MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS

A blog about my interests, which include fabric landscapes and various and assorted other artsy pursuits and sometimes known to contain mumblings of a random nature.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The extent of it

 I don't do much decorating any more (never did, truthfully) but I thought some of you might enjoy seeing my entire fall decorating effort.  


This is a pillow cover which gets changed out with the seasons.  






and, here's a little update on the landscape...



- I think knitters might find THIS to be interesting.  I know it's something I'm going to try out.

- Although THIS is targeted towards perlers, I think it would translate to cross stitch easily.

- Have a look through the galleries of THIS amazing artist!

- And THIS artist too!

- And HERE is another one.

Today's quote..."There are seven days in a week and 'someday' isn't one of them"

Monday, September 28, 2020

A return

 Yes, there's been a return to landscapes and I've started working on this one once again....


If you want to refresh your memory about how this looked the last time you saw it, have a peek HERE.

- Some of you who are interested in felting might find THIS of interest.  And THIS shows you how to use them.  

- THIS Pinterest board has a lot of interesting things to pour over.

- And THIS artist is amazing!  Be sure to click on the individual galleries so you can see her work more in depth.

- There are some nice links HERE leading to lots of  tree designs for your quilts.  

Today the quote is from Albert Einstein..."Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution"

Friday, September 25, 2020

Another Christmas finish

Our youngest grandson is the only member of the family that was stocking-less for Christmas.  A doting grandma simply can't have that, so this was created...


 The red bear fabric is SO soft and cuddly.  The bear applique is the back side of a scrap of suede I had in my stash.  

- You might like to poke around in the free designs found HERE  (thanks to Jocelyn for the heads up on this one!).

- Some of THESE would be fun for your fall decor.

- Have a peek at the wonderful fabric sculptures by THIS artist.

- And scroll down through the creations of THIS artist (you can click on the photos to embiggen them too).

Today's quote..."Don't compare your life to others.  Comparison is the thief of joy"

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Finish # 2 and wonder of wonders!

I've finished working on the second advent calendar - more additions of beading and embellishments to make it a little more fun..... 



I'm sure some of you had to have noticed the earth move yesterday.  Surely you did?  We have been waiting for three years (yes THREE!) to have our balcony repainted.  Four work orders (that have been ignored) later and they finally came.  Good thing we were sitting down!


Above is the 'before' picture - there's precious little of the brown paint left because it's all peeled off.

To the right is the 'after' - it needs a second coat and they've missed a few spots...but.....we know this is a good as it gets so there's no sense in hoping for more.  At least it looks a thousand times better!  



- For those of you who admire Ruth Bader Ginsburg, check out THESE.

- THIS is a fun idea for a quilt.  I think I'd be tempted to use selvages for the book 'titles'.  

- Have a look at the amazing work done by THIS artist!

- THIS was found on Sharon Boggon's blog and I thought some of you might find it interesting.  Click on the sections that say PDF01, 02 and 03 so you can see it.  Lots of inspiration!

Today's quote:  "Don't believe everything you think"


Monday, September 21, 2020

A sad lack

 Yes there's a sad lack of anything to show you today.  I'm working on the second advent calendar and should finish it today but not picture-worthy yet.  You don't want to see my pile of mending that's waiting for attention either.  So, just to have something to show you, how about the pile of mittens that's steadily growing.  I'm 'adjusting' two or three patterns together to make one that I'm happy with and the ones on the bottom left are probably destined to be redone somewhat.  I don't like the pointy tips and prefer a more rounded shape.  


- I rather like THESE hats - great way to use up yarn stash I think.  

- THIS is interesting - great way to practice making French knots!

- THIS is eye candy!  

- THIS made me smile.  Rather fun for fall decor.

- And THIS would be a nice piece to create for fall too (scroll down for the table runner design).

Today the quote is from Mother Teresa..."It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving"



Friday, September 18, 2020

One done

Yesterday I finished the first advent calendar.  It's hard to see all the embellishments I added from these photos...


Here's a closeup of part of it....



 

- I found a scroll through THESE was interesting.  So many different variations!

- THESE would be fun to make for your fall decor.

- Have a look at the amazing creations of THIS artist!

- Not too sure what to think about THESE but they're interesting.

Today the quote is from Twyla Tharp...."Art is the only way to run away without leaving home"

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

 Having to get up at dark thirty in the morning to go grocery shopping means I get to watch the sunrise.  Sort of.  This is what our sky looked like and it's obvious that the fires out west are affecting our skies here as well.  Very eerie looking!


Although this doesn't look all that exciting, here's what I've been working on....


This will be for our #3 grandson.  Right now I'm stitching the embellishments which are really difficult to see in this photo.  Lots of beads and some little Christmas charms will make it a little more interesting.  I hope!


- THESE would make really nice Christmas gifts!  And so would THIS version.

- Have a look at the amazing embroideries of THIS artist.

- THESE are really cute!  Perfect for little 'just because' gifts I think.

Today's quote "Your life is your garden.  Your thoughts are the seeds.  If your life isn't awesome, you've been watering the weeds"

Monday, September 14, 2020

A little stash enhancement

 I let my fingers do the walking and ordered some fabric to add to my stash.  And I just got done making all those tote bags to use stash UP and here I go buying more!!  What can I say?  


In this pile there's the makings for two Christmas advent calendars earmarked for our two youngest grandsons.  The bear fabric will turn into a Christmas stocking for the youngest little. The remainder is just stash enhancement - probably will be used in landscapes at some point.  

- There's some amazing fabric art HERE!

- Have a look at the incredible work done by THIS artist too!  Be sure to click on her pet portraits as well.

- Some things just make you say awwwww - and THIS is one of them.

Today the quote is from Joyce Meyer..."Don't wait for everything to be perfect before you decide to enjoy your life"

Friday, September 11, 2020

A revelation - of sorts

 I've been working with those pieces of fabrics that I put together and so far they've turned into these...


They're all different sizes, depending on the amount of fabric pieces I had.  There are three more in the works and then I can call that project done, dusted, and downsized.  All are headed for the Christmas box.  Served the purpose of getting rid of those fabrics from my stash so that's a good thing.

- Have a peek at the fun art by THIS creator!

- THESE would make nice gifts - or useful for storage for yourself too!

- HERE is another thing that might be a great storage solution - and great for gift giving too.

- I'm afraid I don't know who made THIS and I would give credit if I could!  It's a pretty cool idea.

Today's quote..."FEAR has two meanings.  Forget Everything and Run or Face Everything and Rise.  The choice is yours"

Wednesday, September 09, 2020

Sometimes it's just a dud

 Dud-ship is running rampant here at Chez Magpie.  First of all, the Resident Chef harvested his entire potato crop from our balcony.....


Yep, that's it.  Sum total!  He won't be repeating that particular experiment.  

And...sometimes my needles just don't create something that's worth doing.  Case in point...



Our youngest grandson was born in the Year of the Rat so Grandma decided he needed a rat to play with.  Methinks this is more scary than anything so he won't be getting it in his Christmas gifts.  The quest continues for a 'cute' rat pattern.  Is there such a thing?

And...as a side note that fits the 'dud' theme that's happening...I don't advise you purchase any Red Heart Super Value yarn.  That stuff is vile!!  It's stiff as a board.  Don't know why they've changed their manufacturing process but it appears they have.  So much for the plan to make mittens out of it.  How I miss being able to go to the yarn shop and actually feel the selections!!  

- There are a number of links HERE to make all sorts of fall leaves for your projects.

- THIS is something some of you might like to try doing.  Would make great gifts too!

- If you're a Halloween fan, perhaps you might find THIS of interest.

- HERE's a sweet little idea that would make nice gifts.  

Today's quote is from Pablo Picasso..."The meaning of life is to find your gift.  The purpose of life is to give it away"

Monday, September 07, 2020

Stirring the cauldron

 Resident Chef and I spent the better part of two days working on what you see here...


He spent most of Friday prepping all the vegetables and then I took over on Saturday and processed them all.  The end result was 12 jars of Red Cabbage and Beet Relish;  12 jars of Zucchini Relish, and 11 jars of Cranberry Apple Mustard.  Phew!  And then I wondered why my back was sore!  

- For the sane quilters out there....if you want to make a lot of Half Square Triangles perhaps THIS tutorial to make 8 at a time might be helpful (scroll down for the instructions).

- I normally shy away from sending you to see a paid pattern because I don't want this blog to become commercialized.  However, THIS caught my eye and I thought some of you would find it interesting.  Anything that's no-sew and uses up scraps is a good thing!

- There's a good tutorial HERE for making piping.

- THIS link takes you to a PDF for a really cute Halloween design.

Today's quote..."The 'pop' of a canning jar lid is a joyful noise!"

Friday, September 04, 2020

 The pile, it grows!  


This is the last of them (hooray, sez you!).  Now I plan to add some machine stitching to all the seams and then I'll be ready to do something else with them.  They're all different sizes at this point but come roughly close in measurements.

And, as part of my ongoing quest to fill the Christmas box, this is the first of what will be several pairs of men's mittens.  Unfortunately I came to a screeching halt when I came to the realization that even if a yarn is labelled as being a '4' in weight it doesn't necessarily follow that it actually is the same across different brands.  Argh.  So, I await delivery of some stash in the 'right' weight and the yarn I was hoping to use is set aside for something else down the line.  


Pattern is 'Mittens For All' by Red Heart and may be found HERE.

- Oh wow!  I love blown glass so of course the work by THIS artist caught my eye!  Have a look through her portfolio.

- And the portfolio of THIS artist too!!  Oh, and there's THIS one too!

- THESE Halloween costumes are beyond incredible.  Simply can't imagine the time some of these must have taken!

- If you like to snoop   peek through great sewing spaces, have a look at the example on THIS blog.

- THIS is a pretty fall-themed cross stitch design.

Today's quote is from Maya Angelou..."My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style"

Wednesday, September 02, 2020

For lack of something else

 Here's four more of the who-knows-what-they-will-become-stash-reduction-exercise.....


Three more drawers of fabric to wade through before I'm done.  Today has been one of those days where I did far too many errands and then ended up going out again and driving over twenty miles in order to get some canning lids/jars.  There are none to be had in this town (or at least anywhere I tried) and an online search yielded a precious few in a little town north of here.  Needless to say all these pit stops means not much done in the sewing room!


- If you like chocolate and you KNOW you shouldn't be eating it, perhaps making one (or more) of THESE might be fun....or torture, depending on how you look at it!

- If you're a fan of Mickey/Minnie Mouse, perhaps making THESE would be fun for your decor.  If nothing else they made me smile!

- THIS is a cute quilt for the dinosaur lover in your family.

- And you might want to pay a return visit to THAT web site and check out the sheer volume of freebies they have available!

- If you belong to a quilt guild that won't be meeting this year, perhaps they might find THIS virtual platform of teachers to be of interest.

Today's quote..."A smart person knows what to say.  A wise person knows whether or not to say it"