Valerean

My first quilting project for 2024 is this crazy double wedding ring quilt, which I began hand quilting before my vision problems required surgery. I think the reason I never went back to finish this quilt is because of how poorly I was stitching in that time. Anyway, I decided it was high time to finish it. I've restored several double wedding ring quilt tops and quilts, and one common problem with the older ones is fraying and splitting seams. This quilt has a few, as you see here with this light yellow patch. Usually I try to repair the problem by doing any invisible restitch of the seam (which I did here between the pink and blue patches), but often the fraying threatens to happen again, as you see here in the obvious weak spots of the fabric by the arrow. When that happens, rather than create more work for myself I cover the seam with lace or ribbon. Word of warning: this is not how you should repair or restore an heirloom quilt worth a lot of money, or tha...

While I was out looking for a new cookbook I picked up a remaindered copy of The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry; it seemed like the sort of novel I'd like (Victorian era, monster storyline, female lead.) I also saw that it was the author's second book, which gave me pause. I don't like to read a story by any writer until they have at least six major works published, as the initial efforts (especially the first two) are usually problematic. I used to have more patience with that kind of thing when I was younger, but I'm a crabby old lady writer now. Keep in mind what follows are just my opinions, and allow for the fact that I am still quite upset with the book and myself for reading it all. I've also edited this post about a dozen times trying to tone down my contempt. Anyway, I should have gone with my instincts. This novel was not for me. With ongoing hope it would improve I did read the entire book. Issues started off minor but quickly multipled and bec...

I was able to thrift some art supplies I needed in two lots from online auctions; this one is the smaller of the two. All of the stuff in this lot is new and unused, so I looked up the retail: mini gel pens $19.99, gluesticks $15.49, Sargent watercolor pencils $16.84,Crafter's Square roller cutter $2.99, 10 piece brush set $9.99, Crafter's Square chunky brushes $4.99, Princeton Artist Brushes $6.50, and Acrylic glitter paint set $21.99, for a total of $98.78. I paid $13.99 for the lot. Savings: $84.79 I thrifted this jacket for a spring upcycle project, and it still has the tags on it. $60.00 is a lot to pay for a denim jacket; glad I paid only $5.99. Savings: $54.01.

Today let's talk about thrifted auctions that can be bad deals, like this Gütermann thread lot. I'm always on the lookout for Gütermann thread, as it's strong, never frays, and I think it's the best you can buy. I did bid on this used lot, which started out at $9.99, but quickly surged out of control as other bidders swarmed it. I dropped out at my maximum, which was $15.00. The lot ended up selling for $128.23 plus shipping, which was a bad deal. Why? These are about a hundred spools, so it looks good, only they're used, so you don't really know how much thread you're getting. You can buy brand-new Gütermann thread in bulk pretty cheaply if you catch it on sale; right now JoAnn is selling 26 spool collections for $19.99, and a 42 spool basic colors notebook collection for $49.99. Then there is condition, and how it is described in the auction listing. For this crocheted blanket the condition was said to be "used but good with spots....

Happy Valentine's Day from Valerean. Image Credit: Luisella Planeta LOVE PEACE 💛💙 from Pixabay

Just out of curiosity I made a list of the asian dramas I've rewatched the most times, and #1 on the List is Happiness , the drama I chose as the best of 2021 . This is a pandemic-zombie thriller that has a wonderful little romance and lots of great characters, tons of suspense and an utterly satisfying ending. To date my favorite drama of all time, too. It also has plenty of violence and a fair amount of gore, so not for the timid. The King: Eternal Monarch takes the number two spot. This time-travel/parallel world fantasy series is wildly romantic, interesting, intricately plotted and ultimately satisfying. Truthfully if I could rewrite the ending for this one to be more definite, I would. There's also a bit too much product placement. That said, all of the actors really did a great job, so you'll forgive the flaws (I just realized I've never written this one up for the blog; sorry about that.) The last drama on my list, a mythological thriller wi...

I just finished Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen, one of the best books I've read in a long time. Disclaimer: the author is one of my keepers, and I frequently hand out copies of her other novels to people who need great books (and maybe a little magic) in their lives. Yet this book got me on a very personal and mysterious level. This is one of Ms. Allen's gifts to her readers -- she knows us inside and out -- and why I never tire of rereading her books. This time her story enchantment got a little spooky for me, but in the good way. Some backstory before we get to the author's story: I've always loved birds for no particular reason, and often associate them with people. One of my old nicknames that I actually loved was Wren. I never tire of photographing the native birds here, and probably have thousands of pics of different species. I put out bird feed every day for the wild ones. Birds to me are one of the loveliest things about life. I have a ...