I Am an Amalgam

I Am an Amalgam

I was going to say conglomerate But amalgam fits better For me it’s various sources and various kinds. I am so “this and that.” Because of that, I’m pulled in different directions. Sometimes I feel like the hapless fellow in the old Tarzan movies who had each limb tied to a different elephant, each sent in a different direction. (Well, not quite that gruesome.) Some people can say “I am a writer,” or “I am an artist,” or scientist, or…

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Dot #2

Dot #2

This dot is approximately the size of a quarter. It was a challenge to stitch, to say the least. The fabric’s top layer is apparently the same as the thread–plastic and rayon (maybe polyester). I traced a quarter then pulled the sequins off a length of thread and stitched the circle in stem stitch. I thought it would be easier to couch the thread to fill the sun side. With couching, I didn’t have to remove the sequins. The sequins…

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Stoopid Statins!

Stoopid Statins!

I woke up again today feeling like I worked all night swinging a rock crusher. That led me to spending the last three hours searching fatigue and muscle fatigue. I’m not sure what led me to the connection, because no one seems specifically to include it on a list of causes. Nonetheless, it’s very clear to me. It started shortly after I started taking statin medication. It grew worse over time, though eased considerably when I was off statins. Which…

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Dot #1

Dot #1

I doubt I’ll be doing one a day and I didn’t use wrap/satin stitch (as Jude did). Because of the size (the base of a 5000 meter spool of machine embroidery thread–maybe about two inches), I thought chain stitch would be good. I was hoping for a more random variation with the thread, rather than the look of concentric circles (it’s actually a spiral), but that would probably require shorter color variations on the thread, and/or a much larger circle….

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Ah, 2023!

Ah, 2023!

I was trying most of December to get here, but December is always the most stressful month for me, and this year I was host for Christmas dinner, which didn’t help alleviate any of it. Alex was finishing final papers until the day he flew out here, so he was a bit stressed, too. But then he was able to relax once he got here. Actually, so did I, partially. Iqbal’s always relaxed. We watched several movies and a lot…

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Fonts

Fonts

I’m learning some new things about fonts. They can be made as SVG.otf to create colorful, decorated fonts like this. I’ll possibly be updating this post as I play with some of these fonts.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Just some fun. However I did learn a few things . . . I think. I used my own hair (from a photo) to get the nice hair texture for the beard on the gnome in the back. I may see if I can do that for the other three. Maybe. There are lots of flaws in the automated processes, but I learn from them and, I’m not going to hold my breath, but maybe I’ll be able to apply…

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Just Stitchin’

Just Stitchin’

… and some unstitching, too. This is a really bad photo because I took it on the kitchen table in mid-late afternoon sun. The shadows are horrible. (Well the shadows are actually great, but they make the photo horrible.) I don’t have any idea where I’m going with this. I picked up the center scrap with the intention of trying Jude’s multi line stitching. Rather than split stitch, I’m using stem stitch. For some inexplicable reason (probably just the first…

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Just Another Wonted Wednesday

Just Another Wonted Wednesday

Wonted is a new word to me, but I like it. It fits. I have been reading . . . Blogs, but not commenting much because I’m so OCD [grammar check, typo check, spell check, sense check, politeness check (don’t want to be a troll)] about writing anything that it takes too much time. And books because, well, BOOKS! All summer I didn’t have glasses that allowed me to read comfortably. I missed reading. I read mostly literary fiction, but…

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This Morning

This Morning

Well, actually this afternoon, but as a night person it was this morning for me. Anyway, I was making my breakfast and movement caught my eye. I looked out the window and there were birds everywhere, flying in and out of the bush across the street. Of course, by the time I picked up my phone to record it, there were fewer birds coming and going. At first there were two or three times as many as what’s in the…

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