Quiet Beginnings

 

A bouquet of pale pink roses for you on a grey morning. I brought these roses home from the grocery store a couple of days ago. After Christmas decor is put away I always feel like the house needs something fresh and pretty. We left up the mini lights on the mantel, and the paper star garland across the mirror. On January's dark nights it's lovely to sit in the glow of soft light. 

I like to do puzzles and this one was a pleasure from start to finish. Although 1000 pieces, it took us just 3 days to complete. I just loved the colours and all those needlecraft items. 

In the kitchen/breakfast room mini lights still shine each night. 

I normally enjoy the quiet and slower pace of January after the festivities of December, but this year, sigh, it just all seems to be more of the same. Dark nights, grey days, lots of rain, and nowhere to go. 

Each year around November I wish I had a Christmas quilt. By then, however, I'm busy with sewing pajamas or other gifts and there's no time for quilts. Because of the quiet break this year, I decided it was time to make a red and white quilt. I pulled all the scraps of Christmas fabrics and started cutting, then stitching. I made a lot of progress last week and am pleased with the way it's turning out. 

School began again this week and time at the sewing machine has been severely curtailed, although I make time for a little bit of stitching. 

Outside my window it's quiet and still just now, but there is a wild storm blowing in from the Pacific later this morning. Ferries have been preemptively cancelled after the 9 am sailing. 

How is your year beginning? Have you begun any new projects? 

Mid-winter Musings

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the

touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire; 

it is the time for home." 

Edith Sitwell

I'm sitting on the floor in front of the fire looking out at the blue-patched clouds scudding across the sky. Another rainy front is moving in, but oh my, have we ever enjoyed the recent sunshine. At the end of each day, though, we return home, whether from work or leisure activities. 

January is an appropriate month for home comforts, as Dame Edith Sitwell expressed. Here, copious amounts of tea are drunk, with an occasional hot chocolate indulgence before bedtime. The calendar is mostly empty, and in the evenings we read books, place stitches, and talk about plans for later in the year. 

Tidying up happens in a desultory fashion. The other day I sorted my scarf drawer, refolding the ones that had been tossed in in a hurry, and removing a few that are never worn. 

The pile of linens on the chair above were those used during the holidays, now laundered and either stacked neatly (napkins) or in long folds draped over hangers in an upstairs closet (tablecloths). I learned to store them that way from my mom and it certainly aids in lessening wrinkles. 

I keep a fairly deep pantry. My daughter-in-law once said that in case of an emergency she's bringing her family here because there would always be something to eat. Each year I freeze berries and produce and now is the time to ensure that it all gets eaten. 

A couple of times a year I announce that we will be "living off the hump" referring to the fat stored in a camel's hump that enables it to live when food is scarce. I think I read that in a book by Peg Bracken many years ago. I try to whittle down the freezer contents and make sure that I'm using the staples in my cupboards. The other day I made a peach-blackberry cobbler for friends using frozen fruit. 

Grocery shopping consists mostly of fresh foods like citrus, so sweet and juicy just now. I made a lemon loaf last weekend, and this weekend I think I'll put together a Sour Cream Lemon Pie from a recipe on Brenda's blog. I also hope to make some Lemon Curd and freeze it in small jars to pull out when needed. 
  

Our winter has been extremely mild thus far and the Swiss Chard and kale are thriving. I picked a bunch of chard and made a rustic bean dip with it. I portion it in half-pint jars and take it to school for lunch, to eat with cucumber slices and wedges of sweet bell peppers. Some of the chard will go into a soup I'm making tonight. 

A year or so ago I purchased some Tilda fabric, along with a book of Tilda projects. I've done little with the fabric and since one of my intentions this year is to be more creative, I started small with this cushion cover. The piecing went together in a couple of Saturday afternoon hours, and the rest in small chunks of time here and there. Now a little cottage in the woods rests on the bed and makes me smile to see it. 

The Granny Square quilt I began a couple of years ago is now finished. Choosing the fabrics, cutting the squares, and sewing them together is the fun part of quilting for me. When it comes down to the actual sandwich part of quilting, I procrastinate. Recently, however, my sister and her daughter purchased a long-arm quilting machine. My mom is an expert quilter and while here in September volunteered to get two tops ready for quilting. She cut the batting and backing and sandwiched them together for quilting, took them to the mainland and gave them to my niece. Yay! All that was left for me to do was cut and stitch the binding. I enjoy the last step of hand stitching the binding to the back. There is great satisfaction in having another project finished.

This is turning into a very long post. I'll tell you about a couple of books I read recently later. Now I'll leave you with a bright bouquet of tulips that are cheering up the dining room. Pops of colour in January are most welcome, don't you think? 

Linking with Friday Bliss, hosted by Riitta of Floral Passions.

These Quiet Days

January 3. A new year. It began quietly for us, with a cheese fondue, a movie, and bed before midnight, although the fireworks awakened us then. I've not done much thinking about intentions or goals for 2019, but then I rarely do. Do you? My take on resolutions is that if something needs to be done, I'm not going to wait until a new year dawns. 

The house is quiet; the only sound is the rain dripping on the skylight. A fire glows and spreads its welcome warmth. Outside is dark and wet. I sit in a pool of light in the living room, toasting my feet and sipping tea.

In between the many periods of rain, chickadees, house finches (shown), spotted towhees, dark-eyed juncos, and sparrows visit the bird feeder. How they squabble among themselves. Very entertaining.  

Two small girls and my eldest daughter came by yesterday. We set up the craft table and let the little girls at it. They crafted all manner of interesting things. I had thought to inspire them to make little alligators and they were quite excited it about it, but while waiting for the green paint to dry, they became involved in creating more free form items, so we left them to it, not wanting to nip their enthusiasm in the bud. In the end I finished up the alligators and they took them home. 

Alligator inspirations. 

I've had a couple of quilt tops stitched for some time, but have procrastinated on the quilting part. I don't enjoy that. Recently, my sister and niece purchased a long arm quilting machine, so I gave them two tops to quilt. Yesterday and today I cut and sewed the binding onto the tops and am now enjoying hand sewing the binding to the back side. It's very cozy having a quilt over the knees in this weather. 

I finished my first book of 2019. It did not disappoint. Inspector Gamache and the town of Three Pines are as irresistible as ever.

Penny references Rupert Brooke's poem "The Great Lover" in the novel, in which the poet makes a list of the things he's loved in his life. 

These I have loved:
         White plates and cups, clean-gleaming,
Ringed with blue lines; and feathery, faery dust;
Wet roofs, beneath the lamp light; the strong crust 
Of friendly bread; and many-tasting food;
Rainbows; and the blue bitter smoke of wood;....

Penny's character, Gamache makes a list of his own beloved things that help to ease his mind in difficult situations. I've been thinking of the things that I love. In a way, acknowledging them is a form of gratitude, and I find that being thankful also eases my mind. 

In spite of the rain outside, I have a few errands to run, so I'd better bundle up and get out there. 

A Quieter Week

This week, with Tim off work, has been a bit slower than normal, in a very good way. We've had time to talk about things and process life together. I've heard some people say that husbands and wives can't be best friends, but I differ with that. Tim is indeed my very best friend, the one with whom I share most deeply. 
 

It was only a matter of time before the hexies got to me. I've been inspired by beautiful hexagon patchwork done by Mia, here, and by Vicki, here. Making hexies is proving to be a great project to keep my hands busy while watching television.

These hexagons are 2 inches across. I'm using scraps of fabrics, linens and Tim's shirts. He has a lot of blue shirts and they wear out along the collar or cuffs. The body of the shirt and the sleeves are perfectly fine. I have just over 100 hexies done now, and probably need about 800 or 900 for a full-size quilt.

Little Miss S was over the other day and wore a hat for much of her play time. When she arrives she sets up a little chair in the living room, with a small stool in front of it and that's where she likes her snack. (Cheerios) I tried to convince her to move her set up so that the light through the window wouldn't do what you see above. No luck. She has a mind of her own in spite of her questioning pose.

How is your week going? Busy? Slow? Just right?  

On Finishing Projects

 

First of all, thank you for all the good wishes for Ashley. She didn't win the competition, but she has made some great connections and the experience has been wonderful. She spent yesterday and this morning touring a bit of Montreal (and was hoping to visit a Sugar Shack), and is flying home this afternoon. 

Above - a few succulents and moss from my yard brighten up my kitchen windowsill.
 

About 19 or 20 years ago I started this quilt for our son Travis. I got bogged down on the hand quilting because of the poly batt thickness. It's been through several moves, packed into boxes and bags, and gave me a guilty feeling every time I looked at it.

Then I found out that Katie was thinking of doing Mister F's room in an airplane theme. 

"Aha," thought I, "a great excuse to get it out and start quilting again."

However, sometimes there are good reasons why a project should NOT be finished. This quilt is a case in point. The solid fabrics are quilting cotton. The starred fabric is mostly cotton. The striped fabric is less cotton. The backing is something unknown. The fill is polyester. All but the airplanes and star fabrics were purchased in Ecuador. It was just about impossible to find quality cottons there. It puckered. It pulled.

The original quilt was intended for a twin bed. I tore it apart, preserving the hand quilting I had done (outlining the airplanes) and then put it back together in a crib size. I machine quilted the squares. It's not a project I'm very proud of, but I am glad I finished it. And I hope that Mister F will feel cuddled in love by it. 

How long do you store your unfinished projects? Or are you one of those rare people who never begin a new project without finishing the previous one? 

At the End of the Week

At the end of the week I take a mental note of what I've done. It's nothing very elaborate, but I like to think I've accomplished SOMETHING between Monday and Friday. Our weather has ranged from merely cloudy to gorgeous sunshine to socked in rain. Soup was on the menu - a Ginger Chicken Soup that I've made many times.
 

Our youngest daughter had a birthday yesterday, and although we celebrated together a couple of weeks ago, I sent over a little parcel for her to open "on-the-day." Another needlebook. I do enjoy working with felt and having something to stitch on in the evenings. Ashley's in her second year of fashion design school and is learning couture sewing techniques these days. A needlebook just might come in handy.
 

I completed (almost - eagle eyes will notice the last bit of binding at the top needs stitching down) this quilt for Little Miss S. I made an activity quilt when she was born, but wanted to make another, a little larger one. I've decided I love choosing the fabrics and piecing them together but the quilting is not so enjoyable. I do love stitching the binding on by hand. Perhaps if I ever make a really elaborate quilt I'll get it professionally quilted. This one is just machine quilted on the diagonal. I expect these quilts I make for the little ones to be used, dragged around and loved. I'd be pleased if they wore them out.

So that's been my week - along with working in the library yesterday. I covered new books, one kind of covering for paperbacks, another for hardcovers. It's like arts and crafts day at work. I'd rather teach, but since no one is getting sick over there, I'll take what I can.

We're in for a rainy weekend so coziness is in order. But I'll put on my boots and raincoat to go down to Ten Thousand Villages tomorrow to meet some of the Mennonite Girls from MGCC. 

What's your week been like?

A Finished Project or Two

The other day I showed you some fabric I was working with. Here's the finished project. Sheila figured it out - a table runner. Some time ago (ahem) I won a jelly roll (fabric strips) from French General. These are from the Maison de Garance colleciton. The warm reds and browns are so pretty, although they are not the colours I usually gravitate to. With the leftovers I cut out an apple wedge shape and made a basket of apples to sit on the buffet cabinet. They won't attract fruit flies.
 

You may notice the new header. That marks a huge accomplishment for me. Not creating the header, although that's taxing enough. But the reason I discovered I was way over on my picture limit for Blogger/WebPicasa was because I could no longer change my header. 

Since then, at the beginning of June, I've been deleting and re-sizing photos. The work is not nearly done, but I've deleted enough to allow me to redo the header. 

Several of you suggested I pay Google the $5 monthly fee they charge for more storage. Being stubborn and frugal, and realizing that if when photos are re-sized they cost nothing to upload, I decided to take the time to go that route. My photos are stored on my computer, not online. I do not want to pay $5 per month ad infinitum et ultra to upload photos. I try to keep ongoing costs to the minimum. So, although there are blank spots a-plenty in the blog archives, I'll keep puttering away at it. 

If you want to avoid going over your storage amount, just resize your photos.

Here's what Google says:

Free storage limits

Photos up to 800 x 800 pixels and videos up to 15 minutes won't count towards your free storage.

Automatic resizing

All photos uploaded over the free size limit will count towards your 1 GB of free storage. When you reach your storage limit, any new photos you upload to Picasa Web larger than the free size limit will be automatically resized to 800 pixels (on their longest edge).

Note: If you reach your storage limit when uploading from the Picasa desktop software, you'll only be able upload at free storage sizes. Larger uploads will not be automatically resized to the free storage limit.

 

And a few baby photos just for fun. Little Misses A and S bring a lot of joy into our lives. Little Miss A's parents are going on away for a couple of weeks, leaving her behind. I'll have her on the weekends, beginning tomorrow morning. Tea parties (aka pouring water all over everything), Ball Kick - Nana, visits to the park, and lots of cuddles and books will be the order of the day.

Back to the photos - I'm curious about how many bloggers do pay Google to be able to upload photos to blogs. Do you or don't you?

Scrappy Pillow

 
The new Blogger format has been foisted on me. I know the change is inevitable, so I'm trying to get used to it. I don't like it, nor do I see any advantage over the old Blogger. But I will get used to it.

The above pillow is another of my "use it up" projects - more leftover four-patch squares alternating with striped fabric from an old shirt. The buttons came from my button box and the white border fabric from my stash.  It's good to see something finished, but at the same time, I could sew constantly for a year without running out of fabric.

This project is part of Stumbles and Stitches "Feather Your Nest" project to (1) make something for your own home, and (2) recycle, use up supplies. I have plans for more projects, but am unlikely to finish them before the end of the month.

Have you read Annie Dillard's books? I love An American Childhood, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, and The Writing Life. I did not know that she wrote fiction until this morning. While shelving books in the library I ran across The Maytrees, set it aside and started reading it during my break. So far, it's intriguing.

Sewing Projects for Christmas

I really enjoyed making some Christmas gifts this year. I was able to use up some of my fabric stash in the process, although I did end up buying the occasional piece to coordinate. The above set of placemats and napkins are now my eldest daughter's - they match her dishes. I did these along with the Holiday Sew-Along at Sew Mama Sew.

For a friend I stitched this table runner in greens and browns. I made a similar runner for my daughter-in-law, using lighter colors but many of the same fabrics. This was not a pattern I found anywhere, but somewhere, sometime, I had read about putting together a nine-patch block (9 patches each 5 inches square), then cutting the block in quarters and re-piecing it. I had fun figuring out how to put the squares back together.

For my mom I made these placemats - which are reversible. The other side is pink and white alternating petals. The top and bottom are finished separately, then the two are blanket stitched together with batting in between. The pattern came from a quilting magazine, which I would reference properly, but it's in a box somewhere.

And for someone sweet I made these stuffed toys. The pig is from Martha Stewart, the bunny from Chez Beeper Bebe, and the ball from my own pattern. 

Now I'm thinking about the sewing I want to do this year. Some new clothes, definitely, and there will likely be house projects as well. And I'd like to continue to work at depleting my stash, so more quilty things are likely to be in the works. That's just the sewing ideas - then there's journaling and artwork - lots of things are mulling about my mind although nothing seems to be gelling yet.

What creative endeavours have you thought about for 2012?