Happy Christmas

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas.

Getting Ready For Christmas

I can't believe there is less than 2 weeks left before Christmas! I still have some baking to do.
Thank goodness for M&M's. LOL Their Macaroon Madness is wonderful.
The tree is decorated and the livingroom & diningroom are ready. DD and I decorated the Gingerbread House yesterday. I think DD ate more of the candy than ended up on the house! LOL
A while ago, JoAnn at http://piecefulquillting.blogspot.com/ posted photos of some of her Santa collection, and I thought I might follow her lead and post photos of a few of mine.

Here's a few more.

Decorating the tree brings back so many memories. I'm lucky to have a few ornaments from our tree when I was little. (A long time ago!) LOL They are a little the worse for wear but they are special to me and go on our tree every year.



The bird has lost his tail, and the little church has discolored with age, but they still fit right in with the newer ornaments.
DD, who got married 2 years ago, has scooped some of the ornaments for their tree, but these ones are staying put!

Bye for now.

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quick note to wish all my American Blogger friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have a wonderful day with your family and friends.

On the quilting front, I've finished the applique on another Woodland Christmas block. This one will be called "Have You Been Naughty or Nice?", and will be the 6th in the series. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the border yet. Probably something pieced.

Chat with you later.

I Got Side-Tracked

I know I said I was going to clean up my messy sewing room, but, what can I say, I got side-tracked. I took one look at the mess, and decided I couldn't deal with it right now, so I just shut the door! LOL Take a look at the photos and you'll know what I mean.!


This is what I did instead.

I had these Mill Hill kits that I had bought a number of years ago, and decided to get them made up for Christmas presents this year. I still need to get a frame made for one of them, but that's 2 gifts off my list!

I'm going to try and tackle the room today. The sun is shining so I'm hoping it will help to keep me motivated. We'll see! LOL

Chat with you later. Bye for now.

Do you ever get those days when everything is an effort! That's what last week was like for me.
I can't blame the weather, because it was gorgeous, just like Spring, but I just couldn't get going. lol
I couldn't decide on a border for the Woodland Christmas design I'd been working on, so I put it aside and started another Woodland Christmas pattern. Then I couldn't decide on the fabrics, and now my sewing room looks like it blew up! I've got piles of fabric and bins everywhere!

Today's job is to try and get it tidied up so I can find things.


I don't have much to show you, but for now, here is a photo of "A Woodland Christmas - Reindeer Games" minus the borders.


Let's hope this week is a bit more productive! Chat with you later.

Happy Halloween

It's been a beautiful mild day today, just perfect for the children going out for Halloween.
We don't usually get too many children in our neighborhood, but it's fun to see the little ones all decked out in their costumes.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween.

Bye for now.

Quilt Show Photos

Marisa of http://www.quiltotaku.blogspot.com/ has very generously posted a fantastic slideshow of quilts from the 2008 Pacific International Quilt Festival as well as photos from some of the previous years' shows. If you have a bit of time to spare, grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea and check it out! Thankyou Marisa.

Now that I've finished the Vintage Tiles quilt I had some time to start working on my next pattern for the "Woodland Christmas" series. Here's a sneak peak!

Hopefully, I will have a bit more to show you in my next post.
Chat with you later.

Vintage Tiles Quilt

I did it! I finally finished the quilt top for my new design. Yippee!! I feel almost giddy. LOL
I'm not sure what I'll name it, but for now, here is a photo of "Vintage Tiles in Neutrals", before Vikki works her magic on it.

What do you think? Any suggestions for a name?

Happy Thanksgiving.

Just a quick note to wish my fellow Canadian bloggers a Happy Thanksgiving.

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I posted! DH and DD have been to Scotland and returned home yesterday, (with my Cadbury's Dairy Milk). The weather wasn't great, lots of rain, but they had a good time regardless. SIL managed to get in 6 games of golf, between the raindrops.
Fortunately, they were able to fly down to England and attend my Aunt's funeral. Mom would have been even more upset if no family members had been there.
While they were away I was dogsitting DD's chocolate lab, Daisy, so I was out walking a bit more than usual, which is probably a good thing, but my knees are complaining! lol

I've managed to get the Vintage Tiles quilt assembled and am now working on the borders. I purchased the new 1/4" foot for my Bernina machine, and it is wonderful! The guide really makes a difference. Hopefully I'll have a picture for you in my next post.

Chat with you later.

And The Winner Is...

As in previous giveaways I asked DH to pick a number from 1 - 5 (the number of comments) and the winner is number 5! Margaret, congratulations, the teddybear patterns are yours. Would you please email me your "snail mail" address, so I can get them in the mail to you. Nobody seemed interested in the embroidery kits so I will have to find another home for them.

I have more patterns needing new homes so stay tuned.

I'm afraid I wasn't too productive this week, so I've nothing new to show you.
We got word from England that my dear Aunt Dorothy wasn't well, and a lot of time has been spent on the phone calling the hospital and her caregivers. Mom, her only surviving sibling, is distraught, and it has been a very rough week.
Sorry for the negativity!

Chat with you later.
___________________________

We've just been notified that my dear Aunt has passed away. She was a lovely lady, in every sense of the word and we will miss her terribly.

New Month - New Giveaway

September is the start of a new quilting season here, with Quilt Guilds coming back from their summer hiatus and Quilt Shops starting their new classes, so I thought it might be a good time for another giveaway.
This time I will have 2 categories, one for needlework and the other for quilting, so please state your preference in your comment.

Anyone interested in winning can leave a comment telling us their preferred method of quilting, (i.e. piecing, applique, paper piecing) or embroidery
Anyone leaving a comment between now and Saturday, September 6, 2008 will be eligible to win.
As in previous giveaways I will have DH draw the numbers of the winners.

For all you quilters, these cute patterns by Heidi & Else Jeppesen are the prize.

I'm afraid I can't show you a finished quilt as I never got around to making these. I think a friend brought them back from Australia for me, but by then I was all "teddybeared out"!

For those of you interested in the embroidery, this is the "giveaway".

I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Bye for now.

Sneak Peak

I must confess! I got side-tracked this week and started something new, again! I've been toying with the idea for this design for quite awhile, and I wasn't in the mood to do any applique, so I decided to get it started. What can I say, I have a short attention span! LOL It's always fun beginning a new project, pulling and playing with different fabrics, until you get just the right combination. Here's a sneak peak.

This part is only glued, ready to sew, so I don't know when I'll be able to show you the whole thing, as I really need to be disciplined and get back to the Vintage Tiles. I want to have it finished, ready for quilting, sometime in September.

I thought I would have a lot of sewing time when DH and DD were in Scotland next month, but last night we found out that Zoom Airlines has stopped operating, and all flights have been cancelled. Hopefully we will recover the money we paid for their fares, it's in the hands of the credit card company now. We checked the other airlines this morning for available seats but they all seem to be sold out for September. I have a very disappointed family right now. We'll have to see if they can reschedule their holidays and maybe go over in October.

Have a good weekend everyone. Bye for now.

Just a quick post today. This past week has just flown by, and I don't know where the time has gone! I didn't get nearly as much accomplished as I would have liked, but I did finish two more of the Vintage Tiles blocks.


I'm almost ready to start putting it all together. Normally, at this point, I know what the border will be, but I keep changing my mind on this one. I think I will have to get it together before I'll be able to decide.

DH and DD are getting excited about their trip to Scotland, and I'm trying to figure out how to talk them into picking up some fabric paints for me. I've been hearing some great reports on fabric paints by Stewart Gill http://www.stewartgill.com/ They are located in Fife, Scotland, and since SIL and BIL are planning to golf at St. Andrews it wouldn't be out of the way for them to stop there. Don't you like my logic? Do you think it will work? I'm hoping it will, I'd really like to try out these paints.
Bye for now.

Productive Weekend

It was a very good weekend. The sun was shining and it stayed dry! It's funny how the weather can affect your mood and productivity. I find I have to really force myself to do things, even things I like, when it is gray and wet outside, but on a sunny day I feel so motivated! This weekend I completed two more blocks of my new Vintage Tiles in Neutrals design, glued two others ready to sew, and even managed to complete a few "must do" things around the house.

Here are the two I completed.

I'm hoping I can keep up the pace and get this one finished by the end of the summer, I have another idea in my head that I want to get started on. LOL The wheels never stop turning!

Chat with you later.

Looking For Thimble

While I was leafing through Issue #122 of Quilts Japan I noticed an ad for some quilting notions on the back page. One of the items advertised was this thimble, it looks to be either leather or rubber.

Does anyone know where I might be able to purchase a thimble like this? I have tried all kinds of thimbles and haven't been able to find one that works for me. The closest I've come is a metal thimble, but I find my thread breaks because of the rubbing against the thimble. I've pierced the end of my finger with the eye of the applique needle, again, and my finger is getting very sore!

I've been working on my Vintage Tiles In Neutrals, and have a few more blocks completed. Here's a photo of one of them. I'll try to get more photos later.

Chat with you later.

Pixie Perfection

The weather cleared this afternoon so I got a chance to take some photos of my new design, called "Pixie Perfection"



Didn't Vikki do a fantastic job with the quilting?
Chat with you later.

I was hoping to get outside to take a few quilt photos to show you, but the weather hasn't co-operated. It's been a very wet weekend (Again!) and the weather has cooled off considerably! On the plus side, I've never seen the grass looking so green in August, and the tomato plants are HUGE!

The pixie quilt came back from Vikki http://www.subtlecreations.com/ on Friday and the quilting she did is magnificent! I spent the whole day yesterday sewing on the binding and the sleeve, and hopefully I will be able to get some photos to show you soon. I've decided to name it "Pixie Perfection" which is close to Vicki's suggestion of "Perfectly Pixie".

I'm still on the hunt for a supplier of sensuede, so if anyone knows where I can get some to try, please let me know.

Chat with you later.

Award

I'd like to thank Sunny for nominating me for this award. She writes a wonderful blog and I'm very flattered that she thought of me. You can find her blog here http://seam2bsewing.blogspot.com/ .

The rules for receiving this award are that I'm supposed to nominate 7 other blogs, but there are so many wonderful blogs out there that I enjoy, it wouldn't be fair to choose. Also, I know some of you don't wish to be awarded or want to go through the agony of trying to choose other blogs to nominate, as I have been doing for the past few days! So I'm going to follow Knot Gardens' example http://knotgarden.blogspot.com/and say if you read this blog, whether you comment or not, I appreciate you, and if you'd like an award, consider it yours.

Needlework - Old & New

There hasn't been too much activity on the quilting front this week, so I thought maybe I would post some photos of some needlework projects I have completed over the past few years.

Both of the cross stitch were made as gifts for my Mother. The floral vase stitchery was done on a 22 count evenweave with 1 thread, and wrecked my neck! I had to go for physio for months. I think it was worth it though, my mother just loved it. I made the Teddybear for a class I was teaching in Silk Ribbon Embroidery.

Here are photos of needlework done by my Mother and Grandmother that are two of my most treasured possessions.

The Sampler was made by my Mother in 1939. I think it was a project for her 2nd year in college. I'm not sure when my Grandmother made the other one, I think it might have been in the 40's or 50's. During the war, when needlework supplies were difficult to get in England, my Grandfather, who worked for a flour mill, would bring home flour sacks, which my Grandmother would bleach and use for her needlework.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Chat with you later.

30s Reproduction Fabrics

I'm sure most of you have a favorite color you like to work with. Have you ever challenged yourself to make a quilt using a color or line of fabric that doesn't appeal to you?
A few years ago, I did just that. At the time the 30s reproduction fabrics were becoming all the rage and it seemed every fabric company had their own line of 30s fabrics., they were everywhere!

A member of the stitch group I belonged to challenged each of us to make a quilt using a color or fabric we wouldn't normally work with. I decided to make something with the 30s.
Big Mistake! I was hooked. I just love the look of quilts made with these fabrics, there is something so cheerful and comforting about them. I don't have a photo of that first quilt I made, a Drunkard's Path, but here is a photo of the next one.

I started this one to use up the scraps from the Drunkard's Path, thinking I would make a small lap size quilt, but I got carried away! It's Queen size. It really made a dent in my 30s stash. I'm hoarding the remainder for a special project as they are much harder to find now.

So challenge yourself, you just might get a pleasant surprise!

Happy Stitching.

Roses In Dresden

I mentioned in a previous post about a quilt top I just finished, using primarily neutrals, and some of you wanted to see a picture. Here it is, before quilting.

I can't make up my mind whether to have it machine quilted or hand quilted. What do you think?

A friend is testing the pattern for me and is using jewel tone colors, a totally different look, and it is just stunning!

Chat with you later.

Change from "No Reply" & Another Winner

The response to my giveaway has been wonderful, more than double the last one. I would love to respond to all your posts, but more than half were sent "no reply."
Chookyblue has another wonderful tutorial on her blog, showing how to change this.
You can see it here http://chookyblue.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-change-from-no-reply.html

After reading everybody's posts I've come to the realization that having UFOs is all part of the creative process, and comes with the territory! It's okay! I can tell DH that I really don't have a problem, it's perfectly normal. lol

I put everyone's name in a hat and had DH pick one, and the winner of this giveaway is Pieceful Afternoon. Joann please email me your snail mail address.

For the rest of you, thankyou for participating, and I will have another giveaway in the next few weeks, so please visit again. The next giveaway will be for these cute teddybear patterns by Else & Heidi Jeppesen.

Chat with you later.

Time For Another Giveaway

Things are pretty quiet right now, so I thought it might be a good time for another giveaway.

If you are interested in winning this set of patterns, Christmas Throughout The Year by Lynda Howell of The Stitch Connection, just leave a comment on this post telling us how many UFO's you have piled up. I'll start off by admitting to having 9 quilting projects in various stages, waiting for completion. Some are nearer completion than others, but I'm getting there!

This is a photo of the quilt I made from the patterns. I changed the setting a little and added a bit of applique to the borders to make it larger.

Anyone leaving a comment between today and Saturday, July 26/08, will be eligible to win. Like the previous giveaway I'll have my DH draw the number of the winner.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Have a great weekend.

Bye for now.

Binding Tutorial

I don't know about you, but binding quilts is the least favorite part of quilting for me. For some reason I always have a problem with joining the ends.

Stephanie has posted a wonderful binding tutorial on her blog, which I think might solve my problem. Check it out here http://loftcreations.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-attach-binding-tutorial.html

Chat with you later.

I just have time for a quick post today as my BIL arrives in a few hours. I hope he remembered to bring me some Cadbury's! You can't believe the difference in the taste between the Cadbury's from Scotland and the Cadbury's here in Canada. Theirs' is so much creamier. Yum.

Thought you might like to see what I've been working on this week. These blocks are for a new design I am working on, called for now, Vintage Tiles In Neutrals.

What do you think?

I've had a "thing" for neutrals lately. I recently finished a quilt called "Roses In Dresden" which is basically Dresden Plate blocks, all in neutrals, with a centre block of red roses. It's a large quilt, so I haven't been able to get a photo yet, but I will post one as soon as I can get my son to photograph it for me. I collected so many neutrals for that quilt that I didn't need to buy any for this new one. DH was happy about that.

Hope everyone has had a good start to their weekend.

Talk to you later.

I can't believe it's Wednesday already. My BIL is arriving from Scotland on Saturday and I'm supposed to be getting the house in some semblance of order. But, as usual, I got sidetracked and started a new quilt project instead! Like I needed another one! lol What can I say, I'm addicted.


I've also been dogsitting the past few days. My DD's 2year old Chocolate Lab, Daisy, has come down with Kennel Cough, which she picked up from a friend's new pups. On top of that she has another infection in her anal glands and it looks like she's going to need surgery. She's been on antibiotics for a few weeks and it hasn't helped the infection, so as soon as she is clear of the kennel cough they'll book the surgery. Here's a photo of Daisy that my DS took a few months ago. Isn't she lovely!

Well, I guess I'd better get on with my chores. There's a vacuum cleaner in the corner beckoning to me.

Bye for now.

We Have A Winner!

What a wonderful response to my first giveaway!

Thankyou ladies for all your fabulous suggestions for the name of my pixie quilt. I'm going to wait until I get it back from my quilter, before I decide. I'll be sure to post a photo when it returns.

I had my DH choose a number between 1 and 7(the number of comments received) and the winner is Vicki, who was the 4th post. Vicki would you email me please, as your post had a no-reply return address.

I'll have another giveaway later this month for this set of "Christmas Throughout The Year" patterns by Lynda Howell of The Stitch Connection, so please visit again.

Bye for now.

Leaving Comments

Have you ever wanted to leave a comment on a blog, and not known how? Check out this wonderful tutorial at http://chookyblue.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-toleave-comment.html

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Bye for now.

Happy Canada Day

Have a good holiday everyone.

First Giveaway

I've been busy over the past few days, trying to clean up and organize my sewing room. I'm beginning to realize that I just don't have the space to store all the patterns and magazines that I've collected over the years. So, if any of my blog readers are interested, I'm going to have my first giveaway. Just leave a comment on this post, suggesting a name for the pixie quilt in the previous post, between now and next Saturday, July 5, and I'll have my assistant (DH) draw the lucky winner. Here's what's up for grabs this week.
A set of 9 patterns from the Old World Santa Mystery Quilt designed by Curtis Boehringer.


These were the first nine patterns in the series of twelve, and the shop that was offering it as a Block of the Month ended it early because of a delay in the release of the remaining three patterns. Here is a photo of the quilt I made using these patterns. Because the series wasn't finished I didn't know how it was meant to be assembled so I added a few of my own touches

and created this quilt. I think some people made wall hangings from their blocks.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Chat with you later.