WIFI Woes

 This is a very brief message using a hotspot on my phone. Our internet is down and won’t be up again until at least Thursday ☹️

Sew, Sew, Sew Much!

 My evenings the past couple of days have been packed with sewing! That's my only excuse :( Perhaps I will have to try shift to the morning, like Elaine....but I am NOT a morning person! Hmmm!

Anyway....

In conversation with friends the other day, we discussed maintaining our sewing machines. As a youngster, I remember my mother having to oil her Bernina. I also know that my sewing machine has oil because I've felt it on the shaft of the needle housing. The discussion became how often to oil your machine. I began to wonder how often I should be oiling my new machine. And...did I get any oil when I bought it??? I decided to check my owner's manual as I did not remember reading anything about it in the machine maintenance section.

The manual said NOTHING about oiling the machine. Okay...next step. Google to find out "How often do I need to oil my Janome Memory Craft 6700P machine?" Turns out it only needs to be oiled once a year. So...since I take my machine in once a year for servicing, I should be good. Yay! :)

I also had a "Geese In The Cabin" class with Kelly DuMaresq (offered through Thimbles & Things). This is her sample block. I love the choice of colours. Really makes an impact!

Since I had another Zoom class (Tula Pink's Butterfly) to look forward to that same evening, I decided to take a break from the sewing room, and got into reading some of my RTO Renaissance magazine. The focus for this quarter was "Your Balanced Life". Like many magazines, the beginning contained letters from readers regarding the previous magazine's topics. There was an article about elder abuse and apparently several readers requested resource numbers. Did you know that Ontario has a Seniors Safety Line??? I did not! It's like the Kid's Help Line...but for seniors. They are available 7 days a week and have a toll-free number: 1-866-299-1011.

One of the articles was "How To Say No To Negative People", which resonated with me as a friend of mine recently lost some sleep due to conversations with a negative person. I remember throughout my career working with people who were quite negative. I found myself becoming more negative the more I spent time with them. I DID NOT like that self. You can't always avoid these people, especially if you needed to collaborate with them on projects, but I made more of an effort to avoid spending unnecessary time with them....even if it meant eating lunch in my classroom....and was much the happier for it. Negative people can be VERY draining. But sometimes it is very difficult to say NO to a negative person. What if they are a close family member? I think in that instance it's very important to set boundaries. I am willing to listen and, to the best of my ability, advise but I will not be party to enabling a rant. Call me when you can talk reasonably! Harsh maybe...but I need to protect my psyche as well.

Wow! Enough of that! That was pretty heavy! But...if it even helps one person out there to see things differently, it's worth it :)

I love ALL of my classes with Elaine. Tula's Butterfly is one of them. This month's homework had me thinking OMG at first. Let me explain. This month, we need to make 136 half-square triangles that will go all the way around the perimeter of the butterfly.

Now, although that is quite a few half-square triangles, that was not the thing that had me thing OMG! If you look closely at the photo above, I have used a tiny snip of post-it note to label the blocks we have already completed, and I have attached the same label to the sewn blocks so that I would know where to place them once I assemble them into the actual quilt. I've done this so that my colour flow (not exactly the same as the designer's pattern) move from the dark purple/coral at the top to the dark blue/purple at the bottom. I've eliminated the yellow/green in the centre. My first thought was "How the heck am I going to label the diagram AND all those half-square triangles (HSTs) so that I will know where they go when I put the quilt together???

After class, I took my book upstairs to come up with a plan....and falling down that rabbit hole, missed blogging Friday night. Anyway, I decided to mark the coloured image with bold black lines for each of the sections as they would be assembled when constructing the quilt. Each section does not have TOO many HSTs. So, if I make a ziplock for each of the sections and put the already-made blocks and HSTs for that section into its bag, I should be able to figure out where the HSTs go....without all that labelling! Phew!!!

Yesterday was the first of two days of Elaine's monthly Quilting Zoom Retreat....where anyone who wants to hops onto Zoom and sews "together" (in our own space), visiting and chatting with each other. I was so determined to get the sashing done for my 100 Modern Quilt Blocks quilt because it was one of my UFO Club tasks....which was due this morning if I didn't want to forfeit $10 of my deposit to be in the club. And so...I missed blogging again last night! It's not that $10 is a lot to forfeit. It's more that I would feel a personal let-down if I don't achieve what I've committed to achieve. Anyway, by 10:30ish I had the sashing for between the rows done. It would have been nice to have had all of them sewn in as well, but that would NOT have been realistic.

As this post is getting rather long, I'll share April's UFO tomorrow. But before I go, This is what I woke up to this morning :P

I really think Winter needs to pack his bags and head off now!!!

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

MIA Tonight

 To those of you who have been checking in regularly, I apologize....I will not be posting tonight. I will be back tomorrow :)

I wish you all a very good night, though!

TTFN

Pantry Project Complete

My problem is that I have SO many projects that I want to do!!! I guess it's a good problem to have....better than not knowing what to do to fill my time.

One of the projects I want to do (have for quite some time) is paint my own "barn block" to show that I am a quilter. I don't have a barn to put it on, but have a plan to attach it to a planter box I hope to build at the end of our driveway. I decided to have a look at one of my quilt books for some inspiration. 

I looked not only at the block to see if I liked the pattern, but also at the name of the block. I found one that I liked very much. I think the name is appropriate for where we live, and I like the pattern of the block. I will probably change up the colours, though.

I put a second coat of paint on the pantry project, and also painted the lathe pieces that would be attached after the frame was up on the door. The frame got stood up against the wall (in the background) so that the table was free to paint the lathe.

While I waited for things to dry, I did some reading, ate lunch, and finished cutting the fabric for the QOV With Glowing Hearts quilt. I am now ready to sew this month's block, but need to finish my last UFO first.

Once the pantry project was dry enough, Steve helped my to get it installed on the inside of the the pantry door. It's AWESOME!!! I put the spices, etc. in right away.

This will be SO much better than trying to find the spice/seasoning we need from the drawer (where they were stored before).

And now that we can easily see what we have, we'll eliminate the problem of purchasing a double of something we already have on hand :P

Steve was making wings and fries for supper tonight, so I decided to get some sewing done on my last UFO for this month...the sashing for my 100 Modern Quilt Blocks quilt. I managed to get all the sashing done between the blocks. Now I need to make the sashing strips that will go between the rows.

That was a BUSY day!

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Hanging Out :)

Today was Social Sewing with my neighbour, Lyn. We got together at her place. Apparently, her French Bulldog, Molly, could see me outside at my place before heading over to Lyn's and was VERY excited. According to Lyn, she often looks out the slider at our place to see if we are out. It's funny because Jade does the same thing when I let her out on the deck to chase the squirrels. Our pets....so cute!

I was continuing to work on the sashing for !00 Modern Quilt Blocks, as that was one of three UFO assignments I set myself this month, while Lyn worked on adding binding to a baby quilt and a lap quilt she'd been working on. At one point I looked over at the dining table chair between us. We really WERE "hanging out"....both figuratively and literally! :)

The red strips are the binding for her lap quilt, and the blue pieces are the backside of the strip I was putting together with sashing between the blocks.

This afternoon, Steve and I headed to the Home Building Centre in Burk's Falls to pick up the lathe I was going to need to finish the pantry project (the freezing rain, thankfully, hadn't started yet). On the way home, we stopped to check for mail. One of the things in the mailbox was the booklet below.

"Saving You More" indeed! Lol....how many tax dollars could have been saved by not printing this, I wonder? Hmmmm!

I also got the latest edition of the Retired Teacher's magazine called Renaissance. This is a quarterly magazine. The theme for this one is "Your Balanced Life". I believe this is something we ALL need to work at. That being said, I needed better work/life balance before I retired. I do, however, look forward to the gems of advice that I will find inside this issue.

Jeopardy will be over soon. Perhaps it'll be time to "crack the cover" of the magazine. Sounds like a good way to spend the remainder of the evening. :)

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Round And Round And Round I Go...

 It's interesting how changing one thing can so change what you see. This morning when Steve and I were walking Jade, we went straight through around the loop instead of heading left down the hill at the T-intersection. I have walked this loop countless times since becoming owners of this home, but I had never noticed the heart at the peak of this A-frame.

To be fair, the sun was hitting it right on, which lit it up, but I still think having walked in the opposite direction perhaps made me a little more engaged in looking around. :)

Although I did not get a photo of it, we saw our first Robin today, too. I had thought I'd heard Robin-song a couple of weeks ago, but I wasn't able to spot the Robin that was singing it's heart out. They really do have a pretty song!

When I got home, I got the first coat of tinted primer on the "pantry project", and then I decided to tackle a UFO that I'd been avoiding for well over a year (since 2020)....a jelly roll rug. 

The first time I put it together, it turned into a very large clam shell.

I had undone the whole thing, but it sat there because I was afraid to have to pull it apart again. I decided that I would commit to getting it done as one of my projects for my UFO Club. By telling others that I would do this, I felt like I could no longer avoid it. It's that accountability piece. :)

I had forgotten what it was like doing it the first time. It's a little like doing a car race on a track. You just keep going around and around and around!!! Of course, I did have to iron it flat regularly. The teacher had recommended every 2-3 rounds, but I wasn't taking ANY chances this time! I pulled it out from the machine and ironed it every 1-1/2 rounds. At one point, however, I began to wonder if I was ever going to get to the end. Check the bowl...

Yay...Almost there!!

The act of stitching was a little like a car race too....slow and easy around the curves, and tight in the straight-aways. This time...IT WORKED!!! :D And it now lies in its new home at the back door.

I also got the first coat of paint on the pantry project. It looks like it's going to need a second coat, but that will have to wait until tomorrow!

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Busy Bee

Today was a busy day....and I'm feeling it tonight :P

Since today was a work day for Steve, it was on me to get Her Ladyship out for her walk this morning. Once we finished that, I decided to take advantage of the sunshine to sit out on the deck and have a coffee.

 Now...Jade does like to be out on the deck when we're out there, but she doesn't settle like she would inside....even if I take her blanket out. She paces back and forth on the deck, sniffing the air and looking between the spindles to see if anything interesting is going on (most especially to see if her BFF and other mother are out). She wanders by and looks at you as if to say "Is it time to go in yet?" She even nudges your hand as if trying to herd you...or get a scritch or two. Today, she even backed up so that I could give her back a scratch....since my hand was resting there doing nothing :P

After coffee break was over, I came in to deal with some over-ripe bananas.

Sometimes banana bread can upset my other half's stomach, but I found a Banana-Date Loaf recipe....that uses very little sugar, btw....that we both like and that doesn't seem to upset anybody's tummy. Cooling on the racks :)

I spent the afternoon working on framing the shelf unit that will go inside the pantry door (aka Pantry Project). I need to paint it before I put on the lathe strips that will keep things from falling off the shelves. It's not a "work of art", but it will make things much easier for storing herbs and spices, et. al.

I was just about finished the framing by the time Steve got home, at which point it was time to take Jade out for her afternoon walk. Still a lovely day, but the breeze had picked up and it was starting to feel cooler. According to TWN it's supposed to go down to through the night into tomorrow morning.

Since supper needed to "roast" in the oven for 2 hours, I had some time on my hands so I decided to get busy cutting the fabrics for my QOV With Glowing Hearts class. I love how these fabrics work so well together :)

Supper is just about ready to come out of the oven, and Jeopardy is now on :)

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Look Who's Out Of Hibernation!

 Each morning, Jade comes to greet me when I come downstairs and then she heads for the sliding door off the living room. It's her way of saying I want to go out for my sniffs now. She makes her rounds on the deck, and then she's ready to come back in. It's like she wants to check what's been around in the night.

It was SUCH a glorious day today! I began the day with my "Out Of The Box" Zoom class, while Steve (who has said he doesn't mind me using his name...or photos of him...in the blog) brought in some firewood and work to shovel away more snow, ice, and seed detritus from the birds. Once my class was done, we spent a goodly bit of time digging out wood for the "pantry project". We also needed to cut a bunch of plywood strips with the table saw.

After that, I suggested we take advantage of the beautiful day by having a cup of tea out in the sun on the deck. Himself figured that, since it was the first day of Spring, a short tot of something stronger was in order :)

The title for today's blog was actually his suggestion. Seemed appropriate to the day :) He also commented "So this is what it feels like to be retired!" Indeed! We often get so caught up in all of the things we think we SHOULD be doing that we forget to take time to enjoy what we have. After all, the work will always be there!

After we'd enjoyed the sun for a good while, it was time to get busy again. I headed down to my sewing room to update my calendar with all the new homework for April. I then took a look at what I still needed to get done before the end of March. I have two jobs to finish for my UFO Club...the sashing for Abbie's quilt and trying to sew the jelly roll rug into something that doesn't resemble a clamshell.

I also need to get the first block done for my Quilts Of Valour sew-along.

I spent time cutting the strips I will need to work on the sashing for Abbie's quilt, but I didn't start the sewing for that tonight. Between that and the pantry project, tomorrow is shaping up to be a busy day!

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

A Rainy Day In Paradise

Today was just a dull, damp, rainy day! It was the kind of day where you just want to curl up on the couch with a good book. So...that's exactly what I did :)

Now...today is also National Quilting Day, so I really should have been doing that. But, apart from attending my class for Breakfast On The Barn Trail, I did not. I was feeling very tired today. Seems I forgot to take my thyroid medication yesterday, and that ALWAYS catches up to me...if not the day that I miss it, then the next. So, I just allowed myself to couch surf, read, nap, play on my iPad, nap some more, and....can you believe it...even napped a bit more. All in all, a very relaxing day :) Generally, I am NOT good at sitting around doing nothing. I don't even sit well to watch TV. I always feels like I should be busy doing something. So a lazy day.....I think EVERYONE needs one of those once in a while. When was the last time you indulged yourself in just that?...a lazy day?

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Mmmmmm, Burgers....From The BBQ :P

There's another sure sign Spring is in the air: I managed to convince SW that he needed to do burgers on the BBQ. He makes the BEST burgers....and meatloaf....and wings. And, of course, the first BBQ of the season tastes that much better.

 

I truly am lucky to have the man I have. He's willing to pitch in with anything....except maybe sewing. Lol...he says he'd probably only do it once and get fired.

I started my day be beginning work on what I am calling the "Pantry Project". I got a coat of tinted primer on the board, and notched out the space for the door handle. 

I was going to begin the framing for the unit but realized when I picked up a couple of the pieces of MDF trim that I have lying around, that was going to make the project too heavy. Man, that stuff has some weight to it! must be the binder they add to the sawdust to make the composite. So, new plan... I'm going to use pine trim for the framing. SW thinks we might have some high up in the garage (I couldn't find any in the places I was looking), so we'll have a look tomorrow. Fingers crossed or it will mean a trip into the Building Centre.

Since I couldn't move any farther on the Pantry Project, I decided to work on my "Out Of The Box" quilting project. My first job today was to get the runner quilted. I decided to play a bit with my new machine by doing some fancy stitches where I would have done "stitch in the ditch". I then debated what to do in the larger black spaces. I landed on a simple geometric design, but couldn't decide it I should do that with black thread, or get bold/brave and do it with turquoise thread (more of the pop of colour I added according to the parameters of the project). I chickened out and did the quilting with black thread....which doesn't show much. In retrospect, I probably should have gone for it and used the turquoise thread :(

According to the parameters, I have the black, I have the white, and I have the pop of colour. The last parameter was to have a circular element. This could have been achieved through the use of fabric, or through quilting it in circles. It could be achieved by having a circular pattern, or by adding a circular embellishment. I chose the latter. I am adding buttons, in the same pop of colour as the fabric I used, for my circular element. Unfortunately, I only have 3 of the buttons I like, and there are five spaces that need a button. I'm fairly certain I will be able to get more of the same as they came in a mixed-box from Walmart and are something they generally carry. If you look closely, you can just make out the fancy stitch lines in the turquoise section (it's kinda lost in the black and white unless you are close up).

It being Friday, and the day speaking of Spring in the air, it might just be a good night for a Fuzzy Lemonade :)

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN

Boy....Iceland Seems Barren

We went into town today as SW needed a photograph for renewing his Firearms Certificate. It's so funny when you go for these photos. You ARE NOT allowed to smile! The resulting photo, especially when they were black and white, really made the person look like they should NEVER be allowed to have firearms...hahaha! We also picked up a few grocery items while we were there. 

As some of you may know, I signed up for the virtual Conqueror Challenge. The challenge that I chose is Iceland's Ring Road. The other night, someone commented on FaceBook that they'd been walking for some time and commented "It's a long and lonely road." My reply was "With not much to look at!" However, last night, I actually approached (virtually, that is) Varmahlio...and suddenly, there were things to see (besides flat fields and volcanic hills). This is a church.

If you look really closely at the hillocks on either side of the church, you can see the pattern of the way the peat bricks were laid. 

This is a monument dedicated to one of their famous poets, Stephan Stephansson. Apparently, he suffered from insomnia, so he would farm during the day and then write through the night.

I also received another postcard from the challenge.

This region's main industry is the Icelandic horse, pony-like in size but very hardy.

My quilting task today was to continue to work on my "Out Of The Box" project. I managed to get the top done....less the circular element. 

By the time I got this done, though, it was time to head out with Jade. Such a warm day today. TWN said that it was 13C. Everything is melting...even the top layer of the ice on the lake.

I recall that I have always loved this time of year....when there's run-off from the snow melting. I love watching (and listening to) the water move, and seeing the pattern the rivulets make.

Tomorrow's supposed to be quite nice, temperature-wise, as well, so get out...watch the run-off....find your own patterns :)

And on that note, I wish you all a very good night!

TTFN