Nostr notes by effika

Signet marigold & cosmos seeds planted, as well as soil for ...

2026-04-19T14:58:30Z

Signet marigold & cosmos seeds planted, as well as soil for the okra planter (more to be added later this week). And some extra cages trying to keep the squirrels out.

Shout-out to the Igloo Ice Cube 60qt cooler on wheels, the real MVP. It helps me haul soil, is an acceptable cooler, and makes a great moveable table (indoors or out) when cleaned up.

#gardening

If you'd like more details (pattern used, etc) please see my ...

2026-02-07T17:42:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…vevu
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If you'd like more details (pattern used, etc) please see my PatternReview entry: https://sewing.patternreview.com/review/pattern/197627 #quilting

Photos of the finished #temperatureQuiltEffika! Each day is ...

2026-02-07T17:23:09Z

Photos of the finished #temperatureQuiltEffika!

Each day is represented by two half-square triangles: the bottom is the low, and the top is the high. I put in decorative stitches for the seasons, snow, and ice.

Front, back with temperature scale, season & snow & year marker, and the monthly gemstone blocks before quilting. #quilting #temperatureQuilt

🙌 Near perfect match to the beginning and ending of a ...

2025-11-04T02:35:03Z

🙌 Near perfect match to the beginning and ending of a decorative stitch border!! I wish I could say I planned it, but this is pure serendipity. It will be very easy to camouflage that as I tie off the ends. #quilting #effikaAlaskaQuilt

Final (probably) okra harvest, making for 166 pods from 4 plants ...

2025-10-29T21:43:06Z

Final (probably) okra harvest, making for 166 pods from 4 plants this summer. Not bad for starting them a bit late! #gardening

Couldn't move the stump so I decided this will just be where ...

2025-10-18T21:00:32Z

Couldn't move the stump so I decided this will just be where my next raised bed goes. Not quite hugelkultur but close enough! #gardening

Growing the snake melons/Armenian cucumbers was a bit different ...

2025-10-13T01:06:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…a8gt
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Growing the snake melons/Armenian cucumbers was a bit different than normal cucumbers. They didn't want to make female flowers until I cut them back significantly so my fruiting season started a little late. And once a vine had made a melon and I'd harvested it, no more female flowers would grow on that vine. The plant would make more female flowers on other branches only after I'd cut off the vine I harvested from. Once I figured out the pattern it was quite prolific, though! #gardening

Harvested my last Armenian cucumber/snake melon today (& ...

2025-10-13T01:03:34Z

Harvested my last Armenian cucumber/snake melon today (& forgot a picture, but I did take one of a bee). In mid-September both plants stopped making female flowers and began yellowing, so I suspect something in the day length triggered it.

I only got 13 fruit from them (10 from the on-purpose plant, 3 from the lost seed that sprouted much later in the season). Considering that even the "small" fruit I picked gave me over a pound of usable food each, I think that's fine! #gardening

I like eating things I grew! Sourdough bread with my Armenian ...

2025-09-21T22:15:14Z

I like eating things I grew! Sourdough bread with my Armenian cucumber sandwich, microwave-fried okra (with Penzeys Turkish seasoning) , and in the background that ambiguous mass is sautéed kale with lemon & craisins. #food #gardening #baking

Pollinator pollinating my okra! #flowers #bee #gardening ...

2025-09-09T18:43:40Z

Pollinator pollinating my okra! #flowers #bee #gardening

"Will you come pick pears?" "Only if I can leave you ...

2025-08-13T22:59:35Z

"Will you come pick pears?"

"Only if I can leave you a snake melon!"

Also the bees & butterflies (including this question mark butterfly & a black swallowtail) are super into the overripe pears left on the tree! #gardening #butterfly

I planted okra that regularly reaches 36-48" tall in a ...

2025-08-08T22:16:55Z

I planted okra that regularly reaches 36-48" tall in a 31" tall raised bed and I am only 60" tall so it's stepladder harvest time #gardening

Me before sewing the legs together at the rise: "I didn't ...

2025-07-27T02:01:25Z

Me before sewing the legs together at the rise: "I didn't even try pattern matching when I cut these out so it's very unlikely they will get close enough to matter."

Me after: "I should have checked before sewing them with a triple-straight stitch." 😑

Oh well. I've seen worse in the store, and these are just pajamas. No seam ripping happening tonight!

In better news, I avoided having a big pink starburst in an unfortunate spot so I am ahead! #sewing #effikaITSNusleJoggers

I like knowing exactly what's eating my plants, too! Feels ...

2025-07-23T14:00:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…tch7
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I like knowing exactly what's eating my plants, too! Feels better somehow. Good luck!

I've seen some pretty dark ones-- coloring can depend on what ...

2025-07-23T13:45:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…xvwj
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I've seen some pretty dark ones-- coloring can depend on what they eat. But the stripes only on one side is very curious! No clue now. I guess you'll have to catch one and raise it into a butterfly/moth to be sure 🤔

army cutworms! They are a menace.

2025-07-23T12:59:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…8y9m
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army cutworms! They are a menace.

SPLIT SUNSET! #weather #okwx #sunset ...

2025-07-05T02:10:48Z

SPLIT SUNSET! #weather #okwx #sunset

Found the lost cucumber seed from a month ago. The weather must ...

2025-06-28T12:07:08Z

Found the lost cucumber seed from a month ago. The weather must be right: it went from seedling? to PLANT in a week. #gardening

Cylindra beet harvest! These are not as big as I had hoped for, ...

2025-05-19T22:06:19Z

Cylindra beet harvest! These are not as big as I had hoped for, but they're big enough for me to harvest before 3" hail hits them. They grew fantastic greens (despite previous hail) and will cook up well. #gardening #food #beets

#bloomscrolling #SilentSunday ...

2025-04-13T16:23:38Z

#bloomscrolling #SilentSunday

but I don't want AI summaries, I want a frog :-( Weather Frog ...

2024-10-31T17:51:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…q8w2
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but I don't want AI summaries, I want a frog :-(

Weather Frog was the only reason that I ever even opened the app!

Lap Quilt: Completed! Final size is 42"x30.5" after ...

2024-09-28T19:12:37Z

Lap Quilt: Completed!

Final size is 42"x30.5" after washing.

I embroidered Kaylee seeking a clear spot to jump up to on on of the color rays in her memory. That same star has a very visibly-mended ray as well-- I could have done an applique patch over it to make the mending less prominent, but I wanted to show the work that is still on-going from the time period I made that star.

Stars are from 60 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Stars by Carol Doak, and the accompanying Facebook group.

#quilting

Lap quilt: Top is completed and square enough to begin making the ...

2024-09-22T15:47:27Z

Lap quilt: Top is completed and square enough to begin making the quilt sandwich and eventually quilting! #quilting

Kaylee passed away during the construction of this quilt block. I ...

2024-09-21T16:01:21Z

Kaylee passed away during the construction of this quilt block. I knew I wanted to incorporate a little reminder of her, and had planned to do her name, but I didn't have enough space.

Instead, she peeks up over the edge of a color ray, seeking a clear spot to hop up to.

We love you, Kaylee.

Lap quilt block 17 of 17: Kansas, from Carol Doak's 60 ...

2024-09-18T23:28:17Z

Lap quilt block 17 of 17: Kansas, from Carol Doak's 60 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Stars. Now to embroider one of the squares and sew them all together! #quilting

I've been trying out various Android Mastodon apps again, and ...

2024-09-13T12:30:10Z

I've been trying out various Android Mastodon apps again, and really wish Lucas @Moshidon 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 (npub1rx6…pdar) would let me change the font size! It's really great other than that, but font size is a deal-breaker for me. Fingers crossed it gets added soon!

Android is such a mish-mash of fonts and scaling that having the ability in-app to set it helps a ton with usability. I always appreciate it when an app understands a user may need different sizes for different tasks.

Lap quilt block 14 of 17: The Nebraska Star Block is from 60 ...

2024-09-05T21:58:46Z

Lap quilt block 14 of 17: The Nebraska Star Block is from 60 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Stars, by Carol Doak. This one is the 6" block size.

Solids are Kona Cotton, batik is Anthology Lava Batiks in Moonstone.

#quilting