Sunday 9 February 2014

Which is it? Spring or Winter

Well, it is February and for those of you acquainted with northern climes you will realize that the mixed picture of snow and flowers is a depiction of cabin fever and the attendant sensations.  Your heart wants spring but your body is experiencing winter.  Two hyacinths are blooming on the counter behind my computer and the smell is a talisman; spring will come, spring will come.  A whiff of scent helps to keep the cabin fever down.   The day the snow scene was captured the sun was blazing and it felt wonderful as long as you were sheltered.  Otherwise the wind found your neck and wrists and your fingers were longing to be in front of a lovely fire and you had no need to add artificial colour to your cheeks.

Cabin fever and the doctor's leash are making this a long winter but when one is in need of a jolt of fun one turns to the sewing room if you are a quilter.  This also means the computer to create some embroideries for quilt blocks for a special quilt and to draw quilting designs.  The nice thing is mistakes disappear in an instant on the computer.  The eraser icon is a great favourite.   The computer activity means being able to sit down which is compatible with the doctor's leash.  However it is not the same as handling fabric and hearing the sewing machine happily piecing the fabric.  So I made a couple of rag quilts; just small enough for cats and some dogs.  I cannot use Hortense and I feel I have abandoned her.  But only  12 more days to go to behave; fingers and toes crossed.

Several things came to light as the quilts were being done.

1.  Big golden retrievers under the sewing table means the foot peddle is available to paws which cannot resist stretching out.  (Fortunately the machine is not perturbed by this use but do not leave fabric under the pressure foot.)
2.  Rag quilts made with denim are best made with well used denim which becomes soft especially when well worn by an active farmer whose wife saves the well used items.
3.  You need to get denim articles from large men to get long strips. (At guild a few days later one lady making one remarked that fortunately her brother-in-law is a BIG fellow.  She had nice long and wide strips.)
4.  Doing strips is faster than blocks.
5.  Making one is a chance to use fancy stitches and some of that fancy thread you bought on spec. (finally a use!!!)
6.  Rag quilts are not really my style.
7.  It is good to experience something not your style.

So after all that here is a picture of a small quilt being used by a small creature in front of the fire.  Ah, another thing, cat a dog hair stick to rag quilts even better than regular cotton quilts.  :)  And no red eye tool will dim those eyes.  He always gets what he wants.


Sun, sun outside the kitchen windows.  Be still my beating heart.






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