DESIGN WALL MONDAY

Nothing on my wall, except orphan blocks.  I finished all the "B" blocks yesterday, and stitched part of the first rows together before DH returned home and needed my assistance.



We are having our second day of rain this week - more than we need!  Lake Ontario is overflowing its banks, docks are under water, picnic tables are floating!  A friend went out in a boat and sailed down the St. Lawrence river a ways, taking pictures of all their normal docking places - almost all closed and underwater!  I wish we could share our abundance of water to places that are in serious drought!

My garden is green, and the irises are blooming, but they don't like the steady rain any more that I do....

The good thing about a rainy day is that it is good for quilting time.

Check out what others are working on at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week 0 yards

Fabric used year to date  72.375 yards

Fabric added this week 0 yards

Fabric added year to date  51 yards

Net used 2017  21.375 yards

 

Lots of sewing this week, but no finishes yet!  I have 2 loaves of oatmeal bread rising in pans, and 2 loaves of white bread on its first rise this morning.  We also had a nice Skype chat with our son, daughter-in-law and grandson.  They've been busy in the garden all week, and have some of their veggie garden planted.  They'll be out shopping for more plants again this afternoon, after nap-time.

They are still re-working some of the established garden beds, removing plants that they don't like, and replacing with things they do.  They love plants that provide food, so they planted an Italian prune plum tree this spring, and plan on planting some fruiting bushes in the corner that used to be taken by the large tree that nature removed.  This year, they are adding compost and nutrients to the soil in that area, so it will be ready for its new plants next spring.

We have a busy week planned, with a night at the theatre on Tuesday, and a graduation dinner for our friends' daughter on Wednesday.  She is receiving an engineering degree from Queen's University in Kingston.  DH and his friend also have 3 performances at local nursing homes this week as well, so I hope to get the alternate blocks for my quilt project completed this week.

IRISH CHAIN PROGRESS

I've been busy stitching this week.  I had a stack of 4-patch blocks completed, but had to make lots more to complete the 60 "Block A" units.







Today I cut all the "white" units to make "Block B" units.  These are much easier, but I have to stitch a dark square to both ends of 120 "white" strips.  I have my bin of dark squares, waiting to go! 


That will have to wait for later - I promised DH that I would make a dessert for dinner tonight.  I think an Apple Crisp is in our future!   I also need to bake bread tomorrow, so I'll be able to sew while waiting for the dough to rise.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

We received great news yesterday.  The eldest daughter of our dear friends is getting married on September 2nd!  We have know the bride since she was a year old, along with her middle sister who graduates with an engineering degree next week, and her brother, who is our Godson!  This will be quite the year for this family, and we're happy to be asked to share their celebrations.  Of coarse, I spent the evening coming up with a plan for a quilt for her and her husband to be!  

When looking through my orphan blocks, I found these six blocks, leftover from a double Irish chain quilt that I made a few years ago.

I also had a stack of 4-patch blocks that I made as "leaders and enders" during the winter.  Using these, along with 2-patch units with a light fabric and a centre dark square,  I'll have the blocks made in no time!  I have already pulled an assortment of light fabrics for the alternate blocks as well.  I want to have lots of time to concentrate on the quilting of this special quilt. 

I'm joining others at a new "design wall Monday" link-up today, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

STASH REPORT

Fabric used this week 1 yard

Fabric used year to date  72.375 yards

Fabric added this week 0 yards

Fabric added year to date  51 yards

Net used 2017  21.375 yards

I decided to keep reporting my used fabric, even though Judy has stopped hosting the weekly stash report.  I enjoy seeing how I'm doing, and keeping track of finished projects.

My "used fabric" this week was making bindings for 3 of the 4 quilts I've been machine quilting for my guild's community quilts group.  The quilts will be donated to various places in our community.

I just received news that our Godson's eldest sister will be married on September 2.  She is a lovely young woman who we've watched grow up.  Now I have to get myself in gear and decide what type of quilt to make, and get busy!

DH and I went to the garden centre yesterday, and picked up some red and white geraniums for our front planters, especially to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday this year!  We also picked up two cherry tomato plants and a  variety of herbs to grow on our patio.  We've given up planting in our small garden, as the bunnies and babies, along with the chipmunk and squirrel families eat the seedlings as fast as they break through the soil, and even dig up and eat the seeds.  We live in a garden home community, and people insist on feeding all the wildlife, so we are becoming overrun!

We skyped with our son, daughter-in-law and grandson this morning.  Our little one has become reluctant to go to bed lately, and hides.  They've been using the Paw Patrol pajamas that I made, to lure him out, and get him ready for sleep!  Now I'm going to have to look for more PJ fabric.....

 

 

MACHINE QUILTING

I attended my guild's community quilts work day last week.  There was a stack of quilt tops waiting for quilting, as usual.  We found backings, and pin-basted 8 quilts of varying sizes, as well as sewing labels on quilts ready to be distributed, sorted donation fabric, checked the binding that someone had made and donated as well.  I brought 4 quilts of varying sizes home with me to finish.
 
The first quilt was made from a small, square panel, and had multiple borders added.  I quilted swirls in one half of each square, and a stylized flower in the other half.

The blue fabric at the top of the picture was part of the centre, and there were 4 more borders added.  I had fun stitching a different motif in each border, and used variegated thread on the final border.

The second quilt I've been working on had "stack n slash" nine patch blocks, made from bright colourful kid's prints.  I looped back and forth, changing direction in each square. 

I stitched green leaves in the sashing between the blocks.  There is still one more border to quilt on this quilt before I start on number 3.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week 1.75 yards

Fabric used year to date  71.375 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  51 yards

Net used 2017  20.375 yards

Our grandson, age 27 months, loves Paw Patrol.  I found some fabric, and made him a pillowcase.  

He likes to help Mom and Dad in the kitchen, so I also made him his own apron.

I think he'll like wearing it, as both parents wear aprons in the kitchen.

I attended my community quilts group on Tuesday, and we pin-basted quilts all day!  I brought home 4 to quilt, add binding and labels.  As usual, we had a delicious potluck lunch, with our hostess' husband making a large pot of chicken soup !

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

ON THE NEEDLES MAY 12

I sometimes knit for our cousins, who raise alpacas.  I saved one skein of brown yarn, called Casino after the first baby born to their herd.  I wanted to try making a beaded shawlette, but had difficulty finding the correct size beads locally.

I managed to find some in an assortment of copper colours during our winter in the south.

 The mixture had matte copper beads, along with 4 different colour of glass beads with copper interiors.  I had a small crochet hook in my collection that was the perfect size to add the beads to the stitches as I knit.

It was difficult to photograph to show the beads, but it looks great in person....
See what others are knitting at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY 7 MAY 2017

Fabric used this week  0 yards

Fabric used year to date  69.625 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  51 yards

Net used 2017  18.625 yards

We've been home for a month, and my report hasn't changed at all!

We seem to take longer each year to get back into the groove.....

We've had lots of rain since we returned, and there is some localized flooding, but not near our home, so far.  Lake Ontario has an extremely high water level, and many docks and waterside properties are flooded as well.  The damp weather, along with our return to a home with stairs has been playing havoc with my knee.

We've had 2 trips to spend time with our grandson, and will be returning next weekend again - our younger son and daughter-in-law are celebrating their 5th anniversary.  We plan to send them out for some together time.  They had a huge fir tree uprooted in their yard during a late winter storm.  Most of it fell into the neighbour's yard, but the uprooted stump remained in theirs.  DH has been trying to dig it out, and cut off as many parts as he could, but finally had to give up - it is just too large.  Our son had a company come and give him an estimate for grinding the stump, and since the 5th anniversary is "wood", we offered to pay for the work....

I attended my guild meeting on Wednesday - great to see lots of familiar faces.  I sat with 2 newish members and told them about several of the fun activities coming up.  We played "strip bingo" - the cost was 8 fabric strips @ 2 1/2 inches by WOF.  I was relieved when I didn't win - I have every inch of storage space packed, so I better get using some fabric!  I was handed two small quilts to complete for our community quilts project, and spent the last 2 days machine quilting, and attaching the binding and sewing on the label.  It gave me time to catch up on some of my favourite TV shows that have been waiting.

I've been working on a super scrappy quilt top, using lots of orphan blocks and small bonus half square triangle units.  It is super scrappy, even for me, but I'm sure it will keep someone warm when it is finished.

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