2014 Quilt Reflections - A Wrap!

OK it may not have started off on the right foot or should it be the hand?  See a couple of weeks ago I was out shopping on a very windy day and the van door slammed into my left hand and bruised me badly.  While the swelling was apparent the pain was minimal but with reduced swelling the pain increased so I got it checked out.  Basically I've a chip floating around inside of the left wrist knuckle and movement is painful - so it's in a cast with the hopes of it reattaching itself without surgery.  My first permanent one so far and with the nuisance it is - it better be the last one!!!

Anyways I did get my needlecases ready for the show and managed to sell a fair number and a table runner but not my large twin red/white/black quilt nor my coffee sleeves. Neither did I win any prizes for my two wall hangings but it was AWESOME to hear the positive comments from the public while walking around myself.  I just checked my critique and both earned 84 points and most of the comments were positive and a couple of suggestions that might have garnered me more points.  I'm happy with them.

Ode to Tommy T - retirement gift

Sandy Hook Evening - Jan's retirement gift

Saturday evening was the banquet, a family outing for me and with friends plus an inspiring trunk show by fabric artist Elaine Quehl from Ottawa - here are a couple of her show n tell items that I just loved.

niece Pat and mom Sylvia (my sister)

Elaine Quehl's hostas

Elaine Quehl's poppies

I can tell you it was quite exciting and even shocking for me to see the play on the bids for the Challenge Quilts (a fund raiser for the Laura Milner White Project) especially on my own Prairie Scape.  This was my first attempt at a torn fabric strips landscape and with many trials and one restart I was very tempted to just garbage the project - but family and friends told me to just hang in there - someone will think it's awesome!  Well I did finally solve my problem and the end result turned out better than I thought.  I can tell you I was ecstatic when the bid hit $60, then $100 I was tickled pink, then $120 - WOW!!! and finally ended at $150 and I was in AWE and so happy!!!  I was even lucky to be present when the highest bidder stepped forward to pay and take home her prize - I asked for a picture and here it is.

Marion J highest bidder for my
Prairie Scape torn fabric strip hanger
in memory of Heather Lair's fabric creativity

Sunday was a very busy day with the various draws before the end of another wonderful quilt show and conference.  Finally it was time for the Quilt Raffle Draw - the committee I had stepped forward to help with.

Thank you speech - short n sweet

Helen, MPQ President, making the draw

And the "winner" is . . . 

Doreen S - MPQ member - she was surprised!

There's so much work to get the programs in place for the Show and Conference and before you know it the three day event is over and the energy bubble seems to have burst and everyone is exhausted.  Then there are the wrap up reports etc to get done too.  One quilter even commented that the second day seems to be worse yet!  I think I agree with her too.

Well working on a Committee, albeit not a high impact one, was still very wearing on me especially with only one decently working arm.  I did manage to overuse the casted arm which caused some discomfort/swelling but I'll survive with some taking it easy this week. And a quiet weekend hopefully!  OH and I didn't do too much damage to my pre-retirement budget - I exercised some hard to do restraint!!!  LOL!!!

MPQ - 2014 Quilt Reflections Show and Conference

OMGG I’m just not keeping up with much in my life lately!  I need to STOP, LOOK, LISTEN n RELAX but when?  LOL!

We have the Manitoba Prairie Quilters “Quilt Reflections” Show and Conference this weekend.  Just before Christmas I signed up to assist the Quilt Raffle Chairperson who was going away January-March and would not be at the Show.  So I’ve been a little busier with those responsibilities and now looking after the actual Quilt Raffle ticket sales at the show this weekend and on Sunday coordinating the actual “draw” of the lucky recipient to receive this lovely quilt.

Also at the show are the Challenge Quilts which are on for Auction this weekend – bids open till 3:00 pm on Sunday, March 30^th and then the lucky winner declared!  Here’s my entry (#25) taken in the “jungle” at my niece’s.

And here’s the link to view other donations for this Challenge Auction – my sister Sylvia’s is #29 – I think it’s AWESOME!

So if you can make it to the Quilt Show and Conference, March 28^th – 30^th, here in Winnipeg MB at the CanadInns – that would be GREAT!!!

Then this last year I finished off two original design wall hangings as retirement gifts for fellow co-workers and they so kindly allowed me to borrow them so that I could enter them into the quilt competition.  So who knows, they’ll be judged, on display and I will get a picture of myself beside them and possibly a ribbon if I’m fortunate to win a prize.  I’ve also a couple of my own quilts and my popular needlecases in the Boutique for sale.  Yes a busy weekend coming!

AND last week I had the unfortunate happenstance to be out on the windy day and while getting out of my van the gust tried to close the door on me – catching me on the left wrist.  Just about had me on my knees in pain and naturally a nice blue bruise with swelling but it didn’t hurt that much – unless touched.  Well after a number of days the swelling was going down and as I moved the wrist more the pain was increasing – off to PanAm walkin clinic to have it checked out.  So on Friday I had the xray, Dr followup and sent to “casting” – nope not gonna be a famous movie star!  I’ve made it this far in my life and here I’m put into a permanent rock hard cast to immobilize that wrist to help reattach this small “chip” off one of the smaller wrist bones next to the outside knuckle.  SHEESH why not one of those velcroed splints instead – this is a pain in the !@#$ that is for sure and quite a hindrance to my hand stitching especially!

So here I am with loads of hand and machine stitching to do and I’m in this awkward cast!  GRRRR!!!!  Not sure if I’ll get much accomplished this next two and a half weeks but that better be it for this cast – I do not want it now - never mind longer!!!  Never mind trying to walk on our icy and snow packed sidewalks – that’s all I need is to slip and do something else!!!  At least with the velcroed walking cast I had for the dang broken big toe was tolerable as I could remove it to relax and bath, this dang thing NOT!!!  Oh well two weeks will go by real fast - time usually does!!!

2014 TIAS

Yes Jane Eborall has once again used her talents and provided us curious adventurous tatters with another "Tat It And See" session - basically a tatting mystery project.  This will be my fourth event I'll be participating in but I'm a little behind - like only completed Day 4 and she's well into Day 7 already.  Guess it's catch up time for me.  So here are the pics of Days 1 through 4 grouped together.

Hopefully I'll get caught up soon and follow the pattern correctly in future!

Stitching Only 2013 - RR Update

OK guess I've not written up on my previous RR block belonging to Molly and now I have just finished Susie's block.  So here's the pictures.  It's going to lack description as I'm pressed for time tonight.

I received in November Molly's naked block and embellished two seams.

 

I tried a new tatting pattern (left side pic) andit did not turn out quite like I thought but still lovely.  I just love marrying my shuttle tatting with my CQing on these fancy blocks.

The next set of pictures are of Susie's block with Molly's work and then my own work added on.

Left is Molly's work | Right side is Rose Anne's work

Left side is only my shuttle tatting | right side is the bottom left CQing

Left side is the centre and the right side is the top right CQing

I'm totally enjoying this RR which is supposed to be seams only - including hand work not bought laces and trims except silk ribbon used in embroidery.  Now I'm wondering what the next mail bag will bring me?  I've also not updated the work done on my own block - one of these days I'll do that too.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas to all my Blog followers, and here's to ringing in the New Year safe and sound and 365 days of joyous family times and quilting days in 2014!!!

Oh my this year has sure gotten away on me!  I think all the energy I needed to get myself ready for my June 2013 Ireland trip and then coming home and work upsetting me to the point that I developed shingles and then just being in the BLAHS sure kept me quiet.  

One really great thing was helping my sister and brother-in-law move into the city in November for the winter months.  This is a huge relief for their three daughters and also myself and for them too - just the timing was kind of rough on Sylvia as Len could not help much with his back problems.  But now that Christmas is here and before we know it over, they'll hopefully be able to settle in and adjust to city living and want to stay!!!  I's praying so!

Afterwards I found out that my check up tests revealed kidney stones so that probably was the root of the pain and all around blah in October - even though I traveled to Toronto to visit my Irish girlfriend for a week.  Just was not myself this fall and at least I now know why.  I can say that I'm feeling more myself and enjoying life more - EXCEPT those -30 plus C days especially with high winds which naturally lowers the temps more so!  Oh well I live in Manitoba - what do I expect for WINTER!!!

Now with much regret but necessary too, I've resigned myself to delaying my retirement plans until I've reached the big 60 and hopefully then with my work and CP pensions together I will not have to work part time - just hopefully cruise into a more relaxed mode of living and naturally more quilting during the daytime hours.  Well that's only just over a year away so hopefully work does not frustrate me more so and I can hang in there.  It's kind of scarey as this past year has seen lots of my co-workers retiring - many sooner than their original plans - also more this coming 2014 - just fed up and ready for a change!  All the best to them.

OK back to my tatting and listening to more Christmas music on the TV in front of the fireplace with the dog and cat!  Happy stitching my quilting friends.

PHEW!!!

WOW I slept in and was an hour late for the Alzheimer's Touch Quilt kit making rally today.   It's all the fault of some woman I didn't understand who buzzed my intercom for about 15 minutes around 3:00 am Saturday which really messed me up that whole day and then slept like a log that night.  I promised to take my machine and help sew up some of the 15 finished tops and I did manage to assemble and quilt three (now they are only 36 inch squares but still time consuming as they are of all types of six inch square fabrics sewn together).  I took the other 12 home with batting and backings for whenever I've some time to spare and hand in as I finish them.  Yeah I know I'm crazy!!!

Then when I got home I just relaxed a bit then got my Stitching Only RR block etc together for mailing tomorrow along with a OOOPSIE forgotten birthday card for my younger sister (birthday tomorrow) and then finished off the white Sashiko stitching for the workshop I was in yesterday.  I chatted with my girlfriend in Toronto for a long while then realized I had her granddaughter's gift to finish off so back into the sewing room to serge the square hooded bath towel and face clothes from the left over strip.  That was fast and easy.

So I settled back and watch the end of Battle of the Blades (I taped it so will catch up maybe in November when I'm back home for a lengthy stay again!  LOL!  While watching TV I couldn't sit still - NAH - so I picked up the variegated thread and stitched in the Sashiko dragonfly.  NOW that top is finished - just have to find time to assemble it into a wall hanging before the Nov. 22nd MPQ quilt meeting for show n tell.

NOW I'm going to put my feet up for a bit before calling it a day!

OH MY Where Time Goes!

I just don't know where the time goes!  I've been busy at work with our Department-wise reorganization learning website uploads and trying to continue my work until new job description/duties are decided upon.  Naturally headaches are back and then last week was office cleaning to make room for two staff moving in so add to that lots of muscle aches.  Needless to say my stitching and quilting has fallen by the wayside and in dire state for catch up!

Then to add insult to injury (so to speak) I have another co-worker retiring and a gift I'd like to make, I also signed up for a Sashiko Japanese embroidery class (something I've tried on my own and now need to drop bad habits learned), a trip off to Toronto to visit friends, a house/pet sitting stint and quilt retreat all back to back so to speak!  I must be crazy!!!  And in this mess I'm still trying to fix Tom's retirement gift with much worry and also another crazy patched round robin starting up at the same time.  

BUT I've corrected the quilting on Tom's wall hanging just having a problem reattaching the mitred borders so waiting for the quilt retreat and my sister's much needed assistance to finish this baby off.  I've just about finished the second retirement gift, finished off my "naked block" for the round robin and some tatted/beaded thank you gifts too - just need to serge the baby gift before Wednesday to take with me to Toronto and I think I'll pack my Sashiko as my handwork while out east to work on evenings etc.  

Then mid-November I'm going out to my sister's in NW Ontario and assist them to move into Winnipeg for the winter months.  That'll be a challenge for them but also a relief for them and their families that they'll be closer to all if help is needed.  OK I think I'll make it one step at a time!