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Post by gardendmpls on Nov 29, 2020 23:03:43 GMT -5
Then I discovered that the big roll of clear plastic I had was only three feet wide Nothing that a big roll of duct tape and an extra pair of hands won't take care of.
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Post by gardendmpls on Nov 29, 2020 23:19:47 GMT -5
Took the outer leaves of the nappa cabbage I pulled out to the chickens. Then fixed one of the perching bars that kept getting knocked down. Put the new leaf bag I got to replace the missing one on the blower/vac. Leaves were sort of stuck to the grass, so mowed the grass. Still stuck. Found a broken rake (not the leaf rake, the dirt rake) and managed to rake a small pile and loosen the leaves so they could be sucked up. Reduced leaves to 2 1/2 bags of mulch.
Hauled the wood pallets for making new compost bins into the yard and realized that the spot isn't wide enough, unless I don't need to shovel anything in or out. Thought of another good spot, but that's planting space. So, will build where I have the current piles, which are composed of the garage wall and some cinderblock dividers. Will build the new composters a bit away from the wall. Should look nicer and be more efficient. Now to find a new use for the cinder blocks. Meanwhile put the leaf mulch in a garbage can in the garage.
Next began sorting and tying the garden stakes. Realized tying them together was a pain. Have cable ties in the car, but had loaned the key to my long term guest so he could move his stuff out of the basement to the nice apartment he rented in the neighborhood. Will take care of the stakes another day. Rain tomorrow so will finish my seed price comparison chart so can make orders for next year's garden. Busy day.
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Post by Mumsey on Nov 30, 2020 4:49:48 GMT -5
Is your machine a table/desk type unit as opposed to a portable? It is both! It is secured in the cabinet you see in the pic with 2 long screws on the underside. When removed the machine comes out and can be portable. It's all encased, unlike some that are built into cabinets. Smartest purchase I ever made. The only time I take it out of the cabinet is for cleaning or taking it in for servicing. When I bought it, it was what was considered a small fortune back then....$250 including the cabinet. It has a floor foot pedal.
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Post by emmsmommy on Nov 30, 2020 10:57:37 GMT -5
So I stayed up late last night getting the rows pieced on one of the quilts and expected to start the morning refreshed knowing that all school assignments were caught up. So what do I find after a week of letting the #%?€ school iPad sit untouched? Assignments that were due last week--the week that schools were closed for the holidays! I sent a message to the teacher and found that I'm not the only surprised parent and was told to work the overdue assignments into this week. There is a definite lack of communication between the county and the parents! Hubby cancelled our therapy for tomorrow due to the weather forecast, so that will give us a full school day tomorrow to get caught up. Now I'm wondering how many assignments will be due during Christmas break.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Nov 30, 2020 12:03:33 GMT -5
Mumsey, emmsmommy, your discussions of crafting, plus a long conversation with my niece about her crocheting projects and techniques beyond what I learned years ago is prompting me to go upstairs, get some yarn, hooks and needles, and dig out my collection of Mon tricot magazines and indulge in some needlework. Or I could work on some of the embroideries I started a few decades ago. I think though what I'll do is crochet some snowflakes.
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Post by martywny on Nov 30, 2020 13:08:58 GMT -5
The first order of business this morning was my annual visit to my dermatologist. All good news, no signs of cancer or pre-cancer, nothing to get burned off with the liquid nitrogen. My long-sleeved shirts, Vietnamese straw hat, and sunblock paid off.
We went out wreath shopping this morning and picked up a nice one from our usual produce market/nursery. Grabbed another gallon of apple cider while I was there, I just love that stuff.
Two orders of seeds came in so far...
Urban Farmer: Ambrosia Corn Heinz 2274 Tomato Roma Tomato Sugar Snap Peas White Sweet Spanish Onions
Baker Creek: Cayenne Pepper Mammoth Grey Striped Sunflower Marketmore 76 Cucumber Fordhook Zucchini Chicago Pickling Cucumber Blue Lake Bush Bean Danvers Half Long Carrot St. Valery Carrot Balcony Mix Petunia Mortgage Lifter Tomato Waltham Butternut Squash Early Prolific Straightneck Squash Early Purple Vienna Kohlrabi
I am going to order again shortly because I have some downtime this week and will spend a portion of that time perusing the seed catalogs. The bad part is I have nothing I want to buy so just 'shopping' can be dangerous because I feel a need to buy something, anything, maybe two of anything.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Nov 30, 2020 15:18:56 GMT -5
will spend a portion of that time perusing the seed catalogs. The bad part is I have nothing I want to buy so just 'shopping' can be dangerous because I feel a need to buy something, anything, maybe two of anything. Uh oh. That can be dangerous. I know we all know that something will suddenly appear to be desirable and you'll have to buy it. It's inevitable. I've been going through my Botanical Interests catalogue and thus far have probably checked 90% of the seeds offered. I did find some I've been looking for but couldn't remember the names. Mom grew them every year, in a specific place in the back yard, and they bring back a lot of memories. Finally found them: Besides Carnations and Impatiens (which I remembered), she grew Sweet William and Bachelor's Buttons. The latter two had a special quality, something very summery, light hearted, and lovely.
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Post by emmsmommy on Nov 30, 2020 18:24:21 GMT -5
SpringRain🕊️, crocheted snowflakes sound beautiful! I never really got the hang of crocheting with thread, though I can do a bit with yarn. Be very careful with crafting though. It's a bit like the seed catalogs--you just keep adding more and more. I just added another project this evening. I need new curtains/drapes for the living room and there's this really long piece of decorative fabric that my daughter keeps dragging out. I pulled it out and roughly measured and there's at least 10 yards if not more. That should easily make the four panels I need and it will only cost me time and thread.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Nov 30, 2020 21:47:22 GMT -5
emmsmommy, I confess. I am a crafting and fabric addict. I won't even reveal how many boxes of fabric and yarn I have lest I be reported for hoarding. Nor will I mention the woodburning and other supplies I've accumulated, planning to use them when I retired (which I already have). I think you, Mumsey and I share the same "addiction". I'm interested in the living room panels - kind of fabric, whether or not you hem the top or use the metal pleats, etc. I have to make new ones to replace those I made in 1980.
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Post by emmsmommy on Dec 1, 2020 2:49:27 GMT -5
SpringRain🕊️, I think I will go the simple route and just make flat lined panels. I'll try to get a picture of the fabric later, but it's pretty light and something I liked well enough not to donate. I have a huge bag of the cafe hooks that I picked up for displaying things at the store and hopefully they're big enough to fit the rod I currently have. Pushing off construction until next year as I will need lots of space/time to work on them and have neither at the moment. As for hoarding supplies, I got it honest. Mom is a crafter too except that she's more into beads, ribbons and paper. Her fabric fits in a single tote that slides under the bed while mine overflows several totes. The good news is that of the 1500 or so masks mom made, very little fabric was purchased.
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Post by Mumsey on Dec 1, 2020 4:49:32 GMT -5
Love those. I planted them one year. They didn't come up. The next year, there they were! That still puzzles me. And they came back for several years after that. very little fabric was purchased. I didn't purchase any for the 900+ we made either! I'll be making a few more for sis, she gave me fabric for a few. Says she keeps losing them, which for her is easy to do. LOL
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Post by Mumsey on Dec 1, 2020 5:15:27 GMT -5
Went to the big city yesterday. Got to Walmart at 7:10 am. Nice. Few people to deal with. Found my hand quilting thread there, yay! Had to go to Menards for toilet parts, only 6 cars in the parking lot. Then to JoAnns for curbside pickup. That was quick too. Stopped by Dad's on the way home. He and brother cut down some huge soft maples over the long weekend for someone. People call him all the time to cut down trees. He basically supervises while brother does the work. Quite the team. Dad worked in the lumber industry years ago, cutting and hauling lumber from Oregon to his brother's sawmill here in Iowa. I don't think he liked that job, but he learned a lot. He has these giant logs on his long flatbed trailer, he thinks about 3-4 tons worth in those 6 logs. He's selling them to a sawmill 40 miles away for $500/1000 lb. He says that's a better price than the Amish pay him. Plus there are more logs to pick up from the site. At 89 this guy never quits! My routine is changing. No early walking this week due to cold temps. It will be treadmill, then walk later when it's a bit warmer. I have made those before, used baby weight sparkly white yarn. As I recall, it only took about 15 minutes to make one.
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Post by emmsmommy on Dec 1, 2020 5:22:47 GMT -5
Mumsey , What thread are you using for hand quilting that you can find at Walmart? I’ve machine quilted or tied the few I’ve finished. I have two tops that I’ve put aside specifically to hand quilt and really have no idea of how to begin.
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Post by Mumsey on Dec 1, 2020 5:44:08 GMT -5
emmsmommy , What I found at Walmart was Coats & Clark, specifically hand quilting. There are other more expensive brands like Gutterman's, found in quilt shops but I like the other, it seems to tangle up less when using a long length. I use a lap hoop which works well, it's 14-15" diameter. They don't make the new ones like these older ones, I pick any up that I see at junk shops/garage sales. I bought a new one once, a piece of junk. You can get an expensive new one (over $20 but I refuse to go there). I have another one, but the screw or wing nut is stripped out, hard to find a replacement screw. Sometimes just a new wing nut does the trick. I layer the fabrics on the floor, backing first which I tape down at intervals around the edges so it doesn't move. Then the batting, then the top. On hands and knees I begin at the middle and baste the layers together using a long needle, double thread and large running stitches, about 1/2-1" in length. I use oddball threads that I know I probably won't ever use for anything else. Go all 4 directions, then diagonally from the center toward the corners. Begin quilting at the center, working your way out. Important to keep this consistent to get a quilt that ends up smooth. As you go, pull out the basting stitches and stretch the quilt in the hoop. And don't worry about doing the stitches like Grandma used to, many stitches on the needle before pulling through. I go up and down one stitch at a time, easier on my hands/fingers.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Dec 1, 2020 11:59:51 GMT -5
Mumsey, Great idea to use sparkling yarn; it'll make the crocheted snowflakes more realistic, and give me a chance to sigh over all the lovely yarns available. There's a Michael's locally, and the flagship Jo-Ann's across town. I'm always inspired by their array of holiday decorations. The fabric and your quilt in process in blues shades really are beautiful. emmsmommy, I experimented with quilts (all by hand, no machine quilting), and sometimes used worsted weight yarn for quilts that I planned to protect in a duvet (for my parents' travel). I also used embroidery thread for just ornamental pieces. I liked the effect of the silky like embroidery thread.
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