IT'S FINISHED!!

THE SNOWMEN QUILT IS FINISHED!!

looking good on newly painted porch

demo samples

 Yes it is done and the binding on...I just have to sew it to the backside and do a label. It is too warm here today to finish it though. Not the best picture but I am sure there will be more of this one in the future with two quilt shows on the horizon. With a big project like that done...I wanted to do a little something to feel accomplished. I had these two Christmas blocks hanging around. So I decided they would be perfect samples for a binding demo I have to do in a couple weeks. I will be showing flange binding.When finished they will make perfect little mini quilts for a couple stuffed animals for charity.

small wallhanging

I wanted to finish a few small projects so I went sewing room digging. I found a couple that can be done.....actually tackled one today. I found another pile of fabric with some blocks finished. I think this was something I picked up at guild. Not sure what it will be but  I am sure I can tackle it.

pieces to cut for next weekend retreat

I love when I can start something new and finish it in a few days, well in between those large projects that take so much time.










Binding will be what I will attempt today to join in with Kathy and some slow stitching. I am checking in with her to see if she is packing yet. We have one week till we get together with our  other friends Barb and Louise. They are all headed to my house next weekend for a few days of quilt-related fun. Oh we will be sewing and other shenanigans I am sure!! Looking forward to it...Girls...5 more sleeps!!!More blog posts this week as I get ready and then wait for them all to arrive!

National Sewing Machine Day

My treadle

301A my personal fav

Today it is National Sewing Machine day if you believe everything you read on facebook. Let's honor our machines for all the time and effort they put in to makes our creations come to life. 

Maybe treat them to a spa date with the fellow who keeps them running well. OR maybe just a mini spa day where you take care of them...a little dusting and a drop or two of oil to keep them going! Here are a few of my herd of machines. I am not a "vintage only" owner. I have a Husqvarna extended bed machine too but use it mostly for machine quilting. I also still have my very first machine a Kenmore that I bought in the early '80's.

Penelope, auction find

Featherweight

Love your machines whatever they are!!!

Summery Sunday

from ugly to very lush and pretty

It was a gorgeous day today to be outside and working! Yes I put the last of the plants in the ground and added a few more seeds to my garden as well. I am hoping we are past the "it might freeze tonight"kind of weather. I have also included a pic of the area I was working on last week. We have sod now....I just have to keep it from dying!!!Before pics here.
I also mowed the lawn and helped pressure wash the deck that needs resealing. Why all this work in one day you ask? Well DH has meetings all this week so he won't be able to do it and if I get it done now....I get to play/sew while he is at the meetings. Of course the only exception is if the weather co-operates and stays clear...I will have to coat the deck with a layer of sealant.

that's me getting a turn to use the machine

I am also hoping with an hour or so this evening that I might get in some slow stitching and finally finish hand quilting my snowman quilt. I warned you earlier that you would be hearing alot about it!!You can see it here.
So that will be my slow stitching for today. But I have popped in on my friend Kathy and checked out what others are up to!

I am also looking forward to my annual Piranha retreat. We are on countdown.....12 more sleeps till they arrive!!(Slow stitching Kathy included) I have heard from a couple of them and they already have projects packed and hopefully are as excited as I am to be together for a weekend again!

That will also be when I can sit back and enjoy looking at all the work I have been doing in the yard!

Have a great week everyone!

Gardening Season

as I started & remembered to take a pic

The snow has finally gone..well a month or so ago. The temperatures are warming up enough so I can get the gardens in. A bit of rearranging and planning and the seeds are starting to show their faces. I have three large jobs laid out for myself this summer. Paint the front deck, waterproof the back deck and landscape or clean up this area between my house and vegetable garden. So of course I do the hardest one first. I have been working on it for a couple of days with DH help. It is now ready for sod which will come on Tuesday. So now I can get back into my sewing room.

all ready for sod to make it look pretty!

Last night after working all day outside, we headed to the DH's family cottage to do some fishing. I take along my hexies and stitch away while the minnows swim around trying to find us a fishy!!

Next Saturday I am teaching a scrappy churn dash class at guild. I have to get my stuff together and be ready. It will be an information class as well as piecing class. I am going to try to give them information on storing and making scrap quilts. Also plan to fit in how to decide what scraps to use.

So at some point today I will get some slow stitching done whether it is hexies and fishing or I get to sit at my hand quilting frame and get that quilt done. The nice weather has really slowed the progress on that one. So I will be joining my friend Kathy to slow down and relax today. I would also like to say a belated ....very belated happy birthday to Kathy. You kept that one quiet!Also Happy Birthday wishes to my friend Louise (another Piranha) We will celebrate in a couple weeks when we get together for our annual "Piranha Weekend!" If you check here and here you can see what we did last year! The weekend will be here before we all know it...getting excited!!!

Life happens!

Yes life happens and before you know it...a week has gone by. I had good intentions of posting after the events of last week but one thing lead to another and then a long weekend(with much work to be done outside) and here we are Tuesday!!!

Group shot

So bear with me and let me rewind a bit. Last Tuesday was our monthly guild meeting and the exciting part was we had a guest Carla Alexiuk of Quilting by the River. She is a local-ish teacher(in Northern Ontario, 3 hours or less is local) who I got to know when I lived in Sudbury. She did a wonderful trunk show for us which was a prelude to the workshop she taught the next day. A little water issue where she was suppose to stay opened an invitation to stay at my house. Thank goodness I had cleaned the house the day before!!

my block sample

Funny story happened too! I carpooled to the guild meeting leaving my vehicle in the town next to mine to be picked up that night on the way home. With the change of plans, Carla drove me home after we visited a quilt store of course! Once home, I questioningly look at DH and asked where was the van and he looked at me just as strangely and said " you have it!" Hmmmm....bahaha guess I will be picking it up tomorrow morning on the way to class was my answer!!!
Needless to say the evening went by very quickly. You know what happens when you get two quilters together. DH just listened, he couldn't hardly get a word in...but we let him speak every now and again!
The workshop the next day had 21 ladies enjoying Carla's pattern River Rocks and learning with the Studio 180 rulers. It always amazes me how you can take simple bare bones units and put them together and have a wonderful block that then makes a great quilt.

After class we sent Carla on her way home and we headed to our own.
The pieces for the quilt sit on their paper plates(Carla's idea) waiting to be worked on. That will happen this week at a UFO day unless I get a chance before that.

Being so busy this weekend, I missed linking up with my friend Kathy. But you can still check in with her and her loyal followers and see what everyone is doing!

Today I am catching up on things indoors. I need to be out of the sun(too much yesterday) and it looks like it might rain anyways.

Lazy Sunday

class quilt

Happy Mother's day to all the moms in blogland. It has been a quiet yet wonderful day for me. A full day of sewing with the windows open letting in the smells and sounds of Spring!

baby quilt with churn dashes

I have been in a sewing fit this week. I just wanted to sit at the machine and do some piecing. So I finished the top for a class that I will be teaching in a few weeks. I was working on miniature churn dashes...but I put them on point according to the pattern that I was following. Once it was done, I realized that I didn't like how they looked. They no longer looked like churn dash blocks at all....so what is a girl to do!?! Yup I started another one. Scrappy but with a little more rhythm and reason to it.It is also going to be a bit smaller as I don't have time to do a larger one. This one will be a baby quilt.


In my need for piecing at the machine, I also completed this little quilts this week. They will find a home with some little people in need. I give them to a guild member who is a member of VICARS.So fun to make when you are in need of a sewing fix!

wee quilts for stuffed animals

I will be checking in with Kathy and seeing what everyone is doing. I have missed a few weeks so I am wanting to catch up with everyone.

Challenging challenges!

Where does the time go? One day you decide to sew up little tiny 3" finished churn dash blocks. Mostly I sewed on them at retreat last Fall. Everyone thought they were cute but that I was crazy! I  saw this quilt in a magazine and offered to teach it at my guild this Spring so I had to get it done.

Once the blocks were done I had to find the perfect or almost perfect fabric to be the alternate square. I didn't want to buy anything as like most of you, I was sure I could find something in my stash that would work. I pulled out several options and questioned my friends on which fabric would work. This is their choice and it is growing on me!

Now my problem...once I put the churn dash blocks on point for the quilt, I didn't like them anymore.They now look like some strange cross or emblem. Also the quilt isn't as big as I would like. So what is a girl to do but make another one and this time I won't be putting it on point. My class is in about three weeks...I can do this!!!