It was a record breaking 10C here on Thursday and the temps have remained above zero, unheard of mid February weather, for a couple of days. The foggy air felt almost balmy and the squirrels and birds seemed to be going mad out there. The melting had uncovered lots of tidbits for them. But back to regular winter days now.
This is another of Robert Bateman's birds in winter...Varied Thrush. Just lovely colours.
I have these two books from the library and started The Snow Child and realized I'd read it before. 
It hadn't been freezing in the sewing room those warmer winter days. I had no excuse not to hang out in there. I played with Bramble Blooms borders and stitched a plain one to steady everything. Then I stitched a few new rows of flying geese to add to a row I'd found in scraps. Now I'm not so sure as I should have used brighter colours or some of the same fabrics to match the center blooms. Also they seem rather large. They are overwhelming and perhaps might work well for a very outer border. I think I should do the appliqued border first before stitching these on. Any thoughts? All appreciated.
I found a new to me wonderful stitching channel on Youtube called Sew Tattered. Lots of great quilting and cross stitch. This episode features the annual quilt WIP Parade. Watch it at your risk as you will see something you will want to stitch.
Questions from readers...
About the wood we burn for heat...it is a mixture of hardwoods...maple, oak, etc. We use as much as we can from old/fallen trees on our own property. And our stove insert in the fireplace is an excellent Jotul.
I was asked why my rabbit I showed was not white now in winter. Ontario rabbits are smallish cotton tails and only small bits of them turn whiter in winter, like tail and paws. That being said, I've taken winter photos of a few with far more white on them than the one under our veranda this year.
Also there've been queries about the General's Sketch and Wash pencils shown in this post... Here is a link on Amazon where you can take a look and read more about them.
What is my diet? I don't follow a diet as such, just try to eat meals where I know all the ingredients that went into them. The only real constant is just about every day I eat an apple and an orange shared with Tony; blueberries often too. Yes, I'm still practising intermittent fasting so I basically eat two meals a day...all the more reason to make them as nutritious as I can.
I just watched a movie, I think it was The Killer with Tilda Swinton being faced by her killer and he asks her what is she thinking right now. She answers...right now I'm wishing I'd eaten more Hagen D'az (or words to that effect). So I'm thinking there should be more treats; yes to more treats.
The day in ER was for me not Tony. Though nothing untoward was found during the testing, they booked me for more tests this week under a cardiologist's care. They want to rule out a heart problem for sure and I'm in agreement with that of course. Yesterday was an annual hour long appointment with my gp reviewing everything history wise, etc. Later today is the first test, an echocardiogram. I will keep you posted. Wish me luck!
Sometimes I think what I really need right now is a day on a sunny beach. Anybody else feeling like this just about now, this far through a northern winter?
Sharing this post with A Quiltery, It's A Small Town Life and Alycia Quilts.
20 comments :
Thinking of you as I sit in the ER with my mom today. It's definitely no fun when you're the patient, but concerning for your loved ones, too. I love your Bramble Blooms piece, Jocelyn! I can see the window view that you're going for.
Out west here the jack rabbits are the only ones that turn white. Our bush bunnies stay brown with perhaps a tiny bit of white. I guess one could say the jack rabbits are more the size of hares, while bush bunnies are much smaller.
I like the idea of the appliqued border first.
God bless.
If you have enough of that bright pink strip, Is it a KF? I would put a narrow strip after the cream and between that and the geese. ED, a good place to be if they think something is amiss, hope the next test goes well. Winter, here we had our first load of wood delivered yesterday, start putting it in the shed today with HUGE help from a friend.
What a lovely painting of the varied Thrush! I would love to see one. We get mostly sparrows in winter. A few Black capped Chickadees and last we a male Downy Woodpecker! That was fun! I’ve been interested in reading Snow Child. I’d like to find it in audio book format! I’ll look!
And thanks for the link to General’s Sketch and Wash pencils! I’m very interested in those!
Hope you pass your TEST this week! lol. And everything is declared A-OK!
Oh no on the ER visit. I hope the testing is not too daunting. I went through that about 9 years ago and thankfully it was a minor change (electrolytes were off!) and all is well. I hope the same for you. The bunny that is around my house looks just like yours! The dog kindly lets us know when it is around. I think your Bramble looks like you envisioned - maybe the pink border first on 3 sides with the bottom being a 'window sill' type fabric? Hope you have a good week.
hope all goes well with cardio testing...i've had most of them and am a bona fide cardiac patient for life...thanks to modern cardiac care i have enjoyed nearly 7 extra years so far...
well I certainly hope all your test come back great - I went though many when I was in overnight back in November for a blood pressure problem - nothing was found - just blood pressure meds needed and low sodium diet which is actually fairly easy to do if you do your own cooking.
The applique is looking great.
I can see the window in your Bramble Bloom center. It looks great! Both those books look good. I hope everything is fine with your tests. Keep us updated.
I wish I had some thoughts for you about your Bramble Blooms border, Jocelyn, but I don't. I like the idea of framing your flowers in front of a window. I hope you can make it work the way you'd like. I remember Audrey did a quilt with a large flower in what looked like a window. I think it's the one called "Spring Forward, Fall Back." But you probably shouldn't look at it unless you won't compare.
I don't usually enjoy watching youtube quilting videos but I will take a look at Sew Tattered since you specifically mentioned it. What great stacks of fabric it opens with.
Lovely mushrooms.
I hope your tests all come out showing that you're in excellent health. Not knowing is the hardest part (for me, anyway).
Hi Jocelyn, I do hope that all your tests come out good and show the Drs what they need to know. I like your flying geese colors, I think it goes well with the flowers. But I do agree that they are big and another border before them would do well.
I will have soup on the stove today too, as it's cool and rainy here in California. My dh loves cabbage with spicy sausage soup, so I'll be making that.
Have a lovely day.
I will be thinking of you as you go through your medical tests. I hope whatever is wrong can be treated easily.
The borders you have made for your flower block look wonderful. What are you planning for the appliqué border? I like the idea of a pieced border before adding the appliqué. If you want to try a pieced border on a different scale than the flying geese, try making a few blocks and put them on the design wall to see how they look. I love the design as you go method for making a quilt.
Take care.
I hope your echo went well Jocelyn! They are definitely a good test to rule out any heart issue, and I hope that is the case with you.
At first glance at your Bramble Blooms, I thought "how pretty", so I am not a good one to ask about ideas for it! Your ideas for those mushrooms made my mouth water.
I like how your Bramble Blooms are coming along. I don't know if it's different in person, but the borders look fine to me! I liked your question and answer block. Good luck with the tests!
HOping your tests come back with good results! As to Bramble Blooms, I can totally see this as is, then a little bit of space between this and the next border which can be larger yet! You're definitely getting the window vibe going here.:)
I hope all went well with your heart test, especially as today is now Valentine's Day! That Audrey is so much fun to catch up with. She certainly is quite artistic. I love reading her blog too! Take care, girl. Sounds like you're eating healthy and you love your daily walks. That heart of yours just has to do well on the tests!
I purchased the book "Homestead" from audible and look forward to listening to it while I sew, on your recommendation. I am currently finishing another book right now and need to read one for Book Club by the first of March.
The bird in your photo is very pretty as is your wonderful medallion quilt!!! I think you are achieving the recessed effect you want.
Hi Jocelyn! I think a day on a sunny beach sounds wonderful. With the weather going up and down with very little sunshine in the mix, everything and everybody is just a bit off. My daffodils are poking up a couple of inches - in mid-February in Wisconsin. That is not right. This year's strong El Nino trend will lead soon enough to a La Nina. Next Fall and winter should be just the opposite of what we have right now - below average temperatures and more snow. We'll see if that pans out. I hope your echocardiogram and other tests reveal an easy issue, or at least the path for an easy fix. {{Hugs}} a bunch! ~smile~ Roseanne
Bramble Blooms is looking good and best wishes that the doctors will be able to figure out your health issues.
I'm afraid I have nothing helpful to add to the discussion re your quilt project. To my untrained eye I think the geese might be a little large in comparison to the flowers so perhaps an additional border between them might help.
Thank you for the link to the pencils - I read some of the reviews and they sound intriguing.
Hopefully your tests results will be okay. Will be thinking about you.
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