Remembering....

This has been an overwhelming week for me. Last weekend was Family day in Canada. A day to celebrate family.  We were also remembering our loss. It has been 1 year since my husband passed away. I can hardly believe it has been 365 days without him here with me. On Saturday I made supper for the whole family and it was nice to gather and just be together. It was a crappy weather weekend though and my daughter was not able to make it home. That made for an even sadder weekend. On Sunday we all went ice fishing, it was something we always did for Family day and hubby usually caught at least one fish. A year ago today we were giving him the best send off we could, honouring and remembering the special guy he was. I know he would want us not to dwell but to do our best to be the best. So I pick myself up and move forward.

My Memory Lane quilt

One thing I did do was get my quilt off the frame and half bound. It was on my bed on Monday night...a self imposed deadline. I finished the binding the next day. It is for me to keep. A quilt 4 years in the making. Did the patchwork, waited, did applique, waited, set it up on the frame, my world fell apart, the quilt waited, found my love of hand quilting again!

pieces cut and ready yesterday morning

                          Later this week after cleaning up the sewing room, labelling some charity quilts and figuring out the next project, I began. I have a kit but it isn't big enough for some of the charities I donate to...so let's make it bigger. I am using the fabric from the kit and adding in one set of charms squares and a little yardage for the sashing. Had to do some quilt math before starting to make sure I would have enough fabric and it seems to be working out. Yesterday I pieced the top and now it just needs two borders and it will be done. I am hoping to have it ready to quilt by tomorrow. If I can, it will be a four day quilt plus however long it takes to quilt it! Not a bad turnaround!!

last night an almost top

This was the original kit

It is another weird weather day. I woke to flurries, then snow squalls and now the sun is shining! I think it is a good day to continue to sew and check in with my friend Kathy and see what everyone is slow stitching on today. My slow stitching will come later while I am watching today's NASCAR race!! GO DENNY!! right Pearl, let's hope he stays in the race this week!!

Have a good week everyone!

Snowy days

 This week we have had -25, snow, winds, and even mild temperatures and rain! Welcome to Northern Ontario. You never know what the weather will bring...today -27 and bright and sunny! Good day to stay indoors and gets some quilting done as soon as I get this blog posted.

frame turned only a bit to finish

I am on the home stretch of the hand quilting on the frame. Yesterday I had to spin the frame to be able to complete the last passes I need to make on it. I secure my backing to the pole and I don't have any leaders like long armers do, so I can't quilt right to the end going in the same direction. That is why the quilt top and batting are hanging down in this photo. Maybe a little confusing for some who have never done it but it works for me.

I have also been doing lots of knitting and crocheting. I am knitting using some soft crochet cotton to make myself a scarf. I have also completed three lap covers that my mom had started but never finished. I am going to try to donate them to the nursing home that she is in. If not I will find them a home.

scarf in the sunshine

3 different sized lap covers

5 quilts getting ready to go

                                                                                                                                                                                                 I have also been filling in time getting the binding and labels on a few quilts so I can deliver them on Tuesday at guild. They are donations for the local Children's Mental Health unit at our hospital. These quilts are part of Christmas gifts I gave to family. I gave them a certificate saying a quilt would be donated in their name. I thought it was a great idea as I wasn't able to finish my Christmas shopping in stores so this was the idea I came up with. I have 2 quilts of valor to finish as well.                                                                                                                                   As usual, it is Sunday and that means that Kathy is slow stitching today.  What is she up to...you will have to go to her blog and see and also catch up with everyone else that joins her today!

Enjoy your day, stay warm and get a few stitches in along the way!

Hurry...hurry hard!

 With those not too familiar with those words...It is curling season and in my world that means quilting hours ahead! As I listen and watch curling on TV or my computer, I get lots of hand quilting done. I have imposed a finishing date for this quilt on the frame. I have had the frame set up for over a year and it is so close to being done. It is time to finish it and get it on my bed, this one is for me!

This is an older picture, I have about 8 inches of the applique border to quilt and it will be finished.

 For the past week though I have been doing crochet. I have found some almost finished projects at my mother's house and am completing them for her. It has been a long time since I have crocheted but it is like riding a bike, as the old saying goes. I do find that my hands are feeling very cramped and numb. Not sure if it is the crocheting or the snow blowing and shovelling that I have been doing!

Yesterday I spent the morning cleaning out my sewing room. It was definitely time for a muck out!! I found so many projects that need to get completed. Some that just need quilting and others that have not even been started as yet. When do you say...I give!?!? That you say to yourself, I won't get to these and they need a new home to go to!?! Any thoughts or ideas will be welcomed.

Later this month is the first anniversary of the day I lost my husband and my life changed forever.  I am realizing time is short, way shorter than any of us knows. So as I am going through the sewing room, my thoughts are do I  want to spend that time doing things I love or just finishing things for the sake of getting them done. I don't know all the answers but just what works for me. I am also gifting more quilts. I love making them but no one gets to enjoy them if they are stuck in a closet. With that thought in mind, at Christmas I gifted 7 quilts to my brothers, sisters and a good friend to show my appreciation and thanks for all the love and time they have given me over this past year. It has meant so much to have family and friends close by.

With it being Sunday we all know to check in with Kathy and see what everyone is slow stitching on today. It is always interesting to see what everyone is working on. Me, I must get a binding sewn onto a quilt so I have slow stitching to do this afternoon as I watch more curling!! Happy Sunday

Good sewing day

 Good sewing days happen but great ones where you can do no wrong, don't

come along very often. I had a great one yesterday. I have been using pieces to sew up a charity quilt. I was making pinwheels to extend the length of the quilt then I needed a border to go all around. I was going searching when, before leaving the sewing room, I saw a piece of fabric from a backing I just finished. There were two pieces of fabric and they were directional. BUT there was just enough for the borders and the design on the fabric was even going the right way. Two pieces the perfect length for the sides and a chunk that I could get three pieces out of to complete the top and bottom. And now this kind of freaky monkey clown fabric is used up!!! It has been in my stash for over 14 years and it was time for it to leave! The small piece I have left is going to be cut up and go into my scrap buckets of specific sizes.

all that's left

center pieced

freaky monkeys

That will be the last of the charity quilts I wanted to make this month. I promised to make 4 and give them in other people's name to charity as part of Christmas gifts. It was an easy way to shop and a nice gift to give and receive, I hope! You can see the other two

completed top

here and one more was finished last Fall.

Today there will be a backing to create from some larger chunks and then I will sandwich one of them to machine quilt. It will be a busy day. It has warmed up from -30 to -14 so I guess me and the dog need to get outside for a much overdue walk. The cold has kept us indoors for a couple of days. Today I will also be checking in with my friend Kathy and her slow stitching group and see what everyone is working on.

Wishing and hoping everyone is having a good or even better a great sewing day!!

Thread spools

 Two years ago, I kept all the spools I emptied all year. I had a good bag full...you can see them here. This past year I did the same thing. There were not as many spools but given the year I have had it is understandable. I will definitely not measure my success  by how many spools I emptied but by how many people were made happy by receiving a quilt from me. Whether to family, charity or otherwise, I hope they all enjoy them. I have already begun saving up the spools this year...one down and many more to come I am sure! 

#1 charity quilt

#2 charity quilt

Today it was -33 when I awoke. So it will be an inside day for sure. I am working on my third charity quilt top. Putting together scraps, bits and pieces from someone else's stash is lots of fun but hoping you have enough fabric is always a worry. The center of this quilt has gone together now to make it longer and finish the top!

#3 in progress

I have more of the green and white checker board or lots of hst...hmmm not sure where it will go. Come back tomorrow to find out. 

The winner is....

WINNER

 After my post on Sunday in which I showed the projects I want to start.  You can read about the suggestions here! Here is what  10 of you told me with your comments. I guess the pattern quilt can wait, along with the kit. It was close between the other two with the  bright blocks with the black and white sashing winning. So that is what I will be working on today.

will finish this one

Well it is a good day to start something new....it's my birthday!! So now that the shovelling is done(we got 6" of snow overnight) I can get started! But I must just finish sewing this charity quilt top together. I started it while I waited for you all to decide! This was a package that I bought at a sale at our guild. It had finished blocks and lots of extra pieces. There will be enough for 2 quilts but this top will get done and I will work on the other one later. It needs some time so I can come up with some ideas for a layout as the blocks are all different sizes!

these will wait a bit

So I am spending the day watching the snow fall and sewing. What else could you ask for...oh coffee that has been hot chocolate bombed!!

First Sunday of a new year

   I am hoping to increase my blogging this year. My hope is to at least get one done every Sunday so I can join in with my friend Kathy for some slow stitching.  So here I am today already falling behind. In my post here, I said yesterday was going to be a day of finding a new project. Although I did clear off my working table, I didn't quite get to figuring out the newest project. So many to chose from so I thought maybe you my blog readers would like to help out. Here are my choices:  1 paper pieced double wedding ring, 2 small lap quilt kit or 3 scrappy patchwork quilt or 4 bright blocks with black and white sashing. I have had all these for quite some time and it is time they were finished. Where do I start, I am leaving that up to you! My hope is to get them all done this year...I may need a queue spot in my sewing room!!

#1 wedding ring

#2 small kit

Today I will be looking in on Kathy and seeing what she is planning for the new year. She has many followers from all over the world who join in with a day of slow stitching and relaxing. Check her blog and see what is going on and who is joining in today! 

#3 scrappy patchwork

#4 blocks with sashing

Happy stitching, sewing, quilting and knitting!

I will be waiting to see what everyone chose!