What would your IDEAL job be?

Someone asked me that question this past week.  Made me think ... and THAT was painful!  I can certainly say what the WORST job I ever had was ... in fact, I can quickly say what the TWO WORST jobs I ever had were. 

#1 was making up cardboard boxes in a fruit packing plant.  I was about 15 years old.  Flip, fold, tuck, glue, stack on pallet, then repeat 9,997 X for the rest of the day.  AARRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!  This was all done in some isolated corner out of sight of other human beings.  I used to BEG the forklift operator who came every hour or so to pick up full pallets of finished boxes to stay and talk to me for just a minute or two cuz I was so desperately lonely and bored!  I don't remember which particular fruit was being processed, but I lasted the entire run.  I guess I really wanted the $! 

#2 was selling shoes.  I lasted 3 whole days, but to this day I don't know how I managed to hang in there that long!  First, I don't like other people's feet.  They gross me out.  Second, I don't like trying on shoes myself.  One pair, okay.  Two pairs, well maybe ... if I'm having a very patient day.  Third pair?  Forget it, I didn't need/want new shoes that bad!  Did you know that some "customers" will try on 97 pairs of shoes?  And then LEAVE WITHOUT BUYING ANYTHING???  Which means the poor shoe sales person has to repackage and reshelve all those shoes?????  Even worse than that ... did you know some "customers" will only try on size 6 shoes when they are clearly size 10s??????????  So you KNOW they aren't going to be happy with the next 96 pairs they try on!  I hated that job SO MUCH!

But that still didn't answer the question.  Hmm.  I'll have to do some more thinking.  I suspect my answer will have something to do with being creative cuz I love being creative ... THIS DISCUSSION TO BE CONTINUED ...

Speaking of being creative, I don't believe I have shared photos of my latest tote/bag (sewn last August).

 My "scrap bin" was overflowing, so I used up a bunch of little pieces of fabrics.  The scrap bin seems to have miraculous properties cuz it's STILL overflowing, and I'm STILL devising ways to use up little pieces.  At the moment, I'm working on a quilted wall hanging of hearts and cats.

 I really enjoy hand-sewing and hand-quilting, although it's quite a challenge now with this annoying limp hand and thumb!  The cats will have bows and bells stitched under their chins eventually.

Minus 10 degrees C and snowing lightly outside at the moment.  Good time to curl up in the rocking chair with my stitching.  Perhaps THAT is my ideal job???

Happy All Hallows Eve!

Look what the weather did here last Saturday ...

... "fluffy" rain!  It didn't stick though.  However, I'm sure the real thing won't be long now.

Look what we have back in our part of the world ...

... very exciting for us fabriholics!  Fortunately, it's a 2 bus expedition for me to get there, so that cuts down on that spontaneous indulging thing considerably.  I bought some crafty cottons (will post pix later this week) to do some Christmassy gifts with, although my INTENT was to purchase buttons for the sweater I'm knitting at the moment.

So I got into the Halloween spirit today ...

When I climbed onto the bus this morning, the bus driver said something about me not having my broom.  So I replied "Oh, my broom didn't pass this year's emission standards test, so I decided to park it and opt for a more ecologically efficient means of transportion ... public transit."  He just stared at me, looking stunned, and finally replied "I can't think of a single response to that!"

Sorry, short post.  Gotta go do "witchy" things ... like dip into the candy bowl!  Happy Halloween!

September 30th 2011

Did y'all miss me?  Didja?  Didja REALLY???  Well, I'm back!  September is like the beginning of a New Year to me, and I needed to take some time to take stock, re-evaluate, et cetera.  I did that.  And now I'm done doing that.  So I'm blogging again.

I miss being a student.  Well, that's a PARTIAL lie as I am currently an Aromatherapy student.  I'm just not currently an "academic" student as in working on my Master's degree.  To make me feel better about the arrival of September without an "academic" return to studenthood, I made myself a new lunch bag.


I had this GREAT "school days" fabric, but decided it was a little TOO "school days" for a lunch bag to take to work.




So I used an assortment of "pinks" and "coffee prints".  The exterior of the bag consists of fabric strips attached to a solid layer of fabric plus batting in a "quilt as you go" technique.




Once all the exterior strips are attached, you sew the exterior of the bag together.




Then you make a separate lining.  More pink fabric ... with a "coffee" theme.




Then you sew the lining into the innards of the bag and the flap.  Yes, I followed the instructions.  (I don't usually.)




Finally, you add velcro closures.




And ... TA DA! ... Here's the finished lunch bag!  Oh, the big bright pink button on the closure flap was my idea, not in the pattern instructions.  (But I did follow the instructions up to that point!)

  There are some things I would do differently were I to tackle making another lunch bag like this.  First, I don't see the need for the separate lining.  The inner layer of fabric is already nicely quilted.  Perhaps just a lining on the "flap" part.  Second, the carrying strap/handle is currently positioned in a way that puts all of the weight on the "flap" part.  I have visions of the velcro letting go and my lunch scattering all over the place ... not to mention my favourite little glass casserole dish getting broken!  I would move the carrying strap/handle back further on the body of the bag.  Finally ... and kind of related to the lining issue ... I would create internal "pockets" for cutlery.

So what did I pack for lunch the first day I used my new lunch bag?

Homemade buns and a can of tuna.

An onion and a carrot. 

And a fresh peach.
It wasn't a particularly good peach.
I used to live in the Okanagan, so "I know from peaches already!"

 While I had "pinks" sorted out in my sewing corner, I FINALLY got around to making a cushion cover for my rocking chair.  (The cushion had been living in an old pillow case with the end folded under.)


I used the same "quilt as you go" method as I used on my lunch bag.  Notice the cat print and the word "finicky" at the centre.  I couldn't help myself!
Yes, that is "approximately" a log cabin pattern ... but the strips are uneven.  I kind of like things that are slightly off-centre!  I'm like that one little owl hanging upside down at the end of the branch while all the other "good" little owls are lined up right side up!




Looks quite nice on my wood rocking chair, if I do say so myself.



And Mizz Bootz gave it her serious consideration and ultimately her purr of approval!


 Are the fall colours as GLORIOUS in your part of the world as they are here right now?  I wish I could just bottle all those beautiful shades of yellow and gold and save them up to look at over the long winter ahead!  I'll be back soon ...

 

"Memories" Quilt Block and A Fashion Disaster

Several of you pointed out that I didn't blog about the significance of each quilt block in my "Grateful Heart Sampler" quilt.  Very good point ... y'all are certainly observant!  To remedy that, I will begin by sharing what I wrote in my personal journal about my "Memories" block ...

Saturday, January 01, 2011

First day of a new calendar year.  It's about minus fifteen, snowing very lightly, and quiet.  Our (Miss Boots and I) big endeavour for this day has been the completion of the first block of an ambitious new quilt project called "A Grateful Heart Sampler".  The purpose of each quilt block is to symbolize something important for which we are grateful, and the patterns come from the Winter 2009/10 edition of McCall's "America Makes Quilts" magazine.

The first block is called "Memories".  The pattern author says: "memories help us look back while we live in the present.  We learn from our experiences, remembering our successes and failures.  Sometimes the simplest thing triggers a memory; a smell, a voice, a song, a photo, a dish, etc."

The first part of constructing any quilt block is choosing the fabrics for its components.  I actually chose the fabrics for this block before Christmas.  Perhaps it was the approaching holiday that spurred me to choose the four-inch "fussy cut" centre, a red fabric with tiny white snowflakes around an old-fashioned little Miss wearing a full skirt, white with snowflakes, and carrying beribboned pots of poinsettias.  Reminded me of childhood Christmas concerts.  One year, "J." wore a fancy dress with a flocked design on its wheer white over-skirt.  (I wore a practical blue plaid wool jumper.)  "J." also wore white leotards and black patent leather shoes.  (I wore beige leotards and sensible winter "rubbers" as dress shoes weren't appropriate in snow.)  Naturally, "J." pointed out each of my shortcomings.  She was actually quite cruel compared to other Sunday School age peers.  However, "J.'s" taunts and my beige leotards could not diminish the joys of the annual Christmas concert!

There was music ... oh such music!  Everyone practised and practised for weeks.  I sang solo for the first time at one of those Christmas concerts (O Little Town of Bethlehem) when I was 4 or 5.  It was a magical moment when I realized everyone was listening to me!  There was drama, right from the simple lisped, and usually coaxed and coached, lines by "L.'s" preschoolers and up to complex multi-act skits by young adults.  I wrote and directed the Christmas concert skit when I was 13.  It was about an extra Magi who never managed to get his act together in time to arrive at Bethlehem with the other Magi, and went over well with actors and audience alike.  There were also treats for every child, a brown paper bag with a Mandarin orange and a variety of nuts and hard candies.  Being a lifelong chocoholic, I didn't care much for the candies, but the nuts and oranges were a great treat!  One must remember that our one and only small-town grocery store only carried oranges and nuts briefly in season, not like today's supermarkets.

That one little fabric square certainly launched an avalanche of memories ... good, bad, funny, disappointing, triumphant, bitter ... each recollection stitched into the person I am today.  I chose another red fabric (with musical notes) and a blue fabric (with tiny cupcakes and sandwiches and pizza slices) to compliment my old-fashioned Christmas little Miss, as memories of special occasions throughout my life invariably include both music and food.

When I sorted through fabrics for one more something to complete this block, I envisioned something very plain and neutral, perhaps a subtle white-on-white print.  However, I found a blue-on-white print that reminded me of the Corelle dishes that Joe and I bought our first Christmas together and then added to over the years as we raised our family.  Stood to reason that childhood memories be bridged to my present with symbols of my young adult years and my own offspring.

The completed block is, I think, quite attractive.  With two blues, it has a rather wintery look, particularly from a distance.  The only "rule" I've set out for myself for this project is one blue something per block.  How like me, eh?  Make a rule and promptly break it!  Just call me rebel.  My Dad used to say "begin your year how you plan to spend the rest of it".  Does that mean I'm going to be rebellious all 2011?  Or just a sentimental quilter?

WE WILL NOW PAUSE THIS POST ABOUT QUILTING TO ATTEND TO A FASHION DISASTER!

My friend's young daughter, "Little Madam C." came to visit this past weekend.  At one point, I suggested she play with the doll she had left at my place while I got some Saturday chores done.  This suggestion was met with hand on hip and eye rolling and "I don't really play with dolls anymore cuz I'm like in grade one now!"  Eventually, she got so bored that she went and fetched the doll.  Much to her horror, she discovered "Patty Maty" was "totally dressed inappropriately for this weather!"  (I don't think I knew what the word "inappropriately" meant back in grade one.)

FASHION DISASTER!
Patty Maty is still wearing her Easter dress!  Tiger "L." is more APPROPRIATELY dressed for winter in his black turtleneck and black leather jacket.

And furthermore, Patty Maty has accomplished potty training since last being seen!

"REALLY!  Even my baby brother doesn't wear a diaper any more!"

So the first thing we had to address was appropriate undergarments.  We settled on a nice practical cotton cami and panties set.

Practical but pretty lingerie cuz "every girl should have pretty lingeries!"

The blue ribbons are important cuz "it's the little details that say it's good quality".  (I certainly wasn't aware of good quality when I was in grade 1 ... I got hand-me-downs and was lucky if they fit!)  Then we made a pair of REAL jeans.

Notice the top-stitching ... we're paying attention to those quality details!

And a nice long-sleeved shirt to go with the jeans.  Cuz it's like winter you know.

Patty Maty all dressed appropriately and ready for a ride to school in Tiger "L's" truck!

Since the long-sleeved shirt is for school, we had to make a "chillaxing" outfit.  (I'm darned sure I didn't know the word "chillaxing" when I was in grade 1!)  So we came up with a plain long-sleeved white teeshirt ...

The "chillaxing" teeshirt

... and dressed it up with some lace at the neckline and an appliqued satin "P" (for Patty Maty) on the front.  Of course, we had to come up with "chillaxing" pants too, which we made out of some soft and comfy flannalette.  Little Madam "C" was quite helpful with all this sewing.  Her little hands were quite adept at pinning and cutting, so we had a few basic sewing lessons, including selvage edges, fabric grain, and sewing straight seams.

Chillaxing pants pinned on flannelette.
Notice how the arrow is lined up nice and straight to the selvage edge of the fabric!

Apparently, DRESSING dolls appropriately is not the same as actually PLAYING with dolls.  However, I did notice that Patty Maty was in the kitchen later while we baked cookies, and also tucked under the quilt with Little Madam "C" at bed time!

Patty Maty in her apron, perched on the bread machine while we baked cookies.

Times for me to treasure as Little Madam will all too soon REALLY be too old to dress/play with dolls!  Hopefully, she'll remember the two of us sewing together.


Hey!  There were a couple of cars parked there last Friday!

It was fun getting to work this morning.  We had a 'little bit" of snow over the weekend!  Have a great week, y'all!

Frosty the Snowman

Considering THIS ...... is the view from my balcony, Frosty the Snowman would be an appropriate ear worm. However, the song that's been running through my head all day ... damn CBC Radio and Daybreak North! ... is I'll Be There With Bells On by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Most annoying!

Seriously though ... 'tis the season! Our office has been busy receiving donations for our Christmas Hampers program, and I find myself brought to tears by the generosity of this community. Things like this ...... handmade mini Christmas stockings for our Meals on Wheels clients ... really brings the message home that this is a CARING community! I guess that's why I stuck around here after finishing my degree even though I had only planned on a brief two-year visit.

So how was YOUR weekend?

I took myself shopping on Friday night ... NOT a good thing to do this time of year, but I was on a mission. First, I wanted some new chair pads for the dining room chairs ...

... RED of course. Well, actually more of a burgundy. Suede. From Jysk (the local equivalent of Ikea), naturally. I also bought myself a bookcase and these three little cutesie moose (mooses? sometimes English baffles me) ...... because they are entertaining and one can never have too many candle holders.

On Saturday, I put together my new bookcase (haven't got to unpacking books yet) ...... which pretty much matches the Jysk china cabinet ...... that I bought and put together last summer. It's a good place from which Plum Blossom (the ceramic cat) can keep an eye on things. (The weird object sprouting upright branches on the left is a lamp ... what can I say? ... it was a housewarming gift!) Little by little, I'm turning this place into home instead of poor-student-with-no-belongings-digs! I've even got things on the walls, such as these little shelves ...

In my last couple of spaces, I never got around to putting things on the walls. I guess I knew I wasn't going to stay there very long.

One thing I miss in this place is lack of a kitchen window. Couldn't very well have a kitchen window in an apartment block ... it would look into the neighbour's bathroom, and ... well ... NO THANKS! On Sunday, I put up a little faux kitchen curtain ...

... over my sink. It's on one of those spring rods so it doesn't require screws or nails in the cupboards. It gives me the feeling of a country kitchen, and I can wash dishes and let my imagination conjure up country fields on the other side of my illusionary window. Don't laugh! It works!

Funny story ... I moved into this apartment last July, and have moved my sewing machine back and forth between livingroom, bedroom, dining room, back to bedroom, back to livingroom, etc. No corner in the place felt right for it! Eventually, I settled for a spot under my bedroom window ... which I'm now seriously regretting as I keep my bedroom window open a bit year round, even in minus twenty weather, and now it's too COLD to sit and sew under my bedroom window!

That's NOT the funny part of the story (but you can laugh if you want)! In the process of all that moving back and forth, I lost the foot pedal for my sewing machine! I knew perfectly well that it was SOMEWHERE in this apartment, that I had put it somewhere perfectly SAFE ... I just couldn't figure out where! So I sewed my little faux kitchen curtain BY HAND. Really not such a big deal ... a quick hem on both sides, a rod pocket on the top, and a nice deep hem along the bottom. Took all of half an hour. Would have taken five minutes or less had I been able to find the foot pedal for my sewing machine!

Sunday evening, I checked the weather report (minus 18) and decided I'd better dig a winter hat out for the next morning's commute to work. Guess what I found hanging right inside my storage room ... in a plastic bag marked SEWING MACHINE PARTS - DO NOT THROW OUT! Yes, the missing foot pedal! It was certainly safe!

My last little burst of creativity on Sunday was arranging a few pine cones and cinnamon sticks in this glass bowl for the little half-table in my entrance hallway ...

... the cinnamon smells so nice and homey when you walk in!

WAIT A DING DANG MINUTE!!!

WHO PUT THOSE CHRISTMAS BALLS IN THE BOWL???

This and that

It rained today. And I do mean RAINED! I could see the storm coming, and got about this close to the bus stop after work before the dam broke and I got SOAKED ...It was much nicer observing the storm from the dry comfort of my balcony after I got home! The skies were so dark in every direction around the city. Here's the view from my balcony:Just after I took this picture (around 5:30 pm) there was a spectacular KABOOM! and a glorious flash of lightening. I love storms. However, I wasn't quite fast enough to catch a picture of the lightening. While out on my balcony, I noticed my Scarlet Runner Beans have finally started to make flowers ...... probably just in time for the first frost! I hope the hummingbirds get to enjoy them for a while first. My two little Christmas Cacti are just covered with new growth ...Living out on the balcony for the past two months has certainly been good for their health! I know I have certainly enjoyed sitting out on my balcony with my morning tea and again at the end of the day. Not today, though. It was too windy, and I was hungry. Heading into the kitchen, I snapped a picture of one of these quilted placemats ...I can't remember if I've posted a picture of one of them before or not. And I'm too lazy to look back at previous posts to see. Or perhaps I was too hungry! I needed some quick hot comfort food to get warmed up after getting soaked in the rain on the way home, so I fried up some perogies ...And heated up some corn ...Alas, it was frozen niblets, not even this year's fresh corn. But it really hit the spot today! After I ate supper, I thought I would take a couple of pictures of stuff around the apartment, such as this new little table in my entrance hallway ...See the little "knight in shining armor" book end? One of my wacky friends decided I needed a knight in shining armor and presented me with that half of a set of book ends for Christmas several years ago. Sir Knight has a working thermometer in his shield. Very handy! I thought a single book end looked a bit silly without a book, so I put that mini-book beside it. It's a peverse sense of humor thing. Last weekend I put up these little decorator cubes ...That's officially TWO sets of things on my walls now. This is a record for me. Usually I move into a place and forget all about putting stuff on the walls until someone asks why my walls are so bare! I figured this was a safe place to put my eagle feather and sage bundle, both of which are very special to me. Oh, I also found a bedside lamp for the enormous sum of $10 at Jysk (like Ikea) ...It's the first lamp I've ever had where the lightbulb sticks up ABOVE the lamp shade. Is that normal? I've had a difficult time figuring out how to arrange my bedroom. I tried several possible layouts, and kept waking up in the morning with my head at the foot of my bed, or all of me lying sideways across my bed. Someone suggested I would continue to have restless sleeps until I arranged my bedroom furniture so that my head was pointed toward Mecca. (I want to point out that I totally do not intend any disrespect for any particular belief system here.) Apparently, EAST is the appropriate direction to aim my head for restful sleep ...Fernando the well-worn teddy bear doesn't really care which direction his head is pointed.He sleeps just fine every night. What with all that bedroom furniture moving happening, my poor Little Brother Sewing Machine got moved out of, back into, out of, and back into my bedroom numerous times. Now that the bedroom layout has been resolved, my sewing machine has a sunny (when the curtains are open) permanent corner to live in ...Look! I even hung up my thread holder, and organized all my thread spools on it! So far, Stanley the Button Jar has not expressed an opinion about this new location.Someone (not mentioning any names, of course, L.!) expressed the opinion that my bedroom was not "girly" enough. Excuse me? There is PINK in the quilt on my bed! There's a lovely red feather boa ... don't ask! ... hanging over my dresser! SOMEONE needs to re-evaluate the definition of "girly"! Mm hmm. The opinion came with this sign ...which is apparently supposed to solve the problem. Yup. Hanging a pink sign with the word "princess" on it makes me more feminine. Go figure! Speaking of feminine, I have made the acquaintance of a couple of great guys down the hall in my apartment building, and we had a delightful little Scrabble soiree earlier this week. I made some of this ... Fig and Cheese Spread ... for the occasion ...

Sorry about the out-of-focus picture. A considerable quantity of wine was consumed prior to taking this picture. Sorry I can't share a picture of the actual food. First, we were too busy drinking wine and playing Scrabble to pause for photos, and second, we ate it all! It was really good! Here's the recipe:

8 to 10 dried figs, quartered
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, snipped finely
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 pkg soft goat cheese

Put figs in a small saucepan, cover with water, and simmer 5 minutes or so, or until softened. Drain and cool. Saute onion in butter in a skillet until golden brown. Stir in cooled figs and thyme. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, then add balsamic vinegar and cook another couple of minutes until figs and onions are glazed. Spoon glazed figs and onions over goat cheese and pass the crackers.

We decided Philly cream cheese could be substituted if you're squeamish about eating chevre, but we all really enjoyed the chevre. It was excellent with both red and white wine, and would probably even taste delightful with beer. Speaking of drinks, do you have one of these stainless steel water bottles?

If you don't, you NEED one before next summer! I've been using this little beauty for several months now. I just fill it up with cold tap water, and it STAYS COLD all day! Beats the heck out of buying bottled water and putting all that plastic into the garbage. Well, that's about all of the "this and that" I can think of for now. I'll close by sharing this thought ...