10/5/20

So Much Sewing

All the pebbling on the Snow Globes quilt has me sewing all day with not much to show for it. Even my sewing cat Smitty is so bored with the pebbling that he didn't even come around yesterday.

 More pebbling? [Yawn.]


I'm with you, Smitty. Let me know if she starts quilting birds, though.

So that was my day. Around, and around, and around. It might seem tedious, but it's actually pretty relaxing. Still, it is time-consuming, and so there isn't much to show for all that sewing. 


After each block, I take a break and do something else...usually some housekeeping chore, which is just another reason I like pebbling. It helps me avoid too much housekeeping.

It's been a long time since I stitched these...three years, in fact...and so I'd forgotten I added Smitty and Sadie to the nice list.

Here, I started watching the thread on the spool. I'm going to run out of thread before I run out of quilt. 

Hopefully the spool I have on order will arrive quickly because I hate having my flow interrupted for something like that.

So that was all the sewing I did yesterday. Six blocks are finished, six to go. And then I'll start on the nine-patches. It occurs to me as I'm writing this I could go ahead with the nine-patches using a plain white thread. The metallic thread was meant to give the snow some sparkle, and so I could use a plain white thread for the rest. Thank you for suggesting it.

The only other thing I have to report from yesterday is that our pampas grass bloomed. It has been years since it put up a plume.


When I'm slow-stitching in the morning, I'm also listening to audio books with headphones. Mike was yelling from the other room "THE PAMPAS GRASS IS BLOOMING!" And I couldn't hear anything except, "THE CAMPUS PAST IS LOOMING!" What? Did I forget to turn in a paper or something? Anyway...comical though it was, we were excited to see this. I forget what knocked it back so badly...probably some heavy snow. It's been so long since it bloomed, I never even noticed it putting up a stalk. 

So that was exciting until a couple of my Facebook friends told me it was considered an invasive species in California. The pampas grass and I both wilted at this notion. Later in the day, I felt better when I reminded myself that rhododendrons, cultivated and prized in Oregon, are considered noxious weeds in Ireland. The Irish dig them up and burn them. But here in Oregon...


they are prized for their huge blossoms. How can "noxious" and these flowers possibly be spoken in the same sentence? Well, hmph, California. What do you know anyway?

So, my week is about to become awful for a couple of days at least. This morning I'm seeing my PCP for my annual physical. After that, grocery shopping. My fellow shoppers better keep themselves in line if they want to survive their grocery shopping trip today. Anyone not wearing a mask will be summarily stabbed to death with a carrot. No warnings. Then tomorrow, I'm driving to downtown Portland to see the dentist for my regular check-up. I know how to have a good time, don't I? So that's enough bad news. Hopefully my thread will hold out for one more day because I have a feeling I'll need all that pebbling to calm my frayed nerves.

13 comments:

Julierose said...

I know it must feel like you don't have much to show for all the hours of pebbling--but those blocks just look truly lovely with that quilting!!
Funny how one State considers a plant invasive and others say "What? Not here!!"
I think the Pampas grass plumes look so lovely--even in the winter wcrowned with light snowfalls...
Hope all goes well with your appointments...
we are getting our flu shots this Wed., so I will probably be a bit "squiffey" for a bit...;(((
hugs, Julierose

Lyndsey said...

I love both rhododendrons and pampas grass. One man's monster is another's new best friend. Health and dental checks in two days, you really know how to have fun! Hope all goes well and you pass with a gold star on both. I find pebbling very relaxing and it is such an effective pattern. It looks really good with the snow globe embroideries.

gpc said...

As Eyeore once said, weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them. You have gotten to know your pampas. Case closed. The pebbling is beautiful, I cannot imagine sitting and making those patient doodles for so long, so many times. You continue to amaze me.

Gail in LV said...

Your pebbling is beautiful and really sets up the snow globes well.
In Nevada, pampas grass is planted as an ornamental plant!

Quilting Babcia said...

Hopefully by now all the no-good, very bad, not nice, parts of the day are now forgotten and you can concentrate on your snowball quilting. It's tedious but so worth it as your first block shows!

Vicki W said...

I love doing filler quilting like pebbles. I find it very relaxing.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I'm waiting for the morning We wake up to snow - it is dropping into the 30's most nights now. I just love that photo of Sadie - such apretty girl. I cleared a small spot for my machine so I can stitch a little. Thankfully a few guild members came today and did some 'fabric shopping' in the estate fabric.

Debbie said...

Your pebbling looks great. I find it tedious and rarely used this one, but you have it mastered!

piecefulwendy said...

Geez, doctor, grocery, and dentist - that's a nasty trio. I know you survived, with a little waiting and patience. The snowglobes are looking good. Your conversation with Mike over the pampas grass is like our conversations around here, sans headphones. My hearing issues are a never-ending source of frustration and hilarity. :-)

Susan said...

From Smitty's point of view, it may look like you are just going around in circles. Maybe he thinks you are trying to hypnotize him:-)

My deepest sympathy on choice of "fun" this week. I have my annual physical Wednesday and Mamo next Wednesday.

A lot of people here in MI that have Pampas grass want to get rid of it. One lady was walking by my house and offered me some. I said no thanks. Once it gets established around here, it is extremely difficult to get rid of. I like the look of the Pampas grass, but containing it is a full-time job. I think the soil and other growing conditions in different areas make a difference in whether it is considered noxious, invasive or a nice planting.

MissPat said...

I think it's better to group all those appointments together and get them over with. Hope all goes/went well. I got my flu shot yesterday, regular version because they were all out of high-dose. The snow globes are very pretty, but what a lot of work.
Pat

SJSM said...

Habu Grass. That is the first name I knew for pampas grass. We lived in Okinawa and a snake was called a Habu there. In Vietnam it was called the "Two-Step" snake. Once the venom hit your heart you were dead. It wasn't until we moved to California, many years later, that I knew the grass' common name. Why were they called Habu weeds you ask? The island was covered with the grass and that was a great hiding place for the snakes. It also kept the kids out of the grass as it grew taller than a kid. You could get lost in those weeds.

Your pebbling is going great!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

One area's noxious weed is another's treasure. They brought in purple loosestrife here to deal with some sort of environmental issue and THEN they had to bring in some 'fancy' ladybugs from overseas to deal with the fact that the loosestrife started taking over. Now we're left with horrible ladybugs - that bite - not like the normal gentle ladybugs. There are some areas with pampas grass here but nothing invasive - and I think it's beautiful.