Ripping more and enjoying it less!

 Some of you may remember me starting a hexxie quilt quite awhile ago and then I'm sure you noticed that it fell off the blog in short order.  I couldn't decide on how I wanted to put it together.  It's been sitting in the corner of my sewing room laying a huge guilt trip on me ever since so I decided to dust it off and see what I can come up with.

This is what I found when I hauled the project out...

There's not enough to make an entire quilt so I had toyed with throwing these at a large piece of white fabric and letting them fall rather haphazardly (or willy nilly, take your pick).  Well that plan was enough to gag a maggot so back into hibernation they went.  

Spending far too long on the internet looking at possibilities yielded these...

The picture on the left gave me an idea for what I could do for the center of the quilt....picture on the right might be a thought for a border of sorts when it's cobbled together with the border shown in the middle picture.  Clear as mud?  

But (and here's the problem!!) 
I'm NOT a sane quilter so how
can this be anything but a
disaster?

In the meantime my froggit tool and I are spending far too many hours together as I rip apart all that I've already done, cut more fabric and then stitch it all back together again.  And is it any wonder I've never aspired to be a sane quilter (because....wait for it....it's bound to drive me 'insane').  

- If you'd like to see an amazing quilt show, pour yourself a cuppa, and have a look HERE.  

- And take a look at the amazingly detailed work in the galleries of THIS artist!

- THIS looks like fun - and wouldn't it be great to give one with a special chocolate inside for Valentine's Day?  

- Have a close look at the gallery of THIS artist (yes, look closely and you'll see some interesting substrates for her work)

- THIS artist proves that you can embroider pretty much anything!

Here's your quote of the day..."You must always be willing to truly consider evidence that contradicts your beliefs, and admit the possibility that you may be wrong.  Intelligence isn't knowing everything, it's the ability to challenge everything you know.

A Finish!

Over the weekend I finished working on the landscape and must admit I'm glad I was working on a snow scene inside where it's nice and warm!  

FOR SALE!

 This photo, courtesy of Michael Trueman and used with his kind permission, was my inspiration...

Thank you Michael!

The finished landscape measures approx. 30x24" and includes applique, paint, coloured pencil, machine stitching and embroidery.  There's also lots of sparkle on the trees and the snow but unfortunately that doesn't pick up in the photos.

- I thought THIS was intriguing, but I'd like to see if there's a way to create it without glueing directly to the bowl.  I think hot glue would make too much bulk too so I'd be tempted to go the watered down white glue route and just wait out the drying time.  Perhaps cover the bowl with plastic wrap prior to adding the strips too.

- THIS is one of those 'awwww' things - so pretty!

- Since you peeked at the 'awww' thing, how about you go back with a cuppa and have a look through her printables and other tutorials HERE.  

- Have a look through the gallery of THIS incredible artist!

Here is your quote of the day..."Your degree is just a piece of paper.  Your education is seen in your behavior"

Fusion-ing and experimenting

 I've made some more progress on my fusion crochet quilt and am now working at putting the strips together as you can see from the photo below.  Once they're together I will decide what I will do for a border around the outside.  I will have at least one (possibly 2) balls of yarn extra so I'll have enough for a nice border to finish it off.  

Resident Chef has been playing about with his sourdough and has attempted to dry some to see if it can be reconstituted (read about it somewhere and thought he'd try it).  Here's the first step...

Should I wonder about him?

Today the quote is from Henry David Thoreau..."That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest"

A recipe

HOT HONEY CORNBREAD

   (original recipe from www.budgetbytes.com)

12 Tbsp butter, divided

1 c. honey

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

2 eggs

1 ¼ c. sour cream

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. flour

1 ½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

   Mix 4 T. butter, honey & red pepper flakes &

microwave in 30-sec bursts til butter melts &

comes to soft simmer.   Combine cornmeal, flour,

salt & baking powder.  In a 9x9” pan melt the

remaining butter.  Add all but 2 T to the sour

cream.  Add eggs & mix. Fold dry and wet

ingredients.  Swirl pan to coat with butter &

add the batter.  Bake at 400 til a toothpick inserted

in center comes out with just a touch of moisture, about 

25 – 30 mins.  Top with hot honey butter. 

NOTE:  Original recipe calls for baking in a cast iron
skillet but we don't own one, so a 9x9" pan works just fine.

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PLEASE NOTE:  Thanks to Joy who put this information in the comments....if ads are bothering you on your computer, look into a free app called adblocker.plus.  

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The landscape is nearing completion so I'll save progress photos until then.  In the meantime, the fusion crochet quilt pile is growing....

There are seven blocks in each strip and I think there will be a total of 12 strips.  I played fabric chicken and I won (phew!).  Two yards of each fabric, cut into 6" squares and I ended up with a teeny little scrap of selvedge left over. 😀 I guessed at how much fabric I would need and did a pretty excellent job.  Now...did I guess the correct amount of yarn?  Stay tuned!! More fabric is on order to make a second one and now the question is...will the two fabrics 'go' together?  Only the mailman will know for sure.

- As many of you know, I have a rather extensive (!!) collection of buttons, so of course this Pinterest board caught my eye.

- If you happen to like chickens, how about THESE?  Perhaps do some for Easter?

- And HERE's something for Valentine's Day.

- Have a peek through the galleries of THIS artist!

Here is your quote of the day "If you want evidence that the world is a terrible place, watch the news and surf the web.  But if you want to remember how incredible this planet is, go out into nature.  Unlike social media and the news, nature has no incentive to keep us agitated, angry and anxious"

You must be eagle-eyed

 Yes, you must be eagle eyed to see the progress on this landscape but for lack of anything else to show you, here it is anyway...

I'll be reverse stitching the embroidery at the base of the cabin because they don't show up enough against the dark background. The embroidery is not quite finished but hopefully I'll get it done today.  Then I just have to add the snowdrift in the foreground and it will be complete.

And....I'm really enjoying watching this amazing amaryllis blossom.  It always amazes me how huge the flowers are.

Thank you MEK!!

- If you have a fan of Minecraft in your family, perhaps making one of THESE would be the perfect thing.  Two of our grandies are fans, as well as #2 son so I'll be bookmarking this!  She also has Harry Potter and Pokemon available.

- Have a look at THESE amazing creations!

- THIS might be fun to try (never let it be said that this is not a full-service blog!!).

- And just to prove that weird things sometimes catch my eye, how about THIS?

Today the quote is from Thomas Paine..."A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be be trusted by anybody"

Limbs, twigs and sticks

First of all, Resident Chef has been fiddling with a new sourdough bread recipe and appeared in my doorway to show off his latest efforts..

He says more fiddling is needed, but his
experiments sure tasted good!

I've darkened the 'branches' of the birch trees on the landscape as you can maybe see in this photo.  Currently I'm working on the embroidery part which I hope I can show you on Monday.

It seems like the general concensus is for me to continue with the links despite some of you having to deal with an over-abundance of ads, so I'm more than happy to oblige....

- THIS might be a fun technique to try.

- Have a peek through the works of THIS artist (and then, be sure you're sitting down and click on her price list).  

- THIS is a fun way to use small-ish scraps of fabrics.

- If you knit using DPN's, perhaps you'd like to make yourself some of THESE.

Today the quote is from Jennifer Gayle..."Some days you will be the light for others, and some days you will need some light from them.  As long as there is light, there is hope, and there is a way"

Out on a limb...or maybe a twig?

 There's been limited time to stitch over the past couple of days but I did manage to lay down the base for the limbs/twigs for the trees on the left side of the landscape.  

and, I've started adding the crocheting to some of the fusion quilt blocks...

Sorry about the picture quality - once more it's a dull day here

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I must apologize to many of you who are finding that some of the links I share lead to an over-abundance of ads at your end.  It seems I have some sort of 'ad blocker' on my computer (thanks be to the guy who set my computer up) and so I don't see the ads that some of you end up seeing.  I don't know of a way to get around it, short of stopping sharing the links altogether.  I know many of you enjoy them, so I'm in a bit of a quandry.  Please know that I'm aware of the problem but I can't see a remedy from my end of things.  For now I will continue with the links and hope that you don't find the ads TOO disturbing.  

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- For the knitters among you there are lots of free patterns HERE and for the crocheters HERE .  A word to the wise though - best pour yourself a cuppa before you go exploring!!

- If you have cause  to either increase or decrease stitches evenly in a knitting project THIS calculator (plus the additional link you'll find there) will be very helpful.

- Anything made with recycled denim usually catches my eye and THIS project was no exception.

Today the quote is from George Bernard Shaw..."Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance"

Buttonhole-ing and landscape-ing

 The pile of quilt squares I showed you the other day has been buttonholed and now I have to figure out how to crochet them together.  Won't show a picture because basically they still look the same. 

The landscape has progressed with the quilting done on the snow area, the sky and some 'branches' have been partially added to the center section of the birch trees.  

- THIS would be a fun project to make (and if I posted this link before I apologize!)

- Have a peek through the gallery of THIS artist!

- And THIS artist too!

- Scroll down when you go HERE and you'll see why it's one of my 'awwww' things.

Today's quote is by Jennifer Gayle..."Some days you will be the light for others, and some days you will need some light from them.  As long as there is light, there is hope, and there is a way"

A little bit

There's been a little progress on the landscape - the addition of the basics of white birch trees and some of the quilting has begun in the snow area....

Sorry about the poor quality photo - it's dull here, again

- I thought THIS process was interesting and doesn't look too difficult to accomplish.

- THIS is a rather nice organizer bag.

- Have a peek through the gallery of THIS artist.

- There are a whole lot of ideas HERE for using up leftover yarn!

Today's quote... "You must always be willing to truly consider evidence that contradicts your beliefs, and admit the possibility that you may be wrong.  Intelligence isn't knowing everything, it's the ability to challenge everything you know"

Well, I could...but I won't.....

 Sorry to disappoint you folks but I have nada to show you.  I *could* show you a picture of the landscape all sandwiched up and being basted but it looks the same as it did the last time you saw it (unless, of course, you count the addition of a few dozen pins).  I *could* show you the pile of quilt squares and that a few more have been buttonhole stitched.  I *could* show you the less-messy-looking couch in my sewing room which only happened because my friend was here for coffee yesterday and needed somewhere to sit.  

Yes, I could.   

But I'll spare you the sheer boredom of it all.

- HERE is another of those 'awwwww' things!  2023 is the Year of the Rabbit in the lunar calendar so this one is quite fitting.

- I love THIS!  

- There are some fun ideas HERE for repurposing Altoid tins

- I remember my mother making THIS when I was a kid.

- Must admit that THIS caught my eye, mainly because I am a one-woman demolition expert when it comes to needle threaders.  

Today's quote..."I have come to the conclusion that buying craft supplies and actually using them are two separate hobbies"

Cut, cut, stitch

 Remember the fabrics I showed you on Friday?  Well over the weekend they were turned into these....

All ready to be buttonhole stitched
as the base for adding the crochet 'borders'.
Yarn is on order for that.

And, speaking of yarn, over the weekend I finished Resident Chef's afghan and he has pronounced it toasty and warm.  Mission solved (plus it served the double purpose of using up a whole lot of yarn!).

- THIS is most definitely being printed and saved for making for the Christmas box!  I love the design and the fact that it covers a multitude of sizes.

- If you have fabric scraps (hah...IF!!!) perhaps you'd like to make some of THESE.

- I know that patterns and tutorials for tote bags abound around the internet, but THIS one has really good directions with great photos AND there's a good printable as well.

- Have a look through all the fun free ideas to be found HERE.  Best pour yourself a cuppa because it might take you awhile!  Each 'section' takes a second or two to load (or did on my computer) so be patient.

Today's quote...

Inspiration...or....folly?

 Remember me sending you to see fusion crochet quilts a few posts ago?  Well, I was inspired to attempt making one and yesterday this arrived in the mail...

The floral fabric will be the front and the back will be the leaf print.  Now I await the arrival of yarn to join the blocks together.  IF it works out, it will be the first addition to the Christmas box for 2023.  

And...the current state of the latest landscape...

- THIS is an interesting concept.  There are more ideas HERE.

- Have a scroll through the artworks of THESE amazing guys!

- Another of my 'awwwww' moments HERE.  Another use for my yarn stash perhaps!

- THIS would be cute to make for Valentine's Day.

- Another 'awwww'....HERE.  And another one HERE!

Today's quote..."Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living"

It's a start

 My sewing room looks like a cyclone hit it, but out of the mess I've managed to make a start on the new landscape....

And....Resident Chef made a most excellent soup last night for our supper.  This recipe is an original and I think he outdid himself!

RESIDENT CHEF's ASIAN PORK SOUP

3 T. sesame oil             

2 lb. pork, cut in bite size pieces

2 onions, diced

2 carrots – thin sliced

1 potato, diced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 cans sliced mushrooms

2 litres chicken stock

½ c. dried seaweed

1 tsp. ginger

1 ½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. Asian Chili Paste

¼ c. soy sauce

Noodles – cooked

     Saute pork in sesame oil til no

longer pink.  Add onions, carrots, potatoes,

celery & mushrooms and sauté approx. 5 mins

stirring frequently.  Add chicken stock. Seaweed,

ginger, garlic powder & chili paste.  Bring to boil

and add noodles & soy sauce.  Return to simmer.

- There's an interesting discussion HERE about old photos and the collection thereof.  The comments are quite interesting and well worth a read.

- HERE's another of my 'awwwww' things.

- THIS looks like  a really nice bag pattern.

- And another 'awwwww' thing HERE.

Today's quote is from Neil Gaiman..."May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness.  I hope you read some good books and kiss someone who thinks you are wonderful, and don't forget to make some art - write or draw or build or sing or live only as you can.  And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself"

And another one begins!

 I currently have four spots on my sewing room wall where I display landscapes that I change out with the seasons (or at whim!) and it appears I'm lacking enough winter scenes so I have to rectify that by playing about with this photo to see what I can create...

Original photo by Michael Truman,
and used with his kind permission

- There are a number of links HERE to some easy-to-knit afghan designs (be sure to scroll down)

- I can't imagine making THIS but it's certainly beautiful!

- If you're looking for ideas for what to do with old silverware (you are, aren't you??) go HERE.  And at the bottom of that post you can click on all sorts of ideas for many different household items.

- If you like cats, or know someone who does, perhaps one of the patterns HERE might catch your eye.

- THIS is a pretty little heart design that might be fun for Valentine's Day.

Today's quote...

The pile - it grows...and a sort-of finish

 I think I need at least 17 strips for the mile-a-minute afghan for Resident Chef and as you can see, the pile is growing!

Our wee granddaughter is turning one in a couple of weeks and what self-respecting grandmother doesn't step up and make her a teddy bear?  Once the bear was done it was decided that going on that long trip without any clothes was just too much to contemplate...so....a dress was added AND I'm working on panties too. 

- Rabbit Hole Warning!!!  If you go HERE, be prepared with snacks and beverages of choice because you're going to need 'em!  Found via Canadian Needle Nana (thank you!)

- Many of you choose a 'word of the year' so perhaps you might like to read about a little different approach (that of choosing a monthly word) and can read more HERE.

- THIS might be a fun project that would be easy to do.

- I know I won't do any of THESE but I was intrigued by the creative ideas people have come up with.

Today's quote..."Nothing in nature lives for itself.  The rivers do not drink their own water; the trees do not eat their own fruit; the sun does not shine on itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves.  Living for others is a rule of nature"

You can't hide from me!~!

 In my ongoing quest to use as much stash as I possibly can - and because I feel sorry for Resident Chef's feeling cold when there's an east wind making its way around the cracks in our balcony door - I am doing a stash dive and unearthing bits and bobs of worsted weight-ish yarns to make another mile-a-minute afghan.  Some of you might remember me making several of them for adding to the Christmas box several years ago.  Actually, I just looked and it was 2021 and while I was at it I found a photo of one I completed then...

Resident Chef's will be quite similar to this one but will be dependent on whatever I can unearth in my stash.  It appears I need approx. 17 strips - wonder if my stash is such that I'll make it?

- I'm not sure that I would ever tackle making THIS but it sure is pretty!

- For those of you who have promised yourself (notice, I didn't say that nasty word 'resolution') and want to declutter, perhaps THIS might be of interest.

- The quilters among you might find THIS chart something handy to have.

Today's quote is from Mike Rowe..."Work ethic is important because, unlike intelligence, athleticism, charisma, or any other natural attribute, it's a choice"

Finished!!

 First of all, happy 2023 to you all!  Hope it's all you wish it to be.

Over the weekend I finished the landscape and here it is...

This is the original photo I used for inspiration (thank you to Barbara Stanbro, the photographer, and used with her kind permission).

- THIS is a rather pretty crochet pattern.

- I like THIS idea - can think of a few people who would appreciate it (me included!)

- THIS is the beginning of a great project that you could do using fabric and yarn from your stash.  There are lots of different variations to be found on the internet (just put 'fusion quilt' into the search engine and you'll see lots of examples).  I'm thinking of possible additions to my Christmas box for next year....hmmmm......

- HERE is another of my 'awwwwww' moment things.

Today the quote is courtesy of David Suzuki..."We have become the impatient species, too busy to let nature replenish itself and too puffed up with our own sense of importance to acknowledge our utter dependence on its generosity"