Slowed me down a little....

Yes I was suppose to be sewing but I decided to make banana bread and you have to have nuts...right? Well I wish now I had skipped the nuts because while I was chopping and talking to my mother who stopped in to visit...I tried to chop my finger tip off. Lucky for me I have strong nails and the knife didn't get to the skin. It is tender but I have to say for a quilter, that was the finger to cut if I had to cut one...I can still sew, cut and stitch hexies.
So while trying to keep my finger out of harms way further..I have finished those paper pieced blocks and the table runner is done. My daughter will love it on her table at Christmas.
Last night at guild, a member Suzette was cleaning house and gifted to me five cross stitched blocks, pattern for an embroidered wedding ring quilt and a VIP panel of a goose which I made into a bag today.
Those curved pieced blocks that I have been working on, you can see some here. After several emails and some missed phone calls my "fabric piranha" friends came through for me. They were able to find the fabric and secure enough yardage for me. Big thanks to Louise and Barb and their delivery person. I know my daughter will be so relieved that there will be enough fabric now!!
After all that, I have to set those blocks aside and get busy on two baby quilts. They are almost completed flimsy, they just need an outside border and then they have to be quilted. I thought I had a couple more weeks but they decided differently and they were born this past Sunday. Can't wait to deliver them to the sweet princesses. I will post pics  once they are both done.
This evening will find me bundled up against the cold and rain and sitting in the treestand, hoping for my chance to come along. Wish me luck!!

One down ...one to go!

That is one hunting season down one to go!! Moose season just ended and so did my week alone. So now it is back to making supper, cleaning house and having hubby home!
Not that any of that is going to stop me....I am on a roll and I need to be! I have a few projects that have to get done this week and in between that I have monthly blocks from the guilds to complete.

ok so I have more to do!

Yesterday I took part in a workshop for paper piecing. I knew how to do it but thought a day of sewing would be fun. Who would have thought making four  8" blocks would take more than a day to complete. I got about 1/2 of the components made. So today I will try to finish them up so I can show it on Wednesday at guild.I am making 5 blocks instead of 4 and it will be a tablerunner for my daughter.

I completed two more blocks in our curve block of the month. But I have come to the realization that I don't have enough background fabric. This required immediate attention. So emails were exchanged and my friends Barb and Louise are coming to my rescue and will purchase more for me. I bought the fabric this Fall while on a quilting weekend with them and the store is in their neighbourhood!
I have been sewing on my newest machine this week and it is so smooth. You can read about my newest "herd" member here.
So for today slow stitching will have to wait till this evening.  I usually get a hour or two and get a few stitches into my hexies.
Check out what others are slow stitching today at Kathy's blog.

Happiness is.....

Outside our sewing window

Looking at the lake

Well happiness is many things today! We had our first taste of winter over the weekend. This made for a chilly weekend.
Although another quilting retreat has come to an end for me, it was a very successful weekend despite some minor issues with the place we were staying at.
I finished one machine quilted large lap quilt. I received some mentoring from a long arm quilter who was there and who was sure I could do this. After doodling on paper for a couple of hours, I started on the real thing. Lucky for me the fabric is busy and the thread is a very close match. I am happy with the finished product although there is lots of room for improvement. Did I mention machine quilting free motion is not one of my favorite things to do!!

my table mates

large sewing room

I had begun with a warm up of a smaller quilt that I was making for a friend for her dog. I think Chester will love his new travel blanket. After all that machine quilting...I just wanted to piece and sew on my featherweight. So on I went...pieced together two baby quilts and a few curved pieced blocks. That brought me almost to the end of the retreat. It can't be over, I still have projects to do!!!
Sadly packed everything up and headed home. Little did I know what was waiting for me.

While I was away DH and I celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary. Yes I was away!! But for several years before that he was away moose hunting so I figure ..turn about fair play!!!
Sitting in my living room/sewing room was a 301A sewing machine in a cabinet that he had found, bought and drove 3 hours there and back 3 hours so I would have it to play with this week while he was hunting. What a great surprise and what a sweet man..I think I will keep him!!!

I would like to send a little shout out to the previous owner...Barb. Thanks for parting with your machine...please know that is has a good home and will be so loved. I have named her(all my machines have names) Jiji....after all she was found on Kijiji!!!

curved blocks for my daughter's quilt

for Chester

machine quilting

large lap size quilt

After all this, I did get in some slow stitching for a Sunday with Kathy. I have lots of bindings to do after this weekend. So a quilt,  netflix, and a few hours and one quilt is done and another started.

So my plan for this week is sewing, playing and more sewing. That's my happiness is......

Almost ready!!

So excited...tomorrow is the day we leave for retreat!!! My friend and sidekick Susan got here yesterday and we have been very busy. I had to put her to work helping me get all my projects ready. Well I had most of them ready but needed to pin baste two smaller quilts. Tomorrow I only have to pack up the machines...yes two! My big machine to machine quilt and my featherweight to piece with...I just love my little machine! I am taking a couple baby quilts to do the tops, a bag, quilts to quilt and a box of scraps in case I run out of things to do. I also have along with me my tumbler-leaders and enders!
Of course the camera is packed too so if you aren't there, you will be able to see what we were up to!

This is at the door, loading up and we are on our way! See you on Sunday!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Turkey is ate, pumpkin pies are all gone and there is only enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow.Family dinner on saturday and relaxing yesterday with our daughter home and today sending her on her way again, that is the way the weekend went ...way too quickly!! But now is the time for me to get my butt in gear, there is a quilting retreat on the horizon.

newsprint background fabric

Yes this Thursday I leave for 4 days of fun and hard work(well not that hard). So I need to start gathering things and projects. I have about four blocks of the months to do, which I would like to precut before I go. That is what daughter Kelly and I did yesterday. She picked out fat quarters and background for some curved piecing blocks I am making. Also she found some Christmas fabric that will be used to make a tablerunner at a future guild workshop.
I want to baste two quilts to take with me to quilt also. Not large ones so it shouldn't be that bad. I will also throw in some string piecing and my leader and ender-tumblers to work on. I really am unsure of how many projects to take. But I guess I am not that far away if I really need to drive home for more to keep me busy!
I sewed up one block of the curved pieced blocks so we could see what they would look like. I think it will grow on me  but my daughter loves them!!
With what is left of today...the only slow stitching will be if I can get a few hexies together. Check out Kathy's blog and see what others were up to yesterday and today!!

Fall has finally arrived

not blurry just bad lighting

Yes the leaves are changing colour and the cooler weather has begun. I spent the other day clearing out the flower beds and gardens. I only have dill and some pumpkins still in the ground and they will be gone by the end of this week. It is a very rainy, overcast day so what is a girl to do but quilt.
Yes I am hand quilting and the end is very near. This quilt started out almost done in one week then a couple of weekends away and a sore back and now I just want it to be finished!!
I am starting to prepare kits for projects that I want to work on at retreat. My annual retreat begins in just over a week. My friend is coming to visit me for a couple of days and then we will head to the retreat lodge. Also for this trip loading and unloading will be easier as this week we bought a "new to us" van. DH calls it a grocery getter....I had to tell him it was a fabric hauler! Hmm not sure he is going to let me take it fabric shopping... ever !!!!

her name "Sandy"

I am joining the fun a day late but check out Kathy's blog and her slow stitching sunday to see what others are doing this Fall!
 Today I will be binding this quilt and stitching on it at guild tonight.
Hope everyone has a great week!