Now....what do you suppose.....

.....I'm up to now???

Well, you'll just have to wait and see!

Yesterday I posted pictures of the latest barn project and I can tell you now that I'm not happy with it.  And I do have a reason for that.  The barn itself, although it's the right shape and overall look for what I wanted,  the colour of it isn't.  I want fabric that's the colour of old weathered barnboard - the grey old look.  This one simply didn't do it for me.  The search is on for appropriately coloured (& preferably with a textured look that works) fabric and it's proving to be much harder than I thought it would be.  I don't mind adding some paint to make it look 'right' but I need to have a good base.  And I know someone is going to suggest I simply paint it from scratch and that's not something I can do - my creative genes don't lend themselves to that amount of 'art'.  And I know I 'could' dye some, but that's decidedly frowned upon....using communal washing machines in an apartment building for that sort of endeavor is a no-no....b'sides dye would just give one overall colour and not the look of texture that I'm wanting.  I know - I want too much, don't I!! 

Today, instead of a quote, how about a little laugh...

Done!

The latest barn project is complete!!  Well, complete except for the label for the back, which I will work on next.  

This piece measures approx. 14 x 25".

The inspiration photo I used

Close-ups....

Today your quote is from an anonymous source once again..."Life is like a camera....focus on what's important; capture the good times; develop from the negatives; and if things don't work out, take another shot"

Beans and Barns

I haven't shared a recipe with you in a long time so I thought I'd share what we had for supper last night.  The cooler fall days are here and this was mighty tasty (and easy to make according to the resident cook).

BBQ BEANS and SAUSAGE

2 cans EACH of romano & black beans*

1 c. diced onion

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. maple-flavoured BBQ sauce**

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. chili powder

1 lb. kielbasa sausage - chopped up

Spray bowl of slow cooker with vegetable spray.  Combine all except sausage which goes on top.  Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours.

* - you can use any combination of beans 

you like best

** - we like maple, but perhaps you'd 

prefer another flavour

There has been a bit more progress on the barn....

And here's another quote from Eeyore...."A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference"

I'd like to say....grass is a'growin'....but...

....if I do, I can imagine how many 'hits' I'll be getting on my blog and most of them won't be of the desirable sort!!  

I have spent the entire afternoon putzing with the grass area for my barn.  I have auditioned a ton of possibilities, all of which have been...ahem....mowed.  I finally came up with this...

....and out of complete and total disgust with the whole thing, I have decided it's staying.  So there!!  Of course there's still embroidery to be added to hopefully blend it in more.  No matter what happens I am NOT changing it again!!!

(oh yeah - there WILL be leaves on the tree!)

Today your quote is from one of my very favourite characters...Eeyore...."A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference"

About microwaves, barns and potions

Now how's THAT for a perplexing blog post title?!!  

Today I went back to working on my latest barn project and have, yet again, re-done the grass area.  For some reason it simply will-not-work despite my best efforts.  I had replaced the 'grass' twice over already and was on the third re-do, which I didn't remember to take a picture of (sorry).  

Here's the first effort...

Too much grass.  It took over.  I hated it.

Here's effort # 2...

After I embroidered on it for awhile it decided it was too bright.  Too garish.  Too spring green-ish.

Effort #3 (or was it #4??)

PRETEND THE PICTURE I FORGOT TO
TAKE  IS HERE

Please note that picture would show at

least two days worth of embroidery!!

Enter the use of the microwave....and paint....and green food colouring (which, btw, has dyed my fingers green....all ready for Halloween!).....and tea.  Add a dab of this, and a dollop of that....oops....throw it out because it turned a yucky shade of dog-poop-brown. Start over.   Insert piece of eyelet lace and brew it for awhile.  Squeeze out (more green tinge to my hands), rinse and iron dry.  

All that, to end up with....

(drumroll!!)

Effort #4 (or maybe 5, depending on your viewpoint)

One wonders.

Will there be an Effort #5???

Today your quote is from Albert Einstein..."Insanity:  Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

This is what procrastination does

Not that I could ever, by any stretch of the imagination, be accused of suffering from procrastination....ahem.  At least I finished a project over the weekend.  

I have been muttering for a long time about the holder I was using for my circular knitting needles and decided that it was time to create a new one that wouldn't require me to stuff so many into a small space.  This is what I came up with.  It's three times as wide as my former one.  I decided I would use the basic pattern but multiply it by three times as wide.  It took some finagling but I'm happy with what I came up with.

Here's the inside....

There are several 'pages', each rubber stamped with the needle size.  I ran into some difficulty with the stamping process and ended up with some 'ghosting' of the ink in places.  What to do?  Well, a dig into my stash unearthed a small flower stencil that, with some judicious placement, I used to cover most of it.  The rest I simply added some faux stitching lines to and called it a day.  

As for the procrastination...

I guess this means I need to now

get back to working on a barn!

This black 'blob' is a photo of our very full moon taken over the weekend.

Another quote from an anonymous source..."Two of the hardest tests in life:  The patience to wait for the right moment, and the courage to accept that you've waited for nothing"

Happy Thanksgiving!

This weekend is our Canadian Thanksgiving (which is held at a different time to that of the United States).  There will be lots of turkey and trimmings consumed here!  We won't be seeing family so will be enjoying supper out with friends instead.  

With all that has been happening throughout the world, we have to give thanks for what we have...for our family, our friends, and for where we live.  So many others are going through such horrendous loss and hardship and we need to keep them in our prayers.  Be safe!

There has been some stitching accomplished - but pretty much equally as much reverse stitching too.  That's what I get for trying to change a pattern to suit my needs.  Hopefully there will be pictures on Monday.

Your quote, once again, is from an anonymous source..."Be kind.  Be thoughtful.  Be genuine.  But most of all Be Thankful"

Not much

Nope, not much happening here at Chez Magpie that could be classed as being anything more than yawn-worthy.  Things are being created but not a single one of them is in any state worth showing as these photos will attest...

This is the top of my cutting table...there's fabric there, waiting to be cut and some 'stuff on the back that needs to be stored somewhere....

This is the corner of the couch - three different projects-worth of yarns, waiting to be turned into something.

There's a lot of waiting happening here.  And I know you're also waiting - waiting for something even remotely interesting to occur here.  You might have a long wait!

Today the quote is another anonymous one..."Two of the hardest tests in life...The patience to wait for the right moment and the courage to accept that you've waited for nothing"

It does a grandma's heart good

 Pictures of my grandsons, although I guess I might have to wonder about the gene pool that requires one of them to wear his underpants on his head!  

The other picture is our youngest grandbaby 'reading' his cloth book I made for him.  

Today your quote is from 'Braveheart' ...."Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it"

Woof woof!

I finished the little doggie that is destined for the Christmas box and here he is....

Pattern can be found HERE.

We were traveling the back roads on the way home this afternoon and came across this wonderful barn (I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!) and I'm itching to try to create it in fabric.

I know it's in imminent danger of falling down and being gone.  It's so sad to see them being so neglected and I think that's why I find a certain amount of beauty that needs to be preserved.  

Today your quote is from an anonymous source once again..."If it doesn't open, it's not your door"

Just some little yo-yo's

Yesterday was a sew day with two of my friends and I started creating the yo-yo's I would need in order to create THIS.  If it turns out okay, it will be another addition to my Christmas box.

This is a great stash-buster if nothing else!

Today your quote is from an anonymous source..."Never forget that time passes so quickly you don't even notice it until it begins to show.  So use the good china, go on the trip, eat the cake, watch the late movie, read your favourite book and take a chance in life.  Tomorrow is promised for no one....pass it on...."

Twenty Two!!!!

And no, I'm NOT referring to my age!!  Instead, I'm talking about completing twenty-two Christmas ornaments that are headed for my gift box.  See?.....

I haven't given you one of Ralph Waldo Emerson's great quotes for awhile...."The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be"

In which mumbling is all I got

Today we're off to visit our #1 son and his family so there will be no stitching.  I know - hard choice, right?  So....because I haven't done anything over the weekend that is worthy of showing you a photo....

Today the quote is from Robert Louis Stevenson..."Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant"

Just a little bit of knitting

Just to prove that something DOES get accomplished here at Chez Magpie....

Two little grandsons will be getting these for Christmas.  Hats are the 'Tot Lot #9: Watch Cap"  from HERE.  And the mittens are  the Basic Four Needle Mittens from a booklet 'Next Steps Seven: Mittens and Gloves' by Patons.  Both are made using Paton's Canadiana yarn.  Both parents requested 'idiot strings' (whoever came up with THAT term I wonder?).

And just for fun I thought I'd share a poor-quality picture of a huge dinosaur we came across in our travels.  It's entirely made of found objects.  Unfortunately the place was closed and we couldn't get closer for better pictures.

Your quote today  is from Mandy Hale..."Be grateful for every second of every day that you get to spend with the people you love.  Life is so very precious

Something fun!!

This seems to be the week for online parties and that's a good thing because what I'm working on isn't ready to be shown and I got nuttin' to show you!!  

Many of you will remember that in the spring I took part in the wonderful 'Tea Cup & Mug Exchange' organized (and more than capably run!!) by the marvelous Stephanie of 'The Enchanting Rose'.  I had seen references to the swap around the internet and waffled about signing on.  I finally did and I had SO much FUN!!!!  Up until this point Stephanie has been doing this twice a year and I simply cannot imagine the headaches she goes through trying to organize and keep track of everybody.  She very wisely has opted to only run the swap on a yearly basis from now on.  This morning her blog post announcing sign-ups went live and I very quickly hopped on board. 

Today your quote is from an anonymous source but I think it is a fitting one considering the horrible things that are happening around the world...."You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you"

Please go and do something!

Playing along!

I told you about this fun online party a couple of days ago and I decided I would play along...

Thank you so much to Ida of 'My Sister Made Me Do It'
for organizing the party!

I created a pincushion for the party using parts of several ladies hankies I had in my stash.  Some of the hankies in my collection are so pretty and it's a shame to leave them languishing in storage when they can be made into something useful.

I thought the party-goers might also enjoy seeing a few of my other pincushions too.  

These were made for Christmas gifts one

year - and include an emery-filled 

strawberry on top.

This is one that I included in one of my

hussifs.  You can see more about it HERE and HERE.

This one is my daily-use pincushion.

It's made using the following components...

A salad bowl found at the thrift store 

Seven metal napkin rings that fit inside

the bowl...glued in place

I then used some recycled denim fabric to make stuffed 'poufs' and glued them into the napkin rings for the flower petals.  

This is another pincushion that sees constant use.

I've made a number of these for gifts, but I add a heavy

washer (from the hardware store) covered with

a bit of felt and sew it on the bottom to add weight.

The pattern can be found HERE.  

Part of the play along is to show our ugliest pincushion.
Well, this one isn't really 'ugly' (because I love
the fabric) BUT it ended up being huge
and spent more time landing on the floor
than it did anything else.

Today your quote is from an anonymous source... "Too much fabric?  I think the phrase you're looking for is too small sewing room"

Something else for the Christmas box

The other day I showed you a picture of the three hats I'd finished knitting and now I've completed a pair of fingerless mittens and a cowl that will accompany one of the hats (the one pictured below).

All three pieces were done using Paton's Canadiana yarn.  The mitts are 'Jeff's Mitts' from Lorraine Ehrlinger Designs and the pattern can be found HERE.  The cowl is a simple pattern I came up with....just cast on 86 stitches and then work one row of K1, P1 followed by a row of K.  Just keep repeating until it measures about 7".  I think the pattern is actually called 'Broken Rib'.  

This is a quote from Tom Bodett..."The difference between school and life?  In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test.  In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson"

Stitching away

I'm stitching.  Yes, indeed I am.  However......there's not much worth showing you at this point so I will wait until next week for that.  Instead. I'd like to point you towards something that sounds like great fun (and I might play along if I can come up with something).

Today's quote is from someone anonymous..."You have a choice each and every single day.  You can choose to feel blessed.  You can choose to feel grateful.  You can choose to be excited.  You can choose to be thankful.  You can choose to be happy"

Hats x 3

Over the past week or so I've been spending my evenings with my knitting needles in hand and have churned out these three hats (all of which will be going in the Christmas present box)....

More stash reduction!  Made with Paton's Canadiana yarn - Pattern is the Sandoval Hat and can be found HERE.  The grey hat will end up being accompanied by a pair of fingerless gloves and a masculine cowl.  Details will follow as I get them done!

Today your quote is from Nelson Mandela...."No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite"