February Quilting

 

Hi everyone! I looked at my recent posts and see that the three most recent posts are all about cooking! Oh no, better show some quilty stuff for my quilt-inspired readers. Truth is, not all that much is happening in the little quilt room; it's in danger of being restored to a tiny guest room for my hopeful-someday fantasy grandchildren, lol. Between severe joint pain, eye problems, eye surgery, looong wait to see results [so far not thrilled]---sewing has been neglected, so sad.

"Candy Cane Lane" originally made for a little girl who didn't have Christmas due to Covid---but her parents handled the issue so beautifully, I feel there's no need to dwell and I will add it to my own collection. Inspired by designer Barb Vedder's Tiny Trees.

I'll add a better pic tomorrow.

I have commissioned items I had to ask for more time on. Instead  I have sporadically worked on my Humble Quilt Challenge Antique block.

The Anvil block needed quite a bit of thought before before I jumped in sewing madly It was quite fragile and stretched out, all the points extended through the seam allowance, and so on.

                                         

I do not take antique blocks apart, wash, starch, recut, resew to 21st century perfection. Some people do that, but I prefer to respect and retain the original maker's work.

I patched a few edges, added very thin fusible stabilizer [for support and strength], squared it up and added matching cream ''muslin'' borders to save those POINTS as best I can.

I discarded the 1830s repro pastel color idea--may as well make something I can use. And went with my more usual brighter palette, using scraps from TQC and from friends. This is the first border, red mountains, 

...chosen from this very old and much used paper piecing manual.

I used this book a lot when I first began sewing again a bit, years ago, as you can see.

Next will be a solid border. Lori [Humble Quilts] also sent me this beautiful black ground pansy print. I thought it might be the border but no. I will save it. Clashes gruesomely with the reds.

Then, inspired by pics I have saved of Australian crib quilts, there will be a [wide?] border of Hourglass blocks or Broken Dishes. I taught myself to make the Hourglass block, for some reason I just drew a mental blank on how might it be cute and sewed. YouTube to the rescue. 

I have two months left for this project---we had a whole year, but yeah, it has been a crappy year for me, doing my best here.

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I also have part one on Winter Marshes on my list for Feb. I have two more days to do the oh so simple task of appliquéing the three Moons. 

And today a package arrived from TQC! My reward, self-promised, for getting through the surgery okay--aka my Christmas money from my brother. 

So pretty! TQC presentation is always appealing, thoughtful, first rate. Isn't the first print,

very dolly dress, so wonderful.

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Winter Gardens - Week Four

TJ baby daffs, so pretty!

Amaryllis.

Replanted the remaining esix paperwhite bulbs, since only two grew and bloomed.

I am giving these guys a second chance, but they are not doing a thing. I think I saved the containers they came in; next time I go to the nursery over the bridges I may complain politely [I hope that doesn't make me a "karen''? Surely more than two of 8 bulbs, at almost $20.oo, should grow?]. They make a big deal about guaranteeing their plants will bloom or grow.

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A friend just brought me new Rx distance glasses. Not good but he says, as does the surgeon, that they hope my brain will learn to mesh images. I said I will try. I found out that my very rapid forming cataracts were caused by a medication!, and that even if/ when eye #2 is operated on, it will not fix the double vision; just using the glasses and retraining the brain will help, plus maybe more specialized lenses. Hmmmm.  Also I started these CBD Gummy Bears, for pain and anxiety. I only have been using 2 per day, I think one can take 6?, but they do seem to ''take the edge off'' of pain and panicky feelings. I am pleased so far. Possibly something to consider if you have chronic pain so I'm passing the idea along. They do NOT have the hallucinogenic chemical of hemp or cannabis. 

And last, the beef and bacon with root vegetables stew was excellent. Though my dumplings weren't so great, must search out my mom's recipe. Many Beef and Bacon stew recipes online, Here is One  I love veggies so I added turnips, carrots, onions, scallions, garlic, parsnips, cubed sweet potatoes, and carrots. Cut your veg fairly large so they do not cook away to nothing during the oven time.

Enjoy your weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

MFFM---Mid-February Friday Miscellany

Happy Friday! Oh the wind is howling, my deck table and chair and pots broke free of their bungees and skittered away, hit the railings hard. Mo was intrigued.

Indoors is sunny and we are looking for mood lifters, while dreading the afternoon walk that looms. Nothing says spring [faux-spring] like tiny daffodils and plump red radishes!

I like to crisp my radishes with an inch of spring green stem left ''for pretty".

Indoor bulb update, week three ends Sunday. The amaryllis has bloomed in all its glory. 

I am so thrilled, especially as I made a bit of a mistake in my re-growing protocol this year. Yet it carries on, so rewarding.

at least four giant lilies!

These are my Trader Joe's mini daffs. Gorgeous!

Happy!

My paperwhites on the other hand are very disappointing this year.

Only two bulbs shot right up--gangly and ugly.

They are blooming, but the flowers are SO teeny tiny, smaller than a quarter. These were the expensive nursery Holland bulbs. Amazon cheap bulbs do much better. 

Tomorrow I'll clip the flowers and remove these huge stalks, put the non-growing bulbs into the smaller Costco vase. They have not budged tho, probably a fail. I'll be patient though.

And these are my Clorox hydrangeas. I love them, though maybe it is past hydrangea time now as March begins. Too bad they're so fragile and cannot easily be stored.

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My friend L is back from warm sunny Florida, poor thing. We didn't feel up to the farmers market, that long cold hike from the car is a deterrent. So we did the funny little fresh veg stand by the railroad tracks instead. Both of us are craving lots of fresh veggies.

Radishes!

First asparagus.

And what the heck are these. They always have something new to tempt us, but NO to sour melons, lol. That is one really ugly fruit, isn't it. Bitter melon HERE

My cooking project this week is a beef and bacon stew with red wine and [optional] cognac, with dumplings. I got lovely root veggies to add. It could be a slow cooker recipe but I think I want to use my dutch oven and warm the house using my oven instead. I will let you all know if it's a success.

Even a turnip can be pretty!

I am very excited today because I have house cleaners here to do a big spring cleaning. First professional cleaning since before Covid began, the  house is a dusty dog hairy mess. It is 3 PM and the crew just arrived. I fear the bedrooms will not get attention this week, but just having the house nice enough for those fantasy visitors who may come is wonderful. The head cleaner says she may know someone to do some much needed spruce up and painting chores too. Workers in my house give me the heebie jeebies but a clean home is so welcoming and peaceful, it will be well worth the agita. And cost.

Hope your weekend is good and storm-free. Did you notice it is light much later now. Oh the joy as light evenings reappear.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....