Tuesday 27 October 2015

What Would Grandma Say?

Yesterday we went to a few estate sales. As usual, I find things for me, DH - not so much.  I picked up a very nice Mi'kmaq sewing basket and a cutwork linen tablecloth with only 1 corner completed. The tablecloth was in a box. I took that with me.

When I get home and flip the box over (before trashing it) I behold the best buy ever! Just think, a dress shop named for me with a real sense of style! I think I may have it framed for my makery.



After the trip to the UK my sewing space is now "The Makery". The British  have a whole thing about makers being more than sewers or crafters, but just slightly less than artists. I think. It was a very confusing conversation at the time. New concept, heavy accent - there may have been too much sugar in my coffee as well. But I do like the name 'makery'. It suits.

At the second estate sale I got 2 lots of buttons. Nothing makes me happier than sorting buttons. If you have some to be sorted, please drop them by. You will be pleased with the results. It's my zen.

I also advised some nice ladies not to pay $350 for an older model White serger. I'm sure it was a great serger in its day and still works well. But you know the threading is going to be boggling and a tune up will break $100. Really. $50 would have been fine.

I admire arty quilts. The ones that someone loads onto a huge frame and spends hours and days and weeks getting the 'loft' and the 'thread' and the swoops and swirls just right. They look amazing! I am in awe of the art form they are. But are they quilts?And what about those gorgeous 'picture' quilts where you use your sewing machine and fabric like an artist uses a brush? I could never do that. No artistic talent at all. Again, is that a quilt?

What is a quilt to you? I want mine to be built to last a few tug of wars. I want colour and design that gives your eye lots to look over. I want it to be warm and cozy and supple. Too much stitching and that supple part is gone. I like scrappy quilts. I have never purchased all the fabric for a quilt in one go and without at least a few well aged stash fabrics I'm not sure it could be mine. I like to imagine my quilts many years from now, raggedy, well loved and just a few stains from breakfast in bed.

Some people define real food as a substance your grandparents would recognize and eat. Would grandma recognize the modern quilts of today? All, part or none of what we see today? Just what would grandma say?

Wednesday 21 October 2015

Important Safety Tips

I grow kale in the garden. Even the deer don't eat it. That should tell me something.

I throw it in soups and stews. It's fine there but I needed another use for my fine crop. I heard about crispy kale from the oven. You are supposed to douse it with oil and salt and then pop it in the oven to crisp up. I left off the oil and salt as we don't do those things in this house.

OMG! You need the salt and oil. I may never get that taste out of my mouth! I am currently downing a lot of frozen yogurt to restore my taste buds to a semblance of normal. Tastes like slightly burnt cardboard. Really old burnt cardboard. From grandmother's attic.

Now think about that. Oil and salt. Kale is just a carrier and excuse for the oil and salt. Beware.

Well while in the garden I also plucked the last of the broccoli. I rinsed it well and cooked it up. Looked great! First bite was excellent!

OK. I have read that you should (and I have in the past) soak your broccoli in salted water for 20 minutes before cooking. Never saw a bug. Ever.

There, in my broccoli was one well cooked caterpillar. To be more accurate, there were several. I am really hoping I got to see them all. I had that first bite while watching TV. I am trying really hard to get the broccoli taste out of my mouth now as well.

There may not be enough frozen yogurt in the world. I'm going for the maple syrup. That may help.

Wednesday 14 October 2015

Home Again

And we are home.

I no longer wake up at 3:30, hungry for breakfast. Thats a relief. My eating habits are somewhat back to normal and that's a good thing, as we no longer walk 20,000 km a day.

This week we went from summer to fall. All the leaves are busy tossing themselves to the left and to the right. My garden is more of a compost pile. The deer ate the tops off everything so it's a bit of a treasure hunt out there.

I have my 2 sewing machines back from their respective 'day at the spa'. It's too hard to let them out of the house so I try to do it when I am away. They came through the experience well, with a few worn parts now replaced. Don't you wish your body was that easy? I could use some new joints and some tightening of saggy parts.

I'm sewing up the latest bag from my Swoon Vintage Collection. It's a cute bag and I need a lunch bag. It seems wrong not to have one. I have some vintage looking laminated cotton and thought it would be just the thing for the inner and outer layers. My lovely Pfaff did something I've never seen (or rather heard) it do before. It farted!

There is no other better description. As each stitch progresses through the feed dogs the cloth squeaks on the machine bed. However, it sounds just like a row of perfect little old lady farts!I am using a teflon foot and the stitches are just fine. We just fart our way through each seam.

This is new for me. Very new. Makes it hard to concentrate.