped, baked, and ironed twice over. I’m happy with the results. There are a few ‘smalls’ I’d like to stitch on this. If you can believe it I ironed the fabric twice. Not sure what the deal is.

Jose and I just returned from seeing the movie Paranormal Activity. Whoa! What an interesting movie that was. It was extremely creepy and very entertaining. Even had its funny moments where we laughed out loud. I found out that both the actors were only paid $500 for their part. That's insane!

The Sampler Girl is having a classic one-day sale today. Five Dollars on everything except for select items, but mostly everything is $5.00. Go check it out and place your order.

Well, gotta run and pick up Mr. Cameron from school. I bet he's crying every time that door opens, the bell rings, and it isn't his mama yet. :( Poor thing. So pathetic. Talk soon!

"traveling"

Have a look-see at my new goodies!

Sunday I traveled over to The Sampler Girl’s website and ordered the On Travel with Jane Austen chart. I’m so excited about starting this sampler. I don’t have the model fabric but I was thinking about using something different. The model is done on 30 ct, but I was thinking of using 32 ct Parchment. This isn’t written in stone ~ brainstorming only at this point b/c that’s what I have in-stash. I still need to acquire all the floss.

While visiting I toured the “Needlefuls” and saw the new and unique Hillier scissors by Kelmscott and had to get them, so I did. :o) I’ve made the decision that I need want more scissors so my collection begins. Yay!

I had a small piece of linen which originally was an unused doodle cloth. I decided to dye it a sage green this morning. I’m happy with it. I have a teeny tiny project in mind. I started on it this afternoon using DMC Perle Cotton #8 Blanc. I’m shooting for a French-pretty finish…I hope!

Most of Middle Tennessee is under a tornado warning. It hasn’t reached our part of Nashville yet, but it is slowly making its way. I don’t mind summer thunderstorms, but tornadoes at night give me the creeps and raise my blood pressure. Well, I’m off to cozy up in bed and stitch while I can rest easy.

Talk soon!

RIT dye

I've never used RIT dye before to dye fabric and when I saw Daffy's tutorial, I had to give it a try. I was told I could find RIT dye in the laundry aisle at the grocery store. I checked there, but couldn't find it. Would you believe that my dh knew where it was?! It was located with the shoe polish. I was shocked at his knowledge. You know, after 8 years together (4 years married) he still amazes me. Sounds to me we still have promising years ahead of us. =) Anyway, I bought four different colors: Royal Blue, Taupe, Wine and Purple. I used the Taupe today and I'm happy with the results.

Here's the linen before the dyeing process ~ 32 ct cream.

Here's the linen after the dyeing process. I wanted the mottled look and I got just that. Thanks Daffy for the wonderful dyeing tutorial.


Cameron has really changed over the last couple weeks, but there's been a remarkable change in the last few days. I can't pinpoint the exact difference, but he's definitely maturing. He plays more as opposed to just throwing things and causing a mess. Don't think positively though...he's still throwing things and making a mess, and we still can't have our chairs around our kitchen table, but he is becoming a more "playful" child.

Lately, he's been putting my flip-flops on and surprisingly he gets them on correctly which is amazing. I was in the kitchen and I heard what sounded like shuffling (instead of walking) so I turned and there my little man was with my flip-flops on his feet. Later in the day, he came running totally excited and pointing in the direction of his barn (he still isn't speaking words, but I can translate the baby/toddler language), so I followed right behind him. Apparently Spock and Capt. Kirk visited the barnyard animals...and boy did they have an interesting time here on Planet Earth!

I've been working on only two projects right now. The Traveling Stitcher by LHN and Susan's Sweet Tin by Susan Greening Davis. I'm really into these and am nearing the halfway point with both if not further than that. I don't have progress photos now, but I'll take some soon and share. I'm off to sit and stitch a bit, and get off my bad knee, while Cameron naps. Plus, me and Jose are watching Season 9 of Friends.

Talk soon!

pomegranate fabric

For the first time I hand-dyed a piece of 28 count linen with a pomegranate. I am pretty happy with the results. The whole process kind of felt like cooking which I actually don't like to do, but this was fun. I had a good time and waiting around wasn't such a bad thing. lol Anyway, if anyone is interested in using pomegranate to dye fabric here are the instructions. I have to give credit, though, where credit is due. I got this unique idea from Nancy. She's a very clever lady so check out Nancy's Blog. Thanks again, Nancy, for the idea and inspiration!

Process For Hand-Dyeing Fabric Using Pomegranate

First rule of thumb...there is no rule! There is no right or wrong way to dye the linen.

I used gloves when “shucking” the seeds out of the fruit, but that’s because I was afraid the juice may stain my fingers, but this is totally up to you. After awhile I took the gloves off and had no problems. However, still consider the surface you’re using to dye your fabric no matter what stain you’re using.

A. Cut 1 pomegranate and remove seeds and keep skin (I didn’t use the skin, but you definitely can).

B. Fill a 3-quart pot a little more than halfway with water. Bring to a boil and then add the seeds and skin (skin not required) and allow boiling to continue for 10 minutes.

C. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. I left the seeds in the water while cooling, but that is because I didn’t know to take them out before cooling. However, I do not think this matters as it didn’t make or break my dyeing process. Use your discretion. It’s your linen! After the water is cooled, remove the seeds (and skin). I squeezed whatever juice was left from the seeds but you don’t have to do this.

D. Dunk your linen in the cooled pomegranate water. Depending on how dark you want your linen determines the length of time you allow it to sit. I allowed the linen 5 minutes with an occasional stirring method with tongs.

E. After the first 5 minutes I dunked the linen in a mixture of cold water and about 2-3 teaspoons of white vinegar. And I sloshed that around a bit. Just use enough water that it’ll cover the majority of the linen. See if the linen is your desired color. If not, proceed to letter “F”. If it is, jump to letter “G”.

F. Put the linen back into the cold pomegranate water and let the linen sit for another 5 minutes, but check it at least once for coloring depth. After 5 minutes, rinse in the cool water and vinegar.

G. Hang linen to dry then press with hot iron.

As Nancy says, 'a picture really doesn't do the piece any justice, does it?'. She is so right in her assessment. It is difficult to tell from the photo, but it does present a hand-dyed appearance. It really looks nice.