toothache and embroidery tips
The tooth was behaving fairly well this morning, so I actually managed to make some progress on my email backlog (down to 63) and go to my class at the gym. However, by mid-day it was getting a lot worse. Steady ache across all the upper jaw and it seems resistant to painkillers today.
I managed to concentrate enough to read Sharpe's Christmas (a short story written for the Daily Mail one Xmas) which has a very predictable plot that I saw coming right from the start - but then that's the nature of Xmas stories, they require a certain type of happy ending.
Mostly been doing cross-stitch when the pain made me too fuzzy to read. Working on a floral pattern at present. I still haven't made up my mind if I like this one, but until I've worked at least a bit of all the colours it will be hard to tell.
Today's cross-stitch tip - if you're doing a fiddly pattern, colour in the squares on the chart when you sew them. I tend to use a yellow highlighter pen as that means I can still see the original symbols clearly if I later realise that I goofed.
Bonus tip - hope you can follow this one - I learnt this from my mother-in-law who's written books about needlework. When starting in the middle of a space, rather than trying to catch the loose end of the thread under what you're sewing (which I always find tricky), tie a knot in the end and make your first stitch a giant one from a couple of inches away. (the knot should end up on the *front* on the fabric.) When you finish the thread, use your scissors to cut off the knot and thread the end and use the needle to sew it under a bit you've sewn on the back.
This will give very neat starts and can be used anywhere where you haven't got a handy bit of work to fasten on with.
While I'm at it, other tips from the incomparable Molly:
When you've got your double thread, separate the strands and then lay them side by side before threading them. This gets rid of a lot of the twist and makes the thread less likely to get knotted.
Also, run your fingers down the thread and see which direction is smoothest. Sometimes there will be no difference, but sometimes, you'll notice one way moves much freeer. Thread your needle at the right end of the thread to take advantage of this.
I managed to concentrate enough to read Sharpe's Christmas (a short story written for the Daily Mail one Xmas) which has a very predictable plot that I saw coming right from the start - but then that's the nature of Xmas stories, they require a certain type of happy ending.
Mostly been doing cross-stitch when the pain made me too fuzzy to read. Working on a floral pattern at present. I still haven't made up my mind if I like this one, but until I've worked at least a bit of all the colours it will be hard to tell.
Today's cross-stitch tip - if you're doing a fiddly pattern, colour in the squares on the chart when you sew them. I tend to use a yellow highlighter pen as that means I can still see the original symbols clearly if I later realise that I goofed.
Bonus tip - hope you can follow this one - I learnt this from my mother-in-law who's written books about needlework. When starting in the middle of a space, rather than trying to catch the loose end of the thread under what you're sewing (which I always find tricky), tie a knot in the end and make your first stitch a giant one from a couple of inches away. (the knot should end up on the *front* on the fabric.) When you finish the thread, use your scissors to cut off the knot and thread the end and use the needle to sew it under a bit you've sewn on the back.
This will give very neat starts and can be used anywhere where you haven't got a handy bit of work to fasten on with.
While I'm at it, other tips from the incomparable Molly:
When you've got your double thread, separate the strands and then lay them side by side before threading them. This gets rid of a lot of the twist and makes the thread less likely to get knotted.
Also, run your fingers down the thread and see which direction is smoothest. Sometimes there will be no difference, but sometimes, you'll notice one way moves much freeer. Thread your needle at the right end of the thread to take advantage of this.