Giving Cross Stitch a Bath

The second cross stitch sampler that I thrifted is this lovely sampler with lambs and bunnies. It is slightly soiled and stained, so I think it needs a soak. Please note I am not an expert in cleaning vintage needlework, and for any valuable pieces you should consult a professional cleaner or conservator.

For soaking purposes I'll use my handwashing bin, cold tap water and a little mild detergent. I did a thread test first, and the embroidery thread did not bleed. I then treated the perimeter of the cross stitch fabic where it had the worst foxing with stain remover. You can also rub in a little baking soda and water to remove stains (I use an old soft toothbrush to apply it,) but that can also bleach out very old embroidery cloth, so do a patch test first where it won't be noticeable.

Lettin the piece soak for six hours was the next step. I then rinsed it out and hung it to air dry.

After pressing it the same way I did the Santa sampler, this is how it turned out.

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Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Journal Find

This is a page from my 2010 poetry journal. My handwriting isn't the best, so I'll transcribe it: If my heart survives to tell all the secrets kept inside it will be an abalone shell in which the beauty did reside. But I think I will always be lost to the tides that rage in me . . . humbling and polishing . . . I don't write many self-portrait poems, but this one isn't too embarrassing. A bit overly dramatic, but the girl I was eleven years ago went through some tough times. I'm in a much more peaceful place today.

Watchable Farce

The k-drama Undercover High School is a series that brings a handsome spy to play a student at an elite private school where a legend about billions of gold hidden there persists. It's more silly slapstick comedy than anything, but has some surprising romantic and dramatic moments, too. Seo Kang-joon is one of my favorite Korean actors, and this is the first series he's made since finishing up his mandatory military service. He plays Jeong Hae-seong/ Jeong Si-hyun, an NIS agent who infiltrates a snobby elitist school to hunt down the gold. There are four urban legends connected to the treasure that he has to figure out, all under the too-watchful eye of his homeroom teacher, Oh Su-Ah (Jin Ki-joo) whom he eventually discovers was his elementary school love Oh Bong-ja (there's a lot of name changing in this series.) The hunt for the treasure is the highlight of this series, but the romance between the leads is cute, too (and not as taboo as you might think, given that...

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