Yet another personality test

Karin had this on her blog and I decided to try it. I came up an Advocating Inventor. It is much more detailed questionnaire than some of these blog things and my answers revealed to me that I am a person who likes plans. I don't like to be surprised with last minute things. Maybe that is why my butt is still burning over the last minute cancellation of my classes in Natchez. I prefer to know what is coming, so I can set my schedule. I don't like to be surprised on Sunday with something when I already had plans to do the laundry or work on a project.

Of course, things are not as hectic as they were when I had a job. So now, if I can't get to laundry on Sunday, I can do it Monday instead. Ironically my husband is sort of the same way, although he is loathe to admit it When we have company, he wants to know when they will be here and how long they will stay.

Funny how sometimes you are more open to self-reflection than others.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 80

This one was suggested by Cynthia. She wanted it to be Day 56, but I already had a bunch planned out when she asked. Needless to say, I shared the information with her privately when she needed it.

How to handle a skein of perle cotton...

First, take the bands off of your skein, pick it up by the knot and gently shake it free. Cut through all strands and the knot.

Straighten out the skein and cut the opposite end. This will create a bunch of 36" strands. Fold it in half and cut one more time, to create a bundle of 18" cuts.

Slip one of the bands on to the bundle and center it in the middle. Separate the strands into three roughly equal batches. Braid very loosely.

To separate out a thread, pick up a single strand near the band and gently pull it out. Gently and loosely wrap any unused thread at the bottom of the braid to keep it tidy. It is important to keep the braid loose, so that the threads can be easily removed one at a time.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 79

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Vined block font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Warning: Wendy Whiner's got nothing on me

I finally got through to my doctor and scheduled an appointment for first thing Monday morning. At least if he wants to do blood work, I will already be fasting. After almost four months of walking four or five days a week, with a couple of those months walking at least an hour a day, I had only lost six pounds. Almost two weeks ago, I started the belly dance class with Lisa and am working out with a DVD every day. Ironically, I seemed to have picked back up two of those pounds. It is infuriating. I have to ask my doctor to try adjusting my medication. This is just so annoying.

Please, don't tell me about muscle weighing more than fat. I could live with that. It would be fine if my clothes were fitting better. That way I could ignore the scale, but that has not happened. I don't over eat, but I don't diet anymore, because I was always undereating, which is bad for you too. I don't eat junk food for the most part, because I don't bring it into the house. If I eat garbage, it is one day a week, when we go out somewhere with a buffet. I avoid sugar, refined flour and partially hydrogenated oils. I eat whole foods, I am a good cook, I take supplements, I drink very little diet soda (only a few TaBs a week these days), I drink a ton of water, I eat no sugar added yogurt, high protein fiber cereal, low GI fruit, and yet, I am the same size as I was when I ate as much of anything as I wanted and spent the whole day seated in front of a computer.

I know it is my metabolism and my damaged thyroid, but that really does not make it any more tolerable. Well, it is a big plus that I feel better and probably won't keel over with a heart attack, but I really wish I could get back into my cute clothes from just a few years ago. It is just such a pain in my tuchus! Oh, well, maybe I will get lucky and a change in meds will make a difference.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 78

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Floral vine font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 77

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Topiary vine block font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 76

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Stained glass look block font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

The Joys of Belly Dance

I really enjoyed my belly dance class last night, but I did not get enough. I came home and did the Dolphina Goddess Workout. I am so glad that Lisa talked me into doing this. We got there a little early, so we got to watch a few minutes of Kristina and the MissiHippy Dancers do there thing. It was great.

Because I did so much yesterday, I decided to skip dancing today, but I did go to the gym to walk for an hour. Kristina said she took classes for a long time before she ever performed. I don't know if I ever want to perform, but it makes me feel better about being slow to learn. I still don't have the upperbody stamina needed, my arms ache and burn during class and the arm routines in the videos. I think I will run into trouble with the differences between American Tribal Style and what I have been learning from the videos, which is probably Cabaret.

I can see I will eventually need to get the Fat Chance Belly Dance videos or switch to the cabaret class. I am enjoying the whole experience, even if it still is not making a difference in my weight. It is changing how I see myself, which might be the best solution of all.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 75

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Unusual block font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Pedometer Overload

I did it, I pushed my pedometer past its limits! Yesterday afternoon, while Lisa and I were doing some post Chimneyville Weavers and Spinners Guild shopping, I looked down and I had maxed out my pedometer! I was surprised when I realized it got to 99,999 and just stopped. I thought it would just roll over and start again!

Although I did reset it after I got home and got a photo of it, the 5K steps or so seemed sort of meaningless and moot. Instead of taking a photo, I just reset it again this morning to start out a new week. Between walking five days a week and the belly dancing, I have pretty much proven that I don't need the pedometer to keep me moving. If I max out again in the upcoming week, I might give my pedometer to someone who may get something out of it.

Tonight is my second Belly Dancing class and I am excited about that. I already had one DVD, but I had not opened it. When I finally did, I found that it was not my cup of tea. I went out and bought several DVDs to help me learn how to do the moves. I would not have bought so many, but I went to Ross Dress For Less, and they had a slew of fitness videos for $5.99 and $6.99. As usual I went a little overboard, but I did not know which would be good for now and which would be good for later and the price sure was right!

A mini-review of my new collection:

• Instant Belly Dance 1 with Neon. The graphics make this one a good learning tool. It is sort of like a dictionary of moves, not a work-out per se and not a routine. It helped me cement some ideas in my head and will be an excellent reference, even as I learn more.
• Instant Belly Dance 2 with Neon. I only briefly skimmed this one, because I was already on information overload.
• Belly Dancing Fitness with Amira Mor. I liked this one, and she is a beautiful dancer, but I was a little distracted by all of the extremely young girls in her "troupe."
• Bellydance Fitness for Weight Loss featuring Rania. This is really just a fitness DVD. It is broken down into five ten-minute quickie exercises. Like I said before, it was not my cup of tea and it was the only one for which I paid top dollar!
• The Goddess Workout with Dolphina: Introduction to Bellydance. I have used this one several times and I really like it. It features a warm-up, exercise, routine, and cool down. It is comfortable for me as a beginner. I don't get everything right and I can't do it all, but I really DO enjoy it. It is my favorite of the ones I have tried.
• Belly Dance for Body Shaping with Neon. I have not watched this one yet, because I read a review that said it was for people who already knew belly dance moves.
• The Heartbeat of Belly Dance: Rhythms and Dance Combinations for Drum Solos. I have not opened this one yet either. I bought it for future reference when I get a little more comfortable.

I am enjoying this, despite my reservations and inhibitions. Last week, I also bought a couple of hip scarves and hip belts. The weight and noise of the hip belt gives positive feedback and I highly recommend one for any beginner. Besides, dressing the part is the first step to opening yourself up to possibilities. I suppose it is a little of the "fake it until you make it" philosophy.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 74

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Floral block font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 73

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Celtic block font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Happy New Year!

Sundown marks the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year (5767). I feel good about the upcoming year. I think I am starting out on the right foot. I have habituated myself to regular walking (60-75 minutes a day, 5 days a week; 92,710 steps so far this week), I started taking Belly Dancing classes, I am happy, I am getting used to my new lifestyle, and things feel right.

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, starts at sundown on October 1 and the fasting gets harder every year. It makes me feel bad and I ended up sick as a dog by night fall for the last few years. That said, it is part of what keeps me connected to my faith, so I am determined to observe it for as long as I can.

Being Jewish in the southern United States is often difficult. It teaches you to live on the outside of the main stream or to swim with the fishes! Seriously, I can see why so many Southern Jews converted or moved to places where they could feel like an integral part of the community. It takes a lot of fortitude to grow up Jewish in the Bible Belt. It is not about just withstanding the proselytizing, it is about adjusting to the attitude of Christians around you.

Sound fishy to you? LOL Let me give you a simple example. I like the Dave Ramsey Show and listen to it quite often. I don't mind the fundamental religious component. I think spirituality is really important and I am glad he has such a deep and abiding faith in G-d. That said, there is something unsettling about his tagline "the only way to peace is through the prince of peace", because the implication is that non-Christians will never find their way to true peace or true financial peace, because they do not accept Jesus as their savior. I don't want Dave Ramsey to stop talking about his faith, it is a central tenet of his message. Besides, I have had enough of political correctness to last a lifetime. It is just an example to point out what it feels like to be reminded on a daily basis that you are not only different, but in their eyes, flawed, inferior, and even doomed.

Constantly living with that sort of attitude changes you. It makes you feel like an outsider. It is much easier to be an outsider if you are part of a community of outsiders. In my case, it is a community of friends and family, with whom I interact both in real life and on line!

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 72

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Floral vine font on a black block.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 71

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Floral vine font on a black block.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 70

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Floral vine font on a black block.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Warning: Long, Rambling post

I have been a danger bug lately. I dropped my digital camera on the Saltillo tile the other evening. So far it seems to be okay, but it was a pretty good knock against a really hard surface. Then last night, I spilled diet lemonade into my laptop. At first I thought I got to it in time and there would be no repercussions. Then a few minutes later, my laptop went absolutely nuts! So I turned it off, dried it out, pulled up all the keys and cleaned out under them, waited an hour before turning it on again, but there are still some quirks. It really sucks.

Periodically, I go through these phases where I hurt myself. Lately, I seem to be going through a slightly different phase, where I am hurting the things I use every day.

Yesterday I did my walking, although slower than usual, because I was surprisingly sore from the Belly Dancing class. I also ran about a million errands. In addition to going to the gym, I put something in the mail for my brother, went to the bank, Hudson's, Ross Dress for Less, and Target twice. I found some decent exercise duds on clearance at Target and was surprised when most of the XXLs were too big. I had to exchange the bottoms for L and the tank tops for XL, but the shirts were a different story. I am not comfortable with all this form fitting business, especially at my current size. But I decided that it was time that I dressed a little better for the gym, since I wear almost nothing other than t-shirts and shorts or leggings lately. I have oodles of super cute duds, but they are all way too small.

I ordered a book about Living with Autoimmune Disease, written by the same woman who wrote the Thyroid Diet book. Maybe I can figure out a way to adjust my metabolism. I can dream anyway! Actually I was thinking about talking to my doctor about adding a small amount of Cytomel to my daily regimen. Anyone else who worked out as often as I do and ate as well as I do, would lose weight. I quit dieting, because I was cutting my calories back too much and it had consequences. I no longer count calories, but I always try to make my calories count. I cheat and eat something sweet once a week, usually when we go out on the weekends. On a day to day basis, I avoid sugar and try to eat low GI foods and take my vitamins.

Anyway, I woke up early this morning and started cleaning my closet. I found some things I had misplaced or had gotten buried under the debris and I started a load of laundry. Gigi comes today to clean, so I tried to get some of the major obstacles out of her way. I will head out in a little while to walk and run errands.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 69

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Floral vine font on a black block.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 68

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Floral cherub font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Pedometer woes

Well, on Friday evening I lost my pink Pedometer. While I out with my friends Lisa and Cynthia, I stopped in and bought a new Pedometer, one with many more functions and a cover. Saturday night, my husband found my pink pedometer, which was wonderful because this morning, I looked at my new pedometer and it had gone nuts.



I did walk my 10,000 steps a day, but that really is not a big challenge any more, because I am walking about 20 miles every week. I am debating whether or not to keep wearing the pedometer. Since I am going to the gym and walking on the treadmill daily, it does not motivate me to be more active at home or during my regular routine.

I have been very good about exercise since June, regardless of the pedometer. If I had a normal thyroid, I would be seeing the benefits in a more concrete way, like losing weight. That said, with my increased stamina, I know I am reaping cardiac benefits and that is actually the most important thing.

While we were all out and about yesterday, we stopped at a health fair. I got my blood sugar tested, it was perfectly normal. The only thing in my stomach was my thyroid medication and my blood glucose was 86. I also had my bone density checked and I still have Osteopenia. I take calcium supplements, eat yogurt and exercise regularly...but there again...the thyroid is an issue too. It is not any worse than it was five or eight years ago when I last had it tested, which is a good thing. The only time I had one that did not come back as out of range for someone my age, was when they did the scan on my ankle. My paternal grandmother had severed osteoporosis and my mom and my oldest brother take Phosomax, so this is NOT a surprise. I am increasing my calcium supplementation and will talk to my GP or GYN about it, depending on who I see next.

Lisa and I are going to try a belly dancing class tonight. I miss ballet and would love to take a class again, just because I loved the discipline of the warm-up exercises. I always wanted a ballet bar in my home; one adjusted for a shortie like me!

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 67

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Floral font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 66

Acorns are very a recurrent theme in historic needle work. I found this font and thought it would be nice for embroidery.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Acorn font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Spinning the Cheviot

I ran the dyed cheviot wool through the carder twice to make it spin better.



I decided to spin this on my big 30" Reeves Production wheel, which is geared toward finer yarns. I spun two spindles worth and then plied it.




Then I put it on the umbrella swift and tied the skein off before I set the twist and gave it another wash.




I have plenty of carded fiber left, certainly enough to knit up a pair of socks eventually! It is still a little too warm to spin and knit comfortably for very long. Nothing is worse than your hand getting sweaty while you are trying to spin wool.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 65

I found another one that really called to me. This is a very ornate font.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Ornate serif font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 64

Okay, so I have a thing for all things Art Deco and Art Nouveau! Here is one more for you.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidered monograms. Art Deco font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 63

This is a basic serif font, but one I like very much. It definitely has an old look.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidered monograms. Standard Serif font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

Just another Tuesday

I was headed to the gym this morning, but my car was dead. I got AAA to come out and jump start it, so I could drive to the mechanic. I told them the tale of woe about the battery cable and how many batteries I had been through, plus the unneeded alternator. They thought it was the battery, but I protested and it was indeed that the stupid cable had come loose. Just like before, it felt tight, but it was not actually making contact. GRRRR! So now we have a standing deal where they will tighten it every time I come in for an oil change.

I finished Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer the other day. It was really a great read and I am passing it along to Lisa. Today at the shop and on the treadmill, I read Southern Dreaming. I seriously thought about skipping the gym. Between the car trouble and feeling puny, I was thinking I deserved a day off, but I pulled myself up by the bra straps and walked three miles. When I got home, I decided to cook hamburgers. I cleaned the grill, made the burgers, and they fell apart while I was cooking them. So I cleaned the grill again after they were done. The good news is, the pile of crumbled hamburger tasted good!

Anyway, I had already carded the Cheviot that I dyed green (see previous post), but it really needed a second pass through the carder. I have been spinning it on the Reeves and it is so nice and springy! I thought I might get the chance to process the last fleece, but it did not turn out that way.

I did open my materials from Seminar and at least look at the prework I need to do for the 17th Century Whitework class, but that was as far as I got. I also never got around to Crewel Confidence. Oh, well, tomorrow is always another day!

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 62

Okay, I get it, y'all are out there! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Sorry if I sounded whiney in the last post, because I really did not mean to! This blog is as much for me as it is for the reader. I was actually trying to point out that I had been getting more feedback than usual, but no one else would know it by the lack of comments. And now for the next alphabet! This one, Medusa, is another Art Nouveau inspired font.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidered monograms. Art Nouveau font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 61

Even though there are very few comments on the blog...sometimes I think I am talking to myself...there have been several emails about this part of the 100 Details series. I think this is a particularly handsome alphabet, created with the Adorable font.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidered monograms. Serif font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

Still processing the Cheviot - long and photo heavy

I am still processing the Cheviot fleece given to me by Pam at Divine Sheep in Tylertown. I have not checked lately to see how Karin has progressed with washing hers, but I know that my Puggy friend has washed and dyed what I sent to her back in July.

Since Cheviot is not prone to felting, this time I cut off as many of the tips as possible while I was sorting and pulling out tags and VM. I doubt I would do this on most wool, because felting tends to happens at the cut end and this effectively doubles the cut ends! Remember that processing raw fleece is a really dirty business. Do not wear anything that you can not wash in extremely hot water with degreaser. The dirt sticks to the lanolin and no matter how many times you sort, or sometimes wash, the dirt will just not budge. I forgot and this is what my pants looked like after just an hour. I did change and start over. By the end of the day, when my husband came home, I was covered in grime and needed a long, hot shower and a good scrubbing.







After washing, I set it out on towels in my living room floor to dry, because there was too big of a risk of a shower getting to it outside.




This pile had to be broken down again. The part that was clean enough to be carded and the part that I thought needed to be dyed to get rid of the discoloration. The dyeing also helped with getting out a little more dirt.






Then I spent most of Saturday evening at the carder, turning the stack on the left into batts. My guest Cynthia was probably bored to tears!

I added the close up photos so you see that some of the VM and dirt remains, despite multiple washes, pick-overs and carding. I spent as much time shaking out the washed fleece as I did while sorting and yet there was a pile of dirt and detritus under my carder. At least I now have some fiber that I can spin! Some of the fleece was beautiful, which is why I kept at it. I would not have put this much work or effort into something unless it was free, because it is just too easy to buy roving, sliver and batts. Plus, I am a little nervous about all the things you are coming into contact with when you are covered with dirt, lanolin and debris.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 60

Another alphabet with a lovely scripted font.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidered monograms. Script font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

10000 Steps a Day

The girls from yesterday's Mississippi NeedleArts meeting already know my tale of woe. On Friday, I went to the gym and for some reason, my pedometer only clocked less than 1000 steps, even though I walked 3.5 miles, which should have been many thousands of steps! I am debating getting a new pedometer, one that also does mileage, so that I can calibrate it and check it for accuracy against the treadmill! It may have been the tight gym shorts I was wearing on Friday, because it was the only thing I could think of that I was doing different!

I am averaging about twenty miles and one book a week on the treadmill. So all in all, this is working for me. I just wish I could see some results on my physique!

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 59

And now for a more traditional scripted typeface.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidered monograms. Script font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 58

Another Art Deco-ish Alphabet. Can you tell that I have an affinity for this period?

Alphabet - Initials for embroidered monograms. Art Deco font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

There really is something about seeing your own name in print

I knew it was coming, but when I read the write up on Kimber Pekora's beautiful crazy quilt in Issue 3 of the $100,000 Quilter's Challenge, I was moved. Moved because in her moment of glory, she was busy acknowledging others. Moved because she considers me a mentor. Moved because I know I pushed her to check out EGA. Moved because she is now an officer in her local chapter! Moved because sometimes when I think that I am just spinning my wheels, there is someone reminding me that it means something to them.

Thankfully, this has been a year full of recognition. Celeste nominated me for the EGA Gold Thread Award for the Tennessee Valley Region and I will get a certificate, pin and rose at the National Seminar in Richmond this October. Lisa nominated me for the South Central Region's Heart and Hand Award. I did not win, but I did get a nice pin just for being nominated. You see, I made the leap and quit my job. While I love being home, I miss the respect and recognition for being good at what I did professionally. Does that make sense? Sometimes part of our self worth will always be wrapped up in what others think of us. Which is easy for normal people, but I am not normal. I am the kind of person that people either love or hate, with very little in between.

By the way, do not miss Kimber's quilt! It really is an inspirational CQ. It was definitely worth the price of the magazine!

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 57

This one started out as a single alphabet, but while I was staging things, I thought that it made an interesting monogram. I think that this particular alphabet is well suited to silk ribbon embroidery with loops flowers and French or Colonial knots, or traditional embroidery with lazy daisy flowers. Please feel free to use this alphabet for your personal embroidery and design work.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidery. Ornate floral font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

Finished another good read

Today, I finished reading Between the Bridge and the River (Hardcover, 2006) by Craig Ferguson. I never would have imagined myself reading on the treadmill, but it works for me. I guess it is part of the same ethos that makes me do needlework while I watch television. I walked for two hours, because I was completely rapt. My legs are a litle sore, but it was worth it. The gym was all but empty and the TV was off when I got there, so there was little to distract me from the book.

I am not sure which book I will start tomorrow, but I have a huge backlog of unread books. I had just tucked into the pile with Inventing Memory and Gods in Alabama, but I decided to slip the Craig Ferguson book in there ahead of the others when my husband bought it for me. We started watching The Late, Late Show a few months ago and I find him refreshing, engaging and very clever. We never watched his predecessor or time slot competition, because we rarely stayed up past 11:00 PM. Admittedly, we both liked him on Drew Carey, but it is so much nicer to hear his real Scottish burr.

Tomorrow is errand day, but I still plan to walk and read.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 56

My loss is your gain. I am probably not going to pursue teaching classes that require these alphabets, so my treasure chest is open. I plan to publish all of the cool alphabets that I think would be good for embroidery here in my blog. They are all created with fonts that you may or may not have available to you, but I have already sized them and turned them into a PDF document for your convenience. I am not supplying the font, just a document created with these fonts. Today's offering is a definite Art Deco typeface that I think would lend itself well to embroidery. Please feel free to use this alphabet for embroidered initials and monograms.

Alphabet - Initials for embroidered monograms. Art Deco font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 55

Since I have gotten some positive feedback and there seems to be a need for alphabets for embroidery, I have decided to post a bunch of them in the upcoming days.


Alphabet - Initials for embroidered monograms. Script serif font.

Download full size alphabet as a PDF.

Download smaller alphabet as a PDF.

Please feel free to use these alphabets for embroidery and monogram projects.

Putting the labor in labor day!

Okay, I know that Labor Day is really about Labor Unions, but I did work exceptionally hard in the yard over this long weekend.

The first photo is where they dug up the yard to repair the leak. They left all the stuff they dug up, so I had to clean it out. I also cleaned out all of the dead branches and trimmed back all the bushes and trees in that area.




I also could not stand the overgrown patch between our house and the neighbor's any longer. The limbs were crowding the driveway. I got in there and cleaned out as much as possible. I severely pruned and cleaned out in front of the house last year. Our yard guy does not do much besides mow the lawn. I thought he picked up limbs and took them to the curb, but it seems that sometimes he just tosses them back into bushes. I should have taken some before photos, but it was so bad that Cynthia's husband was planning to do it when they came up next week.




I decided to leave the photo with the car in the background, just so you could get an idea for the impressive size of this limb pile. They did haul off three large garbage cans worth of debris. I really wonder how long it will take the city to come around for collection.






So I skipped the gym today. I figured that I worked hard enough in the yard, although I did not rack up as many steps as I would have thought. Next time Lisa and Mark come over to go to dinner with us, they won't have to worry about the trees scratching their new vehicle.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 54

More alphabets for embroidery...




This is also the type face Isadora. I have uploaded the a second smaller alphabet to my web site and it is available for you to use. This way, you can create a full monogram.

Click here to download the PDF file. Please feel free to use this to create embroidered initials or monograms on your own garments, crazy quilt blocks, handkerchiefs, etc....

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 53

Okay, since my class did not make, I thought I would share some of my materials with y'all.



The alphabet I used to create this was Isadora, an Art Nouveau/Deco typeface. I have uploaded the whole alphabet to my web site and it is available for you to use.
Click here to download the PDF file. Please feel free to use this to create embroidered initials on your own garments, crazy quilt blocks, handkerchiefs, etc....

Keep on walking...

I made it half way to the gym the other day before I realized I had forgotten to put my pedometer on that day! I did make some changes. I lowered the sensitivity, although it was pretty accurate in my home tests. I missed a day at the gym, because I was home waiting for repairmen who never showed, so I did go walk for an hour yesterday.

I find that I am now able to walk faster while reading, usually between 3 and 3.5 miles per hour. When the treadmill drops down to cool off after sixty minutes, I usually bump it back up to 2.5 mph and keep walking until I finish a chapter or round up my mileage to next half mile. I have also found that I am enjoying the walking more and it never seems like a chore. If for some reason I can't get to the gym to walk for an hour, I actually miss it.

I also have been incorporating a little (prepare to gasp) jogging (oh my) at the end of my walking, when I have put away my book and am winding things down. Sometimes I actually jog at 4.5 to 5.0 mph for ten minutes or so before I do a cool down. I wonder why it seems wrong to even admit this in a public forum?

I weigh myself every day before I get on the treadmill so that I can program it to accurately calculate calories burned. I have not seen that much movement on the scale, but I do feel better and that is the most important thing. I have gotten to the point where I enjoy walking at least as much as swimming, something I never thought would happen. The only time I dislike walking is when someone else is watching TV at high volume, because without fail it is something that does not engage me and distracts me from reading.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 52

Sorry I was late today, I went to the gym this afternoon, then went out to dinner with Lisa and Mark. They even came back and sat around the living room chatting, while I showed off my felted creations. At least I eventually got it done!

In my opinion, Closed Fly Stitch is an under-utilzed stitch.

It is extremely easy to do and make a wonderful leaf. Just start with a straight stitch on the top of the leaf "vein" and make fly stitches the rest of the way down the leaf, with the terminal straight stitches forming the rest of the vein.



While this leaf stitch is common in Crewel Embroidery, I rarely see it elsewhere. It is a shame, because it is a wonderful and simple way to style a leaf.

100 Details in 100 Days: Day 51

Rethinking a project.

I fought with my desire to remove all the beads and start over. However, as I went about needle sculpting my fishy friend, it became evident that I had to start all over with the body and tail beading. When I gave her torso shape, I realized how badly I handled the making of her! She is starting to take shape, although she has a much too long tail.

I took off her pearls and her bugle bead belt and gave her a more feminine shape. I also realized that I would need to add some more beads to her hairline. That or permanently tie it back on the left. I like the way her hair moves, it reminds me of braids.









Every once in a while, you just need to rethink a project and be willing to change it or start over, instead of sending it to the "I Ain't Never Gonna' Finish this Unfinished Project" pile.