This and That

This log cabin quilt is currently under my needle and I would very much like to have a finish in February.  I guestimate that I’m about a fourth of the way through using a small meander.  For some reason I cannot work on it more than hour without my shoulders hurting, so I am pacing myself.

Taking my cue from Karen's post on  January 26, I started some moss rose and tomato seeds this weekend.  Nothing tastes better than garden fresh tomatoes and I have had some luck with these tiny ones in the past.  Also, I love moss rose for its colorful blooms and ability to cope with our hot summers.  It would certainly be nice to have both without the expense of shopping for them at garden centers.

 

My orchid’s blooms are coming along.

 

And, in other news, January 31 is National Hot Chocolate Day.  Now, that’s a day I can really get into.  I understand there is a difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa, but I’m not letting that get in my way.  I played with a recipe Donna at Brynwood Needleworks published in December for cocoa.  It is much better than the store-bought variety that comes in those fiddly little envelopes.

 

 

Kind of a Messed Up Week

Thursday and Saturday were two “lost” days filled with lots of running around and decision making.  Friday and Sunday ended up being recovery days during which I tried to rest and catch up on some of the household chores I would normally have already done.  Consequently, the only sewing related activity was prep work getting the backing and batting prepared and pin basted for the next project to be quilted. 

A friend actually asked for the jar of orts I showed in my last post.  She plans to incorporate them into a contraption she is putting together to supply birds with nest making materials. I was happy to oblige.

In the last 48 hours we have received .87 inches of much appreciated rain with a possibility for more tonight and tomorrow.  Fingers crossed!

 

A Good Day to Sew

I am so happy there is no situation so important that I have to leave the house today.  Yesterday the high was in the mid-20s.  We woke up to 18 degrees this morning…not nearly so bad as some of my blogger friends are dealing with.  We were also fortunate that the icy precipitation missed us and the power grid (so far) is holding.  It is definitely a wear-fuzzy-socks-all-day kind of day.  Tomorrow is expected to be just as cold and my Tuesday sewing group is skipping a week.

I quilted the Cynthia England project over the weekend and finished binding and labeling it today.  I used a small meander to quilt it with invisible thread on top and a light neutral on the bottom.   

It’s time to retire this jar filled with orts from my handwork.  It looks like it is filled with geological strata, and represents 2-3 years of stitching.

It's Pieced

I finished stitching the last long seams in the Cynthia England project on Saturday, removed the pattern pieces and began giving it a good steam pressing.  But several errors popped up immediately when I got a good look at it.  I had used a wrong fabric in the lower left corner as well as a few other areas.  One of the flower stems disappeared into nothing while the join for the other was messed up.  The bottom border was wonky.  So, work continued to correct these problems.  Given the intricate piecing, I mostly removed the pieces with wrong fabric and reverse appliqued them with the correct fabric.

Not Good

I think the piecing may finally be finished.  At least it looks much better to me.

Better

My cactus with red blooms and my orchid have started making a show.  It is such a treat to see blooms in January.

Last Thursday, Bob killed a copperhead snake on our front sidewalk.  This was rather unexpected given the temperature was in the mid-50s.  We think it was probably disturbed when Bob removed a Christmas decoration from the flowerbed. 

Today was National Clean Your Desk Day.  I think I may need an intervention.  Anyway, I'll be working to improve the situation this week.