Thursday, October 18, 2012

Maybe I Need to Get Out More

For several reasons I have gotten to be sort of a recluse here in the devil's playground. My house holds many bad memories for me & I don't really like being here but over the past almost 3-1/2 years I have noticed that it takes a huge amount of effort for me to go anywhere.  Our cupboards will be almost bare before I will grudgingly go with John to the grocery store to pick up a few things.  If it weren't for medical & dental appointments ... which I literally force myself to go to ... I would probably not go anywhere.  Even going out in the yard or onto the porch is becoming a rare occurrence.  Sometimes John & I will go somewhere & on the way to wherever it is I will realize that it's been a week or more since the last time I was out.

Psychiatrists would probably say that this is not a good thing but I am not staying in because I'm depressed or because I'm afraid of what's out there in the world.  I am actually quite comfortable.  I enjoy my own company.  I have plenty of interests & things to keep me busy.  There are times when John & I go places but there are other times when we plan to go somewhere & then as the time gets closer we decide to just stay home.

Weirdness abounds in the devil's playground  : )

What has prompted this introspection?  I was sitting here this morning, drinking my cup of tea & reading blog posts, when I glanced out the window & saw this.


The sight almost took my breath away!  The sky was so dark & ominous looking to the south & west but the sun beams were streaming in from the east & just making everything glow!  This one particular maple tree was amazing!  The photos don't do justice to the real thing but they will give you an idea of the sight that was before me.
As soon as I noticed all this beauty I grabbed the camera & went out on the porch.  I was met with the most lovely weather & gentle breeze.  If a moment in time ... without a few feet of snow ... could be perfection, this would be it.  That is how long it lasted, too ... just a moment.  Surely God nudged me to glance out the window when I did in order to share this gift with me.  What a blessing!

Yesterday I decided to go upstairs to see if I could get my treadle working.  The last time I used it ... probably a year ago ... the tension was way off & no matter what I did I could not get it fixed.  There aren't any sewing machine repair guys here in the devil's playground.  John has been suggesting that we take it to Lexington or Louisville to have it serviced but transporting it in the SUV would be rather tricky assuming it would even fit in there.  I purchased a cheap sewing machine from Walmart last year just to use for zig-zagging around the edges of my cross stitch fabric & I have grudgingly been using that to sew things.  I hate it with a passion.  Anyway, I decided yesterday to open up the treadle & give the tension another go.  I feared that the tension would be the least of my worries, however.  The treadle sits in front of a window where the sun streams through all the livelong day & I feared what this may have done to the oiled parts.  I opened it up, threaded it, & took a scrap piece of fabric to see how bad things were going to be.  To my amazement it purred like a kitten & the tension was, as my British friends would say, spot on!   Another blessing!!!

I was still a bit leery.  I mean honestly, it couldn't be this easy!  I proceeded to sew up one of my stitching finishes.  I chose something I wasn't in love with just in case it got ruined in the process.  The sewing went very well!

I finished the stitching into a little pinkeep ... or maybe an ornament.  It could be either/or or even neither/nor.  Basically it's a little pillow stuffed with sawdust.  I decided to "do a Marly" & glue the seam closed using Liquid Stitch.  I knew I had bought a tube of this product not long ago & I also knew it would probably be in the pie safe with a few other supplies/accessories for my crafting pursuits.  I looked in the pie safe.  It wasn't there.  I then looked around the diningroom where some of my crafting supplies reside.  Nothing.  I looked inside the dry sink & inside the china cupboard.  I knew I wouldn't have put it there & I indeed came up empty.  I looked again in the pie safe. Nothing.  I then went upstairs.  I looked around the craft room.  Nothing.  I looked inside craft boxes.  Nothing.  I then went into the guest bedroom where ... you guessed it ... more crafting supplies abound.  Nothing again.  I opened the hallway closet that is used to store some other crafting supplies. More nothing.  I went back into the craft room & looked inside the treadle drawers & inside the sewing box.  Still nothing.  This was driving me crazy!  I KNEW I bought that Liquid Stitch when John & I visited Walmart a couple weeks ago.  Where did it go?  Now I was going to have to drag myself to Walmart to buy it again!

I went back to the hallway closet & grabbed a bottle of Aleene's Tacky Glue.  Marly did not say this was a good substitute but what other choice did I have but to jump in the car & drive to WM which was not going to happen.  Well, let me tell you what Marly did not ... Aleene's Tacky Glue is not a good substitute for Liquid Stitch.  Not a good substitute at all.  It was, in fact, totally useless.  I ended up having to stitch the opening of the pinkeep/ornament/little pillow together anyway.  Because I have avoided finishing anything for such a long time, my big Herman Munster hands felt like they were all thumbs.  The finishing looked a bit TOO primitive.  I decided to add some chenille trim to the edges.  This was another Herman Munster experience but it turned out pretty good in the end. 

On Tuesday I started an old Mary Garry design which stipulated the use of some rather funky DMC colors.  I looked up finished stitchings online & all the photos I saw looked as though the person doing them had substituted some if not all of the colors. Naturally the winner of Miss OCD for almost 59 years running now (me) could not do that. I had to at least try the colors that Mary painstakingly decided were best.  Things looked pretty good until I got to where I needed to use the white & flesh colored flosses.  They were totally lost on the background fabric I chose.
You can't see the white/flesh colored threads in this photo because I had already removed them.  I had decided to take before & after photos & this is the before one.  I decided to overdye the whole shebang by dipping it in a coffee mixture & baking it in the oven a few times.  The after results are somewhat iffy.  I'm not even going to show you a photo of what this piece looks like now. Hopefully the end result will be a good one & I won't have totally ruined things.  

Notice the black buttons & shoes?  I stitched these on yesterday before I took the photo. I noticed that I did not have black floss included in the group of flosses I pulled for this design.  An oversight on my part.  I opened up the pie safe to get the black floss & do you want to take a guess at the first thing that caught my eye?

ARGH!!!

19 comments:

Sally said...

My DH thinks it's not good for me to stay in as much as I do but like you I'm quite happy with my own company. I can do as I please when I want. I do get lonely sometimes which is why I go to craft club. My DH thinks getting me getting a job would solve everything but I get anxious just thinking about it. You and I are so alike. I love getting out for a walk but I have no one to walk with so don't go for walks where I would like to.

Love your Marry Garry piece. I really wish her charts were still readily available.

I'm also replying to your email whilst catching up with blogs :)

marly said...

The devil's playground carries it in a tube?? Mine has always been in a bottle! Hmm. Might be easier. I read on another blog that Alene's OK to Wash It is great for applying trims and seams. I've used it before to apply beads to clothing and it held wash after wash. I might try that next. AND - I opened a seam that was glued months ago with Liquid Stitch and it came open for me with a little tugging. It shouldn't since it's permanent, but with my constant changes, it's a good thing! What beautiful vistas you have. Even if you have to leave, you get to come home to them.

Angela said...

Oh my Shirlie, What a beautiful view from your front porch. Now if I was your neighbor, I would bring some sweet muffins and my coffee and drag you out to sit and enjoy God's beautiful scenery on that front porch. But only when there is a cool breeze blowing. I feel your disgust when purchasing something and then not be able to locate it when you need it. I do this all the time. Today is a snuggle inside kind of day of me, and I am rather enjoying my own company as well. Have a great weekend.
Angela

Nicola said...

I can totally relate to what you are saying. I love my home and garden so why would I want to go some where else..

cucki said...

wow what a sweet view ,,i love the colors so much..very sweet...
we had rain last night and today is beautiful..
i am having fun and i just finished my material book..i posted the picture on my blog..
keep well deary..
hugs for you xx

Krista said...

What a beautiful view you have out your window! The photos you took are breathtaking. I can see why you would be just as content to be at home :) Your holiday stitching is so sweet, can't wait to see your finish!

butterfly said...

I am the same Shirlee, I like to stay in but my DH and friends drag me out.
Beautiful photos, what wonderful colours. wow.
Stitching looks fab too, hugs.

Trace4J said...

What beautiful photos.
Just breath taking.
How awesome is our Creator.
He is trying to remind you, that even when you feel like your in the devils playground HE IS THERE!
Giant hug to you,
Trace


www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com

Vickie said...

Ha! I would love to have someone to go out and visit!!! But here I am all the time. Oh well.
Beautiful, gorgeous fall pictures.

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

Ah your place looks awesome, I would not want to go anywhere either. :)

I know think most people realize just how beautiful the state of KY is, not the cities, the country side.

Truly God let you take those photos to bring you joy, and then thru you we all get joy as well. God's cool that way. :)

Your stitching looks great, hang in there.

Blessings always

Judy said...

I can totally relate--I love being at home. I wish I had that view from my window! I live in a small town, so only see neighbors yards out the window! At least I do have a couple nice yards to see!

Funny about the liquid stitch! I have done the same thing..looking for something I knew I put in the perfect place!

Love the Mary Garry chart. I have never seen it in a shop.

Enjoy!

Judy heartland stitcher

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

What's a pie safe?

I thought all American put their pies on windowsills to cool down and be stolen by passing cats. Or is that just in Tom and Jerry cartoons?

Robin at The Primitive Hutch said...

Such a Beautiful view!!! TFS
Sometimes I just like to stay home. I always have so much going on so that's where I like to be.
Glad you found your glue.
Happy Stitchin'
Prim Blessings
Robin

Michelle said...

I too can relate to what you are saying. I love my home and garden also and I only work part-time so I spend most of my other time at home - I'm a home bug xx

Kendra said...

Sounds like the day was generally a great day. We need those don't we :)

I am a home body too...
Kendra

Carol said...

Another homebody here, Shirlee--if I didn't work, I'd be perfectly content puttering about my house. I never get bored and always have more than enough projects to keep me busy...

I love the Mary Garry piece!! The colors look great on my screen :)

TheCrankyCrow said...

You didn't, by chance, find my Fancy Blackett pattern in there, did you? :o

GORGEOUS view, Shirlee!! And I don't have to tell you how much alike we are in the "homebound" department. Your experience of looking up and seeing that glorious view is kinda what happened to me a few weeks ago when I posted the views outside my house. I'd been so caught up "inside" that when I looked outside and saw the magical play of sunshine and shadows, I knew God was asking me to come outside and play.... Smiles & Hugs ~ Robin

Joysze said...

Yanno, I find that as we get older, we're rather stay at home too. Homebodies to a tee. I'd be perfectly happy to take a week's vacation and live from PJs to PJs and have done long weekends of that.

Catherine said...

Beautiful photos!