Summer is coming to an end

loaves made and a bit for supper

It is Fall Fair season in my area which signals an end to summer and the start of fall and all that brings. My sewing has taken a backseat lately to the garden which needs tending. Produce is ripening and needing to be pickled or bottled. Today I made zucchini loaves, and pesto( I have a great crop of basil this year). Yesterday I picked all the beans and clean,cut and froze them so we can have fresh or as close to fresh veggies this winter.

pesto and enough for daughter too

It was our little town's 96th annual fall fair this weekend. So Friday I loaded up my entries and took them to the arena and then I was a clerk(recording the winners on paper) for the afternoon. Yesterday I went up in the afternoon as DH and band were playing(always fun to listen to). Then at 4, I was able to retrieve all my entries. I did very well this year except in the pickling department. Well the pickles were probably okay but the lids let me down. I had lots of notes on my entries that said "don't use rusty lids".....who would do that really!!! I have reused lids in the past but not if they were rusty only ones in good condition. I guess like everything else...they aren't being made as well as years ago. So for me from now on...new lids all around. Has anyone else noticed this? Just wondering.


So  now that the kitchen is cleaned up and supper is thawing, I have the afternoon to visit my sewing room. Having just finished a large project, I always find it hard to get started again. Trying to figure out what I want to do next is a challenge...not that there is a lack of projects that need attention. I will be sitting down later today for some slow stitching  with Kathy
I still have binding that needs completing on a gift I am working on. Busy week ahead for me, hope you all enjoy your week too!

Step by step

It really is a process that goes step by step. This morning I just wanted to sew on something fun. I wanted to create. I have a quilt that needs machine quilting and one that is in the process of hand quilting but I just wanted to play with fabric. And so I did just that.

I received this bag of scraps from a fellow guild member. I have already made a few minis from it but there are lots of pieces yet to use. So after sorting and deciding on a few layouts, I got to sewing.
I knew this was going to be a mini quilt but how small did I dare to go. The individual hst finish at 3/4" with the blocks finishing at 3". I added sashing and the whole project finishes at 9x13". I figure I will machine quilt it and that will be my practice for starting on the quilt I have to quilt for September. "Two birds, one stone" sort of thing. Win win!!!But believe me no one ever said making mini quilts was easier than larger ones. It is like looking under a microscope, every little thing  is emphasized. I am quite happy with the result.

Raindrops keep falling on my head....

lilies finally bloomed-now enjoying the rain

No not complaining that is for sure. We were in much need of this rain but it doesn't have to do its catching up all in one weekend but it is trying!! It has been raining, drizzling and or misty since Thursday night. Just what we  and all the gardens needed, a gentle soaker rain.

quilts that still need sleeves.

With all this weather it leaves lots of time for indoor activities. My daughter is home for the weekend and so today I think it will be hand stitching and some movies. I have this pile of quilts that need hanging sleeves for our quilt show in September. So in keeping with Kathy's slow stitching this is what I will be up to today. Not really a project that needs completing but it is something that needs doing! I don't put sleeves on my quilts unless they are going in a show and then I remove them.I have sewn on three already and have five more to do...they are the larger ones. A good job for today. Once these are done I might have time for some more hexies. The units are growing as I start to join them so I know where I have to fit things in.

Happy stitching!

One stitch at a time....

If you look at a quilt and only see the finished product, the process can be so over whelming but one stitch at a time, one unit, one block and it will all come together.
This is what I found out yesterday. Seems like I have been piecing this latest quilt forever...actually started it on July 15 with lots of days of not working on it. Yesterday the blocks became a roughly laid out quilt and the rows started to get sewn together. I will share pics later after the quilt has been delivered. I should have no problem meeting my self-imposed deadline of yesterday...might even get it to the basting stage.

Add caption

This week this photo was shared with me. I made this quilt for a friend's daughter who had a little baby boy. She wanted a forest themed quilt. I was at a loss as to what to make and DH googled forest quilts and this popped up. I am sorry I don't have the original designer's name or information. With no pattern, I drew the critters myself so although they are based on a photo, they are my interpretations. I think this little guy enjoys his quilt and is taking it pretty easy!

Which reminds me, today is slow stitching Sunday. Kathy reminds us to slow down each week and enjoy some hand stitching. This is what was hand stitched last evening and hopefully will help to join some of my larger hexies together.

pile of hexies

That will come later today for me because my sewing machine "Annie" is calling me and more blocks need to become rows and a quilt top.

Cooler days here too mean the iron will be on!! Happy Sunday everyone!

Under the needle today or under the gun?

quilt top to be

Today will be a marathon sewing day. It has been so hot here the last couple of days that I didn't want to put the iron on but today that  will have to be different. Blocks need pressing so I can start putting the quilt top together.I am self imposing a deadline to get the top finished so I can show it at guild on Monday night. Then I can quilt it and be ready before it is due in September.

sale purchases

I took an afternoon off this week and went to my local quilt store as she was having a sale. Clearing out older bolts of fabric to make room for new lines. I emptied a couple of bolts and got backing for a large quilt. At $5 a meter you can't go wrong. Also picked up a cheater panel quilt. The panels are very small but the quilt as a whole is very pretty. Also got a $5 bag of scraps...can't resist those they are like a bag of candy!

Speaking of candy...I can't seem to resist my hexie project at the moment. You can read more about it here. All I want to do is sit and stitch on it. I have put a lot of stitches into it but it doesn't seem to be growing as fast as I would like! Oh well no deadline on that one...it is definitely a work in progress.
 Happy Saturday everyone!

Last day of July...how did that happen?

poppies in full bloom

Seems like only last week we were starting July and now tomorrow will be August. That is going to make for an interesting month as I have at least 3 quilts that have to be finished for September. No hurry or pressure....right! Deadlines always bring out the best in my working mojo!

They are growing

There has been sewing this week in between housework and gardening. Our raspberry patch is producing a bowl of berries a day...yummy! Mostly though I have been hand stitching on these hexies. It is my on-again, off-again love affair with them. I stitch on them for awhile and then put them away for a bit then take them out again. At this rate, it could take years to finish this project and I am okay with that.
Our area is hosting a quilt show in September. It isn't sponsored by any one guild, just whoever wants to put a quilt in it ...can! So I need to get to work and finish one quilt for the show and also put sleeves for hanging on the others that I have entered. But before that show I have to get entries ready for our local Fall Fair which is at the end of August. So many things to do and just not enough time in each day to get them all finished.
Today I will be in the sewing room, trying to be productive and taking this pile of pieces and making it a finished quilt top .But I am sure later I will need a break and some slow stitching will be done just to unwind a bit. I find it so relaxing. So join in today and check in with Kathy and her followers of the slow stitching movement and see what others are working on today. Happy slow stitching Sunday!

MoreTidbits from down south

Tank our quiet observer

More from our Fabric Piranha retreat.This is the last of my few photos.I was a bit lax on my photo taking. I didn't even get one of our set up in the basement of my friend's house. I did get a few shots though. Meet Tank, he watched over us most of the weekend. He also made the perfect backdrop for some bear paw blocks.Even though he was a mount he and his buddy"Big Fella" in the other corner still gave me that queasy feeling in my belly!

4x8' walls of thread

During my trip away, I managed to visit 18 stores. They start to look all the same but different, if you know what I mean. BUT this one particular store in Ingersol, Ontario was a gem. It was a quilting/craft store. I started out as a cross

more thread

stitcher and if I had had this store I might never moved into quilting. I have never seen so much thread, pearl cotton and beads in one room. In another room there were patterns, kits and Aida cloth. In another room there was yarn,wool,patterns and needles and lastly there was quilting fabric and some notions. What a great little store!

While you are road tripping all over southern Ontario, you just never know what you will see. I especially just loved the golden fields at this time of year. We even saw a field that was varying shades of blue/green(cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli). But the cutest was these two cars on the side of the road. If you are familiar with the movie "Cars" you will no doubt recognize these two!

The sheriff and Mater.

Now I am home and things have settled down, it is time for me to get sewing again. I have a quilt that needs to be finished soon. Got to love deadlines, they keep you on your toes.