Thursday, July 4, 2019

We were up and out the door yesterday in plenty of time to catch the first ferry to Comox. While we waited in the ferry line-up we checked to see if there was any shopping in the area around Pat’s doctor’s office. There wasn’t so when we got to Nanaimo he dropped me at the Michael’s store. I can spend a lot of time at a shop like that and, if necessary, I could cross the street to a Chapters.

One of the first aisles I went down I spotted the project bins; I can always use more of those. I decided right then that I would only purchase what could fit in one of the bins. Two bins would be too much to carry and those bins hold quite a lot.

As I wandered through the artist’s supply section I spotted a couple of notebooks filled with graph paper. Our “new” Thursday stitcher uses a graph paper notebook to sketch out all of her quilts. The rest of us thought it was an excellent idea and when I was headed to Saskatoon I said I would look for something. Of course I forgot so I was happy to get these on sale. This morning Bonnie Hunter came out with a new Leader and Ender project so I used my notebook to sketch out the block.

It is always a challenge for me to go through the yarn section – so many colours, so many soft yarns. And who can resist a Croquette?

They had a great chart on the wall showing the various weights of yarn and estimated amounts needed for various projects. I went back and referred to the chart so many times that I finally asked if I could have a copy. It will be useful when I’m using up scraps of yarn to know if I have enough for a hat, a scarf or maybe a shawl.

A quilting friend, who also knits, has often spoken about these gloves. Knitting and crocheting can cause my wrists to ache and I thought I’d give them a try.

My final purchase was some ribbon. I’ve had trouble finding the right size and colour of ribbon for some of my projects. I think with these colours I’ll be ready for Christmas.

After an hour and a half at Michaels I cross over to Chapters. Of course there are so many books that I could have picked up but I’m better (obviously) at resisting books than I am yarn. I was also surprised at how many of the books on display I had already read. Wasn’t it lucky that I had just enough room left in my bin for this new quilting book?

After all that lovely shopping we drove back to Comox and did a Costco run – not as exciting but we stocked up on some staples for home and Texada. We were meeting Peggy and Bill for dinner and just before the checkout, as I turned down the last aisle, who should be coming down the aisle from the other end but Peggy and Bill! We had a nice dinner and a lovely chat before heading back to the ferry and home.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

I stayed up last night long enough to watch the fireworks. The house was really hot so when the sun started to set and it was cooler I went outside and mowed the grass. I use that term “grass” loosely because most of what I did was mow down the weeds that have grown up in the grass. I spent awhile hand watering the beds; I was totally soaked by the time I finished so I put on my pjs and lay under the ceiling fan until it was time to go out to the deck for the fireworks.

It was easy to pack up for today’s bee. I planned to get the binding stitched onto the two quilts I quilted over the weekend; I only needed to cut a few fabric strips. I had a couple of cards I wanted to finish (that were already packaged) and a few buttons that needed to be added to a fabric basket I worked on last week (also packaged).

It took me until noon to finish the bindings; I’ll spend a few evenings doing the hand stitching. I got some guidance on some embroidery I was working on; even though I thought I was making tiny stitches they apparently are still twice as long as they should be. I’m not sure I can make them much smaller but I’ll try. I couldn’t find the package for the second card (until I had given up and packed everything away) so I stitched the buttons on my fabric basket. I have no idea what I’ll use this for but I had it cut out so I thought I should put it together.

Pat came home this afternoon and brought back all the “stuff” I left in the truck because it was too much for me to carry yesterday. I’ll try to get all of that unpacked and unpack my bee bags too.

We’re off on the first ferry tomorrow heading to Nanaimo. Pat has a medical appointment so the truck and his ticket are covered; since it is mid-week and I’m a senior I also get a free ride. We hope to do a shop at Costco and, time permitting, we’ll meet Peggy and Bill for dinner.

Monday, July 1, 2019

I spent most of the weekend in my Texada studio and I loved every minute of it. I quilted two small quilts, made a card, and started a new project.

I thought I would post a few photos of my new space.

This is where I sew. It looks pretty stark but maybe that is why I get so much done as there are no distractions. The design wall looked big at home but it is too tiny in the new space. I’ll be looking at getting some foam insulation panels to cover one of the walls.

This is the other end of the room. We hung my Farmer’s Wife Sampler on the wall. In fact we hung it three times. First time it was too long so we had to hang it sideways; second time the flower basket blocks were upside down; third time it was staying up no matter what! I sat in my chair and did some embroidery and except for needing a light by my chair it works perfectly.

This is what you see when you come into the workshop. So far this side isn’t being used much. I sandwich on this side and, when necessary, I have my ironing board and iron ready to go. The table on the far end will move to the other side on another trip.

The boom at the far end, and the shop vac, are used for scaring away critters that seem to be living in the attic. The first weekend I sewed here I heard nothing but this weekend there were several times when I heard scrambling above me. A few knocks on the ceiling didn’t seem to scare anything in particular off but I feel better knowing I might be able to keep them away. We’ll be looking for another ultra-sonic rodent deterrent at Costco this week to put up there.