My ski walker, drunkard’s path, a new pattern

I am currently sitting in my dining room by the sliding door looking through photos on memory sticks for some fiber art ideas.

I put potatoes to bake in the little countertop oven. My husband lost a large filling and needs some soft foods. He is on the cancellation list and only has an appointment next week.

Here it is with broccoli and the cheese sauce which looks lighter due to the marble cheese that I used.

Yesterday, I was cutting a backing fabric for this piece that I finished the hand embroidery on which I’m calling In a Silver Light, I think. I’ll need to find a binding fabric.

It was a sunny, albeit a bit cold day and we went to the  trail after lunch. I feel great when I’m walking and usually do less than 30 minutes, but I’ll still have a lot of pain afterwards and at night which is why I only go every few days.  It’s a catch 22. Do I suffer with pain, or do I suffer mentally if I can’t get out?

In my studio, I’m still putting the drunkard’s path together. I’ve got 2 rows done though, and I’m on the 3rd row.

Yesterday, my husband set up the projector that he borrowed from his company over the holidays for me to enlarge some of my future fiber art designs.

, 

We project it onto the wall with paper taped upon it in the size I’d like and then I can trace it.

You +an check my YouTube channel -link found top right of this blog post - for a bit of the trail walk and my backyard.

Happy New Years to you all. Celebrate safely. Keep positive thoughts for the new year.

Finished poinsettia runner

It has been a very quiet few days here and except for some down moments on Christmas Eve day when fb popped up with a year old  picture of when we were on PEI and out walking in the snow with my grandson and family, I’ve been feeling pretty good. We did have our son and fiancé for a visit yesterday and we FaceTimed with the rest of the family that we couldn’t visit. My husband and I had a quiet surf and turf fondue which allowed time to chat and relax while cooking each piece. 

Then, after supper, we watched a good movie, one of the best we’ve seen in a while - it had a combination I like - a little comedy, lots of mystery with twists and lots of drama. And the setting was this big old stone mansion  very eccentricity decorated, so much so that I wanted to pause it to look at it all. The owner of the house was an elderly but renowned mystery writer, his caregiver nurse  and his extended family. And then of course murder. It was called Knives Out and we found it on Prime.

Today, is even more quiet with just the two of us and we stayed home. I headed to my studio and did a small cleanup before finally finishing a poinsettia runner that’s been folded up in a drawer for a few years. It was originally stamped with fabric paint and craft foam stamp that I made, then the background was painted with brush and fabric paint plus some loose leaf shapes done  with Neocolor II crayons.

I didn’t add batting or quilt it; I simply backed it with muslin and stitched together envelope style. Done.

My sister sent me a pic this morning while visiting my mom who also lives in PEI. She has Alzheimer’s and often snoozes in her special wheelchair. Today, she was wearing a mock neck that I gave her for Christmas and a shawl that I made and gave her a couple of years ago. She did know me when my brother FaceTimed with me Christmas Eve while he helped her open the gifts from me. It made me tears eyed, especially when he told me that she later wanted to wear a sweater from me.  And again this morning when she was wearing the mock neck which we both used to like from northern Reflections. Every time I see her which has been much since Covid-19, I wonder if the next time she’ll still know me.

One of my 2 favourite hiftswas a set of stroller skis that fit my walker which will allow me to do little forays into the trail where the chickadees feed. 

And the other one also from my husband is a weather  vane featuring hummingbirds for our garden. We haven’t normally been doing gifts but then it’s not a normal year. I was quite surprised as he usually doesn’t know what to buy so it was touching.

Our grandsons, Ollie nad Gussie on Christmas morning.

And Christmas Eve.

Virtual hugs to you my readers. I hope you’ve a nice Christmas celebrating in whatever ways you could. Peace.

Knitting socks, a poinsettia runner, drunkards path, ayervedic tea

We had a couple small things to do this morning, so I had this afternoon left for the studio. The first part I spent on our deck re doing the fir branches in my urn after a friend passed on some fresh ones to me this morning. Mine seemed to be getting too dry as I’d gathered them from a clear cut and they’d been perhaps too long on the ground.

Every time I’m in my studio I cut a few more pieces to fit the diagonal pattern I’m attempting with the drunkards path. I had a little help from my friend Sue yesterday to pin up sample snippets of fabrics that were needed in certain spots. 

I discovered it’s best to either completely map out the pattern before sewing blocks or to cut the pieces as needed to fill in the spots on the design wall.

There are a couple pieces not yet cut and possibly a few changes but I think it’s getting pretty close now.

When i looked into the studio last night in the dark, I could discern most of the  pattern.

Since March, I’ve been slowly pulling out unfinished projects. I didn’t know there were so many, lol! I found this poinsettia runner which I made with my own stamped and painted fabric with the poinsettias. Several years ago I made 2 cushions and started this. The cushions are also made with my own painted and stamped fabric, free motion stitched and quilted. Labor intensive. So the runner has been sitting.

I’ve decided to simply back it envelope style and finish sone of the accents with paint. Who needs quilting on a runner?

I had to stop the cutting and sewing though at break time to rest my back.

These days I’ve been using my tea mug that has a mesh insert to make an ayervedic tea that I can sip for the day or the afternoon.

There are several recipes to be found on line. I use a decaf green or herbal tea, coriander, fennel seeds, cinnamon, fresh ginger and tuneric. I like the ginger and fennel for the stomach and the turmeric for inflammation. I don’t know how effective it is though my stomach likes it, and it can’t hurt.

This is a second pair of socks that I’m knitting. I like to alternate between the NFLD ones and these as these are easy knitting. The yarn is hand dyed merino and the pattern is Crunkled found on Ravelry. 

And now it’s time to go put the pork tenderloin in the oven. It’s been marinading in homemade applesauce,  maple syrup, onion, garlic and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Last night, I made a vegetarian pad Thai with a marinated and baked tofu which was so good. Lately, I’ve been trying to have more vegetarian meals in between the meat meals.

I’m wishing you all a peaceful weekend. Be good to yourself and try not to put too many Christmas demands on yourself. Of course that’s easier when you no longer have children home.

Baby quilt blocks - drunkard’s path

I came into my studio about midday when it was still quite bright. Earlier a friend was here and helped sort out sone of the colors that I needed to layout to bring out the diagonal curves of  the drunkard’s path blocks. I think I’m more of and organic intuitional artist and quilter and this pattern was getting the best of me. We laid out little scraps of the colours that needed to go in certain spots. You can see the littles fabric squares here and there.

Later, I started cutting some of the pieces to add to the necessary spots but didn’t have time to stitch any blocks. As I get more of the right blocks sewn, I think I’ll see more of a pattern.

The light quickly went from this to this.

Feeling that our place was a little bare for Christmas, I hung a few of my antique ornaments in the kitchen window and then from the bottom of my antique church light.

I ripped back to the cuff of the mitts as I found them too tight. I switched the needle size and I believe it’s working.

I had socks to show but the light faded too much to get a good picture, so next time. 

 Now, I need to stop and get supper started. 💕

Quiet days, stitching and painting

My usual routine daily is to do chores, paperwork and perhaps a small errand, in the morning and after lunch I head to the studio for most of the afternoon. Often I’ll do cutting and machine sewing until break and snack time and then I’ll sit in my rocker with handwork.

Which is exactly what I did today.

I didn’t sew anymore blocks today, but did rearrange and try to make sense of the pattern. I don’t have many more to make.; however, I realized that I must follow a plan if I want it to work out right. Right now the golds follow a wavy diagonal line from top right to lower left. I need to now work on the other colors.

Drawing it out and colouring with coloured pencils may be necessary.

I put it aside to make a pillow case with the golf ball fabric for my husbands stocking. We haven’t done them for years and usually don’t  do gifts. Since, it’ll likely be the two of us here this year, we thought we’d do small stockings.

I’m also planning to make him a mask with same fabric as he was asking for one a while back and there was no golf fabric to be had.

I painted two Christmas cards for special people and today I tried a little piece with snowflakes using some drawing fluid which I don’t use often.

After the masking fluid dried, I added watercolour and some salt and let that dry. The finished piece is for for a card or tag, has the mask it rubbed off.

This is a method that I saw on Instagram. I’ve forgotten her name and couldn’t find it again. I would like to reference her so if I see it agin, I’ll add it.

These cards, I did yesterday following Emma Lefevbre on YouTube. I’m enjoying all her how to videos for simple watercolour.

When I have my afternoon snack, I like to sit in my rocker, hand stitching, while watching YouTube or listening to music.

My husband made from scratch veggies burgers for supper. You wouldn’t know this but it is quite a nice surprise. He’s an excellent barbecuer and Sunday breakfast maker but that’s about it. I’ve been trying to encourage him to try a few things. He came in from his walk today and said he had a craving for veggie burgers. We found a simple recipe with chick peas, oatmeal, sautéed veggies and an egg. I helped a bit at first and then he finished.  He’s out there right now baking oven fries and cooking the patties. He wants lettuce, tomatoes and cheese on top.

It smells so good!

Christmas decorating, stitching and knitting

I’ve had a couple of very busy weeks between having the bathroom Reno finished and going for appointments. Finally, I’ve been able to settle a bit and take some time to put out a few Christmas things now that the banging and sanding is all done.

I’ve made another short video of the finished bathroom if you’re interested. Follow the YouTube link above on my sidebar. I’m pretty happy with the results on a budget.

I put out a few of my favourite snowmen and Santa’s in a few spots.

This arrangement is standing in for a tree this year. It’s just the two of us and it’s plenty to make me happy, especially with my limited mobility and low energy levels.

These are some of my favourite Santas - several I’ve made myself over the years - the 3 on the left of the little fir tree and the clay one on the right.

This at the end of the hallway. The watch was given to my husband form an uncle who passed away.

I’ve heard the word ‘cozy’ used a lot recently and I think that’s been my aim rather than strictly Christmas decorating. I hung a string of battery lights in the corner of my studio. 

Before I sat in my rocker for some stitching, I cut out some pieces for the drunkards’s path baby quilt I’m making.

Then it was time for tea, some  You tube, and some stitching.

I’m embroidering a label for the quilt that will go to our  youngest grandson, Gussie.

Also, I finally finished the birch trees and put the binding on it, ready for hand stitching. The sun is getting low in the sky though and I’ll have to get better pictures another day.

I do like  the light in my studio this time of day.

I made a jacket for Peter Rabbit. It just needs a button at the neck.

These are the mitts I’m attempting to make. The directions are actually very detailed and well explained. I just have to be careful to follow the right rows on the graphs!

They’re made with 2 ply Briggs and little yarn.

I’ve also got a pair of merino wools socks on the needles for some no brainer knitting.

I hope you’re having a good week despite our challenges wherever you are. 💕