Quarantine Days are Strange But Busy, EPP, Poetry Too
Sunshine warming our shoulders lately so April has been kind to us. March went out like a lamb; it had come in like a lion so, for once, the old saying stood up. Look at all the leaves revealed now down that trail.
We had our grocery order delivered by SIL. Hubby watched the video on how to handle it so we got him to drop it at the bottom of the front walkway. We used rubber gloves and removed it all from the bags, put it in my own bags, then wiped it all with a bleach solution and rinsed well in water. I plan to make a cabbage and carrot soup tonight and I wondered if boiling would kill this virus. So many questions about it.
It's turned out to be a great time for stitching projects with loads of sew alongs and free patterns cropping up around the net.
I downloaded the pattern for this block at the Melva Loves Scraps Sew Along and made cardboard templates.
It's called the Flower Garden Block. I love the pattern and am working out how to handle those y seams while English paper piecing. I'm using freezer paper.
This particular video made by Linda Franz was a help. She is also a fan of freezer paper templates. I find I learn something from each of these wonderful sewists who offer these videos.
Hand quilting around the baskets is taking up a chunk of the evening stitching time. One panel is completed and I'm halfway around another of the four.
I checked on my linen order and sure enough, the little company I'd ordered from is temporarily suspending business, as one of you had mentioned. But they had refunded PayPal so all good. I've since repeated the order with a company that is now dealing in only online orders and following Corvid 19 practices.
Murphy got a new bed for the bedroom, one of those supersoft furry warm ones. We thought it would be nice for her old bones. She loves it and occasionally takes a day time nap there which she never ever did before.
I used to read a lot of biographies; maybe trying to figure out my own life, looking for answers. Find behaviours I could adopt or patterns I could follow. In particular, the women. This week I've watched two interesting videos, one about Anne Lister (all Annes are always so smart!) and this one about one of my favourite poets, Edith Sitwell. Both these women defied convention in times when it was socially daring to do so.
But Edith's words were meaningful to me and I did finally arrive at my own great conclusion.
I was going to try to order groceries on line and could not get a pick up date - evidentially you have to keep checking daily for a date and time available of course by then half of the things you selected might be gone. I don't have to get anything right now but I wanted to stay stocked up with supplies. I don't want to have to ask my daughter to run to the store and she is going to try to get on line to place orders also and not go to the store. I might finally have to go to then nearest store and check out the parking lot and see if there are few there and run in and get things instead of going to wal-mart - the nearby store is smaller and prices are a little higher but I guess that is not the big worry anymore. Linda Frantz has very good tips on hand quilting instructions - have you ever tried her Inklingo of printing your templates on fabric from your printer? I used to do that but then got a different printer and it didn't work so well anymore.
The Mom went grocery shopping yesterday and the Dad wiped it all down when she got home. Murphy sure looks comfy and happy in his new bed! Thanks for joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
Hello, Murphy looks very comfy in his new bed. Your wood and leaves photo could be taken outside my house. We have been doing our own shopping, so far all is good. I like the poem, thanks for sharing. Take care! Wishing you a happy day!
Hi Jocelyn! Aww, I adore that shot of Murphy in his nice warm, cozy bed. I'm glad he loves it so much he takes a daytime nap in it! I am working on Melva's block as well, although I chose the embroidery version. It is all complete now and I'll share a photo next week. I am so glad your SIL your groceries. {{Hugs}} Stay safe! ~smile~ Roseanne
oh good, thank you for all the links to follow in coming days. Murphy is so pretty... good girl! Love your new soft bed, Milo chews his up like that, I guess he thinks they are big toys? Oy vey! I like cabbage soup, and nothing is truly safe, we must do what we can as you are doing, and then hope it's enough. LeeAnna
That basket looks challenging to stitch with all these roundings:) Hope you are doing well (from what I can see, you do)and hope to see you back soon at All Seasons:) Have a lovely and comfortable weekend, jesh
Sitcheries, knitting, a new bed, our Moxy curls up on our bed, with a fleece rug curled round into a snug place. So good to have groceries delivered, delivery times and dates are the same down here. More and more are so unwilling to wait for an hour outside, then struggle inside finding bare shelves. We look forward to a doctor's visit next Thursday, maybe this will be the only one for many weeks, so will make the most of the trip.Stay safe.
Thanks for sharing your walk. Great likes as usual. Your EPP looks awesome and the baskets are fabulous. All the quarantine sew alongs are so enticing.
Love the projects you're working on! It's so nice to find so many free projects out there to occupy us during this strange time. Murphy looks quite comfy in his new bed. I think I'd like one too!
Jocelyn - our Maggie cat likes to sit on the registers so that she gets all the hot air blowing from the furnace. Like a warm blanket for her little skinny body. April is coming in like a lion - we've had four inches of snow in the last two days, and it is coming down like mad right now. Happy Stitching!
According to a proffesor I saw on TV yesterday the virus will be killed during cooking of food. It is also killed in the washing machine if you use a program of 60 degrees C (sorry do not know in F) And you have to wash your hand so often with water and soap since the virus is damaged by the soap and washed away with the water. Hope to set your mind at rest at least a little bit.
Well done with the groceries, Love Murphy's bed. A book I want to read soon is about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, I do admire her clear, strong leadership. Happy sewing.
Wow! That flower quilt block looks like a tough one but that is a good thing to be working on and keeping you occupied. I know you will master it! Love Murphy's bed! She looks so adorable! I love poetry and enjoyed what you shared. Stay safe and healthy dear Jocelyn!
I've wondered about the small companies that I buy from...especially on Etsy. I have enough stuff but I like looking at something different. I'm staying busy but haven't got a lot of extra things done. The weather here is nice and we've hiked extra this week....good for my body AND soul! Take care and stay healthy!
Ooh - I really like that flower garden block. Viruses in general break down in heat, and from what I've read, you cannot get covid19 through ingesting it - it has to be put into the respiratory system. So as long as you don't inhale your food, you should be fine. ;-) But we're going through the same grocery procedure and wondering about the produce that's hard to wash.
There are so many different 'guidelines' out there for dealing with things like food and it's so hard to know which is the best. We wash our fruits & vegs in soap and water and wipe down all plastic bags and cardboard with Lysol wipes and/or bleach & water solution. Remove things like flour from the bags and put into our own containers and then wash hands thoroughly afterwards. Leaving our mail to sit for 5 days before opening and if we send out any mail remembering to seal it with tape and not with saliva. So many new things we need to be aware of! Thankfully we have our stitching (and Murphy has a lovely soft bed!) to keep ourselves occupied and somewhat soothed.
We've been picking up our orders at Walmart but it's pretty difficult to get an order in and schedule a pick up time. Most things are sold out too. The good thing is that we are using up lots of old stuff from the pantry! I loved Anne Lister HBO series Gentleman Jack last year--I hope there will be a second season. She was a gutsy lady!
Don't know if Anne Boleyn was smart, but she did lose her head! I love seeing pictures of Murphy. She reminds me of our black lab we had. She was such a sweetheart. It's great to have sewing projects to work on during this isolation period and you always have something interesting going on. Stay well.
Gentleman Jack, on Hulu, is a great show about Anne Lister. I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to a second season. Glad you are able to have groceries delivered. I do a pick up and clean it all. I also throw away all packaging I can. Thanks for linking up and stay well.
Glad you got some groceries, even if it is a pain to make them safe. That flower garden block is going to be pretty! I love that picture of your sweet Murphy in his new bed. We need to get a cushier bed for our 13 year-old puppy.
I have read that heating food does kill the virus, but there is so much contradictory advice out there, some of which is totally impractical or in itself dangerous. I think many of us will have very empty pantries by the time is winds down. And people who think it will only be a week or two are not paying attention. Nice to see all the projects you have to keep busy. I'm trying to ignore all the QALs out there and concentrate on finishing up some UFOs. I certainly won't run out of fabric any time soon. Pat
Love your flower garden block. I'd like to make something similar some day I think. It's on the list! Lonely, odd days but so glad that you have companionship and plenty of room to get out and walk.:)
So many great projects you've got going Jocelyn! Murphy looks so happy and contented. We bought Max a Serta bed a couple of years ago and it was so worth the $50 we spent. He is getting quite old, and he sleeps there day and night. ❤️
Lovely stitching. Particularly like the colors in your blue print...so springy and happy looking. I've ordered groceries now 3 different times from 2 different locations to see if one system is better than the other. Juries out on that. One has a better selection. I've watched video's and read far too many articles about whether or not you need to or should wipe down stuff. Seems there's very little agreement on the subject. But, it seems wiping down isn't going to hurt, so I will continue doing that. Far safer it seems to me than doing the shopping yourself. Popped in from a mutual friends blog, always fun to meet new bloggers. Stay well.
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I was going to try to order groceries on line and could not get a pick up date - evidentially you have to keep checking daily for a date and time available of course by then half of the things you selected might be gone. I don't have to get anything right now but I wanted to stay stocked up with supplies. I don't want to have to ask my daughter to run to the store and she is going to try to get on line to place orders also and not go to the store. I might finally have to go to then nearest store and check out the parking lot and see if there are few there and run in and get things instead of going to wal-mart - the nearby store is smaller and prices are a little higher but I guess that is not the big worry anymore.
Linda Frantz has very good tips on hand quilting instructions - have you ever tried her Inklingo of printing your templates on fabric from your printer? I used to do that but then got a different printer and it didn't work so well anymore.
The Mom went grocery shopping yesterday and the Dad wiped it all down when she got home. Murphy sure looks comfy and happy in his new bed! Thanks for joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
Hello, Murphy looks very comfy in his new bed. Your wood and leaves photo could be taken outside my house. We have been doing our own shopping, so far all is good. I like the poem, thanks for sharing. Take care! Wishing you a happy day!
Hi Jocelyn! Aww, I adore that shot of Murphy in his nice warm, cozy bed. I'm glad he loves it so much he takes a daytime nap in it! I am working on Melva's block as well, although I chose the embroidery version. It is all complete now and I'll share a photo next week. I am so glad your SIL your groceries. {{Hugs}} Stay safe! ~smile~ Roseanne
oh good, thank you for all the links to follow in coming days. Murphy is so pretty... good girl! Love your new soft bed, Milo chews his up like that, I guess he thinks they are big toys? Oy vey! I like cabbage soup, and nothing is truly safe, we must do what we can as you are doing, and then hope it's enough. LeeAnna
oops murphy is a boy, sorry !
That basket looks challenging to stitch with all these roundings:) Hope you are doing well (from what I can see, you do)and hope to see you back soon at All Seasons:) Have a lovely and comfortable weekend, jesh
Sitcheries, knitting, a new bed, our Moxy curls up on our bed, with a fleece rug curled round into a snug place. So good to have groceries delivered, delivery times and dates are the same down here. More and more are so unwilling to wait for an hour outside, then struggle inside finding bare shelves. We look forward to a doctor's visit next Thursday, maybe this will be the only one for many weeks, so will make the most of the trip.Stay safe.
Lovely place to walk.
Murphy looks happy with her new bed. I wonder if they make it in my size?
Thanks for sharing your walk. Great likes as usual. Your EPP looks awesome and the baskets are fabulous. All the quarantine sew alongs are so enticing.
Love the projects you're working on! It's so nice to find so many free projects out there to occupy us during this strange time. Murphy looks quite comfy in his new bed. I think I'd like one too!
Jocelyn - our Maggie cat likes to sit on the registers so that she gets all the hot air blowing from the furnace. Like a warm blanket for her little skinny body. April is coming in like a lion - we've had four inches of snow in the last two days, and it is coming down like mad right now. Happy Stitching!
According to a proffesor I saw on TV yesterday the virus will be killed during cooking of food. It is also killed in the washing machine if you use a program of 60 degrees C (sorry do not know in F) And you have to wash your hand so often with water and soap since the virus is damaged by the soap and washed away with the water. Hope to set your mind at rest at least a little bit.
Well done with the groceries, Love Murphy's bed. A book I want to read soon is about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, I do admire her clear, strong leadership. Happy sewing.
Wow! That flower quilt block looks like a tough one but that is a good thing to be working on and keeping you occupied. I know you will master it! Love Murphy's bed! She looks so adorable! I love poetry and enjoyed what you shared. Stay safe and healthy dear Jocelyn!
I've wondered about the small companies that I buy from...especially on Etsy. I have enough stuff but I like looking at something different. I'm staying busy but haven't got a lot of extra things done. The weather here is nice and we've hiked extra this week....good for my body AND soul! Take care and stay healthy!
Ooh - I really like that flower garden block. Viruses in general break down in heat, and from what I've read, you cannot get covid19 through ingesting it - it has to be put into the respiratory system. So as long as you don't inhale your food, you should be fine. ;-) But we're going through the same grocery procedure and wondering about the produce that's hard to wash.
There are so many different 'guidelines' out there for dealing with things like food and it's so hard to know which is the best. We wash our fruits & vegs in soap and water and wipe down all plastic bags and cardboard with Lysol wipes and/or bleach & water solution. Remove things like flour from the bags and put into our own containers and then wash hands thoroughly afterwards. Leaving our mail to sit for 5 days before opening and if we send out any mail remembering to seal it with tape and not with saliva. So many new things we need to be aware of! Thankfully we have our stitching (and Murphy has a lovely soft bed!) to keep ourselves occupied and somewhat soothed.
We've been picking up our orders at Walmart but it's pretty difficult to get an order in and schedule a pick up time. Most things are sold out too. The good thing is that we are using up lots of old stuff from the pantry! I loved Anne Lister HBO series Gentleman Jack last year--I hope there will be a second season. She was a gutsy lady!
Don't know if Anne Boleyn was smart, but she did lose her head! I love seeing pictures of Murphy. She reminds me of our black lab we had. She was such a sweetheart. It's great to have sewing projects to work on during this isolation period and you always have something interesting going on. Stay well.
Gentleman Jack, on Hulu, is a great show about Anne Lister. I enjoyed it very much and am looking forward to a second season. Glad you are able to have groceries delivered. I do a pick up and clean it all. I also throw away all packaging I can. Thanks for linking up and stay well.
Glad you got some groceries, even if it is a pain to make them safe. That flower garden block is going to be pretty! I love that picture of your sweet Murphy in his new bed. We need to get a cushier bed for our 13 year-old puppy.
I have read that heating food does kill the virus, but there is so much contradictory advice out there, some of which is totally impractical or in itself dangerous. I think many of us will have very empty pantries by the time is winds down. And people who think it will only be a week or two are not paying attention.
Nice to see all the projects you have to keep busy. I'm trying to ignore all the QALs out there and concentrate on finishing up some UFOs. I certainly won't run out of fabric any time soon.
Pat
Love your flower garden block. I'd like to make something similar some day I think. It's on the list! Lonely, odd days but so glad that you have companionship and plenty of room to get out and walk.:)
I did that flower garden block too. I haven't tried freezer paper templates. I made mine out of card stock. Love the basket quilt!
So many great projects you've got going Jocelyn! Murphy looks so happy and contented. We bought Max a Serta bed a couple of years ago and it was so worth the $50 we spent. He is getting quite old, and he sleeps there day and night. ❤️
Very nice post - I'd love to go for a walk in that wood. Just back from a suburban exercise walk.
Hope you are well - Stewart M - Melbourne
So many online wonderful videos to teach us about stitching and about life!
Enjoy quilting your baskets!
Lovely stitching. Particularly like the colors in your blue print...so springy and happy looking. I've ordered groceries now 3 different times from 2 different locations to see if one system is better than the other. Juries out on that. One has a better selection. I've watched video's and read far too many articles about whether or not you need to or should wipe down stuff. Seems there's very little agreement on the subject. But, it seems wiping down isn't going to hurt, so I will continue doing that. Far safer it seems to me than doing the shopping yourself. Popped in from a mutual friends blog, always fun to meet new bloggers. Stay well.
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