1/3/21

Something New

There was a time last night when I thought we might wash away. Oh my goodness...rain and wind, and what a storm! It made sleeping difficult. But here we are, still alive, and ready to start the first full week of the new year. Let's make it a good year, okay?

For starters, I made another pieced snowflake for the Snowflakes quilt.

The trimming was difficult. I have a new blade in my rotary cutter, but cutting through four layers where the seams come together was difficult. My arm was hurting after doing the trimming, and so I took a good long break...maybe even a nap...while I waited for it to settle down. 

Smitty was my pain monitor cat yesterday. The kitties are doing everything they can to hurry the healing. They don't want to get stuck doing medicinal cat shifts again...not when there's so much other work to do.

He could see the trimming was bothering me, and that was when he put his paw down. 

Purrhaps you should do something else for now. I have a good idea: kitty treats!

Okay, so I started a new project yesterday. Jenny of Elefantz is doing a free block-of-the-month this year called "Posies." I've made quite a few of her quilts, and I wasn't planning to do this one. But it is awfully cute. 

You can see the whole quilt right here, along with the instructions for the first block. They are a combination of fusible applique and hand embroidery. Yesterday, I selected the fabric I wanted to use for January's block, and then went to work fusing and tracing.

This is also in keeping with my small-stitcheries-only-for-the-time-being rule. The whole design fits in this little 3-1/2 inch hoop.

It took about an hour to stitch the whole thing.

Then it was trimmed and I added borders. Now January's block is finished. 

I might decide to use this project as my Rainbow Scrap Project for the year. Since January's color is pink, I'm right on track. I'll link up to the party from yesterday.

Because of our winter travels, I always start out a few months behind on these. Maybe when February's color is posted, and Jennifer Reynolds posts her new block, I'll be able to remember to use the color of the month and kill two birds with one stone.

Oh yes, and I'll also be linking this project to:


And, not for nothing, but I said I'd start this Rise and Shine project yesterday. I did...but just barely. I didn't want anyone to think I was lying when I said I'd start there. This one will all be done in the same variegated green floss.

So here's something. I did a little cooking in the form of making beef stock yesterday. My yield was four quarts. I'm telling you, it's like having soup in the bank. I've been saving the bones from a couple of prime rib dinners, and the cut off bits of vegetables for at least a year. It's always good to make something from stuff that would ordinarily get thrown in the trash.

We had a visit from a masked Matthew last night. He brought me some mineral capsules called "Bone Up" to help heal my broken bones. Also, he'd visited a place (I forget the name) he said was like Goodwill for fabric, and picked up these fabric swatches. Those two brown ones on top will be great in my next yet-to-be-started barn quilt project.

Also, remember Gina? She's Luna's mom, and I made Luna's pawtrait last year.

So Gina, in addition to being a nurse, is also an artist. Matthew brought by this collapsed wine bottle spoon rest she made. Isn't this cool? She has her own kiln. I don't know the process that goes into heating and flattening these bottles, but I love how they look.

Also, she included this bar of soap shaped like a Christmas tree. So pretty.


So it was a fairly productive day. I'm feeling a little more myself each day, and it's good to be able to return to the things I love doing. 

Last night was the first night I didn't have any of the narcotic pain medication to help me settle into sleep comfortably. It was hard getting to sleep, but I slept in a little bit late this morning, and I'm feeling pretty good. I'd like to get an earlier start on the pieced snowflake, and then I might be able to finish two in a day. We'll see. It's not possible to ignore the pain, and so I just listen to what my arm is telling me. That, and some slow stitching are the only things on my agenda for today. 

How's your year going so far?

18 comments:

Barbara said...

Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be. ~ Marsha Petrie Sue

Mary said...

Happy New Year to you and your family. You are doing so well with the injuries, just "listen" to the pain. I finally got caught up on my blog reading, it was a little busy here trying to finish everything for X-mas. Love your kitties, they are the best medicine! Take care and where are you planning on going later this month?

Anonymous said...

I love this quote for the day, Barbara... good words to live by!
We had rain all night, here in Virginia, as well. It woke me up several times during the night...and, if that wasn’t enough of a deterrent to a good night’s sleep, Cosmo (our kitty) decided that just before 5:00 a.m. was a good time for him to jump up on our dresser and knock things in the floor! Upon being scolded for that, he set in like he was an Olympic runner, racing up and down the steps....our steps are not carpeted, so, even though he is a small kitty, it sounded like there was a whole herd of cats engaging in this middle of the night event...thankfully, he soon tired of that, and was back on the bed, snuggled next to me.
I meant to send a comment yesterday about the picture of the completed blocks for your Pieces of the Past embroidery...those blocks remind me so much of some dishes my grandmother had... thanks for triggering that great memory!
Sandra B
scb304@juno.com

Ivani said...

Your embroidey is lovely.
Happy and safe new year.

Kaisievic said...

Love your kitty cat, so glad that he is taking care of you. The snowflake block is lovely and gorgeous January block.

scraphappy said...

What a pretty bottle spoon rest. Great progress on the snowflake block. So wintery.

Karrin Hurd said...

Great embroidery projects, and what a wonderful spoon rest. Good thing you have a cat monitor to keep you from overdoing it!

Vicki W said...

That little tea cup block is soooooooo cute! It's a great idea for a RSC project. What lovely gifts too. I slump wine bottles like that. The hardest part is removing labels and cleaning the bottles but the kiln always leaves surprises to keep the operator humble.

Darlene S said...

I think you are showing evidence is a great physical therapy, in more ways than ever thought. But I'm so happy Smitty is keeping an eye on you and reminding you when you may be pushing yourself too hard. BTW - I am glad you didn't float away last night. I had no idea you had so much rain. Pretty dry here in So. Cal., so please send any extra rain further south. Lastly, I love your snowflake block. Beautiful fabrics.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Smart thinking on pairing the BOM with the RSC!! SEW glad to hear that you are feeling better every day. Please listen to the Pain Management Kitties and try not to overdo!

SJSM said...

That’s a lot of progress for a injured arm. It hurts just thinking of the pressure you put on it from lifting jars of stock, to cutting the blocks as well as all the lifting of the arm to do the sewing and stitching. Glad you are able to do more. I love the gifts Mathew brought. It is good to see him being so careful for your health yet showing such loving behavior.

I’m still working on the nurses scrub top for my SIL. I keep finding little errors in drafting that needs correcting. If this was a one time deal, I’d just pier through and adjust on the fly. But since it will be her pattern, I change the pattern and instructions every step of the way. I just found the front and back length are off by ¼ inch on one side and ½ inch on the other. Normally I’d just cut off and proceed. This time I’m adjusting the pattern and changing the construction marks so all will be in the correct place.

Debbie said...

Happy new year and a healthy one too. You seem to be healing if you can use a rotary cutter! I couldn't put pressure on my should for at least 2 months without screaming. So follow the kitties directives and don't overdo!

piecefulwendy said...

The snowflake blocks are so pretty. That little tiny stitching piece with the floral border is lovely; that should be a fun project this year. Matthew has a good eye for fabric - isn't it fun when our kids bring us stuff like that? I need to remember to freeze bones, etc. for stock - a great idea!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I follow Jenny's blog and toyed with the thought of trying her latest project but then opted to try to use up stash and work on the Rhonda Dort stitchalong. I love your bottle spoon rest - I bought one for a gift once and wish I had thought to get one for us as well.

Lynette said...

I'm so glad you're starting to feel closer to yourself again. I can't imagine cutting frosted or metallic fabric layers with a healing injury! They can be pretty darn tough to work through. The little posies stitchery BOM is adorable. And I've never seen flattened glass like that - how cool.

QuiltGranma said...

Sounds like a very productive day! When I prepare stuff for later eating, stocking the freezer, I put it in wide mouth pint jars. But I forget to label things!

Susie H said...

Welcome to RSC2021! Love your embroidered BOM and, of course, your kitty pictures. Cool idea to turn old bottles into spoon rests.

Vivian said...

Love the idea of you using your Jenny Elfanz project for RSC, that will be so cute! I also love to make broth from meat bones. We did the same with the ham bone from Christmas. Will be good stock for beans!