A little bit of this, a little bit of that

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.

Confession time

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!

Sunday Stitching, Show and Tell

Happy Easter!

I've taken a break from blogging this past month. It's been a forced hiatus as I have been taking steps to de-stress my life a bit. Not that blogging has ever been a chore, or stressful, but it felt like something I could put on hold for a short while.

I've also taken some of my quilty projects off the to-do list, in an attempt to simplify life. I do have to admit, though, to another sewalong beginning at the end of April, lol. 

I wish I could somehow fit a relaxing activity like yoga or pilates into the mix, but at the moment it doesn't seem to be happening. Luckily I have my morning slow-stitching....which I often refer to as my "yoga". 

Since I was last here in blog-land I completed my Hand-piecing Sewalong. I think I'll try to get this one basted soon so I can do a bit of hand-quilting when the mood strikes me. It is 26"square and I contemplated adding a border, but I think this will be it.

I've also completed the fourth and final block from the wool applique class that I was taking at Quilt Junction lately. I learned a lot of cool stitches and am happy with my blocks. I think I will sew these together and make a small, decorative pillow.

On my to-do list tomorrow will be to do the prep-work for the next block for my Queen's Garden. In the meantime, this morning, I worked on my Tula Nova EPP....which is normally saved for "away" stitching...

I'm a little behind in my Harry Potter QAL. I did get the "Dobby the House Elf" block completed, but then it was given away and I'll have to make another....which kind of sucks, as it was a difficult block with a couple of issues ( not issues with the pattern, issues with my piecing! ) ...

Dobby was an intricate block.....then came the Hogwart's Express block!!!....it was even more-so...and in the end it did not work out well. 

There's a big, fat error in the piecing....which I can live with. What you can't see, due to the magic of cropping, is the uneven edges to  my block....so much so that I don't think it will be fudge-able when it comes to joining it with the other blocks. Also, I think I will change the numeral 2 in the block so it looks less like a backwards 5. 

Here is a reminder of the previous blocks....

In my quest to organize and de-stress, I am trying something called a Bullet Journal. As someone who enjoys working with lists I think this may be a good thing, who knows. If any of you uses a Bullet Journal, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.


It's been an early morning for me...I find that happens when there is a lot to do to prepare for a family gathering. We are having most of the family over for an Easter lunch.

 I'll be trying a couple of new recipes, one being a crust-less quiche...I hope it works out! 

On Saturday I made something ahead of time, to free-up some oven time for today. This bread was something my mother would often make. It's made with a sweet dough and when it comes out of the oven you put jam in the creases of the braid and a thin icing on the humps. I have to say, I'm impressed with the results, even though the flavour of the bread is slightly different from what I remember of my mom's. Of course, I had to test it out by having a slice (or two)....

That's all for now....have a wonderful day. I hope it includes a bit of slow stitching.

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching, and also with Elm Street Quilts for the Hand-piecing QAL Finale. 

Slow stitching.....and a glimpse into something else!

Yay.....it's March!....March always makes me feel good because we should start seeing glimpses that Spring will indeed happen once again.

I've done a bit of slow stitching this morning, as usual. For the past few mornings I've worked on my wool applique project, the Summertime Sampler BOM.

The first step is whip-stitching all the components onto the background...

Here is a previous block, so you can see how things look after the embroidery....although I can see I still need to attach some eyeballs to the birds...

I've been skipping the blanket-stitching lately because I have something else in mind...

I've been taking a wool applique class at Quilt Junction, where we are learning lots of cool Sue Spargo stitches to spice up our wool applique projects. Here is this past month's block...and, again, another block where I still have to complete the eyeball!...

I'm so surprised at how simple, but effective, some of these stitches can be! 

Also, I have to mention, when I posted the above picture on Instagram, I had a comment from Sue Spargo herself! 

So, my plan is to utilize what I am learning in these classes to dress up my Summertime Sampler blocks...should be lots of fun. 

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Now, just a glimpse of some blocks I worked on on Saturday. I'll explain more in a future post, but I just need to share pictures of these sweet blocks.

Here is a typical log cabin.....probably one of my favourite blocks....

.....but here are my two little log cabins shown in a way that you can see the scale of the blocks....

The finished size of these blocks is 1-1/4" !!!!!

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Now I am going to hijack this post for a completely different topic. I promise this will be a one-time thing....future posts will be all quilty-goodness.

A few months ago, completely by accident, I learned of a lifestyle called Intermittent Fasting.

I had, for a few months, been on Weight Watchers to try to slim down a little bit for my son's wedding in November. This experience helped me be more aware of my meals and I did lose a few pounds, but after taking a break for the wedding week, I never really seemed to get back into tracking my meals.

Mid-November is when I heard of IF....and I thought, what the heck, I'll try it through the week and take a break on weekends. Well, right from the get-go I have settled very comfortably into this way of life.

Here is the concept in a nutshell...

You eat how you like in a window of time through the day. A common window is an 8-hour one. That's how I started....only eating between 10am and 6pm. This is referred to as 16:8....fasting for 16 hours and eating only in the 8 hour span.

During the clean fast you only consume water, black coffee, black tea, green tea or unflavoured sparkling water.

I thought there was no way this could work for me, as I was one to typically get "hangry"....I'd usually eat breakfast at 8am and if lunch was an hour late I would get dizzy and very irritable.

To my utter surprise, I have not experienced this once since starting IF. I think it is because I am not starting the "engine" first thing in the morning. Believe me when I say, I do not feel hunger during my fast.

Now for some benefits....

People refer to this way of life (note, it's not a diet) as being full of health benefits, with a side effect of weight loss.

Well, I have not seen the scale move much, I seem to bobble back and forth with the same three pounds....but my body is changing, thats for sure.

Evidently during a fasted state, our cells experience something called Autophagy....a theory that someone has actually won a Nobel prize for in 2016. What seems to happen is that, while in a fasted state, our cells will work on repairing our body.

So, for me, even though there is not a lot of change on the scale, my cells are working hard at building muscle and bone.

The testimonials on the Facebook pages are amazing. One thing I see over and over again are peoples accounts of having reversed their Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, among other things.

I will certainly be looking forward to getting my blood-work done in a couple of months.

This is not a quick fix, but I will say that myself and a couple of others that I know personally can tell you we feel so good. I am feeling like my old self again in many ways....like I'm ten years younger. I have much more energy and I am getting so much more accomplished in my day. 

I could go on, but I know this has been lengthy already. I just have to say, what have you got to lose? This is terribly easy and it's free!

The only money I'd suggest spending are on two books. One is this one....

What a great title....sums it all up....you can eat the foods you've always loved, you just have to delay eating them until your "window".

The other book is by Dr. Jason Fung, a kidney specialist from Toronto. His book is The Obesity Code, and is a much more science-y book. A great read, but I'd start with Delay, Don't Deny as it reads like you're having a conversation with your girlfriend. I think, at this time, that it is only available on Amazon.

I'll end by saying that, of course, I have no medical training, so if this sounds interesting to you, have a talk with your doctor if you have medical issues. I hesitated to write all this, but I just had to, as I feel like I've stumbled upon some big secret to the fountain of youth :)

I won't write of this again....if you have something you'd like to ask me, you can email me at sandra.croley@gmail.com

Have a lovely Sunday!

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Channeling my inner Sue Spargo

All of a sudden we are nearing the middle of January....and, hoping I don't jinx it, we haven't lifted a snow shovel yet. I'm good with that!

Today I'm dreaming a bit of my perennial garden. Last summer it got zero attention so by the end of the season I wondered if I should just give up on the idea. Nope, this year my focus will be the garden and rejuvenating it. Now I just have to be patient for a few months!

Lately my slow stitching may be considered somewhat boring, but, funny enough, I don't mind it at all. I've been prepping pieces for my English Paper Piecing project, Tula Nova.

Here are the pieces so far....

When I began this quilt I was doing a bit of prep, then a bit of sewing. I soon realised that it made more sense to me to take the time to do all the prep-work before joining the pieces....I can't explain my thought process, but I'm happy with how this is going.

I'll be going to my monthly applique afternoon this week. I think I'll dive in to the prepped pieces and actually get going on it.

On Friday I attended the first class at Quilt Junction on embroidery stitches for wool applique. 

We each got a little Sue Spargo kit and instructions for our first four stitches.

I've only tried the Bullion Stitch once in my life. This one is a challenge, but will be worth mastering.

Here is my block after the first lesson. The red bumpy stitches are supposed to be the Bullion stitches....not bad for my first attempt, but not pretty either, lol....

This morning, I tore out the stitches and started over, determined to "get it"...

Oh my!!!, such  pretty little stitch.....my excitement was short-lived as I realised that I "only" had to repeat this another fifty times or so!!!

So I carried on for a bit. I will pick it up again later, but these stitches were enough for one sitting...

Hopefully by the time I get to the other side of the ladybug I will be a bit more even in my stitches....but I'm happy with this so far. I can't wait to see what we learn next month :)

I hope to do a bit of sewing today. I have two days to add to my Temperature quilt. I think that's how this quilt will progress, keeping track of the temperatures on my calendar daily, then doing the actual block construction twice a week or so.

You can see how it looks so far in this post.

It's Sunday, and you know what that means!....we get to visit Kathy to see what others are doing for Slow Sunday Stitching. I think I'll have an extra cup of coffee and visit the slow-stitchers to see what they are working on today.

Sunday stitching.....

It sure does feel like the perfect day for some slow stitching!

I haven't slept well this week....today I've been up since 3:00. I'm not sure what's going on, but I do know that it makes for extra stitching time!

The last couple of days I've been working on the next block of my wool applique...

The instructions for this pattern ask that you secure the pieces with a whip stitch using a single strand of matching floss, which is what I've done here. It's an extra step, but for some strange reason I'm liking it.

I think I'll hold off on the contrasting blanket stitch until after the next week.

I've signed up for a class at Quilt Junction that will teach different kinds of stitches for wool applique to get the Sue Spargo look.  The first class is next Friday and I hope to learn a couple of fancy stitches that I can incorporate into this current project.

I'll also have to remember to go shopping for some tiny beads for the birds' eyeballs!

Hopefully in my next post I'll show my progress on my temperature quilt. All I've done so far is take note of the daily high/low temps since January 1st since I've totally changed my mind on fabrics and am waiting now for something in the mail. 

Is anyone else making a temperature quilt this year? If you are on Instagram you can do some various searches and see all the ideas that are out there.

Have a nice day doing some stitching. I think I'll do a little prep-work for some applique before I go this afternoon to see Mary Poppins!!

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.