Friday, 20 February 2026

YouTube Stitching Stars, Flicker Blocks, Slow Stitching

 It is happening, the lengthening of the days I mean. It is already noticeable but of course, we are still under banks of snow and will be for several more months. March can be our snowiest month here so I won't be seeing buttercups any time soon. But still, the tiny steady slivers of extra light each day add up. 

And I finally managed a photo to show why this fellow is called an Eastern Cottontail. Isn't it cute! I called all rabbits "bunny rabbits" growing up. Did you?

Slow stitching- I should say really slow stitching has me at this point now on What Remains is Love. This photo shows the true colour of this linen and it suits the floss colours very well. That's my butterfly mug, a gift from grandson,Jack, who I'm so happy to say is doing really well these days. 
Thank you to those who mentioned to me this block below is called the Flicker block. I will call them that from now on. So here are my latest Flicker blocks using up green scraps too and my eye is drawn to more flowery fabrics... thinking of blossoms I guess. Loving linking with Angela's RSC party.
These work well with an assembly line kind of thing in the sewing room.  In reality, I'm using up just scraps, but inexplicably, the bin is still just as full. I have never heard anyone say And that was the very last of my scraps. :)

I watched this episode of Red Velvet Quilts on Youtube yesterday. This was a flosstube video but Carrie is a very talented stitcher and shares her quilting too. If I haven't already mentioned, you should check out her episode where she shares her quilting kits. It's a great way to see what's available from many sites.

 Carrie showed her fancy tea warming cup/thermos thingy and I thought that's neat so I looked it up on Amazon. It is a great idea but comes with a hefty price tag. I guess it would make a good gift sometime. That made me think of my old grandparents who, in my younger years, had a wood stove in the kitchen that they used for both heating and cooking. It had a shelf above with a door you lifted and where you could put food to keep warm. It also had a water tank on one end so you could always have warm water. And you could also place your teapot and cup there to keep your tea warm. It was connected to a brick chimney that went through a bedroom above the kitchen and into the roof so upstairs got one very cosy bedroom too. All this for the price of your own labour cutting wood. How far we've come from those days ( like me checking out a $139 tea warmer) and, as the old timers would say, are we any better off???

And that made me think about how I've always wanted to stitch the famous Dear Jane quilt. Whenever I think of sadly bedridden Jane, I picture her in an upstairs bedroom in a house like that of my grandparents. The Dear Jane book does not seem to be widely available, not even in a library. I really don't understand that, what with the runaway popularity of that project throughout the years and even today. 

Lots of stitchers have shared their Dear Jane journey on YouTube and in fact, a number are doing so just now. Jaynes' Stitches is one who is stitching the blocks using various methods and sharing tutorials.

I just thought I wonder what that smell is. I'd completely forgotten I'm making chicken soup and put the carcass in the crock pot which is doing its thing. Oh my. What can I say. Luckily some days I still seem to be sharper than others. 

I do hope you are staying alert, minding your stoves and keeping your stitchy fingers flying.

So happy and grateful to share this post with wonderful linky parties...The Inquiring QuilterKathy's QuiltsCreations Quilts Art, Quilting is More Fun Than HouseworkSongbird DesignsSmall Quilts and Doll QuiltsMelva Loves Scraps and Alycia Quilts. Thank you all for hosting!




19 comments :

Magpie's Mumblings said...

aaaawww - that bunny is so cute! Great photo.
I wonder if, at some point, there might be a reprinting of the Dear Jane book because it does seem to be popular still.

Delighted Hands said...

I'm notorious for forgetting something on the stove ! Yes, bunny rabbits is the name we use, too! lol The Flicker blocks are very pretty!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

the dear Jane book can be found on Amazon is used books I think but the prices are very expensive for some reason - I don't know if you would be able to find them on Canadian Amazon sites - I imagine they have different sites for each country or I'm I wrong on that?

Gwyned Trefethen said...

Yes, I do think I referred to rabbits as bunny rabbits when I was young. Not sure when I realized there were multiple breeds. As for Dear Jane, EQ 8 has an add on with all the blocks that they are currently promoting. Not something I aspire to, but for those interested in making their own Dear Jane quilt it could be a great place to start.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

We have the cottontails here, too, in Colorado, but are they Western cottontails, I wonder? Ours sure look like your photo! Your cross-stitch design is lovely, Jocelyn, and so is that mug. I like the Flicker block, too! A fun to way to sew with scraps.

Jackie said...

I love the smaller cottontails which stay brown all year round. Jack rabbits on the other hand are just too big to think of being cute.
The flicker blocks are so cute.

God bless.

Rosemary Dickinson said...

I love your bunny picture. You always get the best pictures of the animals around you. Your flicker blocks are coming along nicely. The days are getting longer but the snow just doesn't seem to stop! I'm looking forward to warmer temperatures and no snow!!

Linda at Texas Quilt Gal said...

Your grandson chose a pretty mug! I love your Flicker blocks, they are so pretty and delicate. I literally laughed out loud here in my sewing room at "I have never heard anyone say And that was the very last of my scraps." :D

Sara said...

I still call them bunnies, and we have plenty around our back yard. In spite of the family of cats that have adopted us. The flicker blocks are very cute.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Super sweet Flicker blocks, Jocelyn! I've made them before, but hadn't heard that name for them.

Kathy S. said...

Those are sweet blocks. I have those made into a little mat about 8" x 12". It sits next to my computer.

Deb A said...

I still call them bunny rabbits! Those are sweet little blocks. The stove you mentioned reminds me of the old stoves (saw one in use up in Quebec City when I was visiting relatives 40+ years ago) with the bread warmer area, cooking area and all the little compartments. Those old fireplaces really did warm up that one room upstairs. Hope you are warm and toasty and enjoying that soup later.

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

I called that rabbit at Cottontail. Growing up we had Cottontails and Jack rabbits that lived on the property. My kids called them all bunnies! I hope you are enjoying your slow stitching. . .really slow or only slow. . .when progress is made it is all great!

Gladi Porsche said...

I’m loving those extra slivers of light, too - sky lightening at 6 AM now and night not fully descending until after 5:30. I have the Dear Jane book, I believe, and am never going to make it so would be happy to send it to you if you want it and I can find it🙂. Let me know! (aporsche1@comcast.net)

CathieJ said...

You just reminded me to go stir my pot of meatballs, sausage tomato sauce that is on the stove. Chicken soup sounds like a great idea also. What a cute bunny. We get them in our back yard sometimes. Your cross-stitch is very pretty. Those Flicker blocks are pretty.

Susie H said...

Jocelyn, you are such a hoot! Glad you kept up with the soup and your story about the wood stove warmed me to the bone. Sweet little cottontail too. He looks plenty warm even if out in the snow. Have a great weekend!

Kim said...

It's amazing how one's fabric scraps never seem to disappear. Your days are inching towards more light and mine here, are lessening. I'm a bit sad about that. I didn't know Jane was bedridden. There are throngs of people fashioning quilts from her beautiful patterns. I'm loving your 'Flicker' blocks. They are so cheerful.

Bonnie said...

Mr Cottontail is a show stealer! He is cute but does he decimate your veggie garden. (Or maybe you don't have a veggie garden...) We used to have a bunny that came in our yard but Sunny, the dog, doesn't allow any other animals in HER yard. Do go look at Judy's counted cross stitch Dear Jane. She's almost done... maybe tomorrow she'll show a finished piece. https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com

Brenda @ Songbird Designs said...

What a cute bunny!! Your cross stitch piece looks amazing. I really like the linen you are using and it does go well with the floss colors. I also really love that header photo! Great job. The Flicker blocks look like fun. They remind me of butterflies! Thanks for sharing with us at Monday Musings. Have a great weekend.