Monday 21 January 2013

Cabin Fever

Day four of being snowbound. Food is running low and we are starting to look at each other with a hungry gleam in our eyes...



... Yeah, okay, there is a Coop just a short walk into the village and while it did run out of cabbages there is still food on the shelves there. The roads are pretty clear once you get off the side streets (UK councils do not see the reason to grit anything but main roads for those living away from these cost saving measures) and I could have got the girls to school today, only the schools were closed again.

I can deal with this. What I can not deal with is the television being on for more hours than any brain should ever suffer through. I may have mentioned that to the girls this morning in less than polite terms. I directed them to this Pinterest board (not mine but a great one if you have kids) and instructed them to pick a craft, any craft we had the supplies available for, and then to make something.

They settled on salt dough. Fine by me. They had to walk over to the shops for more salt, picked up one of their friends on the way, and have been giggling away on the kitchen floor ever since. Much better than telly!
If they get tired of the salt dough - some creations shown below - then they are thinking of making the mice in walnut shells as shown below - instructions for which can be found here.


While they giggle, and make things, and squash things repeatedly as far as I can tell, I have been sewing. I've started quilting Singing the Blues. I began by making lines with my ruler and a hera marker and then attempting straight line quilting with the walking foot on.


Doing lots of close together straight line quilting is a learning curve. One thing I have had to improve is the propensity to have the fabric pucker. I don't like puckers!


You can see the improvement between the two photos above. I will be pulling out some stitches I do believe, or this quilt will look more wrinkled than a geriatric elephant's bottom. We don't want that.

Susan

34 comments:

  1. eat them, it will save time and tears

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  2. Wow! You're getting some serious snow build up! As for us, here on the Saskatchewan prairies, -41C this morning! This is day 3 I believe of this less than desirable weather and yes the kids did go to school!

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  3. ROFL! I love the way you describe stuff! I'm sure you're already doing this, but make sure you start sewing each new line from the same edge. Cuts down on the 'drag' between rows of stitching. Jxo

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  4. Geriatric elephant's bottom? Hahahaha - you have quite the way with words…!

    Glad to hear you found a good tv substitute - I'd have loved that as a kid! Mind you, we never once had a snow-day or unexpected school closure growing up. I'm guessing yoy know that in Saskatchewan, kids usually travelled a distance to get to school so it had to be open when they got there and the tradition continues. They closed them early ONCE when we had a massive blizzard 6 years ago but that is the only time in my life I can remember schools being closed on account of weather…

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  5. You know you so wanted to say the word @rse! Salt Dough is lots of fun, glad it's keeping the girls entertained for the day, and you can do some sewing- I am rubbish at straight line quilting, all of that puckering, and the concentration involved is clearly too much for me! : )

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  6. Yes I do notice a difference betweent the photos... the one on the right is what I want, and the one on the left is what I get. How did you do the one on the right then?

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  7. I am so with you on the TV thing (I have been known to get so fed up I confiscate all the DS's and ipod touches and curfew the PC as well!) Well done on making them find something else to do - I will be checking out that pinterest board. Er and how DID you manage to sort out the pucker, please?

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  8. LOL! Sounds like a crafty day at yours. So how did you 'iron out' the elephant's wrinkly derrière? Di x

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  9. You're going to make it through with super crafts like that. What a great way to spend the day!
    Love love love the quilting. I always forget about pre-marking, then get angry with my (lack of) quilting skills. Need to file that away in my brain somewhere!

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  10. I so know what you mean about the TV. When junior joe here broke his arm before Christmas I thought I was going to have to be hospitalised for the trauma of having to hear another repeat of Tracey Beaker!!! And, there weren't many one handed alternatives in his situation!

    Your quilting is lovely. Are you sewing the quilt lines all in the one direction (ie starting at the same side each time)? I'm sure you are, but just in case you didn't know it stops the fabric pulling in both directions alternately as it does if you stitch back and forward across the quilt. Hope that makes sense.

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  11. I didn't know that great tip from Sarah above about sewing all in one direction. You learn something new everyday!

    Wow - that pinterest board ROCKS!
    Thank you so much - you saved me from another viewing of Toy Story.

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  12. I'd suggest taking the fuse out of the telly plug but it looks like Pinterest rescued the day! Will they be painting the creations tomorrow?

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  13. You didn't say, but how did you cure the quilting puckers?

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  14. See I prefer the 'put the TV on, and lock them in with it, so they don't disturb me' approach. They resort to trying to kill each other before the first set of Ads anyway!

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  15. The quilting looks fab to me. Luckily my two were at school today, but far too many other schools were closed!

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  16. Well done on getting the telly off and the creativity flowing!!

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  17. I much prefer straight line quilting as unlike you I am rubbish at FMQ but it does take a long time and my stitching can be wonky but yours looks great and yes, puckers are irritating. It helps if you start the next row at the end you finished apparently! Hope you get the house back to yourself and the TV is off soon :-)

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  18. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...you crack me up! I love your posts, they make me feel good. Sorry you are having to deal with all of that snow - I would go mad being forced to stay inside with them and the t.v. - way too many fights but the thought of school being closed as a teacher I find that VERY appealing as it never happens here.

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  19. Yay, pinterest to the rescue! Good luck with the quilting :o)

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  20. What do I do with a husband that can't get out and is bored stiff? I'd send him out to the garage but its bloody cold in there!

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  21. It sounds like the day turned out great. The quilt is looking good too.

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  22. Pleased for you that it's little girls in your house....and not little bouncy, ball - loving boys!
    Am sorry your quilt needs some botox. Such a shame too, after such straight stitches. Your piecing is however, PERFECT.

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  23. Wow, you have more snow than we do however, we're supposed to have snow for the next 5 days and believe it or not, I'm looking forward to it! Such a clever Mom, getting the girls to turn off the tele and make crafts!!

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  24. You really did get a lot of snow!! Jealous in Vancouver.

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  25. Ah puckers! Did you just go slower or is there a trick?
    ps. yes to cabin fever!!

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  26. Your 'puckers' will disappear once you wash the quilt... so long as you haven't pre-washed everything... Besides.. those aren't bad puckers.. the 'fold-overs' are the ones that won't improve with washing... I'd let those ones go ... Life's too short for perfection..!!

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  27. nice quilting! good for you getting them to put the goggle box off and sounds like they had much more fun! I can understand cabin fever setting in though. I laughed at the Co op running out of cabbages!

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  28. I'd do something non permanent to the TV to stop them having it on. It would drive me nuts too. Mum is getting stir crazy as she's not been out for over a week now. I am getting fed up of walking to work because whilst the roads are clear where I work the 300 - 500 yards to where the roads are clear is up hill and lethal first thing. Roll on summer.

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  29. Your straight line quilting is looking good, what a funny idea to compare it to a geriatric elephant's bottom! We have a lot of snow here at the moment, sometimes beautiful, sometimes only chaos!...

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  30. What, you're not going bananas with your perle cotton on this one?

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  31. How did you improve the elephant's bottom? I found lengthening stitch and reducing tension helped, but my straight line quilting still isn't elephant-free.

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  32. Pinterest is a very helpful site to stave off boredom.
    I pinned the crap out of my last quilt when I basted iso I could straight line quilt it. I lengthened my stitch too, used the walking foot, and sewed slowly and had no puckers .im not going to boast about it though because i may end up eating my words next time I try to do it.

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  33. wow, who knew Pinterest could be a sanity saver for moms too. Great idea to have the kids get crafty

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  34. Oh my gosh! We used to have a load of those mice in walnut shells as Christmas ornaments when I was a kid! Loved them! Must pin and make a few forn next Christmas!

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