Thankful Too, Last Garden Glory, New To Me Bird, Free Patterns

 Thank you for all the kind and caring comments and emails you took the time to write me about my shared sad experience in the last post. I had tears in my eyes as I read them. Thanks too for sharing what works for you during such low points. It's always good to know you're not alone. I know I can't change my present circumstances in life and the only thing I can change is how I react and cope with them. I feel fortunate that that shroud (as I think of the dark mood) has not descended on me again. Someone mentioned the seasonal change which I hadn't thought of. It had been a rather gloomy summer and a mostly cloudy fall. With the time changing, the days are noticeably shorter with darkness setting in earlier. But I honestly don't think that's an issue for me. The climate has never bothered me before, but who knows, maybe my seventies are making changes in my fundamental makeup. 

Speaking of changes, every day on my walks, I can see autumn leaving and winter creeping in. As Edna wrote many years ago, the woods that were "crying with colour" are now dimmed. I'm glad I captured a few more photos of the glory before it all disappeared. Here is a deep pink maple leaf trapped by the Japanese Anemone cotton like seed buds. 

I've collected a number of these twigs to keep growing more of these lovely flowery bushes around the property. These seed pods do well overwintering in the basement cold room in paper bags.

And I took a few photos of one of the common Ninebark shrubs in the back garden that turn red to wine in the fall. This photo is really not doing it justice.

Up close the leaves are striking. Think of planting Ninebarks if you like bright fall colours.

And in birding news, I captured photos of a new to me bird.

My very first sighting of a Ruffed Grouse here or as they were called where I lived on the coast of Labrador, Partridge. You can see the very early morning frost on the grass here.

 I have never seen this bird here before. It toddled all around the big side lawn, which means it was taking its chances what with the two fox that visit here regularly. I kept wishing it would fly away. But finally it trotted off into the woods. 

Someone suggested doing some carefree shopping to give me a lift. I've never done stress eating or depression shopping so that hadn't occured to me. Do you? But I do keep lists of things that I could use or give to the family, etc. Anyway, here are a couple of things you quilters might like.

Borders are not something I spend too much effort on but when I saw someone had used these diamonds for a border, I thought they looked beautiful. 

And I do enjoy Foundation Paper Piecing so I downloaded the pattern. It is free from Generations Quilt Patterns. Be sure to check out the other wonderful 265+ free quilt patterns in multiple techniques and sizes those kind folks offer. I'm always checking back as they keep adding to the bank. 

I've also purchased and downloaded the Boardwalk pattern from the wonderful Treehouse Textiles creative folks. Having access to PDF patterns is awesome. I've loved this pattern a long time.

 I did put away the Year at Hawk Run Hallow cross stitch project and indulged myself in a new cross stitch start. I'd shared this pattern with you last year and had put together the fabric and flosses. I love stitching Quakers and this one is called Peace On Earth from Lila's Studio. It features birds, squirrels, deer and other woodland creatures, all of whom are familiar sights here. 

I'd made a tiny start on this 32 count Mocha Belfast linen in such a pretty cream shade. The wonderful folks at 123Stitch helped me choose it. The stitching is one strand over two threads with all the called for DMC colours. I've made my usual start upper left. It's interesting to see how folks make different starts and one of the YouTube stars I watch actually stitches her entire designs up and down rather than across which I find amazing. 

It's time for the Autumn into Winter crocheted throw, the one in the jewel tone colours, to come out.

And I finished this little Give Thanks Every Single Day embroidery. I made the birds Bluebirds of happiness and gave them fancy tails. I'm going in my sewing room today to choose a fabric to frame this. 

The leaves here have all fallen. I love this image below which is Cannonball by Harry Bliss.  I love the New Yorker and especially their covers that illuminate so many different artists' work. 

It's time to get outside with the dogs. I hope you are all fine and coping with whatever is on your plate. A very Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!

Sadness Happens, Blessings Too, Stitching All The Things

 How are you all? I want to tell you something and I feel sure you all will understand this. I debated sharing because I also don't want to upset anyone. Since last writing to you, I had a few days where my mood was deep down in my boots. It came out of the blue; just woke one morning feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I coped like I always do when this happens with pushing myself to keep extra busy. I vaccumed and mopped all the floors here, made more trips with bringing up firewood, gave the dogs extra walkabouts and dug through more boxes of stored stuff in the lower level. That last is a never ending chore! I also turned to my usual comforts...stitched a lot and drank real coffee to see if that alone would perk me up. (I usually drink half caf or decaf.) Anyway, what made me so down, like deep in my soul sad??? Maybe the state of the world... like all of you, I am sad and scared about that and also worried about the prospect of another world war, which cannot be wholly discounted. Closer to home, Tony's health and watching him fail and not being able to do anything about it, is frustrating, worrying and scary to me. I wondered if it was about something more personal and selfish, like deep down fears of being alone which is not something I ever want to be. I think I'm actually terrified of being alone. But really, there wasn't anything in my mind specifically that was the issue-just my usual jumble of wide ranging thoughts and inner musings about all of the above. Late in the afternoon on Day 3, I felt a little better though still teary but I could tell I was recovering somehow and the weight of sadness was lifting.

 Hallelujah! And now, my mood has pretty much righted itself; I feel in control of my emotions (the tears) and I am myself again-whatever/whoever that is- and am so thankful she is back! Whenever I have this happen to me, which thankfully is not often, it gives me fresh empathy for folks who battle depression. What a horrible, horrible affliction!

On a much much brighter note, we just celebrated Robbie's 13th birthday with a fun evening out at The Keg. Here he is...

And a closer look at the cake Beth made for him; this one featured one of his favourite sports, golf. Our server said the kitchen staff also loved it.

On the way home we dropped him off at the arena for hockey practice. Oh, to have that energy! 

After my brush with sadness, I remembered I'd started to embroider a Thankfulness piece and thought it appropriate I finish it. "Give Thanks Every Single Day" YES!

It is a free pattern from Regina, the Creative Kismet, found HERE.

And to keep me buoyed up, I am beginning my red projects for November and December stitching. To be clear, other colours will be involved, especially pink. But as it happens, I do have one that is predominately red. So up first, and also one of my oldest WIPS, is a project that features my favourite combination which is embroidery and quilting.

This is just one of several Redwork projects I have worked on, with a couple still ongoing. This one is Meg Hawkey's Flight of Fancy for Crabapple Hill Studio ( I still lament their closing) featuring her favourite birds. It combines simple quilting with the embroidered blocks.

I loved embroidering all the blocks way back in 2015 and sewed them into a flimsy a couple years later. It's large, about 40 in x 55 inches, so I used the house to pin it up for a photo. 

I don't think I've shown you this part of the veranda. I'm so lucky here to be able to sit outside on three sides of the house with beautiful forest views in every direction. I never take this place for granted, that's for sure. 

I've chosen the backing from what is on hand here which coincidentally turned out to be what I'd already used for the border. Anyway, it is now all ready for hand quilting . 

I used these Amazon bully clamps and the dining table and these worked well for holding the three layers tight while pinning. 

I've also kept working on my October cross stitching project, the Year at Hawk Run Hallow piece. I've continued stitching more corn cobs which truthfully is a little bit boring. September's block is now looking like this. Soon I'm going to move on to another fall project. 

Perhaps my favourite block in this design is Bring Flowers, the May block.

And here is that wood pile which has given me so much satisfaction to build. I admit to giving it looks of admiration. I almost don't want to use any of it. :)

 Canada Post has decided to celebrate Canada's rich history of quilting by issuing several lovely stamps featuring quilts. What a great idea!

Well, that's my round up for this week. I sincerely hope you are keeping your spirits up and your fingers busy working on whatever you love. 

October Life, Stitching Updates and Plans

 We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this month with the family here as usual. The neat bouquet in a real gourd they brought me is hanging on. 

Outside, the colours of Autumn certainly rival those of the summer season. Though scarcer and beginning to curl, pinks are still to be found.

None of these will last as there are heavy frosts now every night.

Walking about our woods on Tuesday I spied a familiar shape high up in a tree. Can you see him?

I wonder is he one of the Barred Owls I often hear at night hooting back and forth. I thought he looked so beautiful against the sunshine lit Autumn colours. 

And in other fascinating news, here is how much wood I've stacked so far. This is the perfect challenge for me to make myself keep moving. 

Inside, as usual, my stitching fingers are keeping busy. I laid out my Edyta project on the dining room table after taking out the table inserts...wish I'd thought of that before doing so. I finished 8 houses and 12 leaves so that posed the question of layout. Here is what I've landed on and I've begun stitching these together on the machine.

 It is definitely an Autumn project with these pretty fall fabrics that I've had in my stash for a very long time. It's a good feeling to finally use them. And I loved embroidering the edges with the blanket stitches too. 

And in embroidery I've picked up a very old Redwork project... embroidering these French General blocks. They came as a panel that I was given years ago. I wasn't fussy about the fabric so I've traced them off to stitch them individually and add borders using up the also very old French General fabric I have on hand. Link is here - Joie De Vivre Embroidery Panel, if you'd like to take a look.

This will take me into my November/ December stitching plan which is to work on my red projects. Yes, I have a couple of those about.

I don't need any challenges to keep on stitching. At this stage past retirement, this hobby of mine seems to have taken over my life. I have a large group of stitchers I watch while stitching, thanks to YouTube. I especially enjoy the ones who quilt, knit and cross stitch and there are quite a few of those as well. Below I was watching one of them, Quilt Roadies with Anna, before being interrupted. 

These two always know when it's time to put down the needle and get outside. What would I do without them??? They certainly inspire me to keep moving.

Tony was able to download the report his specialist sent to his GP after his recent visit and testing at the Ottawa Neuromuscular Centre. Basically, he said he could not find any reason for the extreme fatigue that is plaguing Tony's life these days, but he wants to test one more thing. I liked that he called Tony "a pleasant and intelligent man" too which he most certainly is. Anyway, it looks like another trip to the big hospital is coming up. I can't imagine what these neuromuscular specialists' visits cost. We are very grateful for our Canadian medical system which has not failed Tony. 

And on that positive note, I'll end this post. I think of you all often and hope you are keeping well and enjoying your hobbies. 

Deep in Canadian Autumn, Stitching Projects Updates

The season has moved on and we are suddenly deep into a new month with it. There is now a light frost overnight most nights and certainly cooler temps during the days. I am moving firewood these days using my cart to bring three or four light loads up to the house from the trail where it is stored. I'm using that same thought that a few pieces here and there will add up and eventually I'll have enough on hand to keep the winter fires burning. The dogs are loving being with me on these little excursions. I could get help with this but there are too many good reasons for me to do it alone... being outside in the fresh air, wandering about in a part of the woods I don't normally see and getting a little exercise in the bargain.  Someone else said on their blog about a similar type of chore..."while I can, I must". 

Goldenrod Crab Spider- there seemed to be more of these around this year. They have an interesting feature; they can change their colour from yellow to white depending on the bloom they rest on. I guess that's why I don't spy them often. 

And I spotted a true sign that Autumn has arrived. Many more than usual Woolly Bear caterpillars were on the move in the gardens these last couple of weeks. I moved this fellow to a safer spot.

The boys love running about. Note how the frost changes the colour of the Hydrangeas. 

Truthfully, Ned doesn't run that much; he mostly ambles.

Here is the runner in the family! And look, the trails are suddenly leaf and needle covered.

Stitching Updates

I'm very happy to get this project below moved along. I quilted it lightly with echo stitching using Perle cotton thread, size 8. I'm now sewing on the borders. 

Here are my six panels for the Liberty Puddles copy quilt. I don't think I've shown them all together before and I like them so much I'm tempted to make more of them. That's how much I enjoy sewing hexagons together using scrappy papers and fabric. I think that yellow was a good choice.

 And I've stitched little windows on my autumn houses. I decided that the lights are on.

Flora, my September cross stitched project, has been tucked away and I've brought out my Year at Hawk Run Hallow huge project for October stitching. This is using two threads over two and the colour saturation that gives is to be admired. I'm working on the ninth pattern, September, which is a row of ripe corn. Tony accidentally caught me laughing with him here at his awful camera skills which turned out to be quite lucky. Later I would find 2 of me, both in this pose, and 9 photos of the floor! We both still marvel at taking photos with a phone and when you have shaky fingers, it is a challenge.

I believe Winston's quote here to be true. I'm a person who wants to do everything and to have it all done. Then I can sit down.

Hope you are enjoying these October days wherever you are. Perhaps you have late spring moving into summer now while we await the first snowfall of winter. Enjoy your time with each other, try your best to stay positive and keep your stitching fingers flying!

 

 

September Flowers And Hand Work Projects

With continuing overnight frost warnings, I decided to move the outdoor potted plants back inside. I repotted a couple and added the usual natural supplements-ground egg shells and coffee grounds, while doing so. I've spent a lot of time in the garden this summer pulling weeds, etc. every day. I say to myself just fifteen minutes but I usually wind up spending much more time as there is always something that needs trimming, cutting, etc. The Gorilla cart continues to be very useful for my garden work and for taking the garbage out the laneway so is pressed into service all year round.

Glanced out the sewing room window one day and saw these two romping about, using the side lawn as their personal playground. They were having so much fun together- a sight I've never seen before. They looked small so must be litter mates to be so friendly. They looked very healthy which is good. 

All the autumn wild flowers are in bloom and banks of the various Asters surround the pond. This year I identified four different ones. 

I couldn't resist trying a bouquet of the brighter New England version for indoors. Sadly they don't last nearly long enough.

My stitching fingers have also been busy. I've embroidered a little more on my Puffins. Very enjoyable stitching.

Beth decided she would order the hooked rug kit from Hook Line Tinker and try her hand at hooking a little Puffin rug. Here is her progress. Both my grandmothers and my mother hooked rugs. I latch hooked a couple of rugs when I was in my late teens and another for the in laws when I was in my thirties. I loved the Mary Maxim magazine and still do all these years later.

This surprise autumn project is moving along; the one on the cover of Edyta's book here...

 Choosing the fabrics for the leaves has been fun and now getting them all embroidered with a simple blanket stitch is very soothing work. I've made more of them than originally intended so this project may change from houses with leaves to leaves with houses. 

Yes, I ran out of fabric for one of these, ugh! So close! I realized afterwards I should have sacrificed the stem, not the leaf tip. 

Remember Flora, my cross stitching project for September? 

                                               

Here is my progress.  I'm loving stitching that border! I'm leaving the star of the piece till last.

I haven't been sharing my reading which is averaging an e book or audio book a week. I really enjoyed this one recommended by a friend, A Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, by Melissa Bank. Hunting and fishing in this case refers to finding, holding and enjoying -or not- relationships with men. It is an older book and I can't believe I'd never heard of it. Very clever!

I'm presently listening to the audio version of Margaret Atwood's book, Book of Lives, and enjoying it. Margaret still has so many clever things to say. 

Have you ever done this?  Went to search for something, forgot what you are searching for but kept on searching thinking you would recognize what you wanted when you saw it. I did that the other day and sure enough, it worked!

Someone here is very anxious I get off the computer and get outside. 

So I will since I'm so urgently needed! I do hope you are feeling well and have lots in your life to keep you occupied and happy. Busy is good!