Fun With My Girlies

Yesterday I had the girlies (as Jen1 would say) over so we could make some beaded zipper pulls or scissor fobs from my vast stash of beads. We had booked the date about 6 weeks ago. Jen1 and Poppy both still work and Poppy is very involved with work and her family so it's hard to find time when all of us can get together with the two of them.

I have a LOT of beading supplies and was hoping many would get used up. This is only a smattering of beads from my stash. 

I showed how I use lobster claw clips, crimping beads, Beadalon wire (7), 

beads, and charms to make the zipper pulls, often coordinating with the accompanying project bag.

Jeanette brought a tin full of beads, too. Some had been impressed with the vast selection at Michaels and picked up some beads and findings suiting their own tastes.

It was so fun sitting together and chatting while we industriously worked on our creations. I didn't take enough photos but this is what Jennifer achieved in the session.

We also discussed the little SW Ontario road trip we're planning for a couple of days next month. Since we're not going to the US for at least 3.5 more years, we are taking the opportunity to explore our own beautiful province.

Jen1 did some investigating and found us a suite hotel in St Jacobs. Reservations have been made.  I invited my nieces to join us for all or part of the shop hop and they're coming too and will be staying at the same hotel. 

Speaking of reservations, in Google, I clicked on the link to make a reservation, and was directed to a third party. I then remembered that I have a loyalty card for the same hotel chain so went through that website and saved $100 PER NIGHT! So it pays to try and book directly with the hotel rather than Booking dot com or some such website. At the very least it is worth investigating both ways to see if there is a cheaper choice.

For me, spending time with my girlies is like breathing pure oxygen. I am so fortunate to have these folks in my life that really 'get' me. 

Old Floss vs Newer Floss

One of my acquaintances from the Shuttlebug guild contacted me to see if I was interested in having her deceased sister's embroidery floss stash. After stitching today I went over there and relieved her of it promising that if I couldn't use it, I new some folks who might like it.

The flosses were in resealable bags, separated by colour family so one by one I went through each bag. I decided to only keep the DMC floss and set aside the other flosses from other manufacturers: Mez, J P Coats, Anchor, Olympus, etc.

As I sorted the floss, I laid the DMC flosses in numerical order so they'd be easy to get into my existing complement of FlossAway bags. These are the ones I kept:

All but 14 colours were incorporated into my existing FlossAway bags. I had to order some more FlossAway bags for the remaining ones from Kimat Designs so they'll be ready for pickup at the end of the week. 

Most of the skeins pre-dated bar codes. 

Many of the older skeins had this diagram showing how to pull a strand from the skein.

There is nothing wrong with the floss, it's just 4+ decades old. However some of the dyelots have changed so if stitching with one of the old skeins, it will be important to not mix it with threads from the newer skeins. 

Dyelot variations are quite evident for some of the colours:

This was definitely a relic. Remember Woolco?

It's pretty faint but it cost 20 cents.

These are the ones I still need bags for. It's also possible that the colours are kitted up with other projects but I don't worry too much about having multiple bags of the same colour.

Our guild's stitch day is this Saturday so I'll take the rest of the floss there to see if anyone would like some or all of it.

Last Friday, I popped into Kimat Designs to buy some fabric for the Blue Flower 'Bees in the Greenhouse' pattern.

I selected a hand-dyed, 40ct, medium green. The design is 300 x 102 so stitching over 2 threads on 40ct (20 cross-stitches per inch), I needed 15" x 5.1". This Fiber on a Whim Silver Fox will be perfect.

Instead of a long piece of stitching with all 6 sides horizontally, I could do the two halves of the chart, one above the other and I'd still have a nice, 9" x 13" piece left over for another project. 

Tomorrow is Canada Day. I have never seen so many Canadian flags on display as I did driving around town today. On one street adjacent to Garden street (Google maps tells me it was Clune Place) , every house has one between two stakes on their boulevard. I even attached one to the wall beside my front door with Alien Tape - a very sticky, two-sided silicone tape.

I sure hope I can get the Alien Tape off the wall and the flag when the time comes. I think I'll leave it up even after Canada Day. 

I Finished These, Too!

Last night I FFd (Fully Finished) the little biscornu that I'd finished stitching a couple of years ago. I used DMC Variations 4210 on 40ct white linen. Whip stitching through the backstitching was a little 'squinchy' - slow going. The pattern is adapted from 'Four Little Hearts' by Indigo Rose. 

I used a round bead in the centre and HotFix 'bling in the four corners of the top side. 

I also found a long-abandoned Mill Hill kit with two little Christmas stockings on perforated paper.  I stitched two of them but didn't have enough beads for the second one. They are itty-bitty.

I guess they could have been earrings but I decided against that. There was a pin in the package to attach to the back but first, I'll use some felt for the backing.

Finishing a Couple of Things

While workers have been here doing work on my kitchen renovation, I’ve had to stay home and out of their way. 

I started going through some of my FOs and remembered I had the Autumn Cat stitched and ready to turn into a Fully Finished Object (FFO). It took me a few minutes to find the backing fabric I planned to use. It’s an old blouse that had an autumnal theme. Then I had to locate the black iron-on interfacing.  Next was to draw the outline on the back of the stitching as a guide for sewing it together. Then I cleverly (not!) ironed the interfacing onto the back of the stitching - covering up the outline I just drew. I ripped the interfacing off and pinned the stitching to the backing fabric then sewed around. Then ironed on the interfacing again. I didn’t want the white batting to show through the black fabric.  The ears had too much bulk so inside out again, I trimmed the seams around the ears. Right side out again I pressed it and set it aside. 

I left the bottom open for stuffing and inserting an oval piece so it will stand up. Its eyes will be green HotFix jewels and maybe a sparkly one on the heart. 

The back:

While I had the black interfacing out, I decided to also finish the Teresa Kogut ‘Jingle Bells’ star ornament. Back up to my fabric stash to find something appropriate for the back. More points to trim and turn. This time, I had the interfacing ironed on before I realized I hadn’t sewn all the way around so again, had to rip the interfacing back to above where I had stopped stitching.

Ta da!

I’ll put a decorative bead on the top through the corded hanger. 

They both need to be stuffed and the opening sewn up. That raggedy bottom star point has been repaired with FrayCheck.

Now I remember why I don’t FFO a lot of my projects. So. Many. Fiddly. Steps!

The other night I completed another Sashiko design inspired by evagustems on Instagram. Here is the link to the video. I used some of the fabric I had purchased at Quilt Canada last week. The white, water-soluble pencil didn't hold up well so I'm in the market for a heat-erasable white gel pen if such a thing exists.

First, the guide lines are drawn on the fabric. (this is Eva's photo)

Then the running stitches. I even managed to screw this up and had to pull out the stitches a couple of times. You can see how faded the white pencil markings are.

Then comes the weaving. This part was really fun and I didn't screw this up at all. My lines are a bit  wonky - not the precision of the Japanese embroiderers. But I like it. 

Not sure what I'll do with the little squares of stitching. For now, it's just fun.

Kitchen renovation update:

The countertop and sink are in. The backsplash arrived last Friday. After the sink and faucet got hooked up the hot water didn’t work due to a faulty seal until yesterday when it got repaired and the necessary floor tile patching got done. Today the final pieces got installed - lighting valances and end piece beside the fridge and on the end of the peninsula.

All that is left to do is the grout around the new tiles*** and installation of the range hood which will involve cutting into the bottom of the new cabinet above the stove. The range hood is on back order until probably mid-July so I can finish putting everything away. It is nice to not have to do dishes in the laundry room washtub. 

***I already had the grout which had been left over from our bathroom renovation many years ago. It only comes in large quantities so the workers back then suggested I store it and sure enough, we are able to use it for this job. So my minor hoarding affliction tendency to not throw things out finally paid off.

First Attempt at Sashiko

I worked on the little sashiko project last night.

First, I did the crosses with the white thread. I stitched the white crosses through two layers so the long, white basting stitches are holding the two layers together. The hank of thread has 40m on it so will be good for many other projects. 

Then the first bunch of weaving with the blue thread. This was not without error, however. A couple of times I had to pull out the stitches because I had woven through the wrong part of the white cross.  

Easily remedied, though, and only a small amount of bad language was uttered. Then finished the weaving in the other direction.

Next came the small, yellow crosses to anchor the centres of the blue 'flowers'.

Proper technique involves stitching continuously in one direction then the other with long thread. Sashiko thread is different from perle cotton in that it's not twisted as tightly and has not been mercerized. The result is a dull finish, kinda like thin butcher's string.

I'm eager to start another project that also involves weaving.

While cleaning out the closet in my office, I found this Christmas stocking stitched with 6-ply cotton floss. It would have been done YEARS ago. I had completed the stitching and had stitched my name on the top. I unpicked my name and filled in the gaps and just now have wet blocked it, using the same wires and pins I use when blocking my knitting.

As the needlepoint stitch is on a slant, it really skews the fabric so a firm blocking is needed to straighten things out.

There are supposed to be silk ribbon flowers on her dress but the kit only had about 20cm of silk ribbon; not nearly enough to do French knits on all the flowers. Instead, I'll use big, pink HotFix jewels on them and little sparkly ones on all the white dots.

It will need a backing and lining, too.

Quilt Canada 2025

Yesterday, Jeanette chauffeured Jen1, Barb, and me to the International Centre for the Canadian Quilters Association event, Quilt Canada 2025. Taking the 407 made for a quick, traffic-free drive. Upon arrival, we met up with Jeanette's longtime friend, Patty, who had purchased our tickets. Then we all entered the hall.

We decided upon a meeting point and time for lunch and fanned out. I took a zillion photos of the quilt displays - too many to post and I didn't really get shots of information about the creators or patterns. 

I visited several booths of familiar businesses - including Pastime Pieces and Cotton Harvest and many others new to me. I really didn't need to enhance my fabric or pattern stash, however I was interested in buying some fabric suitable for doing Sashiko embroidery.

Kallisti Quilts  had an excellent selection of Sashiko supplies. They are an online business in Waterloo ON and receive shoppers by appointment. To avoid shipping, items can be ordered online and picked up by arrangement. I will be spending some time in Waterloo this summer so will keep that in mind. 

I purchased three fat quarters suitable for Sashiko embroidery.

One of the darker ones has a bit of a pattern.

The other has a somewhat gridded pattern.

I also bought a water-soluble pencil for transferring stitching lines

and a book that looked interesting. I'm particularly intrigued by the patterns that involve weaving threads under other threads like the centre and bottom items on the cover.

My two nieces were also in attendance but I only got to see them briefly as Ana was working at the event and Rosa had a punch needle class all afternoon. Since I had carpooled, I wasn't free to stay until they both were free for a decent visit. I will catch up with them this summer.

I went back to buy another book but the lineup was too big so I'll buy it through another source.

I like making useful items and there were a few interesting patterns and finishing ideas.

I may have mentioned it before but my dear stitcherly friend (and Iceland/Norway roomie), Poppy, brought me a nifty, beginner's sashiko kit from her epic Japanese textile tour last year.

When I saw her last weekend I had to ask her a couple of technical questions about it but now feel confident I can start it then hopefully segue to doing some of the projects in my new books, now that I have all the materials.

This is all part of a slow stitching movement, where embroidery is done in a somewhat meditative manner. I have done a little bit of surface embroidery and have really enjoyed it, as well as English Paper Piecing. All of which I'd like to get back to doing.

I got home in plenty of time to go to one of the Polish pavilions for Fiesta. I'd had Greek food the night before, and Ukrainian food the night before that. Yummo! I'm always up for a meal out that I don't have to cook for myself. 

Today I finished reading an excellent book by Kristen Hannah called, 'The Women'. It's the story about a young nurse who serves in the US Army Nurse Corps in the Vietnam War and adjusting to life back at home. I am not normally that interested in historical fiction but this book really grabbed me, probably because I lived through the era and could relate to some of her experiences and losses. I highly recommend it. Now I'll look for some others of her books. 

Getting There

I've never undertaken such an extensive renovation project before. This one is progressing slowly but we're getting there.

The honey oak cupboards were very stylish in 1983 when the house was built. The doors were solid wood but the MDF cabinets were dirty and showing their wear. I had to rebuild the cutlery drawer to the left of the fridge a couple of years ago.

In spite of the fact that there was going to be a full backsplash, I couldn't just leave the walls so dirty.

I washed them with TSP, rinsed them and repainted.

The cabinets went in on the fresh walls except for a couple of pieces that needed to be remade. Then measurements were taken for the new countertop. Barb helped me load the cupboards back up from all their contents strewn all over the dining room. 

With more storage space and a lot of purging, I even have some empty shelves now!

The new, lightly veined, quartz countertop and new faucet were installed yesterday and measurements were taken for the backsplash.

There have been some bumps along the way - a few surprises - but I'm told by others who have been through the process that this is normal. 

There is a small list of things to be completed/reinstalled/connected but I am sure it will all get done. In the meantime, I'm still microwaving and doing dishes in the laundry room.

Before and after:

Stitch Days!

I totally indulged myself and signed up for both of Kimat Designs' stitch days that took place on Friday and yesterday.

Friday, I attended with Barb, who capably chauffeured us up to the Lemonville Community Centre (McGowan and Bloomington Rd area). Several from my guild were in attendance: Alda, Barb, Judy, Joanne, Joanne's daughter, Jennifer

but I had arranged to sit with my new stitchy friends, Blaire and Chris. I met them at this event last August, again at the Pastime Pieces retreat, and again at the Peel Stitch-In last November.

Yesterday, Poppy and I drove up and we sat with Nancy and MaryK.

Refreshments were available all day (tea, coffee, lemonade, scones, muffins) and lunch, dessert, and an afternoon snack was also provided.

It was a really fun way to spend a couple of days with stitcherly friends. I also met some stitchers from other guilds.

There was a 'brag table' in the adjacent room. I was really taken with this Long Dog Sampler piece, "The Quilted Bees" and asked Kim to order the chart for me.

The stitch count is 220 x 211. The solid bits are a LOT of stitching. It really is a stunner.

I finished one project on Friday. It had been in a UFO Ziploc bag since 2018 when I abandoned it. All I had to do was the three motifs on the bottom left (4 balls of yarn, WIP, and the six stitch markers). It's "A Knitter's Sampler" by Robin Sample. I used the DMC conversion given in the pattern. It's going to take a lot of pressing to get the creases out.

I put in some stitches on Clovis, including the last flower on his apron and some of the apron's background.

I realized yesterday I had stitched too much lace on one side of the apron so will have to pick out those stitches. The 'Putty' background shows where the lace should start going along the bottom.

I spent most of the day working on the clutch purse - the kit I bought in Bergen at the knitting show. It's a Pick and Mix canvaswork project. Basically, maintaining the semicircle designs you just pick a random colour from the bunch provided. The tangled mess of threads gives my OCD friends the 'willies' - LOL. It will measure 7 circles across and 5 high when finished. 

Only have 7.5 circles to do plus the centres and the background fill-in. This project was great for social stitching.

Last night I stitched a bunch more on it whilst watching 'The Accountant' on Prime Video. Poppy recommended it. I don't do well with long, drawn out series, particularly mysteries. I started watching 'The Residence' on Netflix and after about episode 3 got bored with all the red herrings. I didn't even bother jumping to Episode 8 to see the conclusion. Same with 'Sirens'. I bailed in episode 3 when it started getting really weird.  "The Accountant" held my interest and I plan to watch the second movie in the series tonight. Oh yeah, and also the latest episode of 'Clarkson's Farm' - a new episode comes out every Thursday.

Today, I exchanged my over-the-stove microwave oven for a new range hood which, of course, cost even more than the microwave. It turns out the previous range hood I had was not strong enough after all. With a gas stove a minimum of 600 CFM (cubic feet per minute of intake) is required. It will take a couple of weeks to come in but I can pick it up at the store rather than pay to have it delivered.

Back at home, I trimmed my shrubs out front. This is sweaty work involving use of the hedge trimmer, then raking up everything, and then blowing the remnants back into the garden. While I was putting stuff back in the garage, I finally replaced the burned out lighbulbs in the overhead units of the garage door openers. They'd been burned out for at least a couple of years. I did a bit of sweeping up in there, too. I really need to do a thorough cleaning of the floor, possibly with the leaf blower. When the guys were scribing and trimming my cupboard sides, they set up their saw in there so there's lots of sawdust mixed with all the other crud all over the floor. 

I finally planted the geraniums that I had put out on the deck a couple of weeks ago to harden off. I then remembered my neighbour, Pam, said I could have some of the bachelor buttons from her garden. The plants were surrounded by periwinkle or some kinds of creeping vegetation so it was a struggle to extricate the one plant I took. It is now planted in the garden and I hope it does OK there. I really wanted some blue as a change from only having red and yellow  flowers back there.

Next week will be very busy - at least one major event each day. I will have to pace myself.

Speaking of pacing myself, I registered for the Lakefield Adult Music Camp this summer! Former UWO Faculty of Music classmate, Rifka, as been enthusiastically recommending it to me for the past few years. My oboe chops are so out of shape but I did sign up for Concert Band, Choir for All, Ukulele, Vocal Jazz, and Celtic singing. It should be fun but I need to start training so my lip and fingers won't give out during the intense week of playing. On Rifka's recommendation, I did take a 'spare' in the 4th of the 6th daily sessions. I hoping my excitement will help me have enough stamina to get through the day and the nightly recitals/performances.

It'll be great to get back to playing my oboe again.