I AM STRONG, LIKE BULL

I am reeeeaaaaally green around the gills today and not feeling any better, but I can't be bothered with a silly bout of food poisoning or a sinus migraine, now, can I? I have places to see! People to do! Things to go! (Um...something like that). Besides, I come from hearty peasant stock, so lying about with a cold rag on my head just won't do. (At least that's what I keep telling myself. As soon as I actually start LISTENING to myself, I'll let you know.)

Your tender ministrations were just what this poor, tired heart needed. As I explained to Stewey, sometimes you just want your Mommie. This was after he went outside for a pit stop and was scared half to death by something rustling in the bushes. He ran so fast into the house that he missed the second step and scraped his little weenie-penis on the threshold. Oh, poor dear. He just wanted to curl up in my lap with little tears in his eyes. So I wiped his little face and petted his little ears and told him it was OK. Sometimes you just want your Mommie.

Geeze, Louise, we're a pair today, aren't we?

Before I forget....I was asked if I remember the designer name of the Poofy Hearts canvas. I don't, but Aunt Chrissy seems to remember that it is Alice Peterson. I'm so sorry that I am not better about journaling such things. I need to make a concentrated effort to do so in the future. After all, it's not fair of me to put stuff on here and not credit it properly, so I better hop to it.

In the interest of trying to expand my linen horizons, I decided to play with my stash a bit to see what I had in the way of fabric. The last several weeks I have been rather frustrated that I can't seem to figure out what I like to stitch on. I've read a lot about the differences between Zweigart and Wichelt, soft and dense versus stiff and sheer, etc. etc. etc. This just left me wondering if I really AM sure of what I like. I read with great intensity all of your blogs, looking for the type of linen that you're using on various projects, but I still couldn't get it through my thick head what I should use as my "go to" linen.

Turns out, I'm a boob. I pulled a piece of 30ct. "Gardener's Blend" from the stash and really sat down and looked at it. The linen itself is rather stiff and sheer, so I presume it to be from R&R with a Wichelt base (?), and I presumed that I would hate the guts out of it. But as I REALLY looked at it, I discovered that the color and the marbleing on it was really quite beautiful. So, being the dutiful student of all things stitchy that I am, I decided to just work with it.

This is "Beyond My Heart" from Blackbird Designs. It is the Loose Feathers Pattern #32, and it's part of the whole "mystery" thingie that I've been collecting but have no clue as to why or when I will stitch it. Something about this chart in particular, though, seemed to call to me to be stitched onto my trial linen. Here's the start so far:OK, first of all, you should probably know that this is a totally CRAP picture and that it might not actually be my fault today. It's very dreary and dark, and I can't seem to get a good shot. So trust me...the linen is a really pretty greenish brownish yellow with a brown marble pattern on it. I'm using Gentle Art overdyed threads, and only had to change three of the colors that I didn't have in my stash.

Surprise, surprise, but this is really very lovely to stitch! Not two days ago, I told Aunt Chrissy that I would NEVER use stiff/sheer linen because it was awful to work with and the threads got caught in it and blah blah blah....just like I knew what I was talking about. Turns out (as per my usual) that I didn't.

So next time you're feeling adventurous, try something that you NEVER thought you'd try (like brussel sprouts). You just might be pleasantly surprised and then have to tell me all about it! Woo Hoo!