Saturday, November 27, 2021

sewing Saturday ...starts and finishes and table toppers!

 

Welcome to this week's sewing round up... I flitted around the studio making butterflies out of scraps this week. Scraps 3.5" X 5" and lots of press on crystals and beads, that is! I learned how to make these fabric origami cuties from this video...


 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hPQp4RzyMQ

I wanted to make enough to send to my friends around the globe but my body didn't work with me well. I also worry about how to ship them without going to a post office... it's not a safe one here. 

they were lots of fun to make, some I did by hand,

a complex bead from a bracelet, some iron on crystals and some hand stitched beads

some I finished the final locking in stitch on machine

dupioni silk plus a hand dye, iron on crystals and hand stitched beads

I think I'll make more, and pick some to make a mobile to hang in the studio, what do you think? 

on the design wall are two small pieces... the one on the right was tiny cut off waste from the stack and slash experimental blocks from a couple weeks ago. 


I just mindlessly sewed while listening to the last of the Paris library on audio. I like the random nature, the slightly planned color, the curvy seams. I think the horizontal stripes will hold hand embroidery with bold multicolor threads. Seems like it could be a cute journal cover. 

the big finish was my Table Scraps finish for the month, in light neutrals...

How I love it! It started a few months ago, sewing 9 patches from the 1.5" cut squares in my stash. The little 9 patches finish at 3" square. Then I wanted to use some of my light fun print scraps to set them

I had so much fun that I'm enthused to use more of these prints in a larger piece. While designing placement I took color and scale into consideration, then knew I had to use the foxes, the burro, and others... A special beige  with gold metallic stars bordered it perfectly. To buffer from the tiny blocks to the border I pulled some stored watercolor 2" squares. Just to give it a slight variation and they fit perfectly as a buffer. 

the quilting is a variety of angled straight lines in cotton and a gold metallic YLI thread.

I don't like "wasting" fabric on backs and binding but I had to use my little scrap of paisley beige/brown/metallic gold this time. 

I sew it to the front, and handstitch to the backing, and love my tiny clips to keep it in order. The backing was a fabric I thought I'd make my little niece Tiffany a quilt with... Tiffany is now in her early 30's... so the colors matched and they still make me smile. 

a little Chinese rice bowl, spools, a 20's valentine girl...and a farmer peeking from the border

so happy to use these tiny pieces of fabric in something useful and pretty. Glad to use my hoarded golden fabrics too. 

thank you to Joy for her link party:  Table Scraps

Also linking with

patchwork Sunday                    
oh Scrap Sundays 
 slow stitching Sundays
 








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Thursday, November 25, 2021

I Like Thursday # 272

 

I like doodling on the calendar page with a bold brush marker

Welcome to this week's list of likes... on Thanksgiving Day this time...there is always something to like, something good that happens, something beautiful that shows itself, a small gesture maybe done by a family member, a phone dropped but not broken, a meal that turns out better than you expected, a good movie you happen upon, the sound of silence or nature after the loud neighbors drive off... 

today is slightly different than usual... let's start with the videos by soulpancake... all really worthy of watching


it can only help if we try to find things in common with others right? What do you think you and I have in common... I'd so love to hear. Some of you have been coming here for years and we've gotten to know each other. Some of you have never left a comment but I hope we have things in common...

Then this video from youtube on an experiment really got me thinking

I didn't do it yet, my biggest influence and the person who always showed me love and grace has gone to Heaven. That is no reason not to write to her, as I believe she is still there and guides me even now.

my back spasms continue and during a particularly bad episode Tuesday night after a day of food prep, I gave up and laid on an ice pack. My poodle nurse came up to lick me well, and checked on me periodically til I was able to get up. His brown eyes were full of compassion and concern. 

Wanting to use some eggplant this week, I put in the work to make a parmesan. When I make up recipes I know there is a chance they won't taste good, but it surprised both of us by how good it was. We decided next time to make two pans and freeze one for later meals. 

I love watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade 

I am grateful for a home and enough food and our small family of 3. While I might long for things like a more pain free body and a return to civility in my country, while I might worry that I can't safely take the vaccine and am in danger, while I might want companionship of like minded friends that live far away or a loving extended family we do not have, I remain grateful for what we do have. 

I can still love. Somehow that love will matter. I can still write and paint and sew. I hope that contribution will matter. I still remember my history and what I've survived and know the scars from that remind me of overcoming what seemed impossible to survive. 

My social work days are over but I learned from them about compassion and understanding. I still seek meaning and will do what I can to encourage understanding not hate among people. I hope others can join me in this as I feel alone and isolated.  Despite that I know there is goodness and intend to continue to seek it. 



Milo's Moments

Mama: what a pretty dog!!!

Milo: where? where's a dog? I want to play!!!

Mama: oh, I meant you, you're adorable sitting there so straight and tall and handsome!

 Milo:  Oh, I'm not a dog Mama, my name is  "darling" and "good puppy" and "sweet boy" or "so smart!" "mama's baby" and sometimes "Milo" 

Mama: yes you're right as usual, "my baby"

Milo: see? 

Milo: you can make it up to me with the biggest piece of pie! (cut up in my bowl pweaze)
 

now please visit these fine folk to read their lists of likes/loves this week, and let me know if you did a post I need to link with

craftscaviescontras  

http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com

rosie and the boys nature pics 




 

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Saturday, November 20, 2021

sewing Saturday

 welcome to sewing Saturdays....

friends: "whatcha doing Lee Anna??"

LeeAnna: "nothing much, sitting around drinking some wine"


The scrappy color of the month at RSC is neutrals. I have neutral like scraps so it's time for wine bottles of the month...


The free pattern is on Hoffman Fabrics site and I've obviously made them in all the chosen colors this year. 

I call the top one Lions Share Winery, chablis

Wine so good it will make you roar!






and the other one, Alegro Winery's sparkling muscato! 

Sing the praises of Alegro Wines!

 


I've tried to sew this week but my upper back is spasming when I try to rotary cut or quilt... so getting these done by paper piecing was easier, using scissors. I have no idea now how to finish these into a top. Originally I wanted to do a long runner but am thinking I like them in a wall quilt too.

I added some binding stitches on my neutral scrappy table runner and am pretty excited about it. I love the way it came together and the gentle tones in it. I'll show it next week finished for Joy's Table Scraps

While looking in the neutrals bin I noticed the little piece done last year with cut off half square triangle blocks. I pieced four into teensy little pinwheel blocks and surrounded a gratitude scrap... and it sat for a year.

see it down on the right side?

once again paper piecing to the rescue, I did some flying geese in neutrals, two sizes to create a border, and to keep it quick and small, I wanted to border it... considered quite a number of possible fabrics including this larger piece of gratitude words... kind of the wrong tone...

but the coppery and golden metallic sparkles on this swirly lush brown and black won!

17.5" X 14" at the moment...

this is the finished top waiting for quilting... funny how I'll bank from traditional blocks to improv to art quilts... I just love it all!

 I love painting too but haven't been able to paint this week, just a doodle of Milo dreaming of Thanksgiving (drawn on calendar with watercolor pencils with color dragged with a wet brush)

linking to

patchwork Sunday                      

oh Scrap Sundays 

 scrap happy Saturdays

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Thursday, November 18, 2021

I Like Thursday # 271

 welcome to this week's list of things I liked! 

 the weather has been nice, odd but nicely cool and mostly sunny. We have raging wildfires again here in Colorado, (in November is just weird) 

yep from 74 to a high of 39F  and headed back up
 my mums are holding on with some support, and for pete's sake we still need to water the grass and trees! Everything should have gone into hibernation by now here!! 

love the bright turquoise of our new sprinkler!
 Sara and I zoomed this week and what fun to reconnect with her. This is social media at it's finest, bringing people together that might never meet otherwise. Joy and I squeezed in a zoom around her appt's too,.. she really brings me joy! 

watching on TV

the good doctor, new amsterdam, some holiday baking shows on Food network, a good Hallmark movie last Saturday night, dancing with the stars... I like all of them but am impressed most with the Basketball player Iman who is learning so quickly the skill of ballroom, and has such a good attitude. 

not painting and barely sewing this week as my upper back is spasming a lot. Also had 3 migraines this week... so... there's always something to like right? large or small. 

on the kitchen front this week...

I tried a recipe for egg white quiche. I have trouble digesting eggs but seem to be able to handle egg whites better.,.. we had a carton of them, how convenient for baking and I wanted something different. Can't say I have made quiche since the 70's!!

https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/213138/egg-white-quiche-with-spinach-mushrooms-and-feta 

first onions, then mushrooms and spinach, cheese and egg mixture

those are mushrooms not meat
 we had a bag of fresh spinach, mushrooms and cheddar cheese, as well as a frozen pie shell, so that's what I used. OMG the scent of frying onions is great but then add mushrooms? Heavenly!  I tend to like savory food too so I added in some basil, paprika and dried garlic to the thyme. 

for the people who wanted to make a cherry loaf from last week's post, here is my OLD recipe from a baker who's name I no longer remember on PEI Canada

our coffee maker perished this week and luckily we had a spare, bought when the first thing on the old one broke, years ago. I can't stand waste so we continued to jolly it along for several years and other broken parts until finally gave out this week.

we hardly know what to do with one that doesn't have four broken parts and doesn't pee coffee all over the counter! But I'm thrilled to have a red one, they are hard to find (unless there is one on reserve in your hall closet that is)

I tried a recipe for yeast rolls with little to no kneading.,.. (see video recipe below)

  I had two older bananas... I had yeast and flour... I tried these (watch from here or youtube)

here are mine... not as pretty as I coated them in milk before baking but a delicate hint of banana, and quite good. I left  out the raisins on purpose.

Milo said they are very good despite having a hint of banana

wha?? there are bananas in there?

 reading:  on ebook

 

listening to audio books

 

 watching on youtube... dogs able to speak to us in English! watch

finally we learn what they want... hint outside and eat are pushed a lot!
 

what? what was that?

Milo's Moments

Milo: Bark. Barkbarkbarkbarkbark!!! Grrrr bark!

Mama: what's up repunzel? calling for rescue from this boring house? 

Milo: grrrr.... no I saw someone three houses down come out to fetch mail... grrrr

Mama: well thanks for letting me know. I jumped right out of my socks!

Milo: you're welcome. 

Milo: I like it being colder, makes wearing jimjams fun even outside! and snuggling into the big bed with my people is so cozy... hope all doggies have a human, they are good snugglers.

yea! for paw-rents

please visit these kind folks to see their lists for the week. Let me know if you wrote a post and I'll add your link in too!

craftscaviescontras  

http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com

rosie and the boys nature pics 


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