Fall Y'all?

Autumn must be just around the corner. How do I know? Look:

The leaves of my Pear tree are turning! We had a couple of chilly nights (bizarre August weather this year) that must have given my tree signals. Just gorgeous colors!

I'm also in the mood for Autumn stitching and started this cutie Bent Creek pumpkin. It's astonishing, I'm even using overdyed threads on this one! I still love my DMC most though!

I finished the Blackbird Designs pinpillow, it just needs Finish-Finishing and that will probably happen soon. I like any excuse to use the Singer 404!

The tragedy in Texas is unbelievable. My prayers for all involved are heartfelt. I remember what Mr. Rogers said when you see terrible things happen, "Look for the helpers." and my word, what incredible helpers there are out there. Blessings, blessings to you!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

ORTs Eclipsed

Woo! We made it through another Lunar Cycle and the New Moon is here again. Time to show off those ORTs for the Totally Useless Stitch A Long! My mojo is turned on full strength and I have loads of ORTs to share!

That is the most full that jar has been in ages. I have ORTs to spare!

I also have some trimmings in my wooden leaf bowl from making pinpillows.

But all my ORTs were eclipsed by today's event in the USA. A total solar eclipse passed through, although I live in the about 87% of totality area. I got to watch as it got darker and darker. It's rather creepy and I can see why ancient cultures were totally freaked out by the event! 

I made the Frosted Flakes box into a view using directions online. It worked Grrrreat! But, I found the paper on the ground and hole punched in an index card trick much easier, plus I could take pictures!

=^..^=

Now it is YOUR turn...we want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your August TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A New Beginning

I am starting a new chapter in my life...for health and sanity reasons I have quit my job to become a Lady of Leisure. After a crazy couple of weeks of getting a replacement "me" trained, it is done! My coworkers got me a cake and they all chipped in and sent me off with a hefty Joann's gift card!  I cried, but already a huge burden is off my shoulders. Here is to a happier, if poorer me! Cheers!

This morning, I took Miss Molly out in the backyard to give her fur a good brush out. She had to run away to bark at a father pushing his kiddo in a stroller across the street. They stopped and waved and then stayed and watched as Molly got brushed and waved again as we went back inside. I must remember to dress nicer and wear a bra next time we go outside if the neighbors are going stop to watch!

Here is my new start, another Blackbird Designs pin pillow. This has been nice to stitch so far. I really enjoy the dense motifs stuffed into the small area. I'm stitching with my usual DMC, loving the tweeded colors! If you look close, you can see two different colored threads in my needle. Very pretty!

Now, I am off to stitch and maybe even clean house a little. I do hope no one stops by...I am still braless! And enjoying every minute of it!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

My Favorite Kitten

This design was serious fun! I couldn't even be bothered to stop and blog about starting it before I had it stitched and finished. Too much fun!

Design ~ My Favorite Kitten

Designer ~ Primitivebettys

Fabric ~ 32 count Belfast Linen, Daffycat Dyed

Fiber ~ DMC

Finish ~ Pinkeep

I had a few comments and questions about the Tweet Heart finish so I decided to address those in a similar finish blog post. First off, someone said something like, "You make it sound so easy!" which I worried meant, "This is easy for you to make but "I" could never do this." I want to make it clear this IS easy to make. YOU can do this! So I found a pattern I've had sitting and waiting and made a start, taking photos as I went along...

I have my design stitched. I don't really enjoy stitching on Belfast (it wrinkles like mad) but I wanted its rustic weave for this project. I cut out some iron-on interfacing to cover the back.

I choose a backing fabric and put the interfacing on it as well. Once you have it ironed on don't fiddle with it until it is cooled down. Let that glue set!

I take my pattern and hang it up in the window. 

I put my Kitten over the paper face down so I can draw on the interfacing. The tricky part is centering! Once you think you have it where it goes, tape it up and check it over carefully! Once you're sure, trace over the lines and don't forget to mark the opening you are to leave un-sewed!

I use a Frixion pen. This ink erases with heat. The line I have drawn is my seam line, the line I will sew directly on. If my pattern called for me to sew inside the line, I would draw a second line.

Now, I pin my backing fabric to my stitched piece. Careful! Make sure the pretty sides touch each other! 

Now, I sew on the line, careful to backstitch at the start and stop. What if you don't have a sewing machine? 1. You can hand sew, use tiny, secure stitches. 2. You can have a friend sew it on their machine. 3. You can invest in a machine of your own. Check Craigslist or Facebook marketplace for an inexpensive machine in working order. I am fond of vintage Singers as they are easy to find parts for.

Once my seam was sewn, I ran the hot iron over it to "disappear" the ink. See how the ears are still there? Just a touch of the iron erases the color.

Now, I can trim close to the seam and clip any curves so it will lay nice inside.

The hardest part ~ turning! Careful not to tear out your stitching. Be gentle. Poke. Pull. Squeeze.

I use a turning tool to help poke out ears and tails. A chopstick works great! Careful not to poke through the seam. I run the tool along every seam, pinching from the outside to make sure it gets pushed completely open.

 

Goodness, Belfast creases and crumples.

I iron the piece flat, smoothing out the seam inside with my tool. Open it all up neatly.

Using the turning opening fill your pinkeep with your favorite stuffing. I like ground walnut shells., just pour them in with a funnel. Someone wanted to know why I use them? Because they are heavy and they smell lovely. They give a good weight to your pillow. If your pillow gets damp they won't get sticky like rice or small peas/beans would. I also add a good pinch of dried lavender buds for additional scent.

You can buy the ground walnut shells at the pet shop, sold as bird or small animal litter.. I got about a five pound bag, if I remember correctly. It fit inside this cereal storage container. I have had this same package for several years. Once I had it as full as I could stuff it I used a ladder stitch to close the seam, using sewing thread. Learn this stitch! It is a nice invisible way to close seams. 

 Then I stitched a decorative cross stitch on the seam itself, using a DMC that I tea-dyed. I deliberately made it uneven to give it a rustic, prim feel. After my kitten was done, I used a hot iron to smooth the seam and to remove creases in the Belfast from all the pinching during sewing.

I think my kitten turned out really sweet! Don't forget, he isn't too pretty to stick pins in! Use your smalls and love them. Collecting dust isn't as much fun as being loved and used.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox