I Know Spring Is Coming!

Sometimes its hard to see it, but I know spring is coming.  Dog and I took our morning walk and I brought my camera along.

This is the greenery of a couple of our Iris poking thru the soil.

Here we find a cluster of Hyacinth making  some headway.

Our temps are still mighty cold at nite, only in the 20s, so these are stalwart and brave little guys trying to give us spring.  Days lately only in the high 30sF or low 40sF.

The view from our back door on the patio.  The bridge separates our town from our next door neighbor.  As you can see, snow still covers a good portion of the acreage.

The river is high but calm.  The reservoir full to the brim.  The Pampas grass continually give us some color thru the long, cold, white winter.  But today its sunny and the sky is blue.  Cold, but sunny which is promising.

I should be in Florida these cold months, but alas, my purse keeps me in Maine.  Still, I have other interests this year.  I have given up being a gardener, for a few reasons.  One, the old back does not take kindly to bending over and the knees fail to kneel.  I found that keeping tomatoes and lettuce in pots last year was not conducive to my needs.  I got very few to harvest.  It was not worth all the time and effort I put into those pots.  I would rather spend my money buying local organic produce than lose money trying to grow my own.

I can see me maybe buying another pot of something, just to keep in my green thumb, but I had to find other interests for my time.

I found it.  SPORTS!  I can hardly believe it myself.  I haven't followed sports for many a year.  The Red Sox still had Carl Yaztremski as a catcher.  Sorry Carl, if I misspelled you name.  My mind does not like to tackle names, never has even as a youth.  

That tells you how long ago its been.  But I watched a few football games this winter and though I never would watch them ever before, I find they are a way to use up my time.  

Now Baseball, that's a different matter.  I watched a replay of a game played between the Red Sox and the Orioles last Sept, a game that went for 11 innings.  I had a few of the players connected in my head before the end of the game and I found I enjoyed watching it.

I am a convert.  A baseball fan.  A Red Sox fan especially.

That means between sewing and reading and watching Britcoms and BritMysteries, I will be watching Baseball this year.

Now I have not given up sewing entirely.  I have finished the pertinent wall hangings for the special Holidays and events, and now find time on my hands.  I ordered a kit online from Keepsake Quilting but this is a Winter/Christmas kit so I have time to work on that whenever the mood strikes me.

Here is the kit which includes all the laser-cut pieces I need plus some of the other fabric.  I love all things with snowmen and also birds during the winter so this fits in with my love of Christmas.  I will enjoy making up this wall hanging to fit on my door. 

Most quilters have heard of McKenna Ryan.  She makes lovely quilts of nature, animals, usually the wild ones in the forest.  I am happy she made up this one for those of us into Snowmen.

As to other sewing projects, I have several in mind.  Some that are not too involved and if you knew me, you know I love to draw and make designs so there will be other quilt projects on the drawing board thru the weeks.  There is no chance of me being stone idle.

Have a good day.

Tater Tots With Meat Loaf?

I keep hearing about folks making dishes with Tater Tots.  Meats and casseroles and all manner of dishes.  Sounds good.

I didn't have any Tater Tots but I DID have frozen Crispy Crowns made of Shredded Potato Rounds.  Hey, they looked the same to me, only a bit smaller.
I made up my meat loaf mixture.
Oiled the 6 large-size muffin pans.
Slipped 4 of the little Crowns in the bottom of each slot and topped with my meatloaf mixture.
Oven-Baked them as usual at 350*F for about a half hour or til the meat is done, as you like it.

When scooping out the meatloaf, I found the potatoes had broken down and looked more like hash.  It didn't hurt the flavor at all and the taters were cooked to perfection.  I think next time I will put more of the little Crowns under the meat, maybe 6 or 7 instead of the 4 I used this time.  IF I have the larger Tater Tots, maybe only 4 would be fine.  I have to admit that more potatoes for me is always a winner.

The whole thing was very tasty folks.   So even if you do not have Tater Tots, try what you have on hand, maybe some hash browns, maybe some little round crispy crowns, and see what you think.  It was a change from my thinly-sliced potatoes that I have to pre-cook in the pan for about 20 minutes (at 450*) before turning down the heat and adding the meatloaf.

Here in southern Maine, no snow in sight any longer but only in the 20sF during the day, but sunny.
Have a nice day. 

"Colleen, A Victorian Lady" is Finished

Just in time with her greens for St. Patrick's Day.  I have finished Colleen, A Victorian Lady just as this day of celebration nears.  She measures 15 inches square.  She's hanging on my front door as I write.

With her red hair and green gown, it seemed right to name her Colleen.  The Golden retriever at her side is in memory of our gal Daisy, who lived 13 years and brought joy to our hearts but crossed the rainbow bridge a couple of weeks ago.  Such sadness that day but it was time.

Colleen is not my first Victorian Lady.  I made another some years back, my first.

Alicia, A Victorian Lady is her name and at 12 by 18.5 inches she hangs on an inside door.  I love the color turquoise and she looks so pretty in her ballroom finery.

I was reminded by a friend that I still have another Thru the Window WH on the books, this one a horse in pasture with waterfall, and maybe thru a barn doorway this time.  I need to get working on that one today.  I have just the place to hang it.  Its too large for my door, but a wall near my entryway will work fine and appear that I am looking outdoors from inside.

Have a nice day.

Thank Goodness Snowstorm Skylar is Heading Out to Sea

I have had my fill of winter storms, yes, truly I have.  I don't mind them in February, our usual month for such snow, but I like March to give me a little taste of spring, not winter.
When it petered out, we had 12" of the white stuff.  Oh yes, the land looks divine covered in all that white drapery.  I, luckily, did not have any power outages at all this month, for which I am grateful.
Here's some of the beauty Skylar left behind.....

These were all taken at 7 a.m. during our (dog and I) first walk of the day.

Penny, my corgi, tried to make a pathway for herself but it was hard going.

The river's bridge had its usual morning traffic, not heavy, but an occasional car or truck crossed into the next town.

The paper bark birches were covered in snow, hiding the peeling sheets of white bark.

Most of the trees were dressed in white.

At seven a.m. the lights are still on around here.

Happily with no power outages I was able to continue to work on my Victorian Lady.  The hardest part?   Trying to think of a name for her.  But with her wearing green and with red hair, I named her Colleen, a lovely Irish word meaning 'girl' which is so appropriate for St. Patrick's Day coming in a few days.

I was also able to cook some Italian sauce in which I had ground beef, steak, and chicken.  A plethora of good things to eat with my spaghetti for dinner last nite.  I may not be Italian, but I married into an Italian family and enjoy the tasty foods that come with the territory.   Mmmm good.

I have to get back to my sewing so I can post "Colleen" for you later today.

Have a nice day.

Snowstor Skylar Is Moving In

Another snowstorm for us.  March sure came in like a lion.

I forgot to take out my camera when dog and I took our noon walk, so took these thru my screens.
It was not snowing at 7 a.m. but at noon when we went out, it measured 3 1/2 inches of snow.
Unlike the prediction, it doesn't yet seem heavy at all.  Its powdery.  I hope it stays that way and we do not lose power.

Another view of the river and the back lawn.  They predict 8" to 12" today and tomorrow.

Its a good day to putter around with my sewing.  I am making a Victorian Lady for my door for St Patrick's Day.  In greens and she has red hair.  The border is a pretty bright green fabric that I really love.

I hope to have it finished tomorrow so will post it at that time.

Those in the path of Skylar, I hope you stay warm and well.

"Penny, My Corgi" Wall Hanging is finished.

I am thrilled to have this finished.  I have had it on the back burner much too long.

She measures 14 inches square.  The binding is done in the rollback method.  It sort of frames it.

I am thinking now of ordering a laser-cut project from Keepsake Quilting.  I have never worked on laser-cut patterns before.  It should be interesting.  I want one they have that's Christmasy and so cute with birdhouses and birds, and its on sale.  I must get it ordered before they are out of stock.

Have a nice day.

Pepper Steak Sandwich

I had on hand some nice green sweet peppers, onions and some steak.  With a nice long Lucarelli-brand Italian sandwich roll, it begged togetherness.

With the steak sliced very thin and browned in olive oil, the peppers and onions sautéed, and a soft long roll, I had to enjoy a delicious Pepper Steak Sandwich today for lunch.  What else can a hungry gal do?  It was very satisfying.

Steak sandwiches can be jigged and tweaked to suit one's taste.  My favorite steak sandwich happened to be a Steak Supreme bought in Lawrence Mass. many years ago (early 1950s actually), at a take-out on Broadway across from the old mills.
It consisted of thinly-sliced steak, deli roast beef, a few slices of Genoa salami, along with sautéed peppers and onions, served on a long sub roll.   I've concocted different versions of this sandwich over the years, omitting one or two of the items, depending on what I had handy at the time.  In all cases, the steak sandwich was still delicious.

My secret seasoning?.......Allspice lightly sprinkled on the peppers and onions as they saute.

If you like steak, try some version of this sandwich above.  It is sure to please.

Have a nice day.

My Quilting Inspiration

I get in the mood to quilt and work on projects but not as often as I like.  I think I found a solution.
This is one of my favorite Wall Hangings, "Birches By the Sea" at 50.5 inches by 41 inches.  I hung it over my sewing machine corner which I can view even when I go to bed and wake up in the morning.

This was my 3rd effort working with birch trees, my favorite trees, in scenes.  I also loved living by the sea and I always loved having a flower garden, so I combined them all.

It seems to help me get in the mood to design or sew when I awake to this view.

Something I like to add to many of my wall hangings, are fairies, so I added a couple in the flower bed at the lower right of the quilt.

This is a closer view of the birches by the fence.  I finished this in April 2010 so it was a birthday present to myself when it was done.

Now I have another birch tree idea percolating in my brain, with a cat sitting at the base watching either a butterfly, or maybe my signature honey bees among some flowers.  The decision has not yet been finalized.

Have a nice day.

ROLLBACK BINDING INSTRUCTIONS

This method is a good one for a quilt piece that you want to frame or end with a narrow border.  It also means not hand stitching down the binding which can take up to several hours on a large quilt.

When you add borders to your piece, be sure to make them at least one inch wider all around than you want for your finished piece.  You will need most of that to roll back.

Layer your quilt piece with batting and backing, being sure both pieces are at least a half inch wider all around.
Bottom layer is the backing fabric, wrong side up.
Middle layer is the batting cut a bit larger than the finished top.
Top layer is the quilt top itself.
Remember to be sure the border/frame of your piece is at least an inch larger than you want to finish.

Press the 3 layers flat, then pin together.  Quilt the layers as desired.  For this one I just used straight stitching along the 'wooden' frames.

Remove the pins and press the 3 layers flat once again.

Trim away excess on batting and backing layers so they are even with the top piece.

Lift the top piece to expose the even batting and backing.  Now measure 3/4" along the outside edges all around and trim away that 3/4" of batting and backing. Do this on all 4 sides.

Lay piece down with backing right side up.  Working with your one side first, fold back the excess top edge about half way down on itself, as noted above.

Here's another view.  Press that folded bit down evenly end to end.  I do the two side pieces first.  Pressing gives you a nice creased edge easy to fold over later.

At the center, fold that edge down over the backing so that it extends a little into the backing.  Pin in place.

Pin the folded edge down from one end to the other.

Holding and Pinning with the border folded over, sew a straight stitch along the backing's edge.

Sew those first sides down from top edge to top edge.  If you want a flat edge, you can just fold it and pin in place.  If you want to mitre the edge, you need to fold it differently.

To mitre the edge, fold the corner down at a 45-degree angle to the top of the backing fabric.  Press in place with your finger to hold its shape.

Fold down the outside edge once again so that it covers the angled bit.  Hold with your thumb.

Fold the outside edge over again and hold in place.  You can jiggle it a bit here and there to make it fit exactly.  When you have it like you want it, press hard with your fingertips to crease it and pin into place.  With enuf pins to hold it securely, sew a straight stitch across the binding close to the backing edge.

Repeat at the other side of the piece by again pinning into place.  Do both top and bottom the same as you did the sides.  Straight stitch across.

Your finished 'framed' pieces will look something like this above.

My personal thoughts on this procedure.....I like it! Its not difficult and it makes for a fine 'framed' piece when you are finished.  The best part, no hand stitching which can be tedious and I can't tell you how many times I've pricked my fingers hand stitching bindings.

Just add your label to the back and you are done, unless you need a hanging sleeve which you want to add before you sew down that last top rollback binding.

I like to add a label made from the backing fabric of my piece.  I turn it upside down so the written or printed labeling is clearer, but its the same fabric so in the far future, folks will know that the facts about the piece as written on the label must be true since the label and backing fabric are the same.

Try it.  You may like it!  Enjoy your day.

Snowstorm Quinn Exits at 9 Inches at 5:30 pm 03-08-18

The storm has finally finished, or its petering out as I write.  A few last flakes floating down here and there but for the most part, Quinn has departed our area.

With wet and heavy white stuff covering our state, we here in the south of Maine got only 9 inches of the 16" to 18" predicted.
What other job can you be so wrong and still stay employed.   I'm so happy they were wrong once again.

The river is silent and not a bit of ice covering it anywhere.  The temps stayed in the mid 30sF so nothing iced over.
This is a great thing for motorists that had to be out in the storm.
I noticed that we did not have a US Mail delivery today, but our plowing contractor did not snow-blow the pathways either and the driveway was covered in several inches of snow after only making one pass with his truck last evening long before the worst of the snowfall.

I finished my spring cleaning of the closets and rearranged many of my quilt totes.  Moved some lamps around.  Restocked the plastic bag totes neatly for future use for trash.  Got the dog kibble into plastic totes that are handy for filling my dog's bowl.
Got my grocery list prepared for tomorrow's run to the shopping plazas and the bank.
A profitable day for me energy-wise.

Highways have been cleared and opened in our state and designated safe for travel.  I have no idea about the jetport, but since I don't fly nor am I expecting anyone on a plane, I didn't bother to check.

I hope everyone fared well during this storm and that most are still under full power.  We, happily, did not lose ours.

Have a good evening.

Snowstorm Quinn Has Arrived this March 8, 2018

It started yesterday, but there's more of it today.

I took out Penny at 7 a.m. this morning to 6.5 inches of snow.  She would not go beyond the edge of the patio where the snow was partially covered by the roof and kept under a few inches.  With her short legs, she'd have to leap thru the snow along the garden path right now.

The snow is sort of wet and heavy but not too bad I don't think, which is why that so far we have not lost our power.  As a rule, we are among the first to lose that precious commodity.

Since I like to work with birch trees in my scenic wall hangings, I was sure to take a photo of ours in the garden beside the Pampas grass.  The snow is fine as it falls right now.

At noontime for another doggy walk outdoors, this was our view and I measured with my yardstick once again and its 7.75" of the white stuff and still coming down, but very tiny flakes and sparse.  I am hoping it is blowing itself out by now since it started late yesterday afternoon.

I am in a housecleaning mode today.  Spring cleaning we used to call it.  Time to go thru my closets of which I only have two, and toss out what I never use.  I also need to make room for 3 cartons of paperback books out of my walk-in and set somewhere else.  I think I have an idea.

My brain has also been working overtime with designs, designs, designs.  I have a lovely waterfall panel with a horse in it and have finally decided on how to present it in a wall hanging.  After much debate on choices, I think "Waterfall.....Thru a Barn Doorway" with a brick floor and brown wood panel doors.

Also, I told you I adore birch trees, so I took a few photos of ours in the garden and have drawn a rough draft of a scenic wall hanging.  This one with birch trees, a black cat sitting under them watching either a butterfly or a fairy, the background still undecided.  I have wandered back and forth thru 3 different renderings so far.

This is what keeps me up at night and again in the morning when I try to catch a few more zzzzzs after taking out Penny for her first morning walk.  I don't get to sleep til after one or two a.m., sometimes three, so I try to catch some more sleep after that morning walk, at least a couple hours.

Well folks, I hope those in the path of snowstorm Quinn fared pretty well and if you lost power, hopefully not for long.  I'm crossing my fingers that we don't lose ours today.

Have a good day.

Finished 2 "Thru A Window" Wall Hangings

I finished two of my Thru a Window wall hangings today as I waited for Snowstorm Quinn to arrive.  As I write this, our snow has started to fall.

Here is "Chickens.....Thru a French Window."   It measures 11 1/2" by 14" and is ideal for my front door.
As you can see, the Rolled Back Binding works well for anything that looks like a frame or a window.  I enjoyed trying this method.  It will also be a good method for a narrow edging around a quilt piece.
I also took photos as I went along and will post them and the instructions on another day.  We may be losing power with this storm, so it may take a few days.

This one I especially like, "Cows.....Thru An Open Window" which is so colorful and a little larger at 15 1/2" square.  Another one for my front door.

Quinn is on its way with an expected 18"to 20" for our area of southern Maine.  It will lose energy and drop less snow north of us, maybe 12" to 16" which is better for them.

I am all set for loss of power and hope should we lose it, and we very may will with such heavy snow falling on tree limbs that will break under the weight and snap lines, I am ready.  I just hope it does not extend more than 24 hours so my frozen foods stay frozen while I keep the fridge doors shut.
I have canned chicken, tuna and sardines ready along with peanut butter, bread, and lots of soda pop.  My Brita water pitcher is full of fresh cold water.  I made a batch of Italian Wine Cookies yesterday so I have some sweets I can depend on as well.
Luckily here we do not lose our water during a storm as we did at my former living quarters with an electric pump for the well.
My battery lamps are set to light my way thru my apt.
I think losing power should be an ideal way to catch up on my sleep when I am not reading.  Oh, yes, I have a few good books at the ready.
And being a quilter, I have a number of large and medium quilts stashed on the shelf in case they are needed by my corgi and I for warmth.

To all those in Quinn's path, I wish you luck and if you lose power, just for a short time.

Good luck friends.

Window Frames and Borders are Added to WHs

I finally got back to my sewing today.  Unfortunately, I messed up twice and had to pull out stitches and re-sew a couple of times.  What's even worse, I made the same mistake the 2nd time.  Wouldn't one have learned from the first disaster, you'd think, wouldn't you?  Well, I didn't obviously, so it made for a not so great day.

But the end results are fine.

.....

Here is Chickens......Thru a French Window with the window frames around it.

This one is my Corgi, Penny, with the borders around the main piece.

We are expecting snow on Wed. and Thurs. this week so unless we have a power outage or two, I will have time to do more sewing instead of shopping with my friends on the weekly bus.  They have changed our shopping day to Friday this week.

I've made chicken and rice soup this week and spaghetti and meatballs so I have eaten well.

Have a nice day.

I Am Working onTwo "Thru a Window" Wall Hangings

I got an idea to make some wall hanging with the idea of looking thru windows to the outside scenes.
So far I have come up with 2 I am working on today.

"Cows....Thru an Open Window" is going to be around 14" Square when finished.  I have the top done only in this photo.

The 2nd one is "Chickens....Thru a French Window" and its only pinned in place, the frames of the French windows.
These will both be able to go on a door or hang on a wall when they are finished.

I have other ones in mind but I think I should finish these first.  Sometimes I get an idea and run with it so far and fast, I don't get any of them finished for months.  This time I will go slower with the ideas.

Have a nice day.