I Need to Write Something Different

I don't like stale posts.

Refresh!  Refresh!

I don't like much of anything stale.  Food.  House odors.  House decor. (and mine is very stale at this point).  My brain. (having to knock the cobwebs out)  Clutter is stale.  It makes the house stale.  It collects.


So, I guess there is stale and cluttered.

But my posts.  Last one was about the game on Monday night.

We've all been rather snowed in.  Not totally - but regular stuff has been interrupted.

We had adorable Andrew Sunday night through Wednesday.  We returned him to his parents and to his brother and sister on Wednesday at about 4:00.

He is blessed with the dearest and most pleasing temperament.  He enjoys a little mischief, but is so endearing and funny with it.  Lucky folks who are born with the "everybody-likes-them" personality or the "they-can-get-along-with-anybody" personality.  Andrew seems at this point to have that.

Anybody interested in the progress on my projects?  Well, I've completed 4 stockings and done many more stitches on my Cross Stitch project.  Oh....and I made a big mess.  Last night I semi cleaned it up.  Just enough to make sense of it all.  thread is everywhere - and I plan to vacuum.  I've only gotten one pin stuck in my foot.  Ouch!  always glad it's me instead of one of the grandchildren.  I like all the thread and all the needles everywhere.  Makes me think of two people.  My mother and my grandmother.  Ella, my grandmother had thread all around her chair where she sat in her older years and did handwork.  Needles were all next to her on the table by her chair, under the lamplight.  She had to see and have plenty of light - and if I was doing anything in the room, reading, anything, and didn't have good lighting, she'd say, "Elizabeth, you're not seeing a thing!"  I'd assure her that I could see.  I didn't know how young and good my eyesight was then.  Now I see any of my children doing something in low light and I say, "I know you can't see!"

Of course, I'm sewing with mother's machine and naturally I think of her.  They all pass through my head - those ladies I knew - those moms I knew - who shared that sewing skill and interest with Mother and Ella - Two moms in particular, moms of 2 of my good friends,  who would discuss it all with Mother.

Anyway - while I'm doing my little piddling version of sewing and not being perfectionistic at all about it - because I don't have a total knowledge of sewing and all the things involved - I excuse myself - unlike if I'm working on a drawing or painting or anything involving that kind of art on a surface - I expect so much which turns into a fear of failure so I just don't do it -  (back to the sentence)

While I'm doing my little piddling version of sewing I regret that I didn't learn to sew in high school - I regret that I didn't pursue sewing lessons for my daughters.  It is such a very very very helpful, fun, practical, useful, creative skill to possess.

Enough.  Pictures of my completed stockings, so far.

Ada's Stocking.  The fabric is a very soft corduroy - with thin lines - not the thick.

the white fabric - it reminds me of a matelasse.

I'll show you closeups of the trim and embroidery.

scroll down.

now once again,

Andrew's stocking - but I had forgotten to embellish his with the star buttons I'd bought.

So - here it is completed.

So - it was 2 years ago when I made Ellie and Luke's,

but I had to retrieve them from Ann.

In making Andrew's stocking I realized I had folded the cuffs over too deep.

I needed to correct that, so I have these at my house and was able to take pictures.

Ellie's is a white soft flannel and the cuff and heel have shimmery stars in the pink .

Again, closeups show the detail.

And then Luke's.

scroll for closeups.

The fun part is selecting the fabric and the embellishments.

There are so many cute buttons and trim to sew on.

For girls - really fussy embellishments. Love it.

It's an opportunity to be a bit gawdy.

It's a Christmas Stocking!

Still, I have a hard time being too gawdy.

I lean toward understated.

Now my dishtowel stockings.

First Stocking

Striped Side

Red Side.

and closeup.

Second Stocking

Striped Side

Red side

Third stocking, which I've already shown in previous post,

and it's the only one that's been completed for so many years.

I had 3 more to make.  I still have one to make, for my set of 4 dish towel stockings.

striped side

Red Side.

Now I have John's Stocking to make and one more dish towel Stocking

and I can move on.

Until we find out the gender of Ann's baby.

Then I'll make "her" a stocking.  or "him".

Today I'm working on another project.

It's something for somebody who has a birthday coming up!!

I know she's reading this.

My sister, Mary Ann.

I'm always late getting her gift to her.

Her birthday is Sunday.

I'll complete the project today - get it in the mail tomorrow and she'll (You'll) receive it beginning of next week.

Happy Birthday Early but it'll be late.

Here are some images from her birthdays in the past.

Always January 16.  So soon after Christmas.

Mary Ann turning 5

I guess this was her sixth.

Mrs. Wiggins, our first grade teacher, being Mother Goose.

She told us all a story - or read it to us.

Quite an elaborate theme party for 1955.

And, in the background, the doll cake Mother made.

(I just had the birthday discussion with Laura Beth this morning)

I led her to believe how times used to be much simpler.

I guess moms, then, and now, have the one blowout birthday and decide they need to calm it down.

Maybe this was year # 7?

A dressup party.

It was a small crowd.  3 or 4 girls plus me.

Not sure what age, but this was a cousin only party.

Looks like the party went outside.

That's iffy in cold January weather - but kids, or we did, love to go outside.

That's Mary Ann leaning over to make sure our cousin, Scott, is okay.

Looks like John (with cowboy hat on) had just shot him.

My cousin, Rachel, seems to be admiring his gun.

She loved boy toys.

Let me get back to what I was doing.