Words, Flowers, Quilt Block

This week so far I've stared hard at this photo.  I know to some it would be the very picture of loneliness or isolation or abandonment.  Others might think of other words such as refuge,solitude, rest or even welcome.  This is one of those pictures, I think, that is really worth a thousand words.  What words does it conjure up for you...this fisherman's humble house in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland with the Atlantic Ocean at its door step?

This week I finished this book...

                    

I enjoyed reading this book very much.  Perhaps it was the mood I was in.  A mood that allowed me to love the idea of messaging through flowers, for there is a secret language to be found there.  I loved this young heroine, Victoria.  I wonder was she named for the Victorians who first used flowers to convey their messages of love to each other.  Asters for patience, honeysuckle for devotion, red roses for love and so on.

 Here is a photo of one of my daffodil patches in spring, 2014, NOT right now.

How appropriate that daffodils mean new beginnings.  How much I love seeing them appear each spring.  I can't wait to see them again.  Alas still snow covered for now.

This week I prepped three more blocks for the FWSQ including this one with the unusual name of Pharlemia.

I love this kind of lap work you can achieve while watching t.v.  EPP is really the best when it comes to that requirement.

And speaking of rest and quiet.  You don't have to be isolated to find it.

A most common sight found in my kitchen any afternoon.

I Save That Too

When an elderly aunt passed away and the family was cleaning out her house they found a box of rectangle pieces of cardboard, hundreds of them.  Someone recognized they were the little pieces of cardboard that come in panty hose packages.  Amid the laughing about why she would keep such things, I could only smile.  Because in those days I used to save them too (in the days when I wore pantyhose).
 I always thought the cardboard was too "good" to throw away.  In my defense I found lots of uses for it.  I was always cutting it into templates for some drawing or other at school.  I remember using it for dividers in shoe boxes (yes, I saved those too) for sorting things I was saving. Nowadays if I had them, I would use them for quilting templates.  There's lots of odd bits of cardboard available to use anyway so I don't miss my old source
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I fit in well in this house.  Whenever we need something, Hubby goes to his workroom in the basement and you can be sure whatever he brings up from there will be a vintage item.  I laugh sometimes because it often looks to be as old as I am.  Which it probably is because Hubby inherited his father's work stuff who was also an engineer and a saver. Then the fun begins watching Hubby try to fit these museum quality pieces  to modern day devices.

Speaking of saving...
Here is the barn with my little greenhouse on the side there completely snowed under.

And here is a close-up of one of the sets of wide swinging barn doors (taken during the snow storm so that's what those white streaks are).  The wood to cover our barn was all recovered from an old barn structure that was found on this land when Hubby built here 40 years ago.

Barn wood twice over.  No one knows how old it is and it still looks amazing; even has its own woody beauty.  

There is a little mystery out in the field.  Several very long pieces of timber.  Very very long, obviously planed, too thick to be flag poles too long for a house beam.  We've stood looking at them and speculated as to what the pioneers must have used them for.  Can't figure it out.  

                                             

It Goes On

I know he said this but I wonder did he write this.  Legible writing if that is the case. Which by the way, the present generation won't know how to do with so many school districts no longer teaching cursive writing. 

Here in my life I've been thinking about this.  I marked one of those sad silent anniversaries recently and was surprised by how many years I have been marking it.  First I thought I'd probably remember it for 10 years, then the 20 year mark arrived with me still noting the day.  I now realize I'll think of it till I die or become demented. (Whichever comes first, ha)
 So many of us have an anniversary like that, one unmarked and unknown by other people, but one dear to us.  Remembering is important.

I just love this song and especially as sung by the wonderful Sarah McLachlin , I Will Remember You.

And she asks, Will you remember me?  Because basically we all do want to be remembered even if it be in very small little ways.

Rest and Restore Time

I just put down my Acorn canvas and have downloaded the Splendid Sampler designs. I'm really looking forward to that fabulous start. Have you been following the wonderful blocks being made by the very splendid quilters? Of which there are about 20 000!!

Meanwhile, I'm taking a small break. I feel I need some catch-up time so I will meet you back here next week.

Have a great week....spring is near!

Bloomers For When the World is White

Geraniums, shamrocks, African violets, kalanchoe and my little polka dot plant all provide colour indoors throughout the winter months. 

Such low maintenance plants but so enjoyable to watch grow and bloom.
If I can grow them anyone can.

The view from my living room stitching spot, the sofa.  I can even see the closest bird feeder from there.

Where is your stitching spot?  Do hope you have the time to use it this weekend.

A Little Bit of Housekeeping

This post was published several weeks back but the tablet fairies deleted it for some unknown reason.  I wanted to repost so all could learn about The Needle and Thread Network.  Happy Sunday all.



Before this slips my mind completely, I need to tell you that I wrote a post on The Needle and Thread Network to introduce myself.  This is a network for people working in all areas of fibre arts and creative stitching.  My post was published on Thursday, February 18 and the link to it is Here. They offer a WIP Wednesday feature where you can see what many people around the country are working on and maybe visit their blogs.  Tons of wonderful projects.

To You From Grateful Me

I've done a lot of research on blogs and noticed it seemed hard to find Canadian stitching blogs.  I loved how easily I found so many in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.  I was therefore happy when I found The Needle and Thread Network which links many Canadian stitchers.

I am so grateful to those who take the time to comment and especially to  those who send me an email when they are unable to post a comment.  I'm not sure what Google is thinking with the Google Plus system.  I don't think it is as fair as it should be.

  Anyway, your comments, advice and general sharing of stories is my added bonus to sharing mine.  I love this feeling of community that is achievable online. Just like my Facebook friends that I live far away from now, I get tremendous enjoyment from having a place to keep up.


 I know a lot of people don't find anything funny about our cold, snowy winters. But this was the big dig out after the mid-February storm.








and I just had to show you this...



Isn't it delightful.  National Geographic's Photo of the Year.

Hope there is something delightful in your day.

Page Turners and The Far Less Than Perfect Pile

Page Turners

For my reading readers-

Who doesn't like a good page turner.

Check out this list of guaranteed page turners from the Oprah Website.  I've made note of several to look up later.

And included in the list was this one which a good friend had already recommended to me. Duly noted as well.

   

 FWSQ News

Meanwhile back at the dining room/sewing room table...a few more of my Farmer's Wife Sampler blocks.
 Roll Call from the top... Sylvia ( still needing 16 tiny appliqued pieces),  Mrs. Taft, Mrs. Thomas, Tirzah, Bride and Mrs. Brown.

Huffing and puffing along with these.  The original pattern needed reversing on not one but two and  I've forgotten which that was.  But that required a redrawing and pasting and sewing of several pieces in each.

Below,both Mrs. Thomas and Tirzah have been relegated to the far less than perfect pile.  I'm sad they didn't turn out as I liked both the patterns very much and I might try them again from scratch sometime.  I also didn't like the cross hatching that showed up when the blue material was used twice in each quarter.  It wasn't till I saw the photos that that was apparent.
  Funny how the camera shows things to me my eyes don't. Does that just happen to me???

I am starting to forget which blocks I've shown you.
 They are off the design tablecloth and sitting in one of Hubby's old biscuit tins.  I counted them the other day and I had 50 which prompted me to rethink the project.
 Did I love it enough to continue?  There are an awful lot of triangles which can get a little tiresome.  Anyway, I've decided to proceed to try for a mark of 75 completed blocks all correct enough to make them worthy of stitching together.  This is because I am loving the process even if I'm not that fussy about some of the patterns.