Plovers on a tea towel

This is one of those slow rainy summer days when sewing is guilt free. You don’t feel like maybe you should be outside in the garden or doing something to enjoy the sun. Our summers are so short. Most of the time, I really do try to let my days unfold as they will though, according to how I feel.

 

Today, I decided to get a little much needed house work done early (for me) and then I popped over to Staples where I picked up a small wireless speaker, something that had been on my wish list for a while — perfect timing as it was on sale.

I’ve got it linked to blue tooth on my computer although I could quickly easily link it to my I Pad if I wanted. And one can move it from room to room. I know I’m rather late in discovering this; I feel pretty excited about it, lol, like I’ve discovered something new and exciting.

Once I got that figured out, and it took all of about 2 minutes, I was ready to finish laying out the little plovers on the tea towel. I ironed it all down and started the free motion stitching in black. 

I’m not adept at the satin stitch, nor do I often have patience for it. I do like the sketchy look of black free motion though. It has a gestural quality similar to a loose pen and ink. Hopefully, it will hold well enough to be used as I also used a light Steam a Seam.

Prince Edward Island

Last week, we visited family on the Island. My daughter was moving into a new  house and we took Ollie with us for a couple of days and an overnight at the family cottage. We kept him busy at the park, at the beach and around the cottage.

We were lucky to have excellent beach and swimming weather. I’m always happy if I can get in the water.

We wore him out. Us too! He did very well overnight with us for the first time and not even in his own bed. During the days we made a point of showing and having him play in the cottage bedroom where he would sleep and mom also prepared him well, sending his night light, his noise machine and his favourite books. He put his things into the room when he arrived so I think that helped too.

We went into Charlottetown for our last night so we could be around to keep Ollie busy once most of the furniture was in the house. I’m ever the teacher.

On Friday, I had a chance to go for lunch with my sister and my mom who has Alzheimer’s before we left for home.

It was a busy and somewhat exhausting week that sped by in a flash. You now how it goes.

Monday morning I was lazy and slow to rise. G has gone back to work and it felt a bit lonesome at first. Putting one foot in front of the other is how I get going. Tea and breakfast. Some wash. I cooked macaroni noodles at breakfast time for a macaroni and cheese casserole and I made the cheesy sauce for it after my lunch.

An easy supper.

With my tea at lunch, I sketched a few plovers for a little appliqué project.

Then I headed to the studio where I gathered some fabrics and some fusible and started cutting. Here you see them loosely arranged on a tea towel.

It’s a simple project for a little gift. Another day, I’ll add some water and sand, iron it all down and free motion stitch it to add detail and ensure durability.

My last thing is another afghan that I’ve started. My fingers must keep busy! I did this pattern, the basket weave in a smaller baby version and really liked it so I’m doing one for me.

What are you up to this week?

Bits and pieces

Bits and pieces is how I have learned this summer to break up my days. I’ve at the moment figured out how to be more consistent with pain meds and to balance small activities so not to aggravate the slipped disc which I’ve had for some time but which has worsened. As often happens with health problems depression is an issue. It’s not a serious clinical depression; I would not want to diminish the seriousness of a depression  some people contend with. I handle it by trying to relax and to let the day unfold as it will. There are always possibilities on my mind when I awaken, but they’re not firm goals.

After my morning tea in bed, and I stay as long as required, and breakfast, I take another tea out on the deck to ponder my morning. Today, I decided to pick some of the last of my rhubarb and mix up this recipe of rhubarb biscuits that I’ve been saving.

https://canolaeatwell.com/recipe/rhubarb-tea-biscuits/

They are delicious as anything with rhubarb can be. I found not all the rhubarb was well softened during baking though. Still a nice little treat with my salad.

I’ve been picking away at my gnome, cutting flowers, bugs and butterflies sometimes in the early evening while watching the news.

I still need more of the smaller vinelike flowers. They’re intricacies take more time than the larger flowers. 

This is a pattern by Leslie McNeil. I have followed her for many years and love her work.  http://marvelesartstudios.com/ It’s kind of the perfect project for me right now.

Today after lunch, I did a little free motion quilting on the sunflower bag. I know it would have been nice to have this finished by now. Readers if your getting bored, I apologize. It’s good though to think about the process sometimes, after all, for me, it’s more about that than the product. The process is where one can relax with good music and immerse oneself for a time. Although the finished product does make one happy too.

I feel content that in my allotted time this afternoon I got the center quilting done on one part of the bag.

Keeping it simple. It is a bag after all and will be used.

On my needles is another baby afghan knit from my leftover stash. Basketweave pattern

I’m excited because over the weekend I was able to pick up some of the fabric paint that I will use to paint a sky for my terns. We took a drive along the Acaduen Peninsula to Caraquet and stopped at the Grand Anse beach for a swim on the way back.

And, I’ve got some hand dyed blues on the way that I’m hoping to use for the water.  Something to look forward to. 

This is what I mean about pacing myself. I’ve got the paint and would like to do the sky but it doesn’t fit into my creative time today. I have to dole it out. I’m planning to make a simple pad Thai for supper which is one reason why I’m sitting resting and writing this right now. Also, it is warm and muggy again. We may go for a swim later or take a short walk and then get an ice cream. 

Sketching water birds on fabric

It’s been over a week since I spent any time in my studio. The pain from my 2 pinched nerves has increased and I’m either in a pain med induced stupor with little desire to do anything or too sore to sit at machine or table. 

The hot muggy weather is here too; it is rumbling thunder out there right now. I’m hoping for enough rain for the gardens. I picked a few things this morning - yellow beans, sugar snap peas and a yellow squash and I think I’ll do a simple stir fry with sausage for supper if I can mange it.

When our grandson was here, he spied this little creamer up high on a shelf, calling it a mini teapot, which I thought was cute.

During the day I’ve even resorted to some tv, stretching out with my knitting when I can’t handle anything else. To date, I finished 3 baby afghans. The one on the left is knit from leftover yarn from my stash. I love to knit no brainer while watching tv, especially when I’m not very focused.

Last night, again with leftovers, I started afghan #4 using a basket weave pattern this time.

Just for variety, I’m also knitting a top down baby sweater.

I did make it to the studio for a little while after lunch. I painted the 2 sea birds, maybe common terns, perhaps a mom and juvenile, using Neaocolor II crayons and fabric medium. Then, I backed them with interfacing and did a free motion stitching. They stayed there unbothered as I paddled by in my kayak, chattering at each other while bobbing along.

I carefully cut them out with small scissors after stitching. Folowing success using this method last winter to do the chickadees on the wintry background, I decided to try it here.

The blue is showing more grey than in reality but you get the idea. The plan is to paint a sky. I’m not sure about the water yet. I wish I had a hand dye that would suit; maybe I will also try a painted ocean. We’ll see.

I’m just happy to have been able to paint and sew a wee bit today and here’s hoping I won’t pay later.

Oh boy, the thunder is rolling around with lightning and I got my wish for rain.this could mean cooler weather finally moving in. Yippee.

Mini printing wild peas with a foam stamp

Having had a bit of a late night last night, I was slow to get going today. Sometimes I’m very groggy and the best thing for it is to just get moving. Do some laundry, clean up kitchen, make bed, etc. We debated heading out to the beach for a swim; with dark clouds looming and thunderstorms predicted we opted to stay home. It’s very sultry out and still not raining though.

I pulled out the sketch books and some craft foam to play with the wild peas motifs.

For the first print I usedNeocokor II crayons - coloured on, spritzed and blended before printing. It makes a watercolour effect.

The next ones were all done from 1 acrylic paint application, spritzed and rollered a bit.

Each one gets successively paler.

I really like all the textures and lines. I’m looking forward to trying it out on fabrics.

A muggy Sunday with thunderstorms, doing some stitching and sketching

It’s been mostly an inside day today, starting with a leisurely breakfast and a little sketching. I brought home a few more sprigs of wild beach peas yesterday to use as an artistic reference. As a bonus, I pressed the last bunch in an old phone book for future use in mono printing.

I did another pencil sketch at mid day. As I become interested in a particular plant, I like to do detail sketches, slowly becoming more familiar with the shapes and colours. It may or may not become fodder for a textile work, if not now in winter when I need a lift. I plan to do some foam stamps and maybe some printing.

Hubby went off to the golf course around 7:00 (crazy) and came home soaked after 9 holes, when he joined me for breakfast.

Besides raining off and on, it’s very warm and muggy outside, not my kind of day. When there was a little sunshine breakthrough before the rain returned with thunder this time we took advantage and did a short bike ride around the nearby subdivision. 

I’ve been taking it easy, low gears and no hills hoping to build a little muscle without bothering the knee and at least keeping things moving a bit. Walking is a little difficult right now but may improve once I’ve had the spinal injection.

The yard has filled out, especially with the rain and warmth this week.

I’ve not been able to get all the weeding and mulching done but hubby has said he’d help this week during his week off. When we work together this back garden might take an hour; by myself I’d be at it for days.

The two windows on the right above are in my studio.

I’ve been in the studio today, getting the front and back of the bag finished, I thought, and backed with the Soft and Stable. But look what I did, lol.

I put the top and bottom strips on the wrong ends of one section of the bag and shall have to unpick. As if my progress isn’t slow enough!

Like most studios, there are projects that have been sitting aside for too long. Sometimes, one gets to a point on a piece where it’s not appealing and not making one happy. Just so with this piece. I have a hard time to completely abandon something unless I’ve given it my best. There are times when you have to push forward and see where it goes. It may work or not. While I still had the black thread on my machine, I decided to work on the dark areas with lots of stitch to see how it goes.

I see progress but still not sure. I left stitching the foliage on top because it’s the rock that was giving me pause.

I will go a little further I think and we’ll see.

This is my second small baby afghan that I’ve done as a tv watching project. I’ve got sweaters to work on for my grandson; however, it’s ‘no brainer’ knitting I like to do at night.

It’s soon time for me to move and get a quick supper started. I’m using leftover salmon and adding a white sauce to serve over rice.