Finishing a Long-Term Project

 

Last week began with snow and this week with sunshine. All the snow melted quickly. This pot of crocus and pansies sits beside the front door and smiles at me when I come and go. 

The morning light is streaming into the living room with delightful warmth. I'm staying home from church this morning as I have a cold. Remember when we used to go out no matter what? If the pandemic was good for anything, it taught us (most of us) to think about the germs we might be spreading around to others. 

In my sewing room I have a glass bowl filled with spools of thread, including some old wooden spools. They are from Tim's grandmother. In the corner of the dining room of my grandparents' home sat a treadle sewing machine. It was used often with a family of 10 children - dresses, mending, and more. 

My mother sewed beautiful clothes for herself and for my sister and me. New dresses for Christmas and Easter every year. A pink velveteen dress with a wide lace collar, yellow linen with an embroidered daisy. Skirts and shorts and summer tops. She stopped sewing clothing a number of years ago and now sews beautiful, intricate quilts that are auctioned off or sold for charity. 

She taught me to sew - my first project was a pink floral A-line skirt when I was 11 or 12. Zipper, waistband, hand-stitched hem. Her standards were exacting. In Home Ec class I loved the sewing and the cooking equally, and learned much from Mrs. Kuhn. 

I sewed clothes for myself and later, for my children. There were always curtains to stitch up for the many houses we lived in. How I detest sewing curtains, but find myself still doing so on occasion. 

About 10 years ago, I started reading about couture methods to stitch a Chanel-style jacket. All fired up, I went out and bought some relatively inexpensive tweed to see if I could make such a jacket. I made some progress, but then began teaching again and the jacket was left to languish in the cupboard. Every so often I pulled it out and completed another step, but figuring out where I was and what to do next always took time. And there was always a critical voice in the back of my head telling me that it wouldn't turn out or wouldn't fit, so why bother finishing it. 

I put that critical voice on mute and decided that this was the year to finally finish the jacket. I had a deadline - Tim's retirement party. This is what I've been doing for the past two weeks. The recommended sewing time for this project is 70-80 hours. There is a LOT of hand-sewing, which I enjoy, but it does take time. Ashley, with her fashion degree, helped me with some of the later fittings. 

The party was Friday night - a really lovely event at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club where about 60 of Tim's colleagues joined in to wish Tim well in this new phase of life. Our children and their spouses were also invited and I was pleased that they could hear the accolades. And I wore my new jacket. It's oh, so comfortable to wear. I was glad that my cold showed up on Saturday and not on Friday, for I would have hated to miss the party. 

Trims are an important part of a Chanel-style jacket and I dithered back and forth about what to do, finally settling on stitching the fabric selvedge as a base, and topping it with the lace daisies from my wedding veil, for a bit of whimsy. I cut those off when Ashley married, and I beaded the veil with gold and silver glass beads. I want to change the jacket buttons, but it was perfectly wearable as is. Every one of those little daisies has six tiny hand stitches. 

I look forward to wearing my jacket open over jeans for a casual look, or buttoned up for more formal occasions. I learned so much while sewing this jacket and hope to make another one soon, and it won't take 10 years to complete! 

There's been little else accomplished these past two weeks, and I am looking forward to doing something else for a bit. 

Do you sew? Do you enjoy it? Clothes, quilts, curtains, or...?

Around Here at the Beginning of February

 

Daffodils are the cheeriest spring flowers. A bunch of tightly furled buds came home with me from the grocery store this week and are gradually opening inside the house. Outside, daffodils have a month or so to go before blooming. 

I finished the Japanese Rice Bag I showed you last week. It was a quick project and fun to do with the simple hand stitches as embellishment. 

I confess that I have an enormous stash of fabric, mostly linen and cotton, that I am determined to use. There are plans for a couple of summer dresses and tops, as well as a quilt or two. A small project like the bag is good motivation for me to get going on larger projects. 

I'm using the bag to store a crochet project I pick up from time to time - making flower coasters from cotton yarn. It's another "use it up" project. 

There are rice bags and there are rice bags. The one on the left is a Japanese Rice Bag, also known as Kinchaku, and was used as a lunch bag or small purse. This bag has a 7-inch square base. When the bags are made with a larger, 10-inch or more base, they are known as Komebukuro and were originally intended to carry rice to the temple for offerings. Check out the link for a lovely quiet video watching a master create a kinchaku bag.

The pink rice bag is a rectangle of fleece filled with rice or flax seeds and can be heated in the microwave to provide soothing relief to sore muscles. I have several of these and often sit with one at my back.

Two kinds of rice bags - both useful in different ways.

We've been noticing several Northern Flickers around our garden lately and I happened to catch one on my camera this morning. They are common to most of North America and I find their gentle colouring very beautiful. Do you see Northern Flickers in your garden?

Making decisions about our upcoming house renovation is taking a lot of time. There are just so many choices! We've been working on lighting recently and made the order for the kitchen today. For the month of February, the store had a promotion of "spin the wheel" and see how much of a discount you could get, from 5 - 40%. So I spun the wheel and was shocked to see it stop at 40%! That was a huge bonus, and the store owner said I was the only one thus far to have the wheel stop there. 

What colour is your kitchen? Or what colour would your ideal kitchen be? We are adding some colour into cabinets and I'm getting excited to begin the project. But first, someone has to retire from his day job! Just a few more weeks. 

Have a lovely Sunday and a great week ahead. I hope the lengthening days brighten your heart as much as they do mine. 

October Daily 15: Cozy Pursuits

 

Soft rain has fallen intermittently throughout all the grey day. A good day for soup. This morning I halved and seeded a butternut squash, cut a peeled onion in two, drizzled olive oil over them, wrapped a goodly amount of garlic cloves in foil, and roasted the lot for just under an hour. 

This afternoon I separated the squash from its peel, squished the roasted garlic from its papers, added the onions and a bit of water, then simmered for 30 minutes before adding a can of coconut milk and blitzing the mixture. Stir in salt and pepper and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Serve with toasted pumpkin seeds and a slice of sourdough bread. 

Seedy crackers, grain-free, are from a recipe I got from my youngest daughter. I adapted it a little and like to keep a jar full of them to eat with soup, cheese, or a spread of peanut butter. I bought something similar at the store and looked at the ingredients and thought I could make them myself for a much more reasonable cost. We're quite happy with this version. 

I spent the morning in my sewing room, finishing up a couple of projects that have been languishing for far too long. One of them was a shirt for myself that needed only buttonholes and buttons. The card of buttons is vintage and I'm not quite sure where they came from, but it was time to use them. They are mother-of-pearl, and quite uneven. It felt good to get those projects finished!

A couple of weeks ago I stitched up two little owls for Iris and Cora. They have pockets and for Iris I put in a few stickers. They are soft and squishy, and made from old wool sweaters that I felted in the washing machine and scraps of lace. 

Cozy pursuits for a rainy day. What do you like to do when it rains?

Five on Friday: A Castle, Blooms, and some Stitching

 

The other day I watched five fat robins in a tree from my bedroom window. They flitted from branch to branch with lots of cheerful chirping. A pot of spring bulbs beside the front door is filling out nicely. Hyacinths, daffodils, and scilla are in bloom just now, with tulips leafing nicely. Sunny, but cool days have been the norm until a few light showers fell overnight. 

This week I arranged to meet my eldest daughter and her daughter, Sadie for a walk around the gardens at Hatley Park. It was the day I usually take Iris, so along she came, too. Unfortunately, we were there in the morning, but were told the gardens didn't open until noon. There have been a lot of schedule changes due to the pandemic. However, there were plenty of paths to wander along, and we will visit the gardens another day. 

The girls are having a snack on a bench in front of Hatley Castle, home of Robert Dunsmuir, heir to his family's coal fortune. About the building of the castle he said, "Money doesn't matter, just build what I want." The lavish construction was completed in 1908 with an exterior of local stone and an interior with oak and rosewood paneled rooms, huge fireplaces, specially made light fixtures, and teak floors. The extensive gardens employed 100 gardeners. 

Dunsmuir was not a pleasant man, from the sounds of things - he ruled his empire with brute force, fiercely stamping out any attempts to unionize, and neglecting safety for his employees. For every million tons of BC coal produced, 23 men died, at a time when the North American average was 6 men per million tons. 

The castle and grounds are now home to Royal Roads University, and previously served as a military college. 

I've been out pottering in the garden, tidying beds, pruning rosebushes, and thinking about changes to be made. Tim built a new L-shaped raised bed in a corner of the garden that I hope to fill with flowers for a cutting garden. The apricot tree displays a few flowers; I hope the pollinators show up in time!

I'm taking part in a scrap challenge for the month of March. Very informal, it's just to deliberately sew with scraps or small bits of fabric leftover from other projects. I'm making a few mini quilts for the grandchildren to use as doll or stuffed animal blankets. There is something very satisfying about sewing these little projects. Tim often has to do email in the evenings, and since I no longer have marking or planning to do, I stitch. 

On a personal note, I damaged my vocal chords and throat when I choked on a miniscule piece of food this week. It's quite painful, and my voice is mostly gone. The doctor assures me that the inflammation will all settle down on its own, so I'm avoiding irritating foods and trying not to speak too much. I overdid the talking yesterday and am paying for it today. 

This weekend I hope to work outside again, clearing out garden beds and clipping all the dried hydrangea blossoms to make way for the new growth. Spring is such a hopeful time of year. Wishing you a wonderful weekend. 

Five on Friday: Chilly Days

 

Living on the west coast, I really can't complain about cold temperatures. Family in other provinces and regions would laugh themselves silly at our bemoaning temperatures just below freezing. Be that as it may, it's much colder than normal, with a wind that drives to the bone. 

Late Wednesday morning I looked outside to see fat flakes of snow drifting down. The snow flurry continued throughout the afternoon, but only a light coat remained on the ground overnight. I took a turn around the garden and found this first anemone drooping in the cold, but such a rich colour that contrasted beautifully with the bit of snow. 

During the night the wind rose and I awoke in the wee hours with it howling around the corners of the house. The breeze from the open-just-a-crack window was fresh indeed! 

We have a Meyer Lemon Tree growing in a sheltered spot. It's covered for more than half the year, and a string of old-fashioned Christmas lights (the ones that emit heat) are wound about the branches and connected to a timer that comes on when temperatures read just above freezing. The lights cycle off and on during the cold weather. This is our second lemon tree, and in its second year, so quite small. We uncovered the first one too soon one spring and unexpected cold temperatures killed it. Tim put an extra covering over the tree this week as a bit of extra protection. 

Indoors, there's been a little sewing. Some experimentation with the new serger, and continued work on a red and white four-patch quilt. I gathered a collection of scraps and stitched up a new pin cushion with a matching scissor keeper. The embroidery scissors were a Christmas gift from our youngest daughter and her family. Such a pretty pair, and so sharp and pointed. I love using them. 

There's been considerable reading, as well. I discovered Cynthia Harrod-Eagle's novels set during World War I, and raced through all six of them. They are easy-to-read, and give a picture of life in England during those terrible years, and of the weariness of the war that went on for so long. "Raisin Wine" is the story of one of our Governor Generals and I'm just beginning it. The others I've not yet begun. "Jedidiah Days" is about living on an island that we hope to visit this summer in our boat. 

Sometimes it seems there is a dearth of good reading material and I can't settle to anything. That is NOT the case lately, as I've found so many good books to read in my library. They have to be ordered online, and after I get the email notice of their arrival I pop in to check them out. "The Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman was good, although not as good as some of the reviews indicated. A good premise for a book, though. 

One of my co-workers gave me a vase of purple tulips on my last day of teaching. They've been in the front hall and are now done, but I love the way the colours intensify, and the petals thin like aging skin, and curl and twist so artistically. Tomorrow they will go on the compost heap. 

Tonight again the wind races up and down the street with great gusts. Tomorrow night and into Saturday snow is in the forecast. We'll see how much we actually get. I hope enough to cover the ground and make everything pretty for a day or two. 

Is is spring-like where you live, or is winter having a last blast? Or perhaps you are in the southern hemisphere and enjoying the last days of summer. 

Of Christmas Reading and Sewing

I fell asleep last night to the sound of a soft rain falling. This morning is dark, with continuing drizzle. Outside my window shapes and colours are muted and grey. The wooden box holding greens sits on the patio table. It's an old box that once held odds and ends in my son-in-law's father's shop. Sturdy and honest - a useful box. I'm happy to give it some more time to shine.

With the dull light outside, it is very cheering to light the Christmas pyramid and watch the deer spin around in their wooden forest while I finish my breakfast tea. I have no classes until after lunch on Mondays and Thursdays and how I treasure these slower mornings at home. This morning I made granola - Tim's go-to breakfast on workday mornings. It's not my favourite thing to do, so I like to get it done quickly. 

Plans for the rest of my morning include some sewing. I had a dreadful shock on Monday when I planned to sew - my machine would not work. At all. I suspected an electrical problem with the cord, so I took it to the repair shop. They agreed that the cord could be the problem, but couldn't diagnose it. So I brought it home and in the evening Tim cut off the plug end, shortened the cord about 3 inches, put on a new plug and voila! I have a working machine. 

My machine is 37 years old come January and I love it so much. I've tried others, but always come back to my old red Husqvarna. It's stitched everything from maternity clothes to wedding gowns, baby garments, gifts galore, quilts, and curtains. I suppose I should resign myself to the fact that it won't last forever. 

December reading. Old favourites. Along with these I enjoy reading the Christmas chapters in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, and the ones in L.M. Montgomery's Anne series. I've taken a few Christmas novels from the library, but they are as saccharine as Hallmark movies and I can't take too much of them.

Speaking of Anne, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Marilla with sympathy and is in harmony with Montgomery's character. It begins with Marilla as a young girl and the story occurs over several decades. If you're an Anne-girl lover, you'll enjoy this easy novel. 

Greenery inside is brighter than outside today. And I did mention that I was planning to sew, so I'll get right to it. 

Have a lovely day!

Mid-winter Musings

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the

touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire; 

it is the time for home." 

Edith Sitwell

I'm sitting on the floor in front of the fire looking out at the blue-patched clouds scudding across the sky. Another rainy front is moving in, but oh my, have we ever enjoyed the recent sunshine. At the end of each day, though, we return home, whether from work or leisure activities. 

January is an appropriate month for home comforts, as Dame Edith Sitwell expressed. Here, copious amounts of tea are drunk, with an occasional hot chocolate indulgence before bedtime. The calendar is mostly empty, and in the evenings we read books, place stitches, and talk about plans for later in the year. 

Tidying up happens in a desultory fashion. The other day I sorted my scarf drawer, refolding the ones that had been tossed in in a hurry, and removing a few that are never worn. 

The pile of linens on the chair above were those used during the holidays, now laundered and either stacked neatly (napkins) or in long folds draped over hangers in an upstairs closet (tablecloths). I learned to store them that way from my mom and it certainly aids in lessening wrinkles. 

I keep a fairly deep pantry. My daughter-in-law once said that in case of an emergency she's bringing her family here because there would always be something to eat. Each year I freeze berries and produce and now is the time to ensure that it all gets eaten. 

A couple of times a year I announce that we will be "living off the hump" referring to the fat stored in a camel's hump that enables it to live when food is scarce. I think I read that in a book by Peg Bracken many years ago. I try to whittle down the freezer contents and make sure that I'm using the staples in my cupboards. The other day I made a peach-blackberry cobbler for friends using frozen fruit. 

Grocery shopping consists mostly of fresh foods like citrus, so sweet and juicy just now. I made a lemon loaf last weekend, and this weekend I think I'll put together a Sour Cream Lemon Pie from a recipe on Brenda's blog. I also hope to make some Lemon Curd and freeze it in small jars to pull out when needed. 
  

Our winter has been extremely mild thus far and the Swiss Chard and kale are thriving. I picked a bunch of chard and made a rustic bean dip with it. I portion it in half-pint jars and take it to school for lunch, to eat with cucumber slices and wedges of sweet bell peppers. Some of the chard will go into a soup I'm making tonight. 

A year or so ago I purchased some Tilda fabric, along with a book of Tilda projects. I've done little with the fabric and since one of my intentions this year is to be more creative, I started small with this cushion cover. The piecing went together in a couple of Saturday afternoon hours, and the rest in small chunks of time here and there. Now a little cottage in the woods rests on the bed and makes me smile to see it. 

The Granny Square quilt I began a couple of years ago is now finished. Choosing the fabrics, cutting the squares, and sewing them together is the fun part of quilting for me. When it comes down to the actual sandwich part of quilting, I procrastinate. Recently, however, my sister and her daughter purchased a long-arm quilting machine. My mom is an expert quilter and while here in September volunteered to get two tops ready for quilting. She cut the batting and backing and sandwiched them together for quilting, took them to the mainland and gave them to my niece. Yay! All that was left for me to do was cut and stitch the binding. I enjoy the last step of hand stitching the binding to the back. There is great satisfaction in having another project finished.

This is turning into a very long post. I'll tell you about a couple of books I read recently later. Now I'll leave you with a bright bouquet of tulips that are cheering up the dining room. Pops of colour in January are most welcome, don't you think? 

Linking with Friday Bliss, hosted by Riitta of Floral Passions.

These Quiet Days

January 3. A new year. It began quietly for us, with a cheese fondue, a movie, and bed before midnight, although the fireworks awakened us then. I've not done much thinking about intentions or goals for 2019, but then I rarely do. Do you? My take on resolutions is that if something needs to be done, I'm not going to wait until a new year dawns. 

The house is quiet; the only sound is the rain dripping on the skylight. A fire glows and spreads its welcome warmth. Outside is dark and wet. I sit in a pool of light in the living room, toasting my feet and sipping tea.

In between the many periods of rain, chickadees, house finches (shown), spotted towhees, dark-eyed juncos, and sparrows visit the bird feeder. How they squabble among themselves. Very entertaining.  

Two small girls and my eldest daughter came by yesterday. We set up the craft table and let the little girls at it. They crafted all manner of interesting things. I had thought to inspire them to make little alligators and they were quite excited it about it, but while waiting for the green paint to dry, they became involved in creating more free form items, so we left them to it, not wanting to nip their enthusiasm in the bud. In the end I finished up the alligators and they took them home. 

Alligator inspirations. 

I've had a couple of quilt tops stitched for some time, but have procrastinated on the quilting part. I don't enjoy that. Recently, my sister and niece purchased a long arm quilting machine, so I gave them two tops to quilt. Yesterday and today I cut and sewed the binding onto the tops and am now enjoying hand sewing the binding to the back side. It's very cozy having a quilt over the knees in this weather. 

I finished my first book of 2019. It did not disappoint. Inspector Gamache and the town of Three Pines are as irresistible as ever.

Penny references Rupert Brooke's poem "The Great Lover" in the novel, in which the poet makes a list of the things he's loved in his life. 

These I have loved:
         White plates and cups, clean-gleaming,
Ringed with blue lines; and feathery, faery dust;
Wet roofs, beneath the lamp light; the strong crust 
Of friendly bread; and many-tasting food;
Rainbows; and the blue bitter smoke of wood;....

Penny's character, Gamache makes a list of his own beloved things that help to ease his mind in difficult situations. I've been thinking of the things that I love. In a way, acknowledging them is a form of gratitude, and I find that being thankful also eases my mind. 

In spite of the rain outside, I have a few errands to run, so I'd better bundle up and get out there. 

Friday Five: Almost Christmas

I confess that I lost all of my sparkle this week. On Tuesday I wanted nothing more than to pull a blanket over myself and lose myself in a book. My back hurt from top to bottom, my list seemed endless, and I did not want to go to work. All I wanted was one full day at home, and that wasn't going to happen.  

However, my sparkle is back. Two nights of wonderful sleep and lots of ticks on my list have me once again eagerly anticipating Christmas. Tomorrow is a half day of school. My Spanish 12 class is doing a rendition of Feliz Navidad for the school assembly that should be fun. 

The paper whites wanted a closer look at the Advent calendar and leaned right in, as if to speak to the angel. 

Now, about Christmas gifts. If ANYONE who will be at our house on December 24th is reading this post (I don't think they will, but just in case...) GO AWAY. You don't want to spoil any surprises, now do you? 

Friends of ours do handmade gifts for each other and last Christmas I thought it would be a fun idea to try. Our children were all on board, some more enthusiastically than others, but we gave it a whirl. We all spoke of being done by summer. HA! 

In reality, our year went like this:

January - thinking of ideas, finding ideas
February - thinking of ideas, finding ideas
March - ditto
April - ditto
May - ditto
June - ditto
July - narrowing things down
August - purchased raw materials
September - thought about getting started
October - thought a little more
November - started gifts
December - finished gifts

For our daughters and daughter-in-law, I made silk kimono toppers - like loose cardigans - lightweight. There are four there, because the dark pink one is a prototype. I sewed French seams and hand-rolled the hems, which took much longer than I anticipated. I'm quite pleased with the results and I hope the girls like them, too.

For the guys, Tim made wooden serving boards and he smoked salmon. They'll also each get a loaf of homemade rye bread, some spiced nuts, and other goodies.  

For the grands, I made flannel rag quilts. They came together quickly and I used up a lot of stash fabric. Tim made marshmallow shooters for them from PVC pipe and fittings. This evening, before wrapping them, we had a marshmallow shoot out in the kitchen. The shooters really work! There were marshmallows flying everywhere (the mini ones) and we were laughing so hard we could hardly blow the shooters. I hope the grands enjoy them as much as we did. 

We've had some crazy windstorms lately. Rain pelts against the windows and the house rattles with the wind. Many people lost power. Although our lights flickered seriously, we still have electricity. 

I came home this afternoon, turned on the tree lights, and made a cup of tea. So comforting. Then I wrapped gifts. They are all done.

About that endless list I mentioned. Quite a number of things were crossed out - deemed unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Permission granted to relax and enjoy rather than power through. 

Dinner tonight was a simple frittata with leftover ratatouille and cubes of ham, along with a salad. Easy peasy. Tomorrow the grands are spending the night here. We're planning a cozy time together. 

It feels good to have a little sparkle back. How are you doing?  

Of Gardens and Dining Rooms

What a glorious weekend. Warm sunshine beguiled us into the garden on Saturday. I planted out the tomato starters, but will leave them covered lightly until the last full moon in May which is the 29th. We can occasionally get a touch of frost this month if the skies are clear. Carrots, beets, and radishes were planted earlier and are emerging from the soil. The strawberry plants are full of blossoms and I mentally encourage the bees and other pollinators who busily move from plant to plant. 

Tablecloths or placemats? I use both, but I prefer tablecloths. I've had two pieces of printed linen in my fabric stash for a couple of years and was finally motivated to stitch them up on Saturday. I mitred the corners for a nice finish and am very happy with the way they look. 

A couple of weeks ago my daughter-in-law Katie was listening to a radio talk show about how dining room tables are passe because no one sits down to a meal together anymore. A number of callers responded in agreement. Katie called in and said that she was a millennial and she certainly used her dining room table. The talk show hosts wanted to know how she used it, and were surprised to hear that she and Travis sit down to dinner every night with their two young children. Katie told the hosts that it was an important time for the family to connect and talk about the day. 

I know that in my Foods 8 class, many students say that they don't eat together with their families and often each person heats something up in the microwave on his or her own, and no one actually cooks dinner. Is it possible that this is the future? Or the present? 

Do you have a dining room table? Do you use it? We eat at a small kitchen table when it's the two of us, but the dining room gets used if there are more than four people. I can't imagine being without tables to eat at. That said, Tim and I do eat dinner on trays while watching the news more frequently than we used to. 

I think of the meals eaten around our dining room table, and of the laughter, the discussions (sometimes heated) and the more infrequent tears that accompanied the food. I don't think those conversations could have happened anywhere else. We'll be keeping our dining room and kitchen tables. 

On the blog Delightful Repast, Jean gave the recipe for a Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake. The rhubarb is flourishing, so I went and pulled up enough stalks and made this cake. It's SO good, with a buttery taste and very tender crumb. And not too sweet. YUM! I like my cake plain, but you could certainly have yours with ice cream or whipped cream.

Lilacs are at their peak in my garden just now. I picked a big bouquet and put them into a crystal vase (after smashing the woody stems with a hammer to help with water absorption), and placed them on my dining room table. The sweet scent fills the living and dining rooms.

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life.  

This Week

From the kitchen window I see the snowdrops, white and green against the brown dirt. I pick a bunch from behind the porch where they are barely visible. In the warmth of the house, white petals fly upwards like nun's headdresses caught by the wind. Green circles and upside down hearts on the inner petals make me laugh. They seem incongruous with the snowdrops quiet elegance. 

I recently finished this book, won in a giveaway from Golden Hours. I was eager to read it, from a number of reviews I'd read, and did finish it quickly. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. I found the setting idyllic, the premise enchanting, but the characters sadly lacking. The "Man in the Wing Chair" seemed arrogant, and the tone of the book didactic. 

I did like the concept of an ideal marriage including marrying someone "better" than yourself, in the sense that one's ideal mate has different and admirable qualities than oneself, hence the attraction. 

If you've read it, I'd be interested to hear what you think. 

I've been sewing this week. Clothes. For myself. I'm having a lot of fun. I belong to a site called Pattern Review. It's a great site for checking out others' experiences with sewing patterns, and reading articles about sewing. They host a variety of contests throughout the year, and I've joined a few in the past. The goal, for me, isn't so much to win, but to push myself to finish a number of garments within a set time period. This one goes from February 1 - March 15, with the goal of sewing six garments: 2 bottoms, 3 tops, one topper (jacket/vest/cardigan). I've got two complete at this point, one top and one pair of pants. We'll see if I can keep up the pace and finish. 

This week, we've had sunshine. Oh, it is so wonderful to see. Today, the late afternoon sun illuminated the spring bulb pot on the front porch. Golden daffodils made even prettier by the sun. 

Are they not the cheeriest sight? 

If you want to watch poetry in motion, watch this young woman, Li Ziqi, design, dye fabric, and create a flowing dress. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole when I discovered her other videos depicting traditional Chinese ways of making paper, foods, cosmetics, and more. Fascinating. There is no narration, only music, but it's beautiful.