I like to start my day with a list – even a mental one – and do the least desirable first.   Today, that was emptying out the bee water.   I didn’t suit up as these are such gentle bees and it was barely 60 degrees out, so there weren’t a lot of bees out.   I removed the roof, flipped off the water unit, and quickly covered them again.  Since I forgot to go back and get those water containers after the bees left them, that’s where I’ll start tomorrow.

That project done, I proceeded to the greenhouse where I lopped the banana trees back to about a foot high and used their foliage for composting them.   I learned these are Musa Bajoo which are a Japanese hardy banana plant.  They are strictly ornamental and can survive to 5 degrees below 0 F.   So this winter I’ll think of a nice place where they will get lots of sun and plant half of them outside in the spring.   I have really enjoyed the tropical atmosphere they give in the greenhouse.   I might even put a start in a pot and have a house plant.

For that I rewarded myself with lunch, then finished putting the last of the pears on the dehydrator.     They will do done tomorrow and I can bag them and clean all the stickiness off the trays.    Then off to the sewing room.      Well, I tried, but the turkeys don’t like sleeping on the ground and I covered their night enclosure so they can’t go over and be some coyote’s dinner, so they didn’t have a perch, but they do now, though a low one.   (that window is screened in)

Then the alpacas needed their dishes moved out of the rain into a building.   That was easy as I only needed to do a bit of cleaning out and put two pallets in there.   I’ll know in the next couple days if that really works, or if they knock the side out of the building pushing the pallets through it.

Then, I was free to sew the baby receiving blankets.

Hint:  before and after I leave an opening to turn, I like to sew from the edge of the fabric to the seam.   This makes the seam line up much better after the item has been turned as the open area wants to turn in to match the seam.

 And corners are another item that many of us have had trouble with.    So this is how I get a nice sharp corner:  First I sew the 90 degree corner, then fold it over on the seam line.

 

Next I fold the top seam down over this and hold it all with my thumb and index finger.

 

Now take the back fabric up over this seam being held with the thumb and finger.

  It took a bit of practice the first time, but now I get a nice sharp corner.   I turn all the corners this way, then pull the blanket right side out.  Press and topstitch.

 

Here’s a photo of the blankets.   Some were different on each side and some were the same on both sides.