Pouring down rain lately made for a couple of drab mornings. One of those mornings, I used my thrifted umbrella, the one that is kind of useless as it doesn't really keep the rain off just sort of but I love the shape and colour. I bought it years ago and it remains my most unusual and probably most impractical thrift buy.
It's unique enough I always wonder about who owned it before me. It's got a real wooden handle too. This was at the end of the walk and I'm actually wet. Form over function in this case!
Though wet, Ned and I don't mind; the earth needs a good wash.
The fox I showed before has been sighted a few times lately. I've decided to use this bear bell on our walks.
I've attached it to the handle of Ned's leash and it makes a continual tinkle. With a further shake, it sounds more like a clang. Hopefully, it will be enough to warn off the fox or any other wild things crossing our paths.
My stitching this week is working on the Basket Loves handles and border. I've decided to use brighter fabrics for the handles backing for contrast and to brighten up the overall look. I've now finished the bottoms- I think there are 12.
How appropriate...look at the difference a week can make. Though none outside yet...tulips on the wall and outside visions of green and sunshine.
My indoor White Polka Dot plant survived the winter and is now doing this. Seemingly shedding the old plant by growing a brand new one in the middle. I looked this up and it said it is the sign of a vigorous plant to be able to do this. Maybe this one just really loved coffee and egg shell water.
A Few Happy Scrolling Sites
I'm so happy to see Jenny of Elefantz is back blogging. I think I've always been drawn to her because she seems to be more of a hand stitcher than one working with the machine. Lately I've enjoyed seeing her branch out into stitching sashiko, for instance. And I was thrilled to hear Tilda had chosen her as one of their Australian designers this year. Jenny very generously offers many lovely patterns for us to stitch. I've downloaded her free Pear Hive pattern.
HERE is her beautiful post about how to stitch lazy daisy and sew very neat backstitches. I once tried the test to compare my stitches to hers and, of course, she fit in many more in the space. Hence, hers look tiny and perfect. HERE is the link to her updated free patterns. And she is presently running a BOM for needleworkers, also free. I'm also in awe of how Jenny and her hubby contend with the climate where they live and strive so hard to maintain a garden and grow vegetables too.
SoeDiDee was another interesting site I've come across in my internet wandering. They have all the cross stitch designers listed and when you visit there, the free patterns are listed as well. Interesting viewing. I went there in the first place because Dutch Comfort was stitching a free pattern that caught my eye. It took a bit of looking to find it but here is the link to Reindeer and Friends, a sweet design from Twin Peaks Primitives. You can pop over HERE to see Nicolette's lovely version.
Here at Phoebe Moon, there are neat free quilt patterns too. Pumpkin blocks always grab my attention.
All the fabric designers offer a section of free patterns. At the Marcus fabrics site...Make it With Marcus, you will find many lovely patterns if sometime you are in the need of relaxing scrolling.
But back to spring...lovely music too...
Be sure to drop by Not Afraid of Color to see what other folks posted as their wonderful likes this week. I hope you have something happy, lovely, or uplifting in your day, this last one of April, 2025!
I took this photo from the sewing room. He was so close to the window I could study his ears, which I noted moved independently of each other.
The day before we had our Easter company, I took advantage of a burst of energy and spent the day going full tilt. Do you know what that means? Is it an expression you use? Anyway, I vacuumed the whole house and then put Nellie to work mopping it all too. I put out the garbage but before that I'd cleared out a huge cupboard in the back basement and a number of items made it into that garbage. The clearing out mood continued with a deep dive into one of those huge side bottom cupboards in the kitchen, the matching pair I have that are so deep and dark things get put in there and lost forever. Will you think badly of me if I tell you I found a package of black rice dated 2019. I was sorry I'd forgotten about it and never ate it because it seems like an interesting food. I later tossed it around in the woods and then worried it might sicken some animal or bird that ate it. I wonder would it...đ But I kept going...dusted the tv room and cleaned all the bits in the two bathrooms. I also swept the front and back verandas. Then I said we're going out to get McDonalds for supper which we did. I had my "jump over the moon" energetic, spring cleaning kind of day. About three times a year, the whole of the house gets a clean like that.
Have you ever had a day like that? Where you have boundless energy and feel so good getting badly needed things done. That reminded me of this cute cartoon I came across on Etsy...from Feral Town. I got a chuckle from the other featured animals and the very clever remarks, too.
Thanks Readers!
Recently a couple of you let me know you'd gotten suspicious emails from me. I appreciated this and had Tony look at my laptop. He ran a program to clean it up...ok that's as technical I can get about whatever it was he did. There are a few more safety measures in place now and how my comments are working has changed. But online security is an important issue these days and I wish I had more interest in computer matters. So big thanks!
Several of you wrote to say the pattern formed by those HST's was called Broken Dishes. I should have remembered that but forgot.
When I spoke about my problem with the threads looking crowded on that sheep motif of England Quakers, I heard from two readers. Patricia M. and Sandra O. (not the actor, LOL). They both kindly mentioned perhaps I should be stitching on this particular 36 count linen with just one thread not two. I've never cross stitched with one thread and hadn't thought of that as a reason why I'm not liking how my stitches are looking. I'm going to have a think about it...maybe I need to start over with the one thread or maybe find another piece of linen in my stash to start it again. But thanks, ladies, for mentioning that. I always love suggestions. Further to this, I've done more research and it seems I should be using one thread on this linen. It seems I am still learning...you'd think being into your 70's, you'd have your act together. Well clearly, I don't!!
So my slow stitching in the meantime is on my Year at Hawk Run Hallow project, working on the August block while mulling over that other issue. This is where I was.
I found stitching on this linen so easy compared to the England Quakers fabric, I couldn't believe it. I've made good progress.
Meanwhile I also want to share with you this quilt below, one I don't think I ever showed fully finished. I came across it in the old sewing room closet during that cleaning spree I was on. I have a habit of not sharing the things I fully finish. By the time I stitch the binding which is so boring to me, I figure you are tired of seeing it too. During Covid, Quiltmania offered a free SAL (which they did every year).
Here on the wall in the back hallway.
And this one taken outside in natural light.
Should have given it a press!
Many quilt designers offered an easy to stitch block and these were the 11 I chose. Some of these blocks were sewn for the RSC when red or pink rolled around. I especially enjoyed stitching the applique blocks and think this one below might be my favourite, tiny hexagons surrounded by hearts. Remember how the whole world seemed so united during that crisis. That part of it was amazing in a good way. Funny and strange how that feeling has shifted to the opposite in now not dire circumstances.
And on the baking front...lately I've been making batches of the Jumbo Breakfast Cookies to have on hand, each time using Rice Krispies instead of Cheerios. I add oats, pumpkin, sunflower, chia seeds, walnuts, etc. and cut the sugar about a third and use mostly honey. They are a bulky cookie that you can make quite large if you want to. I really like them for a mid afternoon snack with a cup of tea. Sally's Baking Addiction
Anybody else notice how tiny packaged store bought cookies are these days?
I've noted a couple of wonderful free patterns that I'll share next time. Meanwhile, I'm off to the library to have a poke about. Hope you are all doing well and your stitching fingers are able and flying!
After several dark, damp cold morning walks, today the sun is shining and we are promised it will get to 13C. I'm mostly wearing my spring jacket these days. And I, being the tick magnet that I am, have begun spraying my waders with bug spray...it's supposed to help repel them. The trails are snow and ice free...cue the choir...hallelujah! And the Trout Lilies are already sending up tiny green shoots down on the big trail. The frogs are croaking and the birds are singing. Which of the 43 types of striped sparrows that are here in Ontario would this one be, I wonder??
At Not Afraid of Color folks are talking about where they write their blog posts. I'm always to be found here in my easy chair...a Swedish garden chair hand me down from Tony's parents in my corner of the living area. I have an Acer lap top to write on, as the name suggests, in my lap. It rests on one of those bean bag trays. This is where my little piles of "stuff" magically appear and grow around me, routinely requiring a clean out. What about you? Do you have a favourite spot where you write your blogs?
Indoors I've been following Lori at Humble Quilts who has been sharing Cheddar quilts. So many beautiful quilts in different patterns all featuring gorgeous cheddars. Like looking at sunshine but also happily reminds me of autumn and pumpkins too. Her Part 2 is HERE.
Cheddar must be a thing just now as the March catalogue of Connecting Threads ran an indigo and cheddar feature. What a great combination! And my, look at these wonderful quilts!
In not nearly as dramatic a showing...I've steadily added to my EPP Starry Hexagons project. I'm using the reds for the RSC April's colour. Here's how many I've stitched so far this month. I've diamond bits readied for a couple more which I should be able to sneak in before the end of the month.
We had a ham dinner for Easter with the usual foods...scalloped potatoes, carrots, etc. I did make an effort with the corn. I bought corn on the cob and cut off the niblets and fried them a bit in a pan. They were surprisingly sweet which made me wonder if they are shooting sugar into everything these days. I also tried one different dish. Prosciutto wrapped asparagus...roasted in the oven and served with a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. Here is the site where I got the idea.
It was fun to make an Easter ice cream cake. And I remembered to take it out of the freezer when I started dishing up supper so I could get a knife through it by the time dessert rolled around.
I used a couple crushed Cadbury chocolate eggs in the layers and because it was for company, I used Haagen-Dazs ice cream. Everyone enjoyed it.
Easter means spring to me and I feel so fortunate to be able to watch up close this very definite time of rebirth in the natural world. I know a lot of you are worried about big and some not so big picture things, and you have a right to be for sure, but we have to carry on doing what we do best. Being kind and caring, finding little joys in our day to day activities.
**Spoiler Alert** We finished Season 5 of Fargo last night. The last episode has the heroine, Dorothy, talking to Old Munch, one of the bad guys, who has come to her house to do harm. These two characters have both suffered abuse and Old Munch has entered a family scene where they are just getting supper on the table. Old Munch is stymied by how they are treating him...like he is a guest... pull out a chair for him, fix a plate of food for him. Meanwhile Dorothy is talking to him and what she basically says is we don't have to be like that anymore, that's the past...what is the answer a confused Old Munch asks...I'm paraphrasing here...forgiveness, love, kindness- they are always the answer says Dorothy. I thought it was brilliant. I cried buckets.
Hope you are not crying- other than in a good way and having a great week!
Spring is trumping winter-at last- as I write this. I saw our first robin on Sunday last. And the little chipmunk has emerged from the underground winter den, the one I imagine lined with my sunflower seeds.
Just after the snowstorm this guy below appeared acting like this, a sure sign of spring. The flock of females that were with him had wandered off but he hung about showing off, just because he can, I guess. I'm curious about the mechanics of this- being able to lift all these feathers and change certain body bits to different and bright colours is amazing. Nature is always so interesting.
Our bank of ice/snow here at the front door is still there, sigh. It's in the shade so we joke at this rate it might be May before it's gone. Still below freezing temperatures overnight coaxing this thought. It also means we still can't order a new fridge because getting the old one out and a new one in over that snow bank would be dangerous. On the up side I'm getting in lots of steps going up and down stairs to the cold room. I hate talking on -and on, about weather and I know before too long I will be complaining about humidity....
I just read someone's post who shared the 102 hst's she had cut, prepped and readied for sewing. My mind just boggles at the thought of all that measuring and cutting in one go. I am in awe of you folks with your prolific cutting and machine stitching abilities! But it did spur me on to spend more time practicing accuracy machine stitching a few more of those 4 at a time HST's into blocks myself. So much stopping to measure and trim though! But here they are...I wish I'd pressed them for the photo but I think they look okay. I'm going to call this my closer counts project, LOL. I wonder what the name of this block is. I plan to make more in reds for the April RSC colour.
More about my Liberty's Birds, ...I think I showed this one prepped, ready to be stitched down before. I got sidetracked when I decided to swap out this brighter yellow fabric for the beige print I'd originally chosen. Why not go bright, I thought. Such nice easy applique. This is the Bluebird block.
That snarl of embroidery thread there is an example of thrifty me. I keep all leftover threads from old embroidery projects and have several unruly "balls" of them. I pull out the colours I can reuse in these applique projects. Yes, I know these should all be individually rewound onto bobbins or something (which does happen at the start of new projects), but no, not in this house.
Update.. this week I spent a few hours stitching and embellishing this block.
Just need to have a think about the eye, the feet and I also debated adding a wing. Do you think he looks a little bare? This is a first for me... With three blocks basically finished, I'm ahead on this project as per the SAL. Don't think I've ever been able to write that sentence before.
Someone asked what have I been cooking. I seem to be doing a lot of assembling these days. For instance, I put together a massive mostly vegetable soup in the Crock Pot (which I've been calling the slow cooker). I put in carrots, onions, celery, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, chicken broth and sausage meat from a couple of leftover sausages. It made dinner with cheesy bread and then lunch the next day. And, btw, there are two great thrift finds in this photo below. The tablecloth, brought out for April, is April Cornell and a big find for me several years ago. Love the colours. It's getting that well washed/ well loved look.
I'm forgetting some things (unlike Tony whose brain is so sharp). Here is an example... this Royal Stafford bowl which I'm pretty sure was a thrift find as I can't think where it would have come from otherwise. I would have paid around $3.99 for it. It features many fruit and flower details and an old fashioned English haying and mill scene. I found an identical used one on Etsy for $24 Canadian. So perhaps it was a great find too???LOL
These loon babies look soooo comfortable they put a smile on my face and did you know they are called loonlets, which I find hard to pronounce. I also noted how vigilant the mother was. I'm discovering how wonderful most bird mothers can be...not all of them mind you, but by far the most.
I notice birds seem to be featured in this post. With that in mind I'll share the link to the cutest little chicken cross stitch free design at our generous friend's latest post...Melisa at Pinker n Punkin Quilting & Stitching. She also shares a beautiful Easter quilt in that post.
And it's time to share this video I've had in my queue for awhile...Corrine shows how to slow stitch a little bird. She approaches it like solving a puzzle. This method just requires basics...scissors, fabrics, ruler, needle and thread. Corinne's YouTube channel is called To Be Loved Treasures By Corrine.
The free pattern for this particular bird pattern can be found at Charming TribeHERE. And I think I've seen it in various forms other places too.
I've been puzzled why I feel so much more energetic some days than others. As I've said I keep notes and they don't provide any real answers. I like to be up in the mornings an hour before sitting...that's easy here with chores and Ned but it feels like some mornings I have to push myself. I remember my younger grandmother saying this too. She said some mornings she felt like she could jump over the moon and then others barely move. So maybe it is a natural ebb and flow. What about you?
Easter plans are for a ham dinner. Anything special happening at your house?
Just in bloom or is blooming the right word for them I wonder. I was admiring this welcome spring sight while another sign of spring filled my ears...the peepers and frogs are making such a racket these mornings down by the pond.
One morning, I crept about because a Canada Goose was taking a nap on the far side. Like the little squirrel in the last post, I feared there was something amiss seeing it flat out in the grass like this.
But no, it aroused and flew off seemingly right as rain. That prompted me to look up how geese sleep and it seems it was unusual to see it in such a position. And I also learned they have one of those special brains where half can sleep while the other half is awake so they can sleep even when flying!!! What we couldn't accomplish with a brain like that!
I had Ned's family here for a long weekend- his mother, Abby, and brother, Petey. The three had a good time but I noticed Abby really showing her age. She is 8 now and did not run for the ball like she used to. Petey is still the most athletic of the three and still a very enthusiastic ball player. They are such loving dogs. Instead of one constant companion, I have three when they are here.
I noticed Abby and Petey alerted more to the critters around the yard. I guess Ned is so used to them he hardly notices now. This fox hung around the front bird feeders one day and the dogs went mad. If he heard them, it didn't bother him as he was busy eating seeds. He looked in great condition and I love how thick and round the tail is. Their noses really are pointy. I often think that feature gets exaggerated in art. But what a beauty!
I didn't stitch as much on the weekend. But I've been appliquing since and thought I'd better take stock of this project. This is how many basket bottoms I've finished now for Norma's Basket Love. I'm finding men's shirt fabric...a lot of it, can lend itself well to repro looking projects.
Time to start thinking about the handles.
I've also laid a few more stitches on my England Quakers. I've abandoned sheepie and worked on this tower motif. I don't know what it represents and the resident Englishman also could not identify it so a little disappointing. England has a lot of towers. If you know please tell me.
I've been fooling around with my indoor plants. Repotted a couple and divided two of them. I filed my fingernails really short because I just can't seem to keep gloves on while I'm at the dirt. This is the time of year I need to look at the garden plants too with an eye to separating some as well. The Yucca, for one, has been overgrown for a couple of summers and needs pruning attention. It has just emerged from the snow and ice. Looking battered but still strangely green.
I'll have to read up again on how to tend to it. It's really old and I wonder how long they live. Still cool here this morning...I just checked and the wind chill is -4 so brisk when Ned and I head out in a few minutes.
Outside temp is the top one...wish it displayed wind chill.
It is spring finally now, as you see in the fox photo, it doesn't take long for the grass to start turning green. These new signs of blooming, the bird calls, the smells in the forest are all magical to me. I love them all.
At Not Afraid of Color, folks are sharing their memories of Easter baskets. I always got one of those flimsy coloured ones with fake straw and one big chocolate egg with some of those small colourful candied eggs. This was not a big deal to me as I didn't have a sweet tooth. I think I passed most of it along to my sister and brother but would have kept the basket to store things. What about you? Did baskets feature in your Easter?
Hope there is something magical in your day that delights you and pleases you!
Spring has been put on pause while we had a day and half snowstorm starting Tuesday and actually have had light snow falling every day since. Lots of the fresh stuff on the ground and trees; it makes for pretty photos. So Christmassy....big sigh.
We've had snow much later than this here so I'm not that upset. Though still below freezing overnight, it's getting to be more pleasant by noon so this snow won't last. And in spite of this or to spite it, my mind has turned to gardening thoughts. I'm interested in exploring a new to us perennial, Hellebores or Lenten/Christmas Rose, for this year's addition. Supposedly very hardy which it will need to be here with the swing from freezing to extreme heat we can experience heading into summer. Aren't they pretty.
I've added many flowering bushes over the years so I thought maybe a new blooming flower for the garden is in order. Of course, Amazon offers lots of choice for seeds but it will be a while before I'll be digging the ground. I'm going to explore another way to start them, not the toilet paper rolls this year. More later about that.
A pile of "stuff" always accumulates where my chair is in the living area. I'm still very much into paper and not using the various aps on my computer for note taking. I have to write things down with my black ink pens still. I keep a (mostly) daily journal of my food, vitamins, exercise, mail orders, etc. I have another little journal where I note things I read around the net or free patterns, etc. so mostly internet stuff to do with books or my stitching hobbies. I also record what we watch on tv.
Yes, I'm beginning another Louise Penney book I got at the library...I've not been able to get "into" her writing but so many folks have, I believe I'm missing out so keep trying.
We have finished Wolf Hall and enjoyed it very much.
While I sorted our winter bedding to stow away and pulled out the summer sheets-yes I did that! etc., I watched/listened to several YouTube videos about that era and learned more about Thomas Cromwell.
And I have a confession to make...I also keep up with all the Royal Family news. I enjoy hearing the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gossip too. I like Palace Confidential in particular.
In the sewing room...yes I actually got in there and practised stitching HST's. I've mentioned before I'm at the kindergarten level when it comes to quilt measuring and cutting. I noticed that Jennifer, The Inquiring Quilter, offers a number of wonderful YouTube videos about the various methods of sewing these. I decided to sew along to this particular video which shows how to make four at a time.
And sewed a few for practice.
Now Jennifer doesn't prefer this method because of issues with bias stretching. In another of her videos I saw how Thangles could be used to make very accurate HST's. Sounds like a good thing for me to use. HERE is their website if you'd like to check them out too.
This week I was embroidering...and with thoughts of pretty garden flowers, the Floralies project got some attention. Translated from the French, that means FlowerShow.
This is a welcome break from the thread counting my cross stitched project requires. I prefer a small needle for all my hand stitching. Someone asked which size and I'll have to take note the next time I get one from the packet.
I'm going to end this post as I don't like letting them get too long and chance boring you. Apparently I'm gabby on paper...not so much in real life.
Hope you are all well, that it is beautiful seasonal weather where you are and you are enjoying your present stitchy projects, too.
Tony called me to take a look at this little guy on the back yard railing. He'd been watching him for some time and he hadn't moved.
Sorry the reflection of the front door glass is weirdly caught in this photo.
He thought he might have died as he was so still. We kept watching and breathed a sigh of relief to see it lift its head and glance about but stay where it was. Then we wondered if it was sick or something. But it eventually stood up, stretched out each of its tiny back legs and took off running. It was sunbathing! It too recognized how rare these warming beams have been. A relief!
The front yard is looking springish but the roof snow is hanging on. Out my kitchen window.
The pond is overflowing its bank, a regular spring occurrence. These geese are in an area that is normally grassland. Taken from a great distance so as not to disturb them.
Inside my stitching hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. I worked on the England in Quakers project...I began another little motif but the result was this. I didn't like it so frogging had to happen.
And then I tried the little sheep design. I had to use this grey thread as the called for white was too white for my fabric. But I'm noticing a difference in weight between the colours...very slight of course, but enough to make the stitches look too crowded on this thread count fabric like this grey is looking. I'm debating more frogging...actually the more I look at this the more I'm sure I'll be removing these too. I'll use a couple of French knots for the eyes and he will be cute eventually.
I've stitched three EPP stars/hexagons in reds, this month's RSC colour -my only photo cut off part of one which I didn't notice till now. Luckily I have lots of red fabrics on hand.
We finished this series... I cried at the ending. Any of you watch it?
The spring sunshine is illuminating in more ways than one. Like making visible this very intriguing spiderweb that just seemed to materialize in a back bedroom, a room I'm seldom in. It had a rounded funnel shape which made me wonder if its maker was a more unusual spider. I left it there which I know would drive some people crazy but you all know how I love all the critters. I'm going to check back and see if I can get a glimpse of the spinner.
What kind of housekeeper am I!
We recognize we need to downsize. This won't be easy as Tony has a thing about needing land mostly as space from neighbours. It's hard to find the combination of smaller house and big property. Since I have lived in so many places and in many types of housing, I really don't care what it needs to be except less chores on the land and in the house. I would be very happy in a condo, for instance, but that would be Tony's nightmare, LOL. When I was very young I used to worry about the eventual having to leave a house you'd lived in for decades...I was thinking about my older grandmother, the fisherman's wife, who had to do just that or maybe a farmer's wife who would find it so unbearable and poignant to leave their home after a lifetime living in the very same spot. Well, that turned out to be another of those totally senseless worries that occupied space in this strange head of mine.
In my middle of the night mind ramblings recently I was thinking of losses and out of the blue this line came to me...You have to give a little, take a little, and let your poor heart break a little...Recognize it?
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