The Fifties

Jane B asked me why I started Winter's Cottage on the front. The answer is very simple. That's where the directions told me to start. The first thing it tells you to do is nun stitch around the edge of the front. I didn't actually think beyond that. I've done the nun stitch before so that's where I started. Yesterday I had to work on the nun stitch for the inside of Winter's Cottage. There is just no stitch so boring - except if you are doing the stitch in white floss over white fabric. Then to top it off you do another row of nun stitch on top of the first row. ARGH. I am doing a bit of redesigning in my head. If I were to stitch this again, I would use a different technique around the edge and I'd use an overdyed pearl cotton. I wouldn't pad any stitches, I'd use more than one ply of floss. The blackwork on the two posts either side of the door seems very fifties to me so I would use a different pattern.

For my friend Margaret, I want to tell her that Rootbeer is just a flavor of soda pop. Our Aunt Jean visited from Australia and was brave enough to try rootbeer. She didn't like it at all. Said it tasted like treacle (medicine). But for those of us who grew up in the fifties, it is a good flavor. Last night we went out to eat (as we can't walk in our kitchen right now) and I saw several rootbeers being served to children. Of course, I had a rootbeer float for dessert. It is a similar flavor to sassafras tea or is sometimes called sasparilla. Today I can't eat anything as I am having a colonoscopy tomorrow. Talk about fun.

I finished the front of the mermaid notebook. It looks very nice. The back will be easier and quicker. Maybe that is what I will concentrate on today as I am sick of the nun stitch.

Joe showed up at 12:30 yesterday and was able to tile about half the floor. It has to dry for 24 hours. Which means the other half has to get tiled and dry for 24 hours too. Joe hasn't arrived yet today. We might be going into next week with this. Anyway, here is a before and after photo.

The Stiching Tour of the Sewing Room's Unfinished Drawer continues with a couple of Elizabeth Designs, a bellpull Honeysuckle vine (I think this is a Drawn Thread), and Prairie Schooler birds. A couple of these designs are too big, not delicate enough. They were stitched at a time when I only stitched on 28 count linen. I've come a long way, baby.

A