FINISHED 2 VICTORIAN LADIES THIS WEEK.

 I am happy to report I finished 2 of my Victorian Ladies this week.  It's nice I can hand-sew at Craft Mornings.  

Lady Lillian is 15" by 15" and hangs on my display wall in the hallway for everyone to enjoy.  I really dislike the color of orange in clothing and decor, but this shade of tangerine caught my eye and I love it.

This is Lady Beatrice.  She's a bit stocky as are many of the Lithuanian women in my Mother's family.  She may be hefty but she's strong and healthy.  Measures 14.5" x 16".

Right now I am working on the binding for Lady Sandra.  She's the last of the single ladies that I've planned.  The next will be a foursome for the garden society.

Enjoy your day.

BREAD KEEPS FRESHER LONGER WITHOUT FREEZING

 I manage to keep my bread fresh for long periods of time with this method.

When you buy a loaf of bread, date the bag.  Open it and put 2 or 3 full size sheets of paper towel inside, folded or crumpled.  

The paper towels absorb the moisture which helps keep the bread fresh.

Now place the loaf in your refrigerator, NOT the freezer.  

This slice is 22 days old and fresh, though a bit cool.  No mold.  No issues at all.  

The same holds true for other bread products, like subs, English muffins, hot dog and hamburger rolls.  

If you want fresh bread for 3 weeks or a bit longer, try this.  It works for me. 

Have a good day.

BABY GIRL DRAGON IS FINISHED.

I finally have my baby girl dragon finished.  I like her.

Here she is.  I named her Pink Pearl.  She is accompanied by a couple of fairy friends.   Measuring 14 by 14 inches she is perfect for my front door or to hang on my design board in the hallway.

In the meantime, I continue to work on my Victorian Ladies.  I like to do handwork at our Craft Mornings on Thursdays, so I do the binding and the labels by hand.  

It's a fine day here in Maine.  Enjoy your day.

FINISHED THREE SMALL WALLHANGINGS INCLUDING LADIES

I am enjoying my sewing projects lately.  Maybe it's the sunshine.  I finished 3 more small wall hangings. 

 This one, Lady Rosalind, 16" x 16" is hand quilted.  I only had to add her label since she was officially finished in April this year.

Lady Maybelle, 14" x17" also only needed her label since I finished the sewing in May 2026.

Tilly Teacup is only 15" x 15" and was the 13th teacup block I had.  I thought she looked like a face, so added the red lips to make her a little cutie.  I finished her yesterday at our Saturday chat table where we residents gather to chat or bring hand work to finish. 

And now to the outdoors.  We have had some fine weather.

Our garden pathway behind the building.  There are flowers blooming along both sides.

Beside our patio we have a flower garden as well.  This is one section of that patio garden.  Its blooming with color right now and so pleasant to see.

A few of our residents have small veggie plots in these tall pots.  The tomatoes and other veggies are doing well.

We have had such wonderful weather.  Our last frost was sometime in mid-May so a couple of gardeners got a head start by transplanting before Memorial Day this year.

Have a wonderful and restful day my friends.

Working on Wall Hangings This Week

 I am doing more sewing lately with the good weather and so much time on my hands.

This one is named Lady Sandra.  She has her red border now so next I will be layering her with her backing and pinning her for machine-quilting.

This is Lady Lillian.  I really do not like anything in the color orange except pumpkins in the fall, but this tangerine shade works for me. I am unusually pleased with her.

This foursome will be named Lady Flora Belle (for pretty flower) Garden Society.  I think this will look good on a door front or a wall.  I still have borders to cut for this one.

This one I think I will name Tilly Teacup.  She is an extra after laying out 6 teacup and tea pot blocks for 2 wall hangings.  One for me and one for my daughter.  Borders are yet to choose.

It's been marvelous weather here in southwestern Maine for this spring.  We get sufficient rain to keep our forests safe from forest fires, a big plus.  I don't mind the rain when it comes as long as we get a few nice sunny days of sunshine and warm, but not hot, days.

Enjoy your spring and summer.

Shoe Rack Storage In Two Ways

 I received my new over-door shoe rack and put it together.  It just needed the hooks to go thru the holes for hanging on the door.

This is the new one and it's made sturdier than the old one.  Very useful and can hold up to 24 paper product rolls.  I find this a handy storage place for these things.

This one I made by cutting out the parts of the old shoe rack that were wearing.  It only has 9 slots left and I have it hanging inside my bathroom closet door.  It's useful for cough crops, bars of soap, lotions, etc.  

For the current products in use, I keep them in a tall cardboard carton that fits nicely into a narrow lower cabinet in my kitchen.  It's so handy to grab what I need.

It's a fine day here in Maine.  Temps have decided to be normal, which means 60s to 70sF days and 50s nites.  We are expecting rain again tonite which is good.  Our forests need it to reduce the chance of forest fires.

Have a good day.

STORAGE TIPS FOR PAPER PRODUCTS

 When one has limited storage space, you have to find ways to store items as needed.

For me it was rolls of paper products.  I have such a small kitchen and space is limited.

The first thing was my unopened rolls of waxed paper, foil, parchment paper, freezer bags, etc.  

This is an over-the-door shoe rack with 24 slots.  It hangs on my closet door.  A nifty place for such things.

Then what to do for the current rolls that are being used daily.

I have a very narrow cupboard in my kitchen beside my sink.  I found a tall cardboard carton that fits nicely.  In this manner I can set the rolls on end so they are easy to grab.  The carton itself is also easy to pull forward so I can see what I have in the carton.

It really has saved me space and hunting when the roll is needed.

I hope this idea helps at least one person besides me.

Have a good day.