Monday 31 October 2016

Homemade Halloween with Spooky House Patterns

I loved Halloween as a child.  I wasn't a big sweets eater so it wasn't the candy that drew me to the occasion.  It was more the fun of the evening.  Meeting up with a couple of friends and roaming around the streets after dark!! seemed to be so exciting.
  In the days leading up we drew and coloured pumpkins and Mom would let us stick them on the windows.  I loved some of the Halloween designs we'd sometimes get to colour in school.  My favourite included the spooky house with the Halloween moon and witch flying across it like this one below.  You could really go to town making that moon so yellow.

                                   Image result for free vintage haunted house with witch coloring pages

Decorating for Halloween has become such a huge thing, second now to Christmas.  No end to the store bought items you can purchase for the season and I mean season because now it seems like autumn and Halloween have melded into one long event.
  When I was a kid, they were basically home made Halloweens.  I don't remember much in the stores to buy and even costumes got cobbled together with what was around the house.  But we did buy masks; awful rubber things that made your face sweat.

 I want to share some home made Halloween designs with you.  Making things is always good fun and like so many moms, I have fond memories of making the daughters' Halloween costumes each year.

So getting to spooky houses...

Felt With Love Designs offers this very cute little design along with the tutorial for making it.

Image result for free spooky house patterns

 
This is Katie Hennagir's new fabric line for Andover Fabrics and it prominently features a spooky house.


Jack- 7


 It's easy to sew projects for each season if you start with fabrics like this that have great motifs incorporated.


Jack- 4


Click here to go to Andover Fabric's page of free patterns including these.

Below is a free downloadable pattern offered by Cathe Holden at her site called Just Something I Made.  This is the spooky house rendition but the pattern can be used for any kind of house.
Go Here to see this and other free patterns this talented lady generously shares to her readers.





And from Pamela and Nancy, the ladies behind the famous Prairie Schooler, is  this fabulous Spooky House in their All Hallows Eve cross stitch design.  They are retiring, by the way, after over 30 years of creating some of the best loved patterns in the business.

Prairie Schooler - All Hallows Eve

Hope those of you celebrating tonight, enjoy good fun.
 I'm expecting a very special little trick or treater at my door.

Friday 28 October 2016

Strawberry Fields Forever, Quilting Autumn Hanging and 10 Nuggets of Wisdom

I work on my little Strawberries Forever piece in short bouts.  My eyes kind of sting a little after a while squinting, I guess that's the reason. I would love to get the border all done first because, though pretty, it is the most tedious for counting.  I couldn't resist working that little bird just to do something different.  

The Belgian linen is proving to be interesting to work with.  The threads themselves are different sizes, some thick, some skinny.  I think that makes the counting a tiny bit harder. But overall I am managing fine.

(Sorry my photos are terrible today but most were taken during all the rain we had and lighting was an issue. )
My little autumn hanging is all together!  I've had this piece of material for ages just waiting for the right project and here it is. Which proves if you wait long enough, the project will come along.  Background is greener than it looks in this photo, but the autumn motifs are cute and colourful.


 I now have my quilt sandwich and next step is the quilting.  Still thinking about that.  Lots of opportunities here to quilt in the ditch, or try some fancy stuff in each block.
 Note I used lots of pins in this phase of the piecing just like I saw Jenny at Romany Quilting do.


The kitchen island worked out great as a place to get the three layers even and straight. This part is always a challenge for me - the cutting straight and squaring up.  But I'd already given myself a talk about just unsewing and doing any wiggly bits over if I had to.  It wouldn't be so bad.  Happily, it worked out okay.

And here's what I decided to do about the centers of my little yellow flowers.  Remember I'd taken ages to make little red cloth circles only to decide they were too big.  Jean at All Points of the Compass  said why don't you just embroidery a center in satin stitch or whatever.  I did that using blanket stitch pinwheels.

My goal this weekend is to get my hanging finished and in between have done with the garden for this fall.  That last will happen if the weather cooperates.  Snowing as I write this...gulp.  Altogether too early for the white stuff.  But this won't last as warmer temps are being forecast.  

Finally, I want to share Wayne Dyer's 10 Pieces of Wisdom, a nugget or two in there for each of us. Perhaps all of them for me.

Hope you all are feeling motivated, inspired and finding nuggets of enjoyment each and every day. 

                                   











Tuesday 25 October 2016

I Made Rock Recipes Old Fashioned Upside Down Apple Cake

Friday I was talking about wanting something good to eat and couldn't think of anything. I had those bananas but all the recipes I found were for loaves or muffins.  I seemed to want something more cakey.
 Saturday I set about finding a cake recipe.  On hand were a few figs, a couple of oranges and several Pink Lady apples (quick trivia question for you...which Orange is the New Black character liked Pink Lady apples?).
 I always like to combine fruit with cake... and it seems to suit the fall season too I guess.  So some sort of fruit upside down cake came to mind.
Looking through various food blogs is a favourite past time of mine and I always check out Rock Recipes in my reading list.  There I found a recipe for Old Fashioned Apple Upside Down Cake which was exactly what I had in mind.  First though, at their site I got a little distracted by the photo of the Lemon Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake which I will definitely have to make sometime.  See for yourself!

 I layered my fruit, apples, oranges,and figs in the bottom of a glass baking dish and threw in a few frozen cranberries at the last moment. I opted to use brown sugar for the caramel sugar sauce that gets poured over the fruit.


The simple batter was easy to put together and worked great.  After the first night, I made a custard sauce to go with it.  Ice cream or whipped cream would be wonderful too but Hubby loves custard sauce.
This was a tasty dessert and you can see the lovely arranged apple pieces on Barry's cake and get the recipe HERE.



And my aging bananas are sitting in the freezer. A smoothie is in their future, I'm thinking.

I've been reading up on hydrangeas and wanted to see how I could dry some for the winter.  I found this little brief video on Youtube and realized it couldn't be easier.


Luckily I had picked a few before the last overnight frosty temperatures.  Hopefully these will be with us all winter now.




Someone asked about my Ott lite.  I love it I really do.  It works like they claim...provides a light as close to daylight as you can get.  I am managing that 28 thread count material with this light  and I am grateful.  However, I can't seem to figure out the magnifying feature which is a shame.  


I made great strides on my little autumn wall hanging on the weekend and also got some Strawberry Fields stitching completed.  Photos next time.  

Monday 24 October 2016

One Thing Quilting Bloggers Have In Common And Other Stuff

What is one thing so many quilting bloggers have in common?  Besides the obvious and continual need to add to their fabric stash which I think all quilters share.  And that is exactly as the quilting gods would have it.  LOL
The answer is cats.
I can't get over how many quilting bloggers have feline companions.  It seems just about every one has a lovely little cat hiding in the fabric tote or sleeping beside the sewing machine or cuddled in a lap.  And most have a pair of cats.  Usually named very cute names too.
 When I was checking in with Nancy, one of my favourite embroiderers, I saw this and thought of all of you with your little furry quilting companions.  You would love this I'm thinking.
 It's Nancy Nicholson's  Whole Cat Family.  Follow this link to order the patterns for this adorable little grouping.
Very reasonably priced and requiring only basic embroidering and sewing skills.

Easy to make felt cat family


Browsing a couple of sites I have in my blogger reading list and I came across this.  Love this flkr page from the Maddison Historical Society as it not only shows quilts but beautiful closeups which is what I particularly love, especially if there are bits of embroidery.  I think it says the calico was purchased for $1.00 a yard from the West Indies by sending a coop of chickens.  Is that possible?  What would be a coop of chickens.  I can pick out that the fabric was first used for a dress and then turned into a quilt.
That was the way of course.  Imagine what our great- grandmothers would think if they could have gotten their hands on all the lovely new fabrics we get to use.  Though one of my great-grandmothers was quite spoiled and able to order her fabric from a catalogue.  And here I am ordering from on line catalogues.



Well used and well loved I'm sure, these half square triangles.  Imagine hand piecing them.



In order to take myself a little more seriously regarding quilting, I subscribed to the famous Quiltmania magazine. Finally the first issue arrived and it does not disappoint. Bright and brimming with beautifully photographed quilts with the patterns included for making them...I can see why so many quilters adore this magazine.  Each issue is like a keepsake and I get it now why past episodes command such very large sums on the internet.  I'll show you inside sometime soon.



Remember my Granny Stripe blanket I crocheted following Lucy of Attic 24.  It has been pressed into service on our bed.  I am glad it grew and grew to be such a size that now it can cover my queen size bed.  And heavy and warm, just right for these cooler nights.  The fact that it is bright and cheery in the wood lined bedroom is a bonus.



Yes, the weather has taken a turn towards the cold.  Yesterday I got out our sensible clothes, of the long-sleeved, knitted, fleecy, flannel variety.  My mind is drifting towards baked beans in the crock pot today.
 Tomorrow I'll show you what I made on the weekend to fill my hankering for something 'good'.

Before I leave you I wanted to share a little poetry.  This is by someone I read a lot back in the day, enough that I had acquired all his books, Ralph Gustafson.  He won the Canadian Governor General's Award for Poetry in 1974.
This is one of his shortest poems, reminiscent of Newfoundland to me and I love it.
He is greatly praised for one particular line in this poem.  Can you guess which?

At The Cliff's Edge


And so we come to this establishment,
With cows down the slope munching meadows--To sit in the sun.
Beneath the rockcliff, Tide and ocean suck the caves;
Upward across the level, sheep
 In heavenly safety graze, the rake
 And noonhour leaned against the wall.
Druid, I braid the hanging stones.

Friday 21 October 2016

Appliqued Leaves, Apricot Leaves and Bathrobe Shopping


What would an autumn wall hanging be without leaves.  I love leaves and wanted maple leaves but my skills are not up to maple snuff just yet.  So I drew this simple hand like wavy leaf; made one in a solid colour and thought it looked too flat.  Seeing so many leaves underfoot that are multi-coloured right now, I figured my little leave could at least be two toned.  I've enjoyed sewing these four very much... working a little blanket stitch edging and chain stitch down the center to hide the join.


I have four more blocks ready for last sewing this weekend.  Then, will I really have a flimsy?
 Get on it; autumn is speeding by.  I don't dare let my mind think, okay it will be ready for Autumn '17...no, no, no.

This is the deciduous tree closest to the house.   Its' colour is hard to describe...golden, yellowish, with some apricot sort of strands.  Yummy.  It also helps disguise the weather.  Even on a cloudy day you think the sun is shining when you look at it.


See the top of it over the roof in the back of the house.  The very top from this side is a little more orangy.


And this is the stair window leading to the basement.  Here the leaves have a light green mixed in amongst the yellows.  We did not realize how spectacular this tree was till autumn arrived.


Though I probably won't be buying in my bathrobe this weekend, I will definitely be looking.  With a couple of birthdays coming up and Christmas looming, it would be nice to be ahead of the rush for once.  We'll see.
What about you?  Do you enjoy bathrobe shopping?  The internet has sure affected a lot of our behaviour, hasn't it?



Have you read The Lake House by Kate Morton?  I'm about three quarters through and enjoying it.  Though I have not found it 'heart stopping' as the reviews would have you think.  It starts with a missing child (so many novels begin this way these days) and I have to give the author credit...the story from there is quite well developed with unexpected twists.  It is holding my attention.    


 And here is a brief clip of Kate discussing her inspirations for the novel.  So young, so talented.


There you have it.  My weekend is going to be a wet one...still raining, now up to day 3 with continual downpours.  With no attic, we hear the heavy pattering and it is quite cosy especially at night for sleeping.  But it does mean no garden work.

I am hungry for something good to eat and I can't think what that is.  I am looking at making a honey cake or a carrot and banana cake ( have four bananas I need to use up).  I wonder would that 'hit the spot'.

Hope you are not 'hungering' for anything this weekend.

Tuesday 18 October 2016

Closing the Garden Thoughts

I am basically new to gardening.
 I still am learning and that is why I get such enjoyment from watching Christine's Garden on Youtube. Christine Walkden is so joyful, enthusiastic and encouraging to us novices.  Here is her episode 1 if you haven't already watched.  After watching a Dateline or 48 Hours Mystery show, it's nice to be soothed and comforted by Christine's chatter about all growing things.


  My past gardening experience was mainly adding a few seeds to soil in a flower bed mid season and hoping for the best.  I always had enough success to keep me at it and trying again the next season.  Indoors I kept a few plants that were fool proof, the geraniums and African violets namely.

 On the old property with all the land, I'd been seduced into branching out and trying to grow vegetables as well as more kinds of flowers.  The results with the flowers had been pretty good; the vegetables not so much. I never could identify what kept eating things and figure out how to put them off.

 Rhonda at her Down To Earth blog gives very good advice on how to grow your own vegetables as well as tips and information on many, many topics.  She is an inspiration to live more simply and find the pleasures in doing so. And what she harvests from a relatively small piece of land is amazing proving you really don't need a lot of land to have a harvest if you have your wits about you.

Before I forget to do so, I want to show you this flower.  It sprouted these bright yellow flowers in mid July and has only stopped blooming early October.  I'd never seen it before but the huge elephant ear leaves caught my eye before we'd moved in.




With research I discovered this is ligularia, a relative of the genus Aster and sometimes called leopard spots.  I loved how the bees and butterflies also loved it.


This Swallowtail butterfly spent a couple of hours on it one day while I was sewing nearby. I think by that point in the summer there was slim pickings for any other flower food.
There are two large clumps and I'd like to divide them.  The clump in front of the house is quite large and seems to enjoy the partial shade of the veranda, a thought to keep in mind for replanting.

I'm a note taker ( I've shown you my lovely stack of journals and notebooks) but not with the gardening stuff.  I wish each season that I had taken note of what grew well so I could use that brand of seed again.  It is a mistake to rely on my memory, which since retiring struggles to keep in mind which day of the week it is, sooo

What I could write down if I did...

What grows well where

This is fundamental because soil conditions, even from bed to bed, affect sprouting and growing.  When faced with the huge bank of seed envelopes at a store or in the catalogues, it would make so much sense to have a few reliables to turn to that grow well in Ontario.  And then to know where exactly to plant them in my garden.

Sometimes I seem to neglect the easiest things.

Sprouting Too Late
This caught up with me badly a couple of years.  Often March is still steeped in bad (snowy) weather and does not seem like seed planting time, green house or not.  But it kind of is especially for the tomatoes.  And about tomatoes...

 Not properly staking the tomatoes; what a silly mistake this is.

Something else I need to take more seriously.  Tomato plants grow many branches and usually sprout a tomato or two on each branch.  These get heavy and need supports to stay upright.  I found myself trying to tie branches to stakes haphazardly mid growth.  It would have made sense to plan for this by caging them properly from the start.  

Lacking foresight is a gardening problem not just mine...I see that all the time with people planting trees too close to the house.  That little seedling is just too small to imagine the size it will become.

End of October is close and I still have pruning to do and some extra mulching.  I was told there were lots of spring perennials here so it will be fun to see what pops up next May.

Meanwhile we are still looking up.
 Leaves are clinging on and at the height of their colour. Our drive last Thursday was through a forest of blazing colours on both sides of the highway.  My little camera could not capture the vibrancy especially through the windshield but you get the idea.






Monday 17 October 2016

Canadian Needle Nana Is Featured

I keep forgetting to mention that this blog was featured in the October, 2016 issue of Cross Stitch Collection, a UK monthly publication.  I was asked by an editor last March to do a little interview which I did.  But first I had to make it perfectly clear that I don't talk just about cross stitch in my blog, far from it. She was very kind and said that's what makes it interesting.  And truthfully, I have mentioned before that with this blog when I talk just about stitching I don't have the page views I have for lots of other topics.
The library carries this magazine here so I was able to access it through Zinio and grab this photo for you.



I went through this issue and see there is something for everyone including some lovely autumn patterns they've made into pin cushions that caught my eye.  Loads of free patterns.

So if you are new readers, welcome to my little corner of the blogging world and please do check out the wonderful blogs in my Blogs I Follow list on the right.  That's where the real stars are, I assure you.

Meanwhile...this weekend, what did I do?

I gave Hubby a haircut and decided to give myself one at the same time.  I now am sporting a very bad haircut.  I really need more practice with clippers.  Thank goodness hair grows!

I finished my little appliqued house block and really like it.  It is simplistic I know and a house has to be just about the easiest thing to draw and cut. The house itself was needle turn and the pumpkins were glued and then blanket stitched down.  Not quite done yet as I plan to work on the windows and maybe add a little path. Do you think I should do that? What else should I add?



I was able to spend a couple of hours on Strawberry Fields.  Michaels' had replenished their cross stitch fabric selection (finally, surely I'm not the only one looking for something other than 14 count Aida!) and I found a cloth in a colour I really like.  A tea dyed Irish linen in 28 count which is close enough to the the 32 count.  This will definitely work better for this pattern than that very deep deep grey.

And oh, about that.  Thank you Georgie, for the leads to cross stitch patterns in white or pale blue that would look so nice on the almost black cloth.  I have them bookmarked.



I enlarged the pattern, got out my Ott light and set to.  It was slow going and every now and then, my eyes would sort of blur but I could see the rhythm in it...two over, two up.  This is the top border more than half way done; I realize now this isn't a very big piece.  Also there are only 13 colours, unlike most of my projects that use at least twice that number, so very easy to manage.  I actually had some of the side border completed, but made a mistake so had to take all the stitches out. I'm used to that. Sigh  Pretty rosy colours, heh.

Another thing we did this weekend was have our first fire.  The wood stove insert in the living room fireplace worked well.  It not only radiated a nice heat into the room, it looked pretty while doing so.


 The temperatures are gradually slipping lower and we've had two overnight frost warnings lately.
  I'll have to launch a search for our hats and gloves; we'll be needing them any minute now.

Friday 14 October 2016

Strawberry Fields Forever Cross Stitch, German Shepherd and Dalmatian Love

I received my Confederate gray cloth, 32 count and I don't think it is the right shade of gray for this project. Drats!  If you'll remember in my photo of Strawberry Fields Forever, the background cloth looks almost cream to me.  Doesn't it look light or cream to you?

 I've looked through many finished versions of this project on the internet and all of them look much lighter than this material which is actually a light black (don't think there is such a colour, but if there were, this would be it).


This cloth is so dark I don't think the floss colours would show up very well at all.  I won't be trying to use this though it is a nice piece of cloth.  I'll save it for a design with a lot of light coloured threads.  Meanwhile I'm casting about looking for a lighter colour of 32 count that would be appropriate.
  Just look at that tight weave- still have my self-doubts.  Going to take some positive self-talk to overcome them and tackle stitching on such an even weave fabric.

In that same package (combining shipping costs) I'd ordered a pattern I've admired for a while.  Swirling Flowers by Rosewood Manor.  The same thread count material in antique white linen and the Weeks Dye Works threads are so pretty.   I've had to hold myself off from starting this as I'm standing firm that Strawberry Fields will be started first.



Someone asked about Rex and Murphy.  They are doing fine and spend most of their days hanging around on the back deck and patios.  They do have a very large fenced area there but mostly stay near the house and keep an eye out for one of us.  They seem very needy of our attention and I suppose we have spoiled them in that way. Lately we've fallen into the routine of taking them on two lengthy walks a day.  Hubby takes them first thing in the morning down the woods trail I showed you and I take them around the grassy trail before supper. We do think they have adjusted well to the new house and surroundings.  We've not taken them back to the old property; we wonder what they would do if we did.

I'd mentioned the dog paraphernalia we have.  Here are a couple of pretty porcelain pieces.  Hubby has had three German Shepherd dogs up to now.  Rex is the fiercest with visitors which is probably due to his early guard dog training in his first life.

We still think of Lacie, the dalmatian, a lot.  When packing for the move, I had to wash her old coat so naturally I remembered various things about her.  Sadly I never knew her as the elegant, graceful dog Hubby knew.  By the time we met, she was very elderly and coping with old age in a quiet sweet manner.  You can read my post Good Bye To Lacie  about how sad it was for Hubby to finally let her go.  He still cannot mention the simplest memory of her without tears forming. Of the three dalmatians he has owned, I think he is extra sentimental about her because she was the only of his dogs that he knew as a puppy; she was not a rescue.  


So what are your weekend plans?
 Hubby is getting his brand new wood splitter tomorrow and is very happy about that. I see wood stacking in my near future. Smile
 And  I am hoping Michaels will finally have on hand that cloth and I will (gulp) make a start on Strawberry Fields.  Wish me luck.
I have three more little autumn blocks prepped for appliqueing so hand stitching will be in my weekend one way or another.

A photo I took from Daughter's back deck last Tuesday.  Their trees were just beginning the wonderful colourful changes  that are autumn's most splendid marker here in Canada.




Hope there is something colourful in your weekend too!


Tuesday 11 October 2016

Tuesday's Talk


Took it rather easy most of the long weekend. After tea and toast meals I did have a  heavy breakfast yesterday, porridge with dried cranberries.  Yes, we have decades of dog paraphernalia around the house including mugs.

 I'm happy to report everything health-wise has remained settled so I'm hoping against hope my lost Friday was a one time thing.  Fingers and toes crossed! Thanks for all the well wishes.

 It's time I caught you up on my little autumn blocks. I've enjoyed trying to draw my own designs to use in these despite the false starts, extra cuttings, unsewing, restitching that each very small picture has required. They are turning out to look very primitive indeed which was not exactly what I was aiming for either.  Maybe I needed to start out with a clearer picture in my head of what I wanted.

 I tried very hard to get a leaping hare under the harvest moon.  That's what I was going for in these photos.  The first I drew and actually appliqued onto the block was too small so I had to take the poor little fellow off, draw and cut and sew another one.


The first moon I had was too small also as well as being too pale in colour.  I'm much happier with both the new moon and hare.  Now I have to work out how to draw the bushes or grass he is leaping over.  And complete his blanket stitching as he is a fusible applique.


I also worked out most of a little planter of flowers.  I'd seen a photo in one of Hubby's books that I liked.  See the little planters with white and red flowers, they were a sort of inspiration. In the right hands, these flowers and little trees could be translated amazingly into fabric applique.  Wonder what that is meant to be on that guy's head there on the right?! Looks like a tree stump. lol



But in my hands, this is what I came up with.  Rather far from the original thought.  I worked hard on those smaller red circles, making the templates and basting them, trying to get them perfectly round, etc. only to think they are too big.  What is it with me and sizing these pieces!!


I'm finding it harder to design my own patterns than I'd thought. It certainly is time consuming.
 No kidding.
 I have a renewed admiration for those who do so and produce such novel and beautiful patterns for us to follow.

Monday 10 October 2016

The Thanksgiving Dinner That Wasn't

The THANKSGIVING DINNER that wasn't!

  I had run around on Thursday; actually went to two grocery stores to pick up everything I needed for the big feast.  I'd decided to do a Newfoundland meal...salt meat, peas pudding and cabbage along with the turkey and all the usual...mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, parsnips and sweet potato.  I wanted everything tucked away in my cupboard so there would be no last minute running out to pick up something.  So far so good.

Friday morning I didn't have my eyes open when I felt something not right.  It felt like the room was spinning.  Opened my eyes and the sensation was worse.  I was immediately very unwell.  I had to spend the whole day lying down, mostly with eyes closed, feeling weak and off balance any time I tried to stand.  I couldn't read, write or look at the internet.  It made me too queasy. I slept a lot.  Hubby hovered. In our time together, he'd seen me sleep in seldomly and stay in bed all day never. Nothing he could do as I  couldn't eat. I tried to sip water constantly because of the fear of dehydration.  I was drained and weak as a kitten by day's end.  I agreed with Hubby I'd have to go to the hospital in the morning if I wasn't seeing an easing of my symptoms.

Saturday morning and I could stand again.  The spinning room had slowed to just something like a tilted room; I could make it to the couch.  Out of bed...joy!  I could move my head like a normal person.  I didn't need to go to the hospital...more joy.  I lay on the couch watching the rain drip off the evergreens and it looked so wonderful to me...beautiful even.
 I was alive (a little dramatic, I know).

 But reality set in about my big dinner.  I knew I wasn't going to be well enough in time to make the dinner, clean house, and do all the little chores you must do to prepare a big meal.  I needed to call people to tell them in time so they could make other plans.  Which is what I sadly did.  I was so disappointed because having everyone together for a big meal is one of my favourite things in this world to do.

But as sad as I was about that, I was just overjoyed that I was going to be alright.  I was so thankful that I was feeling better.  As the day wore on, everything settled down to the point where I could read again, keep down some plain rice and toast and watch a bit of television with Hubby, like normal.
Ahh, normal.

So So thankful.  Yes.

But I wonder what I had. (Me scratching my head) A weird virus, an episode of vertigo...

My cancelled dinner made me think of movies with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner scenes; there have been some great ones.  I also thought of the famous dinner scene in Gosford Park...will never forget it.  I couldn't find a good video of the crucial moments to show you.  But I came across
 this link to wonderfully executed awkward dinner scenes in  8 famous movies. I'd forgotten the scene in Scent of a Woman.  So many good movies in this list.  Is it just me or is it getting harder to find good movies.

 Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends and family.
                           
And to all my blogging friends,  

 Image result for canadian thanksgiving 2016

For being an important part of my life!
Thanks for putting up with my dotty ramblings.






Friday 7 October 2016

A Tour of My Little Sewing Room


I changed the photo in my header.
 Someone told me the old photo was triggering their OCD for tidiness and they hated looking at the messy assortment of spools of thread.  They were itching to fix them up.  So R., if only I could get you to visit my house; I could use your help with more than my header. LOL Having just a touch of OCD about tidiness is probably not such a bad thing (not that I am making light of OCD, mind you, not at all.)

A look round my little sewing room.  Think I mentioned already this was a nursery and an office in times gone by.  It is closest to the master bedroom and doesn't have a closet so I don't know what the original builders had in mind.

I have a hodge podge assortment of furniture...most just rejects from the real rooms.

Yes, I bought two more plastic table cloths to use as 'design walls'.


Threads, needles, other tools are in these drawers.  That's my cardboard collection in the corner. My grandmother would be proud!


The extent of my fabric stash



I keep my small ironing board on top of two little bins and handy to the table.



I love that I can keep all my crafts stuff in one room.  I didn't show you my tote tower behind the door.  But at least I know everything is there- somewhere.  I also like that I can close the door on this  when it gets real messy and no one need see it so I don't have to clear anything away (like in the dining room).  There are screens on both windows so on warmer days, a breeze can be let in and with a large overhead light, it is surprisingly bright.
I plan on moving another table in for the sewing machine and I have yet to hang some of my pictures.
So that's my sewing space.  I've already spent many happy hours there listening to podcasts and stitching and am look forward to many more.

I will be having the family here for Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.  I'll tell you all about that on Monday...our Canadian Thanksgiving Day which is always the second Monday in October.

Turkey with all the trimmings will be in my weekend.
 Hope there is something good to eat in yours.