Back to a routine!

Dresdan Plates

Well hunting season is over for another year and DH is back home! Hmmm means making suppers and packing lunches for me! The weather has been dreary here which means the ambition level is not high. It is easier to sit down and knit then head down to the sewing room and try to get something done. But last weekend  I wanted to work on yet another UFO, so this is the one I dug out!It is 10-12 year old. I think the blocks had to sit and age gracefully for awhile.  But now I find the fabrics and colours are dated. So I am hoping that the cornerstones and sashing along with the outside border(on the far right) help it to be a little less old!!!  The outside border is striped and I had a fun time joining all those pieces together!! Hate matching lines.Although I love the pattern, these are definitely not my colours but for some reason I do love it. I intend to hand quilt it too!!

Watcing over my computer 

It is getting to be late November. Have you started Christmas shopping?  I know I haven't. But I have put up outdoor Christmas lights and some indoor wallhangings. This is one of my favourites!Makes you think of snowy days to come and mugs of hot chocolate!!
Also this week I talked at my guild about blogs with another member Rose Marie. If you are visiting for the first time welcome and  to those of you who keep coming back even though I don't blog as often as others ..thank you!!

Wintery Deer Season

Our creek

Well I did want it to snow and it did ...all day Monday! The ground is covered  and looks very pretty!  With DH gone for the last week of hunting season...this is my last week at home alone to do nothing but sew!!
I played on my featherweight the other day and finished this little 15" square mini. It was made from scraps that I had and I wanted to try one of Bonnie Hunter's patterns. This one is based on Pfefferneuse, although I rearranged the string pieces to make stars. I love how the browns and teals go together. These are the scraps  that I had laying on my ironing board the other day. Also I have finished the hand quilting on this quilt and just have the binding to do. So I spent last evening curled up on the couch to try and finish these two things!This little guy is done and just one more side to go on the larger quilt.Then there will be  a couple more things off my bucket list of UFO'S.

about 15" square

Rain, rain go away ...I want snow!

challenge fabric on left 

Yes it is raining in my neighbourhood today and I would rather have snow. It seems so dreary. So what is a girl to do but play with some fabric and her new sewing machine and try to brighten the day.First order of business was to put together the Christmas stocking that I started yesterday and did some decorative stitching on last night.It is a challenge for one of the guilds I belong to.

 I have to complete it now as I will be very busy moving my daughter the week before it is due. No time like the present. I think it turned out cute and will be given to my daughter for a decoration for her new apartment.

I will post more pics to help you guess

Then I had just a bit more time to waste so I continued sewing on these scraps. And they are scraps leftover from a bag I made and a quilt that a friend made. I am making one of Bonnie Hunter's quilts in minature. Can you guess which one it is? They are small but not as small as the pieces my friend Kathy likes to play with. See what she has been doing...I think she is crazy to work on things that small but I love her to bits ( no pun intended)
Hope you are doing something to make you smile today. I am having lunch and then off to see my knitting friends!

Another Hunting Season

Yup DH is gone again...deer season opens tomorrow...so another week of playing and very little housework or cooking!!!

Add caption

I am enjoying the little bit of hand quilting I am able to do on this quilt I have been working on. Spent yesterday and this afternoon finishing up the machine quilting so I could enjoy an evening of hand stitching tonight.I was not happy with the machine quilting I did in the set in triangles so I removed it and did hand quilting. Not a big deal except I wasn't sure about the flannel backing. It quilts beautifully!! So onward I decided to do more quilting in the larger border. I found a feather stencil that I have been wanting to use and decided on it. You can just barely see my pencil marks in the pic. I will work on it and hope for another finished quilt this week. It is extra exciting for me, as I was thinking this one would take a longer period of time to complete.
Also checking in with my friend Kathy and seeing what everyone else is stitching on today!

Hang Onto your Hats

It is a very windy rainy day outside. I went to my knitting group this morning and now am tucked into my warm house. I have been slowly working on that thimbleberry quilt for DH aunt. Did some machine free motion quilting  last night and didn't like it so I ripped it out and now am hand quilting the same design. I thought it would be more difficult to quilt flannel(which is on the back) but there is almost no difference. After those set in triangles are done, it is more border machine quilting  and I think I might put a design in the six inch wide border. Well have to see how it goes.
DH is home tonight for the weekend and off hunting next week. What I get another week to sew and no housework or meals to prepare(except for myself) woohoo!!!

Not to worry, we are gonna gain an hour this weekend

We received great news this week. We are very proud of our daughter. She has been hired on full time with a great company in our province, her dream job as described by her. So that means another move in the next month. DH and I are becoming specialist in the moving field. Hopefully this will be the last move for awhile. So although I love the snow, I am hoping it holds off for a bit, right before Christmas would be good timing. Here's hoping you are in out of the rain and snuggled under a warm quilt like I am gonna be!
Don't forget this weekend we turn our clocks back one hour!!

While the cat is away......

That's a lot of pins

This little mouse is playing in her sewing room. Along with finally washing the wedding quilt, I am putting the finishing touches on a quilt top and have pinned it and am ready to start machine quilting it tomorrow.

after washing

Now for the near disaster I discovered. After washing the wedding quilt and setting it in the clothes basket to wait for cheaper hydro time after a few hours I looked at it only to see the brown making run marks on the beige backing fabric. I freaked out!!!! Starting rinsing it in water and decided to put it through the washing machine again. While waiting for the washer to fill up, I realized it wasn't the brown fabric but the quilting thread itself that was causing the mess and only on the backing fabric not on the front of the quilt. Quite strange! I used a brown thread, Guitermann. I have never had this happen before. After rewashing the quilt for the most part the stains are gone. There are just a couple of places where you can still see the smudges near the quilting thread. I am going to leave it at that and give special directions

after washing

for washing when I give it to the couple. Hopefully my two washings will do the trick! My heart has starting beating in a normal rythm now!

Very Slow Stitching Sunday

It will be a quilt some day

This is the perfect day for slow stitching as I have managed to catch a sinus cold and I don't feel like doing much so sitting quietly is just what the doctor ordered. Even my teeth hurt!! I think it will be a combo of knitting a poncho/sweater for me and hand piecing some more hexies for my future grandmother's flower garden. As I told friends the other night at guild, don't know it I will ever see it finished but I have high hopes.
I also am enjoying the relaxation after spending Friday and Saturday in a car with my daughter. She is moving again and we were apartment hunting. We were deep in quilt store country but with no time to stop. I even had to pass on spending some of  the day at a quilt show with my quilting buddy Barb(hope you enjoyed yourself). It was a good thing too because we ended up driving through some nasty snowy weather on the way home. But I am sure with a place to stay in that area, I will be able to make many trips down in the future!
Check  out what Kathy is up to today on slow stitching sunday
P.S. Barb I will try to blog more often but there is no way I can be as proficient as Kathy!! lol