Almost June..when did that happen

forget me nots

 I have gone from wanting to post at least once a week to just barely getting in once a month. Where does the time go. This week will be the start of June and as we head into summer, I am sure the time is going to fly by!

lilacs about to bloom

I am just about finish cleaning and moving at my mother's house. It went on the market last week. Hoping for good news this week that it is sold! I have also been cleaning up my yard. It is rather large and lots of places to hide things, but it is time for it to move on. Now to clear off my "to do list" which seems to grow daily then I can get back into the sewing room. I unfortunately added one more thing to the list too. If I don't want to push mow my lawn for the summer, I have to go and buy a riding lawnmower. It has been in the plan but I thought I had some time to go!

rest in pieces...it's broke

I really have been doing more knitting than sewing lately although I do get in a bit of sewing. There are many 5 inch blocks in this latest project.97 of block A and 98 of block B. That is for the size on the pattern but I might make mine just a little larger. I will decide that later.

 More yard work to do while the day is nice and before the rain comes, so I will be checking in with Kathy later. But you can find out what everyone is up to this week if you visit Kathy and all her slow stitching followers.

lonely tulip and lily of the valley

I'm back!!

Yes I am back but not that I went anywhere! It has been a busy Spring and now to catch up with all of you who check in with me.

March was maple syrup season. My daughter and I are carrying on from where my late hubby left off. This is the second year we have done the syruping without him. It was a short 2 week process this year and in that only one really nice day. I did get a pair of socks knitted while I waited for the magic to happen and 12 bottles of syrup!

Once syrup was done, I moved inside and cleaned house.  Mine but more so my mother's. She is in long term care now and we are getting the house ready to sell and cleaning it out to have a yard sale that will happen this coming weekend. Each day I spend time at her house, I come home and spend time cleaning my house too. I have given away 5 quilts to Quilt of Valor and at least that many to the Adolescent Mental health unit at our local hospital. This still leaves me with many projects to finish that are patiently waiting!

3rd project that needs a border

An update on the projects that I chose at the beginning of the year. You can read about all the projects I want to get finished here. So far I have 2 of 4 done, 1 is almost a top and needs borders and the last one is one that I think I may do with a friend. She wants a scrappy project and it would be perfect. We will each do our own version. So even though I have not been blogging, I guess my sewing and completion rate is not that bad. I have also finished knitting a pair of socks, a shawl and just last night tucked the ends in on a baby blanket!

Maybe I will have to set a new goal. Maybe at the beginning of June I will pick new projects to get completed by the end of the year. I will search them out and see what I can come up with!

panel project from guild

Our guild meetings have been small but quite productive. This was a panel that was cut up and pieces added. (it is not trimmed or pressed as yet)A good way to use up some of those panels in your stash. I must admit though that I bought a panel for this exercise but will look into my stash for more. I am hoping to make it into a single bed quilt to give away.

I am a day late but will be sharing my blog with Kathy and her slow stitching friends. It is always interesting to read what everyone is doing. You all keep me motivated and are the major reason I am blogging today after I saw how long it has been since I was here. Here's hoping there is more sewing in the coming days before it is time to get outside and do gardening and yard work!

"Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow. That includes you!"

Sunday again already!

original kit

Well where did this week go? I know a lot of my week was spent sewing, quilting or knitting! It is that time of year, nothing to do outside and all caught up on other things inside(if that is ever possible). Soon it will be gardening time but before that the sap will be running and that will get me outside. My daughter and I will be setting up for that next weekend so I better get the sewing room cleaned up!

my version of the kit

double wedding ring in pieces

I have been working on two projects this week. Back in January I chose 4 or 5 projects that I wanted to complete this year. You can read about it here So far one is finished and waiting to be delivered, the second one has the binding on and needs it hand sewn to the back(although this picture of it was before the final two borders, hate when camera battery dies!) and I have started the third. The second one was a kit but  I only used  parts of the kit and added a charm pack and some navy blue for sashing to change it up a bit. As I watch the curling competition this week on TV, I will continue to work on the third one which is the double wedding ring quilt. There is lots of pinning that is easily accomplished while sitting! In between all this I am getting closer to finishing my knitted shawl/scarf.

I have been so occupied with curling today that I haven't even been to Kathy's slow stitching blog yet. But I will be slow stitching and cheering on my favorite teams tonight!

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!!