The Secret of Chimneys

Audio here

Miss Marple investigates in this Agatha Christie murder mystery

" It introduces the characters of Superintendent Battle and Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent. At the request of George Lomax, Lord Caterham reluctantly agrees to host a weekend party at his home, Chimneys. A murder occurs in the house, beginning a week of fast-paced events with police among the guests.

   The novel was well received at first publication, described as more than a murder mystery, as it is a treasure hunt. Later reviews found it a first class romp and one of the author's best early thrillers. The most recent review says the novel requires a hefty suspension of disbelief. The later reviewers note that descriptions of characters use the terminology of the times in which it was written, and might be considered racist decades later."

Diamond Mitts designed by Elaine Jones

I still have handspun yarn from the 'waves of hope" hat--

Casting on and watching...............or maybe, listening

Oh Woe Is Me-----

On top of all this virus stuff, wearing masks, washing your hands till they're raw, social distancing--I have NO sewing machine!!  So, Woe is Me!  

"This phrase means I am in trouble or I am struggling. People might say woe is me when they are going through hard times, when they are sad about something, or whenever obstacles befall them on the path of life. The phrase is archaic, and today it is mostly used ironically or in self-deprecation."

Am I really that bad off?  Not really!  There are many who have suffered more distress than I'll ever know--we think our personal situation is awful--when we can't do the things we like-

But, I do have other projects to pull out and finish.  Here is one that I"ll begin tonight as I listen to live streaming country music

Proximity Hat designed by Orange Smoothie is the winner for my

needles!  

I just finished plying this handspun wool/silk blend and it will make a nice hat--

think I'll need to do 4 ply for this hat; otherwise, it will fit a small head

and believe or not--I have a big fat head!

No more Woe is Me! 

It Finally Happen.......................

I was breezing along with all my sewing projects; even

finished these two UFOs below--

got this quilted and the binding sewn on

then quilted this one, put the binding on

and THEN it happen!!

My Bernina machine went bonkers!!  It stalled out on me!

Fabric would not feed through the needle--

can we say flustered--changed the needle, pulled out the bobbin

and cleaned all the parts underneath--changed thread several times,

still no results--

still had trouble with the fabric feeding through, it just sits there

and churns in one spot!!  Read all the internet suggestions and

nothing changed a thing.....I give up........

Time to get it to repair shop!

Only problem--Bernina shop isn't open!!  But, you can drop them

an email and then drop off the machine--outside their door with

note attached to machine with all the information--they'll pick it

up and send you a receipt!

Guess that's what I'll do--

since I don't have another sewing machine--

I will not be sewing anytime soon--

Let's just go to another project and finish up

these knitting projects

Chunky yarn makes a perfect hat and quick knit

Finished! Complete! Hip Hip Yahoo!!

This is a hat from my previous handspun mentioned in blog--I liked knitting this pattern--

really enjoyed the feel of my handspun in my hands

Another one bites the dust—from the stash of UFOs!!

That panel has been around for years—attic windows framed the

Tree nicely!

There was no black fabric in my bins!  And every internet 

Shop I contacted had none—zero, zilch, nada—

I settled for this black with trees—cut lengthwise 

For sides to keep trees in the right direction—

Every time I sewed the top borders on—

I put them upside down!!

Ripppppppp do it right! 

Fiber, Fiber, Fiber

Okay--digging away in my fiber closet, I turned up a bin of my hand dyed

wool from many many moons ago!  At one time, I taught a workshop --

Dyeing Fleece in the Grease--a fun workshop--truly loved the way

the wool locks came out of the dye pot--I'd forgotten that I had this

bin--and it was with pleasure I took the bin out to sort through the colors

I even found a half full bobbin and a finished one!  Gee whiz!  why did I stop working with this gorgeous stuff--I think the wool was  BFF--but don't hold me to that!  The locks are so

wonderful to touch and look at.............. 

So, in the evenings as we sit on the patio--I'm teasing the locks for spinning--

I can't find my flicker brush--doesn't matter--feels so good on my hands.

I decided to spin from the lock instead of teasing the fiber out--

Hubby says it will take me six months to do that whole bin--

bet he's wrong!!  If only I stick to it and don't get distracted by something else!

At least one bobbin has been plied and another waits its turn!  The Bin is just a little less full!

Picnic in Style!

Fort Worth Fabric Studio has the perfect recipe for this summer's picnic cloth!

I'm ready to spread out this colorful quilt and set out my best

fried chicken, pickles, potato salad, deviled eggs and share with my

family!!

Here are my blocks from the scrap bin.  Below is the ones made with

their kit.  Waiting for the next step---

And below is step 2--interesting what you can do with your stash!

 Here are some tempting recipes for a picnic!

Yum! Yum!  Fried Chicken!  Finger food on a skewer!

How about pickled radishes? everybody loves a good Deviled egg-- and everyone

has their favorite recipe too!

For Our Vets Comfort

During these days when we all need some comfort and warmth from the outside dings--here is a way to make your days fuller and also give to a military person.  Groups,io has a group that ventures to the world of fabric and sewing adventure.

 The first two clues were posted--easy to sew to make 13.5" block--there are 9 blue blocks and 4 red blocks.  I cut all at once, then got some of them mixed up--in the end all blocks came together!

Using up my stash--once we come out on the other end of this 'shut-in' phase, 

I'll feel good about buying more fabric!!

I decided to use gold for the sashing and random spacer blocks--

Setting on point is not my favorite way --

I've added my triangle points--going to trim and then add borders

Think I did a good job getting corners to meet :-) 

And off it goes to the Chair of Quilt of Valor for quilting!