DESIGN WALL MONDAY

This is laid out on my design floor!  I finished the 48 blocks of half log cabins, and after playing with EQ7, decided on this layout.  I have sewn the seams in one direction, and the others are pinned, but I haven't finished them yet.

Sunday we headed off to Kitchener for the final wedding dress fitting.  This is the first time the bride has seen the dress completed except for the hem, and she was really excited.  I pinned the lining hem up out of the way before heading out, and was able to find a good length and pin the hem.  She practiced walking in the floor length dress, and had no problems with her shoes/hem.  Her shoes have a buckle on the side and a decoration on the top, and I wanted to avoid any small catches on either.  We had a good visit, and DH took DS2 out to pick up some groceries before we left, while I had a lovely chat with the bride, who is fighting a cold.  I also found a solution to the "something borrowed, something blue" tradition (she already has the something old and something new).  I hunted through my dresser and found some old hankies that had been given to me by my Grandmother.  One had some blue embroidery, so it will fit the bill!

We made a short stop in Toronto, to check out some items at a kitchen shop, then had another uneventful trip home - 12 hours door to door.  Good thing DH doesn't mind the drive!

Today I'll be back in wedding dress mode.  I also want to make her a small drawstring bag, using leftover satin and lace, so she can carry some essentials on the big day. 

Check out all the creativity at Judy's Patchwork Times

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

No change from last week....

Used this week 0 yards

Used year to date  67.675 yards

Added this week  7 yards

Added year to date  108.875 yards

Net used 2012    -41.25 yards

I've been sewing the half-log cabin blocks together, but nothing is finished, so nothing to report!

Hope everyone else is making progress.  Check it out at Judy's Patchwork Times. 

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.....

I haven't been posting very often.  It always takes me a while to get settled after our semi-annual relocation.
This week has been filled with dental check-ups, annual physicals, shopping to re-stock the pantry/refrigerator/freezer, and of course working on the wedding dress.

We are headed to Kitchener on Sunday for a final fitting.  I still want to make her a small purse with the leftover satin and lace.  I have to discuss the design with her on Sunday.

 In the meantime, I've been sewing half log cabin blocks.  I decided to use a 6x8 block layout, and I just finished all 48 blocks!  I even chose a layout design using EQ7, so when I get the dress done, I can get busy with this quilt top!  EQ7 also told me that I've used 3.5 yards of fabric from my scrap bins.  Another incentive to get this quilt completed - so I can count the fabric as "used" in a future stash report!

Weekends are the best time to bake and do laundry, thanks to the Ontario "time of use" billing for electricity.  Saturday I'll be catching up on laundry, as well as baking some more bread - cinnamon-raisin- fruit  I think!

I hope everyone is finding some time to quilt - I try to squeeze in a bit every day. 

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I had not done any quilting since we arrived home!  Too busy unpacking, grocery shopping, working on the wedding dress, catching up on mail, bills, etc.  Saturday was no different!  Baked bread, caught up on the laundry (darn time of use billing!)

Saturday afternoon, I just had to sew something, so I pulled out my overflowing bins of 2 inch strips, and took out everything that was blue or neutral with a small design.  Before I knew it I had 13  blocks completed!

Sunday, we were on the road at 6:45, heading for Kitchener.  We managed to sail through Toronto, and arrived around 10:30.  Had a cup of tea and a fresh baked scone with DS2, then did a fitting on the dress.  I have to take it in in several places (I always err on the large size when altering a pattern).  I was worried that I had made the dress too long - I had lengthened the waistline by 1/2 inch, and added 4 inches to the length of the skirt.  I should have trusted my initial measurements, as I'll have enough length for the hem, with just a bit of trimming!  Once the important part was finished, we sat with them both and discussed wedding plans.  They seem to have things well in hand, but we were interested, and offered some suggestions.

Soon it was time to head out, so we called DS1, to let him know we were on our way.  Made it into Toronto in no time, and had a great visit with him and his wife.  She has just finished her courses in editing - she is changing her career field.  She is in the process of looking for some unpaid internships in the field.  They are undergoing renovations of their bathroom by the landlord.  It was supposed to take 1 week, but they just finished the end of week 2, with no end in sight!  DIL works at home, and has to deal with no water etc., each day!  I think they are working on finishing the drywall this week, which will mean tons of dust everywhere, no matter how careful they are.  I'm sure she'll be happy when it is finished.

I have to change hats now - returning from "quilter" to "wedding dress maker".  Check out all the wonderful things on others' design walls at Judy's Patchwork Times!  

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Used this week 0 yards

Used year to date  67.675 yards

Added this week  7 yards

Added year to date  108.875 yards

Net used 2012    -41.25 yards

I haven't made a report for a while - too much packing, travelling and unpacking.  I only bought 7 yards of fabric on my trip.  Pretty good, since we visited 3 awesome quilt shops and the Cincinnati quilt show on the way.

This blue and white dragonfly print will become an apron for my future DIL.

This dragonfly stripe with flowers and dragonfly panel was too cute to pass up!

A couple more pink fat quarters for an applique project that is in the planning stages.  Not exactly what I was after, but I should be able to make it work!

Guitar fabric to be used in a 13th birthday quilt for our Godson.  The charcoal fat quarter was a "just because" piece.

I found the quilty ruler fabric in one quilt shop, and the coordinating thread fabric in another.  The gold and green are just a couple of "go withs".

Now head over to Judy's Patchwork Times to see how others are handling their stash.

JUST CHECKING IN........

We arrived home, safe and sound, on Sunday night.  Discovered that our phone had been turned on, but only to incoming calls!  DH managed to get everything up and running by noon on Monday.


I've spent most of this week unpacking and then moving my sewing tables around a bit in my room.  Not sure if I like the new design, I'll have to wait until I try it out for a while.  Pictures later.....


 Yesterday morning DH and I sat and did our taxes and he took them to the post office, then in the afternoon, I managed to alter the wedding dress pattern, and get the dress cut out.  DH took over kitchen duty, and I have the back and front sections of the dress and lining stitched. 

This morning I'm heading out to a friend's home to help her make sunhats for her granddaughters and other youngsters in her extended family.  She was having problems with the pattern, and hopes that I can help.

When I get home, I plan to stitch the side seams of the dress and lining, and begin the lace cape with hood.  We'll probably make the trek to Kitchener on Sunday for the first fitting.  I think I have lots of time to complete the dress, but DH is worrying, and I'm sure the bride will be happier, seeing some progress.....

DAY FIVE - HEADING NORTH AGAIN

DH and I had fun at the Cincinnati Quilt Show!  Here's the entrance to the convention center.

They had this quilt with banner set up by the entrance, and even provided a volunteer to take pictures with your camera.  We decided to let the quilt do all the talking.
 

This project was made by local quilters, with each panel depicting a favourite place in Cincinnati.  It continues in the next picture.

 This sign was displayed over 2/3 of the quilt displays, so we only have a few more pictures of the quilts on display.  I will say that they were mostly "art" quilts, and I missed the more traditional quilts.  
The "art" quilts were 
wonderful and very creative.

I picked up a few spools of thread at the Superior booth - I had already placed 2 large orders over the winter.  I also got some extra bobbins for my Juki.  Other than that, I did little shopping, although I did do lots of touching and drooling!

We left the area and headed north with a few stops along the way.  We'll cross the border into Canada tomorrow, and have a quick visit with DS2 and future DIL along the way.  (I have to get the measurements for the wedding dress).  Hopefully, I'll be sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night!

DAY FOUR - CINCINNATI OH

We started our day with a leisurely breakfast, then headed out to explore.  Our first stop was at Hauck Garden.

We missed the daffodils, bit the azaleas were blooming, and everything was so lush and green!

 Our next stop was the Cincinnati Art Gallery.  They are restoring this old building to incorporate it into the newer building.

DH was interested in the architecture of the building.  The art was amazing, and we had a wonderful visit.  There was a choir singing in a two story hall and the sound was amazing.  There were also many school groups visiting, and it was great to see the enthusiasm in all the kids.

  Our final stop before heading to the quilt show, was the Krohn Conservatory.  The rain forest was lush and green and the misters were working overtime!

The waterfall was adding to the moisture in the atmosphere.  There were silvery water droplets on all of the leaves.

Then we made a visit to the orchids - I'm always amazed at the variety!

Finally we went to the desert area, with wonderful cactus, agave and other succulent plants of all description.

One of the large areas was closed as they were preparing for the butterfly exhibit that will be opening soon.

DAY THREE - STILL TRAVELLING NORTH

On our way to Lexington KY,  we saw a sign for the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea.  Of coarse, we had to stop for a while.

 They have the work of over 650 artists shown in the huge gallery.  There is a restaurant in one end of the building, and the food smelled wonderful.  Too bad it was too early for lunch!

 Before reaching Lexington, we took a detour to the Red River Gorge area in the Daniel Boone National Forest.


The narrow road snaked along a ridge, with many twists and turns.

We stopped at one of the scenic outlooks to see the view.  It was an amazing site, to see such a deep gorge, filled with rock outcroppings and lush spring trees.

 Our destination was the sky bridge.  After parking the car we headed into the woods along this nice path.  The sign said that it was a mile and a quarter loop.

Here I am venturing across the stone bridge!  You see that I am staying in the center - no guard rails and a long drop on either side.

 The path continued quite a way, and we were starting to go downhill.  Then it made a turn and began dropping quite quickly, with handrails every so often.


There were shallow caves and holes in the rock face, and still we kept going downhill.

We got our first view of the rock bridge!  It looks so substantial from the top, but very narrow from the bottom!

There is a natural fissure along the bottom of the span!

Our final view of the amazing natural wonder.

Now came the hard part - the climb back up!

The trail became steeper every yard, and we were breathing hard by the time we saw this.....

The bottom of a long, twisting staircase!  There were 74 steps to the top of the stairs, then the final part of the trail was the steepest yet!  
Good thing there was a nice bench at the top, where DH and I sat until our heart rate and breathing was back to normal!

We said goodbye to such a lovely place, and headed back along the road, heading to our final destination for the day - Cincinnati OH.
We plan to relax and see the sights tomorrow, then head to the quilt show for the preview evening!

DAY TWO PART TWO

After leaving Athens, we headed north east to Ashville NC.  We always stop at the Folk Art Center at milepost 382 - Blue Ridge Parkway, to see the wonderful crafts made by the members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild.

This time we missed seeing the redbud trees in bloom, but the dogwoods were glorious.





  

 There were two people demonstrating their crafts - one making small glass ornaments, and the other who carves wooden flutes.
There were lovely quilts hung overhead on the way to the galleries.  There were some special displays of glass work, as well as wonderful wood carvings and turned wood items.
The sales area had a huge variety of arts and crafts - I enjoyed seeing them all, but left them all behind!

We headed toward Knoxville, had dinner, then found a place to stay just north of the city.
DH does a wonderful job of finding interesting places to visit on our trips north and south.  It makes the semi-annual trek enjoyable.

DAY TWO

After our arrival in Athens GA last night, we took a short tour of the town.

 This morning we returned to visit the tree "that owns itself".  It's original owner had a deed drawn for the tree, including 8 feet in each direction!

Then we headed along fraternity/sorority row towards the Georgia State Botanical Garden.

We had visited several years ago, but we arrived too late to see the visitor center and the conservatory.  We were surprised to see how many more garden areas were developed.  Some were newly planted, including a rose garden, that will be spectacular in a couple of years!

This is a map of the main garden areas.  There are also walking trails through the woods.

This Kousa dogwood was in full bloom.  I liked the distinctive shaped "petals".

A view of the conservatory from one of the garden paths.

This blooming thistle was beautiful in the early morning sunshine.

This is part of the new garden area, with grape vines and a pear orchard in the distance.

There were lovely surprises around each bend in the path.  All the plants were well labelled.

There were small streams gurgling throughout the garden areas.

This bed of poppies was wonderful in the full sun!

One of the many orchids in the conservatory.

The view from the entrance of the conservatory.

We followed the path to the lower level, and entered a fragrant jungle.