Taking Advantage of Island Time

 

Living on an island in the north Atlantic

certainly has it's perks.

 

You can't deny the quiet, peaceful beauty

 

Photo by Ranger Ron



and you can't get lost!

 

But there are drawbacks, too.

If you run out of thread or need a zipper,

it's over an hour to the nearest shopping opportunity.

 

RCMP presence is minimal and the ATVers and dirt bikers

sometimes take over the roads,

filling your airspace with obnoxious noise.

 

And then, there is 

Island Time.

 

Now, I'm all about slow, easy, and deliberate..

And I'm prone to procrastination myself, upon occasion,

but it is not my 'way of life'.

However, if you are a business here, you have a little monopoly,

and you 'get to it' whenever it suits you.

.

If you are told they'll be out your way on Wednesday or Thursday,
there's no telling what Wednesday or Thursday they are referring to.
Afterall, there are lots of them!!

In the meantime,
while I patiently wait and try to find the humor in Island Time,
I sew.

 

Am loving Valori Wells' creations.

Here are a couple of cell phone pocket purses.

The cell phone is kept in a back pocket,

snug against your body, but easily accessible;

and under the buttoned flap are little wallet pockets.

 

I've made several of these since last winter.

They are lots of fun to construct.

My daughter is a bag lady

and has a few in different colors,

some for fun, some for work.

 

They are also great for moms.  Sometimes,

you don't need to take that great big diaper bag or tote

into a store.  These bags are perfect to keep in the bigger bag

and just grab to run into the store for this or that.

 

Have a great day!

~karen

 

 

Fabric Letters

Christmas Gift Idea

 

I've been having fun making my great-niece

a little Christmas gift of fabric letters

to manipulate on the floor.

 

They measure approximately 4.25" x 5.25".

She'll get the whole alphabet,

of course,

but thought I'd start with her name,

just in case.

Seems like it would be easy enough,

but 26 letters turned out to be A LOT!!

 

You can find the tutorial HERE.

Great stashbuster!

 

I plan to make a few extra b's and t's, m's and d's

so she can learn to spell words like

baby and kitty, mommy and daddy,

and I'll put them all in a simple

drawstring bag.



Hope this gives you an idea or two!

I see so many possibilities!

 

I have a few stragglers hanging out on my property.

 

 

A small flock of juvenile Yellow-rumped Warblers.

 

Also referred to as "Butter Butt"

Like me, they are reluctant to leave such a beautiful place.

 

 

Have a nice day,

karen

Busy, Busy, Busy

 

This is what I wake to most mornings,

esp. in the fall when the temperatures are changing.

The sun is just rising.

I wish I could make it a "scratch and sniff" picture,

so you could smell the salt air, too!

 

When I was a little girl, maybe 8 years old, I read a book

about a little girl who was obsessed with saving time.  The

story was about how she would do little things like wait

to tie her shoes until she was on the bus, saving those little

snippets of time to accomplish something else in the grander

scheme of daily life. 

I wish I could remember the name of the book. 

It's right on the tip of my tongue.  I think of her

all the time, because that is what my life has become now that

time is going by faster and faster.  This morning, I found myself

saying, "If I put my socks and shoes on while I wait for my toast

to pop up...."

I haven't been blogging, or birding, or backpacking.  But,
I have been busy, busy, busy....sewing. 

I'm negligent about taking pictures of my creations.

It's when they are gone that I remember.

 

But I remembered to snap a quick shot of this lovely table topper,

found in the Fall 2012 issue of BHG's Quilts and More, before sending it off to my

daughter for her birthday.

 

 

You know how it goes - "Mom, I liked the picture

on the cover, so I bought you the magazine."-

she so appreciates what I make for her

that she always gets what she asks for,

or in this case, insinuates!

 

It's time to make Christmas gifts, before my migration.

It usually takes me a month to find my way to Texas,

and then it's almost Christmas, so it has

to be done now, or not at all.

 

During every migration, I spend time

with the most delightful family of 12 children.

I've always wanted to make each one a little something,

but sewing for so many at once seemed like a daunting task.

Well, this year I bit the bullet.

 

 

Valori Wells has a sweet little wallet pattern

that whips up quickly,

and is a great stash buster.

 

So,  one for each of the girls, ranging in age from 3 to 21,

 

and a lined, zippered boxy pouch

for the one boy, born right in the middle.

Nola, from Just Ramblin' had sent me an assortment

of fat quarters for Christmas last year,

and this basketball fabric was perfect!

 

These are just a few of the many projects

that have kept me off the computer of late,

but I wanted to show one more before I get back to the machine.

 

A few weeks ago, a friend showed up with this little brown paper bag

full of not quite 1" strips.  "Want these?" she asked.

Not to hurt her feelings, I said that I'd just love them,

but I wasn't quite sure what to do with them.

 

Here's a little peek showing what I've done with them so far.

It's kind of fun to do!

 

Have a great day!

~karen

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian Thanksgiving

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving...

 

 

...to all my Canadian friends.

I have been very blessed.

 

This wallhanging is one of the few pieces

that I've kept for myself.

The pattern and fabrics were sent to me as a home made kit

by a friend in Rhode Island a few years back.

The colors are richer than they appear in the photo,

and it's a lovely addition to my diningroom wall

during the autumn months.

When I see it, I will always think of her.

That's nice.

 

Enjoy your day,

karen

 



A Fine Line

Now that summer has come to an abrupt end,

and I'm yet another year older,

it suddenly dawned on me

that with age, the fine line that separates

being considered unconventional

and being perceived as eccentric,

is becoming finer and finer.

 

That said, my dear friend and mentor,

The Ranger, has three, relatively new, female ranger colleagues.

 

I thought they needed something special.

 

 

How about a Tea Wallet in camo?

Have a great day!
~karen

 



A Picture Says a Thousand Words

Yesterday,

I had the opportunity

to receive a lot of feedback from

the comfort quilts I make and gift others

in my community.

 

It warmed my heart.

 

But sometimes,

a picture (or three) says a thousand words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My broken young friend

is doing very well.

 

Just the other day, she had all pins, screws, and the brace

holding her spine, hips, and pelvis together

removed,

and walked, with aid, for the first time

in over a month.

 

 

 

Although she faces grueling and intensive PT now,

she's young, strong, and determined.

Her boyfriend of 3 years did not survive the accident,

but I know he is watching over her

and her memories of the love they shared

will guide her through

the next few months of her recovery.

 

For me,

this is what making quilts

is all about.

 

Again, many thanks to Natalia

of Piece N Quilt

for casting her magic spell

over this quilt

and making this possible for me.

 

 

 

 



Imagine My Surprise

It is worthwhile to pay attention to what's happening

right in your own backyard.

I find lots of interesting things lurking about.

 

Most recently, while  snapping some last of the season

photos of my young hummingbirds,

 

 

a flash of yellow landed in the tree nearby.

Assuming it was just another American Goldfinch

(I have lots of them)

I didn't even look.

But, I did automatically pan the camera up and click a few times

before getting back to the hummers.

 

Imagine my surprise 
when I imported the pictures into the computer

and discovered I'd taken a picture of a new yard bird!!

 

 

This is an immature Nashville Warbler,

(Vermivora ruficapilla),

just passing through,

and a first-time yard bird for me.

 

A locally common breeder here in Nova Scotia,

as well as north central North America,

 

 

 

 

and preferring second-growth mixed woodlands,

 

 

 

the Nashville Warbler was considered rare in the 1800s.

It is one of those few birds that has actually benefitted

from the clearing of old-growth forests

for timber, agriculture, developement,

and greed.

 

Since I go out of my way to avoid those areas,

I've only seen one once before!

 

On the sewing front,

an elderly friend was recently gifted with an IPad

so she could keep in touch with her growing family

across the U.S.

Because she walks with a cane,

I made her a special tote.

 

 

 

 

I found the pattern at the Henry Glass site,

as part of the PDQ (Pretty Darned Quick) series.

Not only was it pretty darned quick,

it was lots of fun to put together!

There are more in my future.

 

The fabric was a gift from the lovely Lesley

at The Cuddle Quilter.

Expecting an envelope with a few pieces of tone-on-ton scraps

so I could finish a small project,

imagine my surprise

when THIS showed up in my post office box!

 

 

 

Glad I wasn't walking that day!!

I usually do.

Thank you, Lesley!

It is a scrap quilter's delight!

 

Have a nice day!!

Thanks for stopping by.

~karen