Paula, I share your concern. That's why I keep harping on our leaders to build a national or continental aqueduct system. Meanwhile, we can still indulge in foxhole humor, appropos what you mentioned...picked this up the other day, subject "Political Correctness - the x factor." Somehow, the hypocrites forgot Halloween, Thanksgiving and Veterans' Day (I say jokingly): ************ Everyone is familiar with "Merry Xmas." The x factor deserves equal opportunity treatment. So, next time late in the calendar year, try covering all the seasonal sectarian celebrations by saying as follows: Hxy Hxkah, Mxy Xmas, Hxy Kwxa, and Hxy Nx Yx You will thus be pxly cxt, at least until Chinese New Year, when you might get in trouble unless you say Gx Hx Fx Chx And don't forget the Mxin Lxer Kx Hxday in January! (You can be sure Trent Lott will not forget it!) Px on Ex and Goodwx to Mx!

You might want to take it a dry cleaners; call around for one who can clean handcrafted items (not just dump in the cleaning fluid). Antique and many newer cross-stitched items usually have to be removed from the frame, fastened (with thread or with stainless steel tacks) to a cleaning frame and then cleaned by hand. A very time-consuming process. The marker poses a problem in that it should have been permanent (and covered with pattern threads). However, if this is a pattern which someone marked on the fabric (not a commercial kit) then there is no telling what sort of marker was used! You have a choice: to unframe it and risk handwashing with woolite or similar soap in tepid water, followed with several rinses of water (add 2T vinegar to each pint of rinse water), pat gently with clean, dry toweling until dampish; immediately re-stretch it onto the frame and tack down; lay flat to dry. I do not recommend washing with a soft brush while it remains on the frame, due to a high chance of the frame itself causing stains (or coming unfastened, or warping, or being broken as the wet item dries). Risks include marker smearing onto threads, the threads themselves coming undone, the backing may shrink and/or the threads may shrink, the re-stretching can be tricky to do: the whole thing might dry warped, or there might be insufficient backing to enable proper tacking. Unfortunately, there is a likelihood of the canvas [backing] shrinking unless it had been pre-shrunk before the stitching was done. The good part is that being only 20 years old, it is probable that the threads are colorfast. The other choice is to have a picture framer re-frame it into a glass-fronted, sealed picture. That will block most or all of the smell, but loses the visual texture that makes handwork so pleasing. That also leaves the discoloration. If I couldn't find an experienced dry cleaner, and didn't want to have it framed behind glass, and was willing to risk having the item totally ruined, then I would go with the handwashing.

I am looking for two of the "By the Sea" series. I have Setting Sail, but am looking for Sand Castles and Collecting Shells. Also, I have The Little Aviator and am looking for "Tea Party" featured in the Jan/Feb 86 issue. Can anyone help me? Thanks Christina

I have found issues of this magazine in my grandmother's things. My 13-year-old daughter has taken up my grandmother's hobby of cross stitching. We had found a series of "hen" patterns in this magazine. We have two, but are missing the one featured in the November/December 1988 issue. It is of a white leghorn. If you have this, please e-mail me. My daughter wants to stitch these- we actually found where my "Mammaw" had started the Rhode Island Red and my daughter is now finishing this. Thank you in advance. Teri Mashburn