Hello, hello, friends. It's been a week of ups and downs, hasn't it. Downers: news is appalling, it's terrible cold, I had a post-flu doctor appointment. And on the quilt front--yeesh. Good news is I got the deck door open almost two weeks after the storm. Mo was so happy. He rolled in the snow and did zoomies. then had a happy nap, warming his butt on the radiator while we wait for the spa van.
He's also slowly accepting his bed moved away from the frigid window wall in the bedroom/
January is when I start my indoor bulb garden. First the paperwhites, around Jan 15. New varieties, not real pleased.
Nice large firm bulbs, but...? zzzzzz....no action.
Choosing the containers.
A pretty little red transferware bowl, also a floppy in waiting.
The Costco glass bulb vase and scary prongs insert should be more stable. And a lavender glass canning jar, dump dug by my dad.
So far, three weeks later.
Only a couple bulbs are growing and show buds. Still, I'm thrilled to see that.
Then the other day I finally planted the poor sad amaryllis bulbs.
You may recall I usually have the ammies grow outdoors til November--fed, watered, nurtured with love, before a couple months of darkened dry rest. But last summer, mid-July I rescued them from the brick repair men, so destructive. The bulbs are small and dry, but worth a try. This would have been Big Red's 9th year.
Nothing happeningg yet.
......
Grey Baskets:
red and blue confetti dots
Which one do you think I 'll use? (took me three weeks to decide, hahah).
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And then Noah's Ark. One great big hassle and disappointment. It oughta go in Julierose's bad project time out closet for a few years.
1- Too big. [1-A wrong color]
2-The plaid fabrics are too old [recycled shirts] and too flimsy. My temperamental machine chews the old plaids up and spits them out. What a job, not fun at all.
3-the doves are too pale.
4-But the worst part is the horizontal top border's background fabric is too dark. What was I thinking? It makes the quilt too vertical yet top heavy, a glaring mistake. Must be picked out [remember how hard it was to sew the plaids!) and redone.
IThe quilt also needs, if possible, to be widened, so it is not a long rectangle. Maybe sawtooth edges? A scrappy strips border? I should be enjoying the challenge but instead am just bored, frustrated, discouraged. Mo agrees, he hates it. lol. But is lured into the sewing room with TJ turkey meatballs anyway.
And it's gonna snow again tomorrow, plus wind chills in sub-zeros range, like -15*F. So strange--I have always loved winter. But this cold, this year? Nope.
Hope you all have a warm cozy weekend! Or a cool sunny weekend of you're one of the lucky southern hemi folks.
love
lizzy
gone to the beach....
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Happy for you that you are getting some growth from the bulbs now...;))) It is so frustrating when they just sit there...;(((
ReplyDeleteI love your basket blocks--I like the blue confetti fabric a lot--what did you end up with? I hope you can rescue the Noah's Ark piece; it is so disappointing when things don't turn out like you thought they would...I think with you not feeling so well after the flu shot, perhaps you could wait to figure out how to save it???
Time out worked for my Lollipop Flowers....;)))
Let's hope this cold front leaves quickly...
Hugs, Julierose;)))
Thanks, Julie. That's very good advice, II'll just pick out the too dark fabric section for now. Remember when I tore up and threw away a vintage nine patch piece I was using for Bramble berries--later realized it was a Covid panic moment.
DeleteNow I look at the pics I still can't decide on the Baskets border.
I am fearing the cold and gale winds from the south, which may mean my living room/ dining room etc aren't habitable. I'll have to bake and cook to warm things up maybe. How much is real tho, and how much is internet hype. The weathercasters adore any blip of excitement.
I really like the containers you chose for your paperwhites, especially the tureen. I hope it turns out to be something you'll want to use again. I see what you mean about the dark upper border. What I see on your side borders is a perfect place to put words with the letters made out of the darker blue fabric to match the upper border. Then you wouldn't have to unpick it or redo the stars. It's a great quilt top and I wouldn't give up on it yet. Glad you finally got your door open - it would have been fun to watch Mo's excitement. I took care of my daughter's dog for two days. She cried the whole time and when Tina came to pick her up that was my first experience with "Zoomies". What a delight it was to see an animal so happy.
ReplyDeleteSo far the tureen is doing well and will have the first bloom very soon. I uuuuusually use it to collect shells but I m happy so far. Some funideas for Ark quilt,thanks.
DeleteAren't zoomies hilarious! Dogs communicate so well, tho I'm sorry she cried while you were babysitting. Mo cried a bit when my friends took him while I had the flu, tho he settled down. They did bring him home sooner than I'd have wanted bec he was so sad and apparently missing his home and maybe me.
Mo has such a sweet precious face. I love to hear about him. The paper whites intrigue me…I have never grown any myself but you inspire me to try. As for the dark border on the Noah piece…since the fabric is going to be so hard to pick out have you ever considered just appliquéing a different piece over the top and then cutting out the darker piece from behind leave only a tiny seam allowance? I have had to do that myself in the past and it definitely works. Much easier than ripping tiny stitches. A rectangle is an easy shape to work with. Just a thought….
ReplyDelete-Sharon
Thanks! Mo does have a sweet face. Going grey but still so expressive. 12 in March!// You can still get paperwhite bulbs on Amazon I think. Ziva is the most rewarding, easy to grow variety. Rem the blooms ae tiny, thimble sized.
DeleteI thought about just appliqueing the new border. It's an idea! Started the remake this morning. Let me know if I should post a link.
It is very cold here north of Ottawa Ontario. -30 F plus the windchill. I am not a fan but I got the snowblowing done this morning. My wee rescue dog is 15 and not a fan of the cold. She will wear her coat out but that is it. My quilting is stalled but Spring will come. Try and stay warm.
ReplyDeleteHi Val! -30*!, makes me and Mo look like whiners. He'd happily go out but there's pet frostbite warnings up and he doesn't wear boots. Plus his ear issues. Do you actually walk your senior dog in minus thirty? Was she a senior when you got her? Our issue here at the beach is homes aren't really built for extreme cold, like I assume homes in Canada are. My childhood home in northern Illinois , built by my dad, was warm and cozy, then cool in summer---he designed it that way. I just have baseboard heat and one--bedroom!--- fell off yesterday, shaken by the wind. A friend fixed it this a m but he also said I should turn up the thermostats, 60* isn't enough with this wind. Hope you have an early spring and your quilting resumes and is fun.
Deletelizzy
Hi! I can't believe it took 2 weeks to get the door open! I'm not surprised Mo got the zoomies, lol. Our snow didn't last that long and now it's a nice mild 50°F but MUDDY! Not fun with two large dogs that go in and out. I've started trapping them in the laundry room for a few minutes and letting them pace around on the "muddy mat" rugs before going inside. It helps.
ReplyDeleteI like the ribbons fabric best, and the red and blue second. I think the ribbons would go will with the backing fabric, too... I'll be watching to see what you pick!
I will definitely try to get more pre-chilled bulbs this fall! Watching the hyacinths bloom was nice. And now I have 2 bulb glasses, lol!
Take care of yourself and give yourself time to completely recover! I still think hibernating is a good idea for older gals like me! Watching daughter's dogs, I don't even get to sleep late! Oh, well!
But I don’t like to hibernate ! You know I live to be outdoors and or meet up w friends etc.
Deleteyou can train the dogs to sleep late. Get them up at dawn for potty then go back to bed. Ignore them. Don’t feed them. Wake up at a reasonable time for breakfast. Mo learned quick he ll sleep to 9 or 10 if im quiet.
The deck door had a 4’snowdrift that had turned to ice via sleet period during the storm. Door iced shut
Me/ Lizzy
Delete"love" to be outdoors, not "live"
DeleteI think the aqua seaweed is enchanting and adds some sparkle to the brown and gray, love the floral choice for the back too. Thinking about Noah's ark quilt I recall some of Gwen Marston's advice about how she designed borders, definitely not always matching sizes or fabrics, or even adding borders to all four sides. You could definitely play with some alternative ideas, pattern and color and just have fun with it. Easier said than done I know. Mo and zoomies must be so comical to watch, it sounds like he is doing a bit better with the cold weather. We're not happy with -33 wind chills.
ReplyDeletei! I hope the ''warming trend'' comes to you too. I also had 39* windchills, w 55 mph winds at one point. Painfully cold, I couldn't sleep.
DeleteNow I have no consensus on the Baskets borders, lol. For Ark, I want the focus to be on the animals not random borders. I admired Gwen M as a quilter and designer but I'm not a fan of her --I forget what she called them--random, make do designs. Mostly bec I never understood how.
Mo's comic event this morning was he fell into a deck snowdrift. He scrambled out before I could rescue him. The drifts are still knee high to waist high, so I worried when he fell thru the ice crust. He loves snow!
Should say, Hi!
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