Back in the sewing room - with a purpose

Monday found me in my "happy place" - the sewing room - where I landed most of this week.  I finished up a mountain of mug rugs to give away next year.  Hope I can find them when the time comes!  I like sewing with Christmas fabric during the holidays, but I just didn't have time this year.  I finished a year-round mug rug to replace the Christmassy one I had made Pam and delivered it Tuesday.  The weather got in my way before. 

This week I also put away the Christmas fabric, organized the string baskets, worked on blocks of the month, and then 10 string blocks in both colors and neutrals.  Those are waiting now for me to remove paper foundations while watching TV.  

Then I tackled the cake stand blocks that I'd receive in a swap, making some additional blocks to come up with nine total.  That top is now finished and waiting for quilting.  Not sure how yet.

Here's the block of the month for the local guild lottery.  It wasn't easy but it's done.  The center is very bulky, so I'm glad it's covered up.  If I make one for myself, I think I'll make it a bit bigger.  This year, all the lottery blocks will have a white background but my blocks for myself will vary.

My online Friendship Swap group is doing a sew along with one of the group members suggesting a block each month.  Debra chose the "Snow Churn" block for January, perhaps because she's had so much snow already this winter.

Next on my quilting agenda is to finish the two Austen Jubilee quilts made with blocks that have been shown all year in Quiltmaker magazine.  The resulting quilt is extremely busy so I have broken it into two smaller quilts.  I have yardage for borders on each so have a few decisions to make.

In 2020? I went on Weight Watchers on January 1 and then a general diet after a couple months, resulting in 25 pounds lost.  I spent a lot of time sewing so I wouldn't snack, and I plan to do that again this year.   Writing down what I eat seems to work the best for me, and I don't need WW for that.  I also found eating more vegetarian meals helpful.  I signed up for an online class sponsored by the hospital called "Preventing Diabetes" which starts January 23.  It's free, so I figure I have nothing to lose (but weight!).  

My appliqued piece

I've been thinking about a name for this appliqued piece, which I was happy to finish binding this week in between holiday preparations.   It started out as a neutral string background that had hung around for a long time, waiting for just the right thing to applique onto it.   I had thought of a basket of bright flowers, but I just never got serious about finding or creating a pattern.

Last spring a guild member showed an antique quilt she had found, and I finally knew just what I wanted to do.  The blocks in her quilt were about 18", and my melon shapes are a little larger resulting in a 24" x 24" piece.  But the colors are very similar.  I love pink and blue together.  I hand appliqued the melons mostly at my Saturday sewing group meetings this year; then I echo quilted around and inside the shapes using a walking foot.  I love the way it turned out.  The quilting smoothed out all the bulges that often appear in string quilts so that it lies relatively flat.

Since I started appliqueing this wall hanging, I've amassed quite a few "strings" which I hope to put together this year, maybe alternating the neutrals with the colored blocks.   But that's another thing to think about in 2023!

'Snow joke!

 Lousy weather is predicted today - snow, sleet, wind, rain, up and down temperatures - all extreme.   Here's a little something to brighten the day...

Happy holidays!

 30-some years ago, I could sit at my desk at the Dept. of Libraries and watch the State House lawn in all seasons.  It is amazing to me now how much time has passed since I shared an office with Priscilla and worked downtown.  The last 16 years of my 31, I worked in Berlin, just a few miles away but without this majestic view.  And I've been retired for 15 years.  I still think our State House is lovely, especially at this time of year.

Waiting for the snow

The weather people are all excited about a Nor'easter coming our way.  I'm hoping it lands in southern New England and doesn't creep up here and deliver the 14" of snow predicted.  Bob and Pauline were planning to visit us today, and I'd hate for them to drive home in snow falling 1" or more per hour.  We were going to see the Light Up the Library display and then have lunch, maybe at the new Brazilian restaurant.  If we have to cancel, we'll be sure to get together again soon.

I have been feeling sorry that I haven't made any gifts for the library staff this year.  Instead, I have spent these weeks on the Light Up the Library project.  Above is just a peek at some of the 50 items on display.  But now maybe I have time to make up some things for them.  Yesterday I whipped up five mug rugs, and I can get 10 more done over the next few days if I get stuck home with the snow.  

I'll give two of the mug rugs to Chris' friends Ted and Marad for whom I am also planning to make and freeze a lasagna and some rolls.   They tend to give us very expensive gifts at Christmas which makes me uncomfortable.  So I make them foods throughout the year as an ongoing thank you.  

Sewing through the holidays

Is it that I like Christmas or just that I like red and green fabric together?  At any rate, I really dive into sewing with Christmas fabrics right around the holidays.   I make stuff too late to give to anyone who isn't local.  All of my neighbors already have one from other years.  A few days ago, though, I started on another mug rug making binge, starting with one for my Friends of the Library co-president, Pam.  I will set any extras aside for gifts next year. 

I always make my mug rugs 6 x 9" so I can incorporate smaller blocks like these 3" Ohio Stars when I feel like making them.  I have quite a bit of holiday fabric in my stash, so maybe I will make a set of pineapple blocks to go into the pineapple quilt I've been making as part of the RSC the last couple of years.  

I love the background star fabric, part of the "Grinch" line.  And yes, I can be very Grinchy at Christmastime sometimes.  There's just too much hustle bustle, and I miss my mom and other family.  Phone calls and even Zoom aren't enough.  I do talk to Mom more at this time of year because she calls a lot to ask if so-and-so would like this or that as a gift.

Today I'll work on a few more mug rugs, and, if the sun comes out, I'll try to finish the binding on the Green Mountain Sunrise quilt and the hanging sleeve of the as yet unnamed applique quilt.  First we need to go out for groceries and then I'll start some blueberry bread which I'll put into the freezer until it's time to gift it to some lucky neighbor or friend.

The "tree" is up, and some gifts are already under it since I don't like an empty area under the tree.  That's left over from when I had cats who liked to climb unless there were packages barricading the tree.  Then they just slept under it, guarding the packages.

Finishes

I like to knit, both just to relax and also to keep my hands occupied so I don't snack.  The part I dislike the most, however, is weaving the loose ends in after the project is finished.  Over the last couple of days, I've done that to three projects, two of them long ago finishes.   

Last summer, I made a shawl in a dark green metallic yarn that was very basic but pretty.   I really liked working with that particular yarn which was soft and very shimmery.  I'm giving that to Pauline for Christmas.  In the fall, I made a striped scarf for "Bags of Love," in fall colors.  It needed blocking and then the loose threads woven in.  

A few weeks ago, I finished the second of two hats for my Wisconsin brother.  One was striped blue and the other was plain blue.  He can keep one or both or give whichever hat(s) away. 

I have lots of off white and blue yarn left, so I decided to make another hat.  They are really pretty easy on straight needles, and the hat I finished yesterday turned out pretty good.  I wove those loose ends in yesterday, too.   Whenever I do that step, I wonder why I drag my feet so.  It only takes a little while.  It's going to Bags of Love, too.

My next project is a pair of socks using fingering yarn and four #2 needles.  That should take me a while and I sure hope it's worth the time and effort!  I knit while watching TV, but on those tiny needles, I wonder just how much I will actually see.

It really is nice to get some of these projects on their way to other people.  My knitting basket is just about empty.  

More trees

 

Yesterday when I arrived at the library, it was already teeming with Garden Club members adding to the holiday decor.  They had garlands, wreaths, and all sorts of decorations to add to the Light Up the Library festivities.

The night before, the "Barre Values" Facebook group was working on this tree which has little ornaments with words and phrases like "be kind," "love is love," etc.  The rainbow arrangement was inspired, I thought, and the lights change color, too.  

We put up all of the other items that had been contributed by businesses, clubs, and individuals, and then we numbered everything and added canisters for the raffle.  All told, there are 50 items in the raffle!  

When the display and raffle are over on the 17th and people pick up their winnings, the library will still look festive.  The Garden Club will take their decorations down after New Year's.  I really appreciate their participation, especially because they vacuumed all of the little bits of glitter and styrofoam we had all left here and there.

I'll have more pictures to share in future blogs.  Here is the car racing tree in the children's room, donated by Thunder Road, "the nation's site of excitement," with some of the 30 mint-in-box Matchbox cars that were donated.  I'm not a car racing fan, but I have to admit it's awfully cute.

A little of this n that

I finished knitting my brother's hat the other day and have all of my packages ready to mail as soon as we receive another shipment of Paul's new book to include.  This hat turned out much better than the striped one, but I put both in the package with a note that he can give away either one or both.  

I started knitting another hat using scrap balls of yarn in off-white and several blues.  This is a fairly easy pattern that I knit on straight needles and then quickly sew up.  So it's good for TV watching and not as endless as a scarf, although I do like knitting those, too.

Yesterday was the Friends of the Library's first day of setting up for Light Up the Library, a holiday display of trees, wreaths, decorations, and other items contributed by local businesses, groups, and families.  I met several donors while picking things up around town and also when they stopped by the library with things.  

One family brought and decorated the most gorgeous tree yesterday with many woodland-related handmade ornaments.  The picture is small, but there are a couple of stuffed owls, and then some other creatures peeking out from the branches.  If I didn't already have my Christmas village "tree," I'd definitely enter the raffle for this one.

Today I'll be back at the library to meet a few people setting up their contributions, including the Rotary Club and the "Barre Values" group that encourages kindness. inclusion, and understanding.  Can't wait to see what they have come up with.  My main chore today will be finding enough extension cords to light all these items up with.  After quite a bit of planning, it's fun to see all of this come together.