I've got the garbage put out. With the composting and the fires, I usually only have garbage to put out every three weeks but there is always lots of recycling. Realized my Gorilla cart does not do well in snow. It gave my arms quite the workout on the small hills from the basement back door around the house to our driveway. And I wished at one point we did not live down such a long winding laneway either. But the air was so beautiful, cold and crisp, and I know a little workout is good for me. Then I went back out and used the old fire ashes to scatter along the tire marks where ice had formed overnight in the laneway, a very old use of ashes here in wintry Ontario. Two chores done.
I've set up a small table in this main area of the house and decided to use it for a hand quilting table. Don't know why I never thought of this before. I'm using my very large and old Ott Floor Lamp.
I'm already noting that having it there in sight and very handy has encouraged me to continue the hand stitching. Apparently, I need all the encouragement I can get. First up is to finish this scrappy quilt with Prim Stars outlined in the black squares.
I think I showed you before this bag of threads below I bought at a thrift store. Imagine 10 cents a ball and from KMart! Most of it is the thinner threads used to crochet doilies but I'm using the thicker in this quilt. It feels fine, not too nish...now that is a good old Newfoundland word for you, one I grew up with my mother using. We pronounced it "neesh". It means tender or delicate. Mom used it to describe fabric or skin. Being partly Irish, it was a given that our skin would be considered nish.
I'm happy with how far along I've gotten the Autumn Quakers piece. Next time it comes out I should get it finished. Meanwhile, I've decided to indulge myself by stitching something completely in season, a Christmas piece, Redwork Noel, by Joan Elliott. I do love redwork of any kind and using the very cheery DMC 321, which we all agree is a Christmas red, is such a happy thing to be doing.
I'm using a white 24 count Evenweave fabric of unknown origin that I found in my drawer. 2 over 2 Very enjoyable stitching especially with no colour changes, which is wonderful after the Autumn Quakers which in my hands wound up with 20 different shades/colours!
You can take a look at the pattern on the great 123Stitch site. Here is a close up of my scant beginning. With cross stitching, simple stitches can make a pretty edging.
Thanks to Brad, we have some signs of Christmas here. This is a real evergreen wreath, very well constructed and heavy.
And this beautiful large poinsettia that I'm admiring so much. Every year I have to relearn how to spell that word...I want to call it Point-settia for some reason.
Things I'm looking forward to...getting out my wool, wrapping Christmas presents, cooking a turkey, a last minute shop in the local small town. What are you looking forward to just now with the big event getting so close? Hope your list is long!
For my American friends who are thinking about their Great American Thanksgiving...having a very long neck is very useful.
Speaking of which, I enjoy watching Becky at her Acre Homestead YouTube site. She cooks amazing and easy meals and her Thanksgiving videos, in particular, are wonderful. Here she is with her Mom preparing an incredible Thanksgiving feast.
Though a project kind of on the side, I've stitched another of Mom's Redwork blocks. This is the provincial flower of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Pitcher Plant. It grows in bogs or fens and the most interesting thing about it is that it is a carnivorous plant. Yes, it eats bugs such as ants and mosquitoes. I wish I had a few growing around here.
It is a treat to come across one as they are a little rare. Pretty reds and burgundies.
I also have been quilting the Christmas Coins quilt...
I used a Christmasy green up and down the seams of the cream strips. I don't necessarily want this to be seen, just wanted a good hold of the three layers. Here is the back where I'm struggling a little to keep the stitches even while getting through the layers. I usually improve at this as I go along.
I plan on hand quilting a fancy pattern up and down those strips when I finish securing it all.
I've had a busy week which included three health appointments, one of which was my own checkup. We also had our chimney sweep, Rick, here and because of the snow, he cleaned ours from the inside. We were relieved he didn't want to tackle a metal roof with ice and snow on it. He is the most jolly fellow, full of stories about his chicken farm and laughs a lot. Our chimney is good now for a couple of years.
Out my kitchen window this morning...the school buses have been taken off the roads because of the ice which they are calling an Ice Day.
It is cosy and warm here by my fire and I think today I'll indulge in a second cup of coffee before I start more chores. Take care everyone.
Last week ...Flying leaves and raindrops on our big trail. A leafy carpet underfoot. Pretty much over because we had a snowy forecast and light snow on the ground the last two days. Still a light frost overnight so not that freezing. All the flower pots had been moved inside already. It is cold and crisp on my walks these mornings and darker but so enjoyable in the fresh air. Speaking of which, on my afternoon walk with Tony and Ned on Sunday, I lagged behind admiring this branch lying on the side of the walk looking like a little picture.
Then ran fast (for me!) to catch up, stubbed my toe on a rock and nearly went face first into the ground. Just barely managed to stay upright. My heart pounded and I couldn't believe how stupid I was to try that on a woods trail with roots and rocks everywhere. When will I learn!!
Meanwhile, back safely inside and staying upright...I've spent the last two nights sorting fabric scraps in front of the tv. I've bagged them according to colour but no matter which way I sort them, it's still messy to me. I really don't want to waste any more hours sorting bits of cloth. I may be ready to let some just go.
But I did find several larger pieces that didn't belong with scraps including one that perfectly suits as backing for my latest improv table mat. Unpressed-sorry.
I think I was meant to find it...my reward for doing so much sorting. This, hopefully, will be finished this week.
While sorting the scraps I also looked through my deep WIP's drawer and made a decision about which one I would choose for my Stories From the Sewing RoomNovember OMG. Settled on this one below to layer up and get started with the hand quilting. A version of Christmas Chinese Coins. I remember how pleased I was to use up lots of scraps in this one and how the neutral strips contrasted well with the colourful blocks. Linking up with finishing school over at So Scrappy.
Besides the difficulty of staying on my feet, here's another sad and a little scary side effect of being out in the garden and on the trails...ticks. I'm up to number 7 found on me with three that were attached. One you may remember I went to the pharmacists and took the medicine to prevent Lyme Disease...it's just two little pills. The other two on me were there for less than 10 hours so probably okay. I haven't counted in this list the one that suddenly appeared on my lap top one morning after I'd just sat down from my walk. Ned takes regular flea and tick medicine. Tony has only ever had one tick on him in his life. So yes, I'm the tick magnet champion in this house! But I will be getting a break as they usually disappear with colder temperatures so another plus about having changing seasons here living in the woods.
Do check back again soon as I have found a few more great links for interesting patterns and free designs as the fall season proceeds here in Canada and Christmas is on the horizon.
Hope your week is going well, you are upright and having fun with your hobbies.
Thank you all for the well wishes leading up to our storm that yes indeed, we did get. There was snow and blowing snow, then rain which was really weird, then back to a blizzard like I'd never seen here in Ontario.
And it kept up for over three days!
We were fortunate to not have a power outage though lots of folks did. We did have a little drama when our propane tank ran dry...a computer glitch about refills at the company office, and they sent a chap out here at 10:30 at night to fill our tank. Thankfully the major roads were mostly cleared by then. The fellow that came was so nice, even stayed with Tony to make sure our furnace was working well before he left. I am unsure what to do in situations like that- to tip or not I mean. It being Christmas, we did and I was happy- he seemed surprised but then very grateful.
It was a lovely Christmas with my tiny family insisting of coming here for the Christmas Eve present exchange so we didn't have to brave the weather. They brought the drinks and food, nibbling things and hors-d'oeuvres.
Then the bigger gathering including in laws at Daughter's for the feast was the next day. This year's meal included seafood-crab and scallops. All so delicious. I overate and I topped it off by having two pieces of cake...I figured what the heck, it's my 71st Christmas! Daughter had made a deep chocolate cake with a candy cane marshmallow frosting. The combination was irresistible to me. Robbie even said to me I knew you were going to like that Nana. :D
Another shake up in the sewing room accompanied by the sound of wind howling outside the window. Again with the never ending scrap sorting. This latest sorting by colours. About half way through here. On the upside I came across lots of scraps for the Pyramids and also more large enough for the Trees project.
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A review of Panama Pyramids- yes I have enough to proceed with sewing it all together. There are now 120 blocks done, all with EPP; that's a lot of tiny hand stitches. Am I completely mad, LOL. Here are the last three batches I finished, on the wall to see what they look like together. BTW, the original plan was to match these blocks to the monthly RSC but that fell by the wayside.
I've chosen a yellow to alternate triangles with these. Though there are a number of Panama Pyramid quilts around the web using that colour, I will have to try it out to see if it works for me.
Then I'd love to have those triangles all cut and ready to sew by machine this week.
Ned is now allowed walks on the lead which is good for me. It's not as much fun to walk alone I found out.
Thank you for all the lovely Christmas messages! I am so thankful for this wonderful supportive blogging community of ours! And you all enjoy this time now till the next big day.
Linking up with Texas Quilt Gal and I'd like to thank Linda for her wonderful hosting of the To Do party. And a big thank you also to Carol at Quilt Schmilt who is taking over.
Both daughters and their partners went to New York City recently. They had a wonderful time. We got happily sidetracked from our usual routine while having Robbie with the dogs, Abbey and Petey, here for five days. Robbie has a busy schedule counting all the hockey practices and games. And school of course, Grade 4 this year. Ned was completely in his glee to the point the first night he panted so much I was afraid he would have a heart attack! There was lots of ball playing to keep them busy. Petey, the most athletic of the three, does not have to work as hard to keep up.
Yes, still no snow! Our kind Autumn has turned into a kind Winter-so far.
Robbie helped me decorate and this year we decided to put the Santas and Angels together on one big table for the first time ever.
He saw his quilt blocks on the wall and liked them. One more row to sew on.
We decided together to make a border of the remaining bright fabric with black from a jelly roll I have. The black matches the small stars in the background material too which are hard to see in the photos. This hopefully will be ready for quilting this weekend.
Here is where my Autumn Quakers piece is now. See that circle on the right that I've stopped stitching. I've made a mistake there which isn't so bad but even with a ton of recounting, I can't find it. Grrr I just may have to take the whole motif out. SIGH
I have my tiny tree plugged into the computer again this year. It still works! Small things, Folks!
LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's prompt this week was our favourite Christmas cookie. I don't have a favourite as such but I will share one that always appeared at my Christmases while growing up. Mom always did a lot of baking for Christmas and one of the favourites was the pan of Broken Glass Squares she always made. These were jello based and she would use red and green jellos with a dream whip topping. I don't think there was any baking of a bottom involved in hers.To a kid, with the glowing red and green, they seemed like the perfect Christmas treat. Now would a square count the same as a cookie?
I couldn't find a recipe just like what Mom made though there are many variations of Cut Glass squares on the web. Leigh making her Grandma's Broken Glass dessert here has my mouth watering while watching it so I thought I'd share this instead of a recipe. Do you have a cookie you just have to make each year?
Amy Smart, the lady behind Diary of a Quilter collated more than 30 of her favourite Christmas Quilts, with links to patterns for all in that post.
Here is the link to the tutorial for this one called Patchwork Plaid Christmas.
She also has the tutorial for these very cute Flying Geese Mini Tree Ornaments found Here.
Sherri at A Quilting Life offers 11 Favorite Christmas Quilts to Make and Love, also with links to patterns and tutorials. This one, Takes the Cake, caught my eye because it looks like it could be made with EPP.
Ingrid at her blog, Joe June and Mae has a post called Best Quilted ChristmasStockings with a free stocking template and tutorial to make a hexie stocking.
So pretty!
I'm noticing more of the teal/aqua greens and pinks in Christmas sewing in recent years. It is a fresh looking combination.
Time is short; I can no longer afford to just drift. That is my mantra these days. Though in honesty I don't think I ever just drifted...I remember too much of it all, conversations for instance and my feelings during those conversations. No I have to think I was fully present, putting in lots of effort and responsible for whatever happened or didn't happen, whatever words came out of my mouth, whatever got done or got lost along the way, etc. And now suddenly it's yet another December and hopefully bringing with it a wonderful gift- my 71st Christmas! Life, it goes on, heh.
LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's prompt this week was to think of a Christmas movie that is a favourite. Two things I just loved growing up -the Walt Disney Show and cartoons. I made a vow when I was 9 or 10 to always love cartoons no matter how old I got (they truly were more innocent times!). I watched the Walt Disney Christmas cartoons as a kid, my girls watched them and I was so happy to find them on YouTube and share them with my grandsons. The production values were so good they stand the test of time. BTW, do you have a Christmas movie I should check out?
Someone mentioned the neat wooden wall I showed inadvertently in This post. Our whole house is wooden but with the flat logs not round. When I came across this photo of Tony holding up the Scandinavian Christmas hanging, I realized it shows what it looks like here in part of the main room. It is a very high ceiling so we have a lot of cubic space. Lynette Anderson Designs for a link to the hanging.
And that is Rex, our German Shepherd, the most loyal dog I've ever had.
Below, a close up photo of the appliqued snowmen block. What an enjoyable project that was!
Thursday's Three Free
One link this week but it's a doozy!
We All Sew offers a bank of 139 free patterns called Red and White Holiday Decor (though other colours are included). This is the Bernina site and there is so much to explore there. There are tutorials and templates provided to sew pin cushions, place mats, ornaments, quilts and just about anything else that comes to mind. Here is a smattering...
Vintage ornaments seem to be a modern theme this year.
This one is called the Fair Isle Pillow.
Of course, Dresdens caught my eye. This is called Peppermint Candy.
You'll have to check it out yourself. But at your own risk because I'm pretty sure you will find something you would love to sew. :D
And for my slow stitching pals, comes this bank of free hand embroidery patterns found at this link- Needlework Craft Gossip.
Someone is watching me. Present day dog, Ned, keeping watch, resting his head on the coffee table wants another walk so must go. Silent imploring, LOL.
Chicory is in bloom along the country road sides. It is a true late summer sight here in Ontario. I love the blooms and their unique shade of blue. Blue always seems like a special colour when found in flowers.
And I was happy to welcome bluebirds at the birdbath and the feeder all summer long. Here is a small one about to take a dip.
I got to go thrifting with Daughter last month and it was another great outing. It was a Tuesday so seniors get 20% off that day. I always challenge myself to see what I can find for $20. Here are three of my finds that met my mark.
This quilted bag is very large and beautiful with its bright red and green prints. It is also reversible and in perfect condition. Several people commented on it including the check out lady. $5.98
This new with tags tea cosy with the bright chicken on it and ripe corn speaks of autumn. I liked that it was extra large and could cover most of our large coffee turned tea pot. The tag said $4.99 and it was priced $1.99.
I was very interested in this necklace below...the tag said Kazuri and I loved how heavy the stones felt and the pretty designs. The turquoise and pale greens were so pretty together, not to mention the designs. $3.99 and when I looked it up I found out this was made in Kenya. Kazuri means small and beautiful in Swahili. Retails for over $50, made by women. I was delighted this came home with me.
Thrift store shopping is so carefree and perfect recycling with the added fun of feeling like a treasure hunt. Though prices have risen, things can still be found for a real bargain.
✅From Wanda at Exuberant Color comes a point I second...she says she wouldmuch rather her scrap bag be in her estate sale than her yardage. So cut into that yardage!
I'm feeling a little tired which I will explain in Thursday's post. My TO Do list this week was and is to take care of Hubby. In terms of stitching, I've been embroidering more of the Moda Holiday Stitchalong blocks that I started last year. I need time to warm up my running stitch I noticed. That's new. These patterns are still available HERE. Still to be discovered: how to incorporate these into a quilty project.
I've been giving Fraktur Flowers attention for the month of December. Hard to believe we are down to just hours of 2021 left, isn't it.
My sister always sends me a lovely Christmas parcel. I've not read this book. Any of you? And of course, Liberty of London little sticky notes are very pretty.
And the tiny owl ornament with its' message is also so appropriate for me on both counts.
My happiest thing this week is having the Jewel Box Quilt all finished off. Funnyhow that can happen when you spend all your stitching time on one project. I used my walking foot to run quilting lines through all the red blocks.
For the backing, I used up these two coordinating fabrics I had in my cupboard for ages.
I made a sashing of red, then pulled the backing around for a narrow finishing edge. Since I wound up using batting for the middle layer, it is really too fluffy for a tablecloth. Better suited for a lap quilt so will be a little gift in the future for someone.
Another week in another year almost done... an early winter sunset.
What a supportive world the blogging stitching community is!
Thank you all for the sympathetic comments about maintaining good mental health throughout these very strange times. 💖Thank you to those who shared with me your experiences and suggestions; I appreciated that so much. I'm feeling well and almost back to my mostly very positive self.
It will be a quiet ringing in of the New Year here at the wooden house. But it's all good!
Enjoy your evening, your day tomorrow and cheers to a wonderful new year for all of us!
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