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Hi there sweet friends, nice of you to stop by!

Prim and folkart needlework designs of drab reds, browns, golds and greens are what I fancy.

Let's share stitchin, sewin, nestin, cookin, collectin, prims, critters and a lovin' mishmash of sweet life...

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Bathing, Stitching, Punching and Cooking On A Birthday...

Hi there Sweet Friends!  How's everybody doing?  Staying warm?  Stitchin?  Thanks for stopping by, I've quite a few sweet things to share with you.  This is a longish post, so if you've no time now, you're welcome to stop back when you can.

STITCHY BATH...  There's this older EMS SAL flower chart that's been nagging me, but I hesitated on kitting it up because the colors were really quite bright, not really to my prim liking.  Rather than do a conversion, I used the DMC colors as charted and bathed them in a very strong tea bath and rinsed, several times actually.  Well... truth be known, OCD rinsing happened ~ it's ok, go ahead, laugh:)  There might be a naysayer or two who'll say I've broken some rule and advise against this, but it's just DMC floss, and I'm accustomed to breaking rules.  The end result was quite acceptable, drabber and muted, a simple and fun experiment.  Heck, I might even trickle some drops of ~ Distress It ~ on these to stain them even more.
 One cup hot water w/six or seven tea bags...
before ~ yes, these colors are true, yikes...
 after ~ there now, that's better...

STITCHY TIP...  This WIP has been in my basket prob 4 or 5 years, I've just now picked it up again and am making good progress.  But, I decided I needed a few extra inches on each edge to fit more comfortably in my hoop.  I like to hoop, it fits my comfort level.  If you don't use a hoop, this tip's probably not for you.  So... I machine stitched a 4 inch wide strip of muslin along each edge to add some hoop comfort!  Of course any scrap fabric on hand will do.  This is also a very thrifty way to stitch a wee motif on those smaller linen/aida scraps that you think are a bit too small to use for anything.

See the seam?
Just sew a scrap piece along one edge or all four!

OH NOOOO ~ NOT AGAIN...  Like many of you, try as I might, I just can't seem to avoid those really annoying and pesky birthdays, you know... the ones ~ shhhhhh ~ after 50.  Mine is due to arrive unwelcome and uninvited a.g.a.i.n. on the 26th, yep me and Paul Newman.  I really and truly DO NOT KNOW how and when and why all these birthdays happened!  Not that I mind them that much, just wish they'd not come so often, every other year would be divine.

As a little present to myself, I signed up for a punch needle class this coming weekend at Liberty Cottage in Canandaigua, one of my most favorite shops.  I guess there's only myself and one other student.  I'm really looking forward to learning punch needle as an alternative to stitching, as I'm told it's much quicker from start to finish!  Wish you could join me!
Liberty Cottage, Canandaigua, NY

Sweet Patti (no blog) sent along this birthday gift that she knows I'll put to good use.  Patti's birthday is the 27th, which makes us birthday buddies, so we exchange a 'lil something and enjoy wallowing together, what are friends for anyway!

Thanks Patti, you're very thoughtful:)

COOKING...  Here's a ~Sweet Potato Pie Casserole~ I've been wanting to try, this was pantry-friendly and easy peasy to prepare.  The result was a sweet-salty-creamy-crunchy bite of heavenly yum!  Recipe courtesy of sweet Marly over at Santas and Samplers ~RECIPE.  This recipe now holds its' place of honor in my special recipe box.
  Thanks ever so much Marly,
this dish is simply too good to serve only on holidays!

MY BLOG...  Spent some time Spring cleaning, tidying up and rearranging things here, threw some tabs up top to store stuff.  I'm not yet done, and still haven't figured out how to make my top tabs look nicer.  Does anyone know if this is an easy fix?
   
Before you go, please have yourself a peek at my ~ Sweet Giveaways ~ tab!

Thanks for sharing a few moments of your day, see you again:) 

Tootles, Sue

17 comments:

  1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! If they bother you now, wait till you hit 60!! What a great idea on the floss instead of waiting till it's stitched and then aging. Thanks! Anxious to hear about the punch needle. No one around here has the tool so I didn't start yet. Have a great birthday.

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  2. Happy birthday. Some Sweet treats.

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  3. I say go for it if it's what you want. I really don't think there are any rules in prim... if there are, I know I've broken a few of them, I'm sure haha.

    I love how they turned out after the tea bath! They look much better muted like that. I'm a hoop girl also and I can't believe that after stitching for 23 years, I have never even thought about stitching an extra piece so it will fit comfortably in a hoop. Wow! Thanks for that wonderful tip!

    Happy Birthday!! Even though you don't want to have one, I hope it's a great day for you! =] Enjoy that needle punch class!

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  4. Hey Girlie...you have been on my mind the last couple days. A birthday huh? Hats 'n Horns to ya!
    I really like your idea of tea dyeing your DMC. I never would have thought to do that. So cool!
    I refuse to learn how to punchneedle. I'm afraid I'll like it and not do my regular stitching.
    Oh and the sewing fabric on the edges tip....you are just full of them!

    A very happy birthday to you my friend :o)

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  5. Happy Birthday! I love the tea bath for the floss. Living on the edge. lol

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  6. Happy Birthday Sue!
    The floss looks great after its bath.
    Have a wonderful time at your punch needle class.

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  7. Thank you for the thread and stitch tips! Needlepunch is very addictive as it is pretty easy and a great stress reliever once you get a rhythm going! A word of advice is to always use the good quality weaver's cloth. I love the background you put on your blog, it's nice and soft and reminds me that Spring can't be too far away!

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  8. I love the idea of tea dyeing DMC floss to make it muter in color....gonna have to try this tip. Also the tip on adding fabric to the edges of small pieces of linen so they can fit in the hoop is a great idea. SHHHHH on the birthday please...mines coming up soon and I'm trying to forget about it....but I'm wishing you a happy birthday.
    Blessings

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  9. I love what you have done with the threads...and if it makes you feel better, I too rinse, rinse, rinse!

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  10. Happy birthday! Yes, they come fast and furious, don't they? lol! Well, enjoy your day! You are a daring person to do that tea dye bath -- it did the trick on easing up the colors though. Nice tip on the hoop too. I don't use a hoop, but I imagine that's how one would add some muslin to your fabric if you end up short on the border so as to get it framed? I have to try that sweet potato pie casserole recipe. I'm off to go look at it!

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  11. Happy Birthday!!
    Loved the idea of dyeing the dmc to make them more subtle!!

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  12. Hi Sue from another Sue and fellow NYer. I just became a follower of your blog and thought both of your tips were great. I was also glad to hear about another shop in NYS as there is not much available near where I live. Keep up the good work!

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    1. Hi there Another Sue in NY:) Glad you enjoyed your visit here, thx for stopping by and for your sweet comment!

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  13. oooo I tea dyed a thread the other day by accident it fell in my cuppa aaaggggghhhhhh .... hope you have a lovely birthday mines on the 28th ;) and enjoy your class too :) love mouse xxxx

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  14. ♫♪♫ Happy Birthday ♫♪♫ tomorrow, Sue--I do hope it is filled with love and laughter :)

    Yes, those floss colors look much more "you!" Great idea about adding the muslin, too! I tend to stitch "in hand" but you never know when little tips like that might come in handy.

    Oh, punchneedle--I've always wanted to try that, too. Wish I was up there this weekend instead of last...

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  15. Happy belated birthday, Sue! Enjoy your PN class--I'd love to do that!

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A visit from a friend is like a piece of fine chocolate ~ always looked forward to, sincerely appreciated, over with and gone too soon... and leaving you wanting more:)

Sweet thanks for sharing a moment of your day ♥

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