Me in My Thrift Find, Hand Stitching Progress and Cake Too

 The only constant in my days is that they are flying by. Does time speed up in the summer months I wonder. We had Tony's birthday celebration last week and he is now 87 and counting. It was a somewhat sad day as he reflected on all the people he has lost including another good friend in recent months. Things brightened up though when we went out for a meal to a nearby restaurant with Beth and Brad. Beth made him a beautiful chocolate cake, his favorite. She uses Barry's recipe found at his site, Rock Recipes, and it was very moist and delicious. 

Everything is in full bloom which is beautiful. This means the weeds are also doing well. I've had to pull out a lot of Manitoba Maple as well as a new weed that grows straight and tall. Every day, I pick a part of one of the gardens to work on and spend about twenty minutes tidying it. Here is the view from my kitchen window these days with the Hydrangeas putting on their usual amazing show.

I said this would be the summer of dresses and I've added a couple to my wardrobe. This mauve one is a thrift store find from Old Navy. Though it isn't slimming, it is light and airy making it perfect for an Ontario summer. And this is as long as I'm letting my hair grow- to the bottom of my earlobes. That Smoke Tree is enormous. 

I'm happy with my summer of 2026 hand stitching progress too. Summer Feels is almost finished. I've just a few stitches here and there to add still. And I've finally gotten a photo that shows the true colour of that background linen. It's such a pretty shade. I've added three butterflies that weren't in the pattern. That is something I would never do in the past but now my thoughts are different. Who cares if I do that? No one is who. What's a summer garden without butterflies and they filled in sort of blank spaces. 

I'm finishing my appliqued Quarter Dresden project too. The last ten blocks are getting appliqued this week. I was aiming for 50 and I think I've sewn more than that. Such an enjoyable stitching project and I've loved every minute of each of the stages creating these blocks. Next will be layout decisions.

I've also been adding to my Liberty Puddles WIP. This was a SAL in 2022 run by The Strawberry Thief over on Facebook and there are videos available. I'm on the sixth panel now. Surely my scraps must be diminishing with all this scrappy stitching. You'd think, right. Here it is on the chair where I'd been stitching on the patio. 

The dogs are loving getting out for a long walk early morning before the day heats up. I shake a Bear Bell to warn any critters that might be about. A fox has been visiting the yard regularly lately and I really would not want an encounter with the dogs.

 They are so joyful running about and that always puts a smile on my face. 

I hope you are smiling too. 

It's a wild world out there. Is it just me or is it getting wilder??? Take care of yourself!

Loving All The Little Things

Back in 2016, just over ten years ago, I wrote this post called 5 Healthy Things I'm Doing.  I reread it recently and was happy to find I'm still doing those things most of the time. Though the oil pulling has fallen by the wayside, I've added a couple of other healthy habits. I'm so grateful I am still able to do these things. Who knows what tomorrow may bring!

My unofficial words for this year are keep moving. They've been in my mind all my adult life so it's not special for 2026. All my efforts to keep Tony moving flopped. On my very first visit to the farm I wanted to head out on the trail he said went through the woods along by the pasture. He didn't really want to but had to show me where to go so off we went. He's a reluctant mover, preferring to keep busy by doing chores. He stayed slim by controlling his diet. I really did think I would change him and that he would learn to enjoy walking, especially with the added bonus of seeing nature up close on his beautiful land. But it wasn't meant to be that that would be one of his things to love.

 Below is the little video our real estate agent made when we were selling that 100 acre property. The farm land was rented to a neighbour. Those woods behind the house was where I walked just about every day and enjoyed every minute of it (except for that one time I got lost back there). I'd never lived in such a place before and it was just one of the many adventures I've had in my life. LeeAnna Not Afraid of Color's prompt this week was about just that. 

 Yes, how we learn as we age that love is in the little things, is different for us all and doesn't have to cost much. Like finding this Abercrombie and Fitch wool scarf/shawl at the thrift store. It was love at first sight and for $5.97, a real bargain. It came out of the wash feeling so soft and goes great over my shoulders in the tv room. 

I'm still loving my various stitchy projects. Here are the last of the So Scrappy RSC March green backgrounds for my appliqued Quarter Dresden project. I'll be happy to look through the red fabrics for March. Blues, reds and greens make up by far the bulk of my stash, such as it is. 

I enjoyed trying a new recipe last week for a hearty vegetable soup and it was perfect for the last day of an Ontario February. It uses chick peas, tomatoes and coconut and is one of those recipes you can add whatever you have on hand. I added leftover chicken and I didn't use curry. I used a couple of chicken cubes instead.

I used the recipe from Nyssas Kitchen as my guide, the one called 30 Minute Chickpea and Tomato Curry Soup. I'm getting to like chickpeas more. 

How true is this..."The person is wealthy whose pleasures are cheap."

I hope you are piling pleasures all around you and enjoying every little thing. 

Also to love are the folks who offer these lovely linky parties found at Songbird Designs, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, The Inquiring Quilter and Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Thrifting, Autumn Tablemat Finish, Found Forlorn Pumpkin Blocks

Below is Brian Stauffer's "Winds of Change", a marvelous painting for The New Yorker cover on October 13. I wondered if this could be worked into a design for a quilt or embroidered piece. I do like curlicues. And I also wondered about what he meant by featuring these two things together. The noisy leaf blower and the beautiful design of nature. What do you think he's telling us?

LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's conversation starter this week was how we deal with fallen leaves. I don't use a leaf blower but Tony does as it works so well to rid a big area of leaves quickly. He has to use the big noise cancelling head gear though very deaf. 

And here is how nature handles leaves on our walk in the big wood one day.

I said I'd share my found treasures on my latest thrift shop. There were two quilting books that went into my cart. The first is the 1949 edition of  Margarite Ickis' The Standard Book of Quilt Making and Collecting. I am thrilled to own a copy. I paid $3.99 and on Etsy it runs from $10 to $22 American.

It is in wonderful condition and contains instructions and patterns to make over 100 quilts. 

This book below also came home with me. 101 Log Cabin Blocks from Linda Causee. What is interesting about this book is it contains the patterns to copy and foundation paper piece each block. 

I paid $3.99 for it and it's on Etsy ranging from $17 to $35 American. 

I bought this man's shirt below- 100% cotton in XL for $10.  A very nice little pattern that I think qualifies as low volume. I read there is some dispute online about what low volume really means.

My big find was this king size sheet, 100% cotton, in a beautiful shade of green and in immaculate condition. It looked like it had never been used as it had fold lines still visible as well as a partial tag. I looked it up and the colour is a dark Foam Green, a beautiful blending shade. It was priced $10.47 which seemed oddly specific. Of course, this is not showing the true colour at all. 

I had my 20% off coupon so my wonderful treasure hunt was very economical as well as enjoyable. The only downside was there were so many people there, the isles were blocked. There were even lots of folks in the book area which never used to be. Sign of the times, I think. But also recycling is good for the environment, of course, so I can't complain.

My egg and cabbage casserole was okay. Even lots of cheese on top didn't make it a hit for Tony but I'll finish it. 

I was digging in one of my sewing containers and found four appliqued pumpkin blocks all finished and one partially made. Please tell me this has happened to you...you finish a project only to discover other blocks that somehow got mislaid!!! Anyway, I'm going to sew these four together and make a little mat. 

I had started and mostly finished a table topper last autumn (or maybe the one before?) that I've finished this week. It only needed a few more hand quilting lines and the border. So why did it get forgotten I wonder. Pretty fall fabrics. I find yellow always draws my eye (though not a favourite colour); do you? There was an old saying that all quilts need a little yellow in them. 

And I'd forgotten I'd adlibbed hearts for hand quilting lines in one of the panels too.

I'm still using this beige with black dots fabric that I bought in yards back when I thought that's how you purchased material. Luckily, it's a good blender.  This finished at 17 in. x 27 in. 

It's a good feeling to finish any project. And of course, it feels like a license to start something else. But I'm going to resist. I want those pumpkins quilted and will keep working on cross stitching those Year at Hawk Run Hallow corn cobs this weekend too. Always lots to keep the stitching fingers flying around here. 

It's been raining for a number of days now including one terrific thunder and lightening storm. I'm going to get on my gear and check out the pond. A little water has been holding there, so now I'm hopeful the pond will return before winter. 

I only believe it is Oct. 23 because the calendar is telling me so. But perhaps it means I'm having fun and I must be having lots of it. Hope you who read this are having fun too!

So grateful for wonderful linky parties like Days Filled With Joy, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Melva Loves Scraps and Songbird Designs.

 

 

My Second Best Thrift Find, Summer Hand Stitching, Cold Water Swimming

The birds are sweetly singing and the earth is blossoming forth as the old saying goes. What a treat to be in June, even a June that is only slightly sunny with a cool edge to the breezes. And the beautiful flowers don't seem to mind at all. I love my Irises.

And this combination of colours...the purple, violet and deep down, that extreme yellow...

I finally got into another thrift store. And the sentence You need this like you need a hole in the head definitely applied. I have a small collection of dog figurines mostly found during my thrift store jaunts. When I spied this one of a German Shepherd so like Rex I just had to have it even though it had a very unthrifty price tag of $22. It is in mint condition and features the Alsatian German Shepherd with the sloping back just like Rex. 

I got excited when I recognized the mark of a V and an embedded number-CH 618, on the bottom- I knew this was a Goebel, the Hummel figurine folks. My dog turned out to be my second best thrift find next to my Petit Point Dish Set. Oh my. Here is what one seller on Etsy is charging. Approximately C $166.73!

Here is Rex under our tree back in 2012 and I still tear up just thinking about him. Beautiful and faithful, the best boy ever ( I can't let Ned hear me say that.)

My other real bargain was this long summer shirt by Olsen. I paid $13.98 for it and I know a shirt like this would be over a hundred dollars brand new.  

Finds like these...things I love and that are sure bargains is why I love thrift stores. You really never know what you will spy but for me, the genuine fun and enjoyment is always in the hunt.

I got a chance to do some veranda slow stitching last Sunday. With a light sweater, the temperature was lovely though the mosquitoes were awful and I had to use some bug spray- which I hate- to be comfortable. Here I'm stitching Floralies from Canevas Folies which is an online shop in Switzerland. I think they now have PDF options too which they didn't have when I bought this kit. I have my eye on their Christmas Robin design. 

 I also am stitching more handles for my Baskets Love project. I got myself organized and made a bit of an assembly line. 

I'm using blanket stitch around the edges. This is a project destined for the wall not a bed so it can afford to be somewhat flimsily hand stitched by me. 

I'm doing well with my summer sewing machine challenge to myself. I've now finished four stringed blocks. More about that next time. Happily sharing with Quilting is More Fun Than Housework where when I write that my brain always says yes it is.

I'm enjoying seeing how so many of you are embracing June's RSC colour, orange. Wow, so many lovely blocks and projects in that colour. I like how some are making Halloween blocks which is clever to get so ahead in the quilting game, LOL. So Scrappy hosts the weekly party.

Our pool is open and I've been swimming which feels wonderful. I've decided not to heat it this year as I enjoy how the cold makes me feel. I have no idea if it helps the immune system or has any other health benefits as such. We are all different and what works for one might not for another. But I believe this is good for me. In fact, something I do all the time is turn my shower to cold before I finish...it seems to liven me up which improves my mood. Tony is totally aghast at the very thought of doing this! Are you with Tony? 

LeeAnna's, Not Afraid of Color, prompt this week has to do with learning to swim. I learned when I was 9 or 10 at the Margaret Bowater Park, Corner Brook, Newfoundland where the beautiful Humber River flowing through formed a mostly natural swimming area. I wasn't a strong swimmer, still not, so very cautiously always stayed in the cordoned off section. 

Come to think of it, maybe those early cold water swimming experiences set me up to enjoy it all my life. Who knows!

Anyway, hope there is lots of the good stuff happening in your life to liven you up!

Meanwhile linking up with Life in Pieces and Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Quilty Thrift Bargains, The Prettiest Quilt Pattern, EPP Stars, Me in Complete Comfort

 How are you?  January always seems like a long month but here it is done. Here is Ned on the trail having a sit and a think about how time is passing by so fast. He's thinking one day I was a puppy and next month I'm going to be 4! 

And so we move on to February and blues, but not the moody or sad ones, over at Angela's RSC Party. There always seems like a lot of blues in my stash and they never get depleted. If I did a poll, I bet a lot of quilters would pick blue as their favourite colour to work with. There are so many shades and have wonderful names too. And blue figures in the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes too. I've stitched a few more EPP stars. Can you guess which ones are sewn from men's shirts?? The answer might surprise you.

I always check the fabric section in thrift stores. You never know what you might find. I had the good luck of finding a nice bundle of flannels just like the ones I used in Cardinal Rules.  All good quality with two from the Flannel Days line from Kansas Troubles Quilters and the other Primitive Gatherings. They each listed as one yard for $1.99 and they are all more than a yard with the bottom one being over 3 yards. Don't think anyone bothered to actually measure them. 

And these two, the Cranston print blue roses, and the Heritage Studio autumn looking print. $1.99 each but again at least two yards in each. Maybe they get too busy to bother with measuring.

The Quilting Board folks asked the question what is the prettiest quilt pattern you've made and some who replied also mentioned the prettiest they want to make. You can read the responses at that link. A lot of folks did choose the Double Wedding Ring quilt pattern. I've seen many of your quilts that would definitely qualify as beautiful and amazing. What pattern would you choose amongst what you have made? Or maybe want to make?

I was given this wonderful fleecy blanket hooded dress...I don't know what exactly to call it. 

It is the coziest thing I've ever worn. You can check it out here if you like...Amazon. I just made an online order to Costco; I like to get the bulky items like tp and detergent plus a few treats. We live just within the delivery parameters which is lucky. We haven't been in the store in years and I hear it is still over crowded. I don't know why they don't build more of them. 

Okay rambling on enough for this post. We have grandsons' hockey games in our weekend. Hope there is something fun in yours too!

My stitchy friends are sharing what they love and you can find the links at LeeAnna's Not Afraid of Color post there.  Also linking this post with Frederique's Quilting Patchwork Party, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Kathy's Quilts.

Why I Don't Mind Extreme Cold and Other Thoughts

How are you...snowed in or sweltering in the summer heat?  The new year has started with wild and horrible weather around the globe. Heartbreaking to see devastation on such a scale in California. It makes us appreciate what is a normal winter so far here in the Ottawa valley. Wind chills of over -20 many days but you can have all the gear to layer up and keep warm on walks while out and about. I notice some folks have very fashionable, and what I would call, even beautiful winter outer wear. Mine tends to be more utilitarian and I'm still enjoying the cozy hand and neck warmers generous Jean at All Points of the Compass kindly sent me a few years back. 

 I personally find it invigorating and enjoyable to walk in colder temperatures. I really don't know if it boosts my mental sharpness as it is supposed to and I could certainly use more of that, but it certainly revs up the blood. And there is no better feeling than coming inside to the warmth and comfort of our home. That bit always makes me feel grateful. Another thing I like about days with extreme cold, and this would be reaching for the silver lining, is the roads are all clear- no snow, freezing rain or slush or ice. The roads are perfect for driving which is much appreciated by someone like me who isn't a confident driver. If it has to stay very cold during our winter months to achieve that, then I'm fine with it.

Meanwhile, inside where it definitely is warm and toasty, I did make a small start on an EPP project- one that's been in my file for a long time. I'll share that next time. I'm using scraps and including some of my thrifted fabric. I had two men's shirts that I'd bought at Value Village and cut them apart. At that outing, I'd been on the hunt for unusual solid colours but found these two below and couldn't resist them. Neat to see the colours and prints that men are wearing these days and I know I'm old fashioned to even notice it. These are pretty coral kind of pinks. I buy only 100% cotton shirts to reuse in quilts and it is surprising how many are just that. 

I came across a really neat pattern, Candy Cane Lane, one of those that presents a complicated look but is so easy when decoded and as in this case, just two easy blocks. Here it is in two colours for Christmas. Found in Karen's Laugh Yourself Into Stitches Freebie section which is well worth checking out. 

My slow stitching reveals a tiny town on the Redwork Noel project. So cute. But I don't like how the red is showing with a slight orange tinge in photos. Absolutely no orange in DMC 321 and I'm on my 7th skein for this project, all from stash. At some point, I must have been expecting lots of Christmas stitching and stocked up.

We'd been given a Quebec sugar cured ham for Christmas. I cooked it with cheesy scalloped potatoes and oven baked parsnips and carrots. Those are beets there...is that something you would like?

 It was the best ham I've ever eaten. We enjoyed it in sandwiches and the last was used to make a slow cooker pea soup, which would come as no surprise to you. It added such beautiful flavour and was the perfect wintry meal. 

It's making my mouth water just looking at that picture. Yes, I love my food!

I haven't shared a book in a while. I reread two of Margaret Laurence's recently....Jest of God ( I totally identified with the awkward young teacher protagonist, Rachel) and The Diviners. Then I started this one by Margaret Atwood. I like everything both the Margarets have written. 

I've watched several YouTube videos of Margaret Atwood on the set of The Handmaid's Tale and with Elizabeth Moss. Amazing how that all came together. BTW, quilts were a central theme in her book, Alias Grace. Quilting Daily published this neat little article The Quilts of Alias Grace which is worth a look. 

Did you choose a word of the year?  A couple folks I follow have chosen Simplify. I'm not choosing a word, but I am going to work hard at keeping deep, dark thoughts at bay. Maybe I should have a phrase... Lighten Up would cover it. What about you? Do you think you need to lighten up?

It's I Like Thursdays over at LeeAnna's Not Afraid of Color. Also sharing with Alycia Quilts and Arts, Quilts, Whatever.

 

Christmas Signs, Stitching and a Look Forward To List

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!

Dark and Damp December Dawns

 When walking Ned one day, we spotted a Barred Owl. I say "we" because it was on the fence and Ned stopped and watched it too. I took Ned back home, grabbed my large camera and headed out to where I'd last seen it. It had moved across the driveway and then as I watched, it flew much further into thick bush and I could get only so far. I couldn't find it but there was a very large shape in a tree I assumed to be my owl. I knew it was unlikely any photos would be good but just tried a few shots anyway. Seeing them on my computer I was so happy I had bothered. 

What I'd captured was definitely not my Barred Owl. I think it is a Great Horned Owl, my first ever sighting of one, even though they are common in Ontario. If you are able to confirm this for me, I'd be grateful. Definitely wish I had more photo enhancing capabilities than what this old Acer can do. The feathers look amazing. And those eyes!

Below is the very last of the summer '24 outdoor Geranium flowers in one of my smaller thrifted vases/jugs. This is an English James Kent Ltd. jug. They produced many during the 1930-1950's period, all of them featuring flowers. I keep an eye out for them but I've only found one other and that one I gave away. Wish I'd gotten a photo of it as it was an interesting mauve colour. 

I'd almost finished the last of the embroidery on the wool project, Cardinal Rule, as well as the backing and put it away. Found again so here are a couple of photos of it. When finished, I'm going to put this one on the wall for Christmas maybe. I used this Aurifil thread for the embellishments like the vein lines on the leaves which are just stem stitches. I think it looks okay. 

I did not use white for the snow flakes...tried it and it looked too stark against all these dark colours. So I used a light grey instead. It's a tricky thing to photograph...still not getting the nice soft texture of the wool or the deep colours. I'd thought of adding more decorative stitches like a fern stitch or couching stitching around all the seams but I don't think that's necessary any more so just two more leaf lines to add and then I'll call it done. 

I stitched four more of the Everglade blocks. 

And I'm testing a couple of blocks to sew a seasonal quilt. More next time about that.

We are all vaccinated now. And did get out for a breakfast. Here is mine...the usual Egg Benedicts...

and Tony's- eggs with French toast. He is losing his appetite somewhat so it's getting a little more challenging to feed him. 

Here he is with Petey. Sleeping with two loving Labradors was awesome-challenging to align all our bodies, mind you, but wonderful all the same. 

Petey is gone home and Ned is having a quiet, restful day. He loves his brother but finds house guests so tiring he told me.  

Hope all my American friends had a joyful Thanksgiving! I'm off to look at Black Friday sales. Take care all.