Monday, January 14, 2019

I haven’t accomplished much today but that is usually the case when Pat returns from Texada. I managed to take care of a bit of my paper work but some of the sewing-related things I had planned didn’t even get started.

I put Taylor’s quilt in the mail this afternoon and made a deposit for Cranberry Hall. I needed more packing tape so I stopped at Dollarama and then went next door from there to pick up a box of staples (at Staples). I had a showing at the Hall mid-afternoon so when my shopping was done I headed out to the Hall. After the showing (which took about three minutes) I stopped at the grocery store in Cranberry to pick up a few things Pat needed for making supper.

I’ve needed new shoes for a long time. The ones I’ve been using for our recent walks are actually my garden shoes; I stopped using them for walking last year. Moreen said she wears Merrell’s because they are light. A quick look online showed they were available at amazon.ca and SportChek; we don’t have a SportChek and I didn’t know what size so couldn’t really order from amazon. Pat saw that Mark’s carried Merrell’s so I stopped in to check them out. I couldn’t find the right size in the women’s section but I found a pair, on sale, in the men’s section. I’m walking, not making a fashion statement, so I brought them home.

I got a lovely pair of slippers a couple of years ago (from Kathryn I think) and I’ve worn them completely out. I like them for sewing; I can’t sew with shoes on and if I’m in sock feet I pick up all sorts of threads off the floor. But these slippers have a sole on them that doesn’t collect the thread and they are so soft. I’d been meaning to get another pair for awhile (although I’ve been wearing the old pair with the holes in the soles); while I was at Mark’s I picked up a couple more pairs (on sale). One pair will stay at home and I’ll put the other pair in my sewing basket.

Speaking of sewing, I’d better get my bag and projects packed for tomorrow’s bee.

Sunday, January 13, 2019

The sun was shining and, for just a brief moment, I thought about getting out in the yard and doing some work. Not much, but cutting back some of the gladioli stems and taking out a few weeds. Moreen (who is a gardener for hire) showed me her tool for weeding. She whacked a few out of the driveway and I’m thinking I’ll get one of them for myself.

I had to open and close the Hall today. Moreen and I headed to the Hall for the opening and then went on a hike. We went up Valentine Mountain but beyond the top, where I thought the trail ended, she found a path that took us to the opposite side. It was more of a challenge than the Sea Walk was but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I finished the top of my Farmer’s Wife Sampler quilt after I got home. I thought I might have had it done last night but I was getting confused and ripping out seams; I knew that was a sign I should quit. It still needs to be trimmed but I’ll be able to get the photo I need for my quilt show application. Next up is more hand stitching on my Farmer’s Daughter.

After returning to the Hall to close up for the day I stopped and did a bit of grocery shopping; I’m not sure when Pat is coming back from the studio but I like to have at least something in the fridge for his first day.

Saturday, January 12, 2019

I feel like I’m practising today. My Thursday sewing group are having our own little retreat next weekend. Gail is a member of the Guild but won’t go to the overnight retreats and Jessie isn’t a Guild member. Both said they’d like to do a retreat so there was no way I wasn’t going to participate. We’ll do a scheduled pot luck for meals and come home to our own beds at night.

I’ve been in my studio almost all day working on my Farmer’s Wife Sampler. I’m loving the progress I am making when I can sew with no (well very few) interruptions. But will I be ready to go back at it just as hard tomorrow? Right now I’m thinking no; thank goodness I have a few commitments tomorrow so I won’t need to find out.

Friday, January 11, 2019

I had a busy day yesterday. For most of the morning I was out delivering letters on behalf of the Guild. We are asking some of the local businesses for donations for our door prize table. I’ve never had to do this before but I had a good start when Dave passed me a copy of the letter he uses for his fundraising – and I know how successful he is at his events. In most cases I was well received, in others I was immediately given something, and I had only one No (because it was their corporate policy).

Then I was off to sewing in the afternoon. I’m still working on my Farmer’s Wife Sampler as my project; all the blocks are stitched into rows with sashing between. We spent quite a bit of time helping me sort out fabrics for a Log Cabin quilt. I purchased some purple and green fabric (same pattern) a few years ago. About the same time as I bought that fabric I saw a log cabin online that I really liked. Over time I stashed my greens and purples in the same bag and yesterday I dug them out and we made some choices. Sadly half of the fabrics I had set aside just didn’t work. However, I now have two separate bags of stash – one purple and one green.

I did some tidying up this morning; I wasn’t sure if Pat was coming back from the studio but I thought I should clear up my mess in case he did. I still had more letters to deliver but it was rainy so I put it off until later in the morning. It was a lovely day for a walk down Marine; not such good luck today but I got one more item and another one picked up as a result of yesterday’s work.

I had a lovely stop at the fabric shop to pick up those extra fabrics I need for my Log Cabin. My Thursday ladies said I needed a bling fabric for the centre but Joyce at the shop didn’t agree. She helped me pick a shade of green for the layer I was missing, and three fabrics for the purple logs. It was on sale so the price was right; it doesn’t seem like much fabric but if it isn’t enough I know where the shop is! There were no quantities listed in the pattern (it was free after all) so I used my math to figure it out (and that is always suspect to error).

I had some tidying to do in my sewing room and, while I was at it, I cut out some batting strips for my jelly roll rug class. All of the batting was pieces I trimmed off the edges of Taylor’s quilt. I wanted to move forward with my Farmer’s Wife this afternoon but I had a couple of interruptions with people at the door and now I seem to have lost my momentum.