NEEDLECRAFT

DESIGN FOR CUSHION COVER

2011-08-21T13:38:00.004+05:30

FREE CUSHION COVER EMBROIDERY DESIGN

This type of design was in vogue during the late 60's and early 70's. Seems to be back in fashion.

Types of embroidery you can use it with:
This design will work well with Jacobean embroidery, laid work or with fabric painting using three dimensional colours.

Before you begin:
Do take out the time to redraw the design. I have simply traced out the design not giving importance to perfection and symmetry. I was in my trace out as many designs as possible in a day phase when I traced this 22 yrs ago.

In the second diagram, I have drawn a line in the center of the main design. Use this line to align your design. First draw the left hand side of the design. Then fold it along the line after darkening the lines of the design. Now, trace the right hand side of the design from the wrong side of the paper. You now have a perfectly symmetrical design.

Uses:
1. Saree border by altering/enlarging the design to suit a saree palu/border.
2. Corner design for cushion cover.
3. The second, will make a lovely design for a table runner worked up in satins and herring bones.

Click on the design to enlarge and take a print out.

You can use a grid to enlarge the design further to suit your requirements.

MY FAVOURITE EINSTEIN QUOTES

2011-08-18T23:19:00.001+05:30

Bookyards.com is just that a cyberspace where you find a lot of books - free books.

It's where I found this 'Book of quotes by Albert Einstein'

The quotes I have listed below really tickled me - he being the great scientist and all that.
It's obvious that he was a down to earth person.

1. One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year.

2. A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Albert Einstein, Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton
3. Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.

4. Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. (This one takes the prize.)

5. Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.

6. Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing.

7. Humiliation and mental oppression by ignorant and selfish teachers wreak havoc in the youthful mind that can never be undone and often exert a baleful influence in later life.

8. Everything is determined by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust - we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.

9. "We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them".(I absolutely love this one.) Did he quote it from a scientific viewpoint or what? Needless to say, it is philosophical like all his other quotes.

10."The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources". Hmm... plagiarism?

GETTING STUBBORN FOODSTAINS OFF THE MICROWAVE

2011-07-31T10:11:00.003+05:30

Prevention is always better than cure.

Cover food stuff like gravies with a microwave safe loose lid. This ensures that the walls of the microwave are not splattered with gravy. Be very carefully while opening the lid. Use gloves and don't lean in too close. The escaping steam can burn you.
In spite of all the care, you may still find ugly blotches sticking to your microwave. Don't get frustrated. Here's how you get it off.

1/2 lime + 1 heaped tbsp of baking soda + 2 cups water microwaved on high for 5 minutes + wiping with a warm damp cloth immediately. Hot steam, lime and soda will have softened the grime making it easy to wipe off.

Do this regularly, you don't have to worry about the foodstuff sticking to the walls affecting the flavour/health of the food you are currently cooking.

Regular microwave users can clean it every night with a warm damp cloth - just like you clean your LPG stove when you are done for the day. You can give it the lemon - soda treatment every fortnight.

TOWARDS A FREER MARRIAGE

2011-07-10T15:41:00.000+05:30

Come again?
All around us, we see marriages disintegrating more than ever before. Does this mean that previous generations coped better with conflicts within the marriage? Not necessarily. Compromise and compliance don’t automatically equate to harmony.

So why did they stay together?
Was it because
- of the children?
- marriage had become a habit?
- they loved each other?
- they had to pay the mortgage together?
- they lived in a prohibitive society?
- they were just conditioned to go on no matter what?
- women were financially dependent?
It could have been any or all of these.

What’s different about marriages today?
The traditional male – female gender roles are no longer fully applicable. Most women today are financially independent - that’s one factor out of the equation- to the extent that in some cases it is a major ego bubble. Let’s face it - ego places false, counter-productive, short-sighted limitations on a relationship.
Let’s backtrack to compliance and compromise. Automatically agreeing to everything does not augur well for harmony. As for compromise – Beware! For that way lies the path to resentment and power struggles. Compromise not only makes us take on roles that sprout resentment, it also stifles personality, inducing further resentment - unresolved negative feelings accumulate and multiply like unpaid debts. The burden soon becomes staggering.

If not compromise, what then?
Co-operation is the new mantra. Co-operation is the axle that would hold together this two-wheeled cart riding over those banana peels strewn about the Garden of Eden we call life. For, co-operation involves both partners whereas compromise burdens just one of the two.

Most couples I know are opposite personality wise. Yet the relationship seems to work for some. Then again, there are those who hang on to issues like a dog with a bone despite knowing they are in the wrong for they are busy score - keeping.

I don’t claim to be an expert on relationships. But coming from a large close knit family – 18 cousins on my mother’s side and 25 on my father’s, I am constantly exposed to a lot family drama and couple dynamics. So much so that my grandmother was fond of saying, “we have enough heroes and villains in our family for our very own epic.”

How strong is out commitment?
When we marry, we commit ourselves to being there for each other more than for others. But in reality, in pursuit of goals that in the long run don’t even really matter, we often put others before our partners.
Most of us are comfortable in our marriages. But are we truly satisfied with the way things are? The immediate reaction to this question is probably – “Don’t go there.” Because we’d rather not open the Pandora’s Box and upset the status quo?
Be that as it may, beware of these trippers where we tend to compromise and then become resentful
- poor communication
- annoying personal habits
- constant comparisons
- disruptive parental interference
- different ideas on child-rearing
- unwillingness to forgive real and imagined slights
- never outgrowing manipulative behaviour
- the blame game, a futile exercise we often tend to indulge in.

Being a couple is about teamwork – is about being supportive –is being able to express ourselves freely.
Marriage seems to be a lot of hard work and sliding back into old habits a constant pitfall. Is it worth it? If it is a non-abusive marriage – yes.

So how do we go about making the relationship better, more rewarding and fulfilling?
The first step is reiterating our commitment to each other. Next, down with the barriers that limit communication - in other words learning to co-operate with each other. Then having the courage to openly discuss issues we’d rather sweep under the carpet.

Having thrown out defensiveness along with the barriers – we can now honestly introspect - accept that it takes two to tango - that whatever ails the relationship, we are equal contributors. It takes quite a bit of daring to face our short-comings and trust our partners to love us despite them.
With the blinders forced on by our ego removed – all our defensive barriers are now down.

Won’t this make us feel exposed and vulnerable?
Yes. But now arguing and quarrelling become negotiating and brainstorming. We even realize that we agree with our partner’s viewpoint – a paradigm shift.

The reward for all this trouble … a fulfilling relationship free from the limitations and red tape placed by ego, barriers and defensiveness.

MURAL PAINTING OF KERALA

2011-02-07T10:58:00.003+05:30

I finally got my Kerala mural style painting framed.

Here it is.

Painted using acrylic and water colours, the size is more or less the same as the original murals that adorn the outer walls of the sanctum sanctorium of the Padmanabaswamy temple in Trivandrum.

These temple murals were painted using natural dyes and only 5 colours.

This is my first attempt at the temple mural style painting on canvas.

The yellow has come out too gaudy

The picture below focuses on the borders

It is a time-consuming, extremely satisfying almost meditative process.
If you work at it for 3-4 hrs a day, you can complete it in maybe 25-30 days.
I'll blog the step - by - step process when I start my next piece

HOW TO PUT OUT A FIRE IN YOUR FRYING PAN

2011-02-02T15:51:00.001+05:30

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE OIL IN YOUR FRYING PAN CATCHES FIRE?
REACH FOR A WATER?

DON'T EVER DO THAT!!! IT WILL EXPLODE.

FIRST OF ALL DON'T PANIC

JUST TURN OF THE SOURCE OF HEAT.

THEN DIP A TOWEL IN A WATER, WRING IT AND GENTLY COVER THE FLAMING PAN WITH THE FOLDED DAMP TOWEL

NOW WATCH THIS VIDEO I FOUND IN MY INBOX.

ASK NOT WHAT THE COUNTRY IS DOING FOR YOU? ASK WHAT YOU ARE DOING FOR THE COUNTRY

2011-02-02T11:04:00.004+05:30

Another Republic Day has gone past - another grand Republic Day parade.
63 years of Independence and 61 years since India became a Republic...
Where are we today?

There are several issues here.

The most persistent evil is our caste system and all the baggage that comes with it.
The original varna system was created so work could be divided among people based on their intellectual capabilities.

A Brahmin - highly intellectual person - intellect or knowledge is not our idea of intellect today - knowledge those days meant, knowledge of the divine, respect for nature, humility, lack of greed - in short a Brahmin was a philosopher and teacher content with his lot -
He was a Satvika - pure hearted.

A Kshtriya -A commanding person, brave and also possessing the intellect of a Brahmin though not the pure hearted nature - also a bit of cunning - for to safeguard a country some cunning is required. Such a person was fit to lead a nation with advice from a Brahmin.
A Kshtriya is part Satvika and part Rajasika - or dim-witted (in the sense he lets emotions rule his actions) which is why he needed the Brahmin to restrain him.

A Vaishya - a bit bold and cunning with a what is in it for me attitude - such people make good businessmen- for if you are to be successful in business you can't be totally pure- hearted or behave like a warrior.
A Vaishya is part Rajasika and part Tamasika - a bit but not totally dim when it comes to the finer aspects of human nature.

A Shudra - is a person totally clueless as to the finer aspects human nature. He cannot be trusted to make his own sensible decisions - a Tamasika

If we look around in our own families, we'd see all these 4 catagories of people.

Over time, again due to baser side of- human nature, these basic principles were overlooked and people laid their own selfish interpretations over the Varna system. Sons of Brahmins called themselves Brahmins and so on.
WE NEED TO SNAP OUT OF CENTURIES OF CONDITIONING

The great sage Veda Vysa is the son of a sage and a fisherwoman.
Would the caste system of today accept such a union? Does this not tell us that we have misinterpreted what the ancient philosophers meant by varna system?

The ancient philosophers did warn us that there would be total chaos if the varna system was violated.

That's what is wrong with society today.

We take what we want from the past and lay narrow interpretations to suit our selfish purposes.
We've been doing it for centuries and we are still doing it.
Look how we borrow all unwanted habits from the west - habits that have no justification - overlook the finer aspects like cleanliness, business integrity for instance...

We are busy chasing wealth, position, status...
When are we going to realise that in chasing these illusions, we are losing sight of the fact that we need to spend quality time with our children and inculcate the right values?

Isn't there satisfaction in giving an old hungry woman a 10 rupees and seeing her shocked smile?
Why argue with a vegetable vendor over Rs.1/- and pay exorbitant rates for a meal that would have tasted better and cost much much less prepared at home. Think about it.

I am not against eating out. I am against haggling with the poor when we are making the rich richer.

Again how many of us are willing to spend thousands to perform yagnas to cleanse past sins & doshas yet refuse to help the domestic help financially when her kids are ill - without asking her to return it?

Aren't we making the rich richer by not insisting on bills for payments for goods like gold?
The discount we get when we choose to not to take a bill is only part of the tax the goldsmith has to pay the govt.

There is no depth in any of our day to day actions. Most of what we do is superficial and meaningless & self-serving.

We find fault with everything and everyone around us. What about ourselves?
Can we honestly say that we as the citizens of India are conscious of our civic duties?
How many of us care to clear the garbage we generate in tourists locations? Refrain from throwing out food packets on the roadside?
The govt. has banned use of plastic bags. How many of us carry our own bags when we go shopping? Don't we shamelessly demand carry bags knowing full well what it does to our environment?

How many of us vote?
How many of us care enough of to educate our domestic helpers regarding their rights and duties? Because we feel that we are better off if they are kept in the dark?
we need to-
introspect on our general attitude
deduct and negate unproductive elements
substitute them with changes that would make a difference to the environment, our families, ourselves...
Such drastic changes in attitude are not possible overnight.

But there is a difference between not even being conscious that we need to change and becoming conscious of the need the change.
Reminds me of a tongue twister I was fond of when I was a teenager.

HE WHO KNOWS NOT AND KNOWS NOT THAT HE KNOWS NOT
HE WHO KNOWS NOT AND KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS NOT
HE WHO KNOWS AND KNOWS NOT THAT HE KNOWS
HE WHO KNOWS AND KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS

Our past was eventful - civilised, cultured, intellectual, then violent, subservient ...
We have now become woefully selfish and corrupt and are heading towards destructive.

ISN'T IT TIME TO WAKE UP AND DO OUR BIT INSTEAD OF BLAMING CORRUPT POLITICIANS AND ASKING WHAT THE COUNTRY IS DOING FOR US?

DOWNLOAD CBSE CLASS X SAII 2011- SAMPLE QUESTION PAPERS -STUDY MATERIALS - SANSKRIT LESSON WISE/GRAMMAR WORKSHEETS

2011-02-01T08:59:00.005+05:30

HI STUDENTS,

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD BLUEPRINT, SAMPLE PAPERS AND SOLUTIONS FOR ALL SUBJECTS FROM HERE

For those of you who want detailed and comprehensive notes for all subjects except sankrit KVJALIPACANTT.ORG

For sanskrit - SANSKRIT WORK SHEETS - CLASS 1O should come in handy

unable to read the pdf files?

Go to SUSHA FONT FREE DOWNLOAD page. Scroll down until you come across

Read the instructions below.

Download and install all the 3 versions of Shusha fonts.

Now close all applications. Shut down and restart your computer. Download the pdf files once again.

Once you download the fonts you should be able to read the already downloaded files too.

Got it? Need any more directions?

Exactly a month left for your exams.

WISH YOU ALL THE VERY BEST FOR YOUR BOARD EXAMS

THE ANTIQUE PATTERN LIBRARY - FREE DESIGNS FOR EMBROIDERY

2011-01-31T08:53:00.011+05:30

These lovely designs are from the book THE DREW PORTFOLIO in the ANTIQUE PATTERN LIBRARY

For fabric painting, epoxy painting, stump work

Spanish Black work

IDEAL FOR LAID WORK

FOR APPLIQUE AND EMBELLISHMENT WITH BEADS ETC

The entire book - about 18 pages is filled with such designs.

There are no stitch descriptions - all the better. It would be interesting to see how different people interpret these designs.

Anyone out there ready for the challenge?

Here's what you should do.

Choose any one of the 4 designs above - you may choose more than 1 design if you have the time for it.
While the basic design should be retained, slight variations are allowed.
Use it to design an accessory - say cushion cover, a runner, a bag, a purse...
You can use anything for embellishing the embroidery - ribbons, beads, buttons, shells...
You have a month - the challenge ends on 3rd March.
You can blog the steps involved and the decision making process if you wish.

The challenge will be open even if there is going to be only 1 participant.

If you want to take it up, leave a comment .

This is not a competition - as I've already mentioned, it would be interesting to see all the variations diffferent people come up with.

THE ANTIQUE PATTERN LIBRARY - DMC LIBRARY

2011-01-30T09:03:00.002+05:30

DMC MOTIFS FOR EMBROIDERY VTH SERIES is a book you'll find on FREE DOMAIN - meaning - you can download it for free.
This post is a brief review of this lovely book.
Before I procede, please understand that though these books are copyright freed, they come from the private collection of generous people who have taken the time to painstaking scan and edit and digitize these books. The aim of THE ANTIQUE PATTERN LIBRARY is to make these books freely available so the wonderful art of needlework does not die.
What I am trying to say here is don't be crude enough to download and sell these on e-bay etc or pass them off as your own designs. It has happened before and will happen again... just let it not be you who is doing it.

Here are a few designs from the book - to help you decide if or not you want to download it.

As you can see, the designs are simple but the stitches employed gives them an exotic look.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND:
1. A description of all the stitches used with diagrams.
2. 15 colour plates
3. The designs for tracing

The design on the left is my favourite - I just can't stop appreciating how the simple can also be exotic

KUTCHWORK MOTIFS -FREE

2011-01-29T10:11:00.003+05:30

HEART SERIES II

These are my own designs.
You are welcome to use or share these designs.
But please don't sell them or copy and paste them on your site - if you copy and paste please mention where you found them.
Please do not redraw them and pass them off as your own either.
That's what put me off sharing for nearly 2 years.

FREE KUTCHWORK MOTIFS

2011-01-29T09:31:00.002+05:30

HEART SERIES I
Here are a couple of free Kutch motifs.
While you are at it, take a look at this

These designs are my own.
You may use or share them.
But please don't sell them.
please do not copy and paste on your site - if you do please mention where you found them.
Please do not redraw them and pass them off as your own either.
That's what put me off sharing for nearly 2 years.

ONLINE TATTING CLASSES - FREE

2011-01-27T08:32:00.004+05:30

Search Amazon.com for tatting books

Georgia Seitz's Online Tatting Class has been around since 2004.

Its a credit to Georgia and her team that the classes are still around.

If you are an absolute beginner, don't sweat - your classes are this way.

You'll find links to copyright freed tatting books - the terms/abbreviations used in these books however are not always the terms/abbreviations currently in use. But with pictures of projects, deciphering these shouldn't be difficult.

The class actually meets once a week - Online of course!
All you need is enthusiasm, tatting shuttles and thread - the classes are free.

CROCHETED EDGING ON KURTA

2011-01-18T13:46:00.003+05:30

Another one of my kutras got a new look with this crochet edging and the stones sewed onto the white petals.

Right now I am working on a Delta Crochet turorial. The flowers in this edging somewhat resemble the flowers in Delta Crochet - that's what made me want to try out this pattern in the first place - and I just happened to have yarn of almost the same shade...

I found it in the book, "CROCHETED EDGINGS & INSERTIONS" downloaded from Antique pattern library. There are plenty of other lovely edgings in the book. Do pop over and take a peek. Here's a picture of the edging and the instructions. You'll find that it involves fastening off every time you complete the first row.

I have my own instructions for this pattern.
Chain 9
Row 1: 1 dc into the 2nd chain from hook. 1 dc into each of the next 7 dc, 1 ch Turn.
Row 2: 8 dc into each of the 8 dc below, 3 ch, turn
Row 3: 2 tr cluster into the same space as 3 ch, 3 tr cluster into the last dc, 3 ch turn.
Row 4: 2 tr cluster in the same space as 3 chains, 7 chains join to the base of the 2nd cluster made, 3 dc, 3 ch, 2 dc, 3 ch, 2 dc, 3 ch, 3 dc into the 7 chain space, 8 ch, 3 tr cluster into the same space as theprevious cluster, 1 ch turn.
Row 5: 1 dc into each of 8 ch below, 1 ch turn.
Row 6 – 7: 1 dc into each of the 8 dc below, 1 ch turn
Rep from row 2 for the required length.
Heading: Join yarn to 1st dc of row 1, 1 dc into next stitch, *chain 7, 1 dc in each of the next 4 stitches rep from *

This is the rough copy of my instructions written as I was working the edging. There are likely to be mistakes, which I'll correct as I work the pattern once again. when I do that I'll as edit these instructions.
In the meantime, please feel free to point out any mistakes in the instructions.

ICICI BANK - UPDATING YOU ADDRESS AND MOBILE NUMBERS

2011-01-18T11:57:00.009+05:30

Moving lock, stock & barrel from State to State is no longer a rarity. This undoubtedly poses a lot of hassles - what with the packing moving, change of schools, change of address, paying for utilities, closing bank accounts...

The list is endless.

ICICI bank claims that banking with them is hassle free for the constantly moving client.

Is it really?

Here are a few problems I faced.

CASE I

My son had a young star account with ICICI Trichy - opened when he was 15yrs old. He was in class X then. When he completed his class XII, we moved to Trivandrum in Kerala. My son joined Amrita School of Engineering Coimbatore. I updated our change of address online.
In Sep my son turned 18 and there was a letter from the bank asking him to go to the nearest bank at the earliest with proof of id and age and upgrade his account.
Please note that nowhere in the letter was there any mention of a deadline. Since he was in hostel we could not do anything about it immediately. A week or so later, my son called me at work to tell me that he needed cash immediately to pay for purchases he had made that his debit card had been blocked. I asked him to borrow some money from his classmates and make the payment. Luckily he had an account with Dhanalakshmi bank. I deposited some money that weekend in his Dhanalaxhmi account- I could not get a weekday off as I was working in a school then. He could repay his classmates only during the weekend. Needless to say, it was a very embarassing situation for him!
When he came home for his Semester vacation in Dec we went to the ICICI branch in Trivandrum and stated our case. I am sorry to say that nobody there knew what to do. After 3-4 fruitless visits to the bank, they finally asked us to open a fresh account and take up the issue with the branch at which the account was originally opened.
We did go there during his next vacation and the people there did not know what to do either. They asked us to take up the issue with customer care. Anyone who has approached customer care with a real problem would know what an absolute nightmare that is! Finally after running from pillar to post for nearly a year, we had to approach a relative working with ICICI bank. He had to go there personally. Finally they suggested that we close the account and withdraw the cash.
SO MUCH FOR HASSLE FREE BANKING!

CASE II

1. After 3 years in Trivandrum, my husband was transferred to Kurnool in A.P. As I had updated the mobile numbers and address online before, I did the same once again. The options are there - under the view/change contact details - the picture above.

2. Notice that you can't view your mobile number so you have no way of knowing whether it has been updated or not. I updated my new mobile number on this page. After a few days when I went to the funds transfer page to add a payee, I found that the last 4 digits listed were those of my old mobile number!

You don't know that if your mobile number has been updated, you will get an SMS - unless it is mentioned somewhere that you will.

It never occurred to me to view the mobile banking tab.

Hey, I am trying to change my contact details here!

Now view this - the page that opens under the mobile banking tab.

3. I just happened to click on mobile banking and got the information above. Why then, the view/change contact information in the first place?

4. Now, which tab do you think a busy lay person would open when he/she wants to change his mobile number?

The view/change contact details or the mobile banking tab?

5. Don't ever make the mistake of applying for internet banking and giving the bank your new address at the same time. The password would naturally be sent to your old address as it would probably take about 7 working days to update your address. And they talk about phising!!!

Opt for getting the net banking password in person unless you are absolutely sure your address has been updated.

6. Then again, why is there no option in the view/change contact details for a new address? - not that the tab is of much use anyway.

7. One last word of caution, if you are applying for a new debit card, make sure you have sufficient cash with you first - or you'll find yourself at a departmental store counter unable to pay for your purchases and the clerk announcing " the payment was declined, maybe you don't have sufficient cash balance"!!!

(Worse still, imagine that its finally your turn at the railway ticket counter and your card payment is declined...)

8. I faced this embarassment just last week. How was I supposed to know that if I apply for a new card my old one will be disabled while processing? You can always use your checkbook to withdraw cash of course.

9. I assumed -as I am sure that anybody else would - unless told otherwise - that on receiving my new card I would either have to surrender my old card to the bank or destroy it myself - that until then my old card would be valid.

10. On changing PIN -
you can change PIN only after you use the card first.
So don't be baffled if on receiving your new ATM card, you go to the ATM to change you PIN and your PIN change is not successful.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS POST:

when you receive a letter stating at the earliest, it means immediately.
It is less of a hassle and saves a lot of time to go directly to the bank with change of contact information.
If you have to give a change of address and apply for net banking, first go directly to the bank with your new address, wait for about 10 days, go back to the bank to check that your address has been updated (there does not seem to be any way to do it online). Safer to wait until you get a communication from the bank by post at the new address.

AND THEY CALL THIS NET BANKING!!!

Does the bank really believe that people read all the literature they are given when they open an account.
Does all that fine print you can only read with a magnifying lens even contain any information a customer really needs?

RE-SOUNDING R

2011-01-16T09:13:00.006+05:30

Mispronouncing 'R' is almost always the norm that most of us don't even know that we are doing it.

One English Language teaching school in Bangalore used to tell its teachers, "The first step is to teach your students when to drop the R"

Here in India, with its diversity in culture and language, you find the same diversity in the pronunciation too.

Then again, there is all that confusion between American & British pronunciations!

These days, I can hardly speak English without one of my kids correcting my pronunciation - not that I always pronounce words correctly!

Now, we have a rule. We let our Chamber's dictionary be the judge.

This interesting Squidoo lens is all about the letter 'R'.

Reaction to this is one of the 2

1. All said and done, language is for communication - if you can do that without the hassle of having to remember all those rules ... then what the heck!
2. Wow! No matter how much you know, there is still a lot lot more that you don't.

Decide for yourself whether you need to re-sound your 'R's.

EMBROIDERY DESIGN FOR KURTA.

2011-01-14T10:28:00.000+05:30

The machine embroidery around the neck was already there when I bought the kurta.

I added the flower shaped sequins.

I used the same colours in the machine embroidery around to neck to embellish the sleeves.

The stitches used - herringbone and lazy daisy (detached chain) with a white sleeve bead on the straight stitch that anchors down the detached chain.

This is a close-up of a corner of the lower edge of the kurta.

PANAGRAMS

2011-01-14T08:09:00.003+05:30

PANAGRAMS?

Panagrams are sentences that use all the letters in the alphabet atleast once. They are also called holoalphabetic sentences.

I suppose everyone who ever attended typewriting classes would be familiar with the famous sentence

"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
- the author of this famous sentence is Nevin Nollop.

ELLA MINNOW PEA is a novel based on this on this panagram promises to be book of
the P.G Wodehouse cadre.

Notice that the title "ELLA MINNOW PEA" sounds like LMNOP!

You can look up panagram here

For wordplay freaks, AMAZING ENGLISH has more fun on offer

IDEAS FOR DESIGNS

2011-01-11T11:58:00.006+05:30

This wonderful blog, PRINT & PATTERN as the name implies is full of wall paper prints and designs on coffee mugs.

The designs I've posted below are just a 10th of what was posted in Dec!

Do pop over and treat your eyes to a well deserved feast!

Most of the designs in PRINT AND PATTERN would lend themselves well to Embroidery, Applique, Patchwork and Painting.

Here are a few of my favourites -

- a beautiful design that can be used for applique on a cushion. The colour combination too is pleasing.

The 2nd picture too screams Applique but Embroidery too would work.

- very interesting combination of - should I call them textures?

I am a big fan of the monochromatic color scheme.

It would be interesting trying to reproduce this.

- the closed eyes and the upward tilt of the neck lend an endearingly haughty , lofty expression to the birds in the next 3 pictures.

Embellished with typical ethnic stitches, they'd make an interesting series.

Hmm... let me see... maybe on my sofa cushions.

One more project on my steadily growing to do pile...

- cute adorable owls on baby clothes?
painted appliqued or embroidered?

If you liked this post, PRINT & PATTERN is the spot to be.

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

2011-01-11T07:19:00.005+05:30

Thought I'd begin the NEW YEAR on a philosophical note

I was reading a book titled "IN THE WOODS OF GOD REALISATION" & came across this beautiful ... can I call it a quote? Not really. Anyway, here it is...

BETWEEN THE BANKS OF PAIN & PLEASURE, THE RIVER OF LIFE FLOWS.
IT IS ONLY WHEN THE MIND REFUSES TO FLOW WITH LIFE,
AND GETS STUCK AT THE BANKS DOES IT BECOME A PROBLEM.

I had almost forgotten the eloquence of language in any form of writing before short and to the point became the norm.

If someone hurts us or if something wonderful happens to us we tend to hold on to it and talk about it for days.

Nothing wrong in talking about pleasant things for days.

But is it really worth the time and emotional energy we expend rehashing other people's unpleasant behaviour? More often that not, it only leads to further problems. We say and do things better left unsaid and undone...

BLACK TEAR-DROP BEADED NECKLACE

2010-12-23T15:04:00.007+05:30

Here's a very simple beaded necklace I made using 3 types of beads.
The entire project took just over an hour.

This is now my favourite accessory since it goes well with most of my kurtas.

I bought the tear-drop beads in 4 colours when we were in Trivandrum - their translucent beauty just kept calling out to me.

I did not know what to do with them though. I simply kept taking them out of their boxes to admire them or left them lying around where I could feast my eyes on them.

It was in a visit to an all states craft expo that I saw beautiful necklaces made out of the very same type of beads. I could never lay claim to a decent memory let alone a photographic one.(How I admire those souls who can see a beautiful piece of art or embroidery and come home & put it down on paper.) I did my best to commit the design to memory - I could have used my mobile phone to photograph it. But the idea occurred to me only after I got home. So I continued to feast my eyes on my lovely beads until I once again managed to ferret out Teri Dusenbury new web location. She keeps disappearing only to pop up again somewhere else.

The things she can do to beads and yarn with her tatting is mind boggling!

Anyway the inspiration for this piece came from there and my bead box. I've used nylon wire for stringing the beads as pearl cotton somehow gave it a shabby look.

DECOUPAGE - TUTORIAL - ON A CYLINDRICAL POT

2010-12-23T13:31:00.083+05:30

These are pictures of the decoupage project I recently completed.

Pardon the bad photography! But then as one of my uncles is fond of telling me, "If you insist on doing so many things and insist on doing everything perfectly, you are heading for the loony bin". I take up his philosophy as and when it suits me.

This was one of the courses I had signed up for
(at the Continuing Education Programme - Women's College - Trivandrum) and completed in a hurry because of my husband's transfer.

The procedure is not as difficult as it seems - just time consuming and demanding a lot of patience.

The picture I have used is Ravi Varma's
"Vanavasathil Seethai" printed on a glossy
8" x 12" photo paper.

I love the brooding expression in Sita's eyes.

1. White water based cement primer is mixed with water in the ratio of 1:1.

2. Apply on pot and allow to dry completely before giving the next coat. Do not dry in the sun - cracks may develop.

3. Apply a total of 8 coats of paint allowing it to dry completely between coats.

4. With size 180 sand paper, rub the pot until it is perfectly smooth to touch.

5. This compensates for any blemishes on the pots.

6. Soak a picture printed on glossy photo paper in a tray of white vinegar face down.

7. Now, very carefully remove all the paper layer by layer until only a glossy sheet is left.

8. Smoothen and place in magazine & place under a heavy book to remove any wrinkles.

9. Paste the picture on the smoothened pot bit by bit by applying a mixture of fevicol & water one vertical stroke at a time. Make sure there are no air bubbles.

10. Apply 3 coats of varnish (allowing about 8 hours day time drying time between coats) on the picture including about a centimeter just outside the picture.

11. Use size 180 sand paper to smoothen the edges of the picture and size 320 smoothen the picture itself using circular motion.

12. With fabric or acrylic colours, paint the background to blend with the picture.

13. 2 more coats of varnish on the entire pot. Rub with 320 sandpaper.

14. 2 more coats, rub. Give one last coat and you are done.

The picture below highlights where the picture ends and the painting begins - you can make out the brush strokes.

CROCHET FLOWERS

2010-12-22T11:06:00.002+05:30

No, these are not my work. I found these lovely crochet flowers that can be used along with other projects.

The pointsettia begs for some satin ribbons to adorn a gift box.

As for the Irish crochet flowers above, I hear them screaming coins purse and pearls for embellishment.

You'll find the instructions here. Try these out.

CHART FOR TURNING CHAINS, SYMBOLS, UK/US STITCH TERMS

2010-12-21T07:07:00.005+05:30

For additional and illustrative information on working the stitches, this site is worth checking out.

DELTA CROCHET - A TUTORIAL - PART II

2010-12-20T11:25:00.005+05:30

This part of the tutorial highlights the differences between DELTA CROCHET and Filet Crochet

Filet Crochet	Delta Crochet
Filet crochet is a combination of chains dc and tr. There are variations that use d.tr. But it is not very popular.	Delta Crochet is a combination of chains, d.tr and puff stitches.
Filet crochet is a series of open and solid meshes called blocks.	Delta crochet is a series of alternating upward and downward pointing triangular meshes and puff stitches and puff stitch blossoms.
No. of starting chains = No. of blocks x 3 +1	No. of starting chains = No. of upward pointing triangles x 5 + 1
Projects are mostly rectangular or square or have cutwork like edges.	Projects are mostly hexagons and sometimes round.

Similarities
 It is easier to work both styles of crochet from charts rather than written directions once you get the hang of it.
 In both cases odd rows are read from right to left and even rows are read from left to right.
 Reading from charts while easier in the long run can be pretty confusing in the beginning.
 This is especially true in the case of Delta because of the irregular shape of the row or round.
 Just as in the case of filet crochet, an even working tension is essential in Delta crochet.