Oh what a week it has been.

Monday & Tuesday: My BFF and quilting buddy's husband suffered a heart attack on Monday morning. I was out in the garden at the time and heard ambulances and knew they were close but didn't realize they were at her house around the corner down the street. He is doing well and has been released from hospital yesterday already. The timing of everything made the procedures and care first rate. So needless to say I was busy helping her get to and from the hospital, making etc meals, doing extra laundry, cleaning up two kitchens etc. They have done so much for us over the years I didn't have a problem helping them out at all.

Wednesday: was our 20^th anniversary. My husband came home from work with beautiful yellow and pink roses. I also received a very beautiful pair of diamond earrings…..yahoo! they are gorgeous! We spent the evening at our son's soccer game!!! Maybe this weekend we can go out to celebrate.

Thursday: I worked, rushed home to get daughter #2 and then rushed to the university (MRU) to watch both daughters performing in their competition show case for family and friends. What an evening. We always enjoy watching them on stage. Glad we were inside as outside it was SNOWING. Yep you read right snowing in May, unbelievable!

Friday: I was supposed to be joining daughter #2 class on an all day outdoor field trip to a conservation area. I bailed. Just couldn't see myself being outside in the rain/snow with no shelter, bathrooms etc for 5 hrs. I am just getting over a cold and didn't want to go downhill again. So instead she slept in, I have baked banana bread and a few other chores. I really hope I can get to sewing today too.
I have been working on these pinwheel squares for a few weeks now. Just not sure how to put them all together, with or without sashing? It all started by making a sample block who was having trouble getting her points to line up. I offered to make one to see if I had the same problems. Turns out I didn't and she just needs to be a bit more accurate in cutting.

I have started my son's quilt..more on that later.

Amy's Creative Side Quilt Festival

Want some inspiration?

Love looking at quilts from around the world?

Like to go to a quilt show in your pj's?

Well then the 3rd Quilt Bloggers Spring Quilt Festival is the place you want to go. hosted by Amy at Amy's Creative Side.

This is my entry. I started the quilt back in January. I love using leftovers of what I have on hand. I had seen many versions of the string block and wanted to try my hand at it. Let me tell you once you start you can't stop. They are addicting.

The hardest part was deciding how to quilt the darn thing. I didn't want to do more free motion. I didn'want to use more straight lines. so finally i opted for a serpentine line horizontally across the quilt. I used a yellow thread on both back and front. The border...what a process that was. The blue was a great match I thought, but I didn't have quite enough, so I made a few crumb blocks to take up space. I ended up with 1"of blue left over. Since the 'front' is so wild I thought the back needed to be a bit more tame. I love this orange, pink, red and yellow fabric. the binding was made with a solid yellow

I have given this quilt to my 20 year old niece for her birthday. She just finished her second year of universtiy and a history trip to Europe. She was also rookie of the year for her soccer team.

I would definitly make another one of these. Great scrap buster!

BINGO

I am playing along with the Spring Fever Bingo over at In Stitches

happy birthday

Wow I can't believe my son is turning 18 today. Seems like just yesterday he was a rolly polly baby, entering the world at 9lbs 4 oz. We thought he would never walk, but finally did at 17months. He is so witty and humourus. I love his smile. He is kind and thoughtful. Writes beautiful mother's day poems:

You're our mother, whom we share

Doing everything and even more.

thanks is something we don't often say,

but this family loves you all the way.

Have a warm and loving Mother's Day.

Isn't that sweet! We are celebrating on Friday night with a surprise party!!! turning 18 here means you are legal to drink. He had a deal with his dad that he wouldn't drink until he was 18 and if held out he would receive $1000. Well we are a little poorer but proud of him. Now we gear up for parties, graduation, jobs, university etc etc. another chapter in life is opening.

p.s. I still have his graduation quilt to start using 20 fat quarters of music/guitar related fabric in blacks, browns, white red, multi coloured guitars

. Can you help me out with a pattern to use?

Catching up

well I am almost caught up. After being away for 4 days there really is lots of catching up to do. First of all my sister came for a visit from Ontario. With only 2 days notice of her arrival, she got to arrive to a messy and crazy house. She wanted to see my girls dance.

Off we went to Banff Friday night with my daughters for a weekend full of dancing. The girls did very well and we enjoyed watching them on stage. (all competitions are over for another year)

Due to the weekend activities we have postponed the celebration of Mother's day until this weekend. My husband did drive out to to Banff watch the girls and join us for breakfast, but unfortunately my nearly 18 year old son (scary thought)couldn't make it. So I look forward to next Sunday!

check this out:

May 1st Lakeside Quilters had their 10th anniversary quilt show in Chestermere. Check out Pastimes Online to see pictures of the quilt show. The first picture has me and my daughter in the picture!

Go to Valerie's website http://www.pastimesonline.ca/ for some great quilting products. (Canadian prices too). be sure to tell her I sent you!

These little stitcheries were for my mom for Mother's Day. They arrived only one day late. I would have had them done sooner but I couldn't work on them when she was visiting here. I really enjoyed making these and want to do some more stitchery projects. I hadn't embroidered since I was a young girl, but it all came back to me. My mom is an avid gardener so she will enjoy these! (maybe put then on your sunporch shelves, Mom)

well i am off to the hairsalon for some me time! I hope to do some sewing tomorrow. I reaaalllly need to start on my son's grad quilt..

I will be gone

for a little while.

We are off to another weekend (and a bit) of dance competitions in beautiful Banff National Park, Alberta in the Canadian Rockies about 2 hrs from home.

As a bonus, my sister flew in from Ontario today to go with us this weekend. She is so excited to see her nieces dance!

I just wish our weather would get better. Snow in May is not fun at all!

To all my fellow mom's (and mine if she is reading) have a great day on Sunday and I hope you are all spoiled by your families in their own special way.

Spring swap package received!

look at all the goodies
Originally uploaded by Lala216

Look at all the wonderful goodies I received in the mail yesterday. I have to tell you a funny story about this box. It would seem that my swap partner and I didn't have very good luck with the postal systems in our countries. Apparantly my parcel to her went to Australia instead of Austria. She says that has happened to her before. Brigitte's package to me was returned due to a mislabelling. In the end we both have our goodies.

this sure brightens my day, especialy since it is snowing out side today.....hello mother nature it is May

I have to stop.....

....shopping, that is. I have to take a bit of a shopping break for fabrics and other quilt related items for a while (trying to hold off until July). Time to get some items made and out of the house instead of always buying.

I may actually have two orders for my Easter table runner. (How much would you charge?)

Here is what I got at Quilt Canada on the last of my buying for awhile:

One can never have enough FQ's, charm packs, dessert rolls and fun food prints.

The fat quarters on the left are all music themed. This will hopefully turn into a Rock and Roll quilt for my son for graduation.

(I have to start, but don't know what pattern to use...any ideas?)

Lastly, the elephant pattern is for a wallhanging for a couple who got married on an elephant reserve in South Africa. The birthday cards are for my daughter to embellish and give to her friends.

I have to tell you about my day on Friday. I wanted to go back to Quilt Canada to finish off seeing the vintage quilts, but daughter #2 was off school and I didn't want to leave her home most of the day. Well she said she would like to join me and my friend. I was thrilled. So off we went and she was really enthusiastic to see all the quilts, old sewing machines and vendors. She even chose some fat quarters for her own polka dot fabric collection (yikes what have I started). She was as amazed as I was with the juried quilts, getting up close and taking a good look at them, awing the colour combinations etc. From there we had to go help set up, the new guild I joined, quilt show. She was again very helpful setting up and was proud and a bit timid to show the ladies her quilt. However, she gleamed when she saw it hanging from the rafters with all the other gorgeous quilts. I believe the show was a great success too!