Merry Christmas

Hello, everyone.

Weather report: last night it was supposed to get down to the upper 40's (F) and today we should hit the mid 70's. It's cloudy, but other than that it is what we call "Chamber of Commerce Weather."

An ornament for the peregrinos. Also a rendering of the Flight into Egypt.

A small beading post

Hello, everyone.

It's been very busy--even though I thought things would settle a bit after the angel party, it's only held on High Level since then. But--to my personal amazement--the United States Postal Service is not only very busy but according to my email they're working 24 hours at this point. (God bless them!) The last package is supposed to come to me today...halleluia!

This little picture is from my very first experiment in freeform peyote stitch, It's a bracelet.

The seed  beads were part of a mix--mostly browns with some accents--and in the end I was not enthused about the "mixy" look. The strands of the mix I tried just never seemed to work out. So when I decided to try out the freeform style of peyote, I pulled by color from the dish of mixed beads and added accent beads into the weave as y'all can see. (Dyed freshwater pearls, glass beads, and I think a piece of agate.)

The freeform weaving is fun, and with a limited palette of colors it works, but it does require a lot of creative decisions to be made all along. Whether you enjoy it or find it a burden to do that many decisions is probably related to whether your life outside the bead bowl is frenetic or calm.

Most of the beads were from Fire Mountain packages--I like to get the Bosses Bead Bag assortment just to see what's in it--and over the years many interesting things have appeared. Lately, however, they've gone to having a lot of different assortment packs and the Bosses Bead Bag is more fillers and small bits of findings. There is often a dusting of seed beads in the bottom of the bag, though, and many of them have turned out to be Delica types over the years. Thus the brown color assortment that turned into this bracelet!

Just in case it gets too busy tomorrow to make a post, I wish for all of y'all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. (If you're Jewish, a happy Hanukkah.)

Remembering Estero Llano Grande

Hello, everyone.

It's cool out and getting chillier. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold and sloppy. It makes me want to remember the lovely warm day we visited Estero Llano Grande a little while back.

 An egret admiring his reflection in the pond.

A "tuna", or fruit, on one of the cacti. This is possibly the same type as some of the bird-gift cacti in my little pots.

Snow!

Hello, everyone.

Here is a small view of a rare event: snow falling in the Rio Grande Valley. The snow is now sticking on frangipani leaves, grass, and the newly plowed field. We will enjoy the moment as it will melt soon.

Happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This is the patronal feast of the United States: the title under which a saint in heaven, in this case Mary the mother of Jesus, is the patroness of the nation. This is separate from the title, Our Lady of Guadalupe, under which Mary is the patroness of all of the Americas together.

Returning to those gifts from the birdies

Hello, everyone.

The little birdie gifts have been in pots for a little while now and are doing fairly well...I still don't have a really good idea what kinds they are, other than some rough generalities.

I think she doesn't like the weather change coming

Hello, everyone.

The weather is supposed to change this evening.

I think Kitty doesn't like the prospect. It's supposed to be in the fifties and dropping (Fahrenheit) tomorrow, and colder yet on Thursday. Winter has finally deigned to arrive.

On another note, the angel gifts are done:

This was actually a Pinterest post, too. It is a small purse for a young girl. These particular ones depart a little from the lady's pattern: I put piping into the seams and used premade ruffle instead of pleating a piece of quilting muslin for the ruffle. And I lined them all in poly satin. They are loaded, of course, with the kinds of things young ladies like to receive.

There will likely be some more of these made, possibly with a slight change in the shape (the curves are a little nerve-wracking to sew) and maybe even with an internal pocket or a zipper closure. We shall see! (Stash busting for the win! Except for a small supplement to the interfacing supplies, everything in these little beauties was from the stash.)

Approximate width of the bag, 9 inches. The little handles were cut to 14 inches long before the attachment to the bag.

I dearly hope my little angels like their gifts!

It's been a very busy week

Hello everyone.

The busy isn't finished yet, either.

I did get some Christmas prep done around the house, though.

I recapped the Pinterest idea that was tried last year--added a couple more balls--and it still looks good. (I love a way to use up some ivory tulle!) As there is a picture in the post from last year, and I hadn't made a "save for web" version of this year's one, y'all can look at the photo from last year. It's pretty much the same, and hanging from the same light fixture too.

 Below the hanging collection of gold balls, a table runner that was made last year and something new. The greenery is two pine picks from Hobby Lobby, with a few of the fair sized collection of itty-bitty ornaments we have. The dangling blue and cream star was made from instructions in Bead and Button magazine December 2010 issue (goes to a back issue sale listing), using Delicas and 15 count rocailles and a cabochon instead of the suggested rivoli center. (Those from Fire Mountain Gems.)

The green version, which is on the other side of the little "tree" on the table.

There was also a white version made, but the photo didn't come out. It's on the main tree in front of a light bulb, and the light illumines the translucent beads wonderfully. In person. The camera looked at it and decided to focus on another thing entirely! Oh well.

As the busy time is not over yet--got to finish little gifts for my little angels before their party!--I will cut this post off here.

Projects in process

Hello, everyone.

There was mention of things in progress a couple of weeks or so ago, and then no information appeared. Today there is a moment to catch up on them.

The rosary in progress. Using up the purple wire!

 This is the purple-ish rosary that's being worked on right now. It's a maybe whether the purple wire will last out the strand, actually. It might end up with a segment of green wire toward the end.

A trivet pad. 

This trivet was started as a way to check out round quilting with the walking foot. I used a variegated thread spool that was around--still plenty on that actually--and it really seems to have worked out well. Only needs a binding now.

The little corner of time between Thanksgiving and Advent

Hello, everyone.

I hope all of my US readers had a happy Thanksgiving.

That "little corner" of the title is a week long this year...plus a couple of days. (For my international readers, Thanksgiving Day is always on a Thursday. And, of course, Advent begins on a Sunday.)

We had most of the gang in house for the feast--moved the grandparents' table into the largest room and put in *all* the leaves--even had an extra guest. It was great. And as this was the first time the new graduate and the newly completed graduation quilt were in the same place, she received her quilt.

I used a new (to me) way of binding on this one. I made the double folded straight grain strip and pieced the sections with a bias seam, and then sewed it onto the back of the quilt. Then pulled the folded edge onto the front, pinned it down, and machine sewed it in place on the front. It went fairly well and was a lot quicker than the old way. Plus the corners are all mitered.

As the fabric was almost all from stash, that means much of it was from Fabric.com and some was from Hobby Lobby. The binding is plain black Kona cotton.

More from Estero Llano Grande

Hello, everyone.

As promised, some more pictures from our visit to Estero Llano Grande this week.

There were a number of butterflies. This one was willing to pose:

We walked back to the alligator pond, passed the first part, and went to the viewing platform at the end. No gator in sight that day!









Silhouetted against the cloud, part of the flock of pelicans. (More are above them, but they blend in with the sky.) They were wheeling around in an updraft before settling down for a late-morning rest.

Estero Llano Grande, second visit

Hello, everyone.

Today we went back to Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco. We got there early, as the day was promised to be warm. ("Warm" in this context means "over 80F.") The forecast was not wrong.

There were a few birders there, but not whole flocks like can happen sometimes after Winter Texas season really revs up. No wind to speak of, a lovely blue sky with white puffy clouds here-n-there, a humid day but not a miserable one. Lovely walking conditions overall!

We saw, but couldn't get a photo of, a vermilion flycatcher and assorted other small birdies that we didn't even get a good look at. There were a number of waterfowl too, in the park proper and in the canal behind the park. (If you follow the trails you can walk along on top of the levee and view the canal.)

Today some of the most interesting birds were at the canal: a large-ish flock of white pelicans that we first saw swimming in the water by the tens and fifteens, then later flying in an updraft overhead, and finally in a clump on the far bank of the canal.

Also, and less to be expected, a pair of kites in a tree overlooking the canal.

There were other interesting sights also; hopefully there will be another post tomorrow with more photos.

Just catching up

Hello, everyone.

It's been quite a while--well, considering that I'm at home and not out of pocket--since the last post. It's been just one thing after another around here.

We did stroll down to the polling place on election day, even though there weren't any huge races to vote in, because there were issues that needed to be voted on.

On the way over, we saw the ducks having a little rest in the park:

These are domestic ducks, provenance unknown, that arrived at the park after the pond was constructed and filled. There are also some geese...not combative geese, thank heavens, possibly because the park is always dotted with walkers and runners and assorted other folks.

During the last several days, besides our little stroll last Tuesday, there were a few things finished off: a rosary with white perle Hail Mary beads and clear heart Our Father beads. An apron that had been originally sewn with its ties off center was repaired. Some more of the quilting on the Tech quilt has been done, too, in between days when the dining room table is used for actual, you know, eating.

Another rosary has been started, too: purple 20-gauge wire, purple lentil shaped beads for the Our Father beads, little purple perles for the spacers at the ends of the decades (useful if one adds the Fatima Prayer to the end of the decades) and assorted heathery colored glass beads for the Our
Father beads. It sits on the computer desk and I try to do a bead or two every time.

There is also some scrap-busting going on in the form of trivets or mug rug sets. Y'all may remember some color play a little while back which was developing ideas for these mug rug sets. The first one has turned itself into a trivet, oddly enough, but that's okay. It's still something that has a use and gets scraps out of the studio.

A glorious walk today

Hello, everyone.

This morning we got going and walked at Bentsen RGV State Park. At a moderate-slow pace, we strolled three to four miles: from the entrance to the hawk tower and then around the loop back to the entrance, with stops at various bird blinds and feeders.

If anyone is wondering about what can be seen now, the feeder stocking season has begun.

The chachalacas:

An entire flock gathered to eat the seeds. It's fun watching
their social interactions.

Taken at the feeders near the entrance.

And the green jays:

"You got something to say?"

Taken at the blind. They are not fooled by the blind, but they don't seem to care either. These are two of about four or five that were eating seeds. They were loaded with that typical jay-bird attitude.

We are so happy to be back onto a longer walk distance.

Fall is falling

Hello, everyone.

We've been having cooler days now--had windows open for a couple, then actually closed them. Car thermometer claimed 43F when we drove to church this morning.

And from a walk this past week:

Walking east at 8 am (Central Daylight Time) along the flood control channel, saw the tule fog (mist among the weeds) that had formed. Taken with cell phone.
(Technically, tule is a local word for cattail, but tule fog can form in any weeds. This particular ditch doesn't really have any cattails.)

Progress on the Tech quilt: quilting in progress

Hello everyone.
The Tech quilt is slowly approaching completion.  I'm hoping to finish in time to present it at Christmas.

The center has been quilted. There are a couple of spots that will need to be "unsewn" but it's a good start.

I added some interior quilting to the elephant's blanket and ear.

Now that the center is quilted there needs to be some planning and marking before the sides and top and bottom get quilted.  There are just too large of spaces without natural landmarks to wing it there.

Color Play for Mug Rugs

Hello, everyone.

These are a few color samples--all from stash--that are being considered as mug rug schemes. The plan is to make at least two, possibly four, of each, so the design has to be simple and easily replicated. There might be an applique added if there is a large mock-solid square. Or they might be simple stripes, or even a quarter log cabin. The shapes are still up in the air.

Lots of folks like peafowl and feather prints. This color scheme is
all-season, too.

This looks a little too bland. Possibly an applique in the burnt orange color family would help.
The machine decorative stitches would go well, too.
The yellow is a 4 inch square.

Very springlike! A green binding and maybe some bits of green
lace or rickrack to give it a little pop?

Also springlike. As I don't think there are any 4 inch squares in
these fabrics, maybe this set calls for being a quarter-log cabin?

This set seems blah to me--needs an accent color. Perhaps if they're pieced as stripes
and a contrasting applique is added? Or maybe if there is a black with
teal feathers print in the house, that could be added.

I do like this combination. The flowers are the center of attention, and
the darker reds play support very nicely.

The mug rug sets would be donated for inclusion in prizes for bingo games, so they need to be somewhat less idiosyncratic than some patchwork designs work out to be. It's possible that embellishments might be added--such embellishments as are compatible with being on, essentially, a coaster with a coffee cup sitting on it!

Updating on the spin mop

Hello, everyone.

A year or two back, I mentioned that we'd acquired a spin mop. (The Salad Spinner of floor cleaning!)

Well, it got its feelings hurt that I went out of town for a week and when I got home, DH told me that the fool gadget was failing to spin properly. It's hard to mop floors--or shower walls for that matter--if the mop head doesn't drain properly.

I had recently had no luck at all with a similar mop at a relative's house, so several of the ideas that would have been tried were already eliminated. I decided to fall back on one of the more tried-and-true fixes for sticky devices.

Liquid Wrench, next to the mop head. (Strands removed for the moment.)

 Below, photos of parts that were sticking and needed lubrication.

An experiment with a spool

Hello, everyone.

As most people who sew know, thread spools get emptied. I just can't bear to toss them without trying to find a use for the cylinder shaped cores.

Beginning the weave. You can see that the pattern was for
odd count flat peyote. 1 row less would have been a better idea.

Below, a picture of the weaving on the spool:

Progress on the Tech quilt

Hello, everyone.

The Tech quilt, as first considered for pin-basting, turned out to have too small of a backing. I added a row of 6 inch blocks with some blue sashing between them, and a blue 2 inch strip along the bottom. This made it big enough that the top can be laid out on the batting and backing without a lot of warping problems popping up.

The area of layout was moved to the tile-floored hallway instead of the carpeted room it had been in. This necessitated creating ways to prevent critters from waltzing through the basting area and tracking dirt on the quilt. There is a door controlling access on one side, but the hallway is open in the other direction. A piece of dog-crate was deployed.

The crate/gate is supported by a chair and the doorway. Note the piece of selvage
wrapped around the blue metal. Wish we'd thought of that when there was a litter of puppies being confined by this method! There were some unfortunate blue marks on doorways after that experience.

 The quilt layers *just* fit into the space by the front door. If I hold onto the stair banister while going around the fabric!

The quilt layers. The backing is being held steady by pieces of
blue painter's tape.

The approximate density of pinning needed to hold all the layers stable while
machine quilting the layers together. 

The quilting has begun but there are no pictures really of the progress. I have learned that using the sewing machine's blanket stitch on the elephant is a complete failure. (Too smart by half.) Had to rip all of those stitches out! Like they say, Keep It Simple Stupid.

Update on the machine applique project

Hello, everyone.

The machine applique project is done.

This is a partial picture of it, showing the stitching around the edges of various pieces. I didn't put up a complete photo because, with the prints and such, the file size would have been pretty big. This is enough to get the idea, anyway.

This is made from the pillowcase instructions at Joann.com. (Unfortunately, it has disappeared from their site. Here is a Youtube video about the project.) There is an accent strip above the hem part. The hem was created first, then sewn taco-fashion onto the body of the case and after it was all turned right-side out the raw edges on the one side were sewn with a French seam. This means that all the raw edges were covered.

The letters were from Shiny Happy World. Y'all can see that the letter curves are rather sharp. This is why I elected to use a simpler stitch than the snowflakes on the letters. I'm not sure how I feel abous such narrow, tight curves for machine applique. It's a little fussier to do than needle turn applique by hand.

Learning something new (machine applique)

Hello, everyone.

At the monthly meeting of Sewing Club (so called here) we learned about machine applique--one of the members had requested it--and carried nascent projects home to complete.

In the process, I learned more about my older sewing machine, a computerized Kenmore that is actually made by Janome.  There was a sampler of stitches made:

View of the front of the stitch sampler, with the stitch numbers written by the rows

The reverse side, with both sets of sample stitches showing.

The sampler's orange-plus-white rows were done first, and the orange bobbin thread pulled up to the top of the fabric. (Also the zigzag row tunnelled a lot because there wasn't enough stabilizer underneath.) Thinking it over, I realized that I'd used shiny embroidery thread on top, with dull regular thread on the bottom, and they just aren't the same weight and stiffness of thread. I switched out to a bobbin loaded with the blue shiny embroidery thread and the stitches were a lot better.

They did still pull through a bit--even though the thread tension on the top thread was loosened.

I settled on the "star" or "snowflake" stitch for most of the work, and one of the "buttonhole" stitches for the part of it that just wouldn't work out well with the stars.

The top side, stars around the ironed-on heart. Note the basting stitches holding the two layers of stabilizer to the underside.

This is how the stars came out on the underside.

 The button hole stitching, apparently, missed its date with the camera. It was put on the edges of the ironed-on letters spelling a name. There were just too many and too sharp of curves on those letters to use the stars.

The actual project, for which I shopped the stash, is a pillowcase. I used quilting cottons. The red in the picture above is a Kona cotton solid. The heart is one of the many, many fabrics in the printed cottons stash.

New hiking socks!

Hello, everyone.

The old hiking socks, both the 4 pairs of gray liner socks that walked through Portugal and the new 3 pairs of "original weight" socks that started to walk the Camino del Norte, were feeling confining on my toes lately. Maybe they shrank--well the gray ones had been subjected to the automatic dryer at least once and probably have. Certainly the original weight new ones were making my toes noticeably wider inside the boots.

And I'd gotten some toenail stuff going on the first day of the walk from Irun. (They're growing out but they're still a wee bit weird.) I got to thinking about toes and toe boxes and socks, and realized that this pair of boots is at the upper bleeding-edge limit of the old socks' size. That number is not at the very edge of the next size up, however. This seemed like a thing to try out.

Behold the new, size Medium, Injinji socks: one liner (gray) and one "lightweight".

They have each gone for one neighborhood walk. (That's pretty much all that's happening until DH gets his foot cleared for action.) They've also gone through the washer and then been drip dried. *Always drip dry hiking socks!* The darned things shrink.

They were comfortable and didn't get all bunched up inside the boot. More information may come later, after they get more use and longer rambles under their belts.

A neck chain for the shell pendant

Hello, everyone.

As mentioned a few days ago, there has been a project to get the bead-woven shell element back into use.

Thanks to this entry on Pinterest, and a careful study of the beads available in-house (that means stash usage) a neck chain was woven and put onto the shell.

The lobster-claw catches are on the front, not in the back. It means adjusting the routine when adding it to an outfit, but that way the chain can be completely detached if there should be a reason to do so.

Beads used: silver bugle beads from the craft store, silver-lined 15-count rocailles and blue 11-count Delicas from Fire Mountain Gems. Strung on 6 pound Fireline. (I love working with the Fireline!)

So I tried another Pinterest idea

Hello, everyone.

It's been purging season around here. (For non-US readers, purging means throwing away a lot of stuff.)  And purging includes trying to pretty up a bathroom.

This also counts as stash usage! The tray was lying around the house, and the cotton ball cup and toothbrush holder were already there, but not well displayed.

The swab-jar used to hold olives. I used a bit of steel wool to roughen up the paint on the lid and applied two coats of gold spray paint. The knob was floating around in my toolbox.

It really holds the swabs nicely, don't you think?

Beading, re-using a piece and using up stash

Hello, everyone.

Y’all may remember the peyote-stitched shell image that I had made and hung on a purse in 2014…the purse was just the right size (too small for a lot of junk) and I liked it a lot. Unfortunately, it became dilapidated over time, and I had to get a new purse. The new one has no place to hang the blue shell dangle.

So the shell, after being cut off of the old purse, has been sitting around in the assortment of bead things that need to be dealt with. 

Starting another fidget mat

Hello, everyone.

Fidget mats are supposed to be very useful (at least for people who were fidgety before they became ill) to assist dementia patients. There are lots of them on Pinterest.

The mats are also great ways to use up stash! This time, the base fabric is cushion cover fabric, a poly-rayon chenille design of assorted circles and squares. Very modern! The color tones are browns and creams.  The zipper element thus got a contrasting color for its flanges.

While applying the zipper to the mat, I noticed that the pins were difficult to remove.

It's good to have a tweezer around! It worked really well to just nip those tips in and pull the pin out, and even to then insert the pin into the pincushion on the machine.

The zipper element, a fairly common part of fidget mats, is there for the sole purpose of being opened and closed. This one got a small blue heart added behind the zipper--three cheers for bead stash!--so the person can find something under there besides the base fabric of the mat.

The mat is presently ready for binding.

As y'all can see, there are a lot of neutral colors in this one. The flowered circle is a re-used piece of embroidery, which has been backed with muslin and made into a pocket, with a little bit of lace added to ground the circle a bit. The ribbons sticking up from it hold a cheerful button that can be slid back and forth along the ribbon. The animal print at top left is faux-fur, and it's really soft! The chenille pattern gives texture all by itself, and some of the design elements were outline quilted to increase their prominence. There are buttons to the right of the pocket, some with beads on top of the button, and a dangle loop from the red rosette holds an enamel cross (removable for laundry.) There is also a sprinkle of beads in the circle next to the fur, and the green dangle can be moved around, as well as allowing a person to slide the silver-colored tube bead up and down a little bit. The zipper tape is left over from one of the Fabulous Pack Duffels made last spring, with an extra pull added so it's a usable zip.  (ByAnnies.com has directions on how to do this.) Also the red-ribbon rosette, which sits around the shiny gold button but is't sewn down, can be spun.

All the mat needs now is bias tape around the four sides and it can be given to the person. (There are two more chunks of this chenille fabric waiting in the wings to become mats also!) I'm thinking that if there is enough red bias that would be perfect.

Sharing the fun (embroidery)

Hello, everyone.

Recently there arose an opportunity to share the fun of embroidery with DGD--who is just about kindergarten age.

This Pin had been saved with the hope of future use--and the source site talked about using the method with children about the same age. So we were off to the races!

There was a stack of foam plates in the pantry. There was a large assortment of DMC thread wound on cardboard bobbins. And there was a packet of size 22 tapestry needles. (Big enough for the whole 6-strand thread, not super-sharp, and easy for her to hold.)

First she tried a couple of random stitches to get the feel of sewing with the needle. (Which isn't all that different from the cardboard sewing cards in her toybox at home.) Then she traced the outlines of  a heart, to practice following the line, and then her initial. After that, she moved on to a more-complex piece: a flower with 4 front petals, 4 back petals, and a center.

The reverse. Freezer tape used in lieu of knots.

The front.

With this age, even if they can thread the needle themselves once in a while, it's still just at the edge of their coordination abilities, so an older person needs to help with that, and with keeping the floss from making a knot on the back.

Something new on the saguaro cactus

Hello, everyone.

There is something new on the lower part of one of the saguaro cacti. I'm not sure whether it is a branch trying to form, or a flower bud.

This is forming on the east side of a cactus with full sun and an uninterrupted west exposure.

I want to say it's a little baby branch, but who knows? The whole plant is about 12 feet tall (?) and this is only about 2 or 3 feet up from the bottom. Do they branch out that low?

A photo from our last day of walking on this year's pilgrimage

Hello, everyone.

Things have been busy around here--not in an interesting way, just busy--and there just hasn't been much time for the blog this week.

This photo was taken, after DH injured his leg, at the parish church in Deba:

The only thing that was done to this photo was to use the color correction thingie in Photoshop...the medieval carvings are all inside the narthex (covered entryway) of the church and there is just a whole lot of color left on the stone.

I think you're supposed to read it from the bottom up: bottom row, from the left, the Annunciation with an angel, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation in the Temple (these four are all part of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary) and at the right the homage of the Wise Men. Middle row, from the right, the Dormition of Mary (when she died, or "fell asleep" in the term of St. Paul in his epistles) and apparently the whole rest of the row is about the Assumption of Mary, with the heavenly court as witnesses (?) The top is the Coronation of Mary, with the Holy Trinity represented (Jesus and the Father on thrones and the Dove of the Holy Spirit placing the crown) and accompanying angels. These last two are part of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.

The figures next to the flat portion appear to be the heavenly orchestra with instruments. Outward from that, a floral row (the red part) and some other figures that I don't know.

We noticed that it was really neat when we saw it, but the distraction of the injury kept us from seeing just how neat it is until we looked back at pictures later. I have noticed that a lot of the Camino pictures have more in them than we realized when we took them--one benefit of using them for computer screen background!