Maintenance

I started out this morning, early with a plan to sew.  I want to make some nine patch blocks to donate to our Guild's Quilts of Valour program.  But I didn't get to doing any blocks -- hopefully I can find a bit of time this afternoon to make them -- I have a nice red and white cotton with musical notes that I want to pair up with some of the fabrics in my scrap box.  I am aiming for a dozen blocks.

First though I had to take the time to fill up my bobbins.  I have a couple dozen bobbins.

Why so many bobbins?  Well mainly because of all the things about sewing that I love, there are a couple things that I really dislike.  One of those is to have to stop in the middle of a session to fill a bobbin.  I don't mind having to stop to put a full bobbin in the machine, but I really dislike having to wind the bobbin and then put it in the machine....

So  I fill them all in one go.

Mostly white thread, but a couple or three black and a half dozen grey.  If I do need a specific thread colour for a certain project then I will fill a couple bobbins for that, but mostly, it is black, white and grey.   This bunch took me about an hour to load up, but it sure saves me frustration when I am flying along with a project and don't have to wonder at what seam I will need to stop and fill a bobbin.  Bobbins are cheap -- keep a supply on hand...

The Medallion Quilt - Along
I am going to do the medallion quilt on a seperate page, so that each step will be easy to find and review and you won't have to go digging back through other posts to find the progression of it...

So take a look up at the top of this blog and you will notice 'tabs'.  Just click on the one that says Medallion Quilt Along... and each post or round will be there... 

If the tab isn't there check back in a couple of hours because I am working on a bit of a tutorial for the centre blocks.

Happy Easter

Earth Day is Tomorrow

I grew up in a time when and where it was Earth Day everyday.  My Parents had a small farm where they grew strawberries and vegetables and chickens -- many many chickens.  My father went to a regular job in the city while my mother basically ran the farm.  She knew all the tricks.  (and if she didn't there was always a neighbour to ask for advice, especially Mrs. K. ) Very little went to waste and our Mom was always willing to learn about ways to use things that otherwise were thrown out.

I remember when she learned that even chicken feet had a use!  My Dad being an open minded sort, especially when it came to food never said a word and tried everything she created.  I can hear his voice explaining to we three children "If your Mother goes to the trouble to make something for dinner, you can be sure that it is good to eat"  So we always tried it, without question and afterwards tried to find ways to avoid it again if necessary - but most things turned out fine...  Well, except Head Cheese, that is....  But my Dad loved Head Cheese and was glad that he did not have to share it with unappreciative children!

Dozens of chicken feet in a big soup pot is quite the sight!  Well, she never actually served chicken feet as a meal, but from my mother I learned that the chicken feet were the basis of chicken stock.  Who'da thought?  Apparently they have alot of the stuff that makes chicken stock like jelly when it cools -- she said it was good for us.  It wasn't bad, cause I am still here to write this and the stock she made from chicken feet 'disappeared' into soups and stews and gravies.

Anyway, back to my thoughts on Earth Day -- tomorrow...

A couple of years back, someone started the idea of using cloth bags and or reuseable vinyl bags to carry groceries home in.   That has taken hold in my area, tho you can still get plastic bags if you forget your cloth ones, or if you carry boxes in the trunk of your car (which is what we do).

Now lately I have been wondering why I have a whole drawer in my kitchen dedicated to plastic wrap?!  A box of zip lock or no name sandwich bags now costs about $4 for a box of 100, and the thicker "freezer bags" cost about the same for just 25 bags!   Now the whole idea with them is for one time use.  If you take a sandwich to work or school, you throw out the bag along with the banana peel and whatever else is left over.  Hmmm???

It is so easy to throw out those bits of plastic and as I keep nagging my husband, once a thing is paid for you forget what it cost you to get...  But every week or two there is some sort of plastic wrap in your shopping cart.  I have been wondering why we have not translated the idea of ending the use of plastic grocery bags to the same idea in our own kitchens?

Why are we buying and throwing away all those smaller plastic bags?

Plastic is everywhere, even reuseable plastic.  I know that the plastic bag makers have seen the writing on the wall and sort of listened to consumers who don't want to use quite so many plastic bags, so they have created plastic containers -- not top quality that will last for years and years, but will last you longer than a bag.  The problem is, most of the lids split or crack after a couple of times use either from being frozen then microwaved, or just from the pounding they get when the kids or hubby throw them in the dishwasher.  And these "reuseable" plastic containers cost about $4 for 3 or 4 in a pack!  I haven't counted but do those 3 containers get reused 35 times to equal the same number of plastic sandwich bags?   I haven't actually tested that, so I cannot say.

There are of course the more durable plastic containers, any number of shapes and sizes that will last for YEARS and many many uses.  These containers do cost more than the short term so called "reusable containers", but their price is not unreasonable for how long they will last you.  In the photo above, the one with the green lid is a fairly recent addition to my kitchen -- it replaces that green "lettuce keeper" I bought at a Tupperware party about 20 years ago!  I expect this new one to last at least 10 years, and the price was just under $4.   A much better deal than the so called "reuseable" zip lock or no name containers.  

The more durable "tupperware" or "rubbermaid" or no name containers will last you more than 10 times but more likely a 100 times longer simply because they are better made.  I am going back to using these in place of putting a few leftovers in a "ziplock" that is throw out after only one use.  

But that is not the place to stop at.   In a more mature household -- meaning where small children are not dropping things, what about GLASS?  (but then again, we never had plastic when we were children) Strangely, Glass is cheaper than plastic, if you look in the right places...   For all of my leftover soups and stews along with a few other things, I am converting to glass jars.   Glass canning jars, hold and freeze leftovers as well as plastic so that is my return to what my Mother did everyday on the farm -- there was no such thing as plastic sandwich or freezer bags!

With canning jars as storage containers there is usually available new lids for purchase at the grocery store -- you only need new lids if you are actually using the jars to CAN goods, but for freezer or fridge storage, the same lid well washed like the jar is useable multiple times...

And, check out your local THRIFT store for the jars.  At one local thrift shop the jars are priced at $2 a dozen!!  Now try to beat that for economy and sustainability.

Another thought about reuseable -- I remember the days when we would fill a quart size canning jar with Kool-Aid and screw on the lid and wander off for a children's picnic somewhere between the tall corn rows in late summer, hoping to hide for a time from a farm chore or our Mother's voice calling us to do some "work"...

So, Thanks Mom!  for making old fashioned new again...

Medallion

I thought that I would start a new quilt...

Would you be interested in working along with me?

It is not a mystery, per se -- but I cannot show you the finished project, because it is going to be a medallion quilt.

Medallion quilts were fairly popular about 15 to 20 years ago.  The name, Medallion basically describes the quilt quite well.  If you have not come across one before a Medallion Quilt is described as a quilt made with a central block or blocks with a variety of pieced or applique borders in varying widths and design...

There were a few books out in the 1980's that described and suggested designs and how to progress with each border.  One of the books is Medallion Quilts by Jinny Beyer, if you have it, it may be interesting to review it.

Medallion Quilts were also popular with groups where each member would create a centre medallion and then pass that to another member, who would add a border according to agreed upon specifications, this would usually go through 4, 5, or 6 members until everyone in the group had an border added by each of the other members.  Every one of the quilts would be different, even though the 'rules' were the same for each border.

So, I am going to start a Medallion Quilt-Along.   In the case of this particular quilt along, I am going to include some techniques and tips for making different parts or "rounds" of this quilt.

Now to start off, it is helpful if you choose one or two fabrics that will be consistent through each border.  The consistency can be a particular print that you want to use or maybe a particular colour that is in a series of fabrics.   I would suggest that you ensure a good supply of this main fabric or fabrics, at least 2 meters, and 3  would be better.

Next you can think of contrasts or even scraps that you can include that will work with your main fabric or fabrics.

Almost all Medallion quilts are square, so this one will be too.  It should end up being about 60 inches square -- but don't hold me to that, cause things could change as we progress through at least 4 borders...

The central Medallion of this particular quilt will be a set of nine tradition quilt blocks and a special technique for piecing these blocks.  There is also an alternative way to to piece one of the blocks. 

So, this Quilt Along will be about 6 to 8 blog posts with each about 1 week apart, so the top will take about 2 months if you work along with me.  Or if you prefer to wait and see and then follow the instructions when it is all done,  I should have downloadable PDF files at that time.

A Mystery, well, yes, I guess so, but it has to be cause I am working on it as we go along...

Already though, I know I don't have enough of what I just told you that you needed 2 or 3 meters of -- well, my Main fabric will be multiple prints in a sort of cloudy grey blue...

Watch for the first part later this week...

Spring?

Its an IFFY thing...

Seems we are back to Spring, though...

even looks like the lawn needs a trim...

BUT

then it started to snow - and snow - and snow...

 I cannot figure out what is so wonderful about Snow...  Pearl loves snow just as much as she loves an egg for breakfast...

She moves so fast it is hard to get a clear, unblurred picture of her -- paw prints everywhere -- and within about 2 minutes of being out in it!

And then....

We are back to Spring...



Random

Today, a few little things to post...

Did you know you could knit (if you can knit that is!) The Royal Wedding ?
Check out this article!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8374292/All-you-need-to-recreate-the-Royal-wedding-in-wool.html


Imagine that!  I would think it is getting a bit late to knit the whole 'party' but if you were so inclined you surely might be able to accomplish the bride and groom??
(Thanks to my cousin Judi for that link, we have been having an interesting conversation via email about it!)
 
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Buttons.
 
Buttons on a blog are somewhat different than buttons on a shirt...
Not to sure if I need one but my artistic son has created one for me, for my blog...
 
Here is the graphic that he put together for me...
 
 

The button is not yet functional -- I need to learn how to put a message 'underneath' it so that if you see this somewhere else and you clik on it, it will bring you right here to my blog.   That's what a button does -- it is sort of an advertising feature...

Tho, even as it is, it sure is pretty, eh?

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And here is a bit of a project that I have been working on in the last few days.  My friend Doris came upon a stash of upholstry fabrics and passed them along to me.  These are all scrap cuttings from a shop, it seems, some pieces are like 2 yardsin length but only 6 inches wide, then others may be as much as 15 inches wide and 18 inches long.  They are fairly heavy weight fabric but not to heavy for my machine, if not too many layers are sewn together.  This is a simple zippered bag and each is lined with poly cotton retro sheeting.   They are quick to make and I think would be very versatile and yet secure enough to keep things from spilling out. 

So, these are the first few - 6 actually of, I am hoping at least a dozen more and are my "community" project for the next little while.  I am hoping that they will go to my guild's charitable resource and be distributed to the local Woman's shelter.

So, Today is Guild Day and it is time to put all my things together to take along with me...  Last Day to register quilts for our Quilt Show in June...

Thank-you, EVERYONE!

Today, I am not doing that Check this Out Link thing.  Seems there is not alot of interest and to be honest, it costs money to use that service, sooooo...  I ain't spending money for nuthin'...

But.

This may not be Thanksgiving -- in fact we are at the opposite end of the year for thanksgiving, we are here at the beginning, not the end.  Regardlesss, I want to thank all the people who come to visit my blog.

In the background of most blogs there is a visitor counter and the blog owner can either have a separate site keep track of how many people come to visit and read a blog, or the blog host provider -- in my case Blogger, has a Stats page to keep a count of visits and visitors.  Some Statistics Counters will tell you just the number of visits.  Some will count how often the same visitor comes back.  Some counters can tell you where your visitors come from.  Some counters can get really complicate and tell you if a visitor has copied or printed anything from the blog.  Some professional blog owners want this information because they don't want someone to steal their ideas.

So I recently signed onto a Statistics Counter that tells me how often a particular ip address visits my page and where that ip address comes from sort of...  First if you are not sure what an ip address is, it is the address of your "internet provider"  and that ip address usually tells an approximate locality.  But Don't Worry!  I can't tell your home address and I cannot come knock on your door to say "Hey! Glad to meet you, wanna go for coffee?"  No I can't do that with your ip address, I can only read the Statistics collected and with my particular counter, I can see if you come to visit me one time or many times over weeks or months; I can see approximately where you originate, mainly your city, but sometimes it may only show me that you come from a area, say like the north of Sweden...

So I thought I would give you a bit of insight into who and how many and from where...

So, Today my first visitor was from Sao Paulo Brazil!  Hey! Thanks for Stopping In!!

Yesterday visitors came from

Aukland, New Zealand
Sylva, North Carolina, US
West Layfayette, Indiana, US
Seattle, Washington, US
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Abbotsford, BC Canada -- 18 of you!!  So extra thank-you from my home town neighbours!
Surrey, Vernon, Victoria, and Naniamo, BC Canada
Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia  Whew! thats along way to come!!
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Athens, Attiki, Greece
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia


I get many visitors from other interesting places, with a concentration of visits from Canadian Cities and Towns and Rural Areas...  it looks like Ontarians from Ottawa, Thunder Bay, St. Catherines were visiting on Wednesday.

New York, Texas, Washington, Maine, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Minnesota have multiple towns and cities over multiple days.

I love to see my European Visitors come by - there is regular visits from a variety of areas in Germany, Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom, Dominica, Barbados, Turkey!

I am amazed at how far my words can reach!  And I am so very thankful that you come to read what I say...  Certainly not earth shattering words and probably somewhat boring.  

Most of all, though -- Just Plain Thank-you for coming!  You may not leave a comment, but I know you came by and I am happy to know that you have...

So I am wishing everyone a Happy Friday! Take it easy, stay outta trouble, and enjoy your day!

Why Grannys make Grannie Squares...

I took a bit of a slip late last week, not a fall and nothing that hurt at the time, but there was an injury and it progressed as the day wore on.

A knee injury.  Not one of the big sports type injuries - I am no where near being a sports person!  Just a pull of the muscles that runs along the outside of the leg past the knee.  Very painful to turn the leg, but it is starting to ease a bit after 3 days... 

My bedroom, tv room and general relaxin' room is right where we have our main backyard deck!  So lucky me, got to watch the birds flit between the two different bird feeders we have out there.  It allowed me to watch the clouds chase the sun and the sun burn through the clouds -- the weather has been very changeable the last few days...

Last summer, I spent alot of my spare moments sitting out on the deck using up scrappy bits of yarn.  I made dozens of granny squares, two grocery bags full of the scrappy ones and then another bag full of one colour blocks.  So while my knee and leg and by extention the whole body has been trying to keep still to let the muscles heal, I have been crocheting those grannies all together.

So I haven't been doing a hellofalot but there is something coming along while I spend time healing...
And the thought that occured to me was that if I was a granny, making grannie squares would be a good occupation...  Just so long as my fingers and wrists keep mobile, I will keep on creating these useful home created masterpieces.  Now really who doesn't love a granny square afghan? or shawl? or Pillow? or hey, maybe a skirt??

PS.  I have decided not to continue with the Friday Check This Out, because there doesn't seem to be alot of interests on the part of other blogs to link up... 

Okay, back to connecting those squares -- I'm sure it will be a finished project by week end...

Check This Out #3 and s'posedto...

I went galavanting yesterday and didn't do what I was supposed to do -- suffice to say, there was no progress in the spring cleaning department.

There was no progress in the "what's for dinner?" department.
There was no progress in the get some exercise department -- well maybe there was -- those stores have an awful lot of aisles and an awful lot of departments to look at!

But I did ask my talented elder son about creating a "button" for my blog!  And he did -- it is absolutely perfect!  Simple with strong colour and yet quite elegant...  That's just a teaser.  I now have to go hunting up instructions on how to make it clickable...  hopefully by tomorrow (saturday, or monday)  Notice how I don't make definate promises?

It seems when you make a definate promise it is so much harder to follow through, but if it is a hopeful suggestion, then it somehow becomes a goal rather than "oh, I guessssss so..."

Anyway,  Please add your link to Check This out #3 and we shall see how it goes...