I'm Hooked & Sew Far

With the cold now here I've been busy with house organizing...which has been procrastinated with my creativity of sewing & hooking. Here's what I've been working on these days.

 The border on my big rug, which doesn't look so big with a 18 pound cat named Bose on it!
She too loves sitting in front of the fireplace, Boris was on the other side of her but moved when I went for my camera.

 This is the view from the lounge's bay window & look at natures design. It took my breathe away on how the snow scalloped around the birds aviary as the sun shone & the day really did look beautiful...cold but beautiful from the inside looking out. lol

 Well the dining room has the Temecula Christmas Countdown Mystery Quilt in the works. Girlfriends out east & now Bev here has been gathering the patterns off the website, it's free!
She gave me a copy last week, so I thought I too would give it a try. Oh my! I'm in for it now...what a lot of work for something so small. However with using just the red, white, & cream, I can keep it out for Valentines Day as well as Canada Day in July. Here's what's done so far...

 These blocks finish at 4 1/2" - I need to make 20 of these.

 These blocks finish at 4 1/2" as well & I'll need 56 blocks.

 Now this darling block finishes at 8 1/2" & I'll need 4 blocks.
As you can see it's very traditional & I'm enjoying the process. Those stars were a nightmare & I had made 9 before I realized that I don't need to be scant on the seam allowance, those will be a 'pointless rug mat' as all the points were lost cutting it to the 2 1/2" size needed!

 I had Bev order this for me last summer when I was at the cottage, it's a embroidered doorstop. I was living the moment of being at the cottage so I had her order blue...there's so much blue out there & none here, so when he's done I'll take him with me & put him in the cabinet in my studio out east & enjoy him there.

 Bev had given me a wee Primitive Gathering kit for a sewing cushion for my Bday, I never stuffed it with the walnut shells so I could use it in my Christmas tree.

 This is my Christmas tree from my studio here. On it are many things that I have made or have been given by my girlfriends over the years. It's a small tree so I put it on the kitchen counter. This is the view from the kitchen...

 Kitchen view.

 The view from the lounge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now some hooking updates.

 I've been taking technique hooking classes every Thursday evening. Here is a technique using coloured pantyhose for a sunset & wool yarn for the silhouette. I drew the picture then tried to transfer it onto the fabric to be hooked. I watched Gone With The Wind as I do every year, love that movie. I had the opportunity to visit the museum in Atlanta of the costumes & stage sets & to been in the house (apartment) of Margaret Mitchell. Wow, it was great & I've been hooked ever since.
My Katie Scarlett was distorted with the pattern transfer, I can really see that now with the photo.
These techniques are done postcard size so they work up quickly.

 Here's a shading technique, just like the rose I did last summer in Richibucto NB.

 A few more images of shading.

 My big rug...the border is similar to the kitchen floor I designed back in the 90's.

 Yes Margie, the cat Tommy, does love the rug too. I was going to fill the outer quads with colour but that would take away from the design. Then I thought grey, like the center if the design on the roof. But it was Nicholas that suggested that I use red, at first I couldn't see it working. Then I had the visual, it would work & enhance the inner design. Thanks Nick!

 I've done then stemming & introduced the colour yellow to my runner.

Here's a close up of the yellow, this is going to be a lot of work & designing to move the colour through evenly. I'm enjoying this process also, you could say 'I'm hooked on hooking right now'.

Bill has asked me to make a baby quilt for the new baby boy that will arrive in China this January. These are the colours that I've chosen for the wee boy. Once the Temecula Mystery is put together this is next! I'll post the finished quilt.
Stay warm, stay safe.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Winter is upon us for sure now. Since last night it looks like viewing a snow globe looking out the window. Bill & Nick shoveled & then got the snow blower out as it just kept piling up.
Here are some photos taken this morning.

 Nick had so much snow & ice on him from being out this morning.

 Squirrel's house was covered too.

 It looked like a beautiful winter land out there...and there's more to come this week too!

 The flag really shows its colours with the white back drop.

 Lucy was brushed off again & again. lol

 The bird's aviary was full of snow.

 Snow was everywhere.

 In the trees, it held its own beauty.

 Then like the Merry Christmas flag of red, the aviary had a red sighting! yes for the first time this winter I saw the male cardnial.:-)

 He was a gorgeous sight to view as the snow had nearly stopped.

 The big plow came up the street again.

 The house is very close to the road, here in the city. So every time the plow comes... the lane way is blocked again from the plow's snow.

While the guys were plowing & shoveling, I was in the house making cabbage rolls. It's good to have the stove on, on days like these.
The guys have ventured back to Brampton, using the back way for a bit as the 401 has had a lot of accidents on it. Once they get further up the peninsula, the snow streamer will be gone. Drive safe.
And be glad that the snow tires went on this weekend!

 

Adjusting To My Change

I`ve been adjusting to the time change & the change of areas & starting to remember where things are here in the house. The other day I could not remember where I put my baking pans to make an apple crisp. Good memory...just not long. Well it has been 6 months since I`ve seen this kitchen & 6 months from now I`ll probably go through the same thing in the cottage kitchen.

The wildlife is still here & I enjoy watching everyone of them, come for something to eat.

 There was a rabbit hopping around...

 And by the size of him, I could tell he had an appetite for the sunflower seeds that had fallen from the bird feeder.

 Then he was off on his way through the fences. So Peter Rabbit like. lol

 Then along came a female cardinal.

 She was very hard to photograph, however her presence made my heart sing as I only see them when I`m here. The male is always close by but I never saw him.

 I awoke to a dusting of snow the other morning.

 My studio has been over grown with the English ivy.

 It was just a dusting to remind us of what`s to come...

 I`ve been working on my Fanwood Rug & did the rabbit the same colour as my backyard friend. I really like the way the robins in the foreground turned out.  I look forward to seeing robins as that is a sure sign of spring & that again... I survived winter. lol Yes I put 2014 on the rug as the year completed as that`s when it will be done. I also changed the border design to be done in a quarto of colour & I`m thinking of using black in the middle to ground the four colours it surrounds. Just like quilting, the work talks to me as I advance with it...time will tell & that`s the fun of creating.

 I attended a workshop for Crewel rug hooking by Linda Sullivan of St. Catherine's ON.

The runner was a UFO of Connie's & the blue hooked flowers are what she had completed on one of her workshops. I like blue so they're staying in & I'm working around her colour choice.

This is what I've done so far. It's done with a 4 cut yarn & the border was a 6 cut. It's a learning curve for me as I'm a Brigg's & Little yarn hooker & a 8 cut primitive hooker.

It very dainty yarn to work with,  much the same as the blue rose I did in the summer. I've also added the texture of the chain stitch for the stems.

Boris the Boston Terrier & Tommy the cat have settled in nicely in front of the fireplace. Dreaming away...there's no place like home...

As the snow dusted morning was behind us & a morning of snow dumping upon us from an overnight storm front.

My English ivy does hold the snow, nothing seems to kill it. I'm going to take some out east this spring to see if it will take hold there.
This ivy is very special to me as it came from the casket floral spray of my English friend Eddie. After the burial, I took home some of the ivy to root in water. Once rooted & potted,  I then planted  the ivy in front of my studio window in 1996 & Eddie's English Ivy, has grown everywhere in the backyard since.

I'm so glad Bill & Nick put my winter tires on before all this. The 'Lake Effect' is starting & winter will be upon us soon.

Even Lucy is getting snowed upon. lol

I dusted the snow off for the first time this year...I know it won't be the last!
Stay warm & safe my friends.