Progress On The Dog Quilt

 It was a wet cloudy morning the past two morning with some sunshine in the afternoon. The high yesterday got to 19C. This morning it is hazy and 6C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 21C. 

Lifestyle

First, yesterday I did not post as we lost power at 4:45 am and it was restored at 10:50 am. I was late to the game so didn't do a post. 

On Saturday afternoon, daughter-in-law and I went to Fisherman's Cove which is across the harbour from Halifax. It was founded about 200 years ago and is quite hidden from view by the Eastern Passage. Today the area has about 10 - 12 small buildings (fisherman huts) that people rent/own in which they sell crafted items. The buildings are brightly painted and have a board walk in front of them. 

When you cross the parking lot, you can walk part way around the ocean and there is a beach which allows people to walk into the water. It is natural habitat in which you can see a variety of birds when it is quiet. There is a pile of lobster traps at one spot which signifies the importance of fishing in the area. 

Daughter-in-law and I wandered through some of the shops and she picked up some gifts. I picked up some yarn from the yarn shop. We had thought that the yarn shop would have had a lot of yarn in it but we were disappointed. The Rolling Yarn Shop we buy from is has far more yarn in a smaller space. I did buy 2 skeins of yarn. 

The area around Fisherman's Cove is also interesting. You could see some fishing boats and a lot of lobster traps. There is also an Air Force base, the Auto Port, and some oil refineries in the area. It is urban but feels a bit rural. 

Yesterday was a mixed up day due to the power being off. I did fold laundry. It was difficult to do much of anything as it was dark and pouring rain. Once the power came on, I did some cleaning up and called it done for upstairs. 

Sewing

I have been working on the dog quilt. I am spending a lot of time trying to get it done and have the top part ready to sew onto the panel. 

I am now ready to cut the squares to make the geese for the bottom part. I have a better idea of what I am doing and will focus on cutting the squares before I sew. I also know that I have to sew the row of 7 blocks first and then move towards the one block. The dark strips can be cut out before I start sewing. 

Once I start sewing, I will focus on sewing the blocks for each row. It gives me a break from doing all the sewing, then all the cutting, etc. which my brain hates. It likes to do one block at a time which is the slow method so I have to push myself to do a lot at one time. For me it is exhausting mentally. 

Once the quilt is sewn together, I will decide if I am going to add a border of large flying geese to each side. If I do, I know that I will put a dark piece in the middle and reverse the geese. If I don't, I will add a narrow light border and then a wider dark border. It all depends on how the quilt looks when I get the bottom part sewn on. 

Knitting

Though I have been tired at night, I have pushed myself to knit on the doll's coat. 

It should be finished tonight. Then onto socks. 

Thoughts

    I really enjoyed going to Fisherman's Cove on Saturday. It wasn't overly busy as it had rained and was cool (14C). I am sure that it is busy in the summer as it is a real tourist attraction. 

    I am not sure what caused the power outage in our area. Shortly after that the area towards the city went out also. They got their power back first and then we were another 45 minutes to a hour later. The road was busy with people going to buy coffee and breakfast in the part of town that had power. 

    I was short on sleep as I woke up with a leg cramp just as the power went off. I didn't go back to sleep as my leg was sore. I was to go into the city to watch grandson play soccer but didn't go. I know sitting in the car would have given me another leg cramp. Staying home allowed me to keep it stretched out. I was also drinking electrolytes as I knew I was dehydrated. 

    I am powering through the quilt and am not enjoying the process as much as I would like to. I enjoyed the designing part but having to sew it quickly is not fun for me. I am spending around 4 hours a day so I can get it to the long arm quilter sooner rather than later. I am hoping I can enjoy making the next quilt a lot more than I am enjoying this one. One thing I do know - I can batch cut and sew if I have to. 

Today

I have the repair man coming to look at the fridge sometime today. I also have the company coming to do weed control. I want to clean under the sink as it needs to be done. I also want to cut all the squares for the flying geese and start sewing them together. I also need groceries. I want to knit tonight. A very busy day for me. 

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