A little project

Don't forget to check back here for my responses to your

comments - at least for now (until Blog-grrr gets itself

sorted out!). 

I'm back!  DH's medical tests are done for now and we can actually spend some time at home, which means I can return to stitching and blogging!  

Today I have a little project I can show you that I recently completed.  My friend Pam Kellogg sent me the piece of fabric I used for the front cover of this needle book and rather than storing it away in my stash I thought I'd use it right away.  This is the original piece of fabric...

and this is what I came up with....

I removed the gold trim around the edges and then used some of it on the

spine of the needle book.

Another thing that will be added to the gift box!

Another of the anonymous quotes for you..."A strong person is not the one who doesn't cry.  A strong person is the one who cries and sheds tears for a moment, then gets up and fights again"

Something a little different - sorta - kinda - maybe

Just a reminder that, for the present, I will be responding to your comments directly here on the blog.  Word has it that Google/Blog-grrr is working on it and should have it fixed soon.  

There seems to have been precious little happening on the stitching front here at Chez Magpie, but I am working on a needlebook project as time permits.  So far this is pretty much all I've managed to accomplish...

Yeah, I know - pretty boring huh!!

And, to make matters worse, I might not find time to do any posts next week.  DH is having a bunch of medical tests (don't worry - nothing drastic) and it means we'll be gone for three days next week for those - plus we have to take my friend for HER medical test and that will take up another day.  So....if you don't hear from me, don't worry - I'll post if I can.

I can already feel a case of serious stitching withdrawal coming on!!

Today's quote is from Oprah Winfrey..."Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do"

Tote bag

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I just finished working on a new tote bag.  Nothing, in itself, is the least bit exciting about that....but I DID have to come up with something to post about!  This one is made using recycled denim and lace from my stash.  The denim is some that I discharge dyed many moons ago and  had been lurking in my stash.

Front

Back (large pocket)

Another anonymous quote for you...."My wish for you is simple.  Have the best life imaginable, live like you will never grow old, laugh, giggle, cry if you must.  Play as hard as you work, make time for people and things you adore.  When you sleep I hope you have the best dreams that will make you wake up with a smile on your face.  And that you always know that you are loved.  That's my wish for you"

A wee little book

I did a bit of a studio clean up (I know - what IS this world coming to!!) and came across something I have been meaning to share for awhile.  Several months ago our honorary member of our little CQTeers crafting group (Liz) sent us each one of her little artist books with the challenge to fill it with something.  It took me awhile to decide what I could do.  I have an inherent fear of defacing books which my mother instilled in me when I was little so it took some mental talking to before I could manage to touch it.  Here's the beautiful handpainted cover that Liz created for my book...

The book measures approx. 5" tall x 4" wide

About the time the book arrived I was in the throes of a somewhat more thorough cleanup of my sewing room and came across what I created in an online ledger class taught by Karen Ruane.  I sat down to look through it and was aghast to discover that the double sided tape that I had used was turning everything brown and was letting go (despite having been assured in the store that it wouldn't do such a thing....false advertising!!).  So...I ended up taking the ledger apart, salvaging what I could and putting them into this new little book (MINUS the double-sided tape I might add!!).  This is the result...

Another anonymous quote..."The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence"  

And.....phew.....

......a return to the regular mumblings that you have grown accustomed to here at Chez Magpie!

I dunno about you, but I'm glad!!!   I've had quite enough grappling over privacy policies, the European Union and computer gobbledy-gook that means nothing to anyone but the geeks that wrote it (and obviously felt a need to justify having their jobs).  So....deep breath....and onward....

(although - I'm still waiting to get the ability to reply to comments sorted out and hopefully when all the dust settles things will return to normal).

EDITED TO ADD:  I am doing a VERY happy dance right now!!  Becki made a comment on my privacy policy post telling me what to do to be able to reply directly to your comments on my blog and it worked!  Happy happy!!!.

For the foreseeable future, please check back to your comment on my posts and I will respond to you there.  If things change, I'll let you know.  Thank you Becki!!  

My week has pretty much been shot playing about with privacy issues and also doing a lot of social things so precious little has been accomplished in my sewing room.  So...I thought I'd show you another one of my little treasures....

This little bag, measuring approximately 5x9") was crocheted by my maternal grandmother.  It's lined with a pink linen fabric and is made using crochet cotton.  I have no idea what she might have used it for, although the size suggests that it might perhaps have seen use as a purse at one time.  

The quote of the day is from Dr. Seuss..."Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory"

PRIVACY POLICY re the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Your privacy is important to me and so the statements below outline how your personal information can be collected.  First of all, thank you for visiting my blog, following my blog,  and for leaving comments on my blog posts....all of which I so much appreciate.  According to the new laws in effect regarding the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), there must be a disclaimer available on this blog.  So here goes....

ABOUT THIS BLOG....

"Magpie's Mumblings' is an independently operated blog run by me (Mary Anne Richardson) and within I share my creative work (various crafts, quilting, embroidery, crazy quilting) along with the occasional tutorial, recipe and photos of said work.  I am the owner, creator and only administrator of this blog.  I do not sell items through this blog.

This blog is written by me and if I share a link to any other person's work/pictures/articles I clearly state the proper link to said work.  Through your use of those links I am not responsible for the privacy policies of other websites or the applications they use. 

My computer has a running up-to-date anti-virus program in place at all times.  It is definitely family friendly and there is never any questionable content shared here.  If I notice any such activity attempting to be shared through the comments, it will immediately be deleted and, hopefully, through having my comments set to require  moderation prior to publication, any such efforts will be thwarted.  

HOW INFORMATION IS COLLECTED....

- if you leave a comment on the blog your email address could possibly be shared with me (and with me only) in order that I am able to respond to your comments.  

- it is possible that Google Analytics collects data, but those circumstances are beyond my control. Please visit THIS link to learn more about Google Analytics.

- Your email and name are never sold by me or in any way shared with any third parties.  Never.  

BLOG COMMENTS...

Anyone within the blogging community knows how much we love comments and feedback.  Please be aware that, should you leave a comment, it will subsequently be visible to anyone who reads the comment section.  Your name and comment will be visible to others and by the very act of leaving a comment you are consenting to the use of your information for that purpose.  Your email and other pertinent information will NOT be visible at any time.  For that reason, please do not share any detailed personal information in your comments.  I do reserve the right to remove comments I deem to be inappropriate at any time.  It is also worth noting that you can remove any comments you have written.  All those that leave a comment are also covered by the Google Privacy Policy (see HERE for further information regarding their policy).  

COOKIES....

- Blogger uses cookies to allow you to access websites and blogs without re-entering your user name and password. More information regarding cookies may be found HERE.  You can also disable their usage by searching that term on your browser and following the steps provided.  Please know that the use of cookies does NOT give me access to any personal information about you.

PARENTAL CONSENT.....

- As stated above, this blog is family friendly.  By law, if you are under 16 years of age, you must have parental permission before using this blog site.

FINALLY....

You have the right to know how your personal data is being processed.  Hopefully the policy I have outlined above will adequately explain how your data can be used.  

DATED:  May 31, 2018

An update on the interruption

OK, folks - as promised I would let you know what I found out regarding the new privacy laws that seem to be upsetting the blogging world.  I still don't understand it, despite doing a lot of extensive reading on the subject, but as near as I can gather it appears we are supposed to post a form of disclaimer on our blogs stating that we are not maliciously gathering private information from people.  As if the majority of us are the least bit interested in such things, but the powers-that-be seem to think we should be.

So....it pretty much boils down to having to post something on your blog stating that fact and assuring people (who you KNOW aren't going to bother reading the information anyway....ahem) that we aren't out to stalk them.  

If you check out the following link you will find a template that can guide you through what needs to be said (of course it has to be tweeked to suit your particular circumstances).  Thank you Kim for finding this!!!!  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Vf3e-Fh_kHg6mGW4BgldP6HbFG9xglsjxXzOeLpqfs/edit

PLEASE NOTE:  I am unable to make this link 'live', so you will need to cut and paste it in order to view it.  

I hope to have time this afternoon to tweek the template to suit my blog and will post it when I do.  

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As a further note, it appears upon checking the help forums on Blog-grrrr, that they are working on any further issues that have come up.  

***********

And, might I appeal to those of you who have your blog set to give you the ability to reply directly to comments ON your blog (without having to post a completely new comment), to give me some idea of what settings I need to use on my dashboard in order to allow that function?   For the life of me I can't find it!!

Stay tuned!!!

We interrupt this blog.....

Okay folks - it seems that the Powers That Be (those that like to complicate our lives beyond all reasonable expectations) are monkeying about with our blogs and how they work.  It appears that something is happening with the European Union called the GDPR.    I don't know about you, but I haven't a clue what they're blathering on about.  I've read a number of things about it, but unless you're fluent in computer-eeze it's all as clear as mud.  If you understand it and know how to deal with it using Blogger I'd sure appreciate a tutorial in language that makes sense.  If you would/could email me that and give me permission I'd love to share it on my blog so others could make sense of it too!  (marmic1954 AT hotmail DOT com).

In the meantime, the thing that seems to be affecting me most at the moment is that your comments are not showing up in my email box, which is where I am able to answer you easily.  I haven't yet figured out how/if I can answer directly on my blog (I know some bloggers do) and although I don't like having to do it that way because it means an extra step for you, it appears it might be my only option.  So.....if you don't receive responses to your much appreciated (and very anticipated!) comments in the manner to which you're accustomed, please forgive me....and blame those idiotic Powers That Be!!!!

H - E - L - P ?????

EDITED TO ADD:  I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to respond individually to your comments directly on my blog without having to post a whole new comment that then doesn't link directly to YOUR comment.  I hate this!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Until I get this figured out, please know that I AM getting your comments, I AM reading them, and I AM appreciating them.  I have my blog set so that I have to moderate comments in order to avoid all the spam I keep getting, so if it takes a bit for your comment to show up, that will be why.  

Anybody know how to fix the commenting issue???

Another one finished!

Over the weekend I finished the latest of my barn series...

FOR SALE

This quilt measures approx. 28"x20" and is for sale.  If you're interested, please contact me!

Another anonymous quote..."Be thankful for all the troubles that you don't have"

Another bit of precious

Yes, I AM stitching but nothing quite ready to show at the moment, so how about showing you another piece of my special china.  This also belonged to my grandmother; it's obviously hand-painted and is very fine china.  

There are no markings on the bottom of the cream pitcher, but the sugar bowl is labeled 'Austria'. Beyond that, I know nothing about it.  

Your quote for today..."Sometimes when you're in a dark place, you think you've been buries, but you've actually been planted"

Little pitchers

I have been stitching on my latest barn but taking a photo at this point wouldn't show you much more than you saw the last time.  The stitching involves mainly highlighting, so difficult to see on its own.

So....instead of seeing that, how about I show you a couple of my little milk pitchers?  I don't have many of those either, but these two are my favourites...

They both measure about 4" tall.  The brown one is from Pier 1 Imports so is quite modern (reminds me of those brown Betty teapots) and the other is labeled 'Churchhill England'.  No idea of the age of it because I think I picked it up at a yard sale.  

Your quote for today:  "Four things you cannot recover:  the stone after the throw; the word after it is said; the occasion after it is missed, and the time after it's gone"

The last two

This is the final post in the cup and saucer 'series' I've been doing.  As I mentioned before, my collection is small!!

This one has a quite nondescript outside

and it's only as you drink your tea that

you realize the pattern is on the inside.

It only has the words 'Fine China' on the

bottom - no other identifying marks.

This one is from my mother's collection.

She never had 'good' dishes and when

company would come she would set

the table with her normal mismatched pieces

that she used every day.  When I got my first job

I decided that for every occasion such as birthday and 

Christmas, I would buy her a place setting for her

favourite pattern.  She ended up with enough

for twelve settings, as well as some completer pieces

which I have now inherited.

The pattern is 'Trillium' by Royal Albert

and has since been discontinued.

And, just to prove that I HAVE been doing something in the stitch part of my life, here's an update on the latest barn I'm working on...

 

Another anonymous quote..."A strong person is not the one who doesn't cry.  A strong person is the one who cries and sheds tears for a moment, then gets up and fights again"

Two more

Here are two more from my cup and saucer collection (I promise...there is only one more post to come!).  

This one is another that is labeled 'Castle...

Hand Painted Japan'

It is also highlighted with

mother of pearl.

This cup was one that I received 

in a gift exchange when I was in public school.

It's the ONLY one in my pitifully small

collection that actually belongs to me and

wasn't inherited.  
It is labeled 'Royal Standard - Fine Bone
China - England'

Another anonymous quote for you today..."If you don't like something, just take away its only power:  your attention"

More precious-nesssssssss?

First of all, I have to share a picture of the beautiful flowers I that were delivered for Mother's Day from our #2 son and daughter-in-love who live all the way across the country in British Columbia.  Aren't they beautiful?  We also got to Skype with them yesterday and had a lovely visit.  Great fun watching our sweet little grandson as he's testing out lots of new words!  Thank you Shawn and Winnie 💕

Because precious little has been happening on the stitching front, I thought I'd do as someone asked and post a few more pictures of my small cup & saucer collection.  I don't ever use them, preferring to have my tea and coffee in a mug, but I like to see them sitting in my china cabinet anyway!

This one belonged to my maternal grandmother 

and is labeled on the back with

'Castle - Hand Painted - Japan'.

The inside of the cup is mother-of-pearl.

This one also belonged to my grandmother.

She had a set of dishes in this pattern and

all that remains (that I'm aware of) is this

cup and saucer and one small

tea plate. 

The pattern is called 'Bridal Rose'

and was made in Western Germany

This one, also from my grandmother, 

is also lined with mother-of-pearl

and is labeled 'Castle - Hand Painted - Japan'

Another quote from 'Anonymous'..."Make a list of things that make you happy.  Make a list of things you do every day.  Compare the lists.  Adjust accordingly"

Something precious

Yesterday the subject of cups and saucers came up and I thought I might share one of my favourites from my collection...

This one belonged to my maternal grandmother who once had a very extensive collection of cups and saucers of various patterns.  I was lucky enough to inherit a precious few.  This one is hand painted and the china is very thin - it appears that it was hand painted in Japan but that's all I know about it.  

There has been no stitching happening here at Chez Magpie over the past several days - too much of being a social butterfly (and errand runner) to have time to play in my sewing room.  Hopefully over the weekend I will get to sit and pick up my stitching.

Instead of a quote today, I would like to wish all mothers a very happy Mother's Day!

Another beginning - and from the kitchen

Over the weekend I started working on another barn landscape.  It doesn't look like much as yet, but thought I'd show you anyway.

DH puttered about in the kitchen and this is what he created...

Here's the recipe - just in case you'd like to make some too!

FREEZER PICKLES

10 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced*

3 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 large green pepper, chopped

3 Tablespoons salt

2 cups white sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 Tablespoon celery seed

Combine cucumbers, onions, green pepper & 2 T. salt.   Cover with crushed ice and mix well.  Refrigerate for 8 hours.  Drain, rinse and drain again.

In large saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed and remaining salt.  Bring to a boil & cook and stir for one minute.  Spoon over cucumbers.  Pour into jars, leaving 1/2" headspace.  Cool.  Top with lids and freeze for up to 6 weeks. *NOTE:  DH uses English cucumbers.

Another anonymous quote..."Be thankful for all the troubles that you don't have"

I told you yesterday that I had a post planned but the weather was dull and pictures wouldn't be great.  Well - it's still dull (warm though!) so I decided to do it anyway.  A friend and I were into a discussion recently about crafting supply storage solutions for small spaces.  Many of you know that we live in an apartment and my sewing space is the second (and small!) bedroom, which also serves as a guest room when needed as well as housing my computer desk.  I have managed, through trial and error, to stuff a large amount of stash into this room so I thought I'd share what I did with the closet.  It's your typical closet - with double sliding doors, one shelf and a rod.  I removed the rod and left the shelf in place.  

I've taken four pictures to show you the four (more or less) sections of my closet....

This is the upper right side.  The red circled area contains plastic (dollar store) shoe boxes filled with all sorts of crafting supplies.....threads, ribbons, assorted embellishments for crazy quilting.  Below that I have stacked a three-drawer plastic unit (on the left) and two more, smaller in depth, three-drawer plastic units on the right.  The green circled drawers hold various types of fabric trims and my hankie/doily collection.  On the right are more sewing supplies, along with some of the papers I use for various things.  There's a plastic 'box' on the right that holds my paper ephemera.

This is the lower right side made up of two five-drawer plastic units.  The red circled area are my fabrics for crazy quilting (along with the pink red drawer in the first picture)...sorted into colour families.  The top two drawers - one holds my containers of embroidery flosses, sorted according to colour families and, on the other side, my knitting needles, crochet hooks & paint brushes.  The Misc. drawer on the bottom holds a lot of 'stuff' that doesn't fit anywhere else.

This is on the upper left side.  The blue circled bag holds my crochet cottons (using one of those zippered plastic bags that sheets often come in)....the red circled bag holds some misc. fabrics;  and the purple circled area is a bag of stuffing for toy making.  Three plastic bins hold my interfacing, denim and felt.  Below that there's another small three-drawer plastic unit that holds my paper punches and metallic threads for sewing.  

And here is the lower left side.  The red circled area is primarily things that fall under the 'office supplies' heading.  The yellow circle highlights another plastic drawer unit that has my folk art/water colour paints (top) and beneath that is a drawer that I call my 'component' drawer.  It holds all sorts of 'stuff' that can (maybe) be used for crafting.  It includes some techniques and things that I've tried and not liked, but have kept in case they can be re-worked at some point.    The green circled area holds two larger plastic 'suitcases' - the bottom one holds assorted cotton fabrics that fall under the 'yardage' category and the top one holds my lace fabrics.  The 'blob' of stuff above that is just some miscellaneous 'stuff' that doesn't fit anywhere else.  Someday I'll pick up another suitcase to hold those.   The purple circled section holds a quilt bat and the yellow/green box you can see holds a selection of greeting cards.  

Well, there you have it.  Storage.....According to Magpie.  This system works for me and I have a LOT of stuff stashed into what basically isn't a very large closet.  Of course I have other crafting supplies in other units elsewhere in my room, but this is the basic 'guts' of my storage.

  For the quote, it's another anonymous one..."Just because some people are fueled by drama doesn't mean you have to attend the performance"

More - of the mumbling nature

Since my back is still being 'tricky', I don't have anything of the creative nature to share with you.  On top of that, the post I had planned can't happen because I need decent light to get pictures.  Hopefully tomorrow?!

Another anonymous quote..."A bad attitude is like a flat tire, you can't get very far until you change it"

Tah Dah!!!!!

Well, here it is.  Finished.  Done.  Ready to be delivered.

SOLD!

I think you can click on it to embiggen to show more details (if you so desire, of course!).  And below is the original photo I worked from...

I chose not to attempt fate by adding all the shadows that appear in the original - just a tad outside my current abilities I think!

Now it's on to working on another barn!  I think it will be this one...

It might be a little slow moving for a day or two - managed to do a number on my back last night so I'm moving slower than usual!

Today is another anonymous quote..."When you feel like quitting, think about why you started"

Nearly finished....maybe

Yesterday I had some time to put a few more finishing touches on the house project, as you can see from this picture...

I've added the tree top on the left and changed the shrub on the right from what it was.  

For those of you interested in how I might have made the tree top...it originated with making some confetti fabric....

I chose about six different tones of green fabric, layered them, and then pretty much shredded them with my rotary cutter.  Once that was done I placed them between two pieces of melt-away stabilizer and then heavily stitched through all the layers.  I rinsed away the stabilizer (if you do this, be sure not to throw the rinse water down the drain because there's a lot of teeny fabric bits that escape, along with the glue....probably not good for your drain).  After it dried, I (for lack of a better description) stuck my fingers in some of the holes to embiggen them to give it a more 'airy' look.  Hmmm.  Not such a good result because a lot of the fabric bits ended up being 'wrong side up' and it was too white.  So....I watered down some different green shades of folk art paint and 'blobbed' some on here and there to camouflage where the fabric was wrong side up....plus it gave an added dimension to the colouring overall.  Once that dried, I simply cut the tree shapes from it and stitched them onto my quilt.  Then I applied a layer of fine tulle over top to be sure to corral any stray little bits of fabric.  

Another anonymous quote for you today...."One smile can start a friendship.  One word can end a fight.  One look can save a relationship.  One individual can change your life."

More progress

It's a dull rainy day here (not snow...hooray!) and so this photo isn't the best, but I think you can see some of the work I've added...

After stitching all those lazy daisies onto the planter vines on the fence my fingers weren't overly happy!  In some places there was six layers of fabric to stitch through.  

Another anonymous quote for you today..."Behind you, all your memories.  Before you, all your dreams.  Around you, all who love you.  Within you, all you need"

Hodge Podge of Mumblings

Although I did get some work done over the weekend on the house project, it's not really noticeable enough to show you just yet.  

In the interest of having at least one picture in this post, I thought I'd share this little funny (hopefully no one is offended!).  

One step forward - (you know the rest)

Sometimes even I am astounded at my ability to do something stupid.  You're think, after all these years, I wouldn't be surprised at myself.  Anyhoo....a couple of progress pictures on the house...

I know, from this, that you can't probably see what I've done.  It wasn't until I started adding the embroidery details that I realized.  Perhaps this will show what I did?...

No?  You mean you can't see it?  Well, I guess that means that maybe my 'fix' worked.  (if you can't figure it out, count how many grey 'blobs' there are under the verandah roof in the first picture....and then how many there are in the second picture.  I thought (ahem) that artistic license meant that I could simply add a window where there isn't one.  Worse....I added that window in the corner of the wall where anyone with half a brain would know that a window wouldn't fit.  Sigh.  Ah well, hopefully I've camouflaged it and no one will notice.

There now, never let it be said that I'm afraid to show you everything, warts and all!!

Today I don't have a quote per se, but thought I'd share this little 'funny' instead...(author unknown)....

A small change

Woke up to lots of snow yesterday - and didn't get the heavy rain they predicted.  Right now there's more snow piled up in the parking lots than there's been all winter.  Where, oh where, is spring?

At least the conditions outside meant that I could be working on the house project, as you can see from this...

Another anonymous quote..."God gave us mouths that close and ears that don't, that must tell us something"

A start - and a stop

We have had a most interesting weekend (and it's still ongoing)....freezing rain, ice pellets, snow, rain, heavy wind.....you name it, we've had it.  This morning we awoke to what some would call a winter wonderland with all the trees covered in ice.  It may be pretty, but it's downright dangerous.  Fortunately the power, at least here, has stayed on, but that's not the case for many other areas in southern Ontario.  The weather people are now saying we're in for very heavy rain in the next day or so - which is going to create a whole 'nother sort of havoc.  People are being strongly advised to stay home and off the roads, which is precisely what we're doing.  It's better to stop and stay put, rather than risking our lives (and that of others).  

So....being housebound means I can get some work done on the house project.  Over the weekend I laid down the basic pieces of fabric and came up with this...

At this stage I always wonder why I'm even attempting to do this.  It looks awful.  I know it will get better (at least I hope it will!).

And....if anyone is interested....the piece (below) is for sale.  Drop me a message and we'll talk.

Instead of a quote today, I found this interesting tip....

My question is....

how am I supposed to remember

to clench my fist??

Committed!

And yes, I already know what thoughts are going through your mind!  Some would say it would serve me right...ahem.  Anyhoo.....

The person who purchased the barn (from my previous post) has commissioned me to recreate their house in fabric!  My first commission since I embarked on this landscape caper.  They live in an amazing old farmhouse that is a perfect place to visit (actually our #2 son and daughter-in-love were married there).  I really hope I can manage to do this house justice!

From an anonymous source..."When my arms can't reach people who are close to my heart I always hug them with my prayers"