More extravaganza fun

All  my company has gone now...the gloomy day matches how I feel after having so much fun and having to say good bye to my friends this morning. It will definitely be a birthday to remember even though my real birthday was back in January...celebrating can last a whole year

Barb's blocks

Barb's minis

row by row and shop hop blocks-Barb's

After supper we put some of our finished blocks on the clothesline for a photo op! Unfortunately we only got two peoples work  because it started to rain. Barb got lots of blocks sewn and a few mini quilts made too. I worked on blue and white snowflake blocks from a shop hop 3 years ago...never too late to start! I have one more to applique(I think you can see the pins in it on the clothesline) Louise machine quilted a baby quilt and got the binding on it and she also completed a tablerunner and started a second one.Kathy was working on lots of little mini blocks. She moved from project to project so fast I forgot to get a photo of her stuff. But she took a few for her blog and the mini near the water is taken in my backyard on a bridge! I didn't even know she took my sign outside with her...sneaky!!!Last night we relaxed and watch Bonnie Hunter's quiltcam...where we even got our message read by Bonnie and she said hello to our one friend who had to leave on Monday.(very exciting)

Quilting is great fun and relaxing but it is even more fun when done with friends who enjoy the adventure as much as I do!! Thanks "Fabric Piranhas" for a great birthday weekend.

My snowflakes

Now for a little fun. Kathy calls me her "northern blog stalker". So in stalker fashion here are some shots done with only fun and giggles in mind. Large sense of humor needed and maybe a little wine was involved!!                                                   

Kathy is actually at my house!

almost the same nail polish but definitely the same shoes!!

Lots of laughs and fun with girls I call my quilting buddies!

PIRANHA EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

You have been warned

Slow stitching Sunday in the gazebo
Kathy,Me, Louise and Barb

Well it has been a wonderful, funfilled, oh my stomach hurts from laughing weekend/few days, complete with our own "Man Servant". My DH cooked and did dishes for us on the weekend till he had to go back to work. He was even getting into the lingo and was getting afraid of all the estrogen in the room! What I thought was only going to be a weekend has continued into the next week with a couple of my friends. Unfortunately one of us had to return to reality and work!

We took over my family room

Now to explain..We get together every May to attend a quilt festival in Southern Ontario. Barb and I would be on our own scouting till Louise arrived. Louise would check in on our purchases. The one with the most was Piranha 1(usually me) and so the week would go on.When we all turned 40 we got together for a retreat and Barb hung a sign in the door welcoming us to the "fabric piranha clubhouse". We have tried to live up to the name ever since. So on this weekend we welcomed  a new member to the club. We have made many blocks, quilt tops and a few completes have been made. And it true what they say ...that machine quilting is easier after a few glasses of wine!!no pictures necessary!!

I had no idea what I was going to work on but did find a box in my sewing room with blocks from a shop hop I did three years ago. I have been working on them all weekend. Some applique, pieced and some ugly (which I was strongly advised not to proceed with) and have replaced with a nicer block!Unfortunately the new block had Y seams...yikes!!!!!!!!




Yesterday we took a break and went to visit my local quilt shop, The Cottage Quilter. We made a few purchases, bought ice cream on the way home and continued with our shenanigans!!

up close view

So today we continue to sew and quilt and giggle! Louise had a unfortunate incident with her glasses. I had some colourful duct tape which wasn't enough but those red Wonder clips served dual duty. It is our last day sewing as my friends leave tomorrow. Then it is back to reality for all of us. I am sure I will have another post of some finishes later in the week but I have neglected my blog for too long so I am posting today!

Wonder clips not just for quilting!

Today's paper pieced block and one more patched one to go

And oh the things that are growing in my garden...if only it was that easy...where do you get those kind of seeds!

These however are real and flourishing. Red poppies everywhere it seems in my garden...beautiful yes but it means I didn't do enough weeding in the Spring!

I would love to thank my friends for making this a birthday to remember. Quilters really are true friends and I am lucky to have some of the best ones!!

Well.....hello!!

It has been way too long I realize! With summer well underway my time is split up in many directions. Hubby has been out of town with work so I get lots of sewing time during the week, which means yard work on the weekends. Two days versus five days!!! hmmm

sampler quilt

I have been getting things done in the sewing room though.Sandwiched this quilt and am in the midst of machine quilting it. I will do some hand quilting in the large open spaces...just can't bring myself to do it on the machine!

large quilts to big for me to quilt

I also prepped the backings for two very large quilts(one is 101" square and the other is 96x102) that I am sending off to my friend to machine quilt. On the left is Easy Street Mystery from Bonnie Hunter and on the right is a class I took in Fall 2012.Yes I will be quilting them by cheque!!! Also I made the bindings and I am keeping them where I can find them once the quilts come back. I have done this before and lost the bindings. arrgggg!!

bindings marked and ready for finished products

Add caption

This past week I had some time to sit and do lots of hexies. To the point where I have to soon decide what I am going to do with them. I have made one decision and that is to turn them into diamonds. So all the flowers that I have need two more hexies. Then I have to decide about the pathway. White/green/white or green/white/green or just green or just white. There are so many colours in the flowers that I think that I can start joining them with the pathway. I am hoping that way to free up some of my cardboards from in behind my work so I don't have to make many more. I don't think I plan on ever making another hexie quilt after this one, so I want to do something special! When the purple fabric for the center runs out I will be done because that is all the fabric I have and can't find more!I thought I had a lot more flowers completed already. I fear there is a box of them somewhere!?!?

I am planning and preparing for company this weekend. Three of my friends/fellow quilters are coming to stay at my house for a quilty weekend! PIRANHA EXTRAVAGANZA that is what we are calling our retreat. You will have to come back to see why!!!
It is all part of my 50th birthday present from my hubby. Food and treats and maybe a bottle of wine or two is all on him!!! I am really looking forward to this. We all got together a couple of years ago for a day so having a whole weekend is going to be nice. You can bet there will be pictures to follow. One of the girls is Kathy from Slow Stitching Sunday, so I am sure some pics may find their way onto her blog as well.
Although I am posting this on Monday, I did get some more hexies made last night.

Rolling right along

Another week and a couple of days...but who's counting, I am joining Slow stitching Sunday a bit late!! I have more things finished and showed them at guild today. So happy to be moving along onto more projects. Our theme challenge is complete. I used a pattern idea from Quiltmaker magazine to make my wallhanging. We were given one fat quarter (blue print) and we could add as many more as we wanted but had to include the themes of each month. Bird, flower, heart, insect, any thing, any block were the themes. I really love the finished product and it is already hanging over my computer table in the family room. Also completed the Kleenex box challenge. Think it will make the perfect baby quilt for someone!!


Kleenex box challenge

Also finished  and sent away, a baby quilt for my great nephew. This is the photo I got back.
I think he likes it!!

 Now because I have finished these I am in a place now wondering what and which project to do next. I am going to visit my friend Susan this weekend to sew, so maybe that will be the starting day. Until then I am working on an on going quilt.168  4 1/2" string blocks and 840 half square triangles finishing at 2"...YIKES!!!

 These are pics of the quilting on my large quilt I just finished. Kathy wanted to see the quilting up close. I must say I am not very good at it but it is hard to capture quilting. Just in case I also included a pic of the actual stencil. She will get to see it later this summer when she comes for a visit...I am so excited about that, the last part of my 50th birthday present. There will be four of us, Barb, Louise, Kathy and myself. Will be a very entertaining weekend! But that is not for a few weeks so many more projects to get done between now and then. Happy sewing!!

A week of finishes

finally done the quilting

I might be playing while DH is away during the week but I am getting some quilting done! I was determined not to write this post till the quilt was off the poles and it happened today. It is finally finished. I always start out with good intentions and they get lost somewhere about half through quilting a quilt, then I can see the end is near and go all crazy. My poor fingers are full of pin pricks!! Now this week while DH is gone I will be putting on the binding and starting to put together these 6" blocks.

little one's quilt, big boy toy in background

I also got a baby quilt done this week and shipped off to its new owner...my great nephew. I hope he will love all the trucks and the roads to drive his little trucks on! I had the truck pattern and fabric picked out and then I found this panel that was so perfect!
The gardens are finally all in so I am hoping for more sewing/quilting time. Check in with kathy and see what others are up  to today on slow stitching Sunday. My slow stitching has been all afternoon so tonight ...relaxing I think!! Maybe I will get reaquainted with my knitting project that has been put on the back burner of late.

Where is the timing going?

It is the first day of June...how did that happen? Well things have certainly been changing around here.Warmer temperatures have given me the itch to get outside. An itch in one than one way. Seems the mosquitos are especially hungry and plentiful this year ...thank God for bug coats. I have been working in the garden and DH and I have added two veggie gardens although they are not right at the house. One is a 5 minute drive away and the other is way out in the country.It will be for potatoes and root veggies that just have to grow and don't need much tending.We are headed there today to plant the last of things, so my stitching today will have to wait till later on. Just have to add a pic of one of my flowerbeds. The oak tree we moved last year. My dad planted it from an acorn and it has been moved two other times. We are so glad it has survived and it doing well. The flowers I just added yesterday for colour and when those poppies start to bloom, this bed will be very colourful.

Mama Robin has returned to our lean-to off the garage again. These pics are only 1 1/2 weeks apart. The little ones sure do grow fast. They are almost falling out of the nest!

With the warmer temperatures, I am finding my basement sewing room to cold for comfort so like last year I have moved temporarily upstairs. We don't use this living room much since we have a family room so here I am...it works for me! The wooden table I rescued. It is a solid sturdy table and works well for sewing on.As you can see I still have a bit to go on the quilt on the frame. Along with that, if I get any time to sit, I will be stitching on "love blooms here" a challenge piece for one of my guilds. We are to bring it tomorrow night to show. It won't be finished but that is okay!Check out what everyone else is up to who is joining Kathy on slow stitching Sunday!                                                                                                                    

Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all my quilty friends and new friends in blogland a Happy Mother's day! We are having a gorgeous day here in Northern Ontario.The sun is shining and there is a nice breeze to dry my clothes that I have put on the line for the first time this year. I even have some windows open but had to turn down the furnace that want to run! So I guess it isn't quite summer yet!

I have managed to get quite a few projects a step closer to being down. A baby quilt that is headed to North Northern Ontario(I think they still have snow) is complete. Not sure if it is a girl or boy so went somewhat neutral although after I started cutting found out the focus fabric is all little farm boys...oh well I think she is having a boy! And that my story and I am sticking to it!!!

The "love blooms here" letters are for a challenge for one of the guilds that I am finishing up. I only have one more block to make and then put the top together. And aren't these little trucks cute. They are going with a panel to make it larger for another baby quilt I am making for a great nephew.
Now I just have to find time to get downstairs and complete these projects. Add to that an armful of fabric I just brought home from my mother's house. She was at a yard sale and bought a big box of fabric. Lots of VIP but I managed to find some nice Northcott in the pile.

I was feeling pretty special yesterday when I received a delivery of flowers for Mother's Day. My daughter sent them to me as she was not coming home this weekend. Special because I don't normally get flowers. DH idea of flowers would be picking wild ones but since it is early I should be glad he didn't pick the few daffodils that I have blooming instead he gave me a little stash of cash. It is to be used this week when I go to my fav quilt  store for her annual May sale!!!
I hope you are all having a wonderful day and enjoying your stitching on whatever you are working on. I am linking kathy up with  for slow stitching Sunday. Join her and see what everyone else is doing today!!