Saturday, March 11, 2017

We had such a good concert last night and I really enjoyed our guest, Raine Hamilton. She looked about 18 but her world-view hinted at a much older soul; Pat asked her this morning and she’s into her 30’s. They all look like babies to me!  There was a lot of clean up after the show but I got one dishwasher load done before I went to bed last night and finished the other one off this morning before our guest was up.

It was a relaxing morning until Raine caught the noon ferry. After she left I finished the sewing on my March cards; I’ll stitch the bindings during my evenings this week.

I knew the block scheduled for today was one of the simpler ones and I managed to get it almost done before supper. We watched a couple of shows and then I expected Pat to go out for the evening; he decided to stay home but I came back upstairs and finished Block 5. With every added block completed I feel better about finishing in time. Yesterday was D-Day – the last day to decide to pull quilts from the show. As luck would have it I forgot entirely about that until one of our concert guests (who is in charge of the show) mentioned that she had seen my quilt. I know it is still a little touch and go but there is no way I won’t get it finished – even if I have to pin down the binding!

Friday, March 10, 2017

I knew I wouldn’t get long stretches of time today for quilting so I decided to get my new machine set up and give it a try. I have cards that need to be done and that was really my reason for purchasing the machine; being able to free-motion quilt on it means a card can go from piecing to quilted all at the bee.

Two of my card tops were finished but there were two that were partially pieced. The piecing on the machine works fine – there is a quarter-inch foot (which I didn’t see right away) but the regular foot sews an accurate quarter-inch. The SUV is much louder than my other machines; I’ll give it an oil treatment when I finish these cards but I have a feeling the noise will be part of its charm! I managed to miss a pin when I was piecing and broke a needle so I’ve had experience now at changing the needle.

The cards needed some stitch-in-the-ditch quilting and I was able to manage it on my SUV. I used the regular foot but later, when I was digging through the parts, I found a proper walking foot. The needle position is a bit different from my other machines so finding the spot for the ditch will take some getting used to. I’m also having some trouble with the speed but I expect that will improve with time. There are no adjustments for speed on the machine or foot – you press hard or light depending on how fast you want to go. I also miss the needle up-needle down button but I knew this didn’t have that feature before I purchased it.

The free-motion works fine and, with the exception of finding my speed, I think it is just as good as my free-motion on Ruby. Again the noise is a bit distracting and the foot really bounces but the tension seems good without any adjusting. All in all I think this will be a good machine for me.

The House Concert is tonight – we have 32 people expected and, since they have all paid, I don’t even care if they come (is that bad?). Our guest said she wanted to have a long nap so she’s been downstairs sleeping or having quiet time most of the afternoon. There is always the last-minute rush to get things ready before people arrive but even that is getting to be just part of the routine – put on the tea urn about 6:15, put on the coffee urn about 6:30, set the dishes and cups out and we’re ready for to go.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

We came upstairs just now to make tea and I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t done a Journal post for today. We were at the movies last night but I won’t write that up just yet. I’ve also finished another book so I’ll have lots for tomorrow.

I started my morning finishing the quilting on Block 4 of Celtic Crystals. Even with two of the corner blocks done I’m not even half-way there. I think this one stretched me the most, but I like it. Both Pat and I are more impressed with how the back looks. Because of the colours and very good matches with thread my quilting doesn’t show up much from a distance but it is more impressive from the back.

After the block was finished it was time to start getting ready for the House Concert tomorrow. The floors had all been washed last week so it was mostly the vacuuming that needed to be done. The bedroom and bathroom downstairs are ready; I’ll do a final clean upstairs tomorrow morning. We need to set up the chairs for the show (32 expected) in the morning. I pulled all the plates, cups and glasses from the cabinet this afternoon; the Shepherd’s Pie for dinner tomorrow will just need to be reheated.

I finally started a new knitting project – I just can’t sit in front of the TV without something to work at (and I’m still waiting for that measurement Christy).

Tea’s ready!

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

On the Beach was a book I read as a teenager and I have never forgotten it; I’ve probably read it three times over the years. The original book was on Mum and Dad’s bookshelf and when we were clearing out Dad’s books it was the one book that we all would have liked to have taken home with us. That got me thinking about classic books.

Dad often purchased “the Classics” on the sale tables at Coles. Books by Dickens, Tolstoy, Eliot, and Austen came to me via him, I think mainly because no one else in the family wanted to read them. They were good stories and I’m glad I read them but I haven’t gone looking for any since Dad stopped passing them along.

I have a collection of classic books from my past on a shelf in the hallway. They include Pat of Silver Bush (my first L.M. Montgomery book), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (from Mum and Dad’s shelf), The Sun is My Undoing (again from Mum and Dad’s shelf) and Ada Blackjack (because Dad enjoyed the North so much). On the Beach will be added to this collection, as well as a couple of others that I haven’t read yet (Icemaster, From Here to Eternity, and For Whom the Bell Tolls).

What do you consider your “classics”?