Just a note to say that I'm okay. Friends have been calling with concern. I still have bruises in strange places, but I seem to be managing fine. Babysat my youngest grandchild yesterday. It was a treat to have her free to play and explore without her sister either fighting over toys or playing "mother" and not letting her explore as she wanted to. I worked on a post card yesterday. It called for couching so I framed up a piece of fabric and got out all of my metal thread embroidery stuff--three boxes worth. It's been awhile, but I managed to do up a small piece with couched Japanese gold. I used the old Elna machine to do the edge, and that machine doesn't like metal thread. Anyway, it got done. It doesn't look as spectacular as I thought it might. I did find out that I can still work the metal thread, even if my skills are a little rusty. Today we grocery shop, and then this evening I'm going out for coffee with my cousin Beryl. Usually we just see each other at family weddings and funerals. She is a geneologist, and always has questions about the family.

Things Happen in threes

or so I've been told. Well, yesterday, my sewing machine just stopped working. I have no idea what happened. I was working with mono-filament thread, and I'm worried that some of that broke off and got mixed up in the machine. I use mono-filament a lot. I had also been sewing steady for a number of hours. In any case, it goes to the shop today. While I'm hoping everything can be fixed, I'm sure it won't be cheap. My biggest worry is that they'll say it can't be fixed. It's five years old, and I'm not sure that they are meant to last much longer than that. Certainly I know that Singers used to have that sort of useful expectancy. I had actually looked at a new machine early this year. They are beautiful, but almost all of them are computerized--and computers and I don't get along. When I actually think about how many of the features I use on this one, I'm surprized at how simple my needs are. I need to be able to free motion quilt, and sew straight seam and zig-zag. The old Elna I have does many things beautifully, but I can't lower the feed dogs. Anyway, maybe I'm buying trouble. I'll take it in and see what they say, but I have to admit that I'm already thinking of how to carry on with life without it.

Life without it--hmmm. I have no tv guide (newspaper still on strike) so I'm not watching tv much these days. Last evening, I spent an hour reading an old National Geographic, (that I bought at Value Village), and watching a documentary on Lyndon B. Johnson. How exciting. Maybe it's just cabin fever, since I haven't been out of the house since Friday--when I had the car accident. My one thought was that maybe I can spend some time doing hand work. I haven't done a lot lately, and so many of my ideas require hand work that I should take another look at it. But--I hurt my wrist when I fell on Sunday. Someone is trying to tell me something, and I'm not sure what that message might be. Don't drive, don't sit and don't sew. Which leaves cycling and lately we've had winds with gusts of 40-60km/hr. Heaven forbid that I'm being pushed toward housework!!

Bizarre!

I had a wee accident with a chair yesterday. I use a "steno" chair with arms at my sewing machine. It's an old chair that we bought at a garage sale many years ago. There is a wheeled base and then the actual seat sits on top of a plate that reclines back a bit. The seat is held to this plate with four screws. Well, I was sitting, and must have shifted my weight. The seat and base separated. The base shot off to one side and I ended up on the floor on my right side, still, sort of, sitting in the chair. I must have tried to grab the sewing machine because al of the stuff that rests on the top of the cabinet was all over the floor with me. When we had a chance to look at it, there were only two screws --not four---holding the base, and those screws were either crystalized or sheered right off. DH has replaced all of the screws and the chir seems to be working fine now. I, however, appear to have a few bruizes, aches and pains.

What was so upsetting about this was my reaction to it. I was quite "shattered". It was an emotional reaction far beyond what I should have felt over a fairly minor accident. I had to wonder if this was residue from my problem with the car on Friday. In any case, after the grandchildren left, I was absolutely exhausted and was in bed before 10:00, sleeping until 8:00 this morning--a very long night for me.

So, what was I sewing , at the time, you ask? Well, I've finally got to work with the sunprints I made with the leaves I brought back from BC. I'm taking each one and FMQ'g it to batting and backing. Then I plan to put them all together, like a jig saw puzzle, by butting them and sewing them flat with a wide satin stitch. I have a few done and have them mounted on the design wall. I looked at it and thought--"I've seen this sort of thing before". Darned if I know where or when but the concept has been done. Regardless I'm going to carry on. After all, I banged up my car going off to buy the thread. So I figure that the thread alone cost me over $700! (lol)

Still cold

I notice we're sleeping more too. Actually we've been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately. Over the past while we've been becoming more and more congested while we're trying to sleep. So I went out and bought some unscented hypo-allergenic laundry soap, and washed all of the bedding and most of our clothes. For the past two nights we've slept like babies. Maybe catching up from weeks of poor sleep. It was a lot fo work, and the soap isn't cheap, but I think I may be onto something. Any other time that I've found a laundry soap that worked for us, they stopped manufacturing it within a couple of months, but I noticed that Tide now has a hypo-allergenic soap. It isn't labelled as scent free, however, so I didn't buy it. somethign to keep in mind.

Got a couple of wallets almost finished yesterday, and then spent most of the evening workingonthe little Christmas stocking. It's long been my habit to do the machine work during the day and then the hand work in the evening while I watch tv. Without a tv guide--the newspaper is still on strike--I just don't watch tv. I've actually found CBC Radio 2, and listened for awhile yesterday. Some of it is okay, but later in the afternoon I just couldn't stand what was on and turned it off.

I have a lot of volunteer work to do today, and then the Grandchildren are coming over for supper, so I'm not sure what sewing I'll get done. Actually that's not true. My DD told me that she has some clothing that needs altering, and that she'll bring it whn they come for supper.

The tires are replaced--all four of them. They checked the wear on them and it looks like we might have had to replace them in a couple of months anyway. It cost over $700.00, so it looks like an austerity program around here for awhile. And then this morning I got a two page "wish list" for my grand daughters, with both birthdays and Christmas coming up.

I was right

That volunteer commitment did take most of the week. I've just now finished and sent it off for review. I did get out of the house for a bit yesteday, and managed to hit a curb with the car, ruining at least one tire and maybe two rims. So DH is off at the dealership getting everything fixed. So much for my Christmas fund! We are still trying to keep the house cooler than we did last year, but I noticed that DH had the heat turned up a couple of degrees yesterday. I think he got cold while riding his bicycle over to help me change the tire.

It's just been too cold and windy to sunprint outside, so I've been doing it in the basement, with good results. It makes me wonder if the trouble I had last year was because my paint was old and diluted. This time I put the fabric over a framed screen so that the air could get at it from two sides, instead of resting it on plastic. This may have allowed it to dry a little faster, and I'm convinced that drying time influences the quality of the print as well.

I'm going to try something new with the sunprints. If it works, I'll post a picture. but I also need to make sure I have enough stock for sales. So today I'm making wallets. I bought the fabric awhile back, and have been wanting to use it. It is so pretty!! But I have to keep reminding myself that the Christmas stocking I'm making for my DGD has a time limit on it too--and there is more to be done than I think. So off to the studio while DH is away. Actually when he's out, which isn't often, I usually sneak in and play a poker tournament, but too much to do today.

In a Dither

I just can't sem to focus on any one thing, as far as my next project. I have some leaves that I brought back from BC, and an idea of how to use sunprints quite differently in a iece, but I think it's really too cold to try to work outside, although it's sunny out. The prints are always much nicer if they dry inthe sun as opposed to the basement under the full spectrum lights. I think the difference is in the drying time. I suppose I could paint in the basement and then just put them out to dry. A couple of the ideas that I have would be hand done pieces. The silk carrier rods I brought back could be worked into a hand embroidered piece very nicely, and I will. But I first have to finish the Christmas stocking for my DGD. I have come to realize that I have very few small matted sun prints and two sales fast approaching. I also made a volunteer commitment at the retreat that will take up most of my time this week. Maybe I need to paint fabric, put it out in the sun and then come in and work on my computer while it dries. My enemy will probably be the wind.

Our local newspaper is on strike. What a difference this makes to my morning routine! But I'm pleased to say that, with doing more reading, I'm having to branch out into a better class of literature. I've spent the last couple of days reading a collection of short stories written by Ruth Rendell. ( bought it for reading on the plane) Now there is a twisted mind! Not much inspiration for fibre work, but maybe a very dark piece with Ravens or vultures etc. Who knows.

The plumbing work at the lake isn't finished. The fellow had a death in the family. But he is supposed to be working on it this week, and then we are going down on Thursday to check it out and pay him. Yesterday, we also heard of a death in our family. A remote relative, a grand-nephew by marriage, whom I've only met half a dozen times, over the past twenty years. A young man with two teenage daughters. It made me look around at family, especially DH's family, and I realized that we are quickly becoming a family of women. I'm not sure if that has any deep meaning, but I think it may be a reflection of society. Certainly I've read of whole levels of society where single women with families are the norm. I'm not sure where that thought is going.

Anyway, time to get moving. DH was up late again last night , on the computer, so he is still sleeping. It's always a challenge to see how much I can get done without waking him.

And home again!

very late last night! I had a marvelous time, but have no pictures. This group has run into some copyright problems recently, and no-one was taking any pictures. We stayed at a very (ver-r-r-y) nice c0nference centre that has a nation wide reputation for its gourmet food--and is it ever well-earned! Our meeting room was on the top floor with a tremendous view of the Channel Islands. I had no idea that Saltspring Island was so very close to Sidney.

I bought silk!! I saw a wonderful art show with out of this world prices--and quite a few of the pieces were sold! There was a very good representation of fibre work in the show, which was nice to see. Well, we had unbelievable show'n'tell. When I tried to pick one or two pieces to take, I realized how little I've actually done this year, so I decided to be up front with them and tell them that I had spent all of my time making product to sell so that I could afford to go to the conference. They were interested and several more people came out of the closet--so to speak--and admitted to making things purely for sale. One lady is a well respected artist, who does a lot of commission work. But she turned out to be making sunprints very much like mine, matting them, and selling them through the Alberta Crafts Council. She uses some simple embroidery rather than beads, for her embellishment. I was impressed with her hand work and she was impressed with my beading. (lol)

I got home late yesterday, slept late today and then went shopping for food. So now DH is having a nap and I'm preparing supper. Is there something wrong with this picture?