Good-bye to my tunes........

About a year ago, I decided to add a Playlist of tunes to my blog. I had been to a few blogs that had this feature and for the most part, I liked it. I chose a variety of songs because I like almost all types of music and many of my readers e-mailed that they enjoyed my choice in songs. I even asked how readers felt about the tunes and didn't get any negatives so I kept them.

Recently, though, I've begun to wonder if the tunes turn readers away. Then the subject came up in a Yahoo group that I belong to and several said they didn't like blogs with music. They felt it was a real distraction and if their volume was up but they weren't prepared for the tunes, it startled them. Then today, I received an e-mail from someone who told me of a little survey going on at another blog that was asking readers to "yes or no" to blog music. The answers were overwhelmingly "no". This person took the time to write to me and I value what she said......

"Hi Sandi - thought you might be interested in a survey that is being run on Twiddletails blog re: 'blogs with background music'. Survey ends on Wednesday, but so far 275 have voted and 253 prefer NO music. Anina's post on Thursday, February 4 has quite a few comments with the reasons people feel as they do re: music. The reason I thought of you is that I really enjoy your blog, but seldom check it because of the music. I generally am streaming quiet, restful music in the background while I surf blogs, type, read, etc - this does not work with sites that start audio or video as soon as you go to them."

This comment was the deciding factor for me. I had been thinking about deleting the music and it's going to go. I love writing my blog. I love my tunes, but I will do them as a "stand-alone pop-out player" that I can listen to and you, the reader, won't have to hear my favorites that might not be your favorites at all. :-) Now with all that said, I won't delete the tunes right away. I'll keep them there through Sunday, Valentine's Day - just because. :-)

And speaking of music, I forgot to do a tribute post to Buddy Holly this year. I love his music. So if you are also a fan, go to my post from last February and you can link to some great Buddy Holly sites. You'll find it here.

Enjoy the music while it lasts............
Sandi

Dyeing wooly stuff!

I promised to share info on dyeing wooly stuff in my next post. Sorry it took me so long to get to my "next post". I posted about dyeing wool last summer and you will find that post here.
I've had requests that I do it again and am doing it in more detail this time. Here goes........



Assemble your supplies.............I used Dylon fabric dye which can be found at Michael's, JoAnn's, etc. You will need table salt, a tablespoon, and rubber gloves.You may also use liquid dyes and Rit dye works well, too.

Next, gather your fabrics. From left to right in the photo above.........

100% Wool Woolfelt, white woolfelt blend, then the next three are 100% wool pieces.....an ivory cashmere wool, a thinner wool with a weave, ivory wool from Italy (purchased from the Amana Woolen Mills) and the last is a beige wool blend fabric.

I bag my fabrics before washing. Several years ago, I lucked into a great find at the Dollar Tree store............divided mesh laundry bags. I bought four for myself and twenty more to give as gifts in our favor bags at retreat that year (2003). They work great for washing fat quarters and small bundles of fabric. No more tangled fabric in the washing machine!!

You just need to a "quick wash" and I use only a tiny bit of detergent. You want your fabric damp when dyeing. And here it is.......washed and ready to dye!

Next step is to prepare your dye bath. Because I am dyeing small amounts I don't follow the package directions. Instead, I fill my bucket with about a cup of warm water and add a tablespoon or two of the powdered dye and then a tablespoon of salt. I'm not sure what the purpose of the salt is but it says to use it on the package, so I did. :-)

Fill another pan or bucket with more warm water and add the dye mix, stir well.


Do not drop your stir stick in the dye bath like I did. LOL!

With the dye ready, you can wad your fabrics up in to balls, secure them with rubber bands................and then

drop them carefully into the dye bath. It says on the package to use a stainless steel sink for your dyeing projects. I have a white laundry room sink, so I lined it with heavy duty foil to catch my overspray and then cleaned the sink really well as soon as I was finished.

Stir the balls of fabric around and then leave them for about 45 minutes. You can stir them every fifteen minutes.

I have even left them to sit overnight as I am not looking to obtain any particular color. I'm just looking to dye wool so I have lots of fun shades for wooly projects.


When you are finished dyeing the fabrics, remove the rubber bands carefully and rinse fabrics well. You can see that the color is a bit "mottled" and that was the effect that I wanted.

In the photo below, you can see the varied colors that I achieved and it all started with Bahama Blue. Tomorrow, I'll post a photo of the wool when it is dry, pressed and ready to use.

Dyeing is messy but it's fun to see the colors you can achieve with just a few supplies. The best part is getting colors that you discover will be just perfect for a particular wooly project you might be working on!!

Snow is falling steadily outside. Looks really pretty, but I think we might have had enough. I find myself fighting a cold or something, just a "wee bit under the weather". LOL! Or else maybe it's caused by the weather! I think I need some sunshine and I don't see any on the horizon for quite some time.

Lights out for tonight.

Sandi

Answering Comments......

I am so please right now because I have just answered all eleven comments on my last post! I try so hard to answer the comments that you all leave, but I get started with replies and then something interrupts me and I don't quite get back to it. I would really love to answer every comment but realistically, I just don't have time. I've surprised myself and have also answered about a third of the comments left on my OWOH giveaway post and may answer all of them before the event ends!
I appreciate every comment that you all leave, and the e-mails that you send, too. They all encourage me to keep on blogging. What started as a journey to help me cope with my dad's passing and family health issues, has turned into a passion that I would never have imagined just a couple of years ago! To all of you that leave comments, to those who read and e-mail, to those who read but don't comment (and that's just fine, too), to those who follow, to my friends nearby and those faraway........I appreciate everyone of you and just want to say thank you for allowing me to share my little corner of the world with all of you! Have a great day in whatever corner of the world you may be!!
Sandi

P.S. I know I said my next post would be about wooly stuff I dyed last weekend but I had to do this first. Wooly stuff coming up later today or tomorrow. My grandson is coming over and it will be harder to find time to get on the computer so I'll get to it when the time is right. :-)

A Self-Portrait............

Ya gotta have a sense of humor in this particular winter. Such was the case for me this past Tuesday. Lulled by the sun and also by the need to get some exercise, I decided to shovel the couple of inches of snow that had fallen the night before. I was bundled up and actually enjoying myself as the temperature was nearly 20 degrees above zero!! As I was shoveling, my neighbor, Jerry, pulled into his driveway and asked if I was having fun. I answered truthfully, "yes, actually I am because the sun is shining and I need the exercise!" It felt really good. I went back and forth pushing the fluffy layer of snow off to the side of the driveway. I figured I'd shovel most of the driveway and let my husband finish the rest when he got home. I was all finished and headed into the house when I decided to make a couple of "last swishes" along the edge of the driveway. So I stepped forward and there under the fluffy snow was a mound of ice that had been dripping from the edge of the garage roof and I did not know it was there. I went down on my left knee......ouch.......and the right.....again ouch........and as I started to reach out and break my fall with my hands............memories of another fall reminded me not to do that. I relaxed and fell "face first into the snow". I laughed. Really I did. Then I was mad at myself because I should have been more careful. I got up and finished the "couple of swishes" and then went inside. I grabbed some lunch and then I drew a quick "self-portrait" because no papparazzi are waiting around the corner to film my every move. However, my fall was so funny that I thought you should get a laugh out of it, too, because the snow that is hitting most parts of the U.S. and abroad is driving some of us crazy. With a little bit of humor it can be tolerable. So here is my self portrait of my expert dive into the snow............
For those who wish to know the technique that I used to create this masterpiece (I'm being silly here but remember I am trying to look at this with humor).....it was done with a number 2 pencil then traced in ink so I could color it with my Prang crayons. I didn't have time to color it until tonight so I did it while I was watching Robin Hood and his merry men starring Errol Flynn. Notice that I captured my gray hair and my plaid scarf that kept my ears warm. My thick black gloves kept my hands warm as they slid through the snow and my heavy-weight red wool coat provided ample cushion as I slid to the ground as if I was heading for homeplate. I even captured the tread on my tennis shoes that were totally worthless when it came to the challenge of gripping on ice. My wounds were small......I have a black and blue spot on each knee but other than that, I am fine. (Some have wondered and "no, my face never hit the snow", although I don't know how I avoided that.) It was kinda fun to send an e-mail to my husband that said........"help, I've fallen and I can't get up". You see I fell a few years ago and broke my wrist and that's a whole other story that I keep saying I'll share but I never get to. Someday, I'll share.
Anyway, all kidding aside, my fall was funny and it would have made a great shot on one of those video programs but no one was around to see it. What it did for me though, was remind me that in an instant a person can be okay and the next thing you know ......... you have an accident and life changes. So, here's some advice, especially meant for those of us challenged by the snow.........
....walk carefully - ice isn't the only slippery surface, though, you could slip on a banana peel!
....drive defensively, look out for the other guy, don't talk on your cell phone and don't text, etc. etc. etc.
....if you are safe at home, stay there, the snow will melt and the sun will come out tomorrow. Annie says so. :-)
Time to turn out the lights. Goodnight all, sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite. Just had to close with that. My dad would have loved the "face in the snow" story and picture. :-)
Sandi

P.S. Photos of some dyeing I did last weekend of wooly fabrics are coming up in my next post. :-)

My February Angel!

In January, I introduced you to my Angel Connection blocks (go here for my first post about Audrey the Angel). Now, it's time to show you Audrey and her message for February..............

When I drew the sketch of Audrey for February, I knew she should be wearing a gown trimmed in hearts. She is all dressed for Valentines Day and even has a heart in her hand just for you!
The patterns for Audrey can be found on my Seasons BOM Yahoo Group. Just click on the Angel button on my sidebar to join the group. The Angel designs can be stitched in Redwork or you could print the design on ready-to-print fabric, then color the design, remove the paper and add embroidery embellishment. She could be used on a pillow, in a little wallhanging or stitch all the blocks for a quilt with all twelve angels! Yes, there will be a new angel each month!

Here's wishing you an early Happy Valentines Day from Audrey the Angel and me!

Sandi

OPAM Finish for January.......just in time!

Here it is, my first finish for the OPAM Challenge................

The binding is finished and the buttons are all stitched in place! Originally, I planned to do the border in the same fabric as the baskets. Got started with it and realized it did not look good at all! The narrow border in the same fabric as the runner looked much better. This is a Thimbleberries pattern that is no longer available.

And I took a picture of the back, just to show it's really finished and that the binding isn't just pinned in place! I set it on my table and added the candle in hopes that it will encourage spring to arrive early. There's a certain groundhog out in Pennsylvania that will give us his opinion on Tuesday. We shall see what Puxatony Phil has to say and I hope it's that there will be an early spring!

I am excited to think that I might put the finishing touches on a project a month. Wow, I would have 12 items I can use by the end of the year, instead of 12 projects in a pile waiting to be finished!! Now I am going to sign off and choose what project I will finish for February. :-)

Sandi

Chasing away the "winter blues"!!!

To help chase the "winter blues away", my blogging friend Pat (you'll find her here ) suggested we add some variety to our posts by going back 5 years in our files, click on the 5th photo and post it on our blog. I don't have digital photos that go back that far so I decided I would dig into some really old photos.
This one is a favorite family photo that only "surfaced" a few years ago when my cousin, Charlotte, brought it to a family reunion. I love the photo as it is so "us, our family" in the 1950's.
In the last years of my dad's life he talked often of how nothing made him more pleased "than to walk down the street with ma and you girls in new dresses that she had made." I love this picture as it is so full of memories. :-)
I decided to make the photo into a new blog header that I will use more permanently. I began my blog "A Legacy of Stitches" shortly after my dad passed away in April of 2008 and this photo just seemed to gather all the good thoughts into one photo that makes me smile every time I see it. I am so glad that Charlotte brought it to our reunion!
Busy day coming and busy weekend ahead. I'm going to a retreat but won't even be leaving the house. :-) More to share later..........
Sandi