A bit of stitchin'

 A bit of stitchin' today on the embroidery machine - tshirts for a Mother's Day gift.  I think my mother will love these. Don't these colors make you think spring?!!! 

I am remiss......

…….or just don't have anything new to say, or just lazy......nah, not lazy - I have slowed down now that I have no commitments but I'm busy all day, so not lazy.  I just don't feel like posting but my friend Diane in Idaho called yesterday and she wants me to keep posting so she can see what I'm up to.  So, a bit of what's been going on......

On the rainbow towel warp I wove one with black cotton as the weft and have kept it for myself. I would have woven more with black weft but I just didn't have enough left on the cone.  I finally listed some of the others off that warp in my etsy shop today and one has already sold.

I've been working on some sewing projects but I can't show them as they're gifts but here's a sneak peek at one of them.  Having some fun with wonky stars again.  I am not a good machine quilter, you'd think I could keep in the ditch doing stitch in the ditch but I can't...…….but I can put on a mean perfect binding!

Two quilts are off being long arm quilted.  My barn quilt that will hang on the wall opposite the dining room and another quilt that is a house warming. I'm hoping to have them back within a week so I can get the bindings on them and ship the one off just in time for family moving into their new house. Will show pix of both when I get them back and bound.

In the evenings I'm working on my gift ornaments for the year, sorry no pix of those until the end of the year as to not spoil the surprise for those getting them.

I embroidered these golf towels for a neighbor/Sam's golf buddy, who loves vintage cars/trucks - he was so kind to help out on our deck project when Sam needed an extra set of hands. The embroidery pattern was a bit thick for towels but they turned out ok. Would have loved to have used the vintage truck patterns but my best sources for patterns is not making smaller ones that my machine can stitch - I have a 4"x4" limit. I wrote to both the companies and was told by each that I could buy myself some software and re-digitize them myself or split the designs into 2 using software I would have to buy and stitch half, then rehoop exactly to the tiny stitch where it should be and finish the embroidery - hah!

On the home front we've been putting in a new deck. Pictures and story of that to come when it's done...….which should be any day now as Sam is now putting up the railings.

Me???  Dig a hole to China in the backyard??? Did that dirt on my hose give me away???   If she's not digging holes to China she's pulling apples off the tree, pulling blackberry vines thru the fence to eat, thorns and all, or pulling the occasional branch off a rose bush. Thank goodness we have a fence on the side yard to keep her out of the garden, grape vines and plum trees. How can a dog that's perfect in the house be such a one dog destruction crew in the yard???   Someone should tell her it's not very flattering to be so close to the camera - it makes her nose look big...……..

This and that.......

I have gotten a little bit of fiber time. I'm nowhere near where I need to be to keep my sanity but I'm trying to work toward getting back to what my normal had been for 2+ decades. How did life change? I need for it to change back, at least partially back to what it used to be or 'funny farm' here I come.

I put some handspun on the loom recently for a double weave/width afghan. Color is not quite right but it's close, and that was after working on it. Newer version of my old camera takes terrible pictures colorwise, just don't get it. Anyhow, that skein on the top is the weft.

Here it is in progress. The join is on the left hand side. When this comes off the loom it will unfold to be twice it's width, which is around 42" before washing.  I'd like to think I would get it off the loom today and be able to start twisting the fringe but I've also got 3 fruit trees to prune and I need to help Sam get the bird netting over the garden structure.

I finally finished a pair of superwash merino/bamboo/nylon socks that have been on the needles for probably a year. A project that I'd just pick up here and there when I needed to grab a quick project to work on while on the go. They feel super soft, with our weather these may not end up on my feet until next winter. Time to get another pair of socks on the needles for my on the go, no thinking necessary, project.

At the sewing guild meeting last week we learned about Swedish weaving, which is not really weaving (as we weavers know) but embroidery on huck fabric - the embroidery sits on the top of one side of the fabric. This is my sample in progress. I think I may be pulling my thread to tight - looks fine but once washed it may pull.....I need to consult my fellow guild member to find out. This is very fun and very addictive......the last thing I need is something else fun to do as I don't have the hours to do what I want but that's ok, I'll fit it in somewhere, sometime.  I'm thinking I need to make myself a couple of towels, maybe even make a few gifts for later in the year.

Busy week ahead.  I'm hoping to find time to start winding a warp for bumbaret towels although I'm learning life gets in the way all too often. All those colors of 8/2 cotton are calling to me to make super colorful towels.

New towels......

There are finally new towels in my etsy shop.  I've had the pile of them sitting for a few weeks hoping for enough sun to have nice natural light coming in the window for photographs.  Well, that didn't happen so I took the photos anyhow.  It's already one of my dreaded jobs, no sun makes it even harder.  But here are the towels - there are two of each embroidered towel design in my shop.  There are two each of the handwoven towels.  I'm loving a few of the new embroidery designs - the lucky shamrock speaks to me as do the flowerpots and lavender wreath.....oh and that chicken on the yellow window pane towel.....I'm almost hoping it never sells o it ends up in my kitchen......

My shop is woefully low on handwoven towels. There eventually will be some more as I need some for gifts in the next couple of months and I always put on a long warp so there will be extras to sell. I am slowing down on selling.  There are so many arts/crafts on my very long to-do list and only so much time in one's life. So, I'll keep selling but it will be on my terms, most often when there are extras that come off a warp. So many projects, so little time...…….now it's time to start getting to them...…

Disposable.........

Trying to fit in some fun stuff these days in-between the crap...….that word sounds funny because it's a not a part of my vocabulary but I guess it fits with my life these days.  So, a few days over the last week or so I worked on embroidering towels for my etsy shop.  They aren't listed yet as I need a day with good sunlight to get decent pictures, not sure when that will happen but I'll be ready to go with the new camera. I posted last year about a spot showing up in my photos - a speck of dust got on the inside of the lens of the old camera, it's just a point and shoot but I loved it. It would cost more to repair it than to buy new so I bought new with birthday money from late last year. I do still have the old camera and will carry it while hiking or walking on the beach, I can take photos if it's moved to the side so I can crop out the spot.

Speaking of things not being worth repairing - my printer (all in one machine) died two days ago. A problem with the print head and a new print head costs more than what the printer originally cost or what a new printer would cost.  So, we got a new printer yesterday. At least Staples gives a $30 recycling credit for the old printer...….when I say old printer, it's barely over 4 years old but that seems very old in printer land these days. I sure wish it was worth repairing appliances/electronics these days but they're made to be short lived and disposable, not cost effective to repair them.  Yes, I could have saved that old printer and replaced the printhead but I also have to look at dollars and cents I'm spending so buying new was best.

Here is one of the towels I embroidered, the photo was taken on a cloudy day and at the machine so color is off - the stripes on the towel are a light aqua - the design has poppies, trees and mountains. I love the way these turned out.

I recently bought this chicken pattern. It's stitched on a light yellow with white windowpane checked towel.  There are many others geared toward upcoming holidays, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Easter/Spring. They will be in the shop as soon as photography work is done.

I'm almost ready to start on a quilting project but trying to decide if I should weave something first.  So while I decide today may be spent re-organizing in the sewing room.  I need to switch 'stuff' in two different cabinets which entails re-folding and re-organizing all the fabric.

New towels in the shop

I needed to stitch up a special order towel so decided to stitch a few more - love this lavender wreath......

.....and I decided to stitch up the country sheep on a seafoam green towel - love this for spring or easter.......also stitched up some more bunny towels.  All are in my etsy shop ready to find new homes.

Stitching along..........

 Since I sold out of a few embroidered towels this past week I decided to do some stitching yesterday. These heart towels are back up in the shop again in addition to two other heart towel designs. Yes, I'm thinking of Valentine's Day.....and ahead to St. Patrick's Day......

This shamrock towel is for sale but I need to do the photography work for my etsy shop as I stitched it on a different towel than last time. Some other shamrock designs to be stitched today. Hopefully this week with the torrential rains coming to an end early in the week I'll have some good light for photos. Mind you, I am not complaining about the rain - we really need it but it could be spread out a bit more, there's widespread flooding at the moment. As my friend JoAnn says it's raining pitchforks and shovels.

New tee's in the closet......

I did get some tee's embroidered for myself. The black and chartreuse are 3/4 length sleeves that I had planned on stitching today. Then I found the two short sleeves in browns that looked like they could use something. First the gingko leaf, I love anything gingko. Then, in preparation for the Olympics the  'peace, love, curl'  tee - I'm more than ready to binge watch curling next month.

Thinking ahead............

Thinking ahead a bit to St. Patrick's Day with embroidered towels, usually I'm way behind on creating for holidays. I did stitch some a few weeks back but some have already sold so I've replenished with these new towels to go with the others. All are in my etsy shop. Hmm......which should I stitch for my own kitchen??? It's hard to decide.

Now off to stitch a couple long sleeved tee's for myself..........then to work on that boundweave handout that I just can't seem to sit in front of the computer and do........if I work it right I'll run out of time today to work on it.......yes, that's bad........

A bit of stitching..........

 When searching for something else in my studio I came across stamped pillowcases ready for embroidery. I bought them several years ago, they got put in a cabinet and forgotten. Lo and behold they go great with the embroidered quilt I have on the guestroom bed at the beach cottage. So off to buy embroidery floss to match the quilt and start stitching. I'm halfway through pillowcase #2 - I've got 4 of them to stitch. It's so fun to do and how rewarding to have them go perfectly with this quilt.

I finally decided how to spin the 12 Days fiber. The first 3 (on the left) bothered me at how they didn't flow with the other jewel tones. They're perfect with the graphic the collection was based on but not perfect to my eye.  So I pulled off bits from the jewel tones to mix in the first 3, and I pulled bits off those to add to the jewel tones.  Just little bits but I think it's enough to tie them all together. I divided each colorway into two so I can spin on two bobbins and then ply them together. I'm pretty sure I'll stick with that decision. I'll probably start spinning this evening.


Fun to have some different projects to be working on but I must get back to weaving - it's been way too long. I'm vowing to mark days off on the calendar and not let others intrude on me getting back to nesting here at home. First off to do is weave more boundweave samples as I've got a guild program to present in early March, then present it again to another guild in April. I've got all my notes together to compose a good handout, that will take a big chunk of time. Luckily I've got some samples from when I presented this topic back in 1999 so I'm not starting from scratch, just have to fill in a few blanks.