Thursday, July 11, 2019

I made a big pot of coffee this morning because I had a lot of computer work to do. I got most of the computer work done but only took time for one cup of coffee. I guess I’m ahead for tomorrow morning.

I worked until it was past time to be leaving for sewing and I didn’t have a project picked out – for the second week in a row. Fortunately I had the binding to stitch on two quilts and, since they were already in a bag, they were easy to pack up and take along. I finished stitching one of them and made a small start on the second. I promised the ladies that next week I’d bring an “actual” project.

I had a couple of errands to run on the way home – a bank deposit and some groceries. I’m taking part in the Guild’s summer retreat on Friday and Saturday and I need to take a Spinach Salad for the pot luck. I have a project in mind for the two days, but I’ll have to dig it out and get packed up at some point tonight.

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

I’ve had two very productive days; it seems like a long time since I’ve been able to say that.

Sewing, perhaps, wasn’t as productive as it could have been. I took a card to finish but it didn’t work out as planned. I traced the embroidery part of the card and had the two appliqué pieces ready to attach. When I pressed the two pieces in place my embroidery lines disappeared completely; I’d used a Frixion pen and heat does that to the marking lines. I was able to finish another card though so the time wasn’t wasted. I also made a little progress on a Christmas quilt but I’ve decided it isn’t the right project for a Tuesday. I need to glue pieces in place, press them to seal the glue, stitch, press the seam and then start over. Better done at home when I only need to turn my chair to get at the pressing station, not walk across the room.

Moreen and I went out for a nice walk at Inland Lake after sewing. We didn’t get all the way around but we were out for a couple of hours. I was feeling it a bit in my hip when I got home and when I got up this morning but it has eased now that I’ve been moving around.

I’ve spent most of the day cleaning the house – you know it must have been bad when I consider a morning of cleaning a good thing. I started in the laundry room and worked my way to the kitchen with stops in both bathroom and bedrooms, as well as up the stairs and into my sewing room. I have a meeting at the house this afternoon so it was good incentive to get it done.

I spent most of my afternoon doing some proof-reading but I’m expecting someone to come by for tickets soon so I’d best get downstairs so I hear him arrive. While I wait for him and the meeting folks I’ll start stitching some binding on one of my two quilts that need it.

Monday, July 8, 2019

I purposely came home from Texada yesterday so I could have a full day at home and finish tidying up my sewing area. The afternoon is almost gone and I haven’t tidied or straightened a thing; I guess the good news here is that I don’t think I’ve created any more mess than I had last night when I got home.

I woke up with a headache so took some medication and went back to bed for a bit. Still, I had lots of time to get things done. I worked on my computer almost all morning, with a break here and there to do a few loads of laundry.

There was no food in the fridge (well I had tortillas and some avocados) so I needed to get groceries. I had to drop something at the post office; it needed to be weighed to see if it would go as a letter or whether I had to package up a larger parcel in one of their Flat Rate boxes. Fortunately it could go as a letter.

Since I was out I drove to the Hall to check the mail. I normally do this on Tuesday after sewing but Moreen and I are planning a hike around Inland Lake tomorrow afternoon.

My last stop was at the grocery store. When I left the house I wore a new sweater that Elizabeth bought for me; I realized after I was outside that I probably didn’t need a sweater but it looked nice and the colour matched the strip around the base of my running shoe. When I was going through the check-out the clerk said she really liked my sweater; it matched her nail polish but I told her straight out that I wasn’t going to give it to her! Lest you think I’m getting too “sexy in my sweater” I’ll admit that when I got back in the car (still glowing from her compliment) I realized that I had forgotten to brush my hair before I left home!

I had a late lunch so I’ll have a late supper. In the meantime I’m going to see if I can take care of some of that tidying – after I pack up the things I need for sewing tomorrow.

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.