Saturday, February 8, 2020

Lotsa (Handwork) Irons In The Fire

The good news is that I've finally begun to enter my winter hibernation period of doing what relaxes and rejuvenates me.  The bad news is that we're now into February and the winter is no doubt more than half over.  Some of you may even be looking at spring time bulbs pushing up through the cold soil, but way up here near the Arctic, we will probably have snow covering the ground until a fer piece into April.  So I think I can still squeeze some time in for my winter hibernating mode.  That's my plan, and I'm going for it.

Gotta admit in the last couple of weeks I've gone a little crazy with starting new (and, like a good girl, attempting to finish some old) handwork projects.  My creative juices are bursting out all over.  (Not the best picture to paint, right?)

Here's a peek at what I'm trying to do all at once right now.  Or at least what I'd like to do all at once right now.



I made the little blue and white cross-stitch to hang on a cabinet or drawer handle last year.  It came out okay, but I am just not fond of pastels.  Therefore, I'm making another one with an oatmeal colored Aida cloth and dark green thread.





The idea came to me to do this stamped cross-stitch of a snowflake, frame it and hang in a small, narrow section of wall in the kitchen.  I'll prevail upon my daughter to mat and frame it since she's so good at that kind of thing.






This is going to be a couch quilt when finished.  I'm currently sewing the strips together.  The missing fourth strip is on the sewing machine as we speak.  Next is a narrow inner border and then a larger outer border.





I started this new spring time shower curtain last summer.  (Wonder why I never finished it?  Probably because I was never inside long enough to do so.)  But spring will be here before we know it (it always is), and I want to have it finished to hang then.  A problem came about because I was using scraps, bits and pieces of fabric for this project.  In doing so (using only fabric I have in my stash), it's possible I'll run short of something.  The "something" in this case is enough of the light green I used for the outer border.  I don't begin to have enough of it for the binding.  I'm trying to figure out if I can just hem the piece  somehow (it would be the front, the light batting and the backing) rather than using a fabric for the binding that detracts from the whole.





It's necessary for me to have something easy peasy on my knitting needles to keep my hands busy when sitting visiting and still being able to carry on a conversation.  It has to be really simple so I can do the two things at once.  (And maybe chew gum, too.)  Socks are my go-to project for that so a couple of mornings ago, I cast on this sock yarn before going to meet a friend for a catch-up session with each other.





It's been so hard (such suffering!) not to buy any new fabric (I have P-L-E-N-T-Y to use up) . . . but I done failed when I saw this.  (But, but, but, it was on sale!)  Wouldn't it be perfect for the backside of potholders?  Yep, I thought so, too.

On top of this, I'm currently reading two books at once (hope I don't hurt myself), and I'm reading out loud from another one to Papa Pea when we sit down together in the living room before bedtime at night.

Oh, I do love this time of year when I'm able to spend a good amount of time inside keeping my hands and head involved with projects like all of these.  It's a good thing.

26 comments:

tpals said...

Now I want to start an embroidery project. You are a bad influence!

Lynne said...

So many great projects to do. They all look like fun! I remember the crochet rugs you made> That got me making the to. I loved doing them , but they bother my hands after a while. Yours were so nice!! Really like what your quilting. Happy you've made a point of taking time to do what you love to do. Like the sock yarn too!! xxoo

The Wykeham Observer said...

I really like those birds! Phil

Mama Pea said...

tpals - Bwah-ha-ha, I've brought you over to the dark side!

Lynne - Funny you should mention the rugs as I've been thinking that I haven't made one in a long time and my fingers are getting itchy to do so. Making them with the fabric strips is definitely hard on the hands though. Frequent breaks to flex the fingers is a good idea when working on them.

Phil - Isn't that just the greatest bird fabric? I do believe they are all birds we have around here, and I love the vibrant colors used, too.

Michelle said...

You sound in "hog heaven," and I'm glad! I don't remember you ever really settling into crafting mode last winter (could be my memory). Not much artsy/craftsy going on here except shooting lots of puppy pix, but this, too, shall pass.

Goatldi said...

How about you (horrors) cut your front border down enough to be able to pull over and self hem the backing to it? Am I making any sense at all?
Don’t answer that 😂

Hill Top Post said...

Hibernation sounds like fun at your house. The bears in your woods surely have other ideas about it! I love that you read aloud to your hubby. We do that too, sometimes taking turns with the reading. I have found out that he is a better listener than I am! Our days are already growing noticeably longer, so I need to shift into high gear to get my winter projects finished.

Mama Pea said...

Michelle - No, it's not your memory. I'm trying really hard currently "giving myself permission" to let all those other little tasks go until some other time and take this time to indulge myself with my handwork. Make any sense? I'm trying to make some changes and live more in the now, whatever the heck that means. ;o)

Goatldi - The backing is just muslin (this being a shower curtain) so I don't want it to show on the front. Plus, being a shower curtain it's made to a specific length so I can't really "shorten" it any. The sides wouldn't matter if they were a smidge bit less wide though. Now, am *I* making any sense at all?

Hill Top Post - Yep, we've noticed the days getting longer, too. Being a morning person, I don't even much care when it gets dark at night (my oompf has left the building by that time!), but it's easier for me to get going on productive activity when I see the dawn's first light in the morning. Keep on with the reading together. Doesn't it provide lots of discussion?! :o)

Cockeyed Jo said...

You think you got enough projects going? I was looking at the bird fabric thinking it would be a fabulous shower curtain.

Mama Pea said...

Cockeyed Jo - A shower curtain . . . yes! Also valances on a three-season porch for the summer time. Or how about an apron? I think we could go on and on.

Fortunately, all those current projects are smallish ones and a couple of them (yeah, just a couple) are done already. Now I can add a couple more. Hee-hee.

Goatldi said...

Perfect sense. What I was thinking would only work if the backing was the same as the outer border. You may have to just use a complementary color and press on. No pun intended.

wisps of words said...

HELP!!!!

What did you do to your blog post font size????? It is tiny!!!! And it used to be wonderfully large and easy to read!

Help! Moan! Whimper! Sigh!

❄ 🌕 ❄

wisps of words said...

You have settled into Winter Hibernation Mode.

And it is the middle of February.

Nope, not gonna' comment on this!

Nope!

Nope!

Nope!

Seeeeee how wonnnnderful I am? How in complete control of my commenting? How virtuous and restrained I am?

Yes! I-am-wonderful! LOLLLL

Now, pulllleeeeeeze go fix the size of your post font..!!!!!!!! I had to enlarge it to the count of 4. All that *work,* to read your post. Poor me! Poor Pitiful Me! >,-)

Now! To remember! To un-enlarge my computer. -chuckle-

❄ 🌕 ❄

Mama Pea said...

wisps of words - Ah, yes. Woe is me. I saw that my latest blog post came through in teeny-tiny font and tried to get it back to normal to no avail. So e-mailed back and forth with my computer guru daughter and she (we thought -- at least that's how it is when we view it now) got it back to normal sized font. But then late last night something weird happened to the comment section. Some readers haven't been able to comment at all, so I'm surprised you got through. Arrrgh. Daughter is going to stop in here today to see what she can do to get me back on the straight and narrow. Hopefully. But thanks for letting me know that things are still not right. Ugh.

Mama Pea said...

Goatldi - I've looked in shops and online thinking I could find a green that would match well enough to use for the binding, but no luck. I think I know what I'll try next. Wish me luck.

Goatldi said...

Best of luck. Can’t wait to see your solution. 😊

Retired Knitter said...

I love winter for exactly ALL these reasons!!

Mama Pea said...

Goatldi - Thanks! I'll visualize you looking over my shoulder giving encouragement when I tackle the task! ;o)

Retired Knitter - Yes, yes, yes! Maybe we should start a Winter Hibernation Club!

wisps of words said...

Feb. 10, 2020

Just checking back.........You know you have issues.......Your post entry still shows up, in tiny font....... Just saying, because how do you know, if no one tells you? -smile-

Now to make sure, I can publish this comment...

wisps of words said...

Yes, it Published~~~!!!!!

Mama Pea said...

wisps of words - Well, darn and drat! But thank you very much for telling me. My daughter spent quite a bit of time yesterday trying to get everything back to normal, but did say that this particular post might still show up small on some of my readers' computers. (It's now in normal script on my screen.) Let's hope future posts will be back to normal. The for-sure remaining "problem" is that we can't get my blog page to show anything but the most current post. Usually, the current post is followed by six or seven earlier posts if you keep scrolling down the page. Now there is nothing beneath the current post, but the "older posts" label is there so one can click on that to see previous posts. I don't know if this is going to be a permanent thing or not. Double darn and drat. It's a puzzlement. :o(

Sam I Am...... said...

It warms my heart to see someone else starting all kinds of projects and even dragging out some to finish! You have a wonderful variety too. I adore the bird fabric...of course you couldn't pass that up!
I have been thinking of making a shower curtain for the guest bathroom...great minds think alike! I love yours! Enjoy! Oh, and the books...for sure you have to read at least 2 at a time! I try to read 1 fiction an d1 non-fiction but sometimes I get carried away and read even more! I think we are rebels. You go girl! I love defying common conventions.

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