Sunday snippets and bits

in which our plucky heroine attempts forward momentum...

Last night I had Horrible Nightmares that woke me up, all about attempting to get somewhere important, and the train was actually a plague train with plank beds full of sick people; once I managed to catch the train, I then immediately was trying to escape from the moving train car. Not surprising given the current pandemic. There has not much change in the family situation, though I did find out that there is an "activities coordinator" at the care/rehab where my mother is currently, and that is the person to ask about setting up a video call, which may be helpful, and I plan on calling tomorrow

Given the above, it took me hours to pull myself awake and out of bed... that done, I only managed a mile of walking today. I am considering trying to add some boning to the mask pattern, as a way of keeping the shape even more structured. Not sure if it is just that I huff and puff a lot while I walk, or that the weather is cold and damp, but over the time I am out and about, the mask gets damp and unpleasant. I saw a youTube where the stitcher used small zipties as mask boning...

Today was siblings and spouses zoom, while it was good to see faces, the content of our talk is hard and sad. Still, Sister and BIL are holding their own against the dread virus so far, as is my mother. When I brought up the idea of sending art or writing supplies to Mom, sister reminded me that despite having those all on hand while she was at home, none of them have been touched in the last year, and our attempts to interest her in them were not successful. I have no clue what to offer as an anodyne to the terrible boredom Mom is suffering from, as the only thing that helped prior to her medical crisis was the once a week reading aloud session...

※※※

~ 100 day creativity challenge - day 83 ~

A fragment of another miniature quilt, this one green instead of red. The red one went to Kestrel, this one is for S (the girl next door with whom I share a love of the miniature world)... I had a few pretty scraps leftover from sewing masks, and thought that little Gwen might want additional bedding. As you may recall, S sent Nandina a sweet handknit afghan a while back, but January is cold, and so extra layers could be welcome

My friend Eva also sent me more miniatures, and the tiny teakettle had two in the package instead of the one that was ordered, and so Gwen is getting a teakettle no bigger than the end of my thumb, as well... it will be time for getting cozy with tea and quilts in the dollhouses

※※※

wanted to change out the wall hook on the bedroom cabinet, to replace it with the sweet heart-shaped forged iron hook that was one of my holiday gifts. The only black headed screws on hand were much too long, and also much harder than any of the saws or sawblades could dent. It occurred to me that while I lacked something to cut the sheetrock screw to the right length, or to grind it down, I did have a vice, and a hammer... After carefully placing the screw so that the desired portion was inside the vice jaws, a few hammerblows to the excess length was all it took to shorten it. Easy-peasy vicey-squeezy! (another Tool Girl outside-the-box win!)

※※※

beauty in the time of isolation - day 301:

Callistemon fruit

※※※

SWAP 2021 sewing/planning update - the navy mushroom print and the turquoise mushroom print turtleneck tops both fit seamlessly into my winter wardrobe rotatation. I had been thinking about making a new pinafore, but instead will be making a new rain capelet, since my oh-so-useful one I made in 2019 has somehow disappeared! (How? When Acorn Cottage is so small? And I've gone nowhere at all since the rains started? (actually since early last spring))

This time of year the rain capelet is a garment I don't want to do without. Fortunately I have most of the materials needed to make another one (I know I have some more of the supplex/goretex/fleece, some more Polartec, a separating zipper of robust construction, and hopefully can find some of the thinner nylon knit I used for edge binding) 

I do wish that I had made some any construction notes on my previous capelet, which had some tricksy zipper and binding details. Fortunately at least I do have the photos I took at the bottom of this blog post, and I hope that will be enough to help me reconstruct this beloved and long desired garment...

※※※

January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	postcard for Mom	cardigan mended	excess dust rhinos
2	candied grapefruit peel	replace nose pads	recycle bin
3	beaded stars	replace wall hook	-
4	miniature quilt	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - yesterday Heather brought my packet of gifts to the Mud Bay crew, and Ariadne sent me a whole little photo essay of Kestrel opening her presents along with text commentary, and that Bill was delighted with the large bag of processed bay nuts.