Stitching on the Quaker Winder Keeper

For the past month, I have spent so much time designing and stitching the lake cottage sampler that I have ignored my Quaker Winder Keeper.  I have worked on the lake cottage sampler so intensely that I was not certain I wanted to stitch yesterday.  I picked up my QWK and am very glad I did.  I finished the partial motif in the upper right corner.  Today I plan to work a little more of it, perhaps one of the small motifs. 

Ben and one of his friends mounted my little webcam so it monitors the finch nest.  Right now, the finches know that we have done things to the nest area; I hope that they can settle down and forget about the camera.  I also hope that they do not abandon the nest.  There is at least one egg in it.  Supposedly I can send video from the camera to my blog.  It remains to be seen whether or not I can actually do it. 

Yesterday I learned that I probably will not get my sewing machine back until the week before Easter at the earliest. 

Spring Is Here

Yes, spring came this past week; but what is more astounding is that weatherwise, spring is here in Minnesota.  Our unseasonably warm winter morphed into what appears to be an extremely early spring.  We have broken many past high temperature records during the week.  Leaves are coming out; grass is green; flowers are blooming; birds are building nests.  This does not happen in Minnesota in March.  The major bad thing is that it has been a poor year for collecting maple sap.  The maple trees need an extended period of night temperatures below freezing and day temperatures above freezing.  We just did not have enough for the trees to produce the usual amount of sap. 

I am going to post some pictures of spring 2012.


A pair of purple finches has begun to build a nest on our backdoor light.  This has all happened in less than a week.  They are using lint from the dryer that blows out the exhaust vent.  The female is in the nest while the male perches on the shed and sings.  He is staking out his territory which is essentially our patio.  I took the picture through the kitchen window so the quality is not particularly good but you can see her head and tail. 

White Crocus 

 

 

Apricot Tree

Wood Squill 

 

 

 

Lilac 

Trilium 

Bleeding Heart 

Dew Spangled Bleeding Heart 

Alpine Currant 

Purple Crocus

For the curious which is probably only Christine, I did not return to the estate sale last weekend.  It is just as well because I really do not need to augment my stash. 

I am Back

I feel like I have been away forever.  At times I felt like I was so busy I could not take a breath without having anything to show for it.  When I sat back to think about it, I realized that I had accomplished quite a bit. 

I have taken the 1912 princess line slip as far as I can for now.  It remains to be seen if I will translate it into a modern day garment for myself. 

While I was working on the slip, I picked up a little project for the local hospital.  I made a set of vinyl covered pads that are used to protect patient's arms.  I think that with the pad is wrapped around the patient's arm with the IV so the arm can be kept closer to the body during transport within the surgery suite and to the room following.  After I assembled 6 pads, my sewing machine stopped working.  We made a quick run to the shop to drop it off.  It is now in Chicago as it needs major repair work.  At this point it is in otherwise very good condition and is worth this repair.  It should be back in a couple weeks. 

The next project was a finishing job for Patricia Ann Designs.  I finished Tricia's ornaments for the Just Cross Stitch ornaments issue.  Right now, I cannot show you the fronts because the design not published.  As soon as the ornaments issue is out, I will show the fronts to you. 

Next is an exchange gift. 

I have selected the fabric and threads. 

As much as I want to be working on my Quaker Winders Keeper, my attention has been diverted.  I want to get back to the Quaker. 

Yesterday we went to an estate sale and it was positively scary.  The woman did cross stitching, needlepoint, and knitting.  The sale was essentially liquidating a literal Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.  I cannot begin to estimate how many 1,000 dollars retail value was in the stash, knitting yarns, knitting, cross stitch & needlepoint magazines and books, cross stitch and needlepoint kits, cross stitch charts, canvas, cross stitch linen, needlepoint yarns, fibers for cross stitch.  There were extremely expensive cross stitch kits; there were charts that had been kitted with fabric and fibers.  It boggled the mind.  Unfortunately, the people conducting the sale priced everything much higher than is customary in these situations in this area.  I think it will be a zoo on Sunday when most of the prices are reduced. 

The scary part is that this could easily be my things. 

One morning last week as we were coming home from the health club, a small herd, yes, I said H-E-R-D, of male yearling deer galloped across the road in front of our car.  There were nine deer and they stayed in close formation as they quickly crossed the road.  It was quite a sight.  Yesterday four wild turkey hens ran through the park behind our home.  They were trotting along and not dawdling.  We wonder if they were looking for nesting sites.  The robins are back.  All of the birds have been singing to claim their territory.  The weather has been unseasonably warm.  We can still have snow in March and April so we are enjoying the fabulous weather but wondering if/when we will have a heavy, wet snowfall.