You always remember your first …

 

 

Shell!!

 

 

The first year we came here years ago, the olive shell (above … the baby one is just a bit longer than a piece of long grain rice!) was the shell-a-plenty that year.  I didn’t realize at the time, that there is a “shell of the year”, one that is more plentiful than the others on the beach. A few years back, after a series of intense storms, deep maroon and pink cockle shells were everywhere the eye could see.

 

This year, with all of the storms, the ocean seemed reluctant to give up anything but shards and the shell of the year was far from obvious.  Instead of collecting shells on my walks, between hopeful glances down at the sand, I watched in amusement as these birds “played chicken” with the waves, racing back and forth with legs that were a blur as they scurried along.

 

 

Some things stood out, like this starfish,

 

 

 

however, this is mostly what the beach looked like this year.

 

 

 

Yet with some thigh burning squats and close examination, this is what you could find.  Small ones of course!

 

 

 

All cleaned up, this was this years bounty!  I love the “Nemo” looking one half way down on the right!

 

 

 

The Slipper Shell was shell of the year in the end.  The smallest ones being a mere 3/8″!

 

 

 

I framed my collection from nine years ago.  It was a remarkable year for variety and quantity! Baby’s ears (third from the left) were the shell of the year that year, as finding this many is unusual!

 

 

 

My sister and I “closed down” the beach our final evening amid laughter, sweatshirt deliveries from the beach house, and a beautiful sunset!

 

 

 

Have a great week

&

Happy Stitching!

 

Taking A Closer Look At eBooks

Call me old fashioned!  With over 350 quilting related paper books on my shelves, I thought I knew what side of the paper vs. ebook debate I am on.  However I spotted an inconsistency … I have been completely digital with my music for the past six years, and with my photos for the past ten!

 

So why I am slow to embrace change on the book front?

 

 

I decided to take a look at my perceptions of eBooks.

 

Perception 1:  eBooks are not the same quality as a printed copy!

 

Wrong!  I downloaded copies of my own books; images and quilts that I am really familiar with.  The page layouts are exactly the same as the paper book.  The images are brilliant!  I can zoom in on photos for a closer look with quality so good I could do thread counts on fabric with little difficulty (slightly better on my laptop than my iPad).

 

Perception 2:  I would likely print off a “not great quality” paper copy for myself to have in hand, so why not buy the paper copy straight off.

 

There is a bit of truth to that one. I wouldn’t print off a copy of a novel, but my craft books are reference tools. I like being able to pull a book off the shelf and have a quick glance or a long study.  My limited workspace in my studio is too precious to have my laptop there all the time. And I am not going to lug around my iPad for a knitting project. So I would definitely be printing off at least a copy of the pattern.  Plus I can make notes on the paper copy.

 

Perception 3:  Navigation through an eBook is clumsy.

 

No, it is just different.  Many years of muscle memory makes handling paper books easy. But swiping my finger on my iPad is easy to get used to.

 

 

And, when looking for a piece of information instead of flipping through a book numerous times to locate it, eBooks offer an ease of searchability that my brain envies!

 

 

A grid view lets you quickly navigate from one part of the book to another.

 

 

Plus eBooks can include HTML links in the text, enriching your reading experience.  (Are you tempted yet?)

 

Perception 4:  Portability

 

The allure of eBooks for travel is obvious; lots of choices without the weight.  That is why I purchased 6 eBooks recently.  At the same time, eBooks can tether you to one place with a power cord, risk hard drive crashes and computer viruses.  And you won’t find me relaxing in the tub with my eReader.

 

The real benefit of eBooks, besides lower price, space conservation, searchability and zooming in, is accessibility.   If you are inspired at 2 am and want to start that project now, hit click to buy, prep your cutting area while the eBook is downloading and you are off to the races!

 

In the end, I still love the tactile feel of pages between my fingers, the gentle whoosh of the turning pages and the familiarity that each reading brings or suddenly seeing a quilt in a new light, sparking a new idea.  It is soothing and relaxing in a way that my computer eBook experience is not, no matter how much they add the computer generated click/swish of pages turning.  But as my shelf space is becoming limited … I can see eBooks as a good solution!  And for books that are out of print, eBooks are a fantastic solution!

 

There is loads more interesting information on ebooks here and here.

 

Are you embracing eBooks?

 

Have a great week

&

Happy Stitching!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rose Hill Mansion

This was the scene in the park near my house, just days before I left …

 

 

… headed for this!  The picture says it all!

 

 

It is a yearly sojourn my family makes.  My children and I, my parents, sister and brother and their respective families, all return to the house we have rented for years, that feels very much like home.

 

There is something magical about driving down an alley of live oaks, dripping with Spanish Moss, or seeing them across a yard.

 

 

This year included a trip to Rose Hill Mansion.

 

 

It has been described as the most beautiful plantation house in the Low Country.  Built in 1858, it’s Gothic Revival style, uncommon in the south, is in itself a draw.  Since it’s construction, this huge home, a deceiving 10,000 square feet,  has seen times of great comfort and times of deep distress. In 1946 after years of neglect, it was restored by John and Betsy Gould Strugeon.  It was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and suffered massive destruction from fire in 1987. Purchased by Robb and Robin White in 1996, they have painstakingly restored the house and live in it today.  They offer daily tours unlike any other historic tour I have been on.  Sitting on the furniture was encouraged by our guide Cynthia (a descendant of the original owners), we were served lovely treats for tea, and were welcomed by the owner Robin at the end of the tour.

 

Carolina rockers on the front porch welcome visitors.

 

 

The front entry hall features a floating stringer staircase, and yes wine was served during the tour!

 

 

And of course there were some sewing related items!  A collection of archaeological items, found on the plantation included civil war era thimbles.

 

 

And a quilt that belonged to the Kirk family, previous owners of Rose Hill, as well as a lovely christening gown carefully framed to preserve it.

 

 

Rose Hill Mansion lies just miles away from Bluffton, the birthplace of the secessionist movement.  As a result of this, the area suffered the scorched earth policy of the Union forces, which well explains why so few textile artifacts remain from the area.  That Rose Hill itself was spared is miraculous.   To this day, civil war period artifacts are still sifting to the surface on the plantation, pushed skyward by the roots of the live oaks, making history come alive again!

 

Have a great week

&

Happy Stitching!

 

 

 

 

Basting Thread Tip

I have been working on some delightful hexies for a new project and want to share with you my hint for basting thread.

 

When doing clothing mending on my machine, I load up a bobbin for the job, and in an attempt to not run out of thread mid-mend, I put on a little more than I might need.  Rather than having loads of bobbins occupied with small amounts of thread, I unwind those ends onto an old large wooden spool that I have been using for this purpose for over 35 years!

 

 

Haven’t seen the middle of the spool for years, and clearly I needed the bobbin with the white thread on it for some other colour, given the amount that is on the spool, but I always have basting thread on hand and don’t feel like I am wasting thread!

 

Have a great week

&

Happy Stitching!