Author: jmn

Jan 1, 2025

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The year begins. I can’t say I’m filled with eager anticipation. I’m expecting another difficult year.

The political uncertainty in both Canada and the US will affect all of us in many unanticipated ways. There’s “Canada as 51st state of the Union” – our Arctic is going to feature in Canada-US relations in an increasingly signifiant way, as well as issues over tariffs and our southern border. There’s China’s hovering over Taiwan; the ongoing conflict in the middle east; the Ukraine/Russia war; and other hot spots which could flare unexpectedly.

There’s the swarm of misinformation that has taken over social media (I participate in as little of that world as I can get away with) affecting everybody’s perception of “truth”. I see Artificial Intelligence creeping onto my screen (as I write this, for example – it’s anticipating what I’m writing, filling in words, suggesting what to write next). I’m choosing to ignore the prompts – I’ll do a personal revision when I’ve got my thoughts sorted out.

I was born at the end of WWII. 80+ years later the economic and political stability that has been the backdrop throughout my lifetime is changing quicky and in unanticipated ways. It leaves me feeling unsettled. I feel it more this year than last – not just because of the outcome of the US election but that certainly is a factor. There’s nothing I can do about that.

I’m also in limbo artistically. I have that silk floral appliqué I should be thread painting – can’t get myself to work on it. In the next day or so I want to go through my fabric stash, picking out all the batik and sort it by colour so I have an idea of what I have. Jordan fabrics has lots of beautiful batik fat quarter bundles but given the current value of the Canadian dollar I figure I better check my stash before adding to it!

I have fabric to make a boiled wool jacket sweater; I have patterns that would work – can’t get going. I picked up some bamboo velour to make a new housecoat – stuck there, too. Maybe the first step forward will be going through the batiks….

Today, it’s foggy and damp; the snow from last week is almost gone. The days are getting longer (the winter solstice has come and gone) – we won’t notice that for several weeks yet. However, my phaelanopsis will respond to the change in daylight, and if I’m lucky, some of them will flower for me!

From 2022

This morning I replied to the New Year wishes letter from the eldest daughter in an Afghan family of seven (sponsored by the group to which I’m connected). They arrived in Halifax on Christmas Eve. For the past three years their lives have been unimaginably difficult and terrifying. She and her sisters speak English. Her parents do not. I explained what my role has been with two other immigrant families. I offered to visit for tea and conversation if her mother, in particular, was interested in learning English. Her mother is 60 – more than young enough to have a go at learning a bit of the language; certainly enough to engage with the world outside of their apartment. We’ll see if they take me up on my offer.

Time to get on with the rest of my day. Shortly, I’m off to visit a friend for tea and conversation! That will brighten my day. I just have to take 2025 one day at a time….

Holiday Greetings 2024!

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A bit late for “Merry Christmas” but still in time to extend best wishes for 2025!

May the coming year bring you health and contentment; may you be able to carry on!

A couple of weeks ago my submission to the Central Library Sunroom Gallery was accepted. The acceptance letter asked me if I had a preference for when I’d like to show the quilts – I answered by suggesting sometime during the summer was my choice. The next note I received from the Gallery coordinator offered the end of December/25-January/26 time slot – not a great time to exhibit. I answered I would accept that time slot but I was disappointed and listed a couple of reasons.

The coordinator replied – “If you would rather not to exhibit in the winter, we could postpone your exhibit to a preferred time of year in 2026. If you don’t mind the delay, I would be happy to work with you on a date that is better for you.“

I discussed the choice with my sister Donna. “My age is a factor in this decision – should I take the sooner rather than the later time slot,” I asked. “Leave age out of it, when is the better time of year to show?” she replied. “Summer, of course.” “Well, then, accept a summer 2026 time slot. It may be 6 months further away, and you’ll be 83, but you have no guarantee you’ll make it home for dinner!”

She’s right, of course. Take life day by day! (That’s all any of us has.) Enjoy each day. Take pleasure from the small things that happen. An unexpected conversation, something nice to eat, finishing a particularly challenging puzzle, being able to do something for someone else, a pleasantry in the elevator, a good workout at the pool, a leisurely  walk, the sunshine!

Yesterday, I used the morning to make 8 small zippered bags – five were gifts to take to Christmas dinner I was having with a long-time friend and her family. I also found time to complete my annual charitable giving and talk to both sisters before going to the Christmas feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnips, green beans, stuffing and kugel, with cranberry sauce. For desert we had cherry pie and an ice cream/raspberry sherbet concoction – “a bombe glacé” – both traditions for this family (instead of plum pudding). There was no room for cookies or fruit cake, both of which were available.

Best of all I received a small gift. Geoff knows I enjoy the challenge of a physical puzzle. For years, he’s given me a difficult one. This one is called “The Mangler” – difficultly level 4 stars!

The Mangler

The objective – to separate the two pieces of the puzzle. I could see I needed to align the centre prongs in such a way that they’d slide past one another but I just couldn’t find a way to manipulate the two pieces to make that happen. I gave in when I got home and looked up the solution – there’s a tricky twist you have to make so you can slip the end of the right hand piece under the arch of the left hand piece and suddenly the prongs are aligned and the two pieces slip apart!

The Mangler – Solved!

The puzzle Geoff gave me four years ago (the last time I was at Christmas dinner with the family) was an exceptionally difficult one. It required some large number of steps, done in a precise order, to separate the two parts. I solved it with help from the instructions but there was no way I was going to remember how to do that one. This one is obvious once you understand how to set up the alignment!

I ended the day by dropping in on Ruby’s family gathering to greet her large gang.

None of us knows what’s in store for tomorrow.

You’ve made it through 2024. All the best in the coming year.

Judith

Small Zippered Bags

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Yesterday I was packing small gifts for people like the gal who cuts my hair, the one who does my nails, my pedicurist. I had made small fruit cakes just after Thanksgiving; during the summer I’d bought a half dozen small tubes of my favourite hand cream (which I actually use as hair cream!); I added a Danish star to each bag but I needed something more.

I have no zippered bags left in my stash – I have to make a couple of dozen soon. There was, however, a small prototype of this diagonal zippered bag. I hunted through my sewing files and found instructions (click on instructions to read & print them):

Instructions

I quickly chose some fabric for the outside and lining, cut out three 10 1/2″ squares, cut the squares along the diagonal. I rummaged through my zipper tape stock and cut out 3 lengths of zipper then separated them (each bag uses one half of the zipper tape). I chose contrasting pulls. Then I followed the instructions.

Three Zippered Bags

I added one to each bag.

I still had three bags cut out with zipper tape selected ready to sew. This afternoon I made those bags up along with another half dozen.

Small Stash of Zippered Bags

I now have a small stash of diagonal zippered bags. They’re perfect for that bit of jewelry you’re taking with you on a trip!

Recovered

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Recovered Balans Chair

I’ve had the fabric, and a pattern to cut out the seat, hanging around my computer room for close to two months – just couldn’t get around to actually recovering the chair.

Today.

I managed to get it done today. In the end, I used the leftover fabric I had kept in my closet from the last time I recovered it (at least 20 years ago). There was more than enough for the seat and two kneeling pads. I used leftover batting to pad the seat and pads – they’re padded enough to soften them but not so much that it’s puffy.

The whole job – unscrewing the seat and kneeling pads from the frame, removing the staples from the previous covering, serging the fabric raw edges, placing double-sided tape on the seat and kneeling boards, stapling the new cover back in place, and reattaching seat and pads back to the frame – took me about three hours (with a time out for lunch).

This job is crossed off my “to do” list; now on to the next.

I have a floral fibre piece that’s been hanging around for at least 18 months – it needs a ton of thread painting. I barely started when I began the piece up. I’d hoped to have it finished so I could show it at the Craig Gallery – I didn’t get to it. It’s now at the top of the list, along with two other fibre pieces I’ve been wanting to do for a couple of years.

Green Bay
Lighthouse Park

Both pieces are composed of a couple of photos. I’ve set up a mock up to suggest a potential layout of each piece.

In “Fall Day at Green Bay” I intend cropping the rocks on the right and expanding the water between Deb and the rocks a bit. I want the content of the piece to end up around 15″ x 12″; framing will add to the dimensions.

In “Five Islands Lighthouse Park” I want to focus on the five islands which will mean playing with the perspective somewhat. The positioning of the large red Adirondack chairs with Joy and Dave will be determined by how that whole background shapes up. Again I’m aiming for a 15″ x 12″ pieced image, framing outside of that.

I’m still in the walking around and thinking about these two pieces phase; not quite ready to begin pulling fabric from drawers and boxes. In both projects I am going to have to paint white fabric for the sky. I’ll mix acrylic paint, dilute it, and brush it on white cotton/poly (which takes paint better than 100% cotton). I don’t have any in the house – that’s something I have to pick up in the next week.

There are a couple of potential garments also hovering in the back of my mind – I’m resisting them. I feel a need to get more art on the go.

Bits and Pieces

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Latest Socks

Finished these socks last week. Good colours, zippy patterning. They took a bit longer than usual – I didn’t knit my usual 20-30 rows each evening – maybe because I wasn’t feeling like knitting. Anyway, they’re done and added to the sock stash.

I started a new pair – can’t leave the needles empty but that knitting has been interrupted with Danish Paper Stars.

———–

Adding the Points
Folding Completed
Finished, Trimmed Star

I’ve been handing out Danish Stars to neighbours and friends for the past six years. Everybody knows where they come from when they find them on their door handle. Some have become so bold as to ask whether I’ll be making more this year. No way out of it – I had to make another batch of paper stars.

I started by cutting the 1/2″ strips of legal paper and began making stars. Two evenings of paper folding and I have 18 stars. I will need at least 40 (more likely 50) before I’ve finished. I’ve used up the paper I prepared; I need to cut more paper today. The knitting is suffering – I’ve had to put it aside to make time for star construction!

———–

My sister Barb called me on Sunday evening to sing me a verse to a song wondering whether I remembered it and might know where it came from. Sounded like a Disney song from something like Snow White – except it wasn’t. Two hours of searching with Google and ChatGPT returned nothing. Usually if I ask Google for lyrics using the bits I remember a song turns up. Not this time. I finally gave up.

The next evening however it dawned on my it might be a song from our childhood, one we learned in school. When I was in 5th grade (1953) the woman in charge of music for the city schools recruited a group of girls from our class to sing some songs from the songbook being used in the schools at that time:

I was one of that select group and I still have that vinyl recording! A very long time ago I managed to have the record digitized so I have the 22 song tracks on my computer. Didn’t I find the song there in the first group of four songs!

Going To The Fair

The birds are singing, the bells are ringing
There’s music in all the air, heigh ho
As altogether in golden weather we merrily go to the fair, heigh ho!

We have no money for ribbons bonny,
Our clothes are the worse for wear
But little it matters in silk or in tatters
We merrily go to the fair.

The lads and lasses, the time it passes
?????????  [There’s fun to be had everywhere], heigh ho
As altogether in golden weather we merrily go to the fair, heigh ho!

———

There’s that one line I can’t make out on the recording – it has to be something like the lyrics I’ve guessed.

I called Barb to tell her I’d found the song – I still can’t find the lyrics anywhere online although I know the song must be in the “unison” High Road of Song Book One for elementary grades.

I learned that song 71 years ago! Imagine still remembering it.

How’s This For A Face?

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Pickle Face

This image arrived in my email the other day from my friend Andrea – a great face with a mouth and an ear and a bit of hair (all three of which were serendipitous Andrea contends). The pickle arrangement may have been intentional (although not sure about that).

I love it when “faces” turn up unexpectedly. I see them daily, but don’t always get to photograph them.

The latest – the benches at the pool, the feet of which perform a perfect ballet first position:

iShot – Prostock Studio

But I never have my phone with me when I’m in the pool so no photo – although today I couldn’t NOT see the paired pool deck bench feet all in a row like a corps de ballet performing Balanchine’s ballet Serenade (Tchaikovsky).

Sold!

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On Sunday I took down the Craig Gallery Exhibit (can’t believe the three weeks went by that fast). I was collecting the tags on each item when I discovered a red dot on one of the quilts – SOLD! That was a surprise. From the start I wasn’t sure about pricing the quilts (and other pieces). Looks like I wasn’t out of the ball park after all.

Not only did I sell a quilt, I sold one of the wall art pieces, as well as two 6×6 floral pieces (one has been sold twice – a friend of my sister Donna wanted the same piece that another person had already bought; I wasn’t able to say “No” to her so I’m creating another; that’s actually three of the 6×6 pieces sold).

All in all, a good outcome for a show of this size, in a location like this. A lot of visitors dropped in, they all spent more time looking at the quilts and other fibre art pieces than usual, and all left with smiles. When I was in the gallery visiting with friends who’d come to see the exhibit, all sorts of people either eavesdropped on what I was explaining, or came over more overtly to join the conversation. Everybody I spoke to was very engaged and interested in how my art was constructed.

I learned from the Exhibit that I’m creating art!

Pieces sold:

SOLD – Craig Gallery
SOLD – Craig Gallery
SOLD (Craig Gallery)
SOLD (Craig Gallery)

A Great Idea

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This is one that I wish I’d thought of myself! But I didn’t.

Getting a bobbin started can be tricky – keeping the thread taut when you start winding can be an issue. Here’s a perfect solution to that problem!

Just had to share it.

Note: If your bobbin has a curved top, as my Pfaff bobbins do, be sure to thread through the groove in the flat bottom side, bring the thread through the centre toward the curved top.

Pfaff Bobbin

Turns out there isn’t a “hole” in the bottom of the bobbin! Here’s how I figured out how to do this – thread the bobbin in the normal fashion, then – take your tread from the top to the bottom of the centre hole. Place the bobbin on the bobbin winder, thread coming out of the bottom of the bobbin, trim the thread against the bobbin. Then press the button to make the bobbin thread – hands free! That’s the best part – threading the bobbin is now hands free (the way it is on my Brother Quilter! Yeah!

Bright Red!

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The tree caught my eye as I was driving by this morning – I just had to stop to take its picture. The photo doesn’t quite do the colour justice – the red was simply luminescent with the sun shining through those leaves.

The sight made me smile. I drove away happy.