Sharing my life and love of cross stitch. Thoughts about this and that.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Antiques Samplers and Alphabets


Correction:  Make that SAMPLINGS.COM. Sorry about the error.

This is a commercial dealer's site which, in addition to other antique items, has a large collection of antique Samplers often stitched by very young girls in the 1700s and 1800s, and provides a detailed description of the work and about the stitchers, if available. The samplers are worked in cross-stitch and other embroidery stitches. Well worth the visit and long browse to view the excellent work and learn more about the history of the art of needlework. Note that many, if not all, of the different element designs as well as the alphabets are the same or very similar to those utilized by sampler and primitive designers today.  Once you click on a sampler, scroll over the photo for a magnified view. The details are below the photos. Very interesting from both a historical and more modern perspective.

Thanksgiving Day

I hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends, or even if on your own you celebrated in your own personal way - even if it was a TV dinner and TV or shopping OR STITCHING!

I was at my sister's house with my Dad, she and her husband, and her 2 son's families making at total of 13. After some debate, I took mixed vegetables and added a package of frozen corn to them, and fruit salad. Since I only brought home a couple of servings of each, guess that was a good choice. Irritatingly, the beautiful red delicious apples I bought to include had almost no taste and had apparently been way too cold at one point as they were riddled with brown to the point I there was very little of it I could even use. My sister provided a quite scrumptiously tart Pink something apple to make up the difference and some blueberries. The other apples are going back to the store for $1.80 refund! The guys rushed through dinner so they could watch the Cowboys game, leaving my sister and I to do the clean-up. Her DIL might have helped had there been room, but did stay and chat. Dad wanted his pumpkin pie immediately following lunch (so he could eat it while watching the game), but she didn't even set the desert out until AFTER most everything else had been cleared and put away - to make room for the pie to BE set out. Good for her!  At her direction, Dad was first in line. She had made a him a separate no-sugar pumpkin pie, but I don't know why she bothers. He took an equally large slice of sugar-loaded cherry pie and drowned both with ReadyWhip. Her 5 grandsons, ages 12 thru 19 and have absolutely avoided all interaction with us since they were toddlers (a BIG bone of contention with Dad - I doubt any of them even know my name) rushed in immediately, jostling for position behind Dadm for more than their fair share of each pie with requisite heaps of ReadyWhip, and rushed out just as quickly. There turned out to be plenty of pie, but only because the women either didn't eat any or had much smaller pieces. I found the rush and pie-grab by her the non-interacting grandsons particularly irritating. Grandmother and and parents just brush it off as teenage male behavior. I call it totally spoiled, utterly undisciplined, and downright rude.  Because of the cinnamon and gingler, I couldn't eat any of the pies but did nibble what little cookie I could from around the embedded M&M's and added a dollop of ReadyWhip to a cup of coffee. My sister put together a couple of servings of turkey and dressing with some gravy for each of Dad and I. VERY APPRECIATED!! We left at half-time in order to be home before dark. It was still in the 3rd quarter when I dropped him off, and though by then definitely dark, the very last pink of  sunset was still on the low horizon as I turned in my drive.

Henna, who finally wandered out to see who had dared to enter her domain, was displeased I hadn't been home to feed her on demand and to use my lap as her favorite napping spot. She even turned her nose up at the bit of turkey I offered by way apology.

For anyone who read the originally posted version: the noisy motor on my fridge seems to have resolved itself. WHEW!!


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

DMC Thanksgiving Freebie

Give Thanks Sampler  Also check out their other freebies.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Missed the North Texas GTG

And really bummed about it. It'd been on my calendar since late summer but a last minute specific request to assist in an JEOC activity meant that I wouldn't even arrive until mid-afternoon on Saturday, along with the fact that driving 15 miles WEST to Fort Worth meant it'd that much further and take a LOT longer to drive back EAST to North Dallas. By 1pm I'd given totally up on the idea and ended up staying until 6. As it turned out I did very little and probably could have just got up and left an hour after I arrived.  Wish I had! : (  The organizers, Lynn and Jenetta, reported 32 attended. They distributed stuffed goodie bags with floss and designer-contributed charts (including Sue Hillis) and other small treats as well.  Stitchers brought stitched designs to show off, others to work on, snacks to eat and charts and other items to sell or give away. Some visited a couple of local cross-stitch shops, and all went out and about to shop, eat and/or maybe get a quick glimpse of that part of Dallas. They'd even arranged for those flying in to be picked-up at DFW or Love Field. From the pics it looks like everyone had a really wonderful time and a heck of a lot of fun. There's already talk about another GTG next year!!
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