Wow, almost a month without a post!

So,

What on earth have I been doing? I have no idea!

Mostly, waiting for Spring.  I think it might be here.

Blueberries in bloom-maybe I'll actually get to eat some this year!

Only if I put some netting on them!

I have done some work in their bed-enlarged and connected two skinny ones.

Then planted strawberries between the bushes.

My Lilac bush has grown tall enough that I can see it from my bedroom window.  

No blossoms that high, but it does smell delightful.

All the hostas are up-some more than others-so they survived last years dividing and replanting.  Soon this will be filled with GREEN!

The violets have invaded! They are scattered throughout my lawn as well as in the flower beds.  I hate to mow as it cuts the blossoms off and these flowers are here such a short time.

They can be invasive so sometimes I have to dig them up, boy that hurts!

I love them SO much.

I have been digging up the pretty yellow flowers (Dandelions-what idiot decided they were a noxious weed?) as well as cleaning out flower beds and getting veggie beds ready for next month.  That is when it isn't raining!

I have been moving back into the studio-it's still chilly down there but I can't stand the clutter upstairs.  I have thought up a way to possibly decrease the area that has to be heated-one that doesn't cost and arm and a leg. It means re-arranging everything (it seems like I've done that 100 times already.)

So, that is progressing.

When I'm finished I'll give you a tour.

Maybe, I'll even get to stitch!

 

A Tale of Three Aprons

Number One

Short version,

with the exception of the elastic bits instead of ties I followed the pattern instructions.

Sew the front to its lining and back to its lining along all the sides and turn it right side out at the shoulders. Sew the shoulder seams.

Two things to say about that:  Much time spent basting the seams flat around the edges before I top stitched and stitching the front and back together at the shoulders was horrid.

Also the pattern did not adjust the pocket for size which meant more top stitching.

I made the large size as I am large.

It's too big.  

Anyway, inspire of everything it's cute and will keep my clothes clean so I will wear it.

 Number two.

Also the short version.

This one  I forgot the instructions and did it differently.

sewed the shoulder seams of both the front and the lining together , 

added the pocket, then bound it all around.

I'm not very good at the binding that you can sew down on the machine so I did it by hand.  

Without batting it was hard to keep the thread between the two layers.

It's still too big!

I got to thinking about why it was too big and realized that I am much thicker than I am wide.

Parts of me-across the shoulders etc-aren't any wider than when I was a skinny young thing!

Number Three

The long version.

Size small.

I made this one like the second one but sewed the binding down by machine.

This one is my favorite print and will keep my dresses clean.

Believe it or not I want to make some more!

Not just yet though.

Now, I just need to remember to put one on!

So What did I Read?

I'll have to admit, I did not finish very many books for the read-a-thons!

For the Irish books, I read

the children's book Under the Hawthorne Tree about the Great famine.  

I read about the famine in another book and I must say that Great Britain has a great deal to regret in it's treatment of the Irish ( and the Scots, and the Welsh and . . .)  Every country has things to regret in it's past-the US has slavery after all- England has more than most!

The book is lovely, now I need to get the other two books in the series to read.

I also read Everybody Matters: My Life Giving Voice  By Mary Robinson. You know the first female President of Ireland.  The one who put the light in the window of the President's Mansion to welcome the Irish diaspora back home.  What a remarkable woman-really glad she decided NOT to become a NUN!  I often feel a bit like I haven't done anything important in my life when I read books about amazing women.  I did have a moment or two like that before I realized that I would not have ever chosen a life like hers.   It's wonderful book-I could hardly put it down.

Here's to you Mrs. Robinson!

For Dewithon-that's the Welsh read a long I did even worse. (By DNA I am 35% Welsh and know absolutely nothing about Wales-must fix that!)

 Mostly because of this book,

It's a very well written and well researched historical fiction of 12th Century Wales.

It's also 702 pages of Kings, Princes, allies, enemies, wars (mostly fought east of the Channel), betrayal, vengeance, intrigue Etc.

I am a finisher, I rarely do not finish a book.  I might take a while to get it read but I do get it read.  Try as I might I could not finish this one.  It was just too much for me to keep straight and enjoy so I was forcing it.  I did make it to 83% complete (Kindles do not have pages) but I could kind of see where it was going and just gave in and gave up.  I won't be reading the other two books in this series either.

I did like this one!

Full of stories of ghosts, lakes, disappearing islands, mermaids, and stories of places in Wales.

Not a guide book, but a fun read.

The as yet un-read books will go on my list for April along with some pre-ordered books that have hit the Kindle while I was reading these!

Yellow

I had a call for help early last week!

Ryan had yet another day out of school-he hasn't had a full week since before Christmas.  Snow days, not enough teachers days (too many out sick) and inservice days!

So I went to Columbia to play with him on Wednesday.

Well, I drove down on Tuesday.

Usually, when I go to Columbia I leave early and drive through as I know I'm coming home that same day but this time I stopped at THREE quilt shops along the way!

Looking for YELLOWs for Lucy Boston.

I found quite a few!  Maybe enough even!

I also brought home a few that I just could not resist!

I did have a ball playing with Ryan and Izzy!

Now, I need to wash all this new fabric and go sew!

 

Finished and begun

The Enchanted Sleigh is finished!

Well, it still wants framed but all the stitchery is done.

It will go nicely with the two other Santas I have stashed away in my Christmas boxes!

Once upon a time I made most of my clothes, and quite a lot for my children.

In the last few years that has fallen by the way but since I pretty much hate what is available in the stores I decided to begin again.

That said it's been 12 years since I made myself anything so I'm starting small!

With some new Aprons!

Cute fabric and slow stitching while I remember how to do things.  

I have the fabric for three, then it's on to a simple dress.

I think I'm going to enjoy this.

P.S.  I am still planning to work on quilt WISPS but no new starts for a while.

 

What about some reading?

I am an avid reader. 

I always have been. 

 Truth be told I much prefer it to stitching.

That means I seem to "Collect" books! 

This is my To Be Read shelf.

Three feet long and stuffed-all non-fiction!

Fiction is on my Kindle where I have a hundred or so unread.  (Some I began and don't like, need to delete those.)

I am currently reading this! 

I received it for Book Flood at Christmas and 

 I have enjoyed it as I love reading about women's lives in the past.

 I have about 30 pages left which is a really good thing as both Dewithon22 (Welsh read along for more information see Book Jotter.)

AND

the Irish read along begin tomorrow!

I've never played along, mostly because I didn't know about either of them.  

So, I have a To Be Read List for both!

 For Dewithon22:

I love Folk and fairy tales-kid at heart-plus I need some new material to read to the littles.

I might read the rest of this trilogy if I like this one.

For the Irish, the pile is a bit larger.

The two books by Delaney were on the to be read shelf-score!

More folk tales and Legends, a Children's book, A Memoir, and the one with green on the cover- (They have prompts.  I didn't meet them all.)

I think this is going to be FUN!

I really hope I get them all read before the end of March!

I'm cold.

 So what do I do?

Move the stitching upstairs!

I can't do any machine work at the moment as Belle is in the shop and Jill is waiting for her to come home and go in herself.  Both have serious tension issues.  Probably due to the fact that the studio is cold.  I've tried everything I know to do to make it warm down there, short of a new furnace that is! Oh well, it is what it is and in a few months I will be grateful for that 10 degrees lower temperature! 

I'm currently enjoying work on the Sleigh,

But Trail Mix is sitting on the end of my table and I'll get to it soon.

When Belle comes home next week I will work on free motion quilting a little each day, ugh.  Still upstairs.

The reason I'm cold?  Besides the fact that the studio is in the basement that is.

We got 7inches of snow last Thursday!

Today, it looks like this.

It's melting fast but more is coming this week!

There was one final finish this week!

You can see it in the photos of the table but here's a close up.

You might remember that I completed it last year!  I just couldn't figure our what to do with it!

So, I added it to the top of a wooden box!  It now resides in my office where is holds my sticky note obsession.

Stay warm.  (or cool if you are down under!)