It says a whole lot about us what we find pleasure in I think.
I love how my blogging friends find joy in spying a feather flicker, a bud opening, words on a page, the colours of a sunrise or sunset, the look and feel of pretty fabric, the eating of the supper meal in front of the television with hand work at the side waiting for a few more stitches. Observing the little things, noting and appreciating them all and loving it all too makes me enjoy my visits with you all so much. If we want the world to be a better place, many more of us need to go small and find our pleasure there. Anyway, that's my small thought for this week.
Before I forget again, I must tell you there is now an official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook to be available in October but can be preordered now. You can check out more details here at Amazon; great gift for Downton Fans which is probably everybody.
I got a whole bunch of my plants repotted- transplanted from outside to indoors. Saves me having to run out with a blanket these last few nights with a threat of frost.
So I can relax about that now.
Nancy Page Club Falling Leaves Quilt
It reminded me of one of Jenny at Romany Quilting's projects. She stitched appliqued leaves for a quilt and I admired it very much.
While at Gay's site, check out the other patterns as well...so many wonderful quilts to dream about!
I made an after quilt for the backing on the Flower Garden piece. I used leftover Indigo Snowball blocks from that project stitched several years ago and this fabric with a smallish flower motif in the same shade of blue. There's enough extra around the edge to become the sashing when I'm ready to do that.
I've begun the quilting using a perle cotton thread in a navy blue colour which I think suits the colours of the whole piece. Getting to practice that rocking motion heaps on this one.
I got out my scrappy triangles blocks and enjoyed trying out different patterns with them. Settled on one and have been stitching a few blocks here and there. It would be nice if this project can get moved along as well this week though there is no rush with this one. More about it later.
Around the house chores
１) I must dig out my Halloween/Autumn quilts. Time to put the Laundry Basket Pumpkins wall hanging up and some of you may remember I made a large Halloween quilt with a combination of embroidered blocks and pieced ones last year. It's around here somewhere. Maybe to be found when I accomplish #4!
２) Gather kindling and store it for the morning fires...this is not really a chore for me as I love to roam about. I only pick sticks that are not embedded in the ground in any way...don't want to disturb any critters. With our aged forest area here, there is always lots lying around especially after a wind storm.
３) Shut down the pool...it was another wonderful summer of swimming. I think I missed 4 days without a swim.
４) Change over our summer clothes for the winter things. In the process, clean out the closet in the spare bedroom where I store the seasonal stuff from our closets and my big stitching stuff like batting and yarn.
Hope this week will be a productive one for you all. Please include food in your posts...I'm getting tired of eating my own cooking and need some ideas. (You know how we seem to fall back on the same things all the time.)
Love joining with Home Sewn By Us for the To Do linky party. Also linking with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, My Corner of the World, It's a Small Town Life and Quilt Fabrication.
23 comments :
I love your quilting and I am a DA-Fan myself!
Nana
the cookbook looks interesting - here too I make the same old stuff all the time it seems - no variety - I am a simple cook and hubby is terribly picky. Yes time to do all the fall chores, clean the closets, the yard etc - here we have plenty of time still as the weather will not get to cold probably until well into December.
Hi Jocelyn! What a great list for the upcoming week. Nice job on repotting your summer flowers. They will bring you joy during the long winter months and maybe even surprise you with a bloom or two. I really love the look of the Indigo Snowball blocks - I hope you finish them up into a project soon as I can't wait to see how they end up. It looks to me like you have a handle on the hand sewing motion - all your stitches look nice and even. Thanks for linking up today. Take care. ~smile~ Roseanne
It's hard to believe Fall is here, but we're ready, not for Winter, but Fall is good. I didn't remember you had a swimming pool, bet that's super relaxing. Thanks for telling us about the cookbook, we'll check it out, we really enjoyed Downton Abbey.
Loved your "small thought" this week. We are having cooler nights and days this week. So nice to be able to open the new windows and feel the breeze.
You are so right about finding pleasure and peace in the small things! I’ve been wanting to do a similar quit with my cut off triangles. Maybe I just need to start! I used to pack away seasonal clothing, but now we too have a guest bedroom closet that gets used for the seasonal things. It’s nice to go grab a pair of shorts if you get an unseasonably warm day in this transitional time! Loved your to-do lists!
Busy, busy. It's fun to see your flag blocks again I've started some for myself, after seeing yours and finding a pile of neutral squares I'd cut and forgotten about. Our Spring is here now, but it is very fickle, cold and windy some days. But our weather will soon settle down, I'm sure.
Love that Downton Abbey cookbook. It's definitely change of season. I have so many older clothes that I should donate since I don't wear them anymore. Thanks for letting us know about the free applique patterns. Pretty stitching and great scrap quilt!
I love your thoughts at the beginning of the post, Jocelyn! Definitely, finding joy in the small things is a good way to live. You've got me wondering if I could overwinter my geranium. It never bloomed very well this year, so is it worth it to try to keep it? Your Flower Garden quilting and flag blocks look wonderful!
You did better than in getting your plants potted up. Mine still need to be done. After 4 nights of throwing sheets over the geraniums and begonias, we are due for about a week of milder weather and night temps in the 50's. So the repotting need to be put on the agenda.
Pat
I am dreading cleaning out the closets this fall but it has to be done. I like Gay's website but have you ever visited "Q is for Quilter"? Martha stopped posting years ago when she and her husband began caregiving family members. She has some neat vintage books with quilt patterns you can download. The website is qisforquilter.com
We are huge Downton Abbey fans and miss it. That cookbook looks like a fun read. The navy blue thread looks wonderful against those blues!
I find a lot of inspiration at the blog of Olla Podrida (Pattie). She makes a lot of crockpot recipes as well as recipes for one or two, and her posts are short and to the point - no scrolling for days through endless food photos from every angle and chit-chat about nothing!
http://pattietierney.blogspot.com/
I am in awe of how much energy you have in your life to do all the things you love. It's a joy to read about everything going on in your world.
Such pretty little stitches. I have not yet tried hand-quilting anything. I just don't understand how that rocking motion can catch all the way to the backing...
We've had a few really cool days here. I can't believe how quickly summer turned off. I need to dig out my turtlenecks! :-)
I think your 'small thought' was actually quite a great large one! Well said. The winterizing here at Chez Magpie has been done - DH even painted some rust spots on the car. As for new recipes - if you have cookbooks in your collection just pick one and choose a recipe you haven't tried.
I agree on food posts. Lol. What a nice “small thought” about our lives right now. We need each other. That’s a lot of plants-how wonderful to have them indoors. Great layout for the triangles.
Enjoy.
Jocelyn - you are right that we need to find joy in small pleasures. If this pandemic has shown us anything, it is that we can't predict what will happen! I love Downton Abbey, but I am not sure that I will be able to convince the Head Chef to buy me a copy that he will use! Enjoy your fall!
wow, it sounds wonderful... the move into a new season. I am missing that... it's still in the 90's F and going to be that way into October. No fall weather for us... and still skies overcast with smoke from fires. But yes, the small lovely things that make up the days are a wonderful focus. Your post is full of the real things that bring contentment and comfort. Beautiful. LeeAnna
I got my fall/halloween quilts out yesterday and that always make it seem more officially fall! I love your geraniums. My mom grows lots of them-outside in the summer, inside in the winter, but I think it's too hot for them to live here. Your hand quilting stitches are just beautiful. That's a skill I've never learned! Have a great week!
Your now-indoor garden looks lovely and easy to care for in your frosty weather. And your quilts are just fabulous to see--I'm always so jealous when I visit here :)
I am glad you joined us at 'My Corner of the World' this week!!
The cookbook sure sounds tempting! And how nice to enjoy your pool all summer. It's still hot here but it's changing some....to less hot! lol Enjoy your evening!
I have enjoyed seeing your plants indoors in your past posts. I have done the same with my geraniums. After the frost, I hope to keep them inside all winter like my mother-in-law does.
You have reminded me that I need to square away my closet for the cold weather. Not a chore I enjoy, but necessary! lol Thank you for linking up!
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