WORKING ON UNITY

I completed all the part 7 blocks, and stitched them into border pieces.  When I was pinning them on the quilt top, I discovered that I had turned the top and bottom set of blocks 1/4 turn the wrong way!  Frog stitching to the rescue!

DH has been organizing our small garage with hopes to have room for the car!  We may be staying north this year instead of heading south for the winter, so we want the car to be in the garage instead of the driveway, collecting frost and snow.  He has redesigned his work bench, so that it can fold down flat on the wall, and has a huge pile of metal stuff and garbage!  We had some baby items from our grandkids for their stays here, but the youngest doesn't need some of the items any more.  We have a neighbour with a new baby across the street, so DH took the items over to see if she would like them.  They were all of the plastic variety, so easy to clean and disinfect before use.  DH and our friend are making a trip to the dump next week, so then we can test fit the vehicle in the garage.

Back to re-stitching the borders, so I can begin the final part tomorrow!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Hope you are spending the day with those you love.

 DH and his band were entertaining at a local seniors' residence, helping them to celebrate an afternoon full of love and music.

I spent some time on the final stages of a year-long quilt project!

 

BOXING DAY

Our phone rang on Christmas morning, just before 7am.  I heard a little voice say "Santa came to my house!"  It was our signal to get to the computer and connect via Skype with our son and his family.

We sat for over an hour, being entertained by our grandkids, and sharing their joy at Christmas magic.  Our grandson was able to read the tags on the parcels under the tree this year, and helped everyone open their presents.  His sister is just 1, and was interested in the items in each package, but did not want to unwrap anything.  Her favourite items were books and toys with buttons to push.

We shared Christmas wishes with family members far away all day, and I was busy getting our feast ready.  Seven friends and family members shared a fun afternoon/evening, with good food, lots of stories, and 2 delicious pies for dessert, provided by one of our guests.

By the time the leftovers were put away, dishes done and kitchen tidied, it was time for a game and off to bed.

Today, I had a completely lazy day!  I can't remember when I last took this type of day.  Our overnight guests had breakfast and then headed home. We read the paper, watched a couple of shows on TV, had a small turkey sandwich for lunch, and just relaxed.  I didn't even turn on my sewing machine (2 days in a row!)  We'll be enjoying leftovers for dinner tonight.

Tomorrow things will be back to normal.  I have laundry to do, more quilting, check my important to-do list, and get back to a normal schedule.  I also need to go for a bike ride with DH!
My southern quilting group gets back together on January 8th, and I have a couple of things to prepare for them, and I don't want to get behind now the end of the CQA "52 blocks in 52 weeks" challenge is near the end.

STASH REPORT, A SMALL FINISH AND GROUP FUN

Used this week  3.75 yards

Used year to date  98.25 yards

Added this week  14.25 yards

Added year to date  82.75 yards

Net used 2019  15.5 yards

I gave in to a fabric sale at Quilts on Plum Lane in Dade City, and then placed an order at Connecting Threads that included 2 sets of fat quarters for 50% - I couldn't resist.  I chose ones that had colours that I was collecting for some planned winter projects.

My first finish is a small baby quilt.  The blocks were leftover from printed fabric that I used many years ago.  I set some of the small blocks on point, and added triangles, and the others have a small border.  I made piped binding to add a small green accent.

 

I have also been working on my 52 blocks in 52 weeks, but I'm already behind on the last two made available.  These are blocks 26 to 43.  The end is in sight, and then I'll have to play with a layout using 52 blocks!

My quilt group is back in full swing.  We had a dozen quilters on the first week, and a few more yesterday.  Everyone is working on their own projects, and we had fun checking out all the lovely fabrics, helping each other with layouts, suggestions for borders, and understanding written instructions.

DH and his group, Three for a Quarter, are off to entertain at a local nursing home this afternoon.  They volunteer their time, bring lively music, singing and a few silly jokes to brighten the day of the residents.

Yesterday, a member of our southern community came by to drop off some lovely quilting fabrics to share.  She is not doing as much sewing as she had in the past, and thought we could use the fabric to make pillowcases for the charity "Cases for Smiles" or other charity projects.  I plan to spend a few minutes sorting through the 5 bags of fabric, and organizing the smaller scrap pieces by colour.  I'll take them to the group next week to share with everyone.

FINALLY - SOME MACHINE TIME!

This year, we have taken a different approach to getting organized at our southern location.  In the past, we have worked hard every day, doing our "fall cleaning", both inside and out, unpacking everything that travels with us, and restocking the refrigerator, pantry and freezer.  This year, we decided to take some time for ourselves - everything will happen eventually!

The past 2 mornings, I have been working on getting caught up with my blocks for the "52 Blocks, 52 Weeks" challenge from the Canadian Quilters Association.  I purchased 3 shades of batik fabric last February, and have been working away at the blocks in between all our other activities.  I cut the parts for a few blocks, and then work on them, using parts for the "next"  block as "leaders and enders".  This really speeds up production.

Next Wednesday is the first day to get together with my quilt group here.  I have a few small projects planned, and offered to show them how to do some machine thread painting later in the season.

DH's band, called 3 for a quarter, is back together again.  The final member arrived on Saturday, so they have a couple of practices scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, and are playing on Thursday afternoon at the pool patio, for a "happy hour" from 2-4pm.  They will soon be busy with their Christmas schedule, entertaining at nursing homes, senior residences and the local rehab center.  The try to visit each one in the area once per month. 

We Skyped with our family in Kitchener this morning.  Our grandson was happy to see us, and tell us all about his activities.  His Jr. Kindergarten report card will be sent home on Monday,  with the parent/teacher conference the following week.  Our granddaughter has had a fever that has kept her home from daycare for the past few days, but was back mid-week.  My son stayed home with her, and said that he was glad to return to work for a rest.  At 1 year old, she is a busy girl, crawling, climbing on everything, and  trying to take a few steps on her own.

GETTING ORGANIZED

We arrived in our southern home on Friday.  First stop was to buy a new refrigerator, as ours had died of old age over the summer.

I took the time, while waiting for delivery, to empty all the kitchen cupboards, wash them, and re-organize them.  I also pulled a few items that will never be used, to donate to a local garage sale.

After the refrigerator arrived, we headed out for our first shopping extravaganza.  I refuse to buy more than a cart-full, so we will have to return sometime soon, for all the items that were forgotten.

Our son and daughter-in-law sent a couple of pictures of the kids dressed for Hallowe'en.  Young Miss stayed home with a fever.  Our robot (costume by Dad), had to wear his winter coat under everything, but the paint that was used kept him pretty dry on a stormy night.

The fuel compartment collected all his goodies!

Today, DH and I cleaned the windows in the sunroom, AKA my sewing room.  I have slowly started to get items back into place.  I always struggle with the humidity when we arrive, so I work a little, relax a little, until everything is unpacked.  I'm anxious to get sewing, but know that I'm not 50 any more, and need to take my time.  I also ordered the knitting needles that I need to begin a large shawl project for our cousin, using their alpaca yarn - each natural colour is named after the animal who donated the fleece!

Back to work with the next load!

WHERE DID SUMMER GO?

This has been the shortest summer on record, for us.  I think it was just because we have been extra busy this year.  Our 4 1/2 yr old grandson spent 3 weeks with us, and his whole family visited for another week.  We also made many trips to visit the family, as we wanted to spend as much time with our granddaughter as we could.  She just celebrated her 1st birthday last week, and is settling well into daycare.  Her big brother started Jr. Kindergarten in September, and is enjoying his new adventure.  DH and his friend entertained 31 times during the summer, bringing music, jokes and memories to many seniors in nursing homes, rehab facilities, and seniors' residences in our area too!

I spent some time working on a basket quilt, similar to the one that Bonnie Hunter was working on.....

I began while south last spring, using available scraps, and I decided to continue when we returned home.  My light fabric is leftover muslin that has been hidden in my stash of scraps and I needed it to leave the premises!
 
I cheated, and used striped fabric for sashing and borders!

Please excuse the picture - we had to take it indoors, as it was raining, and in our small townhouse that was a real challenge.   I had to open the patio door and stand on the step to get as much as possible in the picture.  

The good news was that this quilt used 14 yards of fabric, for the top, backing and binding!  Now I have to find it a good home!

IN HIDING

I've been staying home, dealing with a horrible cold.  I believe in keeping my germs/virus to myself!  Thankfully, DH hasn't caught it!  I'm in my third week, and I'm tired of feeling tired and "fuzzy headed"!

I've been reading, made some soups, and I've worked on another smocked outfit for our granddaughter.  What would have taken me less than a day to assemble, took most of 2 weeks, working in very short spurts.

I think I'm finally starting to feel better.  Our gang is arriving for a week visit on July 6th, so I still have a bit more time to get back to whatever is my normal self!

Yesterday, I asked DH to help me sort quilts.  I had them in bins, bags, stacked on many surfaces etc.  I find it difficult to work in a mess.  We finally sorted by size, and I chose several to donate to my Community Quilt group, as no one has claimed any of them in a while. 

Back to more sorting...........

HAPPY 2019!

I've been reading many different blogs today, with many goals and resolutions shared.  I don't think I've ever made a resolution or set goals for myself, other than this:

My only choice each day, is to have a good day, and a positive attitude.

I don't set quilting goals, as I sew almost every day.   I enjoy spending time with my grandchildren and other family members.
DH and I celebrated our 50th anniversary in October, and are enjoying our 17th year of retirement.  We have two sons who are happily married, and we have two lovely grandchildren to love and spoil.   We are blessed!

I'M STILL AROUND.......

I think I'm feeling my age more.  It certainly took longer to get settled, and back to my normal routine.  I discovered that I left my bins of strips behind when I packed, so that deleted some projects from my list for the winter months.

My quilting group is up and running, although we started a week late, as the management company decided to shampoo the carpets in the clubhouse - I still think this should be done during the summer months when the clubhouse is used much less.

I had not planned on a project for the group this year.  I always have simple projects for any beginners, and last spring, noone had ideas of what they would like.  Of course, the first week I was asked "what is our project for this winter?"

I dug through my designs, and decided on 2 mystery quilts.  One is small and is paper pieced.  Some of the new members haven't tried paper piecing before, and some others would like a refresher course.  We are also working on a lap sized quilt, traditionally pieced.  This project takes 9 different fabrics, so it will be interesting to see all the choices.  The instructions give directions for each fabric, by main colour, accent colour, and whether the fabric is a shade from dark to light.  

I have finished two baby quilts, made from panels.  When I found the panels, I picked up 2, and some of the coordinating fabrics from the same line.  Since many of the new panels are only 24 inches wide, I made 6 inch blocks to go on either side, and found flannel for the backs.  I called the quilts "Pond Friends" 

 I have one more nearly finished quilt project.  I have been embroidering 12 blocks, one per month, since January.  Since I had the December block almost complete, I went hunting for fabric to finish the quilt.  DH came along, and when I couldn't decide which one I liked best, he took some of the blocks and found a totally different fabric that was just perfect!
I plan on finishing the quilting on this one after Christmas, and I'll have some pictures to share then.

We have 3 couples to come and share our Christmas dinner this year, so I have been baking rolls, cookies, tarts, and other traditional foods in preparation.  Some parts of the meal are being made by others, but DH and I will be making the turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce as well as a rutabaga apple casserole.  We're looking forward to our evening together with people we love.  We'll be visiting our grandchildren via Skype on Christmas morning, watching them open their gifts from Santa.  Our grandson will be 4 next month, and has been enjoying his Lego Advent calendar!  He had a long chat with Santa last week, but we are worried about the gift he asked for......  he wants an animal translator, so he knows what they are saying and can talk back to them!  

Merry Christmas to everyone, and I hope to be a better blogger in 2019!

GETTING SETTLED

 We had a good trip south with rain the first morning, but clear sailing for the rest of the trip.  We drive past Orangeburg SC every time and finally took advantage of a stop to visit the Edisto Memorial Gardens.  
There were lots of roses blooming, so we strolled around, looking at all the wonderful colours.  There are raised boardwalk paths along the river, and many other features.  We plan to stop on our way north in the spring, to see what else is blooming in the gardens.  There was a crew working to put up the Christmas displays, so it should be wonderful during the holidays.

We have shopped both days since our arrival, getting the pantry and refrigerator stocked, along with cleaning products and filling a few gaps in our normal inventory.  I unpacked my totes of fabric, and two Rub.bermaid totes of "stuff".  the remaining 2 totes have quilting items that will be placed in my sunroom/studio for the winter.  First we have to do some cleaning in the screen room and sunroom, and rearrange some outdoor furniture etc.  My machine is going in for its annual "spa treatment" on Tuesday, so that will also give me more time to get things organized.

I've been debating on  Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt this year.  The colours are intriguing, but we were on the road when they were announced, and I wasn't able to pull from my enormous stash!  Maybe I'll save the pattern and make it when I return north in the spring.

FINALLY BACK HOME!

DH and I returned home on Thursday evening.  Our two weeks with our son and family were wonderful, enjoying both of our grandchildren, and taking care of the family so Mom and Dad could rest as much as possible.

The 90 year old mother of a good friend passed away, and we were home in time to attend the funeral.  We know all of her extended family members, and were honoured to spend this special time with all of them.

Friday, DH and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary!  We spent the evening enjoying a lovely meal and a bottle of wine.  We also had calls from family members, and met for lunch on Sunday with DH's sister and husband.

 We have a long list of jobs to take care of before we head south!  The garden needs to be tidied up before the really cold weather arrives, and we plan to shampoo all the carpets, and do a thorough cleaning, so it will be ready to greet us back in the spring!
I also have to decide on quilting projects for the winter.  I think I'll continue on with my plan of using my pre-cut strips and squares of leftovers to make more quilts for donation.  Love to try new patterns using my conglomeration of fabrics!  I also have to plan some projects for my quilting group in the south.

We have a few final appointments in the next 2 weeks, and hope to visit DS#1 and his wife before we go.  There are advantages and disadvantages of living 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 hours away from our sons!  We have a weekly Skype session with DS#2 and family, so we will be able to keep up with the changes in the children.  I'm missing my snuggle time with both our grandson and his new baby sister!

I'm off to work on a project to use up some leftover blocks - great to be back in my sewing room again!

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week 0 yards

Fabric used  year to date 0 yards

Fabric added this week 3.625 yards

Fabric added year to date 28.625  yards

Net used 2018  -28.625 yards

Further into the hole this week - I picked up some packages of batik charm squares, and a couple of yards of clearance fabric.

I finished stitching all the clamshell blocks together, and trimmed them ready to be used in a tote bag.

I completed the alternate blocks for my quilt project - 12 of them, but then noticed that the pieced setting triangles would leave bias edges, so had to plan a new cutting chart to have straight of grain along the outside.

Began getting caught up on my guild's BOM project.  Completed 6 of the 8 blocks, but need to make more half square triangle units to complete the last two.

Pulled fabric from my stash to make a rainbow star block sample - I'll be doing a demo on Wednesday.

I still have to edit the pictures from my guild's last meeting and get them posted to the website!

Lots to get done this week! 
I'm linking up with others at quiltpaintcreate.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week 0 yards

Fabric used year to date 0 yards

Fabric added this week 25 yards

Fabric added year to date 25 yards

Net used 2018  -25 yards  

 

No change this week.  I had a busy week, which included my demo on various ways to machine and hand stitch clamshells together.   I was surprised how many tried the techniques, with some making a quick trip home for scrap fabric so they could join in the fun!

 

My own project has made some progress.  I completed all the pieced units of the first block design.  I have sewn the together in one direction, and all the blocks are pinned ready to stitch.  Unfortunately, our weather became very cold, damp and rainy again, and my sewing room (a sunroom under the carport roof) was just too cold to sit and sew.  Today the sun is shining, and my room has finally warmed up, so I'm off to sew the blocks!

 

I'm linking up with  quiltpaintcreate to share my stash report.

SEWING IN COLD FLORIDA

I'm a Canadian, spending the winter in Florida, and I'm not really complaining about the cold weather here - it will soon pass.  During our time as an Air Force family, we lived as far north as the lower edge of Hudsons Bay, and spent time in various locations in Ontario, as well as 2 years on Vancouver Island.

My sewing room is in a bonus room under the carport.  It is unheated and has a ceiling fan to help with the heat and humidity.  DH knew I planned to spend time there today, so he went out early, and opened the blinds so the sun would warm the space!  By 11am it was toasty, and I spent time cutting fabric, and working to lay out my latest applique project.  I had prepared all the pieces, and was using drops of school glue (washable), along with an iron, to attach the stems and pieces to the background square.  Now I'll have plenty of hand sewing work to do while we watch TV in the evenings.  I also washed all my new fabric, so it will be ready to begin a new project tomorrow.

STILL STITCHING ALONG

Just to keep my hand in, I basted this cute baby quilt panel, and managed to find an afternoon to quilt during the past week.  A little evening TV watching, and the hand stitching was complete on the binding.  This will be donated to the Hugs program at our local hospital, after being logged into my guild's comunity quilts program.

I've been slowly working on Diamond Hill by Esther Aliu.  


So far I have hand appliqued 3 of the 4 main blocks.



The flower colours were chosen to coordinate with some fabric that has been in my stash over 20 years.



When I have all 4 blocks complete, I'll add the strips to the corner of each of them, then give them a good press and cut them to the correct size.

I'll still have the pieced sashing to complete, and the appliqued borders, so I hope to complete this before the end of 2018!

I have pulled the fabric for the flowers and leaves from my selection, and now have to get all the small pieces prepared for stitching.  It is always a time consuming part of applique, but the rewards when your vision appears is worth it.

I plan to keep busy with various other projects at the same time.  I'll be working on some items for my guild's boutique - our quilt show is in early June 2018!  I had already selected quilts that I wanted to enter into the show, but as a few more projects are being completed, I'm changing my mind.  I have until late February or early March to decide, so I'm sure my list will change a lot by the deadline!

FINALLY BACK TO QUILTING! + STASH REPORT

Fabric used this week  0 yards
Fabric used year to date  112.25 yards
Fabric added this week 14 yards
Fabric added year to date  70.25 yards
Net used this year  42 yards


A week after our arrival in the sunny south, our son, daughter in law and grandson, age 2 yr 10 months, arrived for a two week visit.  We had so much fun, with trips to Disney World, swimming, mini putt, and just enjoying time with our family.  My sewing room was closed for business for the duration!
 
After they returned north, we took time to catch up on our sleep, tidy the house, do laundry and just relax for a while.  My quilting group started again, and we've spent 2 Wednesdays getting re-acquainted, and figuring out what we want to work on this winter.  We have some new members too, so we're having lots of fun!

I've been catching up on my guild's BOM project, and I have all the blocks made up to date.

Some of the blocks are made in pairs, all scrappy, and others are made in sets of 4 or more.

 The December blocks are made in shades of green.

I love this time of year in Florida.  The only problem is that it is so nice out, I have trouble sitting at my machine!

DH is helping a neighbour work on his driveway today.  I guess I should get the binding cut for a runner that I've been working on......

Looking at my stash report - I'd better get stitching or this will be my worst report in all the years I've been tracking my fabric acquisition!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I am in mid-pack for our winter visit in the south.  My machine is packed, ready for travel, along with lots of projects to work on over the winter.  My threads, rulers, cutters, and tons of other items too numerous to mention are packed into totes, ready to be loaded in our van.

I have 2 design walls in my basement studio.  This is the smaller one, next to my sewing desk.  I have pinned up some orphan blocks, and have been hoping for some inspiration.  The panel on the bottom left is a tiny "stack n whack" panel, made from leftover fabric.  I might have to finish it as a miniature, or a small wall hanging.
My larger design wall is in the narrow hallway opposite the staircase, and is almost impossible to photograph!

First is my hourglass leader and ender project - I'll continue with this next year....

 When I was making my table topper for my guild's Christmas dinner, it was just as easy to make 2, so the top is in waiting for quilting.

I found the bunny, eggs and flowers appliques in a bag, leftover from a previous project, and had the basket block from a shop hop kit.  I appliqued the parts, and hope to make it into a table topper in the spring.

I used this pretty floral stripe to make a mitered border on a quilt, and just couldn't throw away the cut-offs!

Leftover half units from the one block wonder quilt I made last year.  I'm hoping that inspiration hits, so I can use these pieces.

Right now, they all have to wait until spring, and by then, I'm sure I'll have a few leftovers from my winter quilting to add to the mix!



Fabric used this week  1.75 yards
Fabric used year to date  112.25 yards
Fabric added this week  0 yards
Fabric added year to date  52 yards
Net used 2017  60.25 yards

I'm linking with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts here, and Love, Laugh Quilt: Monday here!

WORKING ON MY FINAL BLOCKS BEFORE PACKING MY MACHINE!

My guild Block of the Month program for this season has blocks that are all made from 2 1/2 inch strips, and will form a whole quilt by the spring.  I love scrap quilts, so I have cut 2 1/2 inch strips from all the colour groups, so I'll have them when we go south for the winter.

I didn't want to be behind, so I've made the September blocks.  There are two 12 inch finished blocks, and 16 of the 6 inch blocks.  

There were 2 blocks to make for October, which are 12 x 20 inches finished.  I'm having fun revisiting some of the hidden fabrics in my stash!

 
If you want to stitch along, the pattern can be found here, along with a picture of the finished quilt.  

Our project designer made a table runner using the September blocks. 

Now my packing begins!!!!!

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE????????

I can't believe that I haven't posted since the end of July!

We've been busy, with family, DH has been entertaining at nursing homes and senior residences in our area, along with his friend and bass player, I've been machine quilting more quilts for my guilds community quilts program, and we have been on the road frequently.

Here is the picture of the finished "Autumn Orphan" quilt.  I've also added some close-ups of the quilting.

In early August, our son and family came for a visit, and our grandson, age 2 1/2, stayed with us for a week after his parents returned home.  This is the longest that they had been separated, and the adults didn't do as well as the little one.

He loves construction vehicles, and we picked up 6 small ones for him to play with.  Lucky for us, just a block away, the city was replacing a storm drain, and every day for the length of his visit, he and Grandpa walked over to watch the excavators and dump trucks at work.

We had a great visit!  

When we returned him home, we went to see my middle brother, who was in the hospital.  He was supposed to have a 2 1/2 hour surgery, but it lasted 8 1/2 hours after they detected cancer.

There was a complication on the day after his operation, and he ended up staying in the hospital for four weeks.  He lost almost 40 pounds by the time he returned home.  He is recovering slowly, and still has to undergo radiation and chemo, but has a positive attitude, and a wonderful wife and family to provide him with the support that he needs.

In early September, we had our grandson for another week!  His parents managed better the second time, and discovered that they could get lots done when he was away.  They even had time for a dinner out!   We seem to be constantly packing and unpacking, as our family lives 4 1/2 hours away, and requires us to drive across the city of Toronto each time!  Not for the faint of heart.
We also attended our good friends' daughter's wedding, and we gifted them the double Irish chain quilt.

Since then, I've been busy catching up on my quilting projects, including working on my guild's block of the month project.  Our guild is having a quilt show in June, and I found a few items, and made some more to donate to the boutique.

I made this quick table topper for my guild's Christmas dinner, even though I won't be attending.  I have a large stash of Christmas fabric, and I'm trying to use more of it.  Unfortunately, this only used  1.75 yards.

By the way, I've used 60.25 yards of fabric this year, after deducting the 52 yards that I've added to my stash.

Today I looked through the quilts that I have made since the last show, trying to decide which ones to enter.  Since the entry pictures need to be in by February, (when I'll be south for the winter), I need to select a few now.

Suddenly, it is time to pack for our winter in the south.  I've already sent a notice to be published in our community newsletter, letting everyone know the start date for our weekly quilt group.  Now I just have to plan some projects to take along!