We are still in the middle of a snowstorm this morning, which seems to make for perfect hand-stitching weather. I see so many people on social media that are in agreement, be it stitching, knitting, etc.
My slow stitching today consists of a bit of this and a bit of that.
First up....actually on Saturday...was finishing the binding on my Queen's Garden....
I'm happy with it, and I am even happier it's now a completed project :)
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I have completed two stars for my Temperature quilt for 2020...
My goal is to kind of keep up, and then sew a star together once a week.
I'm starting to second-guess this one, actually. It's easy enough to do, but for both stars I have a bit of a bump in the middle. Not sure whether to continue, or hope that it will "quilt out" in the end. I'm hoping it's from the bulk and maybe it will be a little better once the papers are removed. Or could it be that my template is a bit off?
I think if I had recorded the "low" temperatures this month I'd probably be switching this up for another design :(
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I've always liked the idea of making a mug rug, but never got around to doing any. At Christmas a friend gifted me with two cute Christmas-themed mug rugs, and it turns out that I really enjoyed using them...thanks TA!
So, I thought, I'll have to make one for everyday use.
On another note....I was never one to save selvedges, until lately when I noticed some of them are quite cute and some have cute sayings on them. So, I started saving them for "one day".
Yesterday I sewed some of these selvedges into a mug run and this morning I quickly sewed up the binding...
I really like it! I will take note for next time to use a 2-1/4" binding strip instead of 2-1/2"...I think it will be much more tailored looking.
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I didn't work on my Over The Hill today, but I did work on it this week.
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Now for my PSA....a cautionary tale....
When our guests were here from Alberta last week we took them to the Hamilton Farmers' Market....I don't think I've been for at least 40 years!
It's wonderful and we will definitely not wait 40 years to go back again!
I came across a booth selling turmeric root and had to buy some. I'd never seen it before, I usually just use the powdered stuff from the bulk store. (Can you tell where this is going yet?)
I used it a couple of days ago, and here's what happened...
I don't know why it's not showing in the picture, but a lot of the skin on my fingers is bright gold, too!
So, next time I will use gloves...or just stick to the powdered version!!!
I have a manicure booked for Tuesday....not sure whether to keep the appointment or not, lol.
Have a cozy Sunday!...hopefully your's will include a bit of stitching, too.
I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching, and with Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for Oh Scrap.
Sunday morning....time to enjoy a little extra slow stitching time.
It's a dull, dreary start to the day here, I hope it clears up a bit because it certainly can affect one's mood.
I've been trying, slowly but surely, to become a slightly more organised person. This week I had help in this endeavour from an unlikely source...Cooper, one of my dogs.
I have a spot in the living room that I have always done my handwork, like many of us I'm sure. And on the table at my side there is always an assortment of threads, scissors, etc that I'm using on a regular basis. Never been a problem, until this week.
I came home one day to find Cooper had chewed up a spool of thread...so dangerous for dogs. I really believed that it must have rolled onto the floor, as he is not one to go up on that chair and bother with my sewing stuff.
A few days later, we were sitting in the dining room...I look up and see Cooper chewing on something....yes, another spool of thread. I can't believe another one had been on the floor, he must have jumped up to help himself, so time to clean up my act.
Probably 35 years ago (or more), my mother gave me this as a gift...
I'm sure many of you have the exact same one! Well, it's probably been 25 years since I've actually used it...in fact, last month I had thought to put it in the donate pile. Now I'm glad I didn't....all of my daily supplies are now in this storage box (what are they actually called???) and the table beside my chair is nice and neat. Thanks go to Cooper for the motivation...although in a dangerous way :(
In my last post, which you can read HERE, I mentioned that I'd be meeting with a friend to do some wet felting...that we would be making "cat caves".
It was a lot of physical work, due to the size of the piece. Here is how it looked when I got home...not very pretty, really...
...but then I crammed more stuffing in to hold the shape, and I beat it into submission with a wooden spoon.
Much better...
Not technically great work, but I am still a beginner at this, so I'm pretty happy with the result. Now to get the cat to accept it!
I put a couple of treats inside to lure her in...
She's still not going in just for the sheer pleasure of it. When I get up in the morning I can tell that she does like laying on top of it though, lol.
I wanted to add a couple of words of advice to those of you who are doing an temperature quilt this year.
1. Keep your design choice simple so you don't lose interest through the year because it may be too much work.
2. You don't have to actually "do" it every day. You do have to record the temperature each day, but if your design choice is simple enough you can pick it up just a couple of times a week to quickly get it done.
Here is mine after 4 days of January...
I probably won't have time to do today's bit, but I have recorded today's forecast high on my calendar.
You'll notice that I'm still old-school when it comes to EPP, but basting the segments to the paper instead of using glue. Nothing wrong with the glue method, I just find I don't get the same results and it really doesn't take me long to thread-baste.
It's not too late to start your own temperature quilt since we are just a few days into the new year :)
I also stitched this morning on the next block of my Over The Hill...
This is another instance of how I prefer to take a slower method. I do like to do a whipstitch around all the wool pieces with fine thread before beginning the decorative stitches with perle cotton. Perhaps not necessary, but I do like the stability. And, as a longarm quilter who has worked on quilts with wool applique that hasn't been whipstitched, I do see a difference. Again...personal choice.
Here's a reminder of the first block of Over The Hill...
Thankfully, not all the blocks have quite as much work as the first one!
How about that...by the time I've gotten to this point of the post the sun has come out....what a wonderful mood-booster!!
I'll be going out shortly to enjoy some of this beautiful sunshine, but will take a bit of time to visit with other slow-stitchers, as I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.
So, I am definitely one to take on too many projects.....anyone who knows me can vouch for that.
(I also don't believe I am alone in that, am I right?)
I even called a friend yesterday to find someone to commiserate with and hopefully get some inspiration on tackling all the totes and bags full of ufo's. It can be a bit overwhelming at times.
On that note....here's my confession time.....
I have started two new hand-stitching projects....what's wrong with me??? lol
One is a Kim McLean pattern called Animal Album. I love her designs, I think this the third one of hers I am doing.
I began with this block...
....sorry, wrinkly and also a dull day for taking pictures.
Well, after almost two blocks done I can say that the background is definitely not working for me. I made the difficult decision to change my mind.
Actually, not a difficult decision. I'd rather change things up now than continue just because I've already "put so much work into it" already.
So I've brightened the quilt up with a white print for the background and started a new block this past week...
Such a dull picture, sorry....again it's a dull day. The block is much brighter in person, you'll see!
New project #2.....
That is just one block of Over The Hill by Wendy Williams. I hope to have the prep-work done for it in the next few days so I can take this one along to a quilting retreat next week.
Here is what I have done so far...
I'd like to share an update on my progress with Intermittent Fasting. I started mid-November in 2018. This has been a surprisingly easy process and it's free.
Here is a picture showing me on the right the week I began, not the best picture but I know that's when I started. The picture on the left is today...
The scale hasn't moved a whole lot. The truth-sayer is my belt, which has moved from the first notch to the fifth....and soon the sixth. I feel like a much younger version of myself.
Lol...I also think this way of life has given me the confidence to embrace my natural hair colour!
People may think that my running is what has instigated the change, but no....I was running two years before starting IF, and while I know that I grew stronger, leaner muscles and vastly improved my cardiovascular health, my fat content hadn't changed. You can't outrun a bad diet.
Today I am linking up with Confessions of A Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?.
Have a wonderful Autumn day!
