November WHAT!!!

table runners

endless ways to lay them out

Hard to believe it is the last day, tomorrow is December 1!!! Well this week has been a productive one for me. I have a single bed quilt to the binding stage and that is what I will be doing for slow stitching today with Kathy. The quilt is headed to a wing of our hospital for young mental health patients. This one is sure to brighten up a room. I also completed two table runners that were a workshop at guild this month, using the 60 degree rulers and border prints.I have also finished a small scarf and started a second longer one!

may need to make myself one

laying on my cutting table, brightest spot in the house today

This morning after the housework is done, I am headed to the sewing room to search and look for the perfect fabric to do Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt. The first clue came out on Friday and I am going to do half the units, just have to find some fabric. My problem is...if I like the quilt I will make it bigger SOOOO I have to make sure I have enough fabric to make it larger. Oh the problems we quilters create for ourselves.
Enjoy your Sunday and I hope you find time to sit and stitch awhile!!

Viva la difference!

Last week

This morning

Our roaring creek

Pardon my French but what a difference a day or two makes.Just last week I was spending my mornings shovelling and today there is hardly any snow left after two days of rain. Although the temperature is dropping, it feels and looks  more like Springtime. Our creek is higher now than it was in the Spring.Whitewater rafting anyone!!!The water is so strong it is actually rolling rocks in the creek. Sounds like someone is bowling! Along with the rains and heavy winds, last night there was a power outage. So what is a girl to do ...too early for bed so I stitched a binding by lantern and candlelight.Good thing it was a small quilt. I don't know how those early settlers did all that work by candlelight only!

stitching in the almost dark

All day yesterday it rained so it was a good sewing day. I finished all 15 blocks. Today I am sashing them and getting them ready to be a top.The peach/salmon colour underneath is the sashing.
It was the best option for making those stars pop. I have another full day of sewing so by the end of it I am hoping it will be finished.
Then I have to search my stash for options for Bonnie Hunter's mystery. Only 3 more days to wait till it starts. Are you joining in on the fun too?

Snow snow everywhere

It snowed every day for 5 or 6 days

Although I don't live in Buffalo we have gotten a large amount of snow over the past week but today it is very mild and a little rainy here in Ontario Canada. Inbetween shovelling and keeping a few driveways open, I have been knitting and trying to get some Christmas presents made. I have had an awful time with a pattern I was knitting but it is done and ready to be wrapped. I was so busy knitting that I didn't get much sewing done to those bright orange blocks from last week are still sitting on my sewing table waiting for me.

loves running in the snow but is tuckered out

There is quiltcam this afternoon so I will start a new knitting project and see what Bonnie is up to. I am also linking up with kathy today and that will be my slow stitching. Enjoy your Sunday!!

Let it begin....

So hunting season is over and I start to get back into a routine again. And so begins the start of Christmas shopping and sewing!! Have any of you started yet? I have friends who are done their shopping already. I figure that they are just gonna miss out on some great deals!! haha
As my daughter says...she has four weeks till she has to start shopping!

done with these

This week I have been taking a page out of Bonnie Hunter's purging book. I have been cleaning and decluttering in small quantities. I have hit a few different rooms but the biggest dent was made in my sewing room, in the magazine section. This box full of books will be heading to guild to be rehomed. This is only about half of the ones I want to go through. I have gone through them and taken out any favorite quilts or ones that I think I might make. I took to our local library some pocket novels and computer games. Even cleaned and defrosted two deep freezer.
Yesterday along with laundry.. A pumpkin got roasted and will make muffins and a pumpkin cheesecake.  I cooked up some spaghetti squash for supper(still have a couple more of those left).

roasted pumpkin and yummy seeds too

ready to chain piece

The day was not an entire loss...I did get to sew. I found this block called "Diamond in the Rough" and liked it so I wanted to make the quilt. I found a picture on the internet but no FREE pattern. So with the picture and some precutting instructions from a teacher who taught the class, I was able to come up with some cutting instructions of my own. To make sure everything was correct (you never know) I made a practice block using old fabric. A few modifications were made and yesterday I cut out the pieces needed. Using the right fabric for the project, I made one block today.WHAT!! ARG!! RIP, RIP,RIP!!!! and so the afternoon went. How could there be a mistake.It was only a matter of less than 1/4" - 1/8" but it did matter. After supper I sat down and started fresh and decided after sewing another block I could trim off the excess and live with the rest. Once that was done, the block went together easily. As you can see it is not for the faint of heart. Some of those angles (although only 45 degrees) are tricky to sew. But the finished product is so sweet!!! Only 14 more to make. Another note here, I am using up some fat 1/4s that I have been collecting as a monthly group member.
Today I am hoping to finish sewing the blocks together, now that I know how!?! And join Kathy in some slow stitching. I have a small baby quilt that needs binding and my knitting needles are calling ....get these Christmas presents done!!!
So my title "let it begin" could be the start of cleaning house, decluttering and or getting my Christmas gift list started! Hope you have a great day with whatever you are up to!!

Second week of deer camp!

It might be quilting season but it is the second week of deer camp at my house. DH is gone and he took the puppy so it is very quiet around here.Zoe(my older dog) and I are enjoying the peace and quiet!! Although I intended to sew all day as Kathy says on her blog today, I am multi-tasking a bit. First strike was I slept in to 7! Then a few phone calls from my darling daughter, who moved into her first.house this weekend. Hope that I helped considering how far away I am.

those squares are 3/4" finished,whole quilt 24" square

Laundry is being done as I try to finish a baby quilt so I can slow stitch tonight while watching movies by myself....sweet bliss!!! It really is a perfect day for sewing cause this is what it is doing outside my window. Snowing yes and at times the flakes are huge and softly floating to the ground. Very relaxing to watch!

I think winter might be here to stay!

I am also in Christmas gift making mode! YIKES!! That's right...so I had to drive to a friend's house for a pattern and some knitting advice. So that will also be on the agenda for tonight. Every year I say I will start early and never do but this year I am trying to!!!

So I have my evening planned and after this post is finished...it is supper and relaxing!! Hope you are enjoying your weekend no matter what you are doing!

oops!!

So I linked up to kathy  and slow stitching Sunday and when you try to access my blog...it is a no show! Well maybe some explaination is in order. I will start by saying I am NOT a techie person!!! So this weekend my daughter and I bought me a tablet. We played with it and set it up and then she LEFT!!! I mean she went back to her home and left me with this piece of technology that I know very little about.
I tried doing a blog post on it.Typed everything and even took pictures but couldn't link up and as you can see other things went wrong too! So I have decided I like my big computer and sitting at a table to type, no lounging on the couch for me and the new piece of hardware will be going back to the store. I only hope I can get a full refund.

So I am sticking with what I know computer wise and sewing too. So I finally finished these socks for myself. I say finally because I think I knit the second one three times so that it would match the first one. It isn't exact but I am happy with it. Just in time too as we received 8" or more of snow on this past friday!!

This sunday afternoon and evening was relaxing and I got some slow stitching done on my embroidery. Another block done only 6 or 8 to go!!