The Friday Newsletter Returns

 

Hello there Sewtopians! Wow, it has been a while. Corinne in Sewtopia is still alive and well but a bit gimpy! Losing 15 years of posts has been such an issue for me and I have tossed it all around for months but formatting to a newsletter may work for me. It will be a bit of this and that. Things have changed here in many ways but remains the same as well. I am still up for afternoon tea, I still keep a modest garden, and the studio has changed little. I am still an avid reader, my curiosity for things that are likely a bit boring for others remains. I have plans for the week, I still make lists. I cannot complete the list each week, but I still try. 

General Information: 

Some new "facts" that may be of interest. Three little bits. 

• I have adopted a walking cane these days, I tire easily and my shoes with heels have gone to their reward or those with little or no wear to donation. That was hard, ridiculously hard.
• I finally finished the Jelly Roll patriotic themed quilt. It isn't bound yet, I may cut it up for place mats next Memorial Day, but it is done and off the frame. Yeah, for me. One has to celebrate the little things.It is my opinion that Mother Nature has gifted me with an extended summer. I dread the cold and dreary weather. Sun, warm air, flowers, green scented air, my passion. While I can still absorb all the blessings of summer, I will do that.

 The Studio:

This one has been hanging around, just as a flimsy, for years. I had every intention of cutting this one up and making a tote bag, place mats, or maybe even pillow covers. 

During the Jelly Roll madness phase of my quilting career, I started playing with inserts, note the ones here, not so good. Thus, the cutter will be required. I will plan that for next Spring. I like to open the Summer with red, white, and blue, everywhere.

I have taken many unquilted tops and passed them on. Read about doing that somewhere on a blog about organizing your sewing space. Thinning the herd, I call it.   

The Garden:

I had a single cucumber plant, a gherkin. Well, she started popping out little cucumbers like there was no tomorrow. I named her Gertie Gherkin, she needed a name! Her vertical height was over 6 feet, supported by tomato cages all wired together. All in all, more than 120 cucumbers were born, I quit counting after that. 

Every day we picked, a few days we had to pick twice they grew so fast! I made all kinds of pickles, gave away bags and bags of cucumbers and then some. Friends and family are getting pickles for Christmas. Tomatoes were abundant, just enough for the daily bite and some small batches of sauce. Herbs were lovely, I never got pictures, it is hard to do that with only one hand, the other balancing on a cane sinking into the soil and a big white dog running around me in circles. 

Multiple tomato pies, different combinations, different styles, all very good. I recently had a request from Mr. Sewtopia to cool it with the tomato pies, enough was apparently enough.

Reading:

The Last Book Shop in London, by Madeline Martin, This one is a charmer, a touching story of wartime London.

Austen at Sea, by Natalie Jenner. The worlds facination with the writings of Jane Austen continue. I found this one a little hard to get into at first, it sort of dragged on but really wrapped up nicely. A little romance, a little intrigue. 

Currently:

Mona's Eyes, by Thomas Schlesser, recently translated from French it has been a number one in Europe for a couple years. This one is a must read. It is very well written, explores fine art and the heart of a little girl going blind.

Anchored, by Deb Dana. this is the exploration of Polyvagal Theory. Interesting how one can learn about our nervous system and how we can learn to control our actions and behavior by understanding the biology and psychology of our being. I will admit it gets a little deep now and then, and I often reread parts, but it is a good one. If that's your thing.    

It all goes well, I'll see you Friday!

Hugs from Lola! 

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