Please vote...

Remember this quilt I made back in November. well i entered it in the Quilting Gallery's weekly themed quilt contest.

If you like mine vote for me..... HERE

my last finish for 2009

Talk about finishing under the wire. I can officially say I finished this quilt before the stroke of midnight on the 31st...11:50pm to be exact. This quilt was my oldest UFO in hiding. I found it a couple of weeks before Christmas. Originally it was suppose to be a tree skirt. Over the years I would get it out, look at the hand written instructions, get frustrated with it and put it away. Well this year when I took it out and couldn't find the instructions I decided what the hec it is going to be a quilt instead. It was in two pieces already but not square in the corners (if that makes sense). There were even some squares already cut in the bundle. I added them to the corners even if they didn't match, put on one border, but then decided it needed another. So off to the LQS to find some fabric of the same vintage, I wouldn't call them the prettiest fabrics now. I did manage to piece the back together. I made a 12" maverick star for the back to represent the star of Bethlehem. I ran out of waking hours to quilt this before Christmas. A couple days after the Christmas when things had settled down a bit, I sat down and machine quilted with a meandering loops, stars and holly leaves. In the end I love how it turned out and how it graces our family sofa now and for what I hope will be many years to come.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to one and all!
It has been a wonderful year of quilting and blogging. I am so glad I joined this amazing virtual world. Everyone has inspired me and taught me so much. I have enjoyed reading everyone's adventures in the creative pursuits and seeing their accomplishments. Looking back I can't beleive what I have done and learned. I couldn't have done it without all of you.

Wishing you all the best for 2010.

Christmas surprise!

Well I almost did it, that is finishing my other daughter's quilt before Christmas. I forgot she was getting out of school for break earlier then her siblings. that meant she was with me all the time and it was hard for me to finish her quilt. She (at 14yrs old) started and completed the top last spring. This was her first time making a quilt. We used 4 charm packs and a 2.5"wide sashing. All the colour choices were hers. The backing is pink just like her room. Luckily, one night, she got called to babysit and I managed to finish stitching , in a meandering loopy de loop pattern. I got it all done except the hand sewing of the binding. I think she should try to work on that a bit.

And the days just roll by.....

I hope everyone is surviving the holidays ok. We had a great Christmas and are now taking the days leisurely, enjoying the break from all the kids activities and work. I am adjusting to having everyone home! I have so much to post about, but with everyone home and still the usual duties of the house to run, I am not finding much time. I did quickly want to show you the quilt I finished for my daughter. She (9 years old at the time) started it last spring. She would look in my string bin for like colours and sew them together into blocks. When we ran out of strings she would ask for fat quarters to be cut. At first I was going to sash it in black, but then opted for the white to make it more 'light' . I finished it on the sly, in the evenings when she was in bed & managed to get it done on the 22nd just before she got out of school. I decided to back it with flannel as she is always cold in bed. I stippled it just because I needed it to be done quickly. Her favourite colour is lime green and the polka dots on the flannel had all the colours in it, so a perfect fit. The binding is "Riveria' by Free Spirit, which again has all the colours of the rainbow.

More finishes....

This quilt, called "GOAL" is going to my nephew in Ontario who is a huge soccer fan and great little player at 7 years old. It was suppose to be for his birthday in Nov. but I just didn't get it done in time. Now it is a gift for Christmas.

A few more finishes that I have been working on. this angel wall hanging went to Leah in Australia as part of the the Four Seasons Quilt Swap. I was glad to find out that she received her package this week.

This scarf I crocheted a few weeks back. My daughter's grade 5 class is crocheting scarves that will go to one of the homeless shelters. I have been crocheting along with them using up all the yarn in my house. I actually had to go to Value Village to get more.

I have a couple more projects up my sleeve and will post about them when I get them started or completed.

Finishes.....

Sorry that my post have been few and far between lately, but when you see all that I have been working on, I have been rather busy but productive. Not to mention the usual activities of life and then throw in the Christmas season as well and I am one busy lady!
This table runner is for my brother and wife for Christmas. I used 2 1/2"strips and border. I then diagonally machine quilted it. (one of my favourites so far)
this table runner is going to Ohio to the family farm's kitchen buffet.

this wall hanging was made for my sister on the occassion of her 50th birthday in November. She was here visiting a couple of weeks ago. We had a blast hitting the malls around the city, putting a dent in our Christmas shopping. We went to a Calgary Flames game and I even managed to arrange a surprise birthday party for her out in Banff with some of her oldest friends. Hope she comes back again soon!!

I have a few more finishes but will have to put them in another post.......

Going going gone...

I know it has been awhile, but I have been terribly busy. I am working on a Silent Auction & Dinner fundraiser for my girl''s dance studio. It has taken most of my spare time up getting the bid sheets and listings compiled and in the computer, not to mention getting donations. I wanted to get this all done before my sister arrives, TODAY!! yippee!

the quilt pictured here will go in the Silent Auction. This is probably the most modern quilt i have ever done, really outside my comfort zone. I enjoyed making it though. I free motioned it with loopy flowers in turquoise thread. It is not very big, 39x56". Good for a young girl. It will be interesting to see just how much it goes for. I have a few more things to post, but first I need to vaccum and get to the airport! Can't wait for her visit as I know we will have fun and many laughs together and spend way too much too!!

Peek a boo!

I few things I have been working on lately. I almost have a very old UFO finished. Just a couple more feet of binding to sew on and a wash!

Stay tuned for these to be finished.....

You know what they say.....

.....One person's trash is another person's treasure. Well remember the fabric find I got at the thrift store? (pictured above)I was so pleased as most of it was Thimbleberries fabric. I have turned that thrifty find into this treasure....... I did add a couple of fat quarters from my stash. I loved making the hour glass blocks.

Now it just needs to be sandwiched and quilted....any suggestions on how to machine quilt it?

I have also been busy working on the table runner for our kitchen table for fall. Although today feels more like summer with 29*C and a hot wind blowing.

Did I mention that I also canned 15 pounds of tomoatoes yesterday?


Time to run and start the night time driving job -- taxiing kids here and there. Wednesday night is our Fright Night for activities.

Mini summer quilt swap

Well finally I have my mini quilt completed and ready to post Monday morning. I had been done for awhile now, just need the label. this ws may second time machine appliqueing, which i did enjoy and hope to do more of. I got it completed today and all packaged ready to go to......???? I will say, it is going on a journey to another country!

Tomorrow I am going back to Value Village as it is 50% off day and see if there is any more fabric left.

The purchases from last week have been made into a hourglass blocks and the top is nearly complete. Too many interuptions and household duties to get it done this weekend.

Have a great week everyone!!

M-I-A....not really just holidays

No I am not Missing In Action..I have been on holidays. The family and I were in the Maritimes for 10 days. We had an awesome time, the weather was great, well except for Sunday when hurricane Bill went through Halifax, so we just spent the day in the hotel. Wish I had had some hand sewing to do then but I didn't, instead I picked up my daughter's cross stitch and worked on that for her!! My hands can't be idle. I also finished off three more of the Elm Creek Quilter's books during the vacation. I am hooked on those and hope to get a few more this week, although then when will i get some sewing in? While in Nova Scotia we visited some friends at their cottage for the day. As a thank you for their hospitality I made this table runner for them. (the night before we left) I had to finish up the binding on the airplane. I had no idea what colours they would like but I was pleasantly surprised to see her yellow and blue decorative bowls on the table...kismet!I managed to have the rental car stop at a few quilt/fabric stores in NS and PEI. I picked up some lovely flannels and fat quarters at the Harbour Quilt Company just outside of Antigonish, NS. Also a few meters of fabric was purchased at the Bargain Fabric Outlet , just before we left PEI. Hard to pick out fabrics when you know there are 4 people in a SUV drumming their fingers wishing I would hurry up.

Now I am busy unpacking, catching up with emails, blogs, etc. Laundry is going already, pictures down loaded, dog picked up from the neighbour's Kids start school in 2-3 days, each one different so I will be busy again with my day/evening job of taxi driver, lunch maker and homework checker....wish me luck!

Dance banner and sewing update!

I have a couple of finishes to show off the next couple of days...finally!!!I made this banner for my daughter so she could have a place to show off all her dance awards she receives at competitions. It was my first time to trying to do the lettering...only the A i am not happy with, but oh well, better luck next time. I made a sleeve for the back and we will get it hung soon.

Stay tuned for a finished wonky log cabin coming your way...just have to finish the binding. I have been so busy reading Elm Creek Quilters 3 volume book, that I forgot to do some of my own sewing.

Yesterday my LQS had another 50% off sale. Well who can resist that. I bought a lot of fabric again, but this time I went with a list of projects that need to be started or finished and got fabrics for that only...well maybe a piece or two for the stash. I also found a great book for beginning applique. This is one area of quilting I haven't done much with and want to get started. There is such a cute flower pot pattern that I will use for my Summer Quilt Swap in the book. Normally the book sold for $38 and was on sale for $14. Even the lady behind me in line was admiring it. She went to look for it, but it was the only one. I also bought Christmas fabric for use in my Holiday swap. Since I was on a role with holiday fabric and I was also standing beside some wonderful fall fabric while I was in line, I grabbed some to make table runners!

so i have some project to get started on and of course there are the never ending ones to finish too.

Now I have to get my head around our upcoming vacation to the east coast of Canada. finally a break from the norm.

Have a good Sunday

Have you ever........????

Have you ever.....thought you are going to start one project and then completely go a different route? Well I sure have. I decided to join Amanda Jean's second 9-patch quilt along. this would be my first quilt-along and I was excited. the night before I couldn't sleep just thinking about what I would make and with which fabrics (oh ya it suppose to be a scrap one!) Well since I am still building my scrap inventory I decided I would use my retro fabrics that I have been buying off and on lately. Somehow or another my brain took over and I choose fabrics (all from my fat quarters) that would match my bedroom (which doesn't have one of my quilts). Of course once I got going how could one stop at just one little old 9-patch....I got carried away.....I must have about 50 done now. (not all shown here) The pillow is from my bed.

In the quilt-a-long she has sashing between each block. I wonder should I do that or not? PLEASE help me with any suggestions.

My Lily is so funny. She has to be whereever I am. She loves to find new hiding spots. this time she is under the shelving unit that is in my sewing area. There must only be about 4" to squeeze into but she loves it there...weird.

A few finishes!!!

Although it is summer our sewing machines are still humming just not as often. I am so proud of D#1. She made these three purses for her dance teachers as thank you gifts. I started helping her do the cutting of the fabrics (a mix of stash and bought) but by the third bag she was on her own. She asked each of the teachers what their 3 favourite colours were. Hopefully they like them. The pattern is from Lazy Girl Designs, Miranda Bag. The patterns are really easy to follow.

I liked how easy the pattern was to follow so much I then picked up the Perfect Pouches pattern and made some to go in the bags for the teachers. They are soooo soooo easy.


Now for my finish. I have a cousin (well distant cousin in lineage and geopgraphy) she lives in Kansas. Unfortunately she is undergoing chemo treatments. She has her good days and bad days, so I wanted to make her a quilt wrap around her when she was having a bad day. So a couple of weeks ago I asked her what her three favourite colours are....red, green and brown, she replied. Yikes those are Christmas colours! I really wanted to make her a quilt but didn't want it to look too Christmassy So i searched through my stash and fat quarters and came up with these. Not Christmassy, but more earthy, forest like. I just made up the pattern as I went along. I tried to put the squares randomly, but I don't think my brain likes that!



I had a hard time quilting this. I was going to go chriss-cross over the 9 patches, but was having a hard time keeping in the ditch. Then when I wanted to do the free motion I decided I wanted to add "looped-d-loops". Well my new machine was not cooperating and I had to tear out and tear out again. I was getting really frustrated. Quilting looked good on top, but not the bottom. In the end I think it might have been the thread I was using, but who knows. I got it finished and that is what counts. It is not my favourite, but I sure hope Susie likes it.



Actually looking at it here it doesn't seem too bad. I did have to buy the red border fabric but the rest came from the stash!!! :) And that is a good thing