A Whisper of Spring?

Good evening, friends! February is racing by isn't it! Already I am searching for hints of spring. And nothing says spring like a cold dark drizzly day---and daffodils! 

Aren't daffodils just the very best most happy flowers? These appeared in the grocery store after the last of the scorned Valentine roses were carted away

Two bunches of 10 stems for $4.oo, imagine. Twenty flowers. From Ireland. They were furled tight, like skinny green bunches of asparagus, but they uncurled in glorious profusion in a couple of days.

Makes up for the  very dark Monday here.

Not exactly spring cleaning, but after I finished Westering Women, and even though Fall Festival is still in pieces, I decided my little sewing sewing space and equipment all needed a clean up/ tune up.

The good sewing machine got carted off to the sewing machine spa for a very expensive fix-up. Somehow the shuttle that holds the bobbin case popped out! I replaced it but then couldn't get the machine to sew. It's okay, it needed a good cleaning and oiling anyway, and my old Brother machine is actually better for upcoming patchwork sewing as it has an exact 1/4" seam allowance. The Janome is metric [?!], and while is sews beautifully with varying speeds, good stitches, and needle down option, the metric set up means 1/4" seams are a guess at best.
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Sometimes other quilters show their sewing spaces and I always marvel at the perfect neatness they maintain. No wonder their quilts are perfect, I think.

I spent a whole day dusting, sweeping, organizing, and afterward, things looked about the same as they did before I started.

Bins for fabric stashes,

then deep baskets for in-work projects' fabric choices. I also like low trays or baskets for the actual quilts in progress. Silent Night on the left, Fall Festival on the right.

I know where everything is! Really.

These shelves hold my collection of pinkeeps, plus Mason jars of buttons, and other treasures.

I have my big ironing board, then small board I set on top of it for small project sections. Standing and ironing is still very difficult for me and leaning over means painful joints after only a few a minutes, so even the extra 2 or 3" of the little board are helpful.

I worry that the floor, no rug, will be too cold for Mo, so I have a big dog bed that is about 5" thick, then on top is one of Mo's plushy donut beds. He will use this lavish set up for as long as it takes him to gobble a duck jerky kebab [4 minutes?] then off to his plastic bin he goes. I left him some shirts there and blankies and got a new bin for the rest of my recycled plaid shirts! It is stored in the cupboard, safe from snoring little pugs.

In other news:
Kel wanted to see my Fiesta Ware. I didn't take it down but here's a picture of it, top shelf.

Sorry this one is messy, I have to climb up and redo it. It's the cupboard that things fall out of anf hit me in the head!

Pineapple cutting board: I washed it thoroughly and dried it well, but thought it needed to be oiled.

My friend brought me these products, he uses them on all his cutting boards.  Mineral oil [food grade] and beeswax. Worked really well!

My hands liked it too!
And winter sales: These are UGG snow boots! Look at the pom! sigh. How cute is that. I love them.

Happy Presidents Day!

love 

lizzy

 gone to the beach....

Out and About ~ Thrift Shop

Hi everyone! Today is a very dark and moody day, with purple bruise-like clouds hovering low in the sky. Feels like November. It finally began to rain just as Mo and I went for our dinnertime walk. More rain then snow then back to rain is the weekend forecast, good weather to hole up and get some good sewing time in. I'm working on Fall Festival---

Pattern Photo, mine is a little different

Now I understand why the other night I was thinking it should be autumn about now, and how fun it would be to go pumpkin picking. Hahaha. I'm often out of sync because when I worked in fashion, we were always designing for the season just past. Anyway it's fun to get started again on a postponed project---the blocks look new and interesting. I already made a mistake though, trimming one of 4 blocks that look the same but one was longer...sigh, not any more. I set Mo up in his bed and gave him a toy that is a stuffie that hides treats; he is supposed to undo the arms and legs to release the snacks. Ha! He looked at me in pitiful horror. I had to unpack it myself, then give him a duck jerky kebab chew, his fave. He took it over to the plastic bin of shirts, scorning his lovely soft bed.

Earlier this week my friend Bea [B] came for a day of shopping. You'll recall she loves thrifting as much as I do, though she usually buys clothes instead of ---stuff.

I got my usual!

I'm pinching pennies so I only got two shirts and a long linen skirt to recycle.

This blue and tan linen stripe is a remnant from Joanns, not the thrift shop. Using it as a table cloth for now, I love it!

Shirts: one is for the Feathered Star sewalong, this pale linen/ cotton check. I don't like the fabric that came with the Star kit [kit!?, more in another post].

And this HUGE cheddar and navy plaid shirt is for handles, a few,  for my Blue Baskets project. I thought a couple handles, which will all be cheddar, in the plaid would be interesting. This shirt is immense, has to have two or three yards of fabric in it.Shirts are $$$ here, starting at 5.99, so I look for size as well as color.

You'll recall my pineapple obsession. How cute is this, a brand new adorable and quite large [16 x 8"?] bamboo cutting board. Price was right! 2.99

Medium sized vintage mixing bowl, Fire King? Lately I find myself needing something smaller than my very large bowls I usually use. 2.99?

A white ramekin for Mo. I use these for his kibble, the straight sides make it easier for him to get the food without throwing it all over the kitchen floor.

An unmarked but pretty transferware plate, a farm scene?

I was attracted to the sepia brown of the rim.

Odd glass cooky or butter presses, for my heart mold collection.

And a couple books! I don't usually buy books but these were interesting. I prob will return them next time.

The dog cook book is coauthored by Mo's vet, cool.

And this is a sweet Christmas style book. Fun to leaf thru on the afternoons when I have my tea.

Besides a couple of sweaters, B got a fabulous huge Victorian silverplate platter / tray, with feet and scroll work. Pretty for holiday serving on her buffet? And new pots and pans, so she did good too.
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We always pop across the street for a look in the big fancy Marshall's too. The spring dresses were so appealing and, well, spring-like. Cute Easter stuff.

Mercury glass bunnies, adorable.

And we finished with dinner at our Mexican restaurant. They do fajitas in a way that accommodates B's Clean 30 Diet. No  margaritas though, too bad.
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Back to my sewing room for me now. I made 70 Flying Geese spacer blocks for Fall Festival instead of the required 49. And each one has to be carefully trimmed to exactly 2.5" x 4.5", ugh. [Why? Because I like how they look and I think I am short of the vintage fabric needed for the sashings.

Enjoy your weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

PS More Mo in his sweater. His dogwalker took these very cute pix.