Tuesday, August 7, 2018

I was back at the bee today but my fears may have been confirmed – I’ve forgotten how to sew.

I had a few more Farmer’s Daughter blocks packaged up, all ready to be paper-pieced. I started with one that I knew would be difficult but I’d been carrying it around for a few sessions and decided it needed to get finished.

There were 15 pieces of pattern for this 6.5″ block; I printed the colour each part of each pattern piece was supposed to be. But when I came to put it together it didn’t all fit. Granted I made a few mistakes of my own, but I could have written the paper-piecing pattern better than “they” did. I was able to save a few of the pieces but came home with about a third of it to do over.

On to my next block. This one was my own stupidity – or maybe I can blame it on the heat. Yes, let’s go with that. This block should have been simple. It was easy to see what colour should be in each position but even then I found myself starting from scratch after putting the first half together (thank goodness for the tape I carry in my bag). I redid the one half but still have the other half to get done.

It is really hot out but I think I’ll put up with the temperature in my studio long enough to finish those two blocks and maybe get some cutting done for my next Splendid Sampler block. It is hand stitched and I can do that in the cool of the basement.

Monday, August 6, 2018

I’m back in Powell River for a few days. I had some prep work that needed to be done for the Cranberry Hall Board meeting on Thursday. I could have stayed an extra day but coming back today means I can go to the sewing bee tomorrow – I haven’t been in so long I hope I still remember how to sew.

It was a busy weekend but I think we got the word out about the House Concerts on Texada. The organizer had set me up with a table under a tent right next to the stage; I shared the space with the CD sales people. Although I couldn’t always see the performers I was comfortable and could hear them just fine. And the dance area was right in front of the table so it was excellent people-watching all weekend long. Pat was MC-ing the event but was able to relieve me at the table when I needed to go to the bathroom (a long walk) or to the beer table (a short walk). I did a couple of cross stitch projects while I sat; they were easy to pick up and put down when I needed to clap for performers and talk to folks interested in the concerts.

I bought an arm’s length of 50-50 tickets the first day but it was after the first draw so I didn’t have such a great chance. As it turned out the same fellow won both draws but he very graciously turned over his second winnings to the festival. I was first in line to buy my tickets on Sunday and I was almost embarrassed when Pat announced my number from the stage. I picked up $200, enough to treat Pat to dinner at Shelter Point when the day was over.

I’ll be heading back to Texada for the weekend – this time for Sand Castle Weekend. Pat is working and performing on Sunday but I don’t have any duties and will be able to watch the sand being shaped into who-knows-what. There is also a Skim Board Jam that I wish Alex and Will could be here for.

Friday, August 3, 2018

I’m thoroughly enjoying my time on Texada. It feels like being on holiday and at the same time it feels like staying home with no interruptions. The weather has been great – a few really hot days, a couple of cool days but no rain, and a couple of days that were perfect temperature-wise.

I have a couple of projects to work on. I’m making good progress on my Princess cross stitch and very slow progress on my Farmer’s Daughter Blocks. For the most part the cross stitching is easy, but there have been a few times where I’ve needed to do some ripping out. I’m unsure about the other project; the blocks don’t necessarily fit together properly and I really can’t imagine that the individual blocks will go together any easier or better. I’m in too deep to quit though so I’ll carry on.

I spent one day back in Powell River – the plants needed water badly and I had some Cranberry Hall work to do. I got some laundry done while I was there but there are still many reminders of our recent company, including lots of sand and footprints on the floor.

We’ve had some outings on Texada during our stay. Last weekend was the Art Studio Tour. We saw lots of lovely work and were able to go through a lot of studios – my nosy gene loves that. I bought a couple of art cards and a few Christmas gifts. I went to the Trivia Meat Draw at the Legion and managed to answer one of the questions right; neither Pat nor I won anything though. Last night we went to a Renaissance lute concert put on by a local woman who is fund raising for her next year of training. It was interesting but not as much fun as the Renaissance dinner we went to in Italy.

Tomorrow and Sunday we’ll both be working at the Roots and Blues festival here. I’ll be hoping to sell tickets to the House Concerts that we’ll be doing this year both in Powell River and on Texada. We hung curtains on my sewing room door so we can provide some privacy should our performers need to spend a night on Texada. I still need to find bedding for the pull-out couch but that will be the next thing.

Now it’s time for a bit more stitching before I switch to some reading.