Snow...Sew!

Wow it's a cold outside! -19 today with the wind factor. I'm just glad I don't live in Buffalo with the amount of snow they received today!

Just a week ago... we had really nice weather, Bill & Nicholas took down Squirrel's cage. I know he's not coming back & just the habit of looking for him & talking to him in his cage was beginning to upset me...so eliminate the problem & you'll seek the solution.
So after ten years of being there now you see it...

 Row by row the bottom bricks were removed, we're going to take them east this spring to make a brick memory walkway in Squirrel's honour. He has been with us since April 4th 2004, a long time for a squirrel's life.

Now you don't see it!  What a mess on the siding & some scratches too, it looks so bare now.

A good scrubbing & the vinyl looks as good as new. I'll miss Squirrel.

I piled morning glory vines with seedpods, we're going to put up an arbor of some sort to fill the area with a punch of the majestic purple colour of the morning glories.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was invited for tea at my girlfriend Mibsie's & knowing how I loved to rug hook, she had wool yardage given to her that she then passed on to me. :)

In her front foyer hung this eye catching quilt made from plaid shirts. I really liked it!

 Trying to find the right red plaid shirt was a quest for Mibsie.
 Looking at the photo...it's oh so nautical in colour.  No wonder I loved it!

 She showed me the two blocks that make the pattern block, one light & one dark. How simple was that!!

 Then those two are put together creating four more, making a total of 8...4 light + 4 dark & voila!

Thank you Mibsie for such an enjoyable, inspiring afternoon tea! And I love the plaid wool too! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My neighbour Pat & I did some Goodwill shopping last week. I was in need of a chair that I could leave outside as I'm vertically challenged to reach the bird feeder. lol I had one for several years but the weather wore it out, so off to the Goodwill for the quest of a chair.

This is the one that I got...however it's too nice to put outside! lol

                                                          How sweet is this wicker chair?!

 The cane insert on the seating  would breakdown way too fast with the weight of the snow & rain. Not to mention my standing on it!

It's in good shape & just needs a new coat of paint, it's going east this spring to be in my studio. This was my great $5.00 find! A patchwork seat cushion will be custom made to protect the seat from 'cat paws', I'm not saying who but one little kitten has been busy lately. lol

 'The kitten was snuggled all snug in her bed...while visions of Tender Vittles danced in her head.'

 See her scratching on Boris' Moses basket, she makes him nervous. lol

 Rexton is over her first 'heat' now & next month she'll be old enough to be spade.

 Look at these loungers, sleeping & grooming themselves.

 Tommy has taken the hard wicker basket over & Boris & Rexton are to share the large Mose's basket.

 These two are too funny to watch! lol

 I took this photo the other day thinking...Tic Tack Toe...there's three in a row! lol Loungers in the lounge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Our first snow fall with a chill factor of -18C.

 A dusting one would say.

 Cold & blustery day...sew on!

 I was in among my things in the studio when I came upon this cat I had made from Diesels fur.

This handsome Siberian Husky grandpup lived with me when  Mitchell attended Durham College & got a good brushing daily. I still have lots of his fur in baggies. I made a muslin cat then needle punched the fur into it until it was covered with his fur.

 I added glass beads for the eyes, some pink roving for the ears, nose & tongue & some black for the mouth. And some plaid from our clan & some of Bose's whiskers. Now some of these maybe some of Tommy & Jerry's whiskers too. Bill makes fun of me that I can see whiskers as I vacuum but I need glasses to read?! I just see them on the furniture or rugs as I clean, no problem seeing things in the distance...just not up close. lol
I think this kitty will look perrrfect on Mitchell's tree!

 I've started doing a little decorating around the house. I found these cute cross stitches stocking that I'd gotten a few years back when Bill & I spent time in Williamsburg VA. My newest embroidery complements the Jim Shore doorstop. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas this year will be in Elnora Alberta. Bill & I are spending it with our 'middle son' Mitchell.
I gave him the name Middleson this summer, explaining to my NB neighbours who he was, he's my middle son, Mitchell & then Middleson was used. As Mitchell was born after Donald but before Nicholas!... Middleson lol

 I've been making homemade decorations for his Christmas tree, the embroidery work is now done.

 I added Canada's Maple Leaf plaid to the back & edged the front with it. I think they look like little purses, I've still to stuff them.

 I like snowmen, they seem like winter fun...rather Frosty to me. lol

These two will be for his tree too.

 I made this heat resistant placemat for his his morning apple crisp. That's his favourite breakfast food or anytime of the day food for that matter. lol

I made it in Christmas colours but it doesn't scream Christmas so he can use this thermal placemat throughout the year.

 I was able to get nine snowflakes made with the ball of hemp.

                                      They starched up beautifully & will hang nicely on the tree.

The chickadee's are getting done too, just need to press & line them with some plaid. I'm using the provincial plaid for New Brunswick as that's the provincial bird. How fitting will be?!

Sewing has been my mainstay these days as the snow continues to fall, I know there's going to be a lot of shoveling for me tomorrow & the weather is suppose to be rain this weekend?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My girlfriend Liz found sock monkey buttons for me...5 little monkey buttons. How much fun are they?! Well I had a few ideas & searched out in the colouring pages in Google just that, 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on a bed...
I was to draw it out the next morning & left the paper copies & monkeys on the counter.
Rexton is a night prowler & played with my monkeys whilst I slept.
In the morning I found monkeys scattered on the counter...only four & have for the last couple days been looking for number '5'.
She takes things in her mouth & runs with them, maybe I'll find that monkey one day, if I don't vacuum it up first!

 Here's my bed for the monkeys to be embroidered.

 Yes it says 'Five Little Monkeys' & there's only four! REXTON!!!

 I love making something from nothing & found these selvages among batting for Squirrel. I sewed the pieces together & made a hotplate for my Friendly Village teapot. The tea stains will never show on it, it's a durable 100% cotton & it compliments the china pattern beautifully!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
With this weather I think tomorrow is another sew on day...

 

 Looking out the front door as the snow comes down.

 It's beginning to look a lot like winter & that isn't till next month!

 I hope the plow makes a trip up our street tonight.

 It does look brighter with all the white snow.

 I've to put the evergreen garland up but not till it stops blowing & snowing, maybe this weekend.

 The lamppost is looking more oval than round with the snow.

In the night shadows it's taking on the look of the candelabra  from the Beauty & the Beast. lol

Sew then...I'm going to

Keep Calm & Sew On!!

 I just realized I'm the only one in this house with furry kids, that's not wearing a fur coat! Well I guess I am with the wool...OMGoodness I'm in sheep's clothing!!! LOL

Thank you for stopping by for a visit.