We had a fresh 2 cm of snow overnight Monday. In the morning it was -2 with a windchill of -11C but it didn't feel as cold as that when I went about my chores of filling the bird feeders and putting out the garbage. This morning it is the exact same wind chill so we'll see how that "feels" when I go out in a little bit. Our annual spring problem is the snow off the roof fills in our front walkway and we never get direct sunlight in this area to help speed up the melting. I had to use an ax to create steps in the snow that hardens during the overnight freeze ups.
I still have my Deliveries box at the bottom there as I really don't want folks trying to climb the stone steps at any time of year but especially now.
Anyway, let's focus on how the season is moving along. Below is what I think is a juvenile White Crowned Sparrow I photographed in Amelia's backyard last week which gets full sunshine all the time. The light in her little house is always lovely. I was amazed by how this one blended in so well with the early spring frozen ground cover, I almost missed him.
In my internet rambling I found two quilt patterns I would love to stitch right now. I had to hold myself back from giving each of them a go.
One is a Jen Kingwell design and I know you think of bright multicoloured fabrics when Jen's name comes up. But this one uses much more subdued shades and is a pattern I think even I could put together. It's called Sunny Day.
I subscribe to Rachel Hauser's lovely Substack
Stitched in Color column and she recently made a gorgeous log cabin quilt that I fell head over heels in love with. You can take a better look at her finished version there...
Rachel's Scrap Cabin Quilt. Rachel is a real pro at using scraps beautifully.
But with only two hands and hours in the day that seem to absolutely fly by, I must stay strong and stick to finishing what is here on my plate right now.
And I am pleased with how my own present projects are moving along. More of the stars and hexagons have been prepped and stitched. I'm cutting my diamond templates out of old calendars and flyers.
And it's really fun to stitch this appliqued border for one side of the Baskets Love project too. I love this chocolate and camel woven fabric that is so soft to handle. I'll try to get a better photo of it.
On a completely different topic, I've been meaning to ask...are any of you ordering from Temu? I've not yet as I'm not sure I trust it. Items seem ridiculously cheap even in Canadian dollars. But I did watch a lady on YouTube who shares what she buys from there all the time. It appears like she is getting mostly amazing bargains.
Tony was just on the phone to the local hearing aid folks inquiring about how to get one of his hearing aids fixed. He had to repeatedly ask the girl to speak up as he's hard of hearing and his hearing aid is broken. ha ha
22 comments :
It is snowing here right now but will likely not amount to anything. All of our snow piles are gone. I want to keep it that way!
Jen kingwell’s patterns are gorgeous but convoluted and detailed.
The stars are coming along nicely.
I have a friend here in NZ who buys from Temu, she ;ikes what she gets and has, as far as I know, no problems. Hearing aids, mine have settings ,...for my iPhone, hearing aid, or on speaker. And I can turn up the volume in either one, from 0 to at least 40!!! But I did have some problems with the first 3 models, they were all returned, no cost, until the firm I was visiting changed to another brand.That's still a lot of snow, and Tony, I so understand when you have to ask someone to talk louder!!!
I have heard from various people to not order from temu that the stuff is low quality but I have never ordered from them personally so don't know - the prices do seem very cheap so wonder if they are cheap knock offs. So much snow still - sorry for you needing to shovel and make steps in the hard snow - sometimes you wish the sun would shine where it just won't do it don't you. LOve your quilts they are looking really good
I really need to finish a project. Thanks for the motivation!
How kind of you to put out a Deliveries box. I got overanxious yesterday and interfered with the photo the Amazon man was trying to take of the boxes. He apologized and said they don't want any sign of human in the photo, even a foot! I love Rachel and get quite sidetracked with her personal adventures. I read her blog when she had a very sick baby who tragically died, and since then I dip in occasionally, from her move to The Netherlands, to her divorce, to a boyfriend, and on to a boyfriend I believe she now lives with. She is pretty amazing with quite the life story, and her quilts are remarkable.
I've never so much as looked at Temu so I'm sorry I'm no help to you. I have heard that their quality isn't good, but can't say for a fact.
I've always been partial to log cabin quilts so the Scrap Cabin caught my eye too. I won't be making it but it sure is nice to look at!
Oh my on the snow! Do be careful when going out with it being slippery and all. Your EPP is looking fabulous and I adore your appliqued border. You are moving right along. Have a wonderful day.
What a fabulously beautiful quilt made from scraps...
Your border turned out beautifully.
I'm just thinking about what to sew next...
a binding is in the works.
Best wishes to you from Viola
I have ordered from Temu. I buy lovely bright scrubs to wear at work. Some are better quality than others, but they are all cheap.
You have some lovely handwork projects to fill your time. I haven't personally ordered from Temu but my friend has. She ordered some wooden alphabet letters to make scissors fobs and the letters were printed off center and crooked.
No, Temu is not for me, I won't be using it. Are their prices so low because they are using slave labour, or just low quality goods? I do know some people who thinks it's great, but not me.
I'll bet you REALLY appreciate summer weather more than most. I can't imagine having to chop a path down the walkway. Great idea for the deliveries box. Love your Baskets project. Isn't applique so peaceful and calming? Great job.
Ohhhh, those quilts are lovely, but I am afraid a bit beyond my skill set. One of these days I will try a log cabin quilt.
The sparrow really does match its surroundings.
God bless.
Still snow in Canada, I see.
Loving the Moda pattern!
I just checked out the Jen Kingwell pattern you just shared. I do like it, but it certainly has lots of steps and fiddly cutting sizes, due to using the cake paper patterns. I think I would just cut more standard sizes and not use the cakes. I have some friends who have bought from Temu. Some like it, others not so much. One lady bought some fabric, which wasn’t the best, but another friend has just bought merino wool, which seems very nice. I believe when you make a purchase you have to spin a wheel or something to do with discounts, which can be very annoying. Personally, I haven’t bought anything. Poor Tony with his hearing aid. It must be so frustrating, but it is funny.
I have a friend who orders from Temu and loves the stuff she receives. I’m suspicious. I had a bad experience ordering from a Facebook seller, so I’m cautious. Out snow is gone for now , it was 70°F yesterday, the 26th. Not much has progressed in my sewing space, of late. I spend too much time perusing the vast internet and stewing about our political climate here in the US. Ugh!!
I haven't ordered from Temu but my niece has. She has got a lot of bargains so it is tempting.
zoomed by! LeeAnna
Ooh - that's chilly! I feel like I just started March and it's almost April. (Feb went by fast, too)
Your EPP stars are looking wonderful!! I like that border, too. Just a bit south of you, we had a soaking rain earlier this week that washed away every bit of snow, even deep in the woods - wonder if we’ll see any more this year? The older I get, the faster time seems to move, so cherish each day!
I always enjoy seeing the wildlife you capture in your photos, Jocelyn! I believe we get white-crowned sparrows in our area, too. Those two quilt designs are pretty ones - I can see why you're drawn to them. Looks like you're making good progress on the EPP stars - they're lovely in yellow!
Great idea to use flyers and old calendars for your EPP templates. Clearly they are working because the starts look right.
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