Another Hunting Season

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

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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

A New Addition

Introducing...."Vicki"

Not that I was expecting it! But I have added a new addition to my .....sewing room!!!It was a guild meeting like any other till just about the end when someone said to a member "tell us about your machine". Innocent enough but what she said got my attention!
"This is my sister's machine that she wants to sell", not just any machine but a feather weight! Woohoo!!!
Checked it out, test drove it and bought it on the spot! Well the cheque is in the mail today! I googled the serial number and she was born Jan 1955 but looks brand new! I would have to say she was hardly used and I sewed on her today and she runs beautifully. Can't wait to spend some more time with her.I will have to look into getting some more bobbins and maybe a 1/4" foot.

Well this week of hunting season is over and it went by quite quickly although I did get lots of sewing done.I will post pics when the top is done. I was just excited to show off the new addition!!

It's Hunting Season!

That means two things around here: one my annual quilting retreat is over and two, I have a week of quiet sewing while DH is away hunting!

crostini appetizer

chocolate heaven on a  plate

So this past weekend we had our annual retreat at a new location and was it worth the change!! We had a chef not a cook but a great CHEF!!!These are just a sample of what it looked like when our food came to our table. Then all day we got to sew. Only minor complaint was the lighting could be better but we made due.Laughs, giggles and friends what else could you ask for!! Even got a few things sewn.

trout  

It is also a great week cause I get to start a new project. That's right the wedding quilt is finally finished.It just needs a final washing and I will wrap it up and have it ready for when the newly weds arrive at Christmas time.





I completed this small wall hanging  and all these blocks at the retreat.The blocks are what are on my design wall today too. Love it when I can get so much into one blog entry! The larger blocks are for a quilt for DH's aunt and the smaller four pink ones are a tissue box challenge. Use the colours from a tissue box and create the blocks that are given to us at guild and by June we will have 18- 6" finished blocks...I am thinking a baby quilt!! Sorry if things are a little out of sorts...wouldn't let me preview it and make it look pretty!

Not Just the Seasons are Changing

Oh my in pieces

Altogether,working and in new home

Well it has been a few weeks of changes in my world. Our daughter is in between apartments so we have moved all her worldly possessions into our living room for two weeks. This meant that my temporary sewing room had to return to the basement. That created a situation since my sewing room downstairs has become a dumping ground as of late. Also last week DH was on holidays and very busy doing things around the house. This is great except I felt guilty not being as productive so I completed a few furniture refinishing jobs that I have been putting off all summer,including a treadle sewing machine. So now not only do I have to clean out the sewing room but I have to make room for my newly refinished treadle machine too!!! YIKES

Oh how did it get so bad

AHHHH much better

So yesterday was the day. I headed downstairs determined to get at this mess. A mere 6 hours later I had the room cleaned up and the treadle machine found a new home in there too. Now all I wanted to do was sit down and sew but alas it was guild night and I had to make supper and get ready!

My Orca Bay

Now it is not like I haven't been busy too. I am to the binding stage on the wedding quilt and I have completed my Orca Bay mystery of Bonnie Hunter's. Along the way I have fitted in some knitting too. So today is a play day for me in my cleaned up sewing room. Hope you enjoy whatever you are doing today too!