Ideas for Birthday Greeting

Bargello Embroidery

Bargello Design 1

Too Busy and Cannot See the Bargello Stitch
Bargello Design 2

Bargello with Birthdates in Code

Thought adding coded birthdays to Bargello design would be fun. It is too busy. Difficult to read the code and the Bargello design.

Bargello with Dates

First Version Lucky Penny

There is a piece of tree wrap stitched to the back.
The piece is too small for the card.

Luck Penny Version 1

Completed Greeting–Lucky Penny

Completed Greeting

Detail of Lucky Penny Code
Dark Brown is used for dots, tan for dashes, cream is used for spacers. The code it stitched in vertically–first column is L, second U…

Detail of Lucky Penny Code

Detail of 1960 Lucky Penny

Detail of 1960 Penny

Card Interior Label

Lucky Penny Label

Greeting Ready for Shipping

A piece of foam is tucked inside to support the weight of the embroidered piece.

Foam Piece Inside Card

The card is wrapped with two layers covering the embroidered piece with the penny.

Wrapped Card for Shipping


Work in Progress–False Memory

False Memory

Used three colors of wool to embroider 1 square by 6 square pieces of 1/4″ hardware cloth. Dark brown for dots, tan for dashes, and cream for spacers.

I used oil sticks fix up the 5″ x 7″ panel.

Morse Code Chart

Morse Code Chart

Each letter has four rectangular blocks. To make the rows tidy, I added spacers if a letter had fewer than four dots, dashes, or combinations.

False Memory

Each letter is a group of four rectangular blocks that are fastened at top and bottom with a safety pin. There are fourteen blocks–thirteen letters and one spacer.

Used thin dark grey sock fiber to bind through the head and loop of the safety pins.

False Memory

The silver dots are the edges of the hardware cloth.

My hope is to oxidized the safety pins to add the feel of age.


Anniversary Piece

Every year I make an anniversary piece. This was my second and better idea.

Anniversary Piece

Hanger–Code for Anniversary Date
Left side is 05271983, Right side 05272020

Anniversary Piece Date Code

Block Used for Dots
Anniversary Piece Dot

Block Used for Dashes
Anniversary Piece Dash

Code Used
The first row of 3 dots and 2 dashes represents the number 3.
The second row of 2 dashes and 3 dots represents the number 7.
Yep, 37 years.

Anniversary Piece Hung

Materials List
Roofing Felt, Tree Wrap (back of piece), Hardware Cloth, Wool, Gourd Pins.


Pause to Let Your Eyes Adjust

Every time I walked by this piece, I couldn’t remember the name and code used.

Pause Piece

I looked through my files and found the piece support materials. The title and code is Pause to Let Your Eyes Adjust.

The Code
Pause Piece Code

The Code in Color (tan yarn is used in place of cream)
Pause Piece Color Code

Upper Layout
Pause Piece Upper

Pause Piece Upper

Detail of Broken Triangle Bits of Mirror
Pause Piece Mirror

Middle Section
Pause Piece Middle

Lower Layout
Pause Piece Bottom

Pause Piece Lower

Signature–Perforated Disk

Pause Signature Disk

Materials List
Birch branches and twigs–symbol of health, wisdom, safety, public office.
Other materials–1/4″ hardware cloth (45×99 squares), wool yarn, mirror, cotton duck for back. Bargello embroidery patterns.


Truth Piece in Progress

The Truth piece consists of two pieces that will be mounted on a wood panel and framed.

Truth

After looking at the image of the larger piece, I think wrapping all of the exposed hardware cloth with cream yarn is needed. Bumped up the contrast to see the wire more clearly.

Truth Wire Exposed

Wrapped Hardware Cloth Wire

Truth Wire Wrapped

Center Shapes are Code for the Word Truth

Truth Layout

Brown shapes are Dots, Tan shapes are Dashes, Cream shapes are Spacers.

Truth Blocks
The same colors are used for code throughout the pieces.

The right border of the larger piece has the code–Be Told. It begins with the top right square of the hardware cloth.

Truth Be Told

The left border of the larger piece has the code–Will Out. It begins with the bottom left square of the hardware cloth.

Truth Will Out

The center portion of the smaller piece has the code–Half the truth is, with the right border continuing the text–a great lie.

Half Truth Great Lie

I thought about adding an application of wax, but it changes the fiber a bit too much. Will either add an application of starch or a solution of salt.

Truth

The pieces will be attached to a 5″ x 7″ wood panel with tacks. If the tacks don’t work I may use velcro. Then a frame will be added.


Work in Progress–Thoughts

Thoughts Blocks

Thoughts Blocks with Verticals Completed

After the vertical jute was added, the cream wool on the roofing felt blocks seems a tad too flat. Thickening the pattern on the blocks may be necessary.

Thoughts Blocks Cream Wool

Thoughts Block with Cream Wool

Thoughts Blocks Jute

Thoughts Block with Jute

Thoughts Blocks Tan Wool

Thoughts Block with Tan Wool

Thoughts Blocks Hemp

Thoughts Block with Hemp

If I decide to add additional fiber to the 330 blocks, it will extend the working time at least an additional week. Pretty sure it will be worth the time.


In Progress–Thoughts

Maybe I shouldn’t attempt working when I am feeling unwell and functioning without proper sleeping.

The plan was to run a folded piece of jute twine from the bottom of the piece to the top. The excess at top is to become the hanger for the piece.

Thoughts

Today, I was feeling bette, but apparently not good enough. I started work on the right side of the piece. Unfortunately, I wove the jute twine through from top to bottom, leaving excess twine at the bottom.

Thoughts

Tomorrow I will be removing all the columns that I wove incorrectly. The mistake will add at least two hours to my work time.


Work in Progress–Thoughts

Thoughts is now bound together. Started adding jute twine for warp.

Thoughts Together

Also decided to fill the horizontals. Decided to first add horizontals, then they can be locked in with the vertical warp and crosses at the block joints.

Thoughts Intersections

Considered using jute-wrapped rope for border.

Thoughts Wrapped Border

Decided to use jute rope for two reasons–I like the twist of the rope, and it will be less work and stress on my hand.

Thoughts Rope Border


When I am working with yarn and twine, I always wrap my hands with waterproof medical tape. The areas that seem to get ripped up and sliced the most are the joints of fingers.

After months of illness, last year I was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease. It is important for me to protect my lungs from further damage. I tried using a medical mask, but it didn’t fit properly. It kept poking me in the eye. I taped the corners to prevent poking, but the mask was still uncomfortable.

Mask With Tape

Then used an inexpensive dust mask for most of my working session. It was okay, but still did not fit quite right.
It is better to use a mask that has two elastic bands or a respirator. I have a great two cartridge respirator that fits well, but is heavy and bulky while looking down for my stitchwork.
Thin Dust Mask

I stopped by Harbour Freight to pick up a better dust mask. They were sold out because of the Coronavirus scare. Then stopped by Home Depot. First looked in the building section, the area with concrete. Found a package of masks. They weren’t what I really wanted, but better than the other two I used yesterday. I found empty shelves in the paint section where masks should have been. There was a sign that stated there was a limit 10 per customer.

Are people being over cautious purchasing mask to possibly protect them from a virus in China?

There have been seven confirmed cases in California.

The best place to acquire correct information is the CDC website.

CDC 2019-nCoV Update

From the CDC site–

2019-nCoV is a betacoronavirus, like MERS and SARs, all of which have their origins in bats. The sequences from U.S. patients are similar to the one that China initially posted, suggesting a likely single, recent emergence of this virus from an animal reservoir.

Early on, many of the patients in the outbreak of respiratory illness caused by 2019-nCov in Wuhan, China had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. Later, a growing number of patients reportedly did not have exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread.