Sunny Slow Stitching Sunday

doggie quilt #2

Auction quilt

Well that is definitely a mouthful!! haha  Another week is behind us and I waited till Saturday to get busy. I have so many projects that I have to get completed. I made a list (I work better that way) and yesterday I was able to get two things almost off it. The second doggie quilt is finished and just needs binding. I am headed to finish that when this post is done. I also put the binding on and need to hand sew it in place on a turning twenty variation quilt that I put together for a friend and she quilted it. It will be part of an auction in May to raise funds for a local service group. I have had this bundle of fabric together for a few weeks, and it has been staring at me on my cutting table. It is to be a quilt for my new great nephew. Hope I can get it done and to him before he turns one!! I also have these blocks to put together into a quilt top...still haven't figured out what to do with them.

won't these trucks be perfect for a little boy

pink/white blocks...what to do!?!?

On another note this week at guild we had a yard sale. I scored big. One bag of homespuns for $10(had to be near 5 meters in the bag), a large piece of backing fabric for $10 and some other smaller pieces for $10.  I figure I saved as much as I spent.
So today is finish up in the sewing room and sit down and do some slow stitching with Kathy, that will be binding for me. Maybe I will put some more stitches in my quilt on the frame too. While I am stitching I watch netflix or DVD of my own. This week I got a mittful of movies from the library to watch, that should keep me stitching for a few hours anyways!! Enjoy your day, the sun is shining here and the birds are just a singing!! Although we had snow yesterday...I do believe Spring may finally be willing to arrive and stay!

Miss you Nikki

Sweet Nikki

But mom I love laying on quilts

I have delayed posting about this but think no amount of time will make it easier. My friend called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that her sweet dog was very sick and that she had to let her go. Now you will remember Nikki as our mascot on the weekends that Susan and I got together to quilt, sew and catch up. She would always be up early looking for her cookies at breakfast. You could tell she was up as her nails went click click click on the hardwood floor and she didn't mind your morning breath (yuck) as you talked to her with her nose resting on the edge of the bed. The last weekend I was up there, I got up with her in the morning and gave her cookies and then Susan gave her more....it was quite funny! My only regret was Nikki never got a quilt from me. Lots of my doggie friends have quilts. But she enjoyed laying on the ones we spread out on the floor. I remember this one visit when she was outside barking and barking and this is what we found when we went outside! Hope you are happy in doggie heaven!! Susan if you read this hope you don't cry more than I did writing it! Hugs

Happy Easter Weekend

It is the calm before the storm so to speak. My daughter is on her way home today with a girlfriend and hubby is off helping a friend butcher a piggie! Me I am doing computer fun stuff(blog hopping) and plan to do some sewing waiting for my baby to arrive. Tomorrow will be a busy day. Baby shower in the afternoon and a stag and doe party in the evening. Sunday can't come fast enough!!!
This week has been a week of finishing up things. My guild projects are coming to an end and with June(the end of guild year) just around the corner, I have a few loose ends to tie up. We have been working on 6" blocks for a kleenex box challenge.Pick a kleenex box and use only those colours. I think it is going to make a pretty baby quilt!
 I have finished another challenge too but can't show that one just yet. There will be voting next week among the members and then I will be able to show it.
I have to get the next clue for my mystery quilt ready too. In between all that, I have been slowly working away on the hand quilting of this quilt. I am just a little over half way done. Hoping to finish it to show in June at our wrap up meeting. I have also been working on blocks(60 degree triangles) for a second dog quilt. This all sounds ambitious but I put in an hour here and there to do things!

 My kleenex box blocks are pink,green and white and I am going to use a very dark green for a cornerstone. On the left you can see some of the triangle blocks for the dog quilt. Looks difficult but very simple to put together.

The weather this Spring has the local wildlife very confused. By this time of the year they have left and gone deep into the bush. But the bush still has lots of snow and is not safe for them so they are travelling throughout the neighbourhood. These two young ones walked right up my street and into my side yard. I could watch them all day. Myself, if it stays snowy and wet I get to stay indoors doing more sewing but I know eventually I will have to go out and start the gardening and getting the yard ready for summer! Enjoy your holiday weekend!

I think..maybe Spring is here!

frozen puddle

        

Sun rising on frozen puddle

Well if robins appearing makes it official...then we have Spring. I saw my first one the other day. We have been getting every kind of weather up to today which is wet and pouring rain. But on friday morning  after my walk I saw a bit of Jack Frost's works of art and couldn't pass up taking a few pictures . I am sure these pics don't do them justice but they sure were pretty. The sun was just coming up over the one puddle.

Hood of my blue car

Well it is another week of getting those smaller projects done. I have gotten to the quilting stage on one challenge and I got another block ready to applique for a second challenge. Why do I keep starting these things.We have a focus fabric for the applique project (blue floral) and they have given us a different theme each month. So far so good, the themes are fitting into what I want the final product to be...a summer wallhanging. The other challenge must remain a secret till after the judging.I am going to do some hand quilting on it and hope it becomes more life like.So I definitely have some slow stitching to do today and into the evening. Join Kathy and everyone else for some slow stitching today!

Theme was "object"...so cottage

Sunny Slow Stitching Sunday

all that yellow is birdseed

Yup the sun is shining and the snow is melting but not quite fast enough. Although the creek is opening, with the snow leaving you get to see messes everywhere. Any dog owner will tell you they never thought their dog pooped so much and I can't believe how much birdseed in on the ground. I thought I was feeding the little feathered wonder.s In the picture you can see the creek just starting to open up. With the melting snow I am sure the ice won't last long. Oh well it is that time of the year!
This beautiful weather makes my sewing room in the basement a cooler than normal place to be so today I am stitching upstairs. Between hand quilting on my quilt and do some binding on a small quilt I have machine quilted today.I also want to finish a pair of knitted socks so I can start a sweater I want to make. I made one earlier this winter but really wasn't happy with the end result so yesterday I "unknitted" it and will start a more form fitted cardigan for myself. With all this hand stitching going on, I will definitely be linking up with my friend Kathy  and see what she and everyone else is up to.

sweater --then

sweater --now

cool pattern done in plaids/homespuns

This is the first of two quilts that I am making for a friend. One is for her dog and one is for her daughter's dog. Now you may think i an crazy but let me say my dog has 3 quilts and they save my carpets where she lays and besides even a dog need to have a quilt Some friends and I are getting together for a day of sewing on Wednesday so I am hoping to finish the other one. Then two baby quilts and I should be almost caught up!! haha