DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I don't have any quilting to show yet, I still have to unpack all my sewing stuff - but - yesterday, DH altered my sewing table so my new machine will fit!

There he is, sanding the edges smooth.  I use an old folding table.  It weighs a ton, as it has a heavy plywood top.  DH built a box for my machine to sit in, and luckily, he only had to enlarge the opening to fit my new machine!

We were out shopping again this morning - a daily occurance for the first week at our home in the south.  DS2 and his wife are arriving on Saturday to share their 2 week vacation with us.  I've been looking forward to spending more time with my newest daughter-in-law!

Check out all the quilty creativity at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  0 yards

Fabric used year to date  184.25 yards

Fabric added this week 10.5 yards

Fabric added year to date  60.875 yards

Net used 2013  123.375 yards

I placed an order before we left and the parcel was delivered on Saturday' adding 4 yards of stripes.

Our stop to Mary Jo's Fabrics on the trip also added 6.5 yards. Since I'm trying to use my stash, I picked up some more "neutrals" and the fabric with chocolates and strawberries will be used for a brown/pink/white quilt I'm planning to start soon!

Check out everyones' progress at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

HEXAGON FRIDAY

I'm a little late posting, but better late than never!

 

I managed to get several units stitched while driving south, although it was slow going, with all the bumps along the way.  There was lots of construction on our travels!
We arrived "home" Friday afternoon, and were greeted by several of our southern neighbours.  We are early this year, so there are still many homes closed up, but people are arriving daily.  We unloaded the van, then made a grocery run, and ate dinner at home!  DH and I get tired of eating out very quickly, so we had a simple dinner of steamed green beans, sweet potato and roasted chicken (I did cheat and buy it already cooked!)
I've been unpacking all morning, while DH began the clean-up outside.  He likes to get all the siding washed, along with our screen room so we can get it all "livable".  Tomorrow I'll help clean the windows in the sunroom, aka my sewing room, then after a good vacuum and a floor wash, I'll be able to unpack the remainder of the sewing stuff.  DH does have to alter my sewing table - my new machine has a much bigger footprint, and I like the machine to be set into the table so I have a level surface for machine quilting - it makes such a big difference!
Now back to unpacking, dusting, rearranging etc.

TOUCHING BASE

DH and I are on the road.  We stopped in Gastonia NC this morning for a quick trip to Mary Jo's Fabrics - I-85 Exit 21!  Then off to Charleston where DH's new 12 string electric guitar was waiting to hitch a ride south!
We ended the evening in Savannah GA, and after dinner, headed over to the Savannah Historic Theatre on Bull St. where we enjoyed "Savannah Live!"  We'll be back on the road in the morning.....

HEXAGON FRIDAY

This will be my last report for a while - we're on the road next week!

I managed to finish the first side border this week.  I did some stitching in the car on our road trip to Niagara, and in between checking lists, packing, and making my sewing room more tidy!

I still have 5 more units to stitch to the main quilt top!  I'm beginning to wonder if I'll have enough of the fabric I've been using for the outer edge, so I found two pieces that are the same colour and hue, and I think I'll use them for the top and bottom outer edge.
I'm hoping I'll get some sewing time in on our trip south, but I'm usually too busy looking at scenery, and watching for signs of interesting places to stop along the way!

A WONDERFUL FAMILY WEEKEND

Unfortunately DH forgot the camera, so we'll have to wait for pictures from our family!
Saturday, DH and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary!

I still have to scan in our wedding pictures, but this is one of me and my sister-in-law/maid of honour!
We spent a quiet day at home, then picked up dinner and wine to share with our good friends.
Sunday morning, we were on the road early, heading to our oldest son's home.  We dropped off their Christmas gifts, grabbed their overnight bags and headed toward Niagara Falls.  Our younger son and his wife met us at the hotel, and after checking in, we all piled in our van and headed out to explore the vineyards in the area.  That part of southern Ontario is at the same lattitude as northern California, and is a huge wine producing area.  We stopped at Jackson-Triggs Winery, and went on a guided tour of the vineyard, and the underground wine barrel storage area.  We were given 3 generous wine tastings along the way, then used our hotel coupon for 3 more at the wine bar after the tour.  Two of our family don't drink, but generously shared their wine with everyone.  We made it back to the hotel in time to take the shuttle to dinner, where we laughed and talked for several hours.  My two SDIL's were tired, so when we returned to the hotel, they enjoyed some good books while our two boys came to our room and played some fun card games with us.
It was difficult getting everyone up and going in the morning - DH and I are fairly early risers, so DH went for an early walk to the falls, while I sewed a few hexagons and watched the falls from the comfort of an armchair!  We finally got everyone up, and went for breakfast (really brunch), returned to check out of the hotel, then headed out for another adventure.  Monday we visited Iniskillin Winery, much older and larger than the first one.  We went on a tour here as well, but had our wine bar tastings before the tour. The weather was warm and sunny, and we were able to watch a truckload of grapes being delivered, sorted and de-stemmed before heading to the juicing tanks.  This winery has been a huge winner in the Ice Wine competitions for several years, and one of the samples after the tour was an ice wine made in 2011, that was aged in oak.  I don't usually like sweet wines, but this one was wonderful, but a bit above our budget!
We said farewell to our son and daughter-in-law, and they headed in one direction, while we returned our other pair to their home.  The traffic into Toronto was busy, but moving at normal speeds, and it was clear sailing all the way home.
This time of year is always a bit sad for us, as we don't usually see our family until spring, but his year, our younger son and wife will be spending 2 weeks with us in Florida!
Now I had better get back to checking lists and packing - my brother and his wife are visiting from China and will be staying with us for a day, so I have to be prepared early this year!
 

HEXAGON FRIDAY

I managed to finish 16 of the 24 units for the 1st of 4 borders.  I decided to stitch them together first, then I'll have a marathon sewing session to add them to the side of the quilt.

I finished all my gifts that need to be delivered before we hit the road.  I made some neat luggage tags for some friends and family members who will be travelling in the near future. 
(Pattern found here.)  I could have designed my own, but there are so many available on the internet, it was easier following someone else's directions.  I plan to make more, to donate to my guild's boutique at the next show (2015).

DH gets annoyed with me, as I hate to pack up all my sewing stuff until the last minute - I might need to stitch something!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

This will be my last design wall for a few weeks.  DH and I are in full "heading south mode".  

Last week, while looking for projects to take south, I found a panel with 8 teapot blocks.  I wanted to make a simple quilt with 9 blocks, so went hunting through my files and found the pattern for this great teapot and cup!  It was a mystery block pattern from Paper Panache!  The patterns are very complex, but lots of fun to try!

I used sashing strips to make the panel blocks fit the paper pieced one.  I have the outer border cut, along with the binding, and this project is packed and waiting to travel south.



Today DH made me write Christmas cards!  It has become our annual October job - we leave the cards, ready to mail, and our house-sitter puts them in the mail box December 1st!

Our next job is to wrap presents!  We have a trip planned to Niagara Falls with both sons and their wives next weekend, to help celebrate our 45th anniversary.  DH found a great package that includes falls view hotel rooms, dinner, breakfast, winery tours and vouchers to use at the casino.  We'll be delivering our gifts when we see them, and it is up to them to decide when to open them!



Check out all the creativity at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  5 yards

Fabric used year to date  184.25 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date   50.375 yards

Net used 2013  133.875 yards

I used 3 yards of denim and cotton to make 2 aprons, one for a "now" gift, and one for Christmas.  SDIL2 showed me the wear on her favourite apron, so I decided to dig into my long-hidden box of clothing fabric and use denim for the main part of the apron, with a cotton print for the ties and pockets.  They are already wrapped, ready to take along next weekend when we see our family again.

I haven't done much "crafting" for a while, but I wanted to make something special for my newest daughter-in-law.  I remembered seeing a pattern to make this jewelry box in a magazine in days gone by, but when I went hunting, it was nowhere to be found.  To say that it was frustrating was an understatement, but I won!

  I used around a yard of each of the fabrics, mostly because of errors on my part.  DH didn't think it would work, but he was surprised at the finished item.  Since SDIL2 loves dragonflies, I found this awesome print last winter, and paired it with a light lime green fairy frost for the interior.  I was looking for a colour that would allow gold and silver items to show well, and this seemed to work the best!  The finished box is just over 6 inches square and around 4 inches tall.  I used a  ponytail elastic as the closure.  The 3 interior trays are glued to different sides, so that they pull open when the box is opened.

It is really meant for earrings and small pins and necklaces.  I'm pleased with the end result, but I won't be making more any time soon!

Hope everyone used lots of fabric this week!  Check the results at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times!

HEXAGON FRIDAY

This is the completed centre of the quilt.  I could stop here, but I want to add the border units as well!

The border units use a different fabric for the centres, and have two different tones of cream/beige/fawn as the fill-in areas.  These units also touch - a first in this pattern.

This shows the placement on the side of the quilt.  There will be a dark border as well, although I haven't decided if I will make another row of hexagons, or applique the edge to a regular straight border strip.  I'll wait until I reach that point to decide.

This picture was taken without the flash - neither shows the true colours of the quilt!

I'm already wondering how I'll quilt this when it is completed.....