Snowy Blowy January Sewing Days

 Last Saturday night we had a small snowstorm that blanketed all the land including the icy paths. It was so pretty the next day in the woods. I am getting lots more enjoyment out of this winter maybe because of having Petey with us. He revels in the snow and the ball playing so much and also just romping all about on our walks. It is truly joyful to watch him. Here he is playing with his ball in the snow.

 Our Ned on the other hand, moves as little as possible and is quite happy moseying along just smelling the snowflakes. You would never guess that he is the one who will run away and it is because of that wonderful nose of his. How different the two brother are!

I glanced at the turkeys at the feeder and spied the bunny ears. They seemed not to heed each other at all. Nothing is afraid of bunnies it seems. I've been making sure the feeders are full as it's been a very cold and snowy winter with a dose of freezing rain already. 

Last year I worked steadily on one RSC EPP project and I want to work on a couple this year just to have more variety. I'm still looking. Meanwhile, I began another Snowman hanging which I found in this book below from my own little library. It's called Country Quilts For Friends written by Margaret Peters and Anne Sutton of Bunnyhill fame. I would love to stitch every seasonal project in this book. It seems I'm not happy unless I'm appliquing something. The pretty blues are deeper than the photo shows. 

I love Snowmen and here is a photo of the project. Another great thrift store book find.

 I've got the blocks cut and most of the 17 snowmen ready for stitching. I'm hoping to get in the sewing room today to choose two fabrics for the little 4 patch blocks. Funnily that will be the hardest part for me.

  I laid more stitches on What Remains is Love. I'm enjoying working with this fabric. Many of you commented that you liked this sentiment and you can check out the pattern HERE at 123Stitch. 

And I also finished the left side of the Blackbird Designs Christmas table cloth. I have the other side finished too but it needs measuring and trimming. I've finally learned from sad experiences to stitch everything with generous seam allowances then trim. 

Joy at Days Filled with Joy (what a great name!) is hosting a SAL for a tabletopper. From her first video, I learned how to cut a square from a fat quarter. This will be a quick and easy 3 part SAL. 

We are doing okay but since Christmas there seems to always be something needing attention outside  the house. Being a confirmed homebody, yes, this is a nuisance. And with steady snowfalls including two storms- update, make that three, we are struggling to keep our long laneway cleared and open. Some of you may remember the only time we've needed an ambulance here, which was for Tony, they could not get down the laneway. That event has made me more aware of the importance of cleared access. Tony insists on doing the plowing himself and I do applaud him for his determination to keep moving, but I keep hoping he will change his mind and we avail of one of the many snow clearing services here.  

Our outings included a round of appointments for Tony who is holding his own healthwise which is encouraging. He has an upcoming appointment for another CT scan on his lungs to check on that nodule. He thinks he is weaker but I don't see any difference except he is coughing more. He had the sad news that his longest and very like minded friend passed away last week. He was ten years younger than Tony but had struggled with lung and heart problems in recent times and it was his heart that gave out in the end. He was a brilliant fellow and, in fact, has a son who works with Google and gives Ted Talks.

Thank you all for the comments on my last post. More people have said to me how rare it is for a doctor to do that; in fact, what happened to me seems to be something fairly rare but I'm happy to hear does happen. 

I hope these January days are filled with all the little things that you love because, in the end, it is lots of those little things that wind up meaning the most. 

Happy to share with linky parties at Kathy's Quilts, Alycia Quilts, Life in Pieces and Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.

 

Quilt Project From My Library, Finishing Hand Quilting, Medical Story

I've been really busy. Well, what seems to be busy for us. Daily chores and lots of shovelling too. There for a few days it kept snowing every day, all day. We ran the snowmobile over the trails to flatten them for our walks. I've been taking the dogs down to our frozen pond for playing ball and they've been loving that. I get to do my little run about as well, safely, on a flat snow covered surface for now. The weather will change it soon enough. Update, it has. Milder temperatures and pouring rain for a day or two and then freezing at night so the pond is unwalkable just now. Sigh But more snow will change it back. I hope you are keeping well and away from the germs. There have been massive numbers of influenza cases here starting with the holidays. 

I've been busy with my stitching too. I mentioned I want to make a project from each of my stitchery books and I've also been casting about for a 2026 RSC project. I've found one in this book below that I'm going to give a try. This book provides the cardboard templates in the back which is very convenient. 

I've chosen the quarter Dresden block which I'd seen at the  Stitched in Color blog and loved the particular treatment Rachel used. Of course, I don't have anything like the stash that she has. But like hers, this time round, I'm going to aim for the brighter and bolder fabrics for backgrounds. So starting with blues, I found these fabrics to make a beginning. And as contrast, the blades will be low volume/neutral fabrics. These are my test blocks so to speak, and yes, I'm using EPP for the blades.

I think stitching these could hold my attention as we go through the colours each month. 

I've almost finished the hand quilting on my Christmas Presents quilt. After much messing about, I wound up getting it to feel comfortable for stitching draped over my lap. I use lots of pins and check often to make sure there are no folds or puckers on the back. But what I really had to overcome was my fear of the stitching being bad laying them like this. But so far I'm happy enough with my lines. 

LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's prompt this week is about singing. I used to sing just well enough to be in church choirs and then the university glee club. But after years of teaching, I developed a nodule on a vocal chord that changed my voice. Oddly I've noticed recently I can kind of sing again which I do on my walks with the dogs where no one can hear me. I wonder can these things clear up on their own. I'll have to look that up. 

 You can skip the following if you aren't like me who loves reading medical stuff-

I've been told I have mild IBS because I have symptoms about 3 times a year even though I'm pretty careful about my diet. I was scheduled for a colonoscopy during covid and decided to decline during that crazy period. So I mentioned it at a recent check up and the nurse practioner said yes, let's get you that consult with the gastroenterologist. A couple of months later and I've got my appointment. I've read a lot about the procedure; people have related their experiences to me with all agreeing the prep is the worst part. So I'd done my research and I felt good about getting this done and over with. The doctor was really young; looked about 20 to me which made me think of my grandfather who came back from taking a friend to the doctor and asked since when do they allow teenagers to be doctors. This fellow was wearing a mask cause he said he had a cold which made me think of Physician heal thyself. You see the foolishness that bounces around in this head of mine. Anyway, I could tell right away he, as one would expect, knew lots about diet and the brain/gut connection and all the IBS stuff. After chatting quite convivially for a couple of minutes, he told me I didn't need the colonoscopy. You don't need to put yourself through that were his exact words. If I insisted, he would proceed, of course, he said. He had a page of notes in front of him I assumed were from the nurse practitioner. I wished at that point he would leave the room so I could read them. Which I absolutely would do; would you? That makes me wonder, can you ask to read your medical file do you think?

Anyway, I said okay then, thanked him and left. Part of me is relieved and part of me is wondering if I should have gone ahead with it. Tony, the ever practical one, figures that doctor turned down quite a chunk of change to not proceed so I should accept that he was confident in telling me I didn't need it. Your thoughts, wonderful readers??? I should add here that I do the FIT every two years and that has always been negative so far. 

Right now I have a fruit fly situation in the kitchen I have to deal with. It comes with eating so much fresh vegetables and fruit. Perhaps why I don't need a colonoscopy I guess. :)

As soon as I press publish, I'm heading out for a walk and am now wearing my winter boots with the cleats attached. Really don't want to take a fall. And you all be careful too!

Happy to share this post with Alycia Quilts, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Quilting Patchwork Applique and Kathy's Quilts.

 

Patchwork Blocks, Sentimental Stitchy Start, Boldly Into 2026

It's the very beginning of a new year. And here I am this morning, filled to the brim with thoughts of the past- my old days, people that meant something to me and the many many ways I passed my time. All the ancient memories live on in this head of mine. Sometimes they are more vivid to me than what I did yesterday. 

 December 19 was my mother's birthday. She would have been 93 if she were alive. I've had this Blackbird Designs pattern, What Remains is Love, in my little collection for some time and made a scant beginning on her birthday this year. 

I plan to stitch her name on this one. It's Weeks Dye Works 32 count Straw linen.

My only other sentimental stitchery was the one I stitched for Tony and I just after our wedding. 

I've finished a few more blocks for the Blackbird Designs Christmas Tablecloth. I'm debating about doing the other appliqued block and maybe switching it out for more patchwork which definitely goes together faster. 

I'm about 50 pages into this Pulitzer Prize winning book below which my ex gave me for Christmas. It's posed here with Old Scrooge who has moving head and arms and his candle lights up and who everyone agrees is a little bit creepy.

I'm enjoying Marilynne's writing...kind of quietly interesting. She really takes her time to flesh out characters and get a story told which you might think would be boring, but thanks to the plentifold details and beautiful phrasing is definitely not. I wonder has she written any poetry.

We went to this special hockey game of Robbie's and enjoyed it very much. They billetted two of Japanese players and all had a wonderful time together. Brad has built an even bigger hockey rink in the backyard so the boys had a ball playing at all hours on it. 

 So Ruby Reindeer is soon back on the shelf till next year. Wish I'd thought to put on a bit of makeup for this photo. I'm seriously ghostly these days. I wear shawls a lot as they're easy to shuck off when I warm up. For this photo, I was thinking of just how do I want to face a new year.  I decided to try for bold. Yes, I can handle you, 2026.

I wish all reading this the most wonderful New Year; in fact, I hope it's your very best one yet!

So grateful for linky parties too, like these- Quilting Patchwork Applique, Creations Quilts Art, Melva Loves Scraps, Kathy's Quilts and Alycia Quilts.