Compulsive Quilting

Another Coffee Quilt

2011-12-06T11:37:00.000-05:00

The center panel and outside border were purchased last April, everything else was made from the left over fabric from the last coffee quilt. Unfortunately, it's been on the frame since May..... seven months, how's that for procrastination?????

I'm putting the binding on today and I need to get it in the mail ASAP, as it's a Christmas gift for my Mom, and it has to be mailed to Vancouver, BC.

Next, I have a quilt to finish for my BIL, again, before Christmas! I really need to be a little more organized...... maybe next year.......

Still here....

2011-11-18T09:19:00.001-05:00

Not a lot going on quilt wise.... I'm still working on quilting the 2nd coffee quilt, it's very slow going.

I've been spending some time doing small updates on the house. A little bit of paint, changing some light fixtures and changing Material Girl's old room into a spare bedroom. After 13 years in this house, it was starting to look a little dated....

And last but not least, next week is VACATION TIME! DH and I are headed south (Panama to be precise) for a week with friends. Woot woot! Can't wait.....

Final Friendship Block

2011-10-27T09:09:00.000-04:00

Finished just in time to start on Halloween costumes!

Friendship Blocks

2011-10-26T15:54:00.001-04:00

The last one is 2" finished HST's.

Only one more block to make!

Emptying the Nest...

2011-09-07T16:03:00.000-04:00

MaterialGirl moved out last week. I AM happy for her (sniffle, sniffle.... ), she and her boyfriend bought a house and are on their own! They are so excited! Plus, UniversityGirl went back to Ottawa this week for her fourth year, so it's REALLY quiet at home now. It's a good thing SportsFan isn't going anywhere for a while.

Of course this means I now have a spare bedroom that needs to be redecorated (the current red walls with black trim aren't very relaxing, in my opinion (not that she ever actually asked for MY opinion...LOL)).

Plus, I still need to finish that quilt that's been on the machine since MAY...... yup, I did absolutely squat this summer! It's a good thing the cooler weather is here, it makes me want to actually DO something.....

The Happy Homeowners.....

Friendship Blocks

2011-08-16T10:33:00.000-04:00

I've been working on a friendship block swap. The first three blocks I mailed two weeks ago (AFTER I fixed the mistake in the spool block!) The fourth (purple) block I am mailing today. The colours are brighter in person.

Still nothing quilty.....

2011-06-29T09:52:00.000-04:00

Where, oh where, has my mojo gone???????

Two years isn't THAT long....

2011-04-13T10:50:00.000-04:00

I started this quilt at a retreat in Ohio, two years ago. I pieced all the blocks at the retreat, but it took me forever to finally get it quilted and bound. I think I had it on the quilting machine three different times! The Kawartha Quiltmakers Guild show is this weekend, so I had to finally finish it so I could show it (if it wasn't for deadlines, I'd never finish anything!).

I'm also going to show 'African Pizzaz' and "Cafe au Lait' (renamed from Coffee Double Double).

These three quilts are how I've spent most of my time lately, besides finishing the basket quilt, I had to add hanging sleeves and labels to all of them for the show. But in between, I've been working on a new quilt:

The blocks came from an online swap I did a year or so ago. I love the black with the colours, it makes the colours seem brighter. I'd like to applique some vines or swirls onto the border next.

another Laura Story

2011-03-22T11:10:00.010-04:00

What is a Laura Story? Well, in our house, a Laura story is one of the many stories that we are saving to tell on Laura'a wedding day (whenever that might be). A Laura story has to contain at least one of the following elements: somebody did somethig really stupid, or there was alcohol involved, or it was just downright embarassing..... or any combination of the three. Finally, it could just be an event that is so strange or weird, it could only happen to Laura.

Of course, I'm usually the last to hear about the events when they happen and this one was no different. I got home last Thursday around 8:30 and the phone rang shortly after I got in. It was Laura and she wanted to speak to her brother. As soon as she asked for Tyler I knew something was up, because the only time Laura calls her brother is at Christmas or near my birthday (when they're buying gifts together) or if something is going on and she doesn't want me to know. Hmmm.

Tyler's end of the converstion was basically Yes, No, OK, talk to you later. Now I KNOW something's up!

Me: "So what's up with your sister?"
Tyler: "Nothing. She just called to tell me that she's not going to the hockey game."
Me: "Nice try. Now tell me what's REALLY going on."
Tyler: (after a signicant pause) "Umm, you probably don't want to know...."
Me: "I'm sure I don't, tell me anyways."

Thursday was St. Patrick's day, and Laura had been given a ticket to go to the Ottawa Senator's hockey game with friends, but first had promised other friends that she would stop by their St.Pat's party on the way to the game....

Shortly after she arrived, she decided to join in a game of Flip Cup (you chug beer from a plastic cup, then set the cup down and 'flip' the cup so that it stands up agin). This is were the 'somebody does something really stupid part happens' (even more stupid than playing Flip Cup in the first place) ....someone threw a beer cap into Laura's cup, she didn't see it and chugged it along with the beer! Of course, it got stuck in her throat and she choked on it. She couldn't breathe and panicked so bad that she started to vomit. The cap wouldn't come out and it started to cut into her throat and she started throwing up blood. After much freaking out and panic on her friends part (they had already been drinking for a while and weren't thinking straight, OBVIOUSLY) they finally called an ambulance. In the meantime, poor Laura can barely breathe and is alternating between panic attacks, which make breathing worse, and trying to convince her friends to call 911 (she can't talk of course), she said she finally felt the beer cap shift a little and she managed to put her hand down her throat and pull the cap out. Just as she gets the cap out, she feels a hand on her shoulder, and it's the paramedics. They made her go to the hospital anyways, because they were afraid that with the damage the cap had done her throat might swell up and cut off her breathing.

Once she got to the hospital she called home to tell me what was going on, but since I wasn't home she told her brother. Somewhere along the line, she had a change of heart and decided it was probably better not to tell me, so she called her brother back to let me him know that she was OK and DON"T TELL MOM! Hah! Too late!

We're not done yet....

The next day, Friday, she is taking the train home from Ottawa. She had to take the late train because the student pass seats were all sold out on the earlier train. She didn't arrive until almost midnight,an hour and a half late, because the early train (that she couldn't get a ticket on) had crashed in Belleville!

On the way home from the train station, she says to me that she thinks she must have bad karma or something, because of the stuff that had happened in the last 24 hours. I said "No, you have Good Karma because A) you DIDN'T choke to death last night, which was a very real possibility and B) you weren't on the train that crashed and didn't get hurt. Being 1.5 hours late is NOT a problem!

I swear, one day that girl is going to give me a heart attack!

Bang . Head. Against. Wall.

2011-02-28T10:14:00.004-05:00

I have LOST my 1/4 in foot...... great. Now what? I can't piece without it. I have another foot but it doesn't like me and piecing with it never goes well. Sigh. Now I'm going to have to go looking for another foot.

If you're wondering how this happened, it's because I set it on the table beside my machine. I should have put it away properly..... then one of the cats probably knocked it off, and finally, SportsFan swept the floors. I refuse to blame SportsFan, though.... because a) I asked him to sweep and b) he actually SWEPT THE FLOOR.......

So I have put my Basket quilt UFO on the frame so I will have something to work on until I find a new foot.

Actual quilting done here..... finally

2011-02-14T10:33:00.016-05:00

I finally finished the Coffee quilt. I spent a lot more time on the quilting than I usually do. But I figured after almost three years of owning a quilting machine, I should attempt to do more than just meandering. So I put feathers in the outer border and continuous curves in the pieced squares. I still went with the meander in the large squares, because the fabric is so busy, the quilting wouldn't show up anyways. Of course, after I took it off the machine, I flipped it over to check the back and BAM! I missed quilting a whole square of the curves. Sheesh (not exactly the language I was using at the time....). So I had to put it back on the frame and finish the quilting!

This is a Turning Twenty pattern that I just finished for ME! Yes, I am actually keeping a quilt for myself for the first time in probably five years. Woo Hoo! I already have it on the back of the couch and it's nice and warm and cozy. The fabric is 'Olive Rose' by Valorie Wells.The back is flannel. Aren't those pink flamingoes the cutest?

SNOW DAY!

2011-02-02T09:06:00.002-05:00

Woo Hoo! I'm gonna stay home all day and quilt! (and no, I didn't take the picture....)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T23:24:00.004-05:00

Uh oh, it's that time again....

Time to revisit last years goals and set new one's.

I had 3 goals last year:
Make 12 quilted projects - I made 7, with 2 "almost done" which I am going to count as done (Sure, that's cheating, but hey, who's counting here anyways....)

Goal 2 was to lose 24 lbs ( 2 pounds per month - umm, nope, didn't happen). HOWEVER... I did lose 10 lbs, so it's a good start.

Goal 3 was to blog on a regular basis - I sort of fell off the wagon at the end of the year.... BUT!!!!! (drum roll, please)

IT'S a NEW YEAR!!!!

I get to try again!

This year's goals:

Quilted Projects: 12 in 2011

Weight: 14 pounds to lose (since I managed to lose 10 last year, it's a smaller number this year, YEAH ME!)

Blogging: - Repeat after me: I WILL blog on a regular basis! I WILL!

Make a Boob

2010-12-10T15:50:00.003-05:00

Make a Boob is a project about breast cancer. Click here and then you too can make a Boob!

I need this vacation....

2010-11-11T16:10:00.003-05:00

I have had a very stressfull week and a half at work, to the point where I wasn't sleeping and I was snapping at everyone.... government audits will do that to you! However, my part in the audit is now over so I can relax, just in time for our (somewhat) annual trip to Las Vegas. Hubby and I are leaving tomorrow morning for 5 glorious days with no work and no teenagers! WooHoo!

What's on my design wall.....

2010-10-26T16:11:00.003-04:00

This little darling will be MINE. It will NOT be given away. Of course, since the fabric actually says "Make Quilts", I can't think of too many people that would want it!

I don't have a pattern, I'm using the book Nine Patch Pizzaz . Although the book says 'finished in a day.....ROTFL...... she obviously hasn't met me!

Baby Quilt

2010-10-19T12:01:00.013-04:00

This is the baby quilt I finished quilting this weekend. You can click on the pictures to make them bigger. The dark picture shows (sort of) my lame attempt at "Less Stress Feathers" (book by Jodi Robinson). Oh well, they could be worse.... I think.....

SportsFan and I went to the Leafs game last night and had a blast. A little disappointed they didn't win in overtime, but it was still a good game.

Go Leafs Go!!!!

2010-10-18T09:43:00.007-04:00

SportsFan and I are going to the Leafs game tonight...WooHoo! We won the tickets in a charity raffle (which is pretty freakin' amazing, since Leafs tickets are the Holy Grail of sporting events...) and then of course, hockey is a pretty big deal in our house!

On the quilting front.... I have pictures!!!! This is the coffee quilt I have been making for my friend Sue. I still have to add a 2 inch border (the fabric is coffee beans, too cute) and then I'm going to add a plain red six inch border.

Working away...

2010-10-15T10:03:00.002-04:00

I've been very industrious lately! I've almost finished the Coffee Quilt for Sue, I'm quilting a baby quilt for another friend of the girls, and I've started working on a quilt for myself (finally). If only I could find that darn camera......

No Name post....

2010-09-29T09:11:00.003-04:00

I've run out of ideas for post titles.....

As you can see I've been slacking again on my blog, probably because I ran out of mojo for quilting. BUT... I did start a new quilt this weekend, it's called Double-Double and it incorporates coffee themed fabrics. (Canadians will know that when you order a double-double, you get a coffee with double cream and double sugar.....) It's for my friend Sue, who may be a little over-dependent on her Tim Horton's coffee fix....

Tomorrow night I have a friend coming over looking for help with her first quilt. She signed up for a 'beginning' quilting course, but after she bought all the supplies, the LQS told her that she had to have all of her rotary cut pieces cut out before class starts. Well, gee, what part of beginner did they not understand? Since she just bought the rotary cutter and mat (from them!), she certainly doesn't know how to use it yet!. Obviously the LQS definition of 'beginner' isn't the same as her idea of 'beginner'. She does know how to sew, so I think she'll catch on quick once I show her how to use the rotary cutter.

I'm back .....

2010-09-09T10:50:00.003-04:00

Wow, I was gone longer than I thought. And I have no idea why, I certainly haven't been busy. Now that September is here I'm planning on getting in gear again, since I only managed to finish one quilt all summer.

But things have been changing around the Metcalfe house:

MaterialGirl finished college three weeks ago and is now knee-deep into job interviews.

UniversityGirl is back in Ottawa for her third year of university.

And SportsFan just started his LAST year of high school AND got his driver's license! He was late getting the driver's license thanks to a stirke by the driver license testing facility last year. It meant he had to wait an extra four months..... we were not amused! (When you live in the country, everyone counts down the months and days until they can drive!)

Once again my camera is missing (MaterialGirl, where did you put it????), but as soon as I find it I will post a picture of the BACK of Matt's quilt..... it turned out amazing with the Graffiti fabric.

Matt's Quilt

2010-08-05T16:08:00.006-04:00

I finished piecing the top for Matt's quilt.

It took me almost a year because after I cut it out, and sorted the pieces into ziplock bags, I promptly lost it. Yup, I searched the whole house and couldn't find it anywhere.

Six months later I decided to heck with it, I would start a new one for him, so I ordered some really nice graffiti print fabric to make it with. Small problem.... the fabric was so nice and the print so large that I couldn't figure out how to cut it up and make it look good in a quilt. So it hung on my design wall while I pondered.....

Two months go by andI'm still doing the 'stand and stare' thing! BUT, lo and behold!!!! I found the original quilt pieces! Duh, they were at the office, where I occasionally spend time piecing (in the winter when we're slow... ). It solved my problem for the graffiti fabric... instead of cutting it up, I am now going to use it for the back of the quilt.

Bad Blogger.....

2010-07-26T14:24:00.002-04:00

Mostly because I haven't done anything worth blogging about, and I didn't think you'd be interested in listening to me whine about the heat and humidity.....

I did finally find all the pieces to Matt's quilt, so I've been slowly working on it. Next time I work on it I'll take some pictures. Until then, try and stay cool (that's what I'll be doing!).

Procrastination is my middle name......

2010-06-28T11:47:00.006-04:00

However I managed to finish the babyquilt JUST in time for the shower.... Here's the Mom-to-be with both of my girls and the quilt:

It's the first baby shower that I've been to in a really long time. Of course, now that the girls and their friends are 'young adults', I'm sure there will be many more to come!

Change in plans....

2010-06-14T15:04:00.017-04:00

I decided not to do Amanda Jean's quilt along, after all. I looked at the fabric that I was planning to use, and the prints are way too large for the pattern she is making. Oh well, maybe next time.

Instead I decided to make this quilt: Big & Bold. The fabric is from Connecting threads. Originally I was going to give it to Meagan's friend Matt, but the colours are much too feminine for a guy. (The colours in my picture aren't very accurate, most of the fabrics are very PURPLE.... when I ordered the kit, I thought the colours were BLUE)

It went together very quickly, I just need to add the pieced border. It looks kind of Blahh right now, but it will look better after it's quilted. Since the blocks are nice and big, I'm going to use the large print fabrics with this pattern. It still won't be for Matt, though, my large print fabric is VERY girly! It's called Olive Rose . Poor Matt, it could be another year before he finally gets his own quilt!

I finished quilting the Leftover Pizazz quilt, so I have one Summer Goal complete!

Summer Goals

2010-06-03T12:18:00.008-04:00

I realized this morning that I may be falling behind a **wee** bit with my quilting goals.... time to sit up and pay attention!

This is the list of things I have either started, or want to start:

1. Quilting the 'Leftover Pizzaz' quilt (almost done.... need to finish!)

2. Baby Quilt (Winsome Baby pattern I started AGES ago)

3. Snowball and Nine patch Quilt Along (I'm actually doing pretty good with this one, I'm supposed to have thirty blocks done, I haven't counted but I'm pretty sure I'm close. I will count tonight)

4. Friendship HST's (haven't started yet, but I did order the HST paper..... should be here early next week)

5. I need to start the quilt for Matt, Meagan's friend. I promised him a quilt over a year ago.....

6. I really, really want to do the quilt along with AmandaJean of Crazy Mom Quilts . Yes, I know I shouldn't be starting anything new, *but* ..... I already have the fabric in my stash..... who am I kidding? You know I'm going to do it anyways!

OK, so my goals for June are to FINISH #1 , #2 and #4, to start #5 and #6, and to keep working on #3.

Wish me luck.... I'm probably going to need it!

Still here....

2010-05-18T16:19:00.002-04:00

Not much quilting going on right now because I've been waiting for my 120" zippers to be delivered. I finished the 'Leftover Pizzaz' top, but I'm not going to quilt it until I make some zippered leaders for my quilting machine. Pinning takes too long, and I would like to be able to remove a quilt if I need to, without having to re-pin it when I put it back on.

The zippers showed up yesterday, now I just have to make the leaders. I picked up the fabric this morning, so hopefully I can get them made ASAP!

Stepping outside the box....

2010-04-26T10:40:00.033-04:00

I finished quilting the 'African Pizazz' quilt. I really like how it turned out. I did beadboard on the outside border, swirls on the inner border and I used my circle groovy boards on the large squares. For the rest, I did an all over meander, because the fabric is so busy you can hardly see it.

The reason I call it stepping outside of the box, is because I've never done the first three types of quilting before. In fact, I've had the groovy board from Handiquilter for two years and this is the first time I've ever used it. The swirls pattern is from a tutorial on Carlas's Feathered Fibres website.

Of course, if I was brutally honest, I would mention that some of the lines in the beadboard aren't straight, the swirls aren't even close to consistant, and I let the groovy board slide a couple of times so the circles aren't always even....

But hey, from about three feet away.... It looks GREAT!

Arghhh.....

2010-04-22T15:27:00.002-04:00

Bloglines is down, so I can't visit any of the blogs I read regularily..... down right depressing...... I miss reading everyone's blog. *sigh*

Weekend Quilting

2010-04-19T12:15:00.012-04:00

I actually managed to get in some major quilting time on the weekend.... I finished the piecing for my friend Carol's 'African Pizzazz' quilt. (No, the borders aren't really that wavy...) Originally I was going to use red for the small border, but I couldn't find a border fabric that went with it. Instead I used the chocolate and lighter browns. Now I just have to quilt it, and if you follow my blog regularily, you'll know that it can take me anywhere from a week to a couple of months!

I also I took the left over nine patches and put together a 'Leftovers' quilt for me. I still have enough fabric to make a third quilt, but I'm sure that won't happen anytime soon.....

Pluggin' Away....

2010-04-12T09:56:00.007-04:00

Still working on the Pizzazz quilt. DH made me a design wall so I can play with the arrangement of blocks. We bought 2 sheets of 4X8 foot, 1" styrofoam and cut them down so that together they equal a 6 foot square (8 feet would have been too big to store for me). He taped them together and I covered it in flannel. it will fold closed where it is taped for storage. Fabricland was out of plain white flannel, so the background has pink hearts and flowers on it!

Latest Quilt

2010-03-31T12:47:00.011-04:00

My 'African Pizzazz' quilt is coming along.... except for the kitten, who likes to help by either a) lying on top of it (that's her in the top corner of the first picture) or b) running across the blocks at full speed and scattering them across the room! Eventually we get to c) = the kitten locked in the bathroom until I'm finished playing with the arrangement.

I'm not happy with the final arrangement yet, I think it has too many colours and doesn't 'blend' enough. So I'm going to make more of the gold colour nine patches and remove some of the other blocks.

I'm also going to include a red two inch border and the mixed animal print (see last post) as a six inch border.

I'm doubtful that it will happen this week, between Wednesday night dinner, Thursday night quilt meeting, MaterialGirl's birthday and Easter weekend, things are going to be pretty hectic around my house!

Nine Patch Pizzazz

2010-03-29T10:52:00.028-04:00

I bought a new quilt book last week, 'Nine Patch Pizzazz'. It has some really great quilts in it, they are all based on working with a 'focus fabric' and nine patch squares.

I started a quilt for a friend, who has a family room with an 'African theme'. These are some of the fabrics that I'm using. I started making nine patches this weekend.

This is only a portion of the fabric that I have collected for this quilt. I started buying fabric last April when I was in the US for a quilt retreat. Since then I have picked up fabric almost everytime I go to a new quilt shop or a quilt show. Hmmm, I need to rethink how I purchase fabric.... I have enough 'animal print/african theme' fabric to make at least ***three*** quilts! LOL!!!!!

Another Little Quilt Swap 4

2010-03-29T08:25:00.005-04:00

Kate North is running a fourth round of her quilt swap, you can check it out here . It's a nice, stress free swap, because you don't officially sign up until your quilt is finished.... so if you end up that you didn't have time to complete a quilt, no one is disappointed (except maybe you....). I didn't participate in round three because it was restricted to Art Quilts, but this time she is taking Traditional quilts, too.

I have participated in the past, and I enjoy not just making a quilt, but receiving a beautiful little quilt made by someone else.

Keeping Up....

2010-03-22T22:59:00.003-04:00

I finished my six snowball & nine-patch blocks for March. Not much else going on right now. Some quilting, and a little bit of knitting.

Not much new here....

2010-03-15T14:14:00.003-04:00

Hubby and I went to Mexico last week for a last minute vacation, but my son managed to give me the stomach flu before we left! I spent the first two days in the room. Thankfully, the resort had room service. The rest of the week was really nice, food was good, and the weather was great.

Now it's back to work, gearing up for our busy season.

Nothing new on the quilting side of things. I started a baby quilt, but I must not be paying attention properly, because I seem to be spending more time with the seam ripper than the sewing machine.

In between piecing and quilting lately, I've been knitting slippers. I don't knit very often, but once in a while the mood strikes me and I knit something small, just enough to get it out of my system!

I'll post some pictures later.

Pictures

2010-03-02T09:10:00.010-05:00

This is my nephew's quilt "Big Sky Country". I didn't do a very good job with the pictures, you can't see the quilting. I did a large meander on the outside border, continuous curves on the QST's, and I outlined and thread painted the picture sections. I'm SO glad it's finally finished!

These are my ninepatch and snowball blocks for Jan and Feb:

We now return to regularily scheduled programming:

2010-03-01T10:09:00.015-05:00

Canada finished up the Olympics with a bang.... Men's Hockey Gold Medal! It was pretty loud in the Metcalfe house last night. UniversityGirl even managed to hit the street party in Ottawa to celebrate (oh, to be young....)

I love watching the Olympics, but now we can get back to (and catch up on) everyday life: quilting and housework to be specific.

I did manage to finish the binding on my nephew's quilt. Yeah!!!! Quilt finish #2 for 2010.

I also finished my 6 snowball and ninepatch blocks for February (Good thing, since it is now officially March and I have 6 more to do).

MaterialGirl borrowed the camera, so I will have to wait to post pictures. I also started a baby quilt yesterday, it's from the 'Winsome Baby' pattern by Nancy Halverson.

Sidetracked......

2010-02-18T10:42:00.006-05:00

By the Olympics! I did manage to get most of my nephew's quilt done on the weekend, but then I started watching the Olympics, and even though I only have maybe a half an hour of quilting left to do, I can't seem to tear myself away from the TV! I am going to force myself to finish it tonight so that I can work on the binding in front of the TV.

GO CANADA!

January Blocks

2010-02-10T10:10:00.007-05:00

I finally made six blocks for January for Regina's Snowball Quilt Along. Now I have until the end of February to make six of the nine patch blocks, only I decided to use Jen's pattern for a Tenessee Waltz quilt and make 54-40 or fight blocks instead.

They'll be a little more work, but since I very seldom work with complicated blocks, it will be a step out of the box for me.

Isn't it PURDY?

2010-01-19T11:42:00.005-05:00

Well, the top is done, now I need to put it on the frame and quilt it. I do really like this one, it turned out nice, even after all the fuss and frustration. Hopefully the different sized borders aren't too noticeable.

Quilting Instructions....

2010-01-18T12:14:00.005-05:00

Place one hand on each side of head..... grasp hair firmly.....PULL!

Yes, I spent the weekend working on my nephew's quilt and it was one frustration after another. First, I couldn't find it. Huh? I know I left it on my quilt holder???? Took 2 days but we finally realized it was downstairs folded up with all the spare blankets that were used on New Year's Eve (UniversityGirl had a party and at least 20 of her 'nearest and dearest' spent the night). Since we ran out of blankets, somebody decided to use an almost finished quilt top! Couldn't have been very warm!

After a much needed ironing, I proceeded to add the last border of quarter square triangles.... or not. The horizontal rows fit perfectly, but when I tried to add the vertical row, my row of squares were 2 inches too short!!!! TWO INCHES? That's ridiculous, I've been out before, but never even close to that much!

And of course it doesn't help when DH is watching me try to fit it together and teasing me about my math skills! For the record, dear, all I did was follow the pattern, I am not taking the blame for this one!

So with much cursing under my breath (well, out loud, actually) I shortened two of the horizontal borders until it measured the right size. I attached one side last night and HOPEFULLY (cross my fingers) I will get the last one attached tonight.

And I refuse to take a picture of the beast until it is all together.

2 Finishes already.....

2010-01-11T09:21:00.009-05:00

A quilted calendar holder for my newly painted orange kitchen.

The pattern was from the Jan/Feb issue of Quiltmaker magazine ( a Christmas gift from my sister). I didn't add the prairie points like the pattern called for, I think the voile I chose wasn't sheer enough, and the praire points were WAY too bright for the rest of the block. But I like it anyways.

The 2nd finish isn't a quilt, it's a zebra print, fake fur blanket for MaterialGirl's room. I used red flannel for the backing and sewed the two pieces wrong sides together. Then I turned it right sides out and sewed all around the edges to keep them from rolling. Not something I would make for myself, but she's happy with it!

I'm not counting the blanket as a quilting finish, but it still feels good to accomplish something!

Goals for the year and other stuff......

2010-01-04T11:44:00.002-05:00

I don't normally make resolutions or set goals, but I think a little push in the right direction is needed:

Quilting Goals - 12 quilts, totally finished for the year. That's one per month, should be doable. To make it easier (I need all the help I can get) I'm counting all finishes, UFO's, WIP, anything completely finished counts!

Weight - Uh Oh..... Ok, so I've been whining about my weight for a while now, so this is the year I actually have to do something about. The goal is to lose 24lbs over ONE YEAR. Translation: 2 lbs per month. Sounds easy, right..... hahaha..... No, seriously..... 2 lbs per month! First thing I'm doing is cutting out French Vanilla cappacino's from Tim Hortons!

Blogging - this one isn't complicated: Blog regularily! Jeez, I'm bad for not blogging on a regular basis, but this year I am going to be better!

On the quilty front I started a quilted calendar holder for my kitchen. It's a shadow trapunto design, and last night I finished all of the applique for it. If MaterialGirl ever returns my camera, I will post a picture.

I was thinking about doing a Stash Report, but who am I kidding? I'll leave that one for next year (I'm not at the point yet where I really want to know!).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-22T13:20:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my quilting buddies and blogging friends! I'll be back in the New Year with (hopefully) some finishes!

Trish

Busy Busy Busy.....

2009-12-07T10:30:00.003-05:00

Just not quilting busy.....

We had hardwood installed in the livingroom and dining room last week, what a mess that created. I had to empty both rooms, and trust me, it's not easy when you're a pack rat! (I'm trying hard not to be.... I got rid of a lot of stuff before I put it all back). It took a full week to get it all back to normal. The bright side is that those two rooms are now CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN and ready to decorate for Christmas!

This week we're having hardwood installed in my bedroom. Once it's done all the rooms in the house will have hardwood floors. It's so much easier to look after than carpet (my opinion, of course).

This weekend we're going to paint the kitchen (more cleaning included) since I've had the paint bought for SIX MONTHS.....

Hopefully by the end of this weekend everything will be back to normal and we can relax and enjoy the upcoming holidays!

Still here

2009-11-13T09:08:00.004-05:00

Yup, I'm still here. I'm feeling a little better, but not great. So of course that means I have accomplished absolutely nothing.

I took my son to an afternoon hockey practice in Millbrook (our arena is still being renovated), and they have the nicest quilt shop.... I spent almost an hour just browsing around..... I finally bought a pattern book with some more 'manley' quilt patterns! But, I DID NOT buy any fabric! I'm planning on using my stash !!!GASP!! (I know.... it's a new concept for me, so we'll have to see how it turns out, LOL).

The quilt I'm making for my nephew has come to a complete stall.... I need my mojo back.... sigh... maybe this weekend.

Sick....

2009-11-04T11:49:00.001-05:00

I have a really nasty cold and I think my head is going to explode....arghhh.....

Quilting Room

2009-10-21T10:46:00.014-04:00

SportsFan put the Ikea shelves together for me and I retrieved my fabric from the various hiding areas around the house. Ummm, turns out I have more fabric than I thought I did..... while it may not seem like a lot to some people, I had pretty much convinced myself that my stash was very small, practically non-existant even.... oops, that's what happens when you store a little bit here, a little bit there.

About a month ago, I was thinking that I wanted to start a new quilt 'Amandjean' style, meaning bright colours paired with lots of white. I talked myself out of it because I didn't have any white fabric.... Yeah, right! See the top left shelf in the picture? Turns out I have PLENTY of white. Yards of it, in fact. Silly me.

Now that I know that I have enough white, I bought some pretty fat quarters online:

Hippie Chicks by Marcus Brothers and Olive Rose by Valori Wells

Another weekend bites the dust.....

2009-10-19T09:22:00.010-04:00

Still here and still quilting... sort of.....

I spent yesterday working on the blocks for my nephew's quilt. Oops..... I sewed two rows together before I realized that I hadn't adjusted my needle for a 1/4 inch seam (my machine does not sew a perfect 1/4 inch until AFTER you move the needle to the right twice). So of course the seams were too large, which makes the rows not wide enough.... blech..... now I have to frog stitch both rows and start over. Sigh....

Saturday night was my end of year dinner and dance for the mixed baseball league I play in. Driving home at 3:00 am (what were we thinking?), I came around the corner and there was a freaking COW in the middle of the road! It's a good thing I don't drive fast! I managed to stop the car about with about two feet to spare, but OMG! That thing was huge! (I forget just how big cows really are until I see one up close). Scared the you-know-what out of me!

My favourite LQS had a sale on Saturday, 30% off on all fabric. So of course I HAD to go! I purchased a pattern book and the fabric to make a baby quilt for a friend, plus some batting and a few odds and ends. $100 later, I decided I had better skip the Creativ Festival in Toronto on Sunday, or I would've spent even more money!

Tomorrow I will post the pictures of the new shelves that SportsFan put together for me. My quilting room is pretty much complete now!

My New Quilting Room.....

2009-10-05T15:22:00.017-04:00

I'm sure you can tell by the wall colour that the room used to belong to UniversityGirl! Lime green isn't one of my favorites, but I hate painting, so it will do for now. She's not impressed that she had to move into her brother's old room, but hey, she only lives here 4 months of the year, and his old room wasn't big enough to fit the machine! (He moved to the basement last year, now he's my little 'cellar dweller').

Tonight I'm off to Ikea tonight to buy some storage units for fabric, LOTS of storage units, and if I need to buy more fabric to fill it up.... well.... that's not my fault...(insert evil laugh here).

This room is going to be used for quilting and cutting, I am leaving the sewing machine downstairs so I don't get lonely when I'm piecing!

I started a new quilt this week for my nephew, it's called 'Big Sky Country". I purchased the kit at the quilt show in September. I don't normally buy kits but I really liked this one..... in fact, it may be a little hard to give it away! I've finished 28 blocks and sewn the center section together. Click here for a closer look at the pattern.

Bobcaygeon Quilt Show

2009-09-23T10:10:00.008-04:00

I didn't get a lot of pictures, but they did have some nice quilts on display. The show was held at Settler's Village, which is a recreated pioneer village. It made a very nice background for the quilts. Take a good look at the light house quilt - most of the squares were only one inch in size!

Quilt Show and other stuff....

2009-09-17T13:19:00.011-04:00

First, a picture of the fat quarter bundle that Gina won in my giveaway (click on the picture to make it larger and you can see the dragonflys). I think the fabrics would make a great bag (not that I ever make bags) but maybe Gina does!

Second, I finished quilting the YBR quilt last night. Now I need to get the binding ready so that I can stitch it down on the way to Ottawa this weekend (it's for UniversityGirl, of course).

And finally, I went to the Bobcaygeon quilt show on the weekend, but I can't remember how to add a slideshow.... hmmm.... I'm having 'one of those days' ..... I'll figure it out tomorrow.

Giveaway Winner .....

2009-09-16T13:27:00.008-04:00

Just to reinforce my love/hate relationship with Canada Post, don't think I didn't notice:

12 comments -
3 Canadian
8 American
1 UK

Guess which one I picked?

Congratulations Gina!

I'll be sending five fat quarters across the ocean as soon as I get your address! I will also post pictures of the fabric once I recharge the batteries in my camera (duh....).

I am going to participate in the '100 blocks in 100 Days' challenge, but I won't be starting until this weekend, first I HAVE to finish quilting the quilt that's currently on the frame! Then I'm going to concentrate on the blocks for Neutral BOM quilt. That should keep me out of trouble for a while....

I'm still here....

2009-09-10T13:53:00.007-04:00

And I have accomplished absolutely nothing on quilting front ..... but now that summer is officially over and the kids are off to school I plan on getting back to quilting... and cleaning... and hey, maybe I'll even do a little cooking too (LOL, maybe...)

UniversityGirl went back to Ottawa last week for her second year. She's pretty excited, this year she's not living in Rez, she's sharing a townhouse with three other girls. She's already asked me to come for a visit and make some curtains for them. Yippee.... I hate making curtains.....

BoyCrazy started college this week. It's her first year. She's living at home and driving back and forth (it's a 40 minute drive, not too bad). She had NO interest in going away to school, and my extremely depleted bank account thanks her for that!

And SportsFan started grade 11. He's pretty blase about school, he doesn't complain, but the enthusiasm is a little lacking.....

I am in the middle of putting a quilt on the frame right now (I am SO easily distracted), I should have pictures this week.

Wait! I almost forgot! This is my 101st post.... so..... it's giveaway time! Leave a comment and on Tuesday, Sept 15 I will draw for a winner. What am I giving away? Funny you should ask... I have no idea!!!! But I will come up with something cool before Tuesday, Good Luck!

No, I'm not dead......

2009-08-11T15:42:00.003-04:00

It's just my computer ..... and it was an long, drawn out painful death, too. I still haven't managed to get up and running on the new one yet (there's a whole lot of cursing going on here....), so I borrowed UniversityGirls laptop for the day.

So I'm going to postpone the giveaway until I am back up and running on my own..... hopefully this week.

99 bottles of beer on the Wall ......

2009-07-24T11:34:00.018-04:00

Well, actually, it's 99 POSTS.... Woo Hoo! I wonder what I'll do for my 100th post??? I guess you'll just have to come back next week and check!

On the quilty front, I am slogging away at the basket quilt and slowly making some progress. I have done SID around all the squares, and I have done some of the fill behind the baskets. Tonight I am going to start working on the templates in the setting and side blocks. I marked some of them last night.

The problem, of course, is that I've never actually quilted with a template before.... so feel free to cross your fingers for me! We'll see if I can manage to stay on (or even close) to the lines!

The second problem is that I have NO IDEA how to quilt the basket. It's too big to leave it plain, but I am on a deadline and I don't want to attempt anything fancy or time consuming. Ideas anyone? Do you think it would look all right if I meander inside the basket (not the handle, just the basket)? Or I was thinking I could quilt a heart right in the middle of the basket (if we assume that I can stay on the line for the template, I could trace a heart and quilt over it). Help!!!

It's Here!

2009-07-15T10:21:00.006-04:00

My Spring Fling Round Robin 3 quilt arrived yesterday. Isn't it pretty? I love it. I made the center block and the rest was made by: row1- Kathy, Texas / row 2- Chelsea, Washington / quilting- Helen, St.Helen's, UK.

The Basket quilt is moving along. I finished putting on the border last night and I pieced the backing for it. I won't get it on the frame tonight (Wednesday night dinner...), but I should be able to do it Thursday night (SportsFan has no baseball for a whole week.... I should actually get a little ME time this week! lol)

Goal Accomplished ! Sort of....

2009-07-13T15:02:00.008-04:00

Here it is, borders and all.... Somedays I like it and some days I don't. It's probably one of those quilts where I won't love it until after it's quilted.

Which unfortunately, won't be this week. I did get the borders on, got the backing ready, I even cleaned off the quilting frame, just in time to realize that I need to make a new quilt, and it has to be done in three weeks. (UniversityGirl actually laughed out loud when I said the 'done in three weeks' part).

Every year for the past 5 years we have spent the long weekend with friends at their cottage up north. Last year after we left I decided I wanted to make them a quilt as a thank you for the yearly invite. Of course I promptly forgot all about it once I was home.... that is until yesterday when they called to make sure that we were still coming this year. Ooops.

So how do I make a quilt in three weeks? Start with a top that's already made. In this case, I am going to give them the Basket Quilt that I put together at retreat this year (which has been languishing away, waiting for borders and quilting. What is it with me and borders, anyways?)

So I'm off to Fabricland after work to pick up backing fabric. And unfortunately, it's really only two and a half weeks until we go ..... eek....

Yes, I have a goal....

2009-07-06T10:45:00.002-04:00

I'm a bad blogger lately, I seem to have switched over to relaxed mode where I really don't seem to get much accomplished.

I did manage to send off the colorblock blocks for the swap I'm in, but other than that, I haven't been quilting at all.

However, in an effort to motivate myself, my GOAL for this week is to attach the borders to the yellow brick road quilt and load it onto the frame. There, I put it in print..... Now I have to do it!

30 days....

2009-06-22T14:32:00.002-04:00

It's official... I've managed to go a whole month without smoking. Yeah me! As a reward, I have decided to purchase a copy of EQ6 for myself.....

On the quilting front, I've finished my 'wannabee yellow brick road' quilt, I just need to add the borders. It was too dark and rainy this weekend to take a picture. Still not sure if I like it, we'll see once it's quilted.

Sleepy.....

2009-06-18T15:33:00.007-04:00

I'm a little tired today, thanks to DH and MaterialGirl. She phoned last night from her girlfriend's house to let me know that she would be staying the night (I get a little cranky if they don't tell me these things....). So of course, I lock the doors and off to bed I go....... 2:30 in the morning DH wakes me up "Trish, wake up, there's someone knocking at the door!"

Huh? You couldn't just answer it?

Of course not... that's what WIVES are for!!!!

So I drag my sorry butt down to the front door and sure enough, it's MaterialGirl.

Me: "So what part of 'I'm not coming home' did I not understand?"

MaterialGirl: "I changed my mind (at 2:30am???) .... why did you lock the door?"

Me: "Umm, 'cause I always lock the door unless someone is coming home late... " What I didn't say was "Excuse me, are you NEW???? You've lived here HOW long????" Nope, I clamped my mouth shut and went back to bed.....

On a cheerier note, I'm just about finished the binding on the final round of SFF3. I will post a picture after the owner receives it. It's gorgeous! I love the colours and the fabrics that everyone picked out.

Next on the agenda is to finish up the Yellow Brick Road quilt I started (the one where I read the pattern wrong, so it's definitely NOT going to look like the picture on the pattern!!!). And now that it's almost finished, I'm really not to fond of the colours I put together, either. This could be the making of a genuine 'Ugly Quilt'. We'll see.

Quilt Holder

2009-06-15T10:31:00.004-04:00

This is the quilt holder I bought last weekend. It's wrought iron and I like the way you can see all three quilts. My wooden quilt racks are higher in the center, so whe you put three quilts on them, you can only see the first two.

I don't have any quilting to show because I've been finishing up my Spring Fling Round Robin mini quilt and I can't post pictures yet. I can say that I am very happy with how it turned out ....... I just need to bind it and it's done.

Still here....

2009-06-08T11:22:00.004-04:00

I have been finishing up some deadline stuff. I finished the current round in the SFRR3 (2 days late...again...). I'm not very good at deadlines. I've already received the next round, this is the one where the top is finished and I have to quilt it. Since I don't dither as much over the quilting, I'm hoping to have the last part done early!

I started to make a list of my UFO's..... I gave up in disgust..... my sewing area is such a mess, I need to clean it up so that I can find anything!

However, here is a list of the UFO's that I HAVE found:

Basket quilt (started at retreat, still needs borders)
Yellow Brick Road (started last month)
Floral Charm Squares (last year)
Christmas Santas (probably 5 years old)
Christmas Trees (at least 7 years old)
Country Stars (still in kit form)
Winterthreads Wallhanging (purchased two years ago, started last winter)
Black Floral Table Topper (still in kit form)

However, I would like to point out that I behaved myself admirably this weekend.....
The girl's had given me a gift certificate to Fabricland for my birthday last month, and I went to Fabricland's 50% off sale on Saturday and managed NOT to buy any fabric! Instead I bought a really nice wrought-iron quilt rack and a new 20 and 1/2 inch ruler!

I'll take a picture of both later......

Elton John & Billy Joel

2009-05-29T09:48:00.006-04:00

Tuesday night I went to Toronto to see Elton John & Billy Joel in concert.

The show was great, I really enjoyed both performers. But, of course, it's me, so I couldn't go to Toronto and back without something happening.....

I went with my friend Carol and her sister-in-law Margaret. When we left the show we managed to get a little lost trying to walk back to our car. Personally, I know that I'm directionally challenged, so I always go back the same way I came..... but no, Margaret insisted that we take a 'shortcut' through Union station...... Then, 20 minutes later, we still haven't found the car, she decides that we have to go through the underground parking of the Convention centre because that's where we're parked.

"Ummm, Margaret, the Convention centre takes up an entire city block and we're parked on the OTHER side of the centre.... we'll never find it if we go in this side... we need to walk around the block and go in the right entrance"

"No problem", says Margaret, "we can get there from here...trust me!"

Okey dokey..... 20 minutes later, we are back to exactly where we started and my feet are KILLING me (why do I even OWN heels? hmmm?) Finally, we get directions from a hotel employee and she (of course) sends us AROUND THE BLOCK (like I said....) and 45 minutes after we left the show, we finally find the car.....

The bright side is that the show was worth every minute of it.......

On the quilty side of things, I've done absolutely nothing lately. Now that the nice weather is here, between me and the kids, I've been spending most of my time on the ballfield. This weekend we're going to Niagara Falls for SportsFan's baseball tournament. Hopefully I can get back to the sewing machine next week!

Formal 2009

2009-05-25T14:39:00.003-04:00

Me and Meagan.....

Meagan and Matt.....

Meagan and friends......

Quilt Show Last Weekend!

2009-05-11T13:36:00.005-04:00

Quilt Shows

2009-05-06T13:44:00.004-04:00

This year the Kawartha Quilt Guild (of which I am a member) is holding their bi-annual, non-judged show. As a favour to the members, they decided to hire a quilt judge who would look at member's quilts and comment on the workmanship, etc. It was purely volunteer... you didn't have to put in your quilt for the judge to look at unless you wanted too.

I decided to put in the wildlife quilt I just finished (I'm showing it at the quilt show this weekend as well). Anyways, I took it to the meeting this morning and had the judge look at it. I just wanted to get an idea of what areas need improvement (I'm sure there are lots of them)

So I picked up my quilt after the meeting and this was on the comment card attached to the quilt:

"Very neat. Quite lovely."

Huh? How is that constructive? I was expecting a little more detail and maybe something specific.... like "stitches are uneven" or "stitches are very even" . Maybe a comment on the overall design or something on the quilting design???? Very disappointing.

Moving on, I went to my sister's on the weekend and she took me to the Napanee Area Guild Quilt Show. The Napanee Guild isn't very large, but the show was still very nice. The had a few vendor booths and Lo and Behold! my sister found a deer panel almost identical to one I used for the wildlife quilt and now she's convinced me to make a similiar quilt for my nephew (another avid outdoorsman!). I can't win for losing.... remember how much I disliked working with all that "guy" fabric..... here I go again!

Of course I was already thinking about making him a quilt for his high school graduation this year (he's the same age as MaterialGirl), so I guess I'll just have to suck it up and make something he will like.....

More Retreat

2009-04-30T18:29:00.011-04:00

I'm not very good at remembering to get my camera out, but I did manage to snap a few pictures:

Jen looks like she's up to something.....

All the ladies hard at work.

My loot! Look at all the cool stuff the peeps made!

Prolific Online Quilters:! (That's Jill's One Block Wonder in the front, made with Wizard of Oz fabric.... very nice!)

Finally, after two and half days, I actually finished something! This is the Baskets quilt. I spent the whole weekend counting down the blocks... fifteen down, five to go, etc, etc!

Back from Retreat...

2009-04-28T16:25:00.004-04:00

And I had a wonderful time at the retreat. It was so great to meet so many of the bloggers in the Prolific Online Quilters group. They were all wonderful, smart, funny women who LOVE TO QUILT (Hah! Take that DH... I am neither crazy nor the odd woman out anymore!!!)

Did you notice my new blog header? Moneik made one for everyone with their blog name on it. I have mine attached to my rotary cutter.... Thanks, Moneik! And a big thank you to everyone who brought amazing hand crafted gifts for all of us, I will show pictures of all my loot and goodies tomorrow.

I will say that four days in another country (even if it is right next door) makes for some interesting times.

For example, I am convinced that Americans are speed freaks.... the speed limit in Michigan is 70mph, and I'm pretty sure that it's considered a minimum..... 80 or 85mph seems to be the standard....

Turnip greens and grits taste better than they look.

There is no helmet law for motorcyclists in Ohio.... I was shocked when I saw all the people without helmets..... (either that or they have a WHOLE bunch of lawbreakers...)

I forgot to tell everyone that I am somewhat paranoid about driving over large bridges, so no one thought to mention that the bridge at Port Huron is HUGE....(can you say "white knuckle driving...?")

I do not have a Canadian accent.... everyone else has an American accent .... ha ha ha

Now I'm heading for a nap to catch up on all the sleep I didn't get on the weekend!

Feeling MUCH better now.....

2009-04-20T11:43:00.002-04:00

I have recovered....

I spent the weekend trying to getting ready for the retreat. I finished all of the basket handles, and I'm trying to get the batik stars cut before I leave.

I also got a haircut and bought a couple of pairs of jeans.... now I just need to start packing (did I mention that I am really good at leaving everything to the last minute?).

Since I've been pretty much been talking about the retreat non-stop at home, my husband has starting referring to my trip as my "Cult Retreat"..... He thinks he's so funny!

I'm still here .....

2009-04-15T10:12:00.002-04:00

But I'm sick.... and it sucks....

I've managed to finish 15 of the 20 basket handles for retreat, but so far nothing else. I would really like to get the stars quilt cut out, but it's not going to happen until I get feeling better. One week tomorrow I leave for retreat, so I had better be feeling good soon!

Getting ready for Retreat....

2009-04-06T14:58:00.016-04:00

I decided it was time to actually start getting stuff ready for the retreat (less than 3 weeks to go!) so on Friday I started by prewashing the batik fq's (I have gotten away from prewashing lately, but these really dark batiks make me nervous, and the background is really light, so I didn't want to take a chance). Then I dug out a basket quilt kit from Connecting Threads I purchased, oh, about two years ago... and cut all the pieces out. I also started sewing on the basket handles, so I only have to piece the baskets and assemble the quilt top at the retreat. I've never used bias strips before, next time (if there is one) I'm going to invest in a bias bar to make it a little easier to make the strips. I cut a template out of plastic to use for the placement, instead of tracing the placement line on. I managed to finish 8 on the weekend.... 12 more to go.

I also stopped at fabricland to pick up some notions (is it me, or do pins evaporate over time??? maybe they grow legs and scurry away like little insects...) either way, my supply of pins was drastically low and I wanted to buy more bobbins so that I can bring a whole bunch to retreat already wound. Look at the nifty little case I picked up for my bobbins! Isn't it cute? Is has little foam holders so the bobbins fit in nice and snug and don't bounce around .... (sorry, it doesn't take much to amuse me...)

Speaking of the pins, I haven't been able to locate fork pins at any of the LQS in my area, so I'm going to try and get some when I'm in Ohio for the retreat, they look like they work well.

The last picture is a sneak peek at a UFO I dug out to keep me busy until retreat time, because I don't want to start anything new until then.....

Happy Birthday!!!!!

2009-04-01T15:03:00.007-04:00

Happy eighteenth birthday to my sweetie Meagan! (who surprised us all by arriving a week early on April Fool's Day!)

Meagan and and an iguana in Cuba.

Pizza anyone?

2009-04-01T14:28:00.011-04:00

I recieved my first Block of the Month from Sew-Sisters this week....

I can't wait to get started! It's a neutral colour sampler, and the first set of six fat quarters are gorgeous. Plus they included five extra fq's in neutral shades..... very nice. They also included a file folder for each month's instructions, and what looks like a pizza box to keep everything together.... ha ha ha.... I left it on the kitchen table and a little while later, I hear SportsFan say: "For crying out loud! It's fabric!"
Seems he came into the kitchen and was all excited because he thought I'd brought home pizza! He wasn't the only one, Hubby came home an hour later and did the exact same thing! Now they both think I'm a big meanie, teasing them with non-existant food.... of course, it's not MY fault they both think with their stomach!

Of course, I couldn't place an order at Sew-Sisters without buying a few extra goodies:

A wallhanging kit and 2 patterns. I think I'm going to bring the "Take 5 on Point" pattern to retreat as a backup. I already have fabric for it.

Only 20 days until retreat!!!!!!

Another Little Quilt Swap 3

2009-03-30T09:41:00.004-04:00

Kate North is hosting another round of ALQS - but with a twist - no pressure! You don't officially sign up for the swap until after you've finished your quilt.... So if you don't finish it, no one is disappointed (except maybe you....). Anyways, you can check it out here.

Quilt Retreat

2009-03-25T14:08:00.006-04:00

I finally decided what I want to work on at the retreat next month. I picked up this issue of AP&Q and I just love the quilt on the cover. However, I'm going to make a couple of changes. First I'm going to do the stars in 20 different batik fabrics for a multi-colour look, and second, I'm going to make the stars in 8 inch blocks instead of 4 inch blocks (I want a larger quilt). I already have the batiks, I just need to pick up the background and pick something for the small squares.

And I am under strict orders to post a picture of the BACK of the dress, she didn't like the first picture....LOL

Pictures.....

2009-03-24T10:44:00.022-04:00

From this:

To this:

I started stitching the binding down last night. I ran out of steam 3/4 of the way through, so I'll have to finish it tonight.

I have to say that I am

A) very happy with how it turned out, and

B) even happier that it's finally finished!!!!

Some of the quilting I did in the blocks didn't turn out as nice as I would've liked, ( I'm NOT very good at following the lines! LOL) but overall it looks good.

And a picture of "The Dress"!

A "Finish"

2009-03-23T10:28:00.002-04:00

Well, it's not a quilty finish, but we managed to come home with a dress on Saturday! I was so impressed, I had visions of multiple trips to Toronto! Plus, she actually managed to stay within the budget (really made me happy there!).

On the quilting front, I finished quilting Dave's quilt...Yippeee!!! Now I just have to attach the binding. I had big plans to do it Sunday night, but I got way-laid by a killer migraine, so I never left the couch all night.... maybe tonight....

I don't have any pictures yet, because either the light wasn't right, or there wasn't anyone home to hold it up for me (the nerve..... not being at my beck and call when I need them ...LOL)

Canada Post comes through .....

2009-03-20T10:26:00.003-04:00

Well, they might be expensive, but Canada Post came through with flying colours..... Tina received her quilt only a week after I sent it! WooHoo! Her pictures are better than mine, you can check it out here.

I'm making progress on Dave's quilt, all the blocks are quilted now, I only have two borders left to quilt. It probably won't happen this weekend though, all three kids will be home and I promised MaterialGirl that we will go to Toronto on Saturday to shop for a formal (prom) dress (technically, it's not called Prom in Ontario, they call it Formal). Given how picky the girl is, I'm sure I'll be exhausted by Saturday night.

Still Plodding Along .....

2009-03-17T10:39:00.010-04:00

on the never ending quilt ......

I'm over half finished now, it's slowly getting done. The colours in the last picture are too yellow, I'll get a better picture later.

Decorating and the never-ending wildlife quilt....

2009-03-16T10:07:00.008-04:00

We spent most of the weekend re-doing my bedroom. We've lived in this house for more than ten years and my bedroom was still painted white.... can you say Blah? Last week DH built me a new closet (it was a little bit of a wait, the sticker on the closet doors said they were purchased in March of 2006....), then Friday night he and DS built shelves and finally we painted on Saturday and Sunday. Whew, thank goodness that's done, I hate painting! Although I still have to paint the kitchen (again, still white after 10 years). I actually bought the paint for the kitchen this weekend, so hopefully it will get done soon (in my house soon means anywhere from one week to a few years, so we'll have to see how we make out there!).

It's funny how I really don't like painting and decorating, but since we've moved in, each of the kids rooms have been repainted at least twice. Hmmm.....

After I finished the swap quilt this week (see last post), I put Dave's quilt back on the frame. Good Lord, this one is taking me forever!!!! I finally finished the McTavishing around the blocks, and on Sunday I started quilting each of the individual blocks. It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would. Of course, I went a little overkill on the quilting, but once I started, it was too late to change my mind.

I need to get a little bit more productive.... I also have two quilts that still need binding....

It's March break here in Ontario, so my two high school students are off for the week. MaterialGirl went on a trip to Quebec City with a bunch of friends and won't be back until Friday, and SportsFan is leaving Tuesday to visit a friend for the rest of the week, so I should be able to get something done while they're gone.

4 Seasons Quilt Swap 5

2009-03-11T10:05:00.017-04:00

First, I mailed my quilt off Monday morning..... going overseas (can't tell you where):

Then I came home from work and found this little gem in my mail:

It's from Tina and it's gorgeous! It has tiny tulips in the corner, and even tinier little bumblebees in each of the tulips. She also sent some really cute notecards, but I was a little braindead yesterday and forgot to take a picture.

Thanks Tina, I love it!

Of course I can't have a post without a story:

I went to the post office Monday to mail my quilt and I ask the girl behind the counter, "how much to send this parcel to XXXXXX?"

"Well, she says, "it's $8 to send it ground or $17 to send it by air."

So I say, "how long does ground take? (I'm thinking if it's 6 to 10 days, I'll do it that way)"

She says: "4 to 6 weeks"

I'm thinking "4 to 6 WEEKS? R U Kidding me?! Is it going in a ROWBOAT????"

But I didn't say it, of course, instead I said, "Umm, I 'll go with the air. Does that include a tracking number?"

She says "No, if you want a tracking number it will be ..... let's see.... Oh yeah, $57."

"$57 DOLLARS????!!!! For a tracking number? R U ON CRACK?????"

Actually what I said (after I got the shocked look off of my face was, "Thank you, no. I won't be needing a tracking number....)"

Canada Post drives me insane.

I'm still here .....

2009-03-07T16:19:00.002-05:00

Just not accomplishing anything.....
Well, I have almost finished my 4SQS5 swap quilt (just need to attach the label and mail it tomorrow). Actually it's the second one I've made for the swap, because the first one was a little too "off" for me to feel comfortable sending it. I am going to finish the first one and keep it for myself, but not right now (famous last words).

It's one of those weeks where every time I plan to work on something, something else gets in the way..... arghhhh....

Right now I'm off to watch my son's hockey game (good lord, will hockey season EVER end?) and then I'm seriously thinking about attacking the HUGE load of dirty clothes that is taking over the laundry room ...... maybe .....

Home again

2009-02-25T09:00:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm back to the freezing cold Ontario winter.... Yeah!

Well, maybe not Yeah.... The weather in Cuba was fantastic the whole week, but that's pretty much all I can say about the trip that won't be major whining.... let me sum it up with the fact that the food was so bad, I lost 4 pounds (not necessarily a bad thing!) We had a good time overall, just a lot (I mean A LOT) of annoyances built into the trip.

Moving on, I'm working on the 4SQS quilt. This swap is monochromatic... and let me just say that it's really stretching the limit for me to only work with one colour!

I'm also still quilting the Moose quilt for Dave. I work on the 4SQS quilt for a while, then I quilt for a while.... slowly I'm making progress on both.

But I do have a new story:

MaterialGirl is in grade 12 this year and she decided to take a co-op at the hospital for her last semester (she has applied to the nursing program at the local college). Ummm.... maybe not.... turns out the girl faints at the sight of blood.... out cold.... on the floor type of fainting.....
Uh oh, maybe nursing isn't her calling after all..... The bright side is that she found this out before she invested her time and (our) money at college. Now she has to rethink what she's going to do in the fall because there's NO WAY she's going back to the hospital (her words, not mine).

Vacation Time ......

2009-02-12T12:17:00.001-05:00

We're off to Cuba for some sun and fun....

Back in a week!

Back to normal (well, as normal as it gets)

2009-02-09T11:10:00.010-05:00

I finished quilting the Turning Twenty for Kate (Courtney's twin sister). I probably won't get the binding on until I come back from vacation, and then I'll post a picture of it finished.

And this is the result of my trip to Fabricland, I think it might have been an over reaction to working on Dave's 'Guy' quilt.... We're definately talking a Girly-Girl quilt here! (the cat paw belongs to MooMoo, Meagan's cat.... MooMoo likes to inspect all of the fabric and give it her approval....)

And the last shot is of Laura's friend Luke, having a little snooze with Belle! I might have to get Laura to post this on Facebook so all his friends can see it!

Winter Blahs....

2009-02-03T10:53:00.002-05:00

I believe I'm suffering from a severe case of the Winter Blahs..... I haven't felt like working on anything lately. I finally sucked it up, though, and fixed Dave's quilt. Now ALL the blocks are right side up (what a concept!)

I also stopped at Fabricland yesterday and bought fabric for a new quilt.... It seems the 'Blahs' don't extend to shopping, LOL!!!!

Someone just shoot me now ......

2009-01-27T15:46:00.004-05:00

I finished Dave's quilt. Yup, came straight home from work, fixed the mistake I made last night, sewed all the borders on and stood back to admire my handiwork and BAM!

I sewed one of the fish blocks in UPSIDE-DOWN!!!!!

I don't know whether to laugh or cry .....

So if you'll excuse me, I think I'll just crawl under the quilting machine and curl up in a little ball....

Extremely Slow Progress ....

2009-01-26T11:01:00.014-05:00

For the last week I've been making myself work on the quilt for my friend Dave.

This is what I started with, I sashed each block with a dark brown fabric, and then I used a gold background to put them together. I think it looks alright, but it sure is a pain to put together without a pattern. In fact, I'm NOT enjoying the process at all.

If it wasn't for DH constantly nagging me, it would be hidden in a plastic tote underneath the quilting machine. Everytime I try to work on something else he says, "How come you're not working on Dave's quilt?'

Well, basically because I don't LIKE Dave's quilt. (Don't tell Dave!) Mostly because I'm having trouble getting everything to be square .... but the other reason is that I have figured out that I only like making quilts that use fabric that appeals to me.... and fish, moose and deer aren't exactly what I find attractive in a quilt, LOL!

However, I know that Dave is going to love it (I gave him a sneak preview of the fabrics and he was thrilled!). I only have one more row to put together (at the bottom of the quilt, it will be the same as the top row) and then I can figure out if I have enough fabric left for a border. As far as the 'waviness' goes, I think if I quilt the gold sections fairly heavy, it will flatten it out.

Last week I made the mistake of of taking a good look at what quilting projects I have on the go.... Five quilts currently in progress (this means I have started cutting and sewing, kits don't count.... don't even go there) Sheesh, how did that happen? I mean, I know I'm not a 'start to finish' person, but I usually control myself and only have two, maybe three at the most in the works.

Dave's quilt (getting there...)
Turning Twenty (needs border)
Winterthreads Applique quilt (have MANY blocks left to applique)
One Block Wonder (have 1/3 of the blocks pieced)
4SQS5 quilt swap (started it twice, but keep changing my mind)

So my goal for January and February is to finish at least three of them, before I start anything new.

BRRRR.....

2009-01-16T09:30:00.011-05:00

I don't normally complain about the weather (when you live in Canada, there really isn't much point) but DAMN it's cold!

I finished Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too....

and I used it to practice with the new MicroHandles. The first picture is freehand continuous curves on the four patches and the pinwheels, they're not great but they are better than I could do with the original handles.

The second picture is just random squiggly curls

Dwirling around Winnie the Pooh

The Finished product. Try to ignore the ugly cream binding. Since it was made from left over pieces of another quilt, I didn't have enough fabric left for the binding. Fortunately, I know a cute little two year old boy who isn't going to care what colour the binding is!

Last night I started a Turning Twenty quilt. I've never made one before but I've had the book for a couple of months. I have decided that I am NOT allowed to buy more fabric until I use up some of the stuff I already have, at least three or four quilts worth! Since I had 16 left over fat quarters in black, red and white that I didn't use in Meagan's quilt, I used them to make a 4X4 Turning Twenty (although technically, I guess it's a Turning 16!). I pieced all the squares last night and I'm planning on finishing the top this weekend. It certainly goes together fast, it's not hard to see why it's such a popular pattern.

Micro Handles

2009-01-13T10:08:00.010-05:00

I finally got around to installing the Micro Handles onto my machine (the bottom set of handles in the picture). They've been in a box under the quilting machine for three months (can you say procrastinate???).

Anyways, they're on now, so I spent a little time last night trying them out..... hhhmmmm.... BIG learning curve here.

It's like learning to quilt all over again. The point of the lower handles is that they are closer to the quilt and you have more control for doing smaller, more intricate patterns. HAH! I can see that I am going to need practice, practice, and more practice!

I pulled out a top for a baby quilt I made last spring and tried to quilt freehand feathers..... ha ha ha ..... ROTFL..... it's a good thing I don't do this for a living!

However, I'm not giving up, back to the drawing board tonight.....

Two Finishes for 2009

2009-01-12T09:48:00.013-05:00

The bad news is that DH has a cold and was sick all weekend, in fact I don't think he got off the couch for three days.

The good news is that it translates into MAJOR quilting time for me (insert evil laugh here....)

I hand stitched the binding on That 70's Show and the Christmas Tablecloth, and yes, I did get moving on more blocks for Dave's quilt (which I have renamed "Bullwinkle and Friends"). All I'm doing right now is putting dark brown strips around each block. Once that's completed, I'm going to hang them up on a design wall and stare at them for probably at least a couple of weeks ......

I didn't get a picture of That 70's Show finished because SportsFan (the official quilt holder) wasn't home and DH wasn't getting up for anything....

That 70's Show ....

2009-01-08T11:18:00.013-05:00

Is the name of my latest quilt. The girls came up with the name, they thought the fabrics were 70's retro. It's a disappearring nine-patch. This one is going to be given to Laura's friend Katy.

I started it before Christmas, but I didn't get it quilted until after the New Year. I quilted loops in the main part of the quilt, a large stipple in the border and I did more loops on the inner brown border.

Once I get the binding on, I'm going to make a real effort to get Dave's quilt together. I've been ignoring it for over a month now, but I need to start working on it soon!

The girls gave me a new camera for Christmas, since it's PINK, it should be easier to find and I hopefully won't misplace it as often as I did with the other one!

And my sister gave me a tote on wheels (similiar to the picture) for when I go to the St. Jude's Quilt Retreat in April! Yeah, Sis! (she's the best.... even though there may have been a few subtle hints dropped here and there... LOL)

Christmas? Already?

2008-12-19T10:10:00.003-05:00

I haven't been quilting at all....

UniversityGirl came home from school last Thursday and is now home for 3 weeks. It's so nice to have her home! Her 19th birthday was on Monday, so between that and trying to get ready for Christmas, I've been a little busy.....

The tree is finally up, but that's it as far as decorations go, now I just have two gifts left to buy and I'm all done.

I'm on holidays from the 24th to Jan 5th, so I'm hoping to do some major quilting during my holidays (one can always hope!).

Since I do most of my blogging from work, I probably won't be posting until the New Year, so, for all my bloggy friends out there:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Is Accuracy important to you?

2008-12-10T10:08:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading this post on the inaccuracy of quilting rulers and mats. Very interesting. While I'm not a fanatic for 'exact' measurements (I tend to fudge if it's close enough) I do try to be accurate, and I never thought that my rulers might be wrong. Her explanation of why the borders don't always fit perfectly sounds familiar. Hmm... I guess I'll be going home tonight to measure my rulers ....

Quilty Weekend

2008-12-10T08:59:00.014-05:00

I'm a little late posting about it, but I had a really nice weekend that consisted of mostly quilting and one of my son's hockey games (Christmas? Decorating? Shopping? Maybe next weekend....)

I finished Courtney's BFF quilt. It's made with all the leftover fabric from Meagan's 'Skunk in a Blender' quilt. I made the pattern up as I went along. I started by using the small scraps in random 'crumbs' blocks and then I made various squares like nine-patches and four patches. All of the blocks are 6 1/2 inches. Some of the blocks are surrounded by 3 1/2 strips to make them 12 1/2 inches, and the rest are the 4 blocks put together. Very similiar to the 'Skunk in a Blender' pattern, but I didn't have enough fabric to copy it exactly.

I quilted it with an allover large stipple. This is the one I had tension problems with, so I spent over an hour frog stitching..... But it's finished and I'm happy with it.

Then there's the Christmas wallhanging.... I'm not happy with it. Now that it's quilted, I don't like the colour combination. The red and green are too dark and overwhelm the Christmas print (yes, it's red... not pink!). Live and learn I quess. I'm going to put the binding on it and use it for a tablecloth instead, I think it will look better that way.

If Fabricland has any of the Christmas print fabric left after Christmas, I might buy more and try again with a different pattern.

Another story

2008-12-04T15:21:00.002-05:00

Turns out I’m not the only dumbass in the family….

My oldest daughter is in her first year at Carleton University and exams started this week: She phones me at 1:20 this afternoon:

Laura: “So….. you know that dream where you sleep in and miss your exam?”

Me: “NO, tell me you didn’t!”

Laura: “Not exactly. Actually I had the wrong date on the calander; I thought it was Dec.10th…… turns out it was at 9:00 this morning. I was AT THE GYM at 9:00 this morning! Walking back to rez I turn on my cell phone and I get a text message that says “Good Luck” from a guy in the same class. Good Luck? What for? OMG!!!!! I run to my room and check the exam schedule and I’ve missed my first exam! It started over an hour ago! I am TOTALLY freaking out! My roommate convinces me to calm down and go to the exam anyways, maybe they’ll let me write for the last hour and a half….. By the time we get there, I’m crying so hard I can’t even talk, my roomie explains to the Professor that I had the wrong date and he agrees to let me write anyways, AND he says he’ll let me write for the full three hours. I start to calm down a little and then he asks if I’ve studied….STUDIED??!!! Are you kidding, I THOUGHT IT WAS NEXT WEEK….. I HAVEN’T EVEN OPENED A BOOK!!!! I’ve been studying for the other three exams I have THIS WEEK! And if that’s not humiliating enough, me bawling my eyes out in front of the ENTIRE class, and the Proctor bringing me tissues every 15 minutes, I was so upset I forgot to turn off my cell phone and it RINGS DURING THE EXAM….. I just want to crawl under a rock now…..You can stop laughing now Mom. Mom! Stop laughing!”

Me: (slightly hystericaI) “I’m sorry honey, but I have this really clear vision of your scholarship money swirling down the drain…..

Laura: “Thanks for the reminder…. plus, the exam was worth 45% of my overall mark, I might not even pass the class! But, I can honestly say I did learn one thing in university…. Crying gets you everything….”

Final note: I felt so bad for her that I just sent her an ‘Exam Stress Buster’ care package through the university (it’s a package with fresh fruit, junk food and coffee shop gift certificates). On the note that comes with it I had them sign it “Crying gets you everything. Love Mom”

Back to reality

2008-12-03T09:13:00.002-05:00

Well, I’m back. And even though I had fun, it was pretty close to the vacation from hell…. It started with a bad cold two days before we left (which I STILL have) and ended up with me, flying ‘ass over tea kettle’ down a moving sidewalk in the airport on the way home. In between, I saw three great shows (yes, I love Donny Osmond and am not afraid to admit it!), had a minor bout with food poisoning, and a cab ride from hell that finished with Carol and I leaving the guys in the cab and running down Las Vegas Blvd in heels so that we wouldn’t miss the Donny and Marie show (not a pretty picture…. I’m not exactly Carrie Bradshaw in a pair of high heels….).

The highlight reel of the trip definitely had to be at the airport in Toronto. Hubby and I are at one of the moving sidewalks and there’s a family in front of us with three small children. Mom and the two boys get on the sidewalk and Dad and the little girl are in front of me and DH, and there’s NO WAY the little girl is going to step onto the sidewalk (she was probably two years old, maybe three). Well Dad can’t carry her because he has two suitcases on wheels that he’s dragging, and the little girl is frozen at the sidewalk and there’s a whole bunch of people behind us and he can’t back up or get out of the way. SO… I decide to be the good Samaritan and say to Dad, “pick up your little girl and leave the suitcase behind, and I’ll bring the suitcase…” Sounds reasonable, right? WRONG!!!! Turns out the suitcase is actually a tool box on wheels that must have weighed well over a 100 lbs…. I step onto the sidewalk and grab the case, only the case is so heavy that it doesn’t move…. But I’m already moving… Wham! I fell flat on my butt, then I had to get up and run back and grab both suitcases, I fell again, finally, DH helps me get both cases onto the sidewalk and he’s got this huge grin on his face when he says “OMG, I wish I had a camera!” Nice, honey, real nice…..

What a week.

Moving on, I spent two hours (yes, TWO HOURS) fighting with the tension on my quilting machine last night. I’ve had Courtney’s quilt on the frame since before the vacation, but somehow I managed to screw up the tension so badly that I had to give up and leave it. User error of course. It’s fixed now, but there were a few expletives thrown around last night before I got it fixed….

Viva Las Vegas!

2008-11-25T13:54:00.008-05:00

I'm off to Las Vegas tomorrow for four days with hubby and another couple. Of course, leave it to me to wake up with a nasty head cold on Sunday, my sinuses are so stuffed up, my head will probably explode on takeoff.....

But I'm going to tough it out and go anyways because Carol bought us tickets to see:

Donny Osmond! I have been a Donny Osmond fan since I was 10 years old and had his posters all over my walls. I also saw him in "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat" when it was playing in Toronto. Oh yeah, Marie will be there too. For some strange reason the guys didn't want to see Donny and Marie, so we're also going to see

Cirque du Soleil - 'Mystere'

and 'The Blue Man Group'

I love vacations ......