COVID-19 and the Stay Home Order

So how is this mess going for you? I have to say that it started out pretty strange, having to “stay at home”. We are enjoying the farm and can’t imagine being in town close to friends and neighbors and having to just stay home!!! It got a little rough… but got better when I made some changes and choices! At first, like so many others, I was at a loss for what to do. Not like I didn’t have anything to do, but the deadlines and commitments all faded away. That, along with the onset of angst about trying to have a normal life, creativity seemed to also have some difficulty.

Thankfully, I had a little job to take care of and the Stay Home Order made it much easier to tackle.

The fabrics

fabric choices
Chose these two fabrics

Of course, with retail closed due to the order to stay home, I had to shop online for the fabrics. Color and print do not show up nearly as well on the computer as in person. Not sure how you handle a fabric that is not true to color when ordering online…. but it sure is nerve-wracking to buy on faith!!!

Settled on a design.

Block Line Drawing
Friendship Star

Made a test block.

The Mock Up block
Checking the color value and placement of the block and the plan. (these are not the fabrics in the quilt)

I modified the block by adding a half square triangle in the corners. The modification makes a secondary pattern of a ribbon weaving between the blocks

Started cutting.

Preparing to sew the CR Quilt
Block Components cut

And then…

along the way… the taste test got in the way.

Ooops
Where did all those empty bags come from?

This is a joke Block … as in taste test getting out of hand… if it was Makers Mark bourbon instead of Crown Royal, it could have happened!!! (and maybe it did…)

Or was it just a joke?

How are we coping
Oops! We did it again!

This is a legit error. It hung on the wall for several days before I noticed it!!!

Top Done

Crown Royal Top Done
A completed top

But I made changes and easier to stay home and have a nearly perfect top.

How the choices were made

This is not my quilt design. I suggested that the owner of the bags look online for some quilts he liked. This is the one he chose. I suggested some options, but this one suited his aesthetic. The quilt is a throw size and is for a Man Cave as a sofa throw. It will look spectacular once it is all quilted. Next up, find a backing for it online, (wide because I just don’t want to seam fabric)! I may need that Makers Mark after all!!!

Tools I used

I put my money where my mouth is so to speak and the tools I used to create this quilt are items I carry in the I Have A Notion store. I used the Quilters Select Rulers for cutting, the Wool Pressing Mat, a Misting Spray Bottle, Clover pins, and the Titanium Needle (Top Stitch). Not make money, (although it would be a nice benefit), but really it is to help those that sew make the BEST CHOICE for their dollar. As we get back on our feet from the stay home order or actual quarantine, making better choices may become even more important in the next coming months.

How are you surviving this unprecidented time?

More Later… (we have new residents)- Beth

More Springtime

My favorite season is spring. All the new springtime growth, especially the spring flowers that have a very short lifespan. But there was just a little more… than vegetation this week.

Some Visitors

new critters both wild and domestic. There are no new domestic critters, but recently a pair of wild ducks checked out the pond for a week or so. I guess they decided that it was too busy here for them and haven’t been here for 5 days or so. DARN!

Spring Visitors Blue Wing Teal Ducks
New Visitors

Not so wet

In the last post, I showed one of the creeks running full with a springtime rain, and this is what it looks like when the run-off is low and it disappears into the limestone rocks. Nearly taken in the same place!

Spring Full Creek now empty
Dry Creek when the rains stop

Wildflowers

One afternoon I was thinking about some of the things I would miss about the yard in town. Each spring the wild grape hyacinths would pop up in the yard. There were only a few when we moved in and by the time we left the population had grown to about a hundred. Later in the day, I went out into the front yard here and to my surprise found a huge patch under the big oak tree! I have also noticed them in ditches and other yards when driving.

Spring Muscari patch
Muscari also known as Wild Grape Hyacinth

A Springtime Wildflower Meadow

Also, discovered that the little Spring Beauty wildflower from the last post not only grows in the forested parts, but there is a rather large meadow of them right outside the backyard fence!!! I have asked that it not be mowed for a while longer, so far the DH is complying, (however, I suspect its because he likes to eat!) The flower of the Spring Beauty is not much larger than a dime, so it takes lots of flowers to create a meadow!

Meadow of Spring Beauty wildflower
A whole Meadow of the Spring Beauty

A few springtime flowers from the yard

And lastly some domestic springtime blossoms. A double daffodil and a double ornamental cherry. There are a few clumps of this type of daffodil along the fringes of the treed areas of the yard. The daffs are done in both areas and the cherry tree now is mostly leafed out.

Quilty Gift

Lastly, I did have a bit of creative time. I assisted with the creation of a comfort quilt for a guild member. The Covid-19 issue hampered the creation a bit. “Simple Friendship Blocks” created by members of the guild, with encouraging messages and signatures. A good size throw quilt for on the go or napping. I was able to find the perfect springtime border fabric to make the block shine in Paducah.

Friendship Quilt with a Spring look
Comfort Quilt for a Guild Member

The quilt has been delivered just as the recipient received the good news from her physicians! I like to think it was all the prayers and good wishes that went into each of the blocks as they were being made, which helped create a positive outcome.

What is your favorite part of springtime?

More later- Beth

Spring at the Farm

The title is loose, as far as spring on a farm goes. Unless a ‘clowder’ of cats and a flock of hens is farm material.

Springtime Neighbors

As I mentioned last time… with spring and some growing grass new neighbors have MOOOOved in! This morning. There are about 20 cows and 10-12 calves. Several are just a few months old and quite a few nearing a year. One was very entertaining this morning. She did a little cavorting… alongside her mom and aunties. All those cows still have winter coats to shed and mud caked on.

The Wildflowers of a Kentucky Spring

A week ago, after a good rain (more than an inch of wet stuff) and still very cool out, I took a walk in the woods, to look for forest wildflowers. Only found 2. The Cutleaf Toothwort and the Spring Beauty.

The Rains

I stopped by the big creek at the back of the property, sadly it is not on our property, but very close. It was flowing very well. The ground has become saturated from all the recent rain. It immediately runs off filling the creeks and ponds to overflowing.

Big Creek
The Big Creek

Our little creek that runs from the pond down to the big creek was also flowing well. Most of the time, it disappears into the limestone rocks for a few yards and reappears down a little way. You know we have lots of water when it is flowing like this… over all the rocks.

Our little creek
The creek from the pond drainage and a natural spring.

Preparations

I hope everyone reading or stopping by is doing well, staying healthy and distant. Here, we are staying close to home and only venturing out for food, as in fresh produce. One day I was thinking… what if I were the one to get sick? What would we eat? Ok, more like what would I have to eat? We stocked plenty of canned soup for power outages and emergencies in the winter, not really for eating when ill. So I made a couple of good hearty soups. Not something you think of as springtime meals. Turkey soup is my all-time favorite soup. For one batch of soup, I roasted a small turkey and turned it into a soup and froze in individual packages. I also made a Pasta e’Fagioli Soup, a bit hearty and freezes very well. I also made Italian Wedding Soup and froze it as too.

Spring Care (we do care about you)

Here at I Have A Notion we are hanging in and waiting for this thing (COVID-19) to pass. If you need anything… don’t hesitate to drop me a note or give me a call. I Have A Notion is not running any COVID-19 specials. The after COVID-19 economy will be new territory for everyone. It is a tricky thing to keep life afloat and on a steady course; especially now with advertising to BUY NOW, BEST DEAL EVER, NEVER to be REPEATED, etc hype. I Have A Notion will still be here when this mess is done and we can all pick up where we need to… If you do order, everything is clean, (maybe a little dusty), and my hands are clean and I take the utmost care while packing. I don’t want to get sick any more than you want to get sick!!! In the meantime, do your best to stay healthy, wash your hands often and then maybe even wash one time. Find new and fun ways to keep your household entertained and busy; probably the most difficult task we’re asked to do these days!

Hang in and come back soon. if you made it this far in reading please share how you are maintaining your household sanity and the diversions that are working best. I have more spring pictures to share, so stay tuned – Beth