Too Much Inspiration!!

I recently borrowed a quilting book from our public library.

It's full of  ideas for Christmas projects, but the designs are adaptable to non-seasonal quilted projects.

I love these quilted pillows...

And this one... Do I need more pillows...?

I also love this lap quilt design - shown on the book cover. I could see it as a full-sized quilt.

I almost feel like putting aside the two quilts that I'm trying to finish before winter is over and start something new!

What a dilemma: too much quilting inspiration!!

Drying Rose Petals

I receive roses from time to time...

I love them! The only problem is that they don't last long enough...

Once they start to droop, I cut off the heads and float them in a rose bowl to extend their beauty.

My daughter suggested I then twist off the petals - and dry them. This is especially nice if they have a lovely smell.

Quilting Progress

I have been - slowly but steadily - making progress on my latest quilt creation.

I have been working on it in three parts, machine quilting each section before joining them together.

Here it is, in three pieces, lying on a queen-sized bed.

Now I begin to join the parts together, I machine stitch the top, hand-stitching the back join, strip of fabric covering the join.

The backing - a light broadcloth I "inherited" from a neighbor - looks really puckered from close up. It reminds me of smocking my mother used to do. I hope it doesn't look too bad in the end.

I've already hand-stitched the binding on the two ends. When I've joined everything together, I'll sew on the binding on the two sides...

Then it will be done!

The most important thing is - not to give up! However one does it, making a quilt is a momentous task!

INSPIRATION Needed!

Winter would seem to be the perfect time to accomplish indoor projects that have been weighing on my mind... Like organizing and digitizing all my slides. (I was reminded of this task recently when an ad for a digitizing service caught my eye: Costco photography centers now convert slides and home movies into digital format...)

That could be useful!!

When I lived overseas, my parents wanted me to share my experiences with them in letters... and slides.

I'm not sure why they preferred slides... Was it cheaper?!  Or was my father simply intrigued by the latest technology?! In those days of 8 mm home movies, it wasn't uncommon for him to pull out the projection screen to show visitors their latest home movies...and my Israel slides.

Now, tucked away and forgotten, are boxes of these relics of my 10 years abroad and of my parents' European travels...

I've thought of digitizing them, if the quality is good enough. But first I'd have to go through all of them, clean them, and choose the ones I'd like to keep.

Winter would seem to be the ideal time to do that... What am I waiting for?!

Inspiration!!!

Make a PLAN!!

I came across these words recently...

It reminded me of the many things on my "to do sometime" list... Why haven't I done them?

Maybe I just need to prioritize them... and then MAKE A PLAN!

Weather Warnings

My Ipad weather app provides me with weather warnings for all the places I receive forecasts for.

A while back, I was weighing my winter travel options and added Honolulu to my list of locations. (Then I promptly forgot that I did.)

Soon afterwards I decided that my warmest winter destination this year will probably be the pottery studio a mile from my home. (Pottery kilns generate heat!)

No winter escape planned for this year...

Easing my disappointment were not one, but two "weather warnings" I received for Honolulu: Severe winds, strong enough to topple trees and knock out power!

I was surprised... But I guess I shouldn't be. After all, weren't trade winds the power source for sail boats back in the day?!

Beautiful Quilted... Birds!

Thanks to Pinterest, I have discovered some beautiful quilted birds...

This is the arrangement that first caught my eye.

The pattern is flexible...

A few days later, on Pinterest again, I came across a helpful drawing...

I'm not good at delicate designs, but I'd really like to give it a try...

And the creator's blog is full of lots of colorful quilting ideas.

Love it!

Is Keto For Me?!

For years now I've been aware of my carb intake, as I work on keeping my high blood sugar under control.

And it is work!!

Every day I judge my food intake - not only on how it tastes, or what I feel like eating, but on how "good for me" it is... I've read dozens of books on different eating styles that are supposed to be "good for" pre-diabetics and diabetics.

The keto diet is currently very popular... There were so many "holds" on these two books, that it took me months to get them from the library!

Basically, a keto diet aims at lowering carb intake to the point that the body must burn fat for fuel. The list of food high in carbs is longer than one might think. It includes not only bread and sweets, fruit and fruit juices (or any sweetened drinks) but corn, potatoes, rice, carrots, peas, beans... And the list goes on!

As I look the photos on the covers of these keto cook books - as the January winds blow outside - I am reminded of hot summer weather and tropical climates, when it's so hot, I don't feel like eating.

This is not the food my body craves now that winter is here!

While I'm sure I can benefit from lowering my carb intake, these two books aren't very helpful in the winter world I live in!

They will be heading back to the library very quickly!

Back to Pottery...

Last week, I returned to the pottery studio.

I'm always a little rusty in the beginning. This is the long apron I got last year - to keep my pant legs dry when I use the wheel.

A few of my hand-built pieces weren't dry when I had to empty my locker last May.

They have been sitting in the basement since then. Now it's time to fire them in the kiln...

This bowl depicts a group of elephants in a circle. Hopefully it won't break before it gets fired.

Looking at my containers of tools - not far from where I dropped them when I finished my last session last spring, I wonder how many trips to the car it will take to get all this stuff back into the studio. Will my locker hold it all?!

What will I be inspired to make his year...?

It's always a surprise!

Reflections (While Working On Another Quilt)

I have been - slowly and steadily - working on another mauve quilt.

Whenever I make a large quilt, I try to break it down into sections and work on each smaller segment as much as I can before joining them together.

I started with strips of 5.5 inch squares - joining three strips together and machine quilting them.

I'm not totally happy with these, as some of the fabrics seem very ripply once machine quilted... I wonder if there is anything I could do to counter that... Perhaps it's because the fabric is thinner... Or because my "walking foot" isn't working. Maybe I should get it fixed...? Or replace it...? Would this have happened had I been using it? Maybe these ripples will be less noticeable once the whole thing is complete. This is one reason why I prefer to hand quilt. I have more control.

I've sewn several solid color strips to one of the quilted pieces, seen in the photo above. The remaining two are lying on my laundry rack, next to some fabric I was considering for the strips but decided not to use.

I've added a colorful bit of patchwork to the backing of the centre section, just to make things a little more interesting - and to use up a piece I had in my stash.

Will I like it when I'm done?!

I've enjoyed working on it, so maybe that's all that matters.

Another aspect of the "magic" of quilting... My surprise at having so many small fabric pieces left over...

I'm already planning another quilt!

I always think: This will use up everything... But it never does! There is always more!

Winter Wisdom

I recently came across some ancient wisdom (in the book of Ecclesiastes ) that has been encouraging me this winter...

The first is: "there is nothing better for men than that they should be happy in their work..." 

Thinking about that, I realize that it's important for me to keep active doing something I enjoy, especially in these long, cold winter months.

Fortunately, I love doing a lot of things indoors, so that's not a problem. I've really been enjoying quilting - and have even managed to finish some quilts I started years ago.

The second idea that has been challenging for is this: "Whatever you do, do well..." 

I'm not, by nature, a perfectionist, which is both good and bad. Good, in that I don't drive myself crazy trying to get things just right and giving up when I don't succeed. But possibly bad because I don't challenge myself enough... I wonder:  If I aim for excellence, will I derive more satisfaction from my efforts?

With that in mind, I'm trying to be just a little more of a perfectionist. 

Looking at the top picture - a glimpse of our winter world these days, Terry probably isn't really enjoying clearing the snow from our driveway. But like everything he does, he is doing it with meticulous attention to detail. It does drive him crazy at times...

Aiming for perfection is a lot harder for me.

Lovely Knitting Book

I'm drawn to the Noro knitting books from Japan. I love the dramatic colors of their variegated yarns.

Our public library has a few of these pattern books. They're very popular - it took me months to get this one.

I love the colors of the shawls, hats and gloves - but with so many unfinished projects in my yarn bins, I'll pass on making any at this time.

I haven't resumed knitting since I started my "knitting fast" in November - to allow my tendinitis to heal.

A quick look - then back to the library with this book! Thirty people have it on hold and are waiting!

(If all keep the book for the three weeks allowed, some  will have to wait for over a year before they get it!)

But get it they can...

I'm such a fan of public libraries!

Perfect Snack

I pass the fruit bowl and look down...

The thought comes to me...

Perfect snacks in perfectly biodegradable wrappings!

How amazing if all snack-makers could come up with something like that!

A La Julius

Do you recognize this man? Terry asked, referring to this obit in our local paper.

Yes! It's Julius!

We met Julius late in his life. He was one of the founding members of the Miller's Oven Tea House in Manotick, a small restaurant manned by volunteer seniors to raise funds for their activities.

He occasionally worked at the cash back in the early years when we went there.

The obit was enlightening: We didn't know that he had been a veterinarian, or that he was born in Montreal. We did hear that he had moved to Brockville...

But we will always remember Julius because he was a charming man - and because one of the menu items was named after him.

French Toast a la Julius - French toast dipped in a mixture of egg and milk, then in uncooked oats before frying it - has become a favorite with one of my sons!

Every time we make it, we think of him!

Moving Along... In Quilting

I've put the red and beige quilt (mentioned in  yesterday's blog post) on the back burner... to focus on the quilt I started when I started sewing some mauve colored squares together.

I found more fabric and cut more 5.5 inch squares.

The fabric that doesn't fit goes into my "crumb" pile... which is growing.

I've played around, making a few squares with these, but have put them aside. They will probably end up being for yet another mauve quilt!

Using the 5.5 inch squares, I ended up with 11 rows, approximately the width of a double bed.  These I sewed into three groups of three rows each - with two strips left over. I want to add a solid color to go between these groups of squares.

The idea came from a quilt I saw on Pinterest.

I like it - though Terry isn't enthused! (I guess  you can't please everyone!)

I like to work with scraps. The result is a constant surprise. I'm also not  as disappointed if I don't like the result! When I buy fabric for a specific quilt pattern, my expectations are high.

Discovering ANOTHER Unfinished Quilt!

I had forgotten about this unfinished quilt... I don't even remember where I purchased the matching squares. But I do remember working on it several years ago - then putting it aside when I wasn't sure what to do next...

Recently I came across the unfinished pieces again in one of my fabric bins and decided that I really wanted to finish it...

But how?! I wanted to add a little boldness to the flowery squares.

Perusing some of the quilt photos I've saved on Pinterest, I decided I liked the effect of framing certain squares to make them stand out.

That gave me an idea for how to proceed...

Will I have enough fabric to finish it?! (My quilting goal is to use up as much fabric as I can without buying any more!)

I'm looking forward to trying my idea, now that I have new inspiration!

(Updates will follow!)

Microwave Tip

I often use our microwave oven to warm up leftovers...

Recently someone gave me a tip: Put a small container of water in the microwave when you warm up food. The moisture in the air will make the food taste fresher...

I tried it - and it works! The food really does taste better!

What's in a Name?!

My mother was interested in genealogy, but neither Terry nor I have done any genealogical research. In spite of this, Terry has recently come across a few references to his last name, Hutchins.

A few months ago, he received a letter from a stranger. The letter was a request for information about the Ontario Hutchins family tree. The sender wanted to provide this information as a birthday gift to her mother, whose last name had been Hutchins.

We checked the genealogical information given to us by one of Terry's relatives.

Sorry, we're not part of the Ontario branch of the family, Terry wrote back. My roots are in Quebec... 

His paternal grandfather had been part of a large family born and raised in Quebec.

***

One of our Christmas gifts from our daughter this year was this family crest tea towel... But the name on it is Macdonald, not Hutchins!

When I into the family crest shop to buy it, our daughter explained, they told me that the family name Hutchins is part of the Macdonald clan... So this is our family crest... I guess...

***

I was thinking of you recently, Terry's childhood friend, John Vaudry, told him when we visited him and his wife recently. A Presbyterian church minister, John is an avid reader of  theology and church history books.

I was reading that the great Bible translator, William Tyndale, was sometimes known as William Hitchins (which is probably a form of Hutchins). When his enemies wanted to insult him, they called him Hitchins. Otherwise, he went by the name Tyndale.

Is Terry related to this poor man who was executed five hundred years ago for translating the Latin Bible into English, the language of the people...?

I wonder: Do genealogical DNA tests provide this kind of information?!

Brief Winter Reprieve

It's hard to believe that the snow has only been around for about a month this winter.

Once it arrives, it feels like it's been here forever!

But we've just had a brief reprieve - warm temperatures and rain melted a lot of our snow over the past two days.

Yesterday, the car thermometer read 11 degrees Celsius. (That's about 52 degrees Fahrenheit.)

I celebrated by taking a few short walks - between rain showers.

Some spots were enveloped in a misty fog, produced by warm air on the cold snow.

But yesterday afternoon, temperatures started dropping again. Winter is back!