Getting it together

The smocking phase is finally done and I’m delighted at how quickly the parts are coming together …

I’ve been using Londonderry 80/3 linen thread to backstitch the seams at about 10 stitches per inch …

I confess to being concerned about how the bulky edge of the smocking would work into the seams, but so far so good …

Which reminds me, these are my new favorite marking pens, which erase with an iron or even a blast with the hair dryer. They make a finer line and glide on more smoothly than the felt-tipped pens I’ve used in the past. And at $17 for a set of 8, they’re reasonably priced …

Of course, in looking them up online, I’m now seeing a lot of lower priced alternatives … please comment below if you’ve had experience with any other brands!

And my post wouldn’t be complete without some grandkid pix …

About last week

I’m slowly but surely working on my Folkwear smock project …

while pondering the recent excision of my first basal cell skin cancer. It’s no big deal, but it feels like a milestone of sorts. As is the recommendation that I start on statins. And as always, consider annual immunizations. So it goes.

The good news is that we finally tried out Valentina’s, which is the newest restaurant in town (rated two thumbs up👍👍) …

and attended our local art gallery’s 6th anniversary party, where the owner cleverly requested 6” by 6” art works from the usual (wonderful) cast of artists. And if some of the artists didn’t exactly bring works at exactly the requested size, we were still delighted to bring two of them home with us …

We also had “Back to School Camp” with Griffin, Parker, and Ellis … complete with field trips, projects, and fun food …

Hmmm … I seem to be missing some activity pictures … I’ll have to check my co-counselor’s photo collection and include them in a future post.

Meantime, the first real day of school in Texas has come and gone (click to get full images … P’s shoes are worth a peek) …

and we continue to hide out from the Texas heatwave … which reached 110 degrees yesterday while we were hunkered down at the Alamo Drafthouse watching Oppenheimer … a sobering experience all around.

There now, that wasn’t so hard

After looking at it and pondering it for years, I just did it … unstitched what needed to be unstitched, worked within the space I had, ordered a frame, and voila …

There was no room to sign it, so I didn’t. And I was so wrapped up in framing it that I neglected to photograph the back. Oh well.

It’s done and I’m very happy with it.