Maybe this is what I should be doing — teaching Lester or Smudge to use the sewing machine!
Category Archives: miscellaneous
Reading and More Reading
One of my favourite things to do is read. Over the past year or so, I’ve found it more and more difficult to hold books of any size let alone huge ones like Ken Follett’s World Without End. I finished Pillars of the Earth and wanted to read World Without End but the weight of it caused my wrists to start aching within minutes. The one gift I really was hoping for this year was an eReader so I was thrilled to open the Kobo eReader. The first book I got was the new Follett, Fall of Giants.
After about the first 10 pages, I was used to the page turning speed and wasn’t finding it a deterrent at all. I’d read quite a few reviews and that seemed to be the biggest drawback but the new wireless Kobo is quick enough for me. As it means I can read as much as I want without wrist pain I’m hoping that translates into fewer issues with my wrists.
Quite a bit more got added to the baby quilt Monday night and I’m on schedule to get the piecing finished by week’s end. I may even have it finished other than the outer pieces by the time today is over.
Do you make a list of quilt goals for the new year? I thought about doing that but realized, for me, it’s destined to be unsuccessful. What I am going to try to do is set aside some small items that I make throughout the year into what I’m thinking of as the Christmas box and have them all done by the end of the summer. This year I got nothing done for Christmas that I had hoped to do because, as usual, I had left everything to the end of the year.
Smudge was curled up with some friends on the couch.
Lester was caught relaxing on the couch.
Cats & Christmas Trees
A non-blogging friend sent me a link to this little animation yesterday and it made me laugh. Many years ago, the night I decorated the Christmas tree I was woken by an enormous crash. When I ran into the living room, I found the tree on its side, numerous broken ornaments and a huge mess. The cat I had then had crawled up inside the tree and had managed to pull it over. I’ve never had a large tree since. Small trees that can be put on a table or the piano, out of kitty reach, seem like a much safer alternative. That said, we haven’t even got close to putting up a tree yet. Maybe this weekend.
No stitching happened on Tuesday. My wrist is feeling marginally better, so I’m sort of hoping that I can maybe take a stitch or two this evening. I’ve got to be careful though, and may just have to accept that I can’t do too much for another few days.
Smudge is less jaundiced and has put on another third of a pound. It’s pretty clear now that we’ll be syringe feeding him for the next couple of months. The vet was pleased with his progress, and we go back again next Tuesday for another antibiotic shot, weigh-in and so that they can check his colour. He was relaxing Tuesday night, in true Smudge fashion.
Lester has been staying cozy and warm in a kitty bed.
Brief Blog Break
We’re dealing with a kitty who’s a little unwell right now so I’ve decided to take a brief break from blogging while we take care of him. Hopefully, this will resolve quickly and I’ll be back soon.
Happy Thanksgiving to my American Friends
Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the U.S.
- Image via Wikipedia
Small Scraps and Basting Quilts
Yesterday I spent a little time and managed to cut exactly what I needed from the batik that had the flaw running through it. These small pieces are all that was left over. I knew it was going to be awfully tight, so I cut all the freezer paper sheets I needed first and then laid them out on the remaining pieces of the batik to ensure there was enough. Now all that’s left to do is print.
These tiny (an inch from tip to tip) little star-shaped scraps are from cutting out the HSTs. I can’t bring myself to throw them away and am thinking of using them to decorate cards. I have a small box that’s chock full of odd little shapes like these from cutting. I’m also tempted to get a piece of silk and just start playing with adding the shapes on to it for fun.
One of the jobs I dislike most is pin-basting quilts for machine quilting. Doing up those safety pins is tedious, painful and just plain not fun. I read somewhere, and I can’t remember where, about these things called Pinmoors. I’m intrigued by the idea. I watched the video at the Pinmoors Web site and it certainly looks simpler than using safety pins. Have any of you tried these? What do you think?
Scrap Bin
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been looking at these scraps of Oriental fabrics and trying to figure out what I can make with them. The first picture shows a variety of sizes, ranging from 3 x 5 to 2.75 x 6 and 5″ squares. The second picture is nothing but 3 x 5 rectangles. Lots of them. The 5″ squares I’ve got an idea for but the rectangles? The ideas for those seem to be far and few between so far. Any suggestions?
About two more hours of stitching and the last of the pink big and cream stars will be finished. Then it’s a matter of stitching the smaller setting blocks and putting the top together, which I anticipate won’t take long. The third Stormy Seas block was completed as well. Shapes for at least a dozen of the arcs for the Pickled Ladies were cut out and are ready to stitch. November really has been a prep month for me, it seems.
The rain began, but the migraine lingers. While I was able to take Tuesday off, today I’ve got to manage to get through some work. Once again, I’m way behind on responding to comments and visiting blogs.
Smudge was lounging on the couch.
While Lester was stretched out on the floor.
Very Little Stitching
That’s what has been going on around here lately — very little stitching. Lots of printing and cutting, though. And one pickled lady to add to the mix, but that’s about all there is to show. It seems like November is prep month. Made myself laugh thinking about it, but it’s as though I’m getting ready to hibernate for the winter and want all the preparation work done so that I have lots and lots of pieces printed, cut and ready to stitch.
One of the things I’ve been working on is printing the Storm at Sea shapes. It’s a good thing that the initial idea of going with the 4 batiks got changed to using 11 fabrics as I found one of the original four has a flaw that runs the entire length of the piece. There’s an area that’s about half an inch wide that has less than half the thread count of the rest of the batik. I’ve had the batik now for months and wouldn’t even contemplate taking it back, so I’ve cut the fabric to get rid of the flaw, but it’s possibly going to make it tricky to get the number of shapes I want from that particular fabric. Seems like my Storm at Sea quilt is undergoing some changes yet again.
There’s a group of florals that need to be fussy cut/printed for more Pickled Ladies. Two more of the large pink stars are done for a total of five finished, so there’s only one left to piece and then printing the shapes for the small pieced cornerstone blocks. More preparation work.
The weekend paper comes with lots of catalogues from various stores, particularly at this time of year. I had been looking at them while Smudge was curled up at the other end of the couch when Lester decided to join us. He wanted attention so made sure that the catalogues weren’t accessible.
I’m not sure that Smudge was all that thrilled about having Lester’s tail draped over his.
Lest We Forget
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.– John McCrae
Dots of Colour
The baby quilt I was working on back in August and early September will finally be basted, hopefully this weekend. I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate, so used it to buy the fabric above for the backing. I couldn’t find an appropriate flannel but when I saw this fabric I couldn’t resist it. Perfect for a baby quilt, I think.
These 3 fabrics were also purchased with the gift certificate — what a treat! Initially I had thought the stripe on the far left would be perfect for the binding, but it’s too pink. I love using stripes to get different effects in pieced blocks and for bias binding, so this is a welcome addition to the stash even if it’s not used for this particular quilt. Lately I find I want to use a bit of black in almost every quilt I make, which explains the middle choice. The one on the far right intrigues me. I think I’ll have fun with it and already have an idea.
Thursday night I got out the completed blocks for the Harpsichord Quilt. I have a long way to go, but was pleasantly surprised when I realized I already had 2 of the vertical rows complete. The centres of the last three pink and cream big stars are done. If the weekend weather is as rainy and cold as they’re predicting, I think I may have at least 2 of the stars completed by Monday. Now I’m seeing the benefit of a large block as I may well have this top together by month end.
Smudge was chasing leaves on the windowsill for a while on Thursday morning and then peeked out from under the lace. We couldn’t resist this photo, even though it is a bit blurry.
Later on, Lester was on the windowsill.
Quilt Obsession 