And Then, Suddenly Summer

In this crazy "spring" we are having, the weather suddenly turned hot, and we reached record highs for May. It was 31C (which translates to high 80's for the Americans) , not at all what we expect for mid May. I felt wilted and didn't get much done in the way of sewing.  This was followed by thunderstorms and heavy rain. today, things are a bit more normal.

Sadly, my apple blossoms didn't do well in the hot weather.

They are nearly finished and they just opened.

The pink ones look very sad! Hopefully, we will get enough little crab apples to feed the birds over the winter.

I am actually finishing a quilt, started a very long time ago,

The top resurfaced in my recent tidying and I took it to the long arm quilter to be finished. Now, it just needs its binding. 

I do have plans for a couple of new bags. With this in mind, I placed an order with Emmaline Bags and got some new hardware in sizes I didn't have in stock. This is suited to smaller bags.

Kind of boring, isn't it. Hopefully it will make the bags look classy.

Finally, I was cleaning out a closet and came across this.

This is my shirt from my university days. WISE stands for Women in Science and Engineering. At the time, women made up about 2% of all engineering students, so we were proudly trying to make our presence known. The numbers are higher now, but not what they should be. Sad, because I don't understand what prevents women from joining the profession.

Suddenly Spring - As Usual

 Winter seems to hold on forever. April seemed to alternate between cold, wet days and snow! Then, one day, it is spring, in all it's brief glory.

Daffodils were my mother's favourite flower. So these always bring me a smile.

Our area is know for tulips, since 1945, when the Dutch Royal Family gave us bulbs in thanks for providing safety to Queen Juliana and her family during WW2. 

The tulip meter says that today, the tulips are 5 out of 10. 

These are my tulips.

As well as some yet to open.

Since the squirrels are known to move the bulbs in the fall, it is always a surprise where and what colour might pop up.

There are also wood violets appearing in the lawn.

These are all a feast for us to see after a long winter.

I do yoga a couple of times a week. If I leave to dogs alone, and no one else is home, they bark and bother me, so this week, we all did yoga together.

I use the yoga mat with a chair as a prop. Doug is trying to be a good dog and not put his paws on my mat.

No sewing this week. Not sure what happened to prevent that. 

A Fairy Pouch

 Maybe spring has come. There are no snowflakes in the forecast for the next few days. My Forsythia looks like this.

A while ago, I asked my friend Maggie if she had an embroidery design for a Tooth Fairy bag. She found me one in her embroidery designs and stitched it out. I've been trying to figure out what the bag would look like, and decided on this.

When I was little the tooth fairy brought a dime. By the time my kids came along, Canada had a $1 coin, a loonie. So that is what they got. I decided with inflation that this bag should be able to hold a $20 bill. However, I have seeded it with a twoonie ($2 coin) in hopes of not bankrupting his parents. 

I added a designer label.

A quick project suitable for MMM Quilts next DrEAMi collection!

Inner Circle Finished!

 I started this bag in March of 2020. It got put aside and forgotten until my latest tidy binge. Now it is finished.

As you can see, the sun is shining today (after more snow yesterday) so I grabbed the opportunity to take pictures in the sunshine, though not outdoors since it is +4C. 

This bag has no hardware to speak of. It has a bag zipper at the top and a dress zipper on the interior pocket.

Of course, it also has the surprise kitties! It has a large slip pocket so I added a magnetic snap to the pocket to help it stay closed.

I also added my favourite add on, a key keeper, into the edge of the slip pocket. It keeps your keys in easy reach, instead of having them disappear in the bottom.

 The bag is kind of an oversized clutch, the right size for taking a few things on an outing. 

While I was tidying after I finished the bag, I decided to play with some of the scraps for the next project I have planned. Kind of "Proof of Concept".

It ended up smaller than I wanted, so I am rethinking sizes. However, I have a small friend who will think it is perfect for something. Of course, because I am an overachiever, it is fully lined and the seams are finished. Here is a picture for scale.

Tuesday night was Book Group on Zoom. I needed something to knit, so I started another pair of baby socks. The book was "Once Upon a Wardrobe" by Patti Callahan. The group enjoyed it.

Technically, the season of Easter isn't over until Pentecost, so I have another month before I have to change the tablecloth. ( We only eat at this table if we have guests.)

Just Random

 My forsythia bush has decided to bloom, and I saw a mention online for Forsythia Flower Syrup. So I decided to try to make some. Looking for recipes I discovered that you just put about a cup of flowers in a jar, make a simple syrup from 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water, Pour the boiling water over the flowers and let steep overnight. Then strain and it is ready.

I lined the strainer basket with a coffee filter and poured it in, this morning. I couldn't get the last little bit to go through the filter, so I just spooned it off and into the bowl underneath.

The result is this light yellow syrup that tastes kind of like honey. I guess that isn't really surprising. Much like other odd things that one eats in a northern spring (fiddleheads, wild garlic), I suspect a long winter gives pinings for things that taste fresh and sunny. 

I going to try adding it to my "iron water" (lucky iron fish) to add a little sweetness and spring to my water. Now I just need some fiddleheads. I wonder when the farmers' market opens?

I may have had a bit of a splurge, the other day. I saw this fabric and it was just what I was looking for for my next bag project.

It looked very summery, with hummingbirds, dragonflies and butterflies. Okay, so I'll order a bit. Except a bit always seems to become a bit more.

And now I have added this. It is okay, I have a use for them all, I think. Now, I just need a bit more time.

Spring, Maybe

So, it snowed on Tuesday. Just when we get to the point where we think spring is here, it decides to hide a bit longer.  

However, there is hope.

There is scilla, with their heads down because the sun is hiding. 

The forsythia is just waiting for some warm sunny days, but the yellow is starting.

I have purple crocus, although closed without sun. I am wondering where the other colours have gone. I had some purple striped ones and yellow ones here. Did they all convert to purple?

Or maybe the bunnies got them. 

The neighbour has some cute little irises. They are about 10 cm (4 inches) high.

I thought the fungus on the firewood was interesting. We really enjoy a fire on a damp afternoon. I think it will be awhile before we give the fires up.

Another pair of baby socks, these for the gift bin. It's good to have a spare pair, because babies seem to keep arriving. Yarn is Rasta from TurtlePurl. This is the third and last pair of baby socks from the leftovers of an adult pair of socks.

For a Canadian, this seems weirdly wrong. There is no French on the box. The cookies were a gift from a snowbird friend who brings them back from the US. Canadian Girl Guide cookies are sandwich cookies in vanilla and chocolate. The Girl Scout ones come in different flavours and the shortbread are my favourite.

Inner Circle

 I got the pattern for the Inner Circle Bag from the Bag of the Month Club on March 1, 2020. I decided it was very doable and dove in, starting on March 4. Then things went sideways. 

Inner circle got tucked away, and I started making masks, and hand sanitizer pouches. So, last week, while tidying my sewing room, it popped up again and I decided it was time to finish it.

It did take awhile to figure out where I left off, and what needed to be done. I had the zipper attached to its facing, and it looked a bit wonky. I'm pretty sure that nobody else will think it is wonky, so, I will move forward. 

I realized that it needed its stabilizers, so they were cut and attached. I had second thoughts on the pocket, so I redesigned how it was going to work. Now it has a lining pocket.

Even I think the lining is pretty wild. So I went a little more subtle on the pocket lining.

This is the outside of the bag. The lining is actually a near perfect match. The fabric was embroidered denim from a long time ago, that was lounging in my stash.

It will be a lovely spring bag for somebody. 

Yesterday, I got the Income Tax Returns finished, so now I am free to play with this. It should go together quickly from here.