Sylvia's Simple Shots

I am so grateful that frost has not yet arrived and the blooms as still in beautiful condition.

I found these pretty pink blooms yesterday morning.  They are Foxglove - Pink Panther. What a great name.

I love that I have pink bokeh in the background as the bed was in full bloom.

I recently finished reading this book. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James.  I have read most of Austen's books and watched most of the movies so the backdrop of this story was familiar.  The Bennet sisters and their families.  I love old English historical novels so this was a real pleasure to read.  There are rabbit holes to go down, and it does not get fully resolves till the very end. 

On Tuesday I did a big grocery shopping trip to get ahead of whatever result will happen with Covid 19 and the schools reopening here on Wednesday.  

I managed to get 2 large containers of blueberries so they are now in the freezer for the winter serving on my rolled oats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finished the new lampshade for the sewing area this week.  It provides light on the right hand side of the sewing desk and on the craft table I will use for cutting.  

The light switch is very convenient at the level of the top of the desk. A Hemma light cord kit from Ikea.

You will recall that I revamp the other light in this room here. 

I made Chokecherry Syrup yesterday.  I had picked fresh ones on Friday morning. I decided that since I confused the ones in the freezer for saskatoon berries on my cereal last week maybe I should be doing something with them.

I added the frozen to the fresh and made Chokecherry Syrup.  I made the syrup by boiling them and then pressing the juice through a strainer. I added sugar and a bit of lemon juice.

I processed the jars in a water bath.

I managed 3 small jars but it will add a bit of variety to Highbush Cranberry and Maple syrup for pancakes!

Flicker Macro Monday Challenge this week is "Footwear". The macro on the right is the buckle on my summer sandals. You can check my Photostream SMDPics to see what shot I submitted.
 

 

 

 

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #95

and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #256.

With temps at only 4C this morning frost is not far away.  I will enjoy the next few days.

Bernina 830 Sewing Machine & 1st Project

The new to me 1972 Bernina 830 Sewing Machine arrived yesterday thanks to my sister and brother-in-law.   I purchased it in late February through my sister then I started making the space to house it!  Then COVID hit and life changed.  I have continued to clear, de-clutter, and get rid of stuff and last week there was space for it. 

I have placed it in front of the window so that the light will be the best most of the time.   There is enough room on the right for me to access the window to open, clean or get out if I needed to.

You can see the ironing station on the right hand side.   The cutting and pinning station of the craft table is behind the desk and on the left hand side.  That makes a very good working triangle where everything is at hand but there is enough room to work.

The desk has a lifting mechanism which allows it to be stored in the desk, then the machine level to the desk top and then higher still to access the free arm feature of the machine.  It works really well and I will get some lubricant to help it work a little better.

I created Thread Bobbin storage in a Ferraro Chocolate box. I love the clear lid so I can see the contents.  I created the channel organizer with 80lb text paper.  I cut a piece 16 T x 8.25 W inches then scored it every inch.  Then it was a matter of creating the channels to hold the bobbins. I taped the edge on the right to the bottom of the box. As you can see I have expansion room.

I decided to store the sewing machine needles in the space left. 











I used the same boxes for Thread Storage.  They are deep enough to accommodate most spools. I organized the thread by first separating the polyester from the cotton. 

The ones displayed are the polyester which I have the most of.  The spools were organized by color into separate boxes. Reds and pinks, neutrals (black, white and beige), 2 boxes of blues then a box of yellow and greens.

My niece made this Needle storage tag book for my birthday.  It is tag shapes with ribbon sewn to them then protected with a clear one on top. 

The label at the top allows me to remember what I have stored there.  Sometimes you have to switch out needles but you don't want to return it to the new ones.  This system allows me to store it here until I need it again.

These small wooden boxes were made by my brother-in-law when we needed boxes for selling cards at craft sales.  I have not used them for a couple of years because I bought a large card display.  They fix perfectly in this drawer and makes use of all the space.

Small cutting tools, my rotary cutter and blades, measuring tapes, pins straight and safety.

This is the extra hook on the pole where my African Violet lives.

The light on the right hangs over the craft table.


I refurbished it's lace cover today.  I cut the lace in half so that I will have the same fabric for the other light.
I hemmed the top edge then added a white grosgrain ribbon along top of the wide hem on the bottom.  It is a single layer which allows more light to get through.

I will be getting another hanging light for the extra hook which will give me lighting on the left hand side of the sewing desk which likely will be needed when sewing at night. 

It is very exciting to have a dedicated sewing space where everything will be close at hand.  Keep an eye out for quilts in the near future.