Eve of a New Beginning

#6 and 5

parts to go with #6

As I sit and write this, it is the day before the beginning of not just a new year but a new decade as well. Remember when we were young and thinking of 2020 brought thoughts of flying cars, robots and other Jetson family related things. Although our cars are faster, they still have tires on the ground. How can it be that it has been 20 years since 2000 when we thought all sorts of strange things were going to happen. Enough with pondering the past, let's look to the future.

Today I cut and cut some more. Bonnie Hunter release another clue for her mystery today. If you missed it or thought you would have to wait till Friday, better get on it. I am a bit behind because I was away for Christmas but intend on getting caught up fast. I also have two BOM to do for guild. Once those are all done, I will be onto quilting. Getting my new machine up and running. I will have to baste a quilt first. There isn't a shortage of UFO to get finished!

After a bit of  rain/sleet/snow yesterday it has been snowing here today. It will make going to watch the fireworks(for new years eve) tonight even nicer. I love watching it snow.

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Tomorrow is clean slate, a new page, in a book of 365 pages, let's write a good book for ourselves!!

Clean up!!

our little family

The Christmas holiday is over and the new year is on the horizon. We returned yesterday from our daughter's where we were for after Christmas.There is a winter storm looming so we left for home a day early just in case. So today I was putting away the gifts we received and straightening up the house. I received a large and very much wanted gift for Christmas...a new sewing machine! After playing with my friend's machine...there was no doubt that I wanted/ needed one of my very own!
So my Santa(daughter and hubby) got me a Juki 2010. Watch those UFO get quilted and disappear in the new year! Her name is Judy and she and I will be spending lots of time together!!

Ms. Judy juki

HIS

HERS

Also from Christmas I gave two quilts to my daughter and her boyfriend. Almost identical quilts but each with their own names on them...keeping the peace!! By the picture, I think they love them and they are just too cute together!! We got in a visit with some good family friends while at our daughter's too. Five hours is just too far away most days.

We are headed out for supper with DH's family tonight. We don't get together that often so these dinners together are nice. I will get to spend time with some great nieces that I haven't seen for a few months. I even have a quilt gift for one. She isn't 1 year old YET....been slacking in the new baby gifting department on that one!

So needless to say there will be no slow stitching today except for the label on the baby quilt. That won't stop me from checking in with my friend Kathy and seeing what everyone is slow stitching on today. It is the last Sunday for this year...enjoy and come back and visit in the new year!!

Little bits of time...

Trying to fit everything in and still get in some sewing time. It is working so far. Last night I cut out the pieces for clue #4 of the mystery Frolic. I had just the right amount of wonder clips too. That was a lot of triangles....but luckily I had time to sew the hst together today. The pressing will happen....just not sure when.
Is anyone else trying to figure out the layout or is it still too soon. With 41 sets required, seems to me a strange number. Oh well time will tell!!!

one set ready only 40 more to press and trim

Along with the other Bonnie followers, I have convinced at least 3 friends in my quilting group to join me in making this mystery. We will be getting together after the new year and see what clue each is up to!!

Tomorrow is Christmas eve, how did that get here so fast. Hope you are all ready and find time for a little sewing/quilting!

Tis the season!!

yummy butter tarts

Gifts purchased and made are wrapped...check! Laundry,house cleaning and baking caught up and done...check! Groceries bought and meals planned...checked! So what is a girl to do now...sew!! Yes I have time to sit down and do Bonnie's mystery clue #4 this evening. I also have two BOM from guild to catch up on. I have been staying caught up on all these projects and don't want to fall behind now. I will  have to do  some catching up next week with all the holiday chaos!

With cleaning up the sewing room I found more tumbler blocks. It is time to be done with them. So this is a top created from the found pieces...it will be for charity once completed in the new year!

Supper is starting to smell yummy so I must cut this short. I will be sewing this evening and some slow stitching with Kathy will happen as well, it will be knitting but that is slow and relaxing at this busy time of year!

I would like to take this chance to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy your holiday time with family and friends and be safe wherever you are travelling.

Crunch Time!!

Every year I say I will start earlier...every year I am shaking my head. The shopping is almost done but I have left the making of gifts to now!!yikes!!Actually I am only behind by two projects of knitting which is really not that bad!!
Labels are going on quilts today then those gifts will be done. One more quilt needs its binding finished then it will be time to knit!

Wouldn't you know it though, as I was finishing a quilt and putting the leftover fabrics away...I found another quilt to start. So it is sitting on a table patiently waiting for the right time for me to continue on it!! There will be more on this in the new year.

looking a little red actually more pink

I have started on Bonnie's "frolic"! Are any of my readers joining in? I know I have convinced 3 friends to join me. It took a week for me to do the four patches(a little at a time) then this week clue 2 was done in no time. So now I wait for Friday...I am sure it will be here before I know it.The box is filling up, can't wait to see what will be next!!
I will be joining in with Kathy for some slow stitching a little later. Binding is on the agenda and then picking up those knitting needles!

All ready....

I have my work done, dog has been walked(and me too) and now I am settling in for a day of sewing. Well just as soon as I get this blog post written and shared!

pebbles

There is apparently a storm brewing in southern Ontario and it is headed our way. So I am prepping by having lots of hand work to do in case we lose power( anything is possible).

layout I didn't like

My time with my friend's Juki machine is coming to an end. It has been a productive couple of weeks. Three quilts of valor, one quilt for youth mental health ward at our local hospital and three quilts for myself. It is amazing what you can get done when the machine is working correctly and can do the job. Also working on a deadline, I do have to return the machine to its rightful owner!! Thanks so much Bernadette for letting me borrow your machine!! :)

shells

new layout

I have been able to finish up a couple UFO in the process that have been sitting for awhile. I am especially proud of the job I did on the shell quilt. It was a mystery from a couple years ago at guild. I  chose one of the layouts(there were several to chose from) I sewed up the quilt top, and still didn't think the layout did  justice to the fabric. I finally and with much reluctance took the quilt top apart...yes the whole top!!! I designed another layout which meant I had to make a few more hst but that was okay and I am much happier with the layout now. I even decided to do some unique machine quilting on it...free motion shells and pebbles along with some walking foot work.

River Rocks

This red quilt is called River Rocks by Carla Alexiuk. She taught this quilt at a workshop at guild two years ago. She is a friend and we were part of the same guild(in the last town I lived in) some 12 years ago....we must have been young young girls when we first met!!! I am going to be binding it today. I have just enough fabric to do a two colour binding...red on the back(to brighten up that swirly black) and black on the front. Love doing the two colour binding...adds many options to completing your quilt.

binding for River Rocks

A girl can't quilt all day...she needs some down time too so that is when I knit. It is relaxing and look at the wonderful gifts it produces. When asked about payment for rental of the sewing machine from my friend Bernadette, she said she would love some home made knitted socks. I have done one pair and the red ones are the second pair. The blue pair in the photo are for me!!






Now if time allows, I will finally get to sewing up the 1st clue in Bonnie Hunter's mystery. I finally decided on fabrics. My plan was to use one fabric for each colour...which was good till I tried to find light teal in my stash...it will have to be several fabrics as will the white background I am using. I also switched out the green for a bright yellow.  I think it fits in well...thinking sunshine on those bluebonnets!!
Slow stitching will be later today with Kathy. I have another quilt(which is a gift so no showing yet) to bind as well as the River Rocks.

Oh well coffee is done and it is time to rock and roll...well maybe it is time for Christmas music instead!!! Have a great day!
Side note...I decided to add the layout of the first shell quilt...which lead to a clean out of my computer...2 hours spent doing computer work and not sewing....arrrgggg!!!!!

Snowy slow stitching Sunday!!

Snow started on Halloween and has melted a bit but I think it is here to stay for the winter. We got 4" yesterday and more overnight. My friends think I am crazy but I love the snow, walking in it or watching it from inside!
This week DH was away hunting so I had the house to myself and all the time to sew. I have completed a doll quilt (for a fair entry), one quilt of valor, one charity quilt and I am working on finishing another quilt of valor. I think it is very appropriate considering tomorrow is Remembrance Day.

All this work couldn't have gotten done without the generosity of my friend Bernadette. She has loaned me her new Juki machine to do some machine quilting with. I kept teasing her that she should let me break it in for her. I never considered she would actually let me. I am seriously thinking of getting one of these, it has become the first and maybe only thing on my Christmas list!! I have a Husqvarna machine but it just doesn't seem to handle the bulk of seams when machine quilting. Bernadette and I have worked out a deal....I use her machine in exchange for some homemade knitted socks....DONE!!!

looks like binding

who sewed them together that way

binding sewn on

yellow plaid front/green backing

                                                                                                                                  I have a funny story for everyone. The charity quilt I was working on got to the binding stage today. I already had binding made for it(or so I thought). When I grabbed it off the pile, I soon realized that I had 2 1/2" strips but for some reason(OMG I can't remember) I sewed the strips together....lengthwise!! Did I have another plan...perhaps a pieced border??I just don't know, so I started unsewing them and cut them smaller and found another colour to go with them and match the quilt. I made a two-coloured binding for the quilt. So the binding will be scrappy to match the front of the quilt and green to go with the backing.I love making two-coloured binding. It gives you options when putting a quilt together.

I have already checked out Kathy's blog today and what she is up to. She is busy too!! I will be joining in with the slow stitching later because while the lighting is good I am in the sewing room quilting up a storm! Besides slow stitching today could be binding or maybe I should be working on those knitted socks!!

Let it snow.... let it sew...... let us sew!!!

baby quilt using leftovers

The snow that fell overnight Thursday into Friday is hanging on and more flakes  drifted to the ground overnight. I get to see all this from the window of my sewing room .I just love those first snowfalls!
Working on a baby quilt. I got all the pieces cut out and spent Friday evening sewing nine patches. I had just enough coloured animal prints to finish off the design I decided on. It was indeed a good sewing day!!! Had to look for the perfect fabric for borders. It is a good thing having a stash to dig into. Last night the top was completed so today I have to do more digging and look for a backing. This one might get finished this week.

prize winning quilt

I received great news yesterday. My applique quilt that won at our local fair in August, went onto District level and won first prize. Now it will go onto Toronto in Februrary. Very exciting, I have never had one go to Toronto!!! I also received from our local fair a trophy for the most points in needlecrafts. So nice to be recognized for something you love to do! Temporary backdrop could use some ironing!!haha

more leftovers

Now I am all about using up leftovers, that is where the baby quilt came from. I was completing "On Ringo Lake"mystery and putting fabric away. Too many nine patches were made so I decided to use them up. There was some green/teal triangles that spoke to me and wanted to be a quilt too. They will be sewn into this doll quilt that will be a new entry for this coming summer's fair!
Now being Sunday, we know that Kathy is up to some slow stitching.I will save mine for later this evening. While it is bright and somewhat sunny, I want to sew and be at the machine! Check out Kathy's blog and see what others are hand stitching on today! There is always lots of inspiration there to look at!! Come back and visit, it is going to be a busy week!!!

My Favorite Season...Quilting!

1st snowfall, hubby gets to play

Although some would say I quilt all year long and I do...in the Fall the true time for quilting begins. Hubby is away hunting and while the white stuff gave us our first taste of winter overnight, we know there is more to come.
It is also the time of year for my annual quilting retreat. That happened this past weekend. Fifteen ladies, copious amounts and types of  projects and four days to get everything done.

blocks for valor quilt

I came home further ahead 2 1/2 quilt tops, 4 blocks for BOM from guild and some work completed on some leaders and enders\(another quilt started) in between everything.
I will own up to the 1/2 quilt top....it was a Bonnie Hunter mystery from two years ago. I thought I had all the clues done and just had to finish the last one. I took the whole project to my room at retreat and tried to lay it out on the floor only to discover I hadn't made enough pieced sashings. Not a big problem, I can make more...BUT I left all the fabric at home!!!Trying to travel light didn't work out...so I did what I could and put that project away and started another. I brought lots so not a problem.

1/2 of retreat sewing room

So this week I have been working on that 1/2 quilt top to finish it up. Last night while it lay on the floor and I was trying to decide if it needed a border or not...I referred back to the instructions from Bonnie Hunter and she said her quilt spoke to her and said it didn't need a border. I have to agree and I am calling this one completed. Today I will look for backing and prep it for long arming or maybe I will quilt it myself.

Also last night while putting all the fabrics away from the finished top, I had some scraps, nine patches and triangles. So with a little designing, I came up with a small baby quilt that will use up the pieces. From scraps to oh so cute!Stay tuned for that finish, maybe this weekend!!
Have a great quilty/snowy day!!

Happy Thanksgiving

It is Sunday of a long thanksgiving weekend. The turkey is cooking away and I have time to do a quick blog post.

1st one almost done

Just when I thought I was doing so well sewing this week...I had to stop and do necessary household things! It is that time of year...fresh meat is coming to our freezer. Yesterday it was 2 farm fresh turkeys with beef and chickens coming soon! So today while cleaning turkey bones that were simmered for soup broth, I was also defrosting the deep freezers! It was perfect timing as I did one thing the other was melting away.I just had to wipe up the water and repack the freezers. Good note here, I found a pie to bake for dessert tonight while I was cleaning!!

blocks from 2015-2nd quilt to finish

So on the sewing front, I machine quilted a Quilts of Valor quilt. I just have to do the outside borders and put some binding on. That will get done later this evening as my slow stitching Sunday project with Kathy. As many know I am not a fan of machine quilting but I do have to say it doesn't look too bad. I did free motion swirls on the main body and I used a stencil and will free motion the borders following those lines.
I have a second quilt top ready for quilting. There was almost enough backing and batting left from the first quilt to use for the second one. I will just have to add some length to each. Laying out this one and pin basting it might get done tomorrow as we don't have any holiday plans. You can see more about this quilt here.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend and all the leftovers for  this coming week!

Playing with Colours

hmm...look brighter in person

pattern and some pieces

This has been a week to play. I am back in my sewing room after a busy summer. I have gotten the fabric cut up and put into kits for one project that I can work on at my retreat in a couple of weeks. Aren't these colours wonderful...they are as bright as the colours that are happening outside in my neighbourhood. This is a sample for a class that I will be teaching later in 2020.

my neighbour's tree

I can hardly believe that it is October already. Moose hunting, leaves falling and retreat season. I will be leaving in a couple of weeks for a four day weekend of fun.We were going to go shopping beforehand but have decided we have enough and just need to sew it all up.

What do you take to retreat? One project to work on for the whole weekend or do you take many things so you don't get bored. I tend to take a couple projects to work on in the sewing room and some hand stitching or knitting for more quiet time in the evening...when my brain is too tired to sew!!

view of my creek

 So today I will be searching the UFO pile, looking in boxes and bags for things that could get completed or at the very least one step closer to being finished.
While I was going through some drawers I found some tree blocks that I won in a block lottery. No time like now to do something with them...they have only been sitting there for 4 years!!!!
I even found a piece of fabric to make sashing with and there was just enough. Now to sew it up into a top and add a border. I think it will be a donation to Quilts of Valor.

I plan on sewing the weekend away too. Should be able to get a few things accomplished. No time like now to get motivated!!
 Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Quilt Show wind up

Every three years there is a quilt show in North Bay. It is unique as a guild does not sponsor or put it on. It is organized by a group who happen to belong to guilds in the area and many members from the guilds help but it is its own thing!

quilting in progress a year ago

Set up was friday night and it is always amazing how a show goes up in a couple of hours. The judging which started at 5 took the longest to do.There was a judged category and a regular category. The regular category was divided into 6 groups:bed hand quilted, bed machine quilted, wallhanging hand quilted, wallhanging machine quilted,youth category and miscellaneous category. We had over 180 items entered. There was also a silent auction, vendors market and a tea room. Lots to see and do over the weekend.

started the quilting a year ago

I entered two quilts in the judged section and although I love my quilts...the judges did not.
But I do have news to share...the viewers liked one of my other quilts, enough to award it with a second in bed hand quilted. I am pretty proud of this quilt as it took a couple years to finish. The blocks were done 3 or 4 years ago and it took the intervening time to complete the embroidery and hand quilt the top.

2nd place bed quilt-hand quilt 

All profits from the quilt show, silent auction and raffle go to our local hospital for the adolescent mental health ward and to the mammography department for equipment. I will find out in a couple weeks what we gave them. I am sure it was a successful show and our donation will be great.

Now it is time to get the house cleaned up and get into the sewing room and start creating projects for the next show in three years. Seems far away but it will be here before we know it!!

Shop Hopping

My friend Susan and I enjoyed a busy day of shop hopping in and around the Barrie area. We went to all six stores on the shop hop, The Quilting Gnome, The Quilting Store, Country Concessions,Hummingbird Sewing Store, Thimbles and Things and Muskoka Quilting. This was serious work, we packed a lunch and refreshments and on the road at 7am!! We started at the farthest away 2.5 hour drive and got there just after they opened. As with all shop hops, it usually takes till the second or third store to get the hang of everything you have to do, get and have stamped.But all was accomplished and we were home for supper!!

Booty from the shop hop

At each store you could buy a mini charm bundle, if you got all six, at the last store you received a pattern to use them in.Some stores had an in-house draw or several prizes you could put tickets in on! I am patiently waiting to hear when I can pick up my prizes(I am sure I will win something)!!

I really didn't have anything in particular that I was looking for but I still managed to find a couple of deals and spend some birthday money(thanks Louise) on a jelly roll!The steal of the day was some lovely beige fabric with tone on tone cattails. It was half price and I got enough for a quilt backing! I bought some neutrals to replenish my stash, one book, one intriguing pattern,a couple of scrap bags(can't resist them)a new spritz bottle, some wonder clips and some hand stitching needles(for slow stitching with Kathy)of course!!

welcome desk at the quilt show

Now we did all this on Thursday. I know I am late posting but with good reason. Friday I helped set up our quilt show and attended it all weekend. So I was lucky to be able to squeeze in the shop hop.
Come back tomorrow and see all the goings on from the quilt show. There is some exciting news!!

Whirlwind holidays!

preparing for shoot

After reading Kathy's posts about visiting me, I have a few more photos from that weekend to share!We did have so much fun with each other. I put my blog stalking skills to work too. While Kathy was trying to get the best photo of her quilt top, I was goofing around trying to get "behind the scenes" pics! Someone else was taking pics of me! Pretty funny!!
You can check out Kathy's blog and her view from that day here.

just the right position for the photo

blog stalker!!

Wedding quilt finished

On that weekend I was working on a quilt for a wedding gift. Well it has been gifted and I can show the finished product. It took till the day before the wedding to finish the binding and wash it but lots of time to spare...or at least that is what I told the hubby!!




After the wedding weekend, hubby and I took a weeks holiday. We packed up the trailer, truck, boat and dog and headed out for a few days of fishing and relaxing.

home away from home and Belle

1st morning view

This was our view for the week. On the first morning it was cool and frosty but we were determined to go fishing. It was the best day, we caught 6 pickerel fish. We had never caught that many before. Unfortunately it was the best fishing day, the rest of the week we caught less and  less. The last day we went fishing, we came home empty handed but we had fun fishing!! Hubby made a portable fire pit for us to enjoy. The door was even big enough so I could roast marshmallows..smores were dessert a couple of nights. On the one rainy day we had we stayed at the trailer and I got to do some hand work. My hexies are never very far away. I wonder if I will ever get this top finished?!?!

2nd fishing day- 4 fish

sitting under the awning-all set to stitch

our last night camping

Our holiday was relaxing but back to reality! The garden is just about finished, meaning growing so there is lots to harvest and put away for the winter. Pickling will fill a few days then into quilting season!! Back to guild meetings and a routine of being home and getting into my sewing room! Stay tuned for what I am sewing on or starting new. Retreat weekend will be here before I know it so I better get to work!