MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS

A blog about my interests, which include fabric landscapes and various and assorted other artsy pursuits and sometimes known to contain mumblings of a random nature.

Monday, March 18, 2024

Progress!

 Over the weekend I got some time to play with the latest landscape and now I can show you where it's at right now...



Just as a little sidenote, I actually kept track
of the time that went into just the embroidery
alone....17 1/2 hours.

- THIS idea made me smile and perhaps you will too.

- And THIS just plain made me laugh.

- Have a look at THESE amazing creations!  Be sure to click on them so you can see further details.  All I can say is wow!

- And go and pay a visit to the gallery of THIS amazing artist!

- You might want to make yourself one of THESE (I'm sure there are more uses for it!).



Friday, March 15, 2024

Well then....

 Well, that's 4 1/2 hours of computer time I'll never get back and a whole lot of angst on my part.  Resident Chef decided we needed to go on a quest yesterday to search out a possible solution for fixing our kitchen island cupboard so off we went, leaving me with doing my blog post last night.  Theoretically not a bad plan....until.....my computer virus program decided that it needed to do something called an 'Advanced Disenfection' which meant that I could do absolutely nothing but wait until it knocked every single dust bunny from every little corner.  Four and a half hours later it was bedtime and needless to say I went to bed in disgust - and no blog post even started.  

So....no links....no pictures (for that matter no stitching done either)...but hopefully a squeeky clean computer.

Regular scheduled programming here at Chez Magpie should (fingers crossed) return on Monday.  Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Road runners

 Yesterday Resident Chef and I went on a little road trip in quest of some apples.  We like to go to a place called 'Algoma Orchards' which is about 45 minutes away and we pick up enough to last us a couple of months.  It was a lovely day for a car trip but alas it meant I didn't get any stitching done.  So....mumblings it will be....


- If you're in the throes of garden planning, perhaps you might want to take THIS into consideration.  And have a peek at THIS.  

- THIS made me laugh.

- HERE are some other ideas for your garden.

- THIS is an awwwwww thing.  And so is THIS.

Today's quote..."Actions prove who someone is, words just prove who they pretend to be"





Monday, March 11, 2024

Oh, the mystery

 I'm not ready to show you the complete progress on the landscape (suffice to say it involves a ton of embroidery!), but I will share this little glimpse....



I had hoped I could show you more when I do my post on Wednesday but the next couple of days will be busy so there won't be much time to stitch.  This afternoon is our quilt guild meeting and then on Wednesday night I have to do another trunk show for the evening guild.  I guess you'll just have to wait on another update (just don't hold your breath).

- I would love to make THIS for one of our grandies (sorry if Hobbii site wants you to 'do something' in order to see it...???).  They have lots of free patterns that are really cute if you want to explore further.

- Scroll down a bit HERE and you'll see the cute duckie pattern that would make a fun baby quilt.

- THESE made me smile.  And THIS made me laugh.

- If you've ever wanted to make a quilted jacket, perhaps you will find THIS interesting.

- And, finally, I thought I would share THIS

Today's quote:  "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.  You can show a person the truth, but you can't make them think"





Friday, March 08, 2024

Froggin'

 Well the time-out didn't last too long.  After I slept on it (not literally!) I decided that frogging the black strips was the way to go.  It's not exactly the idea I had in mind when I started out but it works better than only a half-way job.  



ARGH - It seems the internet is throwing hissy fits all over the place.  First of all Facebook went nuts on Tuesday - widespread apparently.  Then Google decided they would do an update and that messed up email.  Then, for reasons unknown, my Pinterest board decided to pitch a fit and refused to let me in.  AND...tried to do my online grocery order and had to fight with the site to get it to work.  That was after they threw me to a store in Toronto instead of my 'home' store and then didn't want to let me put in our local place.  Weird.  Hmmm....is it a full moon I wonder?

Oh - and I already had two links for you ready to go in this post and they've disappeared.  Weird.

- THIS takes you to a number of pretty potholder designs.

- Have a peek through the gallery of THIS artist!

- THESE are an awwww.

- THIS is a cute project you might like to try.

Today the quote is by Socrates..."Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, stupid people already have the answers"





Wednesday, March 06, 2024

In the time out corner

 Well, folks, I think this is the first time I've started a landscape and really didn't like it....so....it's in the time-out corner and I will start again.  I might come back to it but at this point I doubt it.  If I'd had enough of the iron-on bias tape to complete the cross-hatching I had in mind I think I would have been okay with it but for now it's set aside.  Who knows maybe I will lighten the bank account and buy some more tape but it's pretty pricey and defies my goal of using from my stash.  I toyed with trying to cut my own but it's less than a 1/4" wide so methinks that would just prove to be a lesson in frustration - to say nothing about danger to my fingers wielding a rotary cutter that close.

Maybe I'll even wield the stitch ripper and 
remove all the tape....hmmm...

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On another subject - I think I mentioned I was going through all the pre-2022 posts on my blog and updating them.  During that process I've been re-introduced to the series of 'seam treatments' I did when I was crazy quilting.  If you like embroidery and are interested, check out the 'seam treatment' category in my sidebar and you'll be taken to lots of designs I came up with that you might like to use.

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- THESE are cute to create for Easter.

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It appears, at least to me, that the internet is throwing hissy fits all over the place.  Anyone else having issues?  First of all, Facebook went weird and refused to let me sign in without changing my password, which I did.  Several times, before it 'took'.  And then it seems my Pinterest account has gone on strike too and now I can't get you the normal number of links.  Oh yes, and the screen where I sign in to my gmail account has changed.  All that leads me to wonder if they are doing some sort of upgrade which has messed things up.  

Today's quote is from Elizabeth Gilbert..."Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be"






Monday, March 04, 2024

Progressing along

 The new landscape is developing and I already have an idea for a new one that hopefully will involve the use of a paper map.  I'm wondering, if I steal the one RC refers to sometimes, how long it might be before he notices it's missing.  Hmmm.  In the meantime I will continue working on this one....


Rather a poor picture but it's all that's ready to show you.  I started out with the grand plan that I would cross-hatch the sky using a roll of iron-on bias tape I had kicking around in my stash.  Sadly, my plan was thwarted when I ran out of tape before I could start the 'cross'.  A search online to find more yielded some but it costs a small fortune...so...stripes it will be.   

- Some of you might find some good tips on THIS list.

- If only I had the proper yarn in my stash I would be making THIS.

- I dare you not to say 'awwww' when you see THIS.

Today the quote is from Charles Darwin..."It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change"