Recent Photos

I have been enjoying the out of doors from my balcony window mostly.  Last week we had several days where the sun was just pouring in.  With a cup of tea, my toes on the sill I just sat there and soaked in the sun.  It was marvelous.  This week we have snow and cloud.

I went for groceries last Thursday at 7:30 am so I could get in during seniors hours.  I found this tea which is much better than my previous store brand.  One tea bag does a pot of tea.  It is strong and delicious.  Really loving it and of course it is decaffeinated which a must.

I finished this book this week.  I try to include self help books every once in a while between the historical fiction stories that I like. 

God is a relationship person so it was good to be reminded even if I am distanced from my humans He is still close.

Connie says that God will provide a dream and the steps to get there.  Now not always will the whole plan be revealed at once but more likely one step at a time. Take it one simple, immediate, possible yes at a time.  He does provide proofs (chocolates, peace, power, provision and presence) along the way.  Chocolates are tangible evidence that you are on the right path.

The barriers:
Fear - The minute you change "what if" to "what now" you are in a position  to hear from God. Human fear builds walls godly fear builds roads.
Pride - Let it go and let God
Guilt - Remorse brings me to God - Guilt separates us
Shame - is a dark dungeon place and transparency is the key to letting light into that dark place
Comparison - Show up, do your best, judge your progress on your own performance not on others
Doubt - We do faith - it is not a noun but a verb

These pillows were given to me by a friend.  She said they are the perfect color for me and she is right.  Love the golden yellow butterflies. 

They now live on the couch but give me the extra height on my chair when I am sewing. 







It was time for a trim but with businesses closed it was up to me to do it.  I put a cloth in the bathroom sink, dug out the scissors, had to scrounge for a comb and cut 1/2 inch off my hair closest to my forehead.  I cannot stand it hanging on my forehead.  Feels better.

Sewing Project - Quilt 9 - Appliqued Leaves One

I finished another quilt.   The wonderful appliqued leaves which are the focal point of this quilt were given to me by the lady in charge of quilting group. The ginger fabric also came along for the ride that day.  The backing of the leaf squares is wonderful batik as well as the leaves. Beautiful! Thank you Linda.

Finished Size: 41.5" x 50.25" T

Front: Appliqued Batik Leaves, dark brown cotton sashing and Island Paradise by Northcott in the large panels.


Pieces:
6.25" Squares for leaves
3 inch brown sashing
Ginger panels 10 inches and 22 inches wide

Accents: Appliqued Batik Leaves
 
Backing: Tone on Tone Caramel cotton fabric which had to be pieced from two pieces.


Batting: Flannelette Sheet
  
Thread: Warm brown on front and light cream on the back for the highlight stitching and binding. White for assembly and quilting.

Binding: Ginger print fabric cut to 2 5/8 inches wide and 200 inches long.  You can check out this
Fool Proof Quilt Binding video for how I now do this.




Binding stitching: Stitch in the ditch.  I pinned very closely and had near perfect capture of the folded edge on the back. Used warm brown thread on top and bottom for it to disappear.

Quilting: I quilted the Ginger Fabric panels with 1/4 inch top stitching. The quilting was done with a warm brown thread on top and light cream on the back which works with the light backing. It was a lot of pinning and it worked out well.

Lessons Learned: 
It took a bit of time to work out the layout as the image on the right was the first layout considered.
I was just not a fan of cutting up the Ginger fabric into small pieces.  I am really happy with the layout I chose which makes the column of leaves the focal point. Thanks to my sister for the brainstorming session.

Working out how to piece the backing fabric to be large enough took a bit more time.

I did really well this time with my stitch in the ditch binding so it disappears.  I am getting better.

I was not sure the cooler dark brown would work well with the other pieces which were warm browns.  Under social distancing I was not going out to find a fabric that worked better.  There was some of that brown in the leaves.  I think it worked out.

I am super happy with the quilt.  I am glad I stretched my comfort zone and tried a different layout.

The blue leaves will show up in another quilt.

How To: Stitch and Slash Fabric

I have not done one of these in a while.  I created a How To to explain my process for making the Stitch and Slash fabric which I turned into coasters.  It was a lot of fun and learning something new in this time of crisis was therapeutic for me.  My motivation to do this was the challenge on Flickr Macro Monday which is layers.  I asked the question "What could I make with layers of fabric?" I found the technique, watched some videos and pulled out the fancy fabric box and the rest is history. Check back Monday for the layers macro I submitted.

Sewing Project - Stitch & Slash Coaster Set

The Flickr Macro Monday challenge on March 30th is layers.  I thought I would come up with my own piece to photograph.

Fabric layers came to mind so a bit internet research brought up art pieces with splits with bits hanging out.  A bit more research and the technique of Stitch and Slash came into focus.  I watched several videos, read several tutorials and I was ready to tackle the project.

I was grateful to be able to dig deep into my fancy fabric stash. Taffeta, organza, velvet, crepes, and others came out.  I did find several metallics and satins also. 

I created a large piece which was then cut down to 4" square coasters. 

Sewing Project - Quilt 8 - Green Polka Dots

I finished another small quilt today.  Doing my part, staying apart gives me a lot of time for hobbies.

I have been a fan of sashing between squares but on this one I went into a completely different direction.  I cut rectangular pieces and sewed the pieces next to each other.

Finished Size: 41.5" x 45.25" T

Front: Green Polka Dots ranged from small to very large across the fabric.

Rectangular pieces: 9.5" W x 5.0" T inches

Accents: Bright green 4.0" W x 5.0" T   & Dark Green 2" W x 5" T

Backing: Green Geometric Fabric  It needed to be pieced from 2 different pieces. I took the opportunity to add a polka dot strip to bring the front to the back.

Batting: Flannelette Sheet
  
Thread: Dark Green for the highlight stitching and binding. White for assembly and quilting

Binding: Same fabric as the front at the large dots end cut to 2 5/8 inches wide. Check out  Fool Proof Quilt Binding video

Binding stitching: Stitch in the ditch.  I pinned very closely and had near perfect capture of the folded edge on the back. Used dark green thread for it to disappear.

Quilting: I chose the Quilt as You Go method across the rows of 5 inches. There is no top stitching on the quilt.  The quilting was done with white thread which works with the light backing.

Lessons Learned: 

Planning of the rows and which direction they were supposed to go would have prevented the dark green strip over 3 rows.  Paying more attention. More math and planning may have produced better results.  I am happy with the overall irregular layout of dot sizes.

I decided I need a few solids in each row to break up the very busy dot pattern.

Recent Photos

I snapped this terrific shot of a Black Capped Chickadee on my walk this week.

The river valley trail was pretty busy with people getting out of their homes because it was so nice. The stairs were tricky to navigate and still maintain social distancing.

I hope that the message is getting out that everyone should stay home unless absolutely necessary.

I have been very careful when going out to protect my hands with gloves then washing the gloves and the hands  when I get home.

I am making sure my home is a safe place to be.

I am quilting again so the slow cooker comes out so I can concentrate on that and not food prep.

I have 1.5 quart slow cooker which filled to the top makes me 4 meals.
I freeze some for another day.

I found the Cauliflower Curry when searching for slow cooker recipes.  It is an adapted recipe.

The Curried Root Veggies is a recipe I created with my experience with the cauliflower.

The recipes all have coconut milk, curry, ginger, garlic and chickpeas.

The Silver Roadster has been on a journey and has returned safe and sound.

This photo won 3rd prize at the Juried Members Show last year.

Then, I donated it for a silent auction prize for which I was expecting a charitable receipt. I have been chasing that for nearly a year and it did not arrive.

It was placed in the auction, received bids but the person never picked it up.

My last email garnered the offer to have the photo back which I happily accepted as I was assured no receipt will be issued.

I have not had this problem before when donating my art to charities.

Sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #72 and Through My Lens #233 hosted by Mersad.

Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week is "Natural Shell" - acceptable photos would be nut shells, egg shells, sea shells, seed pods.

You can check out my photo stream and the Macro Monday submissions.

With the world situation we have a great number of submissions this week.

Nativity Card Selection

I finished the card order today.  This is the selection my friend made from the choices in this post.

The prints turned out a bit warmer than the first print so I chose ivory card stock instead of white.

The photo has been trimmed to 3 3/8 x 5 inches which was done at the top.  The sentiment on the front was printed at the same time as credits.

The photo was adhered with double sided tape.

Love the color in this image.

Farewell Card - Painted Blooms

A card for the lady who started the Welcome to my Kitchen fellowship group.  Nine of us met at her house in the fall of 2015 and brain stormed the mission, the activities, and division of responsibilities. It has been a huge success.

We have been going strong for nearly 5 years which means it is meeting a need.  I took charge of the group in 2016 when she needed more time to spend with her elderly mother.

This card is half sheet size so there is enough room for all the sentiments our ladies want to share.

I started with a 8.5 x 11 sheet of Stampin Up Soft Sky card stock which was folded in half.

I chose a sheet of the SU Painted Blooms designer paper - cut to 5.25 x 8.25 inches and adhered to the card front.

I placed a white paper doily in the bottom left hand corner, glued it down and trimmed it to the edge of the card.

I added a grosgrain ribbon in Rose Red wrapped around the card front along the fold and knotted.  Trimmed the ends.    I placed a circle of the same card stock over the doily and trimmed it again to the card edges.   I printed a sentiment banner in Wild Wasabi and Rose Red which I fussy cut to the border.  It was adhered to the card front tucking the left hand end under the ribbon.

Blog Give Away - Bird Calendar

This calendar is on it's way to Angie who left me a comment on my Blog Give Away post.

Enjoy the calendar.  I understand that traditional paper calendars are not very popular with most folks using their phones these days.

I hope it is enjoyed for the rest of the year.

Exchange Cards

I decided on hexagons for this month's exchange cards.

They are cut with the Spellbinder Nestabilities set.   I chose a true blue card base in the landscape orientation.

I added a length of red grosgrain ribbon wrapped toward the top of the card.

I added 3 blue hexagons adhered along the ribbon.  I chose one red hexagon and a greeting.  The greeting is color printed and punched with the Stampin Up Modern Label.

I chose a kraft gate fold card base and included an ivory insert.


I used the Stampin Up Wonder Watercolor crayons to add some texture to the card front.  I used Riding Hood Red, Always Artichoke and More Mustard.  The color was applied with a natural sea sponge.

I mounted 3 hexagons with the adhesive on the left hand side so the card will still open.  They were cut from warm tones card stock.

These are off to my card exchange partners.

Recent Photos

Washing your hands is important in this day of the COVID 19 Pandemic. Wash your hands video. 

Dr. Oz did a great break down on his show the other day to explain how doctors wash their hands and why each step is important. I could not find that one so I have included another.

The impact of the corona virus on my social calendar.

Saturday - Juried Art show postponed
Sunday - Church cancelled
Monday - Quilting cancelled
Tuesday - Cardmaking at Compassion House cancelled
Thursday - Welcome to My Kitchen Fellowship cancelled

I will be quilting this week on my Viking sewing machine but soon it will be different.

I got the news today that my new to me Bernina Record 830 machine is working perfectly.  It will be delivered when I have cleared a space for it in the bedroom.

This is my second book by this author.  Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley. The story is situated on Long Island in the 1700's.  Two French soldiers are billeted at the home of Zeb Wilde who has a farm near Snug Cove.  He has several sons and one daughter Lydia.  William the oldest runs a business in New York City and owns several ships. Benjamin who is younger wants to be a sea.  Eventually, he becomes the Captain of the Bellewether owned by his brother.

The one officer, Lieutenant Jean-Phillipe de Sabran only speaks French as he is a Canadian officer.  To keep himself occupied he eventually participates in farm life. 

In the modern period, Charlotte “Charley” Van Hoek has come to work as a curator for the Wilde house whose family has a storied history reflecting the life and times of that colonial period.

It is very well written, the characters complex, and true history is woven with fiction to create a great story.  Loved it.

My grand niece was in a band competition this week so I went to listen and support her in this pursuit.  She is one of over 40 members. They traveled by bus and had an overnight stay which is exciting as a teenager. They played 3 pieces of music. 

She had a fan section of her mom, her grandparents and me.  This was not a public performance but we wanted her to know we see what is important to her.

The event was very well organized as they moved kids in and out of the hall. 

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #71 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Gallery Rotation Submission - Delayed

I was wanting a piece in the Gallery Rotation so I check out what I had previously printed.

I had this early morning photo taken near the river with the sunbursting over the horizon putting our Walterdale Bridge and the old Rossdale Water Treatment Plant in silhouette.

Title: Sunburst

Size: 17.25 W x 13.25 T inches

Photo: 8x10 inches

Juried Show Submissions - Postponed

We were to have deliver our pieces for the Juried Member Show today to see which pieces would go into the show but the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted our plans.  The building has been closed for 3 days and the show is currently postponed. We will learn more on Tuesday.

My first piece was taken last March on my morning walk in the river valley. 

It is features a very moody atmosphere.

It leaves one wondering. What lies ahead? Where does that faint staircase on the right lead to?  Kind of symbolic for the current health crisis in our world.

Title:  "Foggy Morning"

Size: 15 x 12 inches

This is another result from my oil on water photography.

I decided to take advantage of the color separation between blue and green.  I lightened the bubble in the top right hand corner to create a "Moon".  Another moody photo which creates an interesting landscape.

Title: "Moon Rising"

Size: 14 x 14 inches

I took this photo earlier this year at the Antique Market.  This sculpture was quite small measuring around 6 inches tall.  I don't really know what the circular structure is but it was being held by a monkey above his head.  I decided the wood circle was the best feature so that is what I made the focus.  I placed it on the floor so that I would have the natural wood boards as a background. 

Worked out really well.

Title: Wooden Sculpture

Size: 14 x 12 inches

Sewing Project - Quilt 7 - Blue Hexagons

I finished another small quilt today.  I just loved this fabric when I saw it so I brought it home. 100% cotton.

Finished Size: 39.25" x 48.25"

Front: Original Waverly Bridal Gingham fabric in true blue







Backing: Tone on Tone textured light blue cotton




Batting: Flannelette Sheet
  
Thread: Navy for the highlight stitching and binding. White for assembly and quilting. 

Binding: Navy Blue cotton cut to 2 5/8 inches wide Check out the Fool Proof Quilt Binding video for details.

Binding stitching: Stitch in the ditch.  I pinned very closely and had near perfect capture of the folded edge on the back. A couple of the corners had to redone.

Quilting: I chose to highlight the hexagons on the fabric with navy thread which I stitched on the single layer before assembling the quilt.
I pinned the 3 layers together and stitched in white near the navy line I had done earlier because I did not want dark thread on my light backing.





Lessons Learned: 

I loved using the hexagon in the fabric rather than always doing it like I have before.

Better pinning may have doing the binding perfect.

I think the navy stitching on the hexagon is just enough to make them more visible.

Into the box it goes.

Chair Protector & Steam Iron Maintenance

I took a break from quilts today to get some mending and small projects for the home.

I have started using my rocking chair more but I wanted to protect the cushion cover.  I sewed this cotton protector to prevent my hair oils from staining the cushion.  I added 2 ties which attach it to the wood back of the chair.

It is done and installed.

I had to do some maintenance on my Sunbeam Steam Iron - Model 4229 today.

I have to confess I have not been cleaning it regularly.  Today, I had to do it 4 times before I felt I had cleaned out a good amount of the gunk from the reservoir.

Recently, I had noticed bits of gunk in the water as it has a clear reservoir which should have been a clue.

I don't find the sole plate as clean as I want it but I will continue to do it regularly and I am sure it will get better.

Lesson:
Clean your steam iron regularly rather than deal with the hassles later.

Winter Jacket for -10C

I took advantage of a 50% sale at the thrift store last week to get myself a -10C winter coat.  Here you need at least 2 jackets.  The other is a -20C coat and I have a heavy wool coat which is beyond -20C which gets worn occasionally.

I washed it in the washing machine at home which is must for me as I am not dry cleaning jackets except for the wool one.

I saw that repairs were needed to the hood liner right away but I only discovered the pocket issue on the weekend.  There was a hole in one of the pockets that let things fall to the inside of the jacket.

My absolute needs for a jacket are a hood, a two way zipper, a waist cord on the inside, and pockets with zippers.


This one has more with snaps on the wind flap over the zipper which allows me to just use the snaps on a quick trip outside. A high collar zipped right to the top, 4 outside pockets and one inside, a cord on the hood to tighten it close to my face and a great medium navy color.

It has room for an extra sweater which I needed on the weekend when we had -20C outside shoveling snow. 

The repairs were all done this morning and it is back in the front hall closet ready to go!  The price was great which was a bonus.  Looking forward to years of wear. 

Recent Photos

I treated myself to a new tea cup last week.  Sunflowers are my favorite and this cup has a scalloped edge which was great.

The mark says Sixth Kiln Royal Collection but there is not much on line to document it.  The trademark was registered in Australia in 2011 and lapsed in 2012. They manufactured porcelain and bone china. I have found several flowers in the collection.

I believe it is bone china but cannot be sure.  The white raised dots adds dimension and texture to the pieces which is very unusual for china.

Loving it!


I finished this book Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy one of my favorite authors.
I enjoyed the book about young people as they start their lives by going on to higher learning or working in the family business.  Takes place between Dublin and Knockglen small Irish town.

It took me to the last few pages to be reminded that I may have read this one before.  Enjoyed it again.

I went to visit my sister on the weekend.  We attended the fish fry fundraiser in the evening.  I knew that snow was in the forecast but I was not ready to see the amount on Saturday morning.

I decided to stay an extra night was was great to have more visiting time.  We played games each night.  There was even a pancake breakfast after church Sunday morning.

We cut die cuts as we borrowed dies from each other.  May as well share rather than duplicate sets.

I was able to drive home in glorious sunshine Sunday afternoon with dry highways but the ditches were full of new snow.  They received about 8" of snow.

I tend to eat my meals in bowls rather than plates so I was looking for a couple more.  I found these in the perfect colors of navy and yellow.

Ironstone made in Italy - Pagnossin.  There wide and shallow so stack nicely with the others I have on the shelf.

It is important that they live within the space I have.

Loving them.

I will have to a declutter of stuff again and sent stuff off to new homes.

I have a new to me set of Nike runners for exercise.  I have been doing walking videos 5 days a week since January!  It has become a habit.

I started out slow but I am now at 2 miles a day which is about 40 minutes.  They always have great warm ups and cool downs.  I have been including a bit of muscle building and stretching as well.

I really needed a new pair and these worked out well.

Boredom is one of the challenges with my exercises.  I have my favorite Leslie Sansone which I have blogged before.  It will let me grow to 5 miles if I want.

I decided to get some more of her videos as folks are dumping videos for streaming apps.  My eagle eyed sister found this trio of DVDs during our visit to the local thrift store.  Yeah!  I was so happy and the cost of $3.00 was excellent.

I will have a great variety of miles to last me for a while.  Now with another 5 mile option it will stand me in good stead for keeping up with this activity through the summer and fall.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #70 at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.





The challenge at Flickr Macro Monday was cutter which provided a lot of options for subject.  Knives, scissors, wire cutters, rotary cutters, paper punches, cookie cutters and lot more!

You can check out my Flickr photo stream to see what I submitted.  I did photograph about 5 different cutters.

You can check out what others photographed at this link for Flickr Macro Mondays.

Have a great week.