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.  

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

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!  

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

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.  

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....

 

 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!

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"

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.  

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

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.

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

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!!  

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"

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!  

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

 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.

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"

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!

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

and....I digress.....again.....

I digress.....

or did I see a squirrel????

Who knows, but it seems I've gone off on a tangent.  I am woman and can change my mind.  Right?

At any rate, some of my  fabric scraps have been turned into these pieces that in turn will be turned into something else.  I know what I plan that 'something else' to be, but who knows, perhaps another squirrel might cross my path.  In the meantime....here's the results of emptying a couple drawers of scraps all over the floor and picking out pieces that would suit what I have in mind.  All I can say for the moment is that the Christmas box looks shockingly empty and these will help to fill it.  And yes, I'll share once this has morphed into something useful.  

Today's quote is from Bob Marley..."Some people feel the rain, others just get wet"

Another beginning and a little tutorial

 I've made several of these that will be added to the Christmas box and thought maybe some of you might like making them as well.  So....a mini tutorial....

Easy Peasy Dish Scrubbers

1 ball of Red Heart Scrubby Yarn

5.5 mm knitting needles, either circular or straights

Cast on 22 stitches and knit every row until scrubbie is square. Loosely cast off.  One ball of the Scrubby yarn will make four.  These wear like iron and do a great job on your dishes, pots and pans.  

And...another landscape begins.  This is the photo I'm using for inspiration...

Original photo by Robert St. Clair
and used with his kind permission

The raw beginning!

It seems like Blog-grrr is doing a new 'thing' and has
changed the way links are done.  Hopefully it will
be okay on your end but don't be surprised if you
have to do a two-step process to get to the links.
Hopefully it's just a hiccup and they'll fix it soon!

Today's quote..."Better an oops than a what if"

We've survived - barely....and a recipe

You know how sometimes you think something is a good idea at the time?  Well, Resident Chef and I can attest that those sorts of things aren't always the wisest course of action.  We have been searching for a good cleaner for the tile and grout in our bathroom - imagine probably 50 years of the same tile and it's rather gross in places despite our best efforts to clean it.  Well....I happened to be in a professional cleaning supply store and noticed that they had a product labelled for just that purpose.  Score!!  Well...yeah....it was a score UNTIL I sprayed the stuff onto the tile this morning....and darned near choked to death.  That stuff is vile!!!!!   Poor Resident Chef was in nearly the same state all the way out in the living room - and that was just from a small amount of spray.  Imagine what would have happened had I carried on and done the whole tile surface.  The label directions said to leave the product on the surface for a 'few moments' before rinsing it off - well, it was on there for a whole lot more than a 'few moments' because there was no way in h-e-double-hockey-sticks I was setting foot in that bathroom until I could breathe.  And....after all that....the tile looks the same.  Our lungs have been exercised though, so I guess there's that.

I know many of you are dealing with an over-abundance of zucchini right now so I thought I'd share one of our favourite recipes.

ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

2 eggs, beaten

2 c. cottage cheese

1 pkg. spinach, cooked & drained well

1 lb. mozzarella cheese

1 lb. hamburger

1 large onion, chopped

1 - 8oz. can of tomato sauce

1/2 tsp. each salt, oregano & thyme

1/4 tsp. pepper

Cut zucchini into thin lengthwise slices and place in plastic bag.  Sprinkle with 2 tsp. salt and leave for approx. 2-3 hours.  Drain and rinse thoroughly.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Don't overlook this step because otherwise the lasagna will be over-liquid.  

Saute hamburger & onion.  Add tomato sauce, salt & pepper, oregano & thyme and simmer 5 minutes.  Combine eggs, cottage cheese, well-drained spinach and half the mozzarella cheese.  Layer in 9x13" pan.... 1/2 meat mixture; 1/2 zucchini slices; all of the spinach mixture; 1/2 zucchini slices; 1/2 meat mixture; and remaining mozzarella.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for a further 45 minutes.  Allow to stand at least 10 minutes before cutting.  

Today's quote..."Strong women don't have attitudes, they have standards"

Additions for Christmas box

 Over the weekend I finished making the jewelry holders I wanted to add to the Christmas box (which, I might add, is woefully lacking in items!).  Now the search is on to find a nice necklace or bracelet to include and that will make five completed gifts.  

The pattern, in case you missed it, is in my previous post.

And finally here's the quote for today....

Jewelry Roll Tutorial

 Here's the tutorial for the jewelry holder if you'd like to make one (or several!) for yourself or to use as gifts.  If you do make one, please let me know if any of the directions are not clear.  

MAGPIE's JEWELRY HOLDER

SUPPLIES:

-         Fabric for outer cover and inner lining,  9”x18”

-         Fabric for interior pockets – assorted sizes

-         9” (minimum) zipper

-         Lightweight iron-on interfacing

-         Quilt batting,  9”x18”

-         2 medium or large dome fasteners

-         Plastic canvas, 1”x7”

-         2 buttons, optional

-         Ribbon, for ties - approx. 50"

-         Bias tape (purchased, or make your own)

CUTTING:

-         1 piece each 9x18” of the outer cover, inner lining and quilt bat

-         1 piece 9x7” interior fabric (for lower pocket)

-         1 piece 9x8” interior fabric (for middle pocket)

-         2 pieces 8 ½” x 7”  interior fabric (for pocket flaps)

-         1 piece 9x8” interior fabric (for lower zippered pocket)

-         1 piece 9x9” interior fabric (for upper zippered pocket)

-         2 pieces 1” x 24” exterior fabric (for ties)

-         BIAS TAPE – long enough to go around entire outside edge of holder – you may used purchased tape or make your own by cutting strips of fabric 1 ½” wide by the length required

 

ASSEMBLY (NOTE: ¼” seam allowances unless otherwise noted)

LOWER POCKET

1.     Fold 9x7” interior lower pocket fabric wrong sides together so measures 9 x 3 ½”.  Press fold.  Cut piece of iron on interfacing 9x3 ½” and apply to one half.  Topstitch along folded edge leaving remaining three sides open.  Lightly mark pocket stitching lines 3” inside each edge to create 3 pockets.

 

             MIDDLE POCKET

1.     Fold 9x8” piece of interior middle pocket fabric in half  right sides together to measure 9x4”.  Apply interfacing cut 9x4” to one half.  Stitch long edge, leaving sides open.  Turn and press.  Topstitch folded edge.  Lightly mark pocket stitching line 4 ½” from edge.

FLAPS

(make 2).  Fold 8 ½ x 7” piece of interior fabric right sides together  so measures 8 ½ x 3 ½”.  Apply 8 ½”x3 ½”  interfacing to one half.  Round the outer two corners and stitch, leaving an opening for turning.  Turn & press.  Topstitch all but folded edge. 

ZIPPERED POCKET

1.    Fold 9x8” piece of interior lower zip pocket fabric right sides together.  Press fold. Apply 9”x4” interfacing to one half.  Stitch long edge, turn and press.

2.    Fold 9x9” piece of interior upper zip pocket fabric wrong sides together.  Press fold and apply  9 x 4 ½”interfacing to one half. 

3.    Apply zipper to the folded edges of each pocket piece by topstitching.  Trim extra zipper length as needed (careful – don’t use your good scissors!)

EARRING HOLDER

1.    Cut plastic canvas 1x7” making sure edges are as smooth as possible. 

2.    Cut 2 pieces of interior fabric 3 1/2"x2”.  Fold in one long edge ½ “ and press.  Fold right sides together and stitch raw edges with ½” seam allowance.  Clip corners.  Turn & press.

3.    Insert ends of plastic canvas and stitch in place.

4.    Center button on fabric end and stitch in place.  Add dome fastener to back.  Repeat for other fabric end.

FINAL ASSEMBLY

1.     Sandwich exterior fabric WRONG side up, batting, and lining fabric RIGHT side up.

2.    Align lower pocket and pin in place

3.    Align middle pocket with lower edge 2 ½” above the top edge of the lower pocket and using coordinating thread topstitch in place along lower edge.

4.    Using coordinating thread stitch pocket lines through all layers.

5.    Align pocket flap ¾” above lower pocket and stitch along top edge. Repeat with other flap  and stitch above the middle pocket.

6.    Center earring holder between lower pocket flap and the middle pocket and apply remaining half of the dome fasteners.

7.    Align stitched edge of zipper pocket approximately ¾” above middle pocket flap and stitch along bottom edge. 

8.    Trim off any excess fabric and batting along top edge.  Measure and mark 1 ½” from top corners in both directions.  Join marks and trim (or you may round edges if you prefer). 

9.    Cut two pieces of ribbon for ties – one 28” long and the other 20” long. Center ties with ties lying towards the body of the holder

along top edge and baste in place. 

   10.Apply bias tape to outside edge by machine, fold over raw edge, and hand stitch in place.  NOTE: If making your own bias tape, cut fabric 1 ½” wide and 2” longer than outside measurement of the holder.  Fold one edge in 3/8” and press.  Stitch around outside of holder, fold over and hand stitch to finish.  

Today's quote..."Don't think outside the box, think of what you can do WITH the box"

A holder for jewels?

 I've been spending more hours than I care to admit monkeying round with creating a pattern/tutorial for making this jewelry holder.....

It's hard to see in the photo below but there are three pocket sections, one zippered and the other two covered with flaps.  There's a removable earring holder as well.  

This one will be gifted at Christmas to the same friend who will be receiving the brush roll holder for her birthday next month.  If I manage to get the pattern written clearly enough I will post it here for anyone who also might like to make them.  I plan to include a piece of costume jewelry with these.  

Today's quote..."If you find something that makes you giggle, smile or laugh....buy it or marry it!"

How about a recipe for a change?

 Over the weekend Resident Chef made freezer pickles because we had an abundance of cucumbers appear on our doorstep.  They're really good and easy to make so thought perhaps you might like the recipe in case you'd like to make some too.  

Not a great photo, but you get the idea.  The Resident Chef will sometimes drain a container of these and grind up the veggies to make relish.  

FREEZER PICKLES

10 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 large green or red pepper, chopped
3 Tablespoons salt
2 c. white sugar
1 c. white vinegar
1 Tablespoon celery seed

Combine cucumbers, onions, green pepper and 2 tablespoons salt.  Cover with crushed ice and mix well. Refrigerate 8 hours.  Drain, rinse and drain again.
In a large saucepan combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed and remaining salt.  Bring to a boil and cook and stir for 1 minute.  Spoon over vegetables.  Pour into jars, leaving 1/2" head space.  Cool.  Top with lids and freeze.  

Today's quote is from C.S. Lewis..."There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind"

The chaos of creativity? Or just a downright mess?

It seems I've gotten myself into a bit of chaos in my sewing studio.  In one corner we have this....

and in another corner there's this...

 

and then there's this....

and then there's this.....

But in the kitchen, Resident Chef is calmly creating good edibles with these...

Puff balls and swiss chard,

gifts from good friends!

 

And, instead of a quote today....

Something a little different

 Remember that new fabric stash enhancement from a week or so ago?  Part of the plan for some of it was to make this for a birthday gift...

My friend made the mistake of mentioning that

her makeup brush holder was looking shabby so 

that gave me the incentive.

It's a bit hard to tell in this photo but there's a flap that covers up the brushes and helps to hold them in place...theoretically anyway!  The inside is lined with that waxed fabric I bought.  First time I've used it so we'll see how well it wears.  Hopefully it will be somewhat wipeable should the need arise.  The pattern is 'Roll-Up Organizer' by Tim Holtz for Coats and can be found HERE.

And this mess is me trying to come up with a prototype design for a new project.  Certainly gives me a great appreciation for pattern designers because it's definitely a challenge!

Stay tuned to see if it ends up being a success or another of those things destined for the 'file' beneath my desk!

Today the quote is for those of you who garden and is from Ralph Waldo Emerson..."What is a weed?  A plant whose virtues have never been discovered"

A finish!

Here is a finish of a different sort!  You're used to seeing my landscapes but how about the finished crazy quilt for a change?  As you can see from the photo it just covers the foot of our bed which is rather necessary because our bed is up on  risers to allow for storage underneath.  That means that pretty much all purchased bedspreads don't end up being long enough and leads to the need for something a little extra.

 

For some reason Blog-grrr is pitching a hissy fit and refusing to allow me to align photos in the middle.  Oh well.  

This new quilt (twin-sized) will be part of our winter ensemble on our bed.  

Here's a closeup of one of the blocks so you can see the machine stitching....

The fabric I used around the blocks is actually meant for curtains and is something I found at a thrift store at one time.  I have LOTS of it so it was nice to use some of it on this project.

And....look what arrived in my sewing room doorway over the weekend?  Sourdough sticky buns!

Today's quote from Abraham Lincoln..."In the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years"

An update - and a warning

I decided that the crazy quilt throw I was working on required another row of blocks so I've been working on those.  I need 5 and 4 are ready for machine embroidery now...

There's one more currently being put together in tones of soft yellows.  Once they're done I will add them to what you saw last time and it will make a twin-sized quilt.  It will serve as a throw on the foot of our bed and also be useful as a quilt for someone to curl up with.  

As for the warning part of this post....I've been asked to provide a photo of myself (gah!!!) to the new 'Crazy Quilt Magazine' now owned and edited by Lisa Boni so the long-suffering Resident Chef did the honors and took a few pictures.  I thought some of you might like to see what I look like (as I said - gah!!!!!!!!!) but I'm warning you now! 

Have I mentioned how much I hate having my picture taken???!!!!  I have agreed to continue in my role as proofreader for the new magazine and I'm looking forward to working with Lisa and seeing the changes she has planned.  

Today's quote is from Maya Angelou...."We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color"

SQUIRREL!................

Yes, I know - you never know what you're going to find when you pay a visit here at Chez Magpie!  This time I had one of those pesky squirrel moments and went off on a tangent in another direction.  Some of you might remember me posting photos of some crazy quilt blocks I had pieced awhile ago with the thought in mind of embroidering them in a triadic colour scheme.  

Well, that project got set aside in favour of things far more interesting at the time.   Now I find my sight (cataracts growing) is getting worse and being able to see to embroider is getting more difficult.  So....I wondered why it was cast in stone that they had to be embroidered by hand.  Why couldn't I use the machine instead?  After all, the use I had for them was simply for a throw for the foot of our bed and was meant to be a utility piece.  So....I scoured my thread stash and came up with threads that still fit with my original triadic colour scheme, chose a simple stitch on my machine that reminded me of feather stitch and tah dah!  This is the completed flimsy now awaiting the arrival of a twin-sized sheet to use for the backing.  

and a close up of the stitching...

I think this quote is rather fitting for today.."I've reached the age where my train of thought often leaves the station without me"

Retail therapy - of the mail order sort

Sometimes a girl just has to have some retail therapy and, because it's not such a great venture to go to the store in person these days, sometimes it just has to be mail order.    These were purchased with possible Christmas creations in mind, along with a couple of pieces that were 'just because'.

 The very day I ordered these, there was an email pop up from another online shop offering me a 20% discount because it was my birthday.  Well, what's a girl going to do but succumb and order these....

Sorry about the glare - it's actually a bit of waxed cloth that might be used to make that wallet pattern.  The cloth comes with all sorts of instructions and warnings so not sure about it yet but it might be an interesting experiment if nothing else.

Today's quote.."Don't stress the could haves.  If it should have, it would have"