Two More Small Projects Completed

 Yesterday started out a bit cloudy and then it cleared off. The high got to 24C (humidex 27C). This morning it is clear and 14C. Today is supposed to cloud up with showers this afternoon. The high is to get to 21C.

Lifestyle

I covered the cucumber plants to keep the direct sun off them. They are doing well though they are still tender. I will continue to baby them for a while longer. I will put the other two out tomorrow as they are ready. 

At noon, the person came to mow my lawn. He was trying to do as many places as possible due to the amount of wet days we are to have this next while. My lawn was long and ready for a good clipping. The company who does the fertilizer and weed control are supposed to be out on Monday to do weed control. 

Son and I were out yesterday after lunch. We went to get the buns for the dinner and then to get the ham. Both of us hadn't been to this butcher shop for years. He was looking to see if they carried items for his ramen making and I was getting the ham for the dinner tonight. We took everything to the hall and then home. We had a great visit and enjoyed our little outing. 

Sewing

I am trying to finish the items for daughter's living quarters so I went down to sew yesterday morning. The item I made was a 8 x 13" hot pad. It is a simple sew that I had done by noon. 

I have enough of these two fabrics to make a mug rug and then some strips. 

After I got home in the afternoon, I made a square placemat. Same idea as the hot pat -- simple in design and to sew. I had it done by 5 pm. 

There is very little of the pink fabrics left and I am hoping I have enough to do a small picture for the wall. I could do a hoop or a very small painter's canvas. 

This project is just about done and from 1.5 meters of fabric I got a lot of items. 

I will be happy to get the last two items done. I have enjoyed making each piece. I had the opportunity to try out a couple of new items and then fill it in with items I have made before. 

Next up will be the bicycle jacket for the doll's Edwardian wardrobe and it will be done. It will be nice to have two projects completed this month. I am also hoping to shorten two curtain panels. 

Knitting

I knit 8 rows on the afghan last night. I will take pictures when I have finished the ball of yarn I am on. 

I am thinking of crocheting a doily. I found a simple pattern with a YouTube video to go with it. I also think I have the thread and hook so I can start it whenever I feel the urge to do so. 

Thoughts

    I woke up last night and tossed and turned for 3 hours. I know what caused it and it is a regular occurrence for me. I get stressed and it affects my sleep big time. 

    I left the sewing room and where I hand stitch in a bit of a mess yesterday. I need to clean it up before I start the next project. I have a small pile of scraps on the table I need to deal with. I do not have anyone to take them and I hate to throw them away. I may have to put them into a small container and see if I use them by the end of the year. If not, I will toss them which will make me sad. The group I gave these scraps to has stopped making charity quilts. 

Today

I am out shortly to help set up the hall and do some prep work for the dinner tonight. I go at 5:30 pm to help dish up the meal and do clean up. I hope to do a bit of sewing today but know I won't knit tonight. I will be too tired to do much of anything. 

Until the next time............................................................

The Kitchen Collection Is Growing

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with rain last night. The high got to 23C (humidex 25C). Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 23C (humidex 27C). 

Lifestyle

I was out the door to make sandwiches yesterday morning. It was done in good time and I left for home by 9:30 am. Once home, I had something to drink and then cleaned the kitchen. I had to unload the dishwasher and put in my dirty dishes. I also hand washed some dishes that needed doing. I then went and cleaned the bathroom. 

I checked on the cucumber plants and they were doing okay. The sugar water does help them when transplanting them. I did cover them with a loosely woven blanket so they would get filtered sunlight. That really helped them and they were quite perky when I took it off last night so they could get watered by the rain. 

I had to go to the quilt shop near me for some supplies so I decided to look for the house that was on YouTube. I took Exit 10 and went by the coffee roasting place and Tangled Gardens.  Tangled Gardens makes award winning jellies, chutneys, etc. and had a tea room. I went down the road thinking this house was past the turn off to Grande Pre. It wasn't. It was just past Tangled Gardens on the other side of the road. I had to go further down the road to turn around. I drove slowly by the house. It is very close to the road. The front and one side was mowed. The other side and back was wild and it seemed as if no one lived there. There were no flowers or outdoor furniture to be seen. It looks lonely sitting on the plot of land as there are no out buildings. The apple orchard behind the house is huge (about 60 acres) and you can see it behind the house and from the highway.

Sewing

As I going for a drive right after lunch, I made one potholder before lunch. When I got back from the drive I made the 2nd potholder and sewed the opening on both of them.

They don't look great but they do look better after they are used. The green one has fusible fleece and the flower one has insulbrite. I like the fusible fleece one better. One thing I am going to do is make the border pieces a bit wider and trim them back. Daughter is thrilled with them. 

This is what I have made so far for her. 

I have enough fabric left over to make a small rectangle and a square pad. I am sure that will leave me with scraps of fabric. 

At the quilt shop, I bought the insulbrite for house items and the foam batting and webbing for bags. I am set for a bit as I have to make another bag plus the bicycle jacket this month. 

Knitting

I got 8 rows knit on the blanket last night. It is going to be huge. 

Today

I am going to do some work upstairs and then this afternoon I am out to get some items for dinner at the hall tomorrow night. I may get some sewing done if there is time. I will knit tonight. 

Until the next time....................................................

Short Gown Finished

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 27C. The humidity dropped to 32% which was nice. This morning it is sunny and 11C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with some showers. The high is to get to 23C (humidex 25C).

Lifestyle

I headed out to New Minas in the morning. I had to get a few groceries and pick up my quilt. I enjoyed the drive as everything is so green and the lupins were in full bloom and vibrant. 

I did my shopping quickly and then headed over to the quilt shop. I had a lovely visit with the owner whom I haven't seen for a long time. We chatted away and then I got my quilt and came home. 

I watched this Youtube video yesterday. The title has Acadian in it which caught my interest. It actually the house is a Colonial style which is quite popular here, even in new builds. I did a lot of research trying to figure out who built this 1896 house but found nothing. What I did find is that this couple bought the house in 2022 and sold it last fall. There is an apple orchard behind the house which was part of the property when the house was built. It is near Grand Pre which is where the UNESCO site is for Acadian history. It is about a 10 minute drive from my house. 

Sewing

I finished the doll's short gown jacket.  I turned it out, clipped the areas that needed clipping, rolled the edges sharp and pressed it well. I sewed the side seams and then finished them with what I thought was a zig zag stitch. It was more than that and the edges are now securely finished. 

I put the jacket on the doll and had to take it off. Having the shift and corset/jump made it very difficult to get the jacket on her. Without those items on, it fit really nice. I marked for the snaps and sewed them on. The outfit is finished. 

The back of the jacket has a pleat in it for better shaping. 

With the apron on. 

My quilt turned out beautiful. I am so glad that I chose the flowers as they are big and airy. 

The binding is ready for me to sew on to the quilt and then hand stitch down. 

I didn't sew as I spent a bit of time cleaning up the cutting table. I need to do more before I can start the next project -- potholders for daughter. I also need to cut out the bicycle jacket and sew it. 

Knitting

I did knit about 10 - 12 rows on the afghan last night. It is getting big and a bit heavy. 

Thoughts

    I planted two of the cucumber plants outside last night and they are doing well. I give them about a half cup of sugar water (1 soup spoon of sugar in 1 cut of water) so they have some energy to ward off transplant shock. They look okay and I will put shade over later this morning. The other two will go out as soon as they get their next leaves which should be in a few days. 

    I had a good night's sleep last night and am feeling better from it today. I have started to park the things that have caused me a lot of stress which is good. The stress has derailed me several times this month and has affected my health. I do not need that. 

Today

I am out to make sandwiches soon and once home I will do some housework. This afternoon I want to sew a couple of potholders for daughter and cut out the bicycle jacket pattern so I can start work on it. Tonight I will knit on the afghan. 

Until the next time.........................................................

Sewing Stupidity

 Yesterday started out cloudy and ended up sunny. The high got to 23C (humidex 25C). This morning it is clear and 11C. Today is supposed to be sunny this morning and showers this afternoon. The high is supposed to get to 24C (humidex 26C). 

Lifestyle

I did a bit of family tree research first thing and then got up and cleaned the kitchen. I pulled out the stove and cleaned the sides of it and the cupboards. I vacuumed the floor in that area. Then it was put back in and I started cleaning counters and what ever else needed cleaning. I also cleaned and shined the stainless steel appliances. Garbage and recycling were taken out and the floor vacuumed and scrubbed. Though there was little to vacuum up, when I scrubbed the floor it was dirty.

I was out for dinner at family's last night. We had lasagna and it was good. I brought some home with me. We had a good visit and when I got home, I realized I hadn't turned on the a/c. My house was warm. 

Sewing

I made the last jar cozy and the set looks great together. 

I wish the tray was a bit bigger so all 4 could fit in it but that was the best I could find. Next up is 2 potholders. 

I had hoped to cut out and sew the short gown jacket. I struggled with such a simple pattern. When I realized I had cut up the back of the main fabric I was mortified at how stupid I was. At that point I had one outer fabric and 2 linings cut out. I cut out another outer fabric, slowed down and paid attention to what I was doing. After 2 hours I had the lining and outer fabric sewn together. I put it on the doll inside out and left the room. 

I do like the fabrics together and when I read the selvage, I realized it was a Riley Blake design which I do like. But, it is also a Christmas fabric. It didn't present itself that way when I looked at it. 

It was in with the regular fabric as all the Christmas fabric is in another location or stored away. 

Knitting

I didn't knit last night as the house was too warm. 

Thoughts

    The deer that have eaten my plants have not been around for months. The one bush by my house needs trimming and looks the best it has in 2-3 years. I wonder if the deer have moved to another location due to the building going on in our area. They have lost a lot of their habitat and basically moved into our yards to survive. I do know there was a report of a newborn fawn on the other side of town so they may have gone there. There is more natural habitat for them in that area. 

    My tomatoes are starting to bloom. I was surprised to see that one plant has a bloom that is almost fully opened. 

    The lupins are in full bloom. In our area, they are blue, purple, and a couple of shades of pink. Last night I saw white ones across the road from family's. We see more of them down the valley.

The lupins growing alongside the roads are wild and considered an invasive species. It is recommended not to plant them in your yard as they will take it over. 

Today

I am off to New Minas this morning to pick up my quilt and to pick up a few things at Walmart. I hope to be home by noon so I can sew this afternoon and would love to knit tonight. I may get my cucumbers planted tonight as the temperatures will be about the same for the next week. 

Until the next time....................................................................

Projects Started and Completed

 Yesterday was cloudy and dull with rain showers off and on during the day.  It got to 19C. This morning it is cloudy (rained not long ago) and 14C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 23C (humidex 28C).

Lifestyle

I heard the door unlock yesterday morning while I was doing some research and looked to see daughter-in-law's car parked at the edge of the street. I grabbed my car keys knowing she needed my car for some reason. She grabbed them telling me her car had low or no brake fluid. She was off to work. 

I settled back to having breakfast and then made a batch of cookies for the community hall. I had cleaned up and was just about to have lunch when daughter-in-law arrived on her lunch break. She called the repair place as this is under extended warranty. They had order a tow truck under her extended warranty. I think she may have ordered a rental car. She was then off back to work. I had to wait for the tow truck.

The tow truck arrived and it was the same person who towed my car. We had a chuckle about that. While he loaded the car, I did some weeding at the front and a bit on the side of the house. I have to either dutch hoe or spray the weeds. They are hard to get out. These weeds are the result of my neighbour's weed yard. 

I did fold my laundry and it amazes me how much I avoid doing it. It took me 15 minutes to fold and put away and I felt great after I had done it. 

Sewing

I did get to sew yesterday afternoon. The first job was to cut out and make the skirt part of the short gown. It was a simple and quick sew. It has a drawstring at the waist giving the skirt a lot of pouf. 

Is this historically correct. Maybe. What I did read is that they did weave striped fabric. It took a long time to weave two lengths of fabric to have vertical stripes. To use less fabric, they wove a length of fabric and pleated the skirts along the selvage edge. They either folded the pleated edge over to form a channel which they added a drawstring or they sewed a waistband on. I do know from reading that they did weave stripes as they had a distinct way they wove one stripe. 

I put on the apron and my chunky monkey has a very 18th century look. 

The last item to make for this outfit is the jacket. 

I also cut out the rectangles for the last two jar cozies. I got one made and the more I make the faster I get. 

I do like them together in the tray. 

I am surprised at how much fabric is left. I do want to make two pot holders and there may be enough to make a hot pad or two. I am really enjoying this project as I am making items I wanted to make (toppers and cozies) and adding items that will be used. 

Knitting

I did quite a bit of knitting last night. The afghan is growing longer and heavier. The ball of yarn I attached the other day is about half gone. 

Thoughts

    I am really enjoying reading the thesis as I am now into the part that talks more about what the people had in their probate inventories in Fort Louisburg. What is interesting is that the Acadians did own and wear fashionable clothing. How many and often they were worn depended on where they lived. A lot of what was worn in other areas comes from what they have found at those sites -- fine pins, buttons, etc. 

    I have done some more research on my 3x great grandfather's children. He arrived at Fort Edward 20 years after the Great Deportation of the Acadians in that area. After being mustered out he and his wife moved to Parrsboro where he remained until he died. Many of his children moved back to the Windsor area where they lived and died. I was looking where one relation was born and quite by accident I found it. Quite a win for me.

    I have really enjoyed sewing items for daughter's living quarters in her horse trailer. I am feeling a bit sad that this project will soon be done. It has me looking at what I would like to do in my home that would be fun. I know I love blue and white but I am not quite into roses or flowers. I will have to look when I go up to the quilt shop. I do have white linen from Montevideo I may use but that remains to be seen. 

Today

I need to do a bit of deep cleaning in the kitchen. I found some grimy areas that I need to deal with. I also need to check on the flowers to see if they need watering. I want to sew this afternoon and I will be going out tonight for dinner at family's. I may get a few rows knit on the afghan tonight. 

Until the next time.......................................................

Jar Cozy Success

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 21C (humidex 26C). This morning it is cloudy and 13C. Today is supposed to have showers with a high of 21C.

Lifestyle

I focused on cleaning the kitchen yesterday and got it done. It wasn't a big job but it wasn't a small one. I also got a load of laundry done and ready to fold. 

I did do some research on the family tree. The rabbit hole was productive. I was searching the branch from my 3rd great grandfather who was at Fort Edward. I was looking at each of his children and their children as many lived and are buried here this area. As I stumbled across names and looked them up, I found that 3 grandchildren from two different brothers lived and died in what is known as the "Poor Farm". There were several of these places in the province that housed people who were deemed destitute, elderly, or harmlessly insane. From what I can find the people were labourers at the farm and they were poorly funded. One of the family members was also housed for a time at the Mount Hope Insane Hospital in Halifax. The census records certainly told me a story as it searching on the internet. Death certificates showed that all 3 are buried at the Poor Farm and their headstones are numbers not names. 

Sewing

I did do a bit of reading on the thesis. It stated that the women dressed according to where they lived. At Fort Louisburg, they wore fashionable dresses and capes made of silk, cotton, and other expensive fabrics. They wore silk stockings and leather or fabric shoes. They did not wear a lot of wool for warmth as they wanted to show off their status. If they left the fort to visit family, they wore what was worn at those locations. It seems as if the women at the trading posts and in farming communities wore wool, linen, and fur for warmth and durability. They did have clothing that was fashionable to wear for church and special occasions. Dutch linen was in great demand in all locations that were studied in the thesis. A lot of this information comes from inventories upon death, from seals, and receipts. Acadians across the province were well to do but dressed according to their location, who they had contact with, and how they saw fashion in their locations. 

I did sew the cap for the Acadian outfit. It wasn't a hard sew and I did get it done in good time. Would a farming Acadian lady have had ribbons on her every day cap? Probably not unless it had flaps that needed to be tied up. On her cap that she wore visiting or to church under her hat, yes. 

The lace on the cap would only be on caps she wore when not working. Lace was expensive and was something worn to show off her status when not working in and outside the home. 

Once that was done, I cut out 2 jar cozies. They are to help protect the jars when travelling but they can be used if you use jars for glasses. The first cozy was the learning curve. I had a few struggles with it but adapted the pattern so it was what I wanted. 

The original pattern was 6" in height and I cut mine down to 5". The width stayed the same at 5.5". The cut outs for boxing the bottom were 1.5" high and I cut them back to 1.25". They remain 1" wide. The first cozy looks good with the adaptions and the second one needs the lining cut out. I showed the pattern as I would have cut it out on paper with the fold line marked. Once I had done that, I folded a piece of tracing pellon and cut out a full sized pattern. 

I cut the fabric into a larger rectangle and used fusible fleece. I did straight lines 1.5" apart to quilt it. When I placed the pattern on the fabric I was careful not have a cut line on the vertical stitching. 

When sewing the cozies, I did a lot of pressing as I wanted the seams flat as possible. I pressed them open. I did not trim them as they were flat as can be. Pressing them well seems to be an important step. 

I am happy with it as a jar protector and if it was going to be a cozy for a hot or cold drink I would make it 6" high. With the jar topper I like it better at the height I made it. 

Knitting

I picked up the afghan and knit 8 or 9 rows last night. I attached a new ball of yarn and am on a roll with it. 

The white at the top caught me by surprise but I am sure it will fade into the mix. 

Thoughts

    I had a fairly good day yesterday pacing myself with activity and resting after having some poor nights of sleep. I had another good sleep last night so will be able to do more today. 

    I am also a lot more relaxed as daughter is in a better place mentally with her situation. She has two new phrases to use to get things done that he thought he could force her into accepting a deal that is more in his favour than it should be. When she shows she is strong and has a great plan in place I relax and don't dwell on the situation and pace worrying about her. 

    Daughter-in-law dropped her car off here as it says low brake fluid. She has my car for the morning as she has to go to work. We are learning to laugh at her car even though it is frustrating. We also make some nasty comments about it also. Keeps us sane while it goes in for perpetual repairs. 

Today

I have to fold laundry and bake cookies this morning. I have to go to the post office this afternoon and want to finish the second jar cozy and cut out two more. I also want to knit tonight. 

Until the next time........................................................

A Day of Feeling Tired

 Yesterday was mainly wet and cool. The high got to 16C. This morning it is cloudy and 12C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 25C (humidex 28C).

Lifestyle

I was out to make sandwiches yesterday morning. We were a person short but we did well. Daughter-in-law had gone in early to get the fillings ready. When we arrived we got at it and were on track to being done in good time. Once done, we put the trays into the cooler until they were to be delivered later in the morning. 

Daughter-in-law and I loaded our cars with bottles and cans to be returned to the bottle depot. Once there, we unloaded with the help from an employee. We were both disgusted to find empty food and juice cans, plastic cups, and even food in the bags. We helped the employees by removing the trash for them. In all it was a good haul and the money goes towards things we need. 

Once home, I had something to drink and decided to go to New Minas. The drive was wet but it was mainly showers. I only went to Walmart and got groceries and 1/8" wide elastic. When I left the store I was out of energy. It was time to go home. I was becoming a mental wreck. 

I did have a 30 minute nap when I got home and it helped some. I was able to think a bit clearer but I didn't do much. I was in bed a bit later but I slept fairly well. I will have to monitor myself today and go to bed early. 

It is more humid here than I had thought. I am emptying the dehumidifier every 2 to 3 days. That is about 2 gallons of water from it plus what ever the heat pump extracts when I run it on dehumidifier. 

Sewing

I didn't do any sewing yesterday. I did look at the jar cozy pattern and have formulated a plan on how to make them. I will cut out a larger rectangle to quilt and then cut out the cozy pattern once that is done. I have 4 to make so am deciding how I will go about making them. I may do one a day as I have other sewing to do also.

Knitting

None done last night as I was afraid I'd make a big mistake. 

Thoughts

    I did a bit more reading yesterday but it was hard for me to remember as I was tired. One thing I did write down was that chemises worn by Acadian women were plain with the sleeves rolled up. They did have extra fancy cuffs which showed below the cuffs of jackets and dresses. Were these attached to the sleeves of the shift or the sleeves of the jackets and dresses. The other thing I wrote down was that they wore both stayed and quilted without boning corsets. No whale bone for corsets has shown up at Acadian sites so one wonders what they used for boning -- maybe reeds which would have disappeared in the wet acidic soil. 

    Local strawberries are ripe so I will be looking to buy some. People are saying they are delicious. I bet they are. I find the strawberries here to be very flavourful. 

Today

I have some housework and laundry to do this morning. I also need to water some of the plants as they are protected from the rain. I hope to sew this afternoon and knit tonight. 

Until the next time...............................................................