My favourite things

New....Old project

2012-02-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

Now that Orca Bay is done (although no the binding....shhh) I am back to some UFO's. I found this project earlier this winter that I started a few years ago and had to try and remember what I had planned. From my notes I am making these blocks

for corner stones in the border.

Here is another picture with a hint from the rest of the quilt if you can see it at the back of the picture.

Stay Tuned for updates as this quilt progresses, the centre is all done and this is the border if it fits like I think it will.

Orca Bay Quilted

2012-02-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

All that's left is the binding.........................

off to work I go

Orca Bay Top COMPLETE!!!

2012-01-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I have finished my Orca Bay top, I decided to make it slightly smaller than intended but I'm happy with the result. I left off one row on the side and one row on the bottom and then added a 2 1/2" border. Although I am really happy with my colors I could not picture it queen size on a bed as it is very busy and I have decided to gift it to my Mom who just turned 82 this week. She was visiting at Christmas and helped snipping pieces apart to press etc. She was asking me the other day if I had it finished yet and I told her I would send a picture when I got it done. She wants to show her friends what she helped with. Then I had a lightbulb moment and decided I will send her the quilt instead of a picture.
I'm going to try and keep the momentum going today and pin it on my machine and quilt it, so off to get a back prepared.

Here is my sister(one of them-there are 2 more), my Mom and me at Christmas this year..........

Orca Bay - loving my colors

2012-01-02T21:01:00.001-08:00

Here is the first block and then with the light block(mine is darker as I used blacks as my neutral) laying beside. I don't have my design wall up at the moment for better display. I did some more assorted pieces today and realized I had enough to do one block as someone suggested on the chat group. I like that better than long rows so will give it a try. I have enough for probably half of the blocks but time for sewing today has run out, so far I am loving my colors....very bright.

Here is the linky back to Bonnie Hunters Blog where you can see more progress on a lot of other Orca Bay quilts - http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/01/mystery-monday-link-up-part-7-8.html

Orca Bay Update

2012-01-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

We now have seen the beautiful finished quilt and it is once again an awesome quilt by Bonnie Hunter; I can't wait to see what mine will look like as my colors are completely different. So far I am really liking how it is turning out.
It will be awhile but I am pleased with the progress:
Step 1 - QST - completed today

Step 2 - 3 1/2 " string blocks - only need 13 more

Step 3 - HST - completed today WOOHOO!!!

Step 4 - orange string blocks combined with HST with wings Step 5 added - only 4 made so far.

Step 6 - Ohio Stars - I am loving these - 4 made so far. as black is my neutral they are black or purple rather than black or white so my quilt will be quite different but I think I like it.

Anyway tomorrow is one more day off so hopefully I can get quite a bit of sewing time in.

2012 Here we are........are you ready

2012-01-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year
Wishing everyone a fabulous year, be happy.....share your smile and have a great day every day!!!!

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain

If you want to be happy, be. ~Leo Tolstoy

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonigways

Mystery Quilt.....Christmas is coming

2011-12-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

I should be Christmas baking & decorating but all I want to do is sew. Did some more aqua/teal string blocks this week and started clue 4 which in my colors is orange strings, they are turning out awesome. I can't wait to see how this is going to go together. Tomorrow morning Christmas decorating although we won't put up the tree until next weekend. Then some baking and maybe I can sew while things cook LOL. I did finally do some shopping today and don't have too much to do but I am excited to have a large part of my family together for Christmas. My Mom is coming and we haven't spent Christmas together in a number of years and she hasn't seen her grandkids(they are 27 & 30) for probably 10 years. She will also meet her grand son in law who happens to be from the same hometown(the world is such a small place really). I can't believe it is only 2 weeks away.........................

Pleasure is spread through the earth
In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.
~William Wordsworth, 1806

Mystery quilt update

2011-12-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

Orca Bay continues; so far I have 62 quarter square triangles completed. I have all the triangles cut( I think) a lot of halves sewn so it should come together quite quickly if I could stop making step 2. I am totally addicted to string blocks and loving these little guys; I have 49 of them done. My HST will not take long either as I have all the strips cut and using a ruler similar to Bonnie Hunter's suggested Easy Angle makes them go very quickly. I have always loved using Thangles and never thought I would switch but this ruler makes them very accurate. You still use the same size strip as with Thangles and no paper to rip off. I have 48 completed. 2 more evenings until next clue I should be close to caught up but if not.......oh well......
Now off to bed so I can get up for work tomorrow.

Orca Bay Mystery quilt

2011-11-27T21:01:00.000-08:00

So far I am loving this quilt, another great mystery I'm sure. I am way behind on step 1, I have all the strips cut; a stack of triangles cut and a few made just to make sure the size is right.

I am using black as my neutral just to see how it works.
I have also started step 2...I love string blocks and these little guys are soooo cute.

Maybe I can get caught up before step 3 on Friday

My 1st quilt

2011-11-27T20:40:00.001-08:00

Bonnie Hunter has done a post about your first quilt and has invited others to share (using her new "linky" thing) I love that she calls it the "linky thing".
Anyway my first quilt is not a thing of beauty but was a long time in the making. I think I started it when I was 10 or 11. My Dad had made me a hope chest for Christmas where you stored things for your own first home and I decided to make a quilt. My mom had always sewn all our clothes so there were lots of scraps to use including velvet and poly/cotton. I cut squares and sewed them together and then after a few rows it got put away for a few years. I then cut new squares and sewed some more rows apparently in a different size but added the rows anyways. It was going to be twin size and when I get engaged I decided it should be queen size.
In the spring of 1977 before I got married my mom helped me pin it to a quilting frame made by laying 2 x 4's on sawhorses in the basement and my fiancee(still my fantastic husband) helped to hand quilt it. We used an ice cream pail lid as the template to draw half circles ; what a memory. Now I have to go find a picture to post here :). Here is the link to the other first quilts on Bonnie's page http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2011/11/first-quilts.htmle

And here we are a day later....................

Quilt 1 done; Quilt 2 almost-great weekend

2011-11-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

So among other weekend activities which included making 3 pots of applesauce (=13 jars) I finally completed my dark string quilt with rail fence type sashing and nine patch cornerstones. I added smaller string blocks as the border-will have to take a picture when I get my camera back. It is 92 x 102 and I also got the back made. It is sort of like a large nine patch using up a number of pieces of fabric that have been aging for a long time as well as a couple of newer pieces. I had a great cat print that I hadn't decided what I wanted to use it for. I didn't want to cut it too small and lose the cats so now I have used the whole piece as a portion on the back of quilt that is going on our bed, I thought that was a good solution.
I also have completed my RRCB top; just need to stay stitch around the outside edge and complete the back. Wow it feels great to have that done and I love how it turned out with the pieced border. I will complete that tomorrow night so i can send both of these quilts back to Alberta with my sister-in-law for my niece to quilt as they are too big too fit on my quilting frame. Now I can pre-wash my fabrics and start Orca Bay sometime this week........................can't wait.

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

New Mystery Quilt

2011-11-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

So............................I couldn't resist. Bonnie Hunter started a new mystery quilt today. Everyone has been talking about it for weeks and I keep thinking no,no,no. I'm just finishing last falls mystery RRCB and I have a number of quilts under way including 2 new Bonnie ones I just started at my retreat a month ago.
I have done 3 of her mystery quilts so far and they turned out fabulous so here I go again. I've been wanting to do a brite quilt on a black background so I am going to use orange, turquoise and purple on black( I think) for Orca Bay.
My niece Cathy and possibly my SIL Betty are also doing this quilt. Check out Cathy's blog for her progress http://CathyTomm@blogspot.com.

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. ~A.A. Milne

I wonder if eating Honey is like quilting, there is a moment before you start when the anticipation may be the best moment........what do you think?

Finally sewing again

2011-10-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

Since I arrived home after my quilt retreat my sewing machine has not been turned on until tonite; that's 10 days. I thought I would sew last weekend but dh decided it was time to paint the bathroom which we have been planning to do for quite awhile. He had built a wonderful new cabinet to put in there and we bought a new mirror months ago but we needed to repaint when we removed the old medicine cabinet. It turned out fabulous and I love it.
On Sunday my daughter and son-in-law came to visit with my girl's best friend who was visiting from Alberta. Hadn't seen her for awhile and they just celebrated a significant birthday 3 days apart. Her friend's husband flew her out for the weekend as a birthday present which was fantastic, thanks John.
Anyway back to sewing, after a lot of frogging(rip it rip it) of pieces I sewed together at the retreat. I discovered the center triangle was cut to large and they didn't fit together properly so I have trimmed and finally sewed some back together.

Here is 1 block - I think it will be great.

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. ~James Openheim

Hi Donna I'm back

2011-10-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

So after a long break I find out some people have missed my posts. Let me tell you a secret if you don't follow or at least comment once in awhile I do not know you are there.
It has been very busy since my last post. I have started a new full tie job back in the accounting industry. My part time at home accounting job ended suddenly the end of July so after a month and a half off (which went to fast) I'm back full-time in an office in Langford.
Summer was great with lots of camping; some sewing, some gardening and lots of sunshine.
Attended the Prairie Hens Quilt Retreat which I host in Sylvan Lake last weekend. This was our 10th retreat with 49 great women in attendance. It was great fun with lots of sewing, lots of talking & lots of eating although we missed Charlotte who was to sick to attend. Hope you are getting better Charlotte and we will see you next year.
Hopefully in the next couple of days I will download some pictures to share.

Also back to my happy thought for the day....hope it makes you smile.

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are. ~Palmer Sondreal

2011-08-29T21:03:00.003-07:00

Guess What??

This is not a quilting UFO and I'm having fun playing with pictures. I always wonder where people find the cute pictures on their blogs.....Duh! look on the internet.

Anyway I have been madly working on UFO's; after sorting them in February and neatly filing them away I realized although they were all sorted with matching backings etc they were still not any closer to being complete.

As I am temporarily unemployed I thought I should take advantage of my time; I have said for years "If I only had a couple of weeks that were not holiday but just me time I could get a lot of things completed" and so I began last week.

I have quilted 3 wall quilts and 2 tablerunners and have binding on one tablerunner. Tomorrow is binding day and then I will post some pictures.

Happy thought for the day:

Remember that happiness is a way of travel - not a destination.
Roy M. Goodman

Another finish - almost

2011-08-22T21:46:00.002-07:00

Today I decided it was time to work on something I could actually finish. Last year I participated in a Raw edge circle swap so I pulled out the blocks and sewed them together, it was quite small so I added some sashing & corner stones and here it is so far.

I am going to try and quilt it tomorrow. I am gathering some quilts to donate to Blanket Slave Lake. The ladies who attend my retreat in the fall will also be donating some blocks to be made into some larger quilts for this cause.

Summer finally arrived

2011-08-16T19:38:00.004-07:00

Summer finally arrived and I have been outside and not posting anything, not doing too much sewing either but picking away at things.Still continuing to work on RRCB - the latest mystery from Bonnie Hunter @ Quiltville.com. It is waiting for one more seam across the center and the border which is made except for the corners.

and a scrappy quilt made of string blocks with sashing and 9 patch cornerstones. I have added another row to the side and the bottom since this picture. I will be adding a small border and the small string pieced

blocks all the way around in an attempt to make this queen sized.

I also completed a denim/flannel frayed edge quilt for my daughter that is just waiting for me to wash it, need to take to a commercial washer so the lint doesn't clog my washer (ask me how I know this happens :))

I don't know where my picture went after it was sewn together but this gives you the idea. I will post pictures when washed, turned out great, still my little girl even if she turns 30 soon.

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going to fast-you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. " Eddie Cantor

continue latest project

2011-07-15T21:51:00.002-07:00

So onward I go not knowing where it will end. I made some half square triangles and added to 2 ends of the project I started last night to make it no longer square. Think I will add another plain border next--maybe of the cream. I should have my camera back tomorrow evening so I can post a picture.

My son has arrived for a week long visit and I hear him & his Dad returning from a walk on the beach so I better go. Maybe more sewing tomorrow if they go fishing.

I get to go shopping in the morning to help my sister buy a sewing machine so that should be fun. Her machine is 27/28 years old and it will be fun to show her some of the new options although she doesn't want to spend too much.

Happiness thought for the weekend:

All I can say about life is, Oh God, enjoy it!

Bob Newhart (1929 - )

back to some sewing

2011-07-14T22:07:00.003-07:00

After a few very busy weeks with my work we got away camping for a few days which was a much needed break. I have so many tops which need to be finished and a few ready to be quilted, should I be starting something new? Why not?

I could not resist any longer and dug out a kit for an octagon table center that I won somewhere a few years ago, it went together so fast but I really don't need any small table topper and not really my colors so let the fun begin. First I squared it up and added a border and now I have used all the fabric that came with the kit and I want to make it bigger. I found a cream and a pink that go quite well and then the light bulb turned on. The green looks really familiar and I went digging and found that I had bought a half meter of the exact same green print; how lucky could I be. Now to decide what to add; I'm thinking some type of pieced border. I don't have my camera until the weekend when my daughter brings it back but maybe I will have a picture to post by then.

I am little behind on my goal to post a daily happy thought but let's get back to it:

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. ~H. Jackson Browne

Another Great giveaway

2011-07-02T19:11:00.004-07:00

There is another great giveaway here on the island. While the last two were accuquilt Go Baby's this one is for the Slice Fabrique which is really neat. I have seen it demo'd and it has a lot of variety in a small machine.

Head on over to Natasha's Blog for a chance to win an awesome Slice Fabrique Cordless Digital Design Cutter give away. You can buy cards with about 20 different shapes on them, AND there are different sizes on each card. Unlike the GO and BABY GO you can only cut 1 at a time but so many choices
http://joyofquilting-natasha.blogspot.com/2011/06/oh-my-goodness-i-have-awesome-giveaway.html Good luck!

There is also a link on Natasha's site for her sisters blog where there is a companion giveaway., check it out.

I don't think my link to Natasha's is working so here it is http:// joyofquilting-natasha.blogspot.com

Another Go cutter giveaway here on the island

2011-06-28T22:39:00.004-07:00

Check this out a http://quiltingalongthegorge.blogspot.com. Good luck.

Accuquilt Go Baby giveaway

2011-06-25T21:11:00.004-07:00

I have just entered a draw for a GO! baby with three dies, if you want to check it out go to http://vickibquilts.blogspot.com and leave a comment. Good Luck.

New background

2011-04-28T20:23:00.002-07:00

Thought I would change my background for something to do, leave me a comment. Let me know what you think.

Since it has been awhile I thought it was time for a new happy thought :).

Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life.

- Buddha

2 finishes......almost

2011-04-26T20:49:00.006-07:00

With organizing well under way I had to take a break and sew some more. Half way through the Bonnie Hunter mystery roll roll cotton boll I got distracted by the string blocks and started making dark string blocks. I was then inspired to sew them together with a pieced sashing as seen on a few blog sites; one being Julie K quilts and one being A Quilt Complex.

Here is a picture as I started

I got 30 blocks made and a few rows completed and went looking for something in my sewing room; can't remember what but an older UFO(can't remember when it began) started yelling at me. So out it came and for a few weeks it has been coming together. Got the center completed last week and then it was supposed to have a 5" plain border with fabric I no longer like so back to the drawing board. And here is what I came up with and I LOVE IT!!!

Finally after finishing the above earlier this evening I decided I better get the rows to the string quilt sewn together........here it is

I really like the way it has turned out and I thought it was done but DH likes it so much he would like it to be Queen size, no problem to make more scrappy string blocks but I have to see if I have enough of my cream sashing.

Feeling very productive so next I better get back to the RRCB mystery, I think I have enough blocks made so now to lay them out and start sewing rows.

Back to organizing

2011-04-03T21:51:00.006-07:00

"and another one gone and another one gone and another one bites the dust" .....that is another day gone since I posted.

2 days after the last post I took these pictures of a few of my sorted tubs; I love looking at them and i can actually see what I have.

Don't they look great. Not sure how long they will last but hopefully since I can see it all i should be able to pull only what I need.

Since these were done I have sorted red, white & cream ,yellow & orange, batiks. Now I have just a couple of mixed up containers to go.

These contain 1/2 m or larger pieces {mostly washed} and then I have a container(or two:)) of fat quarters and everything else is being cut into usable scrap pieces which have their own containers for each size.

Hope spring is coming soon for everyone, the flowers are all starting to bloom and Dave had to cut the grass for the first time the other day(not complaining).

Laughing is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one spot.

Josh Billings (1818 - 1885)

Organization fun

2011-03-08T21:09:00.003-08:00

I've been busy sorting and organizing my fabric and strangely enough really enjoying it. I did one tub in January and loved the way it looked so the last couple of weeks I do some every few days. I will take some pictures and show you soon.

I am making sure all my bigger pieces of fabric(.5m or more) are washed as I seem to have developed allergic reaction to unwashed fabrics; this may not be new but I was blaming it on other things and it has become apparent it is the fabric. It is not a serious thing I just get slightly stuffed up and a headache so might as well avoid that.

It is so neat to revisit your fabric and remember what you have; as it is washed I am folding it all the same size and placing it in my rubber maid tubs so I can see all the different fabrics I have; sorted by color. Anything smaller than 1/2 m I am sorting into a fat quarter container and cutting the rest up for my scrap system(aka Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com).

Happiness thought for today:

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour. ~Author Unknown

Since I have been a few weeks I thought we all deserved another one:

Cheerfulness is what greases the axles of the world. Don't go through life creaking. ~H.W. Byles

Spring??????

2011-02-23T09:05:00.004-08:00

Ok, so I rushed it posting spring photos.....Here is what we woke up to this morning:

A taste of Spring

2011-02-20T21:25:00.006-08:00

Spring is on the way. Here are some pictures of the flowers in my yard poking their heads up and a few are blooming. Hope you enjoy:

Bailey had to have her picture as well..........

mini iris

primula, crocus, hellebora(christmas rose) and lots on dafffodils and tulips getting started.

Happiness Quote for the day:

~ Happiness is not having what you want, it's wanting what you have. ~ Anon

Liebster Blog Award

2011-02-14T19:58:00.009-08:00

I got a Liebster Award from Cathy at cathytomm.blogspot.com. Cathy is my niece, thanks Cathy for thinking of me. I am to pass this award on to three blogs I like and they should not have more than 300 followers. This way we can promote some good blogs that are lesser known.

I have tried to pass this award on without success so I have told Cathy to present it to someone else. Meanwhile please check out Cathy's blog - she is a long armer and fibre artist/quilt designer with some very interesting posts. And she does great snow-dying among other dying techniques.

Please check it out and leave a comment---we all love comments.

Update on my mystery

2011-02-02T22:14:00.002-08:00

So I'm working on my mystery I showed you yesterday. I have added borders to the sides with the four patches that were already made and I'm adding a small blue border to sides only to make it wider. I have decided to then add borders of the dark small cat squares with pieced blocks in the corners so we'll see if it all works.

Happy thought of the day:

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonig

I really like this one as I think we all need be grateful for all we are blessed with :)

My own mystery

2011-01-31T18:14:00.003-08:00

In digging out UFO's I have found this project, I love these Funky Cats......but I can't remember what I had planned if I had a plan???

The centre right now is 53" x 28" so i know I want to go wider for sure. I think a lap quilt for me is what I wanted.

I found a stack of twosie's which I have made into 4 patches, there are 25 of these but now to the drawing board as I'm not sure what I'm doing next.

Here is a picture of what I have, there is a lot of fabric so I can go quite a bit bigger.

I am open to any suggestions.

RRCB mystery

2011-01-31T18:05:00.004-08:00

Finally downloaded pictures off my camera so here is a few blocks of my mystery quilt; I am loving it so far but it has a ways to go.

I have totally fallen love with string blocks-I'm making dark ones now when I should be finishing these.

Quilts to be completed

2011-01-26T22:39:00.002-08:00

I have just found out how easy it is to put a list on my blog, I was thinking some complicated app was needed but Sandra from Australia kindly told me to look for 'list"....DUH too easy.

I have just listed a couple of items so far, I recently updated a spreadsheet I had started a couple of years ago. I also added to the list and the number of projects is overwhelming so maybe if I list them here where I can't ignore them I will get some done. Quite a few only need binding, lots are ready for quilting and there are some which started as smallish samples when I had the store that I now think need to be added to to make them a usable size. Once I figure the best way to breakdown the list I will add more. Meanwhile back to tidying the sewing area so I can get back to sewing.

Todays thought:

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Be Happy

2011-01-23T22:18:00.002-08:00

I realized I have missed my happy thought the last two posts........... So here we go:

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. ~James Openheim

And food for thought:

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. ~H. Jackson Browne

Have a great week..........

2011-01-23T21:57:00.002-08:00

I had great plans to spend January cleaning my sewing room storage, getting things organized etc but I can't seem to stop sewing long enough to do that. I am still working on the latest Bonnie Hunter mystery from Quiltville.com. There are a lot of small pieces but it is turning out fabulous, I had decided awhile back (probably when we found we had to do 600 HST) that I would make half size which I think will be still quite large. I'm guessing 65 to 70" square but now I am liking it so much I may keep going and then I think it is close to king-size.

It has a number of string blocks which I had so much fun making and love the way they are turning out. They were all made with neutral/light strips and now I am playing with med/dark string blocks and planning quilts I could make.

On top of this I taught my Happy Scrapper Club how to make Pineapple Blossom yesterday, I made 2 blocks while demonstrating so then came home and made 3 more and added another row to my quilt since I hadn't quilted it yet, It is now a more usable size.

So tomorrow I will begin my list of UFO's and try to spend some time tidying(after work).

A few of the quilts I have on display

2011-01-10T17:09:00.003-08:00

These are a few of the quilts I have on display for the month of January at Satin Moon Quilt shop: First is "Falling Leaves" and the 2nd picture is of the back; seemed like a good way to make my back big enough and it used the extra pieces I had left.

This one is "Sunrise" and is a disappearing 9 patch made with 7" squares so went together very quickly. Falling Leaves above is also a variation of disappearing 9 patch with alternate blocks set on point.
This quilt is one of my favourites. It is called "Moonphases" and made me fall in love with batiks.
The last quilt is "Twistin Around" and is scrap twist from Bonnie Hunter's site - Quiltville.com.

Thanks for having a look.

Guest Artist

2011-01-09T20:21:00.002-08:00

Guest Artist sounds interesting doesn't it, It's Me! and I still can't quite believe it. I am the featured guest artist at Satin Moon Quilt Shop in Victoria for January. I dropped off 13 quilts earlier this week and the attended the show "opening" today which was interesting. The quilts will be on display for the month of January. Anyone in the area could drop in and have a look. During the opening I just wandered around the store and answered any questions people had about my quilts. I was glad to have my sister with me for moral support and all went well. I will post a few pictures tomorrow when I get back to my desktop computer.

Thought for the day (week) :

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.

Eddie Cantor (1892 - 1964)

2011 Here we come, ready or not

2011-01-01T22:00:00.002-08:00

I think 2011 is off to a great start. DH and I undecorated and took down the Christmas tree as well as the other decorations. The house is sort of back to normal(whatever normal is). I made a pot of stock from the ham bone and then a large pot of potato soup using about half of the stock. It was a great supper.

I also got in some sewing time and finished the binding on two quilts; it always feels so good to get something finished.

Today's happy thought:

Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad. ~Norm Papernick

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2010-12-31T22:27:00.002-08:00

Happy New Year

Let's work at being happy as the New Year begins :

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

Mystery quilt continues

2010-12-30T22:24:00.002-08:00

Started step 5 on the mystery quilt and have 96 of 600 required half square triangles-this seems insane but it is so fun to see the colors come together. Next clue out first thing tomorrow morning and it must be time to start putting some of these units together. I can't wait to see what it will look like.

Here is your happy thought for today:

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are. ~Palmer Sondreal

Let's be happy..................

2010-12-29T22:19:00.002-08:00

I recently read about a person applying for a job to be a happiness blogger and I thought WOW what an amazing job. Next thought......why can't I do that so as we head into the new year I am going to try to post a quote or something to make you smile as smiling is one of my favourite things:

Here is today's thought

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain

On a quilting note I have most of step 1 and step 2 completed on the RRCB mystery quilt from Quiltville, it will be very interesting to see the final result.

Mystery quilt finally started

2010-12-26T20:34:00.005-08:00

Finally gave in to temptation and started the mystery quilt from Bonnie Humter's website. There have already been 6 clues and no one can figure out how it goes together but should start soon as there are only 8 clues. I have all my fabrics selected and I started with clue 3 which is string blocks because they look like so much fun (and they are). We have to make 60 of these blocks and I have 8 done. I have attached pictures of the blocks before they are trimmed and they sure don't look like much but I love them after they are trimmed. Now I just have to pull the paper off the back. Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Hawaii pictures

2010-12-23T21:20:00.008-08:00

As I mentioned yesterday here are a few pictures of December in Maui.

some surfers

one of the many gorgeous flowers I saw

It is so amazing to watch the sunset; it happens about 5:45 pm this time of year and it goes down so

quickly .....you can sit for 15 minutes and watch it move and then sometimes the colors after are breathtaking.

I hope these pictures give you something else to smile at as you make holiday preparations.

Christmas is almost here.......

2010-12-22T21:39:00.002-08:00

Another month has gone by since my last post but I'm back. I spent an amazing 2+ weeks in Hawaii; Maui to be exact and it was great. It was our Christmas present to each other and we shared most of the time with our son and a week with my sister and her husband. We had a few rainy days but it was still so very warm that it was great and the rest of the days were gorgeous. I will try and post some pictures for your enjoyment.

Now home to spend Christmas with our daughter and her husband, Victoria came out today and helped bake and decorate. It is so great to have time together.

There is a new mystery on Quiltville that I am dying to start; but I have to finish some other quilts first and finding it very hard to control as starting something new is always so much fun.

I hope everyone is having a great week and enjoying the Christmas preparations. Take time to smile and enjoy all the blessing we have.

Craft Sale # 2 completed

2010-11-22T20:25:00.002-08:00

Fri, Sat & Sun I had a booth at the All Sooke Arts and Craft Sale; while it didn't seem very busy I sold three lap size quilts plus a few pocket kleenex holders, potholders and snack bags so not too bad overall. Ruth kept me company and sold a scarf that technically wasn't for sale ( a different long story). Attendance at next years sales is up for debate but I have the chance to put a couple pieces in a gallery located at a local bakery for a month long art show so we'll see how that goes.

They were to be dropped off today but we were hit by a snow storm........that is not supposed to happen here. Snow storm only means 3 - 4 inches but considering we don't usually have snow it seems like a lot and with the humidity extremely icy especially on the hills which most roads are. It is also much colder than usual. So if they get the roads cleared and sanded tomorrow I will go drop the quilts off at the gallery. Wish me luck.

Craft sale - interesting experiment

2010-11-13T20:59:00.002-08:00

My sister and I got a last minute chance to have a table at a large craft sale and although in the back of my mind thought why would there be a table available at the last minute without a waiting list but what the heck, you never know. So away we went for Friday nite and all day Saturday which was an interesting waste of time but fun to spend time together. Ruth sold a very cute little cosmetic bag and I sold a few kleenex pocket paks and snack bags but not anywhere near enough to pay for the table. Anyway, lesson learned and we will not go back to that sale although we got lots of compliments on wonderful quailty work for what it's worth.

Onward to the All Sooke Arts and Craft sale next weekend, the table was not too expensive and it is three days but we will see how it goes and that may be the end of craft sales. It would be nice to get back to sewing whatever i want for me and probably do some charity quilts. Everyone will be getting a cloth grocery bag with kleenex pak and potholder for Christmas :)).

2010-11-09T22:01:00.002-08:00

Finally back to some sewing tonite, I had great plans to sew most of the weekend but my back had other plans. I raked leaves earlier in the week; you could say trying to pave the way to sewing time by contributing to outdoor work. Spent the morning Saturday dusting, vacuuming and various house cleaning preparing for guilt free sewing all afternoon. At lunch I felt a few twinges in my back which turned into muscle spasms by mid afternoon but thankfully after lots of heat; some muscle relaxants and 2 days of doing nothing it seems to be better.

Therefore, this evening back to the sewing machine and completed 4 shopping bags that I wanted to complete for craft sale in just over a week. There are always more ideas than there is time but I have completed a number of smaller projects with 2 rag quilts left to snip and wash so that should be easy to finish. Here is hoping it is a well attended craft sale (and it usually is) with lots of shopping getting done.

Craft Sale items completed

2010-10-31T14:44:00.002-07:00

I'm on a mission to complete things for the craft sale in 3 weeks; I always have things started but you can't sell them if they are not finished so here are some potholders and three aprons that only need a couple of buttons sewn on and they'll be done. On to completing some snack bags that only need the Velcro closure and a couple of shopping bags.

Playing with design tools

2010-10-27T20:19:00.003-07:00

As you can see I've been playing with the design of my blog; this seems bright and happy-let me know what you think.

I've been busy making potholders and one apron so far for the craft sale in 3 weeks. I need to get a few things finished and also make some tea cozies. I hope to make a few more aprons; will try to post pictures tomorrow.

At the retreat

2010-10-16T13:41:00.001-07:00

We are here at the retreat in beautiful Sylvan Lake. Weather is fantastic; lots of sewing getting done and total overload of ideas. More info to follow when I get home.

Hope everyone is enjoying their fall.

Blue/yellow disappearing nine patch

2010-09-02T19:06:00.003-07:00

Here is a picture of the quilt I was talking about yesterday which I finally found, it now needs to be quilted. It was so fast to put together as I used 7" squares for the nine patch so I only made 9 squares. This was made because of sale my friend Linda and I found and couldn't resist. It was a tube of precut blue 7" squares on for half price and we said if you mixed that with some yellow scraps we have wouldn't it be nice; so we swapped some yellow squares and started sewing and here it is. Now back to sewing machine to complete one with 4 1/2" squares.

Hello September

2010-09-01T22:51:00.002-07:00

Here we are a new month and looking for a quilt top. I would like to use it as a sample for a quilt I am teaching. I know I saw it a few weeks ago but where was it?

After at least 10 containers a lightbulb moment; in the tub at the bottom of the stack of tubs. Why there? not sure but there it was. Now to put everything away, it really needs to all be pulled out and sorted again but I'm not sure where to start.

Anyway it wasn't meant to be a mystery what I was looking ; it is a yellow and blue disappearing 9 patch that I made at last fall's retreat. It was a wonderfully quick quilt top but it is now time for it to be finished. It was made from 7" squares so I only made 9 - 9 patch blocks - cut -re-sew and it is 58" square. I will post a picture tomorrow, this will make a good example of what else you can do with disappearing nine patch.

I also sorted a number of 4 1/2" blocks into light and dark to make another nine patch.

Another month gone

2010-08-31T21:18:00.001-07:00

Here we are August 31, it has been a fantastic summer but never seems long enough. Spent the last 10 days camping and exploring this beautiful country of ours. Do you know how much noise a raven makes when it flies and all else is quiet. Amazing.

Found a huge number of lakes a few hours north of here....so beautiful. Explored logging roads and found great camping sites; no extra amenities but also no cost so it balances well. We have a camper with everything we need and look forward to going back.

Now to get back to sewing and real life. I teach my first quilting class in a number of years in only 3 weeks and I'm excited but don't feel ready. I also realized that my retreat is only a little over a month away and there is lots to do to get ready so here we go.

Busy never goes away

2010-08-08T22:23:00.001-07:00

It seems there is always lots to do and even as you get lots done the list does not seem to grow shorter. But boredom will never be a problem. Packed everything in my sewing closet last weekend as we had company coming to stay and use spare room for a few days, had a great visit but scared to open closet doors as I may be buried in the landslide.

Made salsa today - it smells so good. Managed to unearth the mystery I wished never began from the closet and completed the top. This was one I adapted from a couple of patterns for my retreat last year. It was supposed to be a 3-4 hours project with a challenge. It ended up that it challenged people more than expected and so mine did not get finished although a few brave people did complete theirs. After I add a border - possibly in the next couple of days - I will post a picture. It actually turned out not bad.

Anyway better finish getting ready for outdoor craft show & sale next weekend. My sister is bringing jewelery she is making and some purses and my daughter is bringing her photo cards and some upcycled clothes so we will have more variety with my mostly quilted items.

Completed quilts

2010-07-18T14:28:00.003-07:00

Where does time go? I posted about finishing a number of quilts almost 2 weeks ago and am finally getting around to posting some pictures.

This is a baby quilted started a number of years ago as a class sample - it will be soon going to Japan for my nephews baby Moka who is almost a month old.

This is strip Twist from Bonnie Hunters quiltville.com-very easy and fun to do. I will be teaching this at Happy Scrappers Club in Victoria this fall.

This is a small version of strip-twist to use as sample for class and show that you can do it two colors if prefer.This one is Vintage Santa's - another previous sample from the store which never got past the flimsy stage until now. It feels so good to get some thing completed.

Now I only have one more baby and Christmas Lights waiting for binding then on to quilting a few more or finishing tops; whichever yells the loudest.

Quilting Frenzy

2010-07-05T08:42:00.002-07:00

I have been quilting up a storm lately, I have 6 quilts quilted and ready to bind and boy does that feel good. It will feel better when the binding is on....pictures to follow. Off to work now.

2 Quilts finished - YEAH!!!

2010-06-20T19:58:00.004-07:00

Scott's Star

I have finished Scott's Star (Carolina Christmas from Quiltville.com) It was a mystery quilt before Christmas last year and I have delivered it to my son and he loved it.

I also finished , today my Double Delight (another Quiltville mystery). The top was completed within 4 months of starting which was a big accomplishment for me but then it had to wait to get quilted as other items seemed to take precedence. Anyway I started quilting it just after Christmas and then it had to wait patiently for binding which I started before we went away a couple of weeks ago.

I finished the binding yesterday and washed it today, it has turned out so lovely I am going to miss it. Early on although I liked the way the pattern was going I wasn't crazy about the pink but I was sure my daughter's mother-in-law would love it so I decided it was for her. I must admit over time the pink has grown on me and I'm thinking I might have to make another one....... It will be on its way to its new home in Ontario later this week and I know it will be loved and appreciated so all is great. Hope everyone had an enjoyable Father's Day.

Double Delight

Wine carriers

2010-05-31T19:05:00.003-07:00

In these pictures there is one completed wine (or whatever you want) carrier. It's the white daisy and you can't see the hole where the bottle goes in very well in the picture but hopefully you get the idea. I will have to take another picture of it standing up with a bottle in it so you can see better. I appliqued with machine blanket stitch and really like it but if I want to sell these I thought it took too long. When we started painting the towels yesterday and had a light bulb moment and thought I could paint the wine carriers as well. The rest of the pictures are the painted wine carriers that now need to be finished but I love the way they look so far. If they don't sell they will make great gifts so nothing lost.

P S We finally have some sun today, YEAH!!

Hand Painted Towels

2010-05-31T19:00:00.002-07:00

Here are the pictures of the towels we painted yesterday, I am so pleased with them.

Weekend Doings

2010-05-30T21:37:00.002-07:00

Had a fun weekend and got lots accomplished for a change. Finally sewed the binding on my double delight quilt and have half of it hand stitched down. Vicky and Andrew came Sat afternoon and stayed til after supper tonite. It was a rainy and cool today so Vicky and I decided to do some crafting. I got out my paintstiks to show her and we had so much fun I pulled out the kitchen towels I wanted to decorate for sale and we finished them. While she did them I started on some wine carriers I had been planning to make and got 5 painted. I will post pictures tomorrow morning. I also finished 24 log cabin blocks for a swap I am in which I really wanted to get done so I can tidy up cutting area. All in all it feels great to get some things completed.

Victoria quilt show

2010-05-16T21:47:00.002-07:00

Went to the Victoria Quilt Guilds show today at the Saanich Fairgrounds. It was a great show with some beautiful quilts as always, I forgot to take my camera so no pictures but take my word it was a great variety. There was an amazing variety from bargellos, dresdan plate, stack n whack to some amazing hand-quilted whole cloth quilts. Their was also some interesting challenge quilts including some wonderful art pieces. Overall it was a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon with my sister.

Quilting classes

2010-05-07T21:14:00.002-07:00

Some exciting news today, I'm going to teach some quilting classes this fall at Satin Moon in Victoria so lots of planning to do. Brenda(shop owner) would like me to do a scrappy club and locker hooking maybe as a club. I have made quite a few scrappy quilt tops lately so now to get them finished and make a few new ones. I have given at least 3 really nice ones away but I am so looking forward to this. The main thing I have missed since selling the store is the people and the teaching so we will see how this works. Better get my notebook out as my brain is overflowing with ideas.

Garage Sale today

2010-04-24T21:15:00.002-07:00

So the garage sale with craft tables was pretty good. It was pouring rain but I guess that brought lots of people in since they couldn't work in their yards. Quite busy for most of the day although it completely died after lunch. I had a lot of compliments and lots of people looking which i think is always good. Sold one lap size quilt so a successful day but sold none of the kleenex paks I thought would be so popular or the potholders but that's OK as I now have lots ready for the next sale or for the weekly country market I'm considering. I think the next step is business cards........

The other great thing today was Skype, my son recently told me to sign on and we could talk for free and that was neat and I think we will use it a lot but neither of us had a camera(didn't think i would want that) but today I talked to my sister who has a camera on Skype and it was so cool to see her while we were talking. She could show me her quilts and her house and it was great. It is so easy to use I will be looking for more people (and a camera).

Ready for sale tomorrow

2010-04-23T17:36:00.002-07:00

Yeah, I finished the 8 potholders that I wanted and made 5 tidy totes for the sale tomorrow; it is a large community garage sale with an invitation to arts & crafts people so I'm taking mostly small inexpensive things and see what happens. It is from 9 - 2 and was only $10 for a table so I thought it was worth a try. Now to go sort through my 2 tubs of completed items and decide what else to take; I think there a few spring table toppers and some sets of placemats so it should be interesting. Wish me luck.

Other activities

2010-04-21T18:08:00.006-07:00

When I'm not admiring the flowers I am getting some sewing done, recently finished these 2 baby quilt tops which now need to be quilted.

Then on Sat I found out about a large community garage sale next Saturday which will have a section for arts & crafts tables so I phoned and there was still some available so trying to finish some more small items such as pot holders, Kleenex pocket paks(see picture below) and hopefully some book covers(only have 1 done so far.

Don't know how come these pictures are here twice but I need to get back to sewing instead of sitting here so here they are.

flower pictures

2010-04-21T17:53:00.003-07:00

apple and cherry trees

rhododendron
not sure what this gorgeous tree is but it is sure pretty
tulips and bluebells.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.
Here are a few of the pictures I mentioned yesterday, I absolutely love them.

Is it really a month since the first day of spring???

2010-04-20T21:20:00.003-07:00

There are so many flowers open I am in color overload, what a way to go. Last year at this time we were back in Alberta by now so I only saw about half of our flowers, I will post some pictures tomorrow. Meanwhile I have been sewing quite a bit between working and weeding; this many flowers takes a lot work although Dave does most of it. Recently finished 2 baby quilt tops that are ready to be quilted and finally finished the binding on a large BOM that I started at least 10 years ago. It was a class we had at the store and I had the brilliant idea to make 2 at once; well of course only 1 got finished and one got put in a box for quite awhile.

We are not going back to Alberta for Dave to work this spring but hope to go for a visit in June for a few weeks. That gives me a lot more time with my sewing machine as I don't do as much when we go to Alberta because I can't take too much with me. Anyway I better go do something productive.

First Day of Spring

2010-03-20T11:23:00.004-07:00

It is the first day of spring and it certainly looks like it here. These are some of the flowers in my yard, I am so loving these. They are early this year as a lot of these were just starting to bloom when we went back to Alberta last year the 20th of April so I really appreciate that I get to enjoy them all this year. I hope you enjoy as well.

Spring is here!!!

2010-03-02T08:40:00.003-08:00

Just wanted to post a few pictures of the trees etc that are blooming. They are gorgeous and hope this gives some hope that spring is coming for the people still buried in snow. I feel sorry for you and am very glad I moved here.

Quilts almost finished

2010-03-02T08:32:00.004-08:00

I am finally coming up for air, working like mad trying to finish some UFO's. Nothing quite finished but getting close so I decided to post a few photos to track that progress is indeed being made.

The top quilt is Buggles Bunny which just needs to be washed to complete the fraying. This is for my niece who is expecting her first baby this month.

The second quilt I am calling Scott's Star; it is the Carolina Christmas mystery from Bonnie Hunter's website Quiltville.com. I did not want it to be Christmasy so used blue where she had gold and then added the brown sashing. It is almost ready for quilting; I am leaving it in two long strips so it will fit on my quilting frame which is set up in the smaller size. Once the two pieces are quilted I hope to able to join them without to much difficulty.

Anyway, that is enough quilting for today (not really :)) but I need to get to work.

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-14T08:52:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone has a great day; it looks like the sun may shine here. It has been very warm but rained all day yesterday. Off to make waffles and fresh strawberry syrup for brunch and then hopefully sew for awhile.

continuing on UFO's

2010-02-12T22:02:00.003-08:00

Been to busy working and sewing to post anything but feel like I may be starting to get ahead. Nothing actually completely finished but all 4 large tops that I quilted in January are trimmed and ready for binding. Binding is made for all except one so almost time to get them on. Between trimming I have been working on a cross-stitch I started more years ago than I want to remember. I am trying to finish it in Feb but we'll wait and see on that; also back to work on the Christmas Mystery quilt, it got put aside at Christmas and finally pulled it out today. I decided I would add sashing between the blocks and I finally bought some 2 weeks ago. Decided to figure out how wide the sashing needed to be and realized I haven't finished all the blocks so worked on that this afternoon.

In the next few days I hope to sew some binding on as it will make good hand sewing while watching some of the olympics-the cross-stitch takes too much concentration so I can't do that while watching TV. Let's hope our "I Believe" motto will work and Canada wins a bunch of medals. GO CANADA!!

Quilting like crazy

2010-01-26T20:21:00.002-08:00

I am trying to finish a number of UFO's and continuing to sort and organize my sewing stuff. Since the beginning of January I have quilted Double Delight, Quilting Queen, Apple Cider Bears and now they all need to be trimmed and binding sewn on. I have the binding made for 2 of them. I have sewed the binding on a flannel quilt that I quilted last summer that now needs to be hand sewn. Last night in sorting and putting things away I found another small quilt with the binding half hand-sewed so I did some more of it; less than 1 side left to do and something will be completely finished.

In the midst of finishing I could not resist starting something new so a flannel rag quilt has been started for my niece who is expecting her first child in March.

I will post pictures when I get back to my main computer as they are not on the laptop.

Lost track of time-again

2010-01-08T21:09:00.002-08:00

i thought I should check in and realized I hadn't posted since Dec 20-that is almost three weeks..... Anyway it has been busy; I have done a little more on the mystery quilt but it is currently resting. I saw a setting for it that used sashing which I absolutely love so now I have to find the right fabric for that. This quilt is for my son and he loved the picture with the sashing plus it makes a great size without a huge border.

He was here for Christmas for a week; he came on the train again which he finds much more relaxing and enjoyable than flying. Didn't do too much special except spend some great time relaxing together. He spent some time with his sister as well, it was great as they have become great friends now that they are adults.

Hoping to finish a few projects this month, I have pulled out a few quilts and am trying to find backings and bindings. Will post some pictures once I get going.

I also have been to the swimming pool twice this week for aqua-size so we will try to keep that up.

Back to the mystery-not a mystery anymore.

2009-12-20T11:32:00.004-08:00

So all the steps of the mystery are out and it is gorgeous although at this point I don't know if I like my version. I have been working on one project(only) for a month. This is very rare and I have to finish it because we all know what happens if I put it away. I'm not sure what I am going to do with it. I originally thought it might be for my son and it still may be but the red has turned out to be much more prominent than I thought it would. The blocks are gorgeous but this will be enough small pieces for awhile, I think I need to make something with really big pieces next although I know I really need to get back to finishing UFO's. On Bonnie Hunter's blog she also shows the back of her quilt which is fabulous-she used a lot of orphan blocks from prev Christmas projects and just kept adding pieces until it got big enough. It is like a totally reversible quilt.

Here are pictures of the 2 blocks that make up the finished quilt - I took pictures because that gives me some distance and I may decide I like it after all.

Christmas is almost here

2009-12-20T11:26:00.003-08:00

Just the same as every year, Christmas seems to sneak up and BAM it's here. I don't know why; as it is the same time every year but it seems like it is so far away and then suddenly it isn't. I took a break from the mystery quilt to shop, wrap presents and bake. Don't these cookies look yummy.

Scott arrived in Vancouver yesterday on the train then took the bus to the ferry. Victoria picked him up downtown after she finished work and they will be here after lunch today. He will stay for a week so that should be fun. Vicky and I are going to see the local production of "Nutcracker in a Nutshell" this afternoon so that should be fun. Hope everyone is having a great holiday season.

Step 5 - Finally making some blocks

2009-12-09T11:31:00.002-08:00

So step 5 is out and I couldn't resist peeking and making a few to see how they look in my colors. I am really pleased so far. It will be another week until the next step comes out with the layout so I'll keep working and see how many I can get done. I needed to look for inspiration to keep going but I love these blocks and the layout should be interesting.

Step 4

2009-12-09T11:28:00.003-08:00

More 2 1/2" half square triangles and then sew them to the extra squares that were cut in step 3. This step seems fairly easy but still takes time. I have made a few and here they are.

Mystery quilt - step 3 completed

2009-12-09T11:19:00.003-08:00

Here is a picture of what was made with some of those squares and rectangles.
These are not all completed as I am doing some of each step to see how this will turn out. So far its very interesting. Also doing something I haven't done before - as I sew the squares on the rectangles I am sewing 3/8" away from center line and then when you trim you have made 'bonus' half square triangles. I usually toss these cut-off pieces as they go into the cat/dog pillows I make so they are not garbage. This was a proposed idea in the mystery quilt so I thought I would try it for once - they are cute but small. I will have to use them in another quilt but of course Bonnie has some quilts on her site that will use them or they would be great in potholders,etc

Mystery quilt -Step 3

2009-12-05T11:20:00.003-08:00

As if I didn't already know I was insane for step 3 you need to cut 592 - 2 1/2" background squares but then she tells you some of these are for step 4 but might as well do them all at once. Then cut 192 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" red rectangles. Its surprising with stacking strips this didn't actually take to long. This makes an interesting picture. Now to get back to sewing.......

Mystery quilt update

2009-12-04T10:29:00.002-08:00

I should know better than to start a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. She uses mostly scraps with a lot of pieces but I'm sure it will turn out great.

Here is how it has gone so far : Step 1 - Cut and piece - 192 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" twosies from blue & tan - no problem

Now make 104 green/tan half square triangles using the easy angle ruler - OK

Step 2 - Cut 208 more tan triangles to add the prev made half square triangles - WHAT

and then add 104 green triangles cut from 4 1/2" strips - OK I know I'm insane and this is only step 2

Done!!

2009-11-29T13:00:00.002-08:00

Here is the blue fabric back in the tub......Now to sew for a little while before Victoria & Andrew get here for the Grey Cup party that Dave told them we were having all by ourselves. They felt sorry for us and decided they should bring Freddy to play with Bailey.

Thought I better include a picture of the Fred & Bailey......

My Blue Fabric

2009-11-29T11:49:00.002-08:00

Doesn't this look like fun!!!!!

No Surprise; I have no willpower

2009-11-29T11:35:00.002-08:00

Bonnie Hunter on Quiltville is doing a new mystery. I told myself I was not going to do this one but concentrate on finishing things. Started sorting and cutting up more scraps to clean things up after retreat and craft sale and realized how many 2 1/2" strips I have.

Guess what?? the new mystery uses mostly scrappy 2 1/2" strips so here I go again. Step one half done and then I need more blues so into the blue bin and as I cut a few strips I realize the fabric in the blue bin has not been washed. I have been trying to wash everything(one bin at a time) as I have discovered my allergies act up when I use new unwashed materials.

So I'm sure Sunday has unlimited time---- while cutting and sewing for mystery quilt I am washing a load of blue fabric; how insane is that?

Now , after quite a lot of rain the sun has come out and I probably should be outside but I have a large pile of blue fabric (I can't even guess how many meters) that needs to be refolded and put away and then back to some sewing.

Craft Sale done

2009-11-25T15:38:00.002-08:00

Well it only took a few days to recover but the All Sooke Arts & Crafts Sale last weekend went well. It was Fri, Sat & Sun and well attended despite rainy weather. I would like to thank my daughter Victoria and my sister Ruth for keeping me company at various times during the sale.

The hot pads with funny sayings and the cell phone bags were the hot sellers as expected although I did sell 1 set of placemats and two lap quilts as well as a few smaller items. Overall it was a success and I have some ideas for next year. As it is all local I think people want to be sure you are indeed local so I will probably go to a few of the Farmers Markets next summer and see how that goes. I may also go to the Art in the Park sale which is in August-I went to see what it was like this year and seemed to be quite busy although it greatly depends on the weather.

For now I am happy to get back to finishing some of my own projects and will wait until the new year to start anything that is specifically for sale.

Finished!!! - Items for sale are done

2009-11-19T11:40:00.002-08:00

Last night felt very productive, most of these items didn't need much but they are finished and ready to take to the craft sale tomorrow. Wish me luck (I hope someone will buy something). Above I have added the pictures of the cell phone bags; earring hangers; hot pads & newest place mat set. I have one more place mat set almost completed - may finish this afternoon. I have to go help set up tables tonight and set up my table tomorrow morning. The sale runs Fri 12-8; Sat & Sun 10-5 and it seems to have been very well advertised. Vicky has made some herbal teas and some photo cards which I will also have for sale for her. Better get back to work :)

Mystery Quilt - Christmas

2009-11-16T13:08:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of the last mystery I've done. Mine is on the left and Linda's is on the right. I finished putting it together at the retreat - Linda's was just needing the rest of binding sewn down. This is another pattern designed by Bonnie Hunter; it was offered in 3 parts in the Quiltmaker magazine. I'm not sure if I am putting borders on - I need to try it on my table as it may become a Christmas tablecloth just the way it is. If you have any border suggestions please let me know.

Craft Sale items

2009-11-16T12:59:00.002-08:00

Here are some pictures of things I am trying to complete for the craft sale that is coming up this weekend:

sm boys quilt with matching pillowcase - *This is done*

Hot pads with sayings - I have 9 of these completed; thats all I will do for now. Set of 4 placemats - 1 set is done the other set is a maybe as I have lots of placemats which hopefully will sell.

Hopefully someone out there wants quilted gift items for Christmas - I will let you know how it goes.

Retreat pictures

2009-11-16T12:51:00.002-08:00

I am attaching some pictures from the retreat:

The first is the mystery quilt we made.

The next 2 pictures are of the Strip Twist quilt which can be downloaded for FREE at Quiltville.com. This site is run by Bonnie Hunter who provides a lot of great scrap quilts and ways to cut and store scraps so that they are easy to use.

Linda and I also made a quick and easy disappearing nine patch which started when we found a 'deal' :) on 7" blue batik squares this summer. We traded 7" yellow squares and this is the result. It may get a border but I haven't decided yet.

packing for craft sale

2009-11-07T22:45:00.002-08:00

I spent this morning sorting finished quilted items and making sure everything was priced etc. It is amazing how much you can accumulate. I was wondering how I was going to get everything I wanted to make finished but I am not going to stress out as I now know I have 3 large tubs of items already finished. Everything from here on that I finish is icing on the cake.

On that note I completed the binding on a batik table topper and a stack n whack teddy bear tablerunner tonite so feeling quite proud of myself.

I needed that as I am having major problems with my desktop computer, I opened something I shouldn't have and now have some kind of virus that I'm having trouble getting rid of. I have to talk to my computer expert son tomorrow as to what the next step is. May have to start over from scratch but I hope not.

back to quilting

2009-11-05T20:12:00.002-08:00

Got busy this evening and quilted a small boy's quilt. Should fit a tot size bed or just be a nice size for a cuddle quilt. Its a cute old fashioned train print reminiscent of Dick and Jane, I just added a border around a large centre as it was too cute to cut up. I will post picture tomorrow(when I find camera) of quilt and matching pillowcase. Now back to binding on previously quilted table topper.

Back in BC

2009-11-05T11:12:00.003-08:00

As always time flies when you are having fun (or just busy :) ) I am back in BC ; we left an hour after I arrived home from another successful quilting retreat. As soon as I get a chance I will post some pictures of the retreat and what I got accomplished.

Stopped to visit my Mom on the way here and she is doing great, seems to keep as busy as she wants to be with a great group of friends.

Looking forward to seeing my daughter in the next few days as well as Dave's sister and husband who are out here for a few weeks.

Now to concentrate on getting a number of projects finished as I have a table for a 3 day craft sale here in Sooke Nov 21-23. Never a lack of things to do and no reason to get bored.

Habitat for Humanity

2009-09-25T16:55:00.003-07:00

Next Thursday I will be helping to put siding on a house for Habitat for Humanity. That should be interesting. The office I work for in Red Deer is sending a team to volunteer for the day and they have told us they plan to be siding that day. The choice was to work regular that day or volunteer so why not? Hopefully the weather is still decent then.

Some pictures of what I've been doing

2009-09-24T15:58:00.003-07:00

Finally here are a few pictures of what I've been working on lately.

First there are bags for 5 sewing caddies; now I need to make the pincushion base.

Next is a table runner which was from a kit I bought from Connecting threads, it went together really fast and I did the applique with machine blanket stitch in a variegated Sulky thread which I am very pleased with. I then decided to use the same variegated thread on the Welcome wall hanging and also like the way it turned out. I have one more similar wall hanging in opposite colors which I am doing the blanket stitch by hand so it will be interesting to see the 2 side by side when I get them finished.

So Hot today

2009-09-23T17:55:00.002-07:00

It was sooo hot here today. Not complaining but it is very unusual to be 33 Celsius on Sep 23. It is usually only about 16 at this time of year but it is allowing the farmers to get their crops off in good time. I finished a table runner top the other day that was made from a kit I purchased from connecting threads. I have to get my camera going-the battery is charging and get some pictures posted. Not too much sewing the last couple of days as I have been cutting kits for the mystery quilt that we are doing at my retreat the end of October. It will be good to have those done and packed away ready to go.

I can't seem to concentrate lately and have started a number of small projects when I have a few big ones that need to be finished but at least the small ones are getting done. I need them for a craft sale that I have a booth at in November. I have made a few market bags, kleenex cases, 2 WELCOME wall hangings(just the top), and part of six sewing caddies. I will try to post pictures in the next few days.

My team came in 2nd!!!!

2009-09-13T09:40:00.002-07:00

Golfing yesterday was fun and my team came in 2nd with 1 over par...woohoo! Not thanks much to me although when the other balls disappeared in the trees we could always find mine cause it didn't go to far and it went straight down the fairway. When we started out it was so windy we were wishing it would go away but we soon discovered if you got out of the wind it was too hot. 26 above I think which is not usual for Sept here but it was a great day.

Then on to the bbq at Ken's house which was great. My prize for coming in 2nd was a package of 3 small LED flashlights-they will be very useful. Now I just have to buy the batteries for them.....

Golfing

2009-09-12T12:09:00.003-07:00

Today should be interesting as I head off to our company 'fun' golf game. I have never golfed much and not for a few years, I love mini-golf as I can putt really well but driving???? I was once told if I could get any distance I would be a great golfer because it usually goes straight down the middle of the fairway although I'm lucky if it makes 20' usually it rolls about 6' so it should be interesting. The only good thing is that most of the other people also never golf so it should be fun. Tomorrow I will have to get busy making applesauce as our two trees produced really well and there are a lot of apples to deal with.

Then back to sewing; I finished a strip twist top the other day(when I get a minute I will post a picture) and I've been busy cutting for some sewing caddies I want to get finished for the fall sale I have a table at in November as well as dreaming up a million more ideas for things I would like to make. Never enough time but at least I will never have an excuse to be bored.

Where did summer go?

2009-08-31T17:46:00.003-07:00

It was a great summer and still supposed to be very warm over the next few days so I guess it is still summer but it seems like things change once it is September. Spent most of the weekend canning. Did peaches, plums, crabapples and there are more to do. Started a black and white strip twist I want to have completed as a sample for my fall retreat - got a bunch of strips sewn together so they are ready to cut into blocks. It is such a fun pattern. Will post pictures when I get the top done. Meanwhile back to work at the office all day today, tomorrow and prob most of Weds so not much sewing for a few days.

Victoria(DD) starts working on her BSC in phytotherapy tomorrow. It is a four year program and she is very excited.

What have I been doing?

2009-08-22T16:17:00.008-07:00

I can't believe it has been two weeks since I last posted. Didn't think I was busier than usual but time flies. Starting to pack things up to head back to Alberta for Fall harvest. I did manage to finish a flannel quilt for a friend in Innisfail, it still needs the binding but I can take it with me to finish.

The guys have been fishing quite a bit and I finally went the other day. Here is a picture of the 20 lb salmon Andrew caught. We also caught two smaller pinks.

We have one of the strangest sunflowers I have ever seen. It has about 10 flowers on one stalk and here is a picture of one of the flowers. I don't know if you can tell but it is a double-headed flower, the two heads are attached back to back.

On a final note I also finally quilted a horse wallhanging I made for my husband at our fall retreat last year. I gave him the top for his Christmas present and he got the quilted/bound FINISHED wallhanging about a week after his birthday.

Fishing & Quilting - Life is good

2009-08-08T11:19:00.002-07:00

Dave and Andrew went fishing again yesterday; it was a bit windy once in awhile but overall they had a good time. Caught one of their biggest salmon yet - an 18 lb. Also caught a 9 lb and 4 nice small pinks. While they were gone I added binding to a couple of quilted items and got backs ready for 2 more ready to be quilted so quite a successful day. Off to see what I can get quilted today. Will post more pictures tomorrow (hopefully).