I’ve still got one top to quilt at Mom’s (the Little Wishes quilt), so I want to get a couple more tops done and maybe make a trip there before the end of the month.
So grabbed those mermaid blocks I made the other week, and threw them together into a top.
When I made the big star blocks…
I knew I wanted to do a corner star sashing as well. But I wanted to do it with a twist this time. Instead of saw-tooth stars, I turned them into friendship stars!
It was actually a little trickier, despite being a simpler looking block. With saw-tooth, you just snowball each sashing strip. But with the friendship star, I made HSTs, and had to pay VERY close attention to which way they were pointing.
But it was worth it in the end.
If I can get another top ready to quilt, I’ll book a play date at Mom’s!
I cheated a little this weekend, and worked on the shawl instead of cross-stitching. I really wanted to get past the circular part. So I only had Sunday night to stitch… but, as usual I had a couple of “enforcers” to keep me on track and stitching right until bedtime.
And as a result, I got a respectable amount of work done.
All of the stitching on the first fox (with the exception of the outlining) is done, as well as a few of the leaves dancing around him. I did NOT enjoy working with white floss on white fabric. If I’d been thinking, I’d have swapped it out for something else in my stash. But this is what came with the kit, so it is as it is. There’s not a tonne of white – just some on the two other foxes.
This is a long, narrow piece, so the next time you see it, the hoop will (hopefully) be moved a good deal higher.
I was very excited to get through Chart C on Crimson Blossom before the weekend, just as I’d hoped. But then my excitment quickly changed, when I turned the page and saw Chart D.
I would still be working in the round, not back and forth…sigh… nothing to do but get on with it.
At least I had Lemmy to … encourage… me?!?
Eventually, I got through Chart D and I am now ready to work back and forth.
It’s such a pretty bit of lace thats going to get even prettier when it gets all blocked out.
There are two weeks under our belt now with the Stay-at-Home-Round-Robin quilt-along. Week 1’s prompt was spools. I wasn’t sure exactly what do with it, so I decided to see what week 2 would bring before I did any cutting or sewing. Week 2 was stars! My favourite!!!
That got the wheels turning and I sat down to consult with Burton over a plan.
As you can see, I got the paw of approval on the design. I tackled the spools first, since they were the simpler block.
I haven’t made a lot of spools in my quilting career so far. The only other ones I can thinkg of are the ones in my “Sewing on the Back Porch” quilt and they are very different spool block.
Next up, the stars…
You really can’t go wrong with a saw-tooth star. And these fabrics…. they just make it so easy to make stand-out blocks!!!
Once the blocks were done, it was time to put them together with the centre medallion.
The blocks are eight inches, so they bring the quilt out to 32 inches square so far. Of course, there are several more weeks to go.
February continues what January started – only colder. Everything is white and varying shades of grey. And I continue to dream of spring.
When I bought the arbour, I also bought four little garden beds.
They are nothing fancy – just little 3′ x 3′ flat pack cedar beds. But the price was so good ($79 each) – I couldn’t buy enough wood to make them for that!
When they arrived, Dave decided they’d last longer if they were painted. So for a couple of days, he took over my kitchen island and half the counter, and painted each piece of wood in our signature green.
Despite having to cook around the mess, I can’t complain – they will now match the two tall boxes I got last year.
These beds and the tall boxes will be for veggies. I stocked up on seeds last month.
Nothing fancy. Just a couple types of beans, snap peas, carrots, spinach, cucumbers, and broccoli. I also have some asparagus coming with one of my flower orders – though I understand that takes a couple years to get established.
And I also got this oddity…
It’s a plant native to North America (Also known as Strawberry Blite). Apparently the leaves taste like somewhat like spinach. The berries are edible too – though they say they don’t taste like strawberries. Since I love spinach, I thought it would be fun to try. At the very least, I’m sure the birds will love the berries if I don’t.
I’ll be starting most of the seeds in a few weeks. The first day of spring is only 47 days away!!!
Yesterday, the sun was shining and the wind died down enough that it wasn’t too bad to be outside for a little while. Lemmy was insistent on being on the catio porch (he still hasn’t figured out the cat doors…), so I opened the door to the yard to see if he would like to check out the snow.
He was VERY hesitant about it at first. Eventually he came al the way out, but got spooked by the sound of my boots crunching the snow and hid under the stairs.
When he finally got brave enough to come out, he stuck to the areas with no snow. He kept his feet on dry land but gave the snow several sniffs.
And finally…
He was out and about checking it all out. We stayed out for about 15 minutes before I had to go move my truck so Dave could get his car out. When I came back, Lemmy was back on the porch and done with his adventure.
I don’t think he minded it too much. But he’s really going to love it when all that snow melts! (and learns how to use the cat doors!)
You can see a little video of his adventure on our Facebook page. (With guest appearance from snow veteran, Relic)
I had hoped to be though the last bit of chart C by now. (I always forget how much beading slows things down) Chart C is the last chart where you work in the round. After that, you put 3/4 of the stitches on the needles and work one side at a time. The pace really picks up then.
Alas, I still have about 8 rounds to go before I get there. If I can manage that by the weekend, I will be a very happy girl.
Here we are on February 1st. And let me tell you… my No-Spenduary was a complete bust! It started with that fateful trip to the Antique mall, and after that it was like I was just hemorrhaging money everywhere.
Whenever we went out, I spent money. When we stayed home, I spent money (damn you online shopping!!!)
I bought clothes, I bought plants, I bought fabric. I even bought a new pair of boots, and footwear is something I’ve managed to resist buying for a very long time.
I mean, I’m REALLY happy with them, but I totally didn’t NEED to get them this month. And I certainly didn’t need the clothes, plants, or fabric.
Especially the fabric…. one of the bottoms of the drawers on my stash dresser popped the other day from all the fabric shoved in there.
I certainly didn’t need this.
A little decorative shelf we found at the ReStore. As soon as I picked it up, Dave looked over my shoulder and said it was obviously meant for me. I’ll probably put it up in the studio and stick some plants on it. I certainly need more homes for my plants!
Now this last one… this I needed.
Remember, when I posted about the Antique Mall, I said I was on the hunt for a certain Blue Mountain Pottery fish? Well…
I got it! I found it on FB Marketplace before Christmas. But it was pretty far away – though not too far from Mom’s. I told myself, if it was still online the next time I went down, I would contact the seller. And I did just that. The Saturday morning of my visit, I took Mom out for breakfast, ran a couple errands, and picked up my fish!
It’s actually a vase, there’s a large opening between those upper fins. I plan to get some nice dried grasses and such for it. Doesn’t it look so happy swimming on top of my antique radio?
But, now that February is here, I’m going to start over! Frugal February all the way! It’s only 28 days… I can make… right?!?!
Wandering Cat Studio 