Scrappy Leaves

It was a lackluster day yesterday. I was feeling kind of crummy after getting a COVID booster the day before. Mike got the COVID booster and the flu shot, and ended up with just a sore arm. As for me, it only lasted the morning and early afternoon. Tylenol helped, and it seemed to have passed by dinner time. I'm feeling as normal as I ever feel this morning, "normal" being a relative term. It didn't stop me from sewing though. I was able to get the binding sewn on the Snowflakes quilt.

While I didn't necessarily plan to start the hand-sewing yesterday, I had it all clipped and pinned by late afternoon. And, what the heck...might as well start sewing. I threaded a needle and stitched around the first corner.

Earlier in the day, I decided it was time to start in on the maple leaf log cabins. With so many fabrics to choose from, I first needed to settle on a background for the leaves. This one seemed like a good choice. It was stored in a bin with landscape prints. When I bought this piece, it reminded me of rocky cliffs or something, but it will also work for the background in these blocks. All the background pieces for the leaves are cut now. I'll need 20 leaves in all.

For the leaves, I'll use scraps in reds, oranges, yellows, and browns, which are the same colors used in the embroidery. I started with this rusty red one.

And then, I added the "logs" in this configuration. I wanted each one to be from a different fabric, and with enough contrast to show them individually. When it was finished, my block looked like this:

Some of those fabrics were gifts from a friend. I can't remember now who sent them, but if it was you, then thank you.

And I'm happy with that. Today, I'll cut all the "logs" in each fabric, and then get to work sewing together another 19 blocks. They won't all be finished today, but I'm hoping to be well along by day's end. I have one housekeeping chore to do, but the rest of the day can be spent sewing. I'll keep working my way around the Snowflakes binding as well.

My helper cats let me down yesterday. It was a chilly day, but they were outside for a good 45 minutes before coming back inside and burying themselves under some warm quilts. I spent a good part of the day buried under a quilt too. Aren't quilts just about the best thing ever when you're not feeling tip-top?

The past couple of days have had me sewing obsessively. I was obsessed with getting back into the sewing room, and now that I've had some time there, I've nearly sewed my guts out. Some of my other obsessions might make their way to the forefront soon...even today. I'm gearing up to can some Cranberry and Apple Mustard. I made this a couple of years ago. Here's the picture I took back then.

It was pretty and tasty, and so yummy on a turkey sandwich. Mike used the last jar I had on hand, and he asked for some more. I figure a guy who can fix the refrigerator, microwave, and hydraulic system on our RV slide-outs all in a single trip deserves to have his mustard and to eat it too. My jars are washed, and I have all the ingredients. I just need to work up the energy. Maybe today. And if not today, then tomorrow.