The air quality index in Portland is at hazardous levels from all the smoke from the nearby forest fires. This made it necessary to stay hunkered down in the house for the entire weekend.
The dogs thought this was a terrible idea and they’ve been driving me crazy pretty much all weekend… they just need some activity!
This was pretty much my weekend… keeping them supplied with chews so I could get some stuff done.
I did take them for a short, slow walk yesterday and we went out twice today. It helped a little, but they were pretty wound up today.
I was so nervous and stressed out about the fires around Portland and the terrible smoke yesterday that I couldn’t sit down or my mind would race . So I did a lot of house work… I changed my sheets and washed all the bedding (blankets and bedspread included). I went through closets and drawers and filled several large boxes to be taken to Good Will. I folded a huge pile of clean laundry in my utility room. I did four loads of laundry. And I cleaned up my kitchen and dining room.
I did manage to do a little sewing today. I purchased a pattern for a scarf I’ve been wanting to make. It’s the Natasha Sews Smarf pattern. You can find her pattern here.
She has made it so that it has elastic loops to hold it up over your face like a mask. I didn’t want the functionality, so just made the pattern into a scarf.
I made this one out of Red Mille Fiore this morning.
And then made this one out of Tangerine Paisley Jungle this afternoon.
Can you tell how much I love that paisley fabric? It’s one of my favorite Kaffe designs.
These were each made with a half yard of fabric, with absolutely no waste. I think I’ll be making more of these for holiday gifts.
I made a jar of pickled red onions this afternoon. These flavorful little lovelies have been a bright spot in my pandemic diet. They are super easy to make from ingredients that I always have on hand. I eat them in salads, in sandwiches, in tacos. They are so good!
I got an order of about 8 yards of Kaffe Fassett Collective fabric from Island Quilters earlier this week.
Some are to go in the black quilt I’m planning, and other pieces are just things I wanted.
Brandon’s octopus fabric is so amazing! I went back online tonight and ordered every color way of the octopus… even another piece of the black! I also bought some fabrics to fill out the stuff from my stash that I’ll use for another Ruffled Feathers flying geese quilt. I’ll share the fabrics for this quilt when I have it all in hand.
There is good news on the fire front. The air is supposed to start clearing out some starting tomorrow. We’re expecting some rain in the coming week. And some people who had to evacuate are being allowed back in their homes. A friend of mine is very happy to be going home tomorrow.
agilejack 
I can really tell how much you love those scarves! I’m not looking forward to our Wet season starting: Mouse the greyhound is not at all keen on walking in the rain, let alone the monsoon downpour we get in the summer. He’s going to go stir crazy…
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I sort of dread the approach of our rainy season. It rains usually from the first two weeks of October through May or June. It can be very dreary here in the winter. But this year I’ll be very glad when the rains start with all these fires. The rains can’t get here soon enough this year. When I first moved to Portland, my little Jack Russell Skeeter hated the rain. She always wanted to pee under the eaves. Well, she got over that pretty quickly and grew accustomed to being wet all the time!
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Those scarves are great! Love the paisley fabric, so colorful. I feel so bad for y’all being housebound but am glad the rains are coming to help. I love pickled onions too and have made pickled eggs with beets and onions for my husband – yum. They looks so neat when you cut into them, shades of purple. The new fabric – love, love. 🙂
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The purple color from the red onions is so pretty! I think that’s part of what i love about eating them!
And yes… that paisley is so good!!! I love that big print in the scarf. It’s really a pop of fun around my face!
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Those scarves are fabulous! I love that paisley print, too – I have yardage of the Jungle green to back a pending quilt top. It has always been one of my favorites. I hope the air does improve so you and the dogs can get outside. It’s tough having to stay in (I grew up where it snowed a lot – we called it cabin fever).
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I know what you mean! I grew up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and spent many a snowy day inside. It’s only bad when there’s no electricity.
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I actually saw some blue sky from my back yard this afternoon… and it was fantastic! I can’t believe how much it did for my spirits! Really looking forward to some cleaner air.
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I actually saw some blue sky from my back yard after work tonight. It was so fabulous to see!! It made me feel hopeful… really brightened my mood.
Someone just posted a photo on the KFC Facebook page of a little girl’s dress made out of the green paisley. It was trimmed with green Tiddly Winks, with matching Tiddly Winks bloomers! So adorable!
I used the tangerine for a quilt back and just loved it! It’s one of my favorite Kaffe fabrics… in any color way!
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You look like your pandemic diet is working well. Good for you!
Those scarves are nice and I think they will make great gifts. It would be a way to use some of the huge Philip Jacobs florals that beg to not be cut into small pieces.
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Thanks Wanda! I’ve been really diligent about moving my body and watching what I eat. 60 lbs make a big difference, and I feel so much better.
And you’re right about the big Philip Jacobs prints being perfect for these scarves. I have a few pieces in mind. I know I’ll be making more.
Also, I changed the time zone on my blog so your time stamp should be correct now.
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