Heart fidget, 3rd progress report

Hello, everyone.

This is a progress update on the heart fidget. More elements have been placed and the filling of the background has commenced.

The white circles are mother of pearl beads. Their framing rows are 15 count rocaille beads. The background on the left side is mostly the 11 count transparent red seed beads. The contrast in color between the left and right background is because the rocaille beads have an iridescent finish on them. The beads are overall pleasant to touch and run fingertips over--which is really the whole point of a fidget in my opinion.

A book that the Christmas angels brought me, which is very helpful with thinking about these things, is Bead Embroidery Jewelry Products by Jamie Cloud Eakin. (The link goes to Amazon, but it may be available in your local bead or craft store. Along with the goodies beads to make the projects!)

Heart fidget, 2nd progress report

Hello, everyone.

As I'm trying to keep posts short enough that busy people can read them, there will be several smaller reports on the heart fidget.

Also, after the first photo, I switched from the phone to an actual separate camera.

Moving along with stitching, and many of the beads pose for a picture in their boxes and bags.

The back side.

If there had been plans to bead embroider this heart to begin with, there would have been a different stabilizer used I think. (I do have some Lacy's Stiff Stuff and also some similar feeling stabilizer that is used for hats and such. But didn't think of it until later!) One learns as one goes, they say.

Adventures in cooking

Hello, everyone. Today we drove down to South Padre Island to take in the Rio Grande Valley Quilt Show. It was neat. There were *so many* quilts on display, and so many of them were artistically beautiful and or technically impressive. I'm so glad DH went with me and we were able to talk about the many designs and color choices and techniques.

After we drove home, I got the thought to try and ring changes on the tried and true Spanish Tortilla de Patata. (There is no gluten in this, by the way, as it's basically a form of omelet or fritatta.) So I got out the mandoline and sliced a couple of calabaza squashes into slices. (Calabaza is a Mediterranean type of zucchini, great flavor.) I salted it and set it into the strainer to let the excess water out. Oh, if only I had followed up on this by squeezing the squash bits in a towel! But I am ahead of myself.

Another fidget

Hello, everyone.

It's been a shockingly long time since a post here, sorry about that.

This is an early progress photo of the newest project in process. It's a fidget and it may be just itself, or it may be appliqued onto a mat. The jury is still out on that.

The major accent on the right is sewn down and netted to stabilize it. Pearls are going in along the left side. There will be more added! And if I am running out of steam, at the end of the beading I'll just make and attach a vinyl backing and put a bead edge to hide the seam. It's being sewn sturdily enough that a person can fiddle it in his hand without the beads all flying around loose. (Well--it's intended to be sturdy enough not to come apart.)

Scraps of pet screening were added on the back for additional strength. Various sizes and shapes of artificial pearls, red seed beads , clear iridescent seed beads in the netting on the large bead, Fireline 6 pound test line. The red spotted ones on the top left are saucer shaped (rondelle shaped?) pearls with a red #11 Japanese seed bead on top of each one.

More in a later post, it's getting late here.

Bentsen State Park

Hello, everyone.

As another sharp cold front is roaring through the area, I am reminded that we went back to Bentsen Park again a few days ago. It happened that this was the day of the annual bird count--the bird watching hobbyists like to count how many different varieties of birds are to be found in an area, and they coordinate their efforts.There were little groups of bird watchers everywhere and they happily told us about how many birds they were seeing and what kinds. It was just after the last cold front had washed out, so the birds weren't quite so enthused about coming out at the feeders, but when we dropped by again the following day we heard that the number of species was well over 100.

Pelicans, cormorants, possibly a karakara?

Altamira Oriole--one of our Valley specialties

This little fellow was chasing flying insects all over the place.

Tonight the low is supposed to be a bit below freezing. The tent has returned to the hibiscus and frangipane, and this morning I added some extra safety pins (the wind disclosed a gap) and turned on the Christmas light string wrapped around the stems. We also have bricks placed on the bottom edge of the sheets this time to keep the wind from lifting the cover.

Sewing with pet screen

Hello, everyone.

As many of you will recall immediately, last summer while on the Camino del Norte, we had a bad day, and DH was injured. We concluded, after reflection, that both of us need to be using hiking poles.

Poles have tips--little rubber ends that screw on so that if you're using them to keep from falling on slick pavement, they don't go "click, click, click" and also don't make holes or catch in pavement that is, like some asphalt, a little bit rough. The tips are not large, and I became worried that they would fall to the bottom of the pack and be unfindable--totally a word, guys!--when needed along the trail.

Thus the pole tip bag was conceived.

Tip bag, closed.

Tip bag with tip sticking out of opening.

The little bags are about 3"x3" in finished size. The chief difference between these and your standard boxed-corner utility bag (like a dopp kit) is that these have an overlap on the top for the Velcro closure. They were made of pet screening, a sturdier version of window screening that can be found in one or two colors at the hardware store (it's used to screen windows that pets scratch on as it's resistant to the damage caused) or many colors online at sewing/crafting shops. I have seen a bolt of black pet screen on the Utility Fabrics shelf at my local JoAnn store as well.

The blue fabric is ripstop nylon that was on hand, and the Velcro tape was also on hand. Stash usage! (Well, the pet screen was stash as well--we have pets.)

The idea with these little bags is that we will tuck them into the top zipper pocket of our packs, or if the tips inside are wet maybe we will hang them from a loop on the side, and when taking the pole tips off to walk on dirt trails, we will put them into their very own place so they don't get lost.

(Links go to examples of the thing described. The fabric may have been purchased at Fabric.com or the local JoAnn store instead, but these links were handy to illustrate with.)

Happy (chilly) New Year

Hello, everyone.

The new year has started with freeze warnings! And we have gotten out some of our "freeze sheets" from the box in the storage shelves.

The lows are supposed to be hitting about 31F around dawn. Yesterday and today it has been cloudy all day and drizzly for much of it: this creates the expectation of freezing rain. (Rain that is liquid until it lands, then freezes. Especially on fencing, cars, etc. etc.) We've been staying in a lot.

The above pictured "tent" is created from 6 old bedsheets and a big handful of 3" quilter's basting (safety) pins. Under the sheets there are 2 strings of c7 incandescent Christmas lights. Don't let anyone tell you that incandescent lights are useless! We have used them many times to keep tomatoes and peppers alive. This year, they're on the frangipane bush (large for a frangipane) and the hibiscus bush. There are other tender plants, but I'm banking on the idea that they won't get cold enough to outright die on us. A lot of pots were hauled up onto the porch for the duration, and the spider plants and the lone surviving orchid plant were brought inside.

That's all the news from south Texas! And to all of y'all, I wish a happy and prosperous new year.