Breaking silence?

Couldn’t get into blogger yesterday.

Something like an update.
a good thing.  I got the all clear from the hospital that my eyes 👀 have healed fine from the cataract surgeries.
However ... I am still seeing double. Advice: see the optician.
Another good thing. Optician is very thorough with all sorts of tests.
Diagnosis: I can’t remember technical terms, but basically one eye is seeing lower than the other. “Look at the dot.” “There are two of them. One above the other.”
This was consistent throughout. So, she’s had them do some magical things like prisms and other things about astigmatisms.
In the meanwhile...
Seeing double. New glasses ready on the 18th February.

Thus why I have been avoiding the computer. It harder than the phone. But I haven’t worked out how to resize photos on the phone.

But I did help my friend to find buttons from my stash for the new cardigan she knitted!

One colour looked good on its own but not in multiples. The other colour was the same. And only a subtle difference. So we decided to alternate them! And you really can’t tell when looking at the whole cardigan with its lovely stripes. 😄

I am managing the bead project with plenty of lighting and even magnifying glasses. I expect because I’m not looking in one place for a long time. 

So, counting the days to the glasses! 🤓 and also sunglasses 🕶! But she did say it will take some time to get used to the prisms. So it will be a bit longer before I can drive.

I like Thankful Thursday

I like these button coasters made of silicone! A late present from family. I like them so much I haven't used them yet! Seems a pity to split them up around the house. Maybe brighten up the table? I have some others I usually use there.

Something specific will come around and they will be just right.

I like the lights in my dining room.

right

About the only 'modern' thing we have for decoration.

left

And I especially like them now that Mr. Thoughtful washed years of dust off them a couple weeks ago. Not that he wouldn't have earlier, but they do take a bit of delicate handling when you take them down.

So, you put off doing them. And you don't realise how bad they had become. It was about impossible to get them clean handwashing, so we chanced the dishwasher, which worked brilliantly. (Pun not intended!)

Yes, I suppose I could have tried to do it, but I really do not trust my legs anymore...and I still wouldn't have been tall enough with a step stool to reach and hand onto the little screws and things.

To see what the others like today, go to Lee Anna's blog for the links.

Beaded button development

So I told you I was developing something with the bangles. And they definitely take too long to do one a day.

So today, I started developing something a bit quicker for the November unusual beaded something.

I picked up these mother of pearl buttons at FOQ in 2013 at the Buttonlady's stand.

I have 6 of each. And as there were actually 6 types, I had more than 30. I bought double the number of the flower shape to use on a blouse. So, they were just right for this blouse. I have a few of those left.

One reason I haven't used them for the beading project yet is because I couldn't work out in my head what I might stitch them to. Then a month or so ago, Aldi had sets of felt pads (and other little adhesive bits) for putting on the bottom of things so your furniture doesn't get scratched. And I thought this might be a plan.

So, today I chose a round mother of pearl button I had in my button box to develop the technique.

The first thing I discovered was that the sticky backing of the felt was VERY sticky. It was so sticky I couldn't hardly move it from finger to finger!
So I cut 1 inch squares of sew-in interfacing to cover the sticky. I can peel it back to hide knots.

But the needle ends up sticky! I am only stitching right through for stitching the button on. And then making use of my old tomato pin cushion (nearly 40 years old!) and the emery filled strawberry to get the sticky off.

There is something like sand in the tomato, too, so between the two of them, it works!

I can trim the interfacing later when I stitch them to something. But I may decided to stitch them on with more beads through the interfacing. So, they are square for now.

A lot of times when I am getting started, I select the beads I think will work for the month. I chose several kinds of size 15. (I only needed 5 types because I will rotate them through the shapes.

This is as far as I got when I decided this size would take toooo long.

I changed the bead size and got on with the first one.
bead305*

It pretty much worked. Just needs a bit of refining. But that is generally what happens as I go along in the month. Because it isn't round, it was a bit more difficult to work out the spacing.

And then I decided to finish the trial piece. I continued with size 15 and then filled in with some size 11 beads.

Much time later, this is the result. I really like it. But no, I am not doing size 15 on these again!

November trial beaded button
*The rest of October's beads and a photo of the whole set will be in Sunday's blog post as usual.

And the last one for now

I just got photos of this last blouse today. It is a paisley print in turquoise. I have used some other colourways for some of the Ramshackle houses, but this turquoise wanted to be a blouse.

When I was sewing up these blouses, I found I really didn't have many white buttons. I had some shirt buttons that were white on the back, which I thought to use for this blouse, but there weren't any buttons which worked for the coral print with white contrast. So, I used the white at the back buttons for it...with the white showing.

Instead, I put some translucent buttons on this blouse. They were fine really, but I wanted the bit of white for interest. So, when I bought the bags of buttons at the Knitting and Stitching show, one reason for picking up the white ones was to use the small ones for this. When I opened the bag, though, I realised it wasn't some patterned and some white, but all were patterned.

So, as I had bought 2 packs, I decided there were plenty for whatever I might do with them and that I could use some of these upside down as well. The above shows a few upside down.

Here is a photo in the midst of the change over to white. I just like the bright spark they give. You can see them in the photo of the blouse being worn.

Can you tell what my favourite colour is after this recent bout of garment sewing? I had to buy more Gutterman 736 after this!

******************
While I was taking more photos, I took a photo of the red spot fabric in front of the light. I wanted to show you what I meant the other day about the spots being acid etched or something.

Spotted fabrics - thinner at the spots. the other two colours were also that way.

K+S 2014

On Wednesday I went to the Knitting and Stitching show with my friend. It was a Very Long Day. But worth it. I made some really good connections. And because not everyone had realised the show was to be 5 days this year...Wed-Sun rather than Thurs-Sun...it meant you could actually get into some of the stands which are usually packed. I got right into Art Van Go and looked everything. I actually had a full loyalty voucher, so that was good. Also bead stands which are so difficult to get into properly without a lot of "excuse me's", had plenty of room by the time I got to the vendors.

This was just one of my discoveries because there was room to look. Buttons!

Now I don't have to make do for the stripe dress. When I get to it, I can use the large white and large blue buttons for some other things I have in mind.


The galleries were amazing as usual. I got a few photos where you were allowed but some I forgot to take note of the group.

These two from Prism caught my eye.

Celia Stanley

Tansy Blaik-Kelly

And these I can't seem to recall the group or the name of the artist. If you know it, can you let me know and I will add it here?

I loved the draping and the sheen of the silk in this piece. (I think it was silk!)

And the graphics of this one.

Sorry to be so vague about these. By that time I was in quite a lot of pain...and then yesterday had a migraine. So, even in looking through the catalogues, I have lost those memories in a gap someplace in my brain!

Building up the stash...

...like it needs it?

Found some bargains when I was at Festival of Quilts.

Much wiser to sell the beads in the small packs for 50p because then you can buy more of a wide range of colours and the total is still reasonable. And yes this was on my list, but just a few of these colours, thinking I would have to purchase large packs. I would have done a small pack of that one off size 11 pearl coloured beads but they were out.

And then these...

Because I had an exhibitor badge on and it was before the show opened for the day, I was offered an extra pack along with the deal they already had signs for. Cool! Should keep me going for a while. I do use buttons from packs like these for blouses, but I also want to work out a plan for using them some  way in the daily project.

BurgandyBlue

Finished another one of the winter skirts I had cut out at the end of January. I have been working on them a bit at a time. Most of the rest are at the point of putting waistbands on and hemming up.

The lines do go straight across, it is just the hanger off kilter.

I am thinking of doing a bit of tone on tone stitching on this for interest. But I will wait til I have the others finished...otherwise it will cause the others to linger in the work in progress pile til next winter!

Here is the button on the pleat bit. The button is mottled blue, but darker than it looks, the light was bouncing off of it.

They say it is going to be cold again next week! I remember sitting in the sun in the garden some years in March. But not this year. Instead I am quickly going out to the garden to dump out the ice from the bird's water and get them some fresh. Then rushing back in.

Mothering Sunday special things

Yesterday was Mothering Sunday.
A Certain Young man cooked a steak dinner!

and gave me these...

He likes being sent a link and a suggestion list. Then he doesn't have to leave the house to find anything... And I end up with something I need rather than a trinket to collect dust! These Nymo beading threads were from Spellbound Beads. Several of these colors I am nearly out of.


Also, I got one of the winter skirts I cut out in February finished. I better finish the rest and then perhaps the winter will actually go for good!

A bit of a creased lap from sitting the morning in church.

and my signature button at the back. something of interest, but keeps the top of the pleat from too much stress.

placed on the ironing board for the photo

This button was a handmade button I bought at a craft show sometime ago. I like how the holes are set for it to be sewn en pointe. But that the little pink notches give it a skew-whiff look.

I found the little bag with the buttons in when I was sorting the bead drawer. They are all one off colours, so this will be a good use for them if I have skirts they go with.

'And the Bead Goes On...' 11-16 Feb

2013 - Week 7 Daily Beads

A bit of a Valentine theme this week. I really love these little tiny buttons. They have been fun to mix and match.

no. 42

no. 43


no. 44

Love this one, especially the edge.

no. 45

This one seemed to need just a bit more.
So, a white heart provided a focus.


no. 46


no. 47
 The pink beads are triangle shape. They make an interesting geometric look to the edge.

I like the dimensional stacking and looping, so I am going to do a bit more of that in the centres for next week.

And the bead goes on...Off? week 2

In the interests of full disclosure, this is what my bead area has been like all week....

Nothing has actually shifted except for getting out further possible fabric.

The questions in mind:
Is this becoming a chore? - what? after I managed one week! I do enjoy it when I get to it, but making 7 beads on a Sunday evening is not really doing a daily bead, is it?

I had a very busy week with unexpected events. Do I need something that would take even less time? Irene suggested using my plan B - buttons, on alternate weeks. This is a good possibility. But around the time I read her comments, my friend was already coming, so I didn't get a chance to set up a button plan. What do I sew the buttons to?

So, rather than sitting here doing 7 beads to show you. I will go sort out a button plan and see how I get on with it this week. How does 'And the button goes on...' sound?

Now I see why Kathy Loomis says to try it out first.