Sylvia's Simple Shots

 This week has been heavy with medical issues but perked up at the end of the week.

It's been on the books for several months to get the old shut off valves which hold back the water with pressure and a rubber washer replaced with Quarter Turn Shut offs which are better because of no rubber parts.

It meant clearing the laundry area and under the kitchen sink so the plumber would have room to work.

I also got the cartridges and the seats replaced on all the taps - kitchen sink, bathroom sink and bathtub.

I am super happy to have gotten this done.  It means easily turning off the water when I am away.  It is simple and much less of a worry about dripping.

The tooth cracked on Friday but had been sore a few days before that.  Was grinding the cause?  Not sure but I guess I should wear a guard regularly.

I had a early evening appointment on Monday to assess the problem. It had not been painful which was a blessing.  The crack was very deep below the gum line so it was not a candidate for a filling.

The tooth has to come out! A perfectly good tooth. 

Appointment scheduled for Wednesday.  I have not had an extraction since my wisdom teeth in the early 1980s

It was also determined that I have an abscess on one of my front lower teeth.

A prescription for an antibiotic for that.

It will be a candidate for a root canal but I am getting a referral to a root canal specialist since the x-ray showed some anomalies.

We really want to preserve the tooth so there's a much better chance with a specialist.

Taking pills four times a day.

On Wednesday morning I headed into the dentist office.  Some pain numbing needles and the hope is that the remainder of the tooth comes out cleanly.

It did.

I opted to have a bone graft put in the cavity left behind when the tooth was pulled.   This will allow me to have a dental implant in the future.

Painful, soft food, bleeding, sleeping and healing were on the agenda for the rest of the week.

The sheet I brought home from the dentist suggested a wet tea bag to stop bleeding after the extraction.

I did have to do this several times.

I was lucky to be able to use my Earl Grey Decaf tea bags which at least tasted good.

Soak it, put it in the space, press down hard to place pressure on the wound.

I bleed easily so this worked well.

Smoothies have been on the menu for breakfast for the last several days.  Bananas, blueberries, coconut milk, and I am still adding my ground flax seed and rolled oats.

I had to make a special grocery trip for cottage cheese, flavored yogurt, special yogurt, and fruit.  I do like cottage cheese and this allowed me to have a savory option for food.  In the yellow bowl is cottage cheese, steak spice, a bit of garlic powder with some finely shredded red onion.  Is really good.

The real treat was Krema yogurt by Olympic which I was introduced to at New Year's when my offered it with fruit and maple syrup for dessert.

Here's in the bowl is yogourt, a bit of cream and a dribble of pure maple syrup.

I have to eat something when I take the antibotics so this little bowl was perfect.

I will have to keep this in my arsenal for a quick dessert.

We have an upcoming show at the gallery called Tactile. The art piece needs to be dimensional and tactile.

I was going to ditch the project with all that is going on but I headed to the ReUse Ctr Saturday and found a 12 inch embroidery hoop for free.  That was the sign that I should feed my soul and create some art.

I had done quite a bit of research on the weaving and had gathered supplies. Yarn, beads, special sparkly bits so I have decided to continue.

Here's is the circle loom set up with the warp thread.

I think the yellow crochet cotton matches the bamboo hoop really well.   An update to come next week. 

UnPaper Towels - Improved

Here's the second set of UnPaper Towels I've made.  

It was great to use the serger to finish the edges very professionally. 

I paired the 100% cotton grey flannel with this winter pattern which also included some grey along with teal and cranberry.

I included 10 towels in the set - 5 of each fabric.

They measure 10x10 inches square.

There are many ways to store and use these.

They can be rolled onto the roll from your paper towels.  They cling to each other nicely and would roll off just like the paper towels used to.

Whether you have a paper towel holder that sits on the counter or one that hangs under the cupboard this roll should work the same as before.

Once used, they can be handled just the way wet towels would.  A container under the sink until they head to the laundry should be just fine.

I thought I would try recycling a tissue paper box to hold them and I think that works quite well.  This box was too shallow to hold all of them but there are deeper ones.

If they were folded in such a way that one would pull the next one out  that would be cool but maybe more hassle than its worth.

A basket, a box, a bag would all be options.

This set is 100% cotton fabric and in bright primary colors.

I paired a deep turquoise color and red.  Beautifully soft.

Again, 10 in the set with 5 in each color.  

I have tied the set with a large twill tape and added a tag to explain what they are and how to use them.

These rolls will be donated to the fundraiser to be held later this year.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I found another piece of Robert Held Art Glass at the thrift store the other day for under $2.

It is a candle holder with a pulled feather design in the base with blues, greens and purples.

I have placed a tealight on top as I don't have taper candles.

I just love this art glass and it is a good thing I don't live close to his studio in British Columbia.  I do follow him on Instagram @robertheldartglass so I look forward to seeing his new stuff as it comes out.

I have found the pieces I have in thrift stores.  I have a heart and a small vase in my collection.

It is signed on the bottom as usual.

We continue to add to my list of exercises to rehab my right knee and loosen my mid back.  I noticed yesterday after about 3 hours of sewing that it was very tight so I did my stretches before going to bed.

My knee is doing well and I added step ups last week and I am starting to use the stairs again.  It goes better going up than down.

It will come.

I have an MRI on it next week so we will see what it looks like on the inside there.

It's been cold again this week. Everyday the low's are in the -18C to -20C without the wind chill.

I had to take the bus to medical appts this week very early in the morning so it was cold!

On Wednesday the wind was very strong and standing waiting for a bus is no fun.

Two days of heart tests this week.   This is an investigation of a period of dizziness in January.  It cleared up once the tension in back was released so I don't expect anything significant coming out of these tests.  Interesting what life sends my way.

I bought a tiny bottle with a drip lid so I can carry essential oil in my car.  I chose the bergamot grapefruit combo for this time around.

Essential oils should not freeze so I can leave it in the car.

It was a hassle to bring the diffuser up, then remember to add drops just before I was headed out, then hang it back on the rear view mirror.  

Now I can do it whenever I feel the need.

I hosted lunch for 2 of my aunts after our visit to Muttart Conservatory on Friday.  My first time back since the pandemic.  I will include my pics in a separate post.

We had a great time and with time after for a good visit.

I made yellow split pea soup and whole wheat tea biscuits with yogurt with blueberries for dessert.

I soaked the peas overnight so I could cook the soup that morning.  Once the soup was simmering I made the biscuits.  They turned out well this time because I left the dough thick enough.  I usually roll them out too thin.

I have a basket of ReUsable Bags ready to donate to GrammaLink  Africa fundraiser later this year.

I made 17 bags since February 4th.  It was a learning experience and I am happy with the results. I kept one for myself so 16 are being donated.

Most of them are microfiber so they will last a long time.

I hope it puts a few dollars into the hands of grandmothers in Africa who stepped up to care for their grandchildren when the parents died of AIDS.

Feels good to give back.

I did visit the Muttart Conservatory this week with 2 of my aunts (my Mom's sisters).

I bought a yearly membership which will allow me to go anytime I want and also visit the Zoo regularly.

The spring flowers were all in bloom in the feature pyramid.

I chose the Amaryllis because it reminds me of my Mom who I miss every day.  She was such a great lady.

This is the variety Minerva and it so reminds me of Christmas.  They can appear on seasonal greeting cards.  Classic combination of red, green and white.

Looking forward to more visits once life settles a bit.

Sewing Project - ReUsable Bags - Pillowcases

I bought a couple more of those $1 pillowcases the other day at the thrift store.

I liked the pattern on this one with the warm green and the brown polka dots.

I found a roll of fabric tape at the ReUse Ctr last time I was there and it seems it was bias tape.  Well imagine my luck. It was brown which is what I needed for this bag. It does need to be ironed and folded but I guess that is the cost of getting it.  I understand there is a thing a ma jig that will fold it for you as you iron along.

This was a standard pillowcase with no header band. Polyester fabric.

Measurements: 25 inches T overall, 19 inches W and the bag is 18 inches deep.

Brown bias tape, brown button and black elastic.

Nice to have a bit of variety in the colors and patterns.

This bag was made with a King size pillowcase of good quality micro fiber.  I did cut off a decent amount (about 8 inches) off the top to keep the fold bottom. Nice weight to the fabric in this bag. 

It was a nice purply blue so I paired it with a leaf green bias tape.

Measurements: 25 inches T overall, 20 inches W and the bag is 18 inches deep.

I found a nice button to match the blue color. 

This fabric came from a pillow sham type piece. I like the pattern so I bought it.  It was polyester though so static was quite a problem.

I had to sew all the seams on this one and I got the sides seams wrong.  To make enclosed seams you have to make your first seam right sides out which is counter intuitive. Well, I was saved by the serger!  Yeh Yeh!  I just serged the seams on the inside of the bag just like they would have been inside a pillow case. 

The back is black and had been a fold closure so I had to sew those 2 piece together to get a full back for the bag. 

This bag is quite squat so it is wider than the others I made.  It ended up wider because of the serging of the seams instead of enclosing them. 

Measurements: 25 inches T overall, 23 inches W and 17.5 inches deep for the bag itself.

I paired it with black bias tape, black elastic and a purple button.  I needed a bit more bias tape because of the extra width but I had enough in the 3 yard package.

I love the zebra print on this bag. 

It takes a bit of extra attention when folding at it is that bit wider.

I am bored with  making these so I am taking a break and moving onto other sewing projects.

Lessons Learned:

- Microfiber is very nice for these bags but I have not found any that was patterned.  

- Bias Tape to buy new would make this project not cost effective for selling.

- Polyester fabric was mostly patterned but very easy to ravel. 

- Pillowcases are by far make these a breeze to make because the side and bottom are already done. If you can get them for a good price it is the way to go.

- If you don't have a collection of buttons choose clear button which will go with any color and pattern.

- I am really happy with how the grey thread seems to work well with the colors and patterns.

- The pattern from Fabric Patch worked really well. 

Art Show - Juried Member Show

This is the piece I submitted to the Juried Member Show and since I had only 1 piece it was included in the show.

The subject is reeds in a body of water.  It was taken at Big Lake, AB in September 2022. 

I did clean up the surrounding water and converted it to black and white.

Title: Stillness
Size: 11.00 x 14.00 inches
Signed Photography Print
Mat: Archival off white / black narrow
Frame: Silver Brushed Metal
Print: 09x12 inches

We dropped off our pieces for the Juried Member Show of the Allied Arts Council on Saturday morning. We were back at 4:00pm to pick up our easels and any pieces which were not juried into the show.

My 2 aunts and myself have our pieces in this show.

Reception will be Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 1-3 pm

You can find the show on line here.

Looking forward to seeing the pieces in person all nicely set up on the walls of the gallery. Some are for sale.

Sewing Serger Set Up - Janome 234D

The serger I bought from my niece is a Janome 234D.  It came out in the early 1990's.  This one has had a good service.  I did find a free download of the manual. 

It had been threaded with Wooly Nylon and when it was serviced the technician put regular serger thread in the needles.  Once the service was complete they just cut the threads so I had to work out how to proceed. So, I purchased 2 cones of serger/overlock thread from Walmart as it seemed the smoothest of the ones I checked out. I chose grey because I am very happy with using grey on my recent shopping bags.  Seems to got with lots of colors.  Now I could move forward.

I was going to put the Serger on the shelving unit in the sewing corner but that did not work.

The shelf was not deep enough or tall enough. 

So I had to come up with a new plan.  

I moved some of the boxes and stacked them high again so I could gain some floor space.

With that done, I needed a sturdy piece of furniture to hold it.

I chose one of the end tables from the living room as a TV table with hold a tea mug and lamp but not a serger.

That took a while to sort out.

The foot pedal was next. I had placed it in a plastic bag as it was leaving black stuff behind where ever I put it down.

Upon inspection,  the old gripper material on the bottom of the pedal which just disintegrating upon contact. I rubbed it all off.

I have some gripper material from Ikea - STOPP which I had leftovers off after putting it under my rug in the kitchen.  I cut it to size and decided to use Glue Dots to attach it to the bottom on the pedal.  

We will see how it goes.

I chose to put an old linen tablecloth on my end table to keep it clean and hopefully unmarred until it can be returned to the living room.

The table is squeezed between the sewing desk on the right and the packed boxes on the left.  I had added an extension cord to the outlet now behind the boxes. Nice planning ahead.

Now I had a space and power.

I was advised by my sister who own sergers that tying the new thread to the old one makes getting the thread through the machine very easy.

You can see that I tied beautiful square knots to the ends that were left by the technician and the grey spools now sitting on the spool holders on the left hand side. 

I then put the knife away so that I could concentrate on the thread. I ran the machine until the knots appeared just ahead of the needle. I cut them off there.  

Now I had to thread both needles. The manual suggests a needle threader but you really can't get your hands back there to do that.  I got my magnifying glass out and did it the old fashioned way.

Here's my first seam with the light over locking loops of the light wooly nylon thread. The other wooly nylon is grey as well.

I think the 2 grey lines close together at the needle threads.

Everything looks good.

There is still room for me to set up my craft table which I use for cutting and layout.

The machine is up and running so I can get started on those projects.

1. ReUseable Make Up Remover pads.

2. Bags with drawstrings to laundry these remover pads.

3.Who Knows What!

Very exciting.

I probably need to sew a cover for it so that it stays dust free when not in use.  I did want it set up all the time otherwise I would not be inclined to use it as often. 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

With my machine in a desk and not really portable I choose to take other tasks for my time with the ladies at quilting. 

I  took cutting to quilting on Monday since I just need my cutting mat, my rotary cutter, measuring tape, my long quilting ruler and some scissors.   I cut 16 UnPaperTowels - 6 sets of 2 in the grey flannel and 2 sets of 2 in the red flannel.

You can see that I have trimmed the corners on the top 2 sets making them ready for the serger.

I have quite a bit of flannel to cut and serge.  I think I will just put all of them in a pile then assemble sets of 10 somewhere along the line so I can put together nice looking colors.

When I picked up the serger I realized that I would need 2 cones of serger thread for the needle threads as they had been cut off.

I checked Michaels - they carry Coats and Clark but only in black and white on the 3000m spools.  Price is pretty good with a coupon.

I checked Fabricland which carries the Tailor brand and the price was pretty good.  I checked on the fuzziness of the thread and it was not as smooth as a sample I had from home so I moved on. They carry high end brand at a very high price.

I headed to Walmart where the price was about the same as Fabricland with the same manufacturer as Michaels and there was some grey.  Upon checking, the thread was smooth and very comparable to the the one I had with  me.

At quilting, Linda had brought fabric from one of our prolific quilter's stash.  This lady has experience health issues and has given up her hobby.

We were told all the pieces had to go.  There was a nice collection of fat quarters in beautiful colors and 100% cotton.

I took a stack of these fat quarters for my sister who is making different kind of sewing projects for the Grandma Africa chapter in Red Deer.

She has made casserole carriers, pot holders, aprons, and bunch more.  

She is working on getting rid of her stash but this will help a bit in offering different colors for her projects.

You know what they say - be careful what you wish for.  I had been wondering how to find flannel for my UnPaperTowels at a reasonable price since they will be donated or given as gifts.

Well, there were some pieces in the stash that Linda brought on Monday.

Here's the pieces I found.  There are a few darker pieces for the Make Up Remover pads projects.

I washed all the fabric and ironed them all so that they lie nice and flat and I can see what I have.

I will cut UnPaperTowels first then use the leftovers for the pads as they need pieces about 4 inches square.

Thanks so much for the donation of fabric.

I had a friend over for tea on Thursday.  I had not seen her since early December.  Of course, my life has been turned upside down since then.

We had a great visit. 

I used my Signature Turquoise and Yellow tea set which was a nice springy color.

I was invited to my aunt's new place for lunch on Saturday.  They sold their house and bought a condo much closer to me.  I am very happy to have her and her husband closer.

I decided to make Saskatoon and Rhubarb crisp in small pie size.  I used honey for a bit of sweetener in the fruit and brown sugar in the crumble topping.

I made 4 - 2 for my aunt, another for my other aunt who was invited to lunch as we were dropping off our art in the Juried Member show that morning.  One for me.

I ate mine for supper on Saturday.

Another book this week - J is for Judgement by Sue Grafton.

The story is about Wendell Jaffe who was recently declared dead after being missing for the last 5 years.  His widow Dana has collected the insurance money and has spent a lot of it clearing debts incurred while raising her 2 sons alone.

Kinsey Millhone has been hired to investigate a reported sighting of Wendell in Mexico.  Off she goes to spend a few days south of the border.  Based on her sighting it does seem that Wendell is alive. 

He has a new partner Renata and they just packed up in the middle of night.  Where are they headed. Kinsey heads back to California and starts tracking leads. One of his sons has been arrested so the speculation Wendell is headed north.

Life is always exciting with Kinsey.  We find a bit more about her personal life this week.  Some of her extended family reach out and she as always thought she had no family because the aunt who raised her never mentioned others.  There was a reason and it was hard to accept by Kinsey.

Card Exchange - March - Five Petal Flowers

I used the Stampin Up Five Petal Flower punch for my March exchange cards.

I started with a Soft Suede card base A2 in portrait mode.  I cut a layer of this gorgeous screen printed handmade paper.  

I wrapped a length of Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon on the left hand side and tape the end to the back of the decorative paper. 

The decorative paper was then adhered to the card front with double sided tape.

I created the flower accent with a pearl white flower stacked with a Cherry Cobbler one then the same flower in a smaller size punched in pearl white all held together with a red mini brad.  

The accent was then adhered to the card front with a piece of 3D foam tape.

This card is in the landscape orientation. The card base is Very Vanilla. 

I adhered a strip of the decorative paper along the left hand edge.

Then added a piece of non shed gold glitter card stock and taped that over the edge of the decorative paper and trimmed the top and bottom to the card edge. 

The accent is a square of Cherry Cobbler then a piece of decorative paper leaving a small border. 

Again the five petal flower accent was adhered on the square with 3D foam tape.

These will be off to my partners shortly.