Brrrrrr

This arctic front that’s dumping all this unseasonably frigid air on us may give our gardening event tomorrow a boost, but worrying about all of the little critters who have to deal with these freezing temperatures is almost giving me ulcers. I wish they all had warm loving homes.

All of my sewing for the past two weeks has been to make some door prizes for tomorrow’s “Seedy Saturday”. It’s good to be able to think of gardening and Spring in the midst of this wintery blast. I made two of these holders for my note cards. I add a little each time I make them. This time it was the ribbons to hold them closed.

I also wanted to make a market tote. These cute little Japanese bags caught my attention and, according to several tutorials I came across on the internet, they were simple to make. It took me a couple of days and several mistakes to finally figure out just how “simple” they were. It’s like that “You can’t miss it” statement that people make when giving directions – easy to find (or make) when you’ve been there before!

So, I finally made one and it turned out like the picture. Good job. But I wanted to make a lining for it and I couldn’t remember how big I’d made the first one. I finally found my notes and made the lining accordingly, but somehow it turned out three times the size. I could have made it into a baby quilt. Well, I cut it back by a third and sewed it into a bag, but the shape was all wrong and it didn’t line up with the first one. I cut the lining apart – I reinforced the seams real good and there was no unstitching this girl! – and sewed two of the three pieces into another bag, with a lining. They just kept looking worse, so I went looking for another bag.

The one I finally made was a free pattern off the internet but there’s little point in posting a link to it because after I cut the fabric I stopped following the pattern . It’s a simple enough one but II made one dumb mistake after another on… I guess the more mistakes you make, the more you learn. Anyway, it’s not very complicated – pockets on the outside, but none inside. Just nice for carrying a few things in – maybe some vegetables or lunch. I think I’ll make a few more without mistakes to sell at our Farmers Market this Spring. Ginger is looking very put out. I guess I woke her up taking this picture.

Time to go to bed, myself. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s Seedy Saturday and talking to all of the local gardeners who show up. I have to keep telling myself that it’s too soon to plant anything. Another month to go. I am sooooo ready for it to be Spring now.

Until next time,

Stashing my stash

Honestly, I don’t know where it all came from! Fabric accumulates at an astonishing rate and the boxes, bags and piles had taken over my small sewing area. It all got tossed in the downstairs bedroom over the summer while the house renovations were taking place. Piece by piece I retrieved it as we slowly put things back into their places, and by the time winter came, it was covering the dining room table again. We had friends over for New Years and needed the table, so down to the bedroom it all went again. Last week I bought a second storage cube at Home Hardware, identical to the one I bought there in 2010 except this one was half price!

I spent about 12 hours over three days happily sorting fabric. That photo above is only part of it. Funny how the green pile seems so much higher than the rest. And I forgot about those beautiful yellows! Much of the fabric was still in the bags I brought them home in, so it was a happy surprise to see them all again. Even better, now I can open a drawer and SEE them. I now have one drawer devoted to cat fabric! And one and a half with just Christmas. I know, I need to get cracking and use it up. I’m working on it.

Rusty and Ginger, of course, assumed that I bought the storage cubes for them. I gave them a few hours to play in the one I bought last week before I filled it. Rusty takes up almost the entire cube, unlike four years ago when I bought the first one. Looks like Rusty and Ginger were half the size they are now. That’s not surprising – they used to fit in, under, over and around a lot of things they can’t now. And Ginger is much more dignified now four years later than to be caught on the camera chasing her tail upside down!

So everything is mostly tidy again. The downstairs bed doesn’t have piles of fabric all over it anymore; the dining room table is mostly empty (just a few more small things to find a place for). The cats are bored for the moment, but it won’t be long before something new takes their fancy. Everything is good today in my sewing zone.

Until next time,

Chaos

I’m getting a late start to the new year! Everything here feels like it’s moving through molasses and everyone is telling me the same thing – that they’re having a hard time getting back into work mode after the holidays. Maybe we’re all just looking for something new! One of the volunteer groups I’m involved with is planning a Seedy Saturday for Feb. 1 for all of the local garden enthusiasts who’ve had enough of winter. Me included.

I’ve also been working on my mariner’s star quilt, which I’ve renamed “Chaos Under The Heavens”. Or maybe Wild and Wacky. I’m sure you can figure that one out. Looking at the picture, I can see all sorts of ways I could have softened the colour separation and done things differently. It was an experiment, and, as my music partner says whenever we make a mistake - “Keep going!” It’s a little late to change things around now. Either I finish it or toss it out. Just have a few more sections to sew together before I put a border on it.

Until next time,

Best wishes for 2014

I couldn’t let the year slip by without wishing you all a happy and healthy 2014!

Each year is different for all of us. If I could sum up 2013 in one word, it would be Renovations! We’re still putting out house back in order!

Saw these lovely, silly birds Sunday morning. We’re always hearing the familiar “chuk chuk chuk” of these members of the partridge family, but we rarely see them. Sunday morning was a rare sight, and we had 8 chukars tromping around the hill behind our house. The roofline you see at the bottom of the picture is my greenhouse!

We have a New Moon tomorrow, Jan. 1! It turns “new” at 4:15 am Pacific Standard Time at 11 Capricorn. A New Moon is when the Moon siddles up to the Sun and blocks the light of the sun, making the night even darker. A New Moon inspires introspection, whereas a Full Moon invites action. This New Moon occurs in the Second House, which is the House of Resources – some people narrow it down to the House of Money. The Sun and Moon are joined by Pluto and Mercury, enhancing the effects of the New Moon. Pluto is dark and broody by nature, and is responsible for many resources found hidden or/and under the ground. Could be buried treasure, could be a mine, could be something you lost in the garden last Spring. Mercury implies business, and in the Second House that is likely to mean banks. Altogether, a very solid combination of planets.

And they are all in poor aspect to a Mars/Uranus opposition.Volatile, impulsive, money suddenly coming in and just as quickly disappearing. It’s going to be an interesting month, if not year. The planets in the Second House give us the opportunity to plan for the future. Sometimes bad things just happen and there’s nothing that can be done about it, but good planning often offsets the worst of it.

Good luck and Best Wishes for a happy, healthy – and prosperous – 2014! Happy New Year!

Friday Furball – 4 years ago

More feline happiness at Sarah Did It.

Starlight

The craziness at work is done (for another year). Now I’m just coasting until after New Year. It feels good. This morning I spent three hours shovelling snow before I went into work.That also felt good and prepared me for spending a day sitting in front of a computer and using my brain.

It’s supposed to snow again tomorrow, and tomorrow is the annual Christmas Bird Count in our area. Snow usually means a smaller than usual turnout of counters. Which means those who do show up have a larger area to cover. Well, no matter, because it usually turns out to be fun regardless of who shows up or what the weather is like.

I’m still working on the Mariners Star that I started this Spring. Little by little. Piece by piece. I’ve missed several elf-imposed deadlines, but I’ll just keep plodding along until it’s done. I have the main stars finished – have to do the little “worlds” around the outside now, followed by a border. I have a few days slack time coming up – you never know what’ll happen.

Happy Solstice!

Until next time,

Friday Furball – The Frankster

What a gorgeous mancat Frankie has become. He was just a few months old when I first met him. Very difficult to understand how someone would abandon him. If he’s ever been inside a house, it was long before I met him. Just after I took this picture, I held the door open for him. He stuck his head inside and put one paw over the threshold, and that was enough. He hasn’t shown any interest since then in coming inside. Maybe someday.

So, anyway, I made him this house. It has wall to wall carpet inside and a cozy, round cat bed. He used it a few times, but there’s a lot of traffic around his food dishes – at least half a dozen neighbourhood freeloaders (cats with homes) and a few raccoons – and I haven’t seen him in there lately. There are a lot of post-reno scrap piles and plywood lean tos around the yard, so there’s lots of shelter for him if he wants it. He’s a free soul. Today it’s snowing and blowing and cold, and I hope he’s found a warm place to rest.

I made a couple of the to go with the bags I made for my co-workers. If Rusty and Ginger’s reaction were any indicators, I’m sure their cats will love them. As soon as I finished it, Ginger grabbed it by the tail and tried to run away with it, but Rusty stopped her so he could take it away. I trumped them both and put it safely in a cupboard until I could get it out of the house. Guess I know what I’m making them for Christmas. I wonder if I could entice Frankie back into his house if I tossed one on his bed.

I’m leaving a link at Sarah Did It's Feline Friday.

Until next time,