Makin Progress

Yep, that's what I did today and just stopped as I'm pooped and hadn't had lunch or supper as yet and it's been reach for half hour now - so time to eat and then bed!!!

I also planned out most of the embellishments for the various Hand pincushions so just to put my mind to it and do the fussy work and then some added embellishments.

I was debating on what to do for the open quilting on my Celtic Table Topper when I thought darn it you have all the stitch in the ditch to do first so down to task and I just about finished all the bias shaped quilting! Oh well tomorrow I'll finish that and hopefully have decided what other quilting I'll be doing. I must say that the backing fabric I chose is just awesome too and the variegated rayon thread looks great in the quilting.

Maybe a picture tomorrow - will see. Enough already for today!

Catching Up Maybe?

Okay yesterday I kinda goofed off and took in the Manitoba Orchid Show and thoroughly enjoyed them AND I resisted buying a plant or two that appealed to me. I did buy a leather brooch and a clay formed orchid plant fridge magnet though - mucho cheaper and less TLC needed for them in future too! LOL!

Okay last night after my evening NAP I was able to finish off the remaining five needlecases for the Quilt Show, after I HAD to go and buy more DMC floss (I just can't believe it with the stash I have now that I'm still missing a colour!!!). So today I sewed on the domes and they are packed away now.

Then I pulled out my Celtic Table Topper (an MPQ workshop project) and went to work stitching on the borders and OHHHHH it is just lovely and I thank Dale Anne for that awesome print as it truly is my favourite!!! Now I'm gonna have to ration my use of it as it really is dissappearing - LOL! Here it is so far as I'm too excited to make you wait till I'm finished quilting it.



Now to decide what I'm going to do on the green print and I think I'm going to use my purchased quilting pattern on a roll for the outer print BUT I did purchase a variegated light green for all the quilting! At least I know some part of this next step!!! LOL!

Hour of Darkness

Well I did shut off all my lights, even the PC monitor as it was way too bright in the darkness and the orchid unit too and lit a candle to watch my hockey game.

YEAH RIGHT!!!

I lasted like 15 minutes and just woke at 9:53 pm!!! Not a smart move with a candle going, but lights out and that's what my body did all right!!! So they like got two hours out of me!!! And I don't know how the first hockey game ended either!!!

LOL!

Orchids' Glory!!!

WOW finally after a number of years of missing the Manitoba Orchid Society (MOS) annual show and competition I was thrilled to take the morning away from stitching and before the so-called snow storm arrives in Winnipeg and drool at all the awesome displays!!! And I think Joan H had a wall quilt with mega orchid fabrics within in competition and someone else a beautiful stained glass orchid piece and a few photographs and paintings too. Yes, I miss this too!

Okay, here are a few photos to whet your appetite and maybe if you're in Winnipeg you will zip over to the Assiniboine Park Conservatory tomorrow before they close for another year!









These are not "living" items, the first two are the leather brooch and then a clay formed orchid plant in basket fridge magnet which I could not resist to add both to my collection. And the lovely wall quilt I could not resist a pic of.

Another Incoming and My Postcards

Okay today's mail brought me my last bookmark from my CQ-CA swap and I love the different angled shape and the flowers on "green"!!! Thank you Judy!

Actually here's a pic of all my bookmarks and I like them all and see that the girls played with the idea too! Well done!!!

Yes it's been a while since I've shown some of my postcards but I'm trying to finish off items for the MPQ Quilt Show and these are a few for that event. Now most of these were halfway finished so I just had to print off my backs, sandwich them all together and satin stitch the edges and VOILA - finished - even used the scanner instead of the camera! LOVE this new printer that is for sure!!!

Okay first off is my first postcard (but second attempt) at the technique "upside down applique" - a class I took on Quilt University but as yet not finished my actual project - YIKES!!! I LOVE this technique as there is no fusible at all, instead a tear away stabilizer is used along with an anchoring stitch before doing the satin stitching - so some poofiness.

Then these four are "Just Because" to friends that I promised cards a coming when I started the class.

Now these two are ones I'm hoping to sell in the Boutique - different! So now I've just to finish off two "Pink Ribbons" postcards and I'll have 16 all ready and packaged for the Boutique.


And these precious Victorian Ladies are also for the Boutique - embellished with Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery, beads and some metallic embroidered accents. I've made up a number of these for other swaps and even tried one with red flowers but YUCK too overpowering but I kept that one for myself to remind me to keep the colours soft!!! Now the first is with a medium grey for the satin stitching - like a frame and the second one I've just finished tonight and reverted back to the cream and really I'm not sure which I like better! DUH!!!


And this final image, but definitely not least, is a precious glittering angel (approx 3 inches) machine embroidered for me by Linda M using the Marathon Metallic thread she was testing out (LOVELY metallic with a gold thread in it too but not really visible here) but sadly will not be produced for sale. Ain't she sweet - just like me eh???

Again thank you Linda as you know I LOVE angels!

CQd Goodies Incoming

Yep, my mailbox today only had swap items from my CQ friends and made me soooooooo happy and brought tears too!

First I opened the smaller envelope and I'm glad as I was able to enjoy viewing this embellished bookmark with the joy it deserved! I can now see that I have to change from the regular to thicker flosses and yarns for seam finishes. I LOVE seeing them at a glance instead of searching like for mine!!! So thank you very very much Veronica for your lovely green/blue bookmark - another precious one to add to my collection!

Then I opened the Aussie envelope and inside is this beautiful bookcover Margaret made for me. I LOVE all the lace appliques (even two loose for my use on blocks and some Tasmania note pad paper) and the colours and the stitches and I did not think of "personalizing" the front cover!!! WOW!!! And no you did not have to do up a bookmark, just some might have, but thank you for the lovely colourful Australian birds souvenir!!! I can't wait to pick up a pocketbook and enjoy using it and reminding me of my upcoming trip and all my Aussie friends to meet!!! OHHHHHH I'm all wound up! Thank you very very much my dear!

Where did the time go?

I came home and promptly set to work removing the pencil markings on my Celtic Knot piece and then decided to wash it too as I've handled it for a couple of years now. So it is ready for the borders and quilting next week.

Then I stitched up the two last "hands" for the one set of pincushions for the Quilt Show Boutique. I'm not sure how I'll embellish these ones but I've some time to let those ideas steep!!!




Now this was the first one I made and I "followed" the instructions and was not that happy with the outcome. BUT I see lots of potential here!


Here is the link for the above idea for this pincusion!

Okay, time to crash!

Celtic Knot Table Topper

(well for me a wallhanging - can't see my table top)

Thank you Debbie for your compliment on this piece and yes it's taken ages to make the bias strips and gently pin them onto a batting wrapped cardboard (a tip our instructor showed us) for safe keeping nice and flat but no bend marks, then pinning onto the traced background. One thing I've learnt is to trace only a single line in the "middle" of the pattern lines which will be covered evenly with the bias strip (now I have lots of pencil markings that are wider than my prepared bias strips to remove tonight). The tricky part was not to mess up the overs and unders which I did a couple of times and once I had to "rippit" and restitch.

But now all the hand applique is finally finished after a couple of years of off and on work on this project and soon onto the borders and then the quilting. I have entered it into the Quilt Show for April 10th so don't have much time and lots more stuff to work on too! Yes, will definitely keep my blog updated on this one too.

Another Just About!

Yep, tonight I completed trimming all the loose threads on my needlecases getting ready for the hand blanket stitching all around. Then I switched to stitching closed all the slip throughs on my Celtic workshop piece from a few years ago. So maybe I'll work on the borders and if that is accomplished then try my hand at machine quilting again! Yep just might have this piece ready for the quilt show.

(Dale Anne do you recognize the fabric?)

Awesome Day!!!

Well I woke to sunshine and warmth in this apartment so it must be so outside too and it's 3:00 pm and it still is a lovely blue sky out there. I talked with Dad and even he was outside yesterday with his scooter - WOW! BUT I'm inside and thoroughly enjoying myself!!!

Oakie dokie I'm really getting on the ball this weekend. Not only did I "find" my couch from under all that fabric, books, laces etc, but I'm stitching too!!! And I cut out all the felt pieces for my needlecases for the Quilt Show Boutique and stitched over half of them into place ready for the hand blanket stitch edgings I'll be doing during work breaks and all Easter weekend while visiting family. Yep I can't just sit there my hands have to be doing something and once I've cleaned up for Dad we either go for walks or watch TV.

GOSH I just LOVE my new printer and the scanning ability which is tonnes better than my digital photography when it comes to showing off my creative flat projects. Just LOVE IT!!!

Well the other day I took the upholstery fabric samples I received from another quilter and promptly used them for my CQ-CA Mystery Project. I've been itching to use them in postcards but with so many projects that I need to get caught up on that is on hold. So since the end results will be for me I thought I'd try them on this. I stitched up my crazy patched blocks, added lace trim on each and now have started the various embellishment Steps for this project. I guess some would say it's not really a mystery if I'm posting pics on the works but some in the group have not done hand embroidery and I really want to include everyone so I've decided I'll post my pics to give them ideas of how things could be worked besides the websites I listed. But I've asked that they keep their photos secret until I ask for them for the end project and competitions. So without further ado here is Step #1.

Now back to the drawing board and dreaming up Step #2 and so on.

A Nice Day So Far!

First off a belated thanks to Lynn B for this lovely CQ'd bookmark I received some times last week and sort of misplaced! Aren't they sweet??? I just love these little treasures.

Yep, I kinda vegged out last night and even "found" my couch - that's right I sort of put things away in an orderly fashion into my messy sewing room and now have a couch to sit on instead of a storage area! LOL! I then relaxed with a glass of wine and gathered my paraphenalia for the guild meeting.


I woke to a lovely day and proceeded to gather my fellow quilters and off to the meeting in my YUCKY filthy car. I think I remembered to do all I was supposed to, getting ready for our Quilt Show next month and even had change to buy raffle tickets and GUESS WHAT - YEP I won one of the prizes - a 200 page notebook of 1/4 inch squares (for drafting), a Winter 2007 The Canadian Quilter magazine (has a couple of patterns I'm interested in), an Olfa "Orange Calantha" 45 mm rotary cutter and a large magnetic Fons&Porter red heart that has a separate part to set your needles aside from your pins!!! Nice gift! And I picked up Sylvia and mine Boutique record sheets to record our "crafted items" we wish to sell at the Quilt Show. I've even shared my old Lewiscraft display stands in case they could use them.

Then before leaving the meeting I cleaned off my windows and Edna treated me to lunch at Tim Hortons and shucks neither of us won a prize on the Roll-UP game! Then after dropping her off I stopped into the car wash and WOW a nice clean outside at least and all windows are see through!!!

As I headed home I came across Nygards on Broadway and zipped in. Talk about a "waste" of funds in trying to bring NEW YORK to Canada - especially when shortly after opening this, he closes down the Manitoba plant!!! Leaves me with the feeling I should not buy anything with his label - but then I really did find something in the 50-75% off section that appealed to me so I caved! Yep I picked up two dressier t-shirts (periwinkle blue and a red) for $12 each and then an awesome burnt orange with tone on tone embossed flowers overshirt that fits to a "T" with roll-up buttoned sleeves for $13.95 and a neato necklace to go with it for $8.95 - YEP I shouldn't have but I could not resist. So now I have an outfit for the Quilt Show Banquet using one of many pairs of dress pants I got from Pat!!! Talk about a bargain for a change for me!!!

So now I'm at home gonna check emails and checking on curling and soon to be stitching my needlecases to hopefully get as much as I can ready earlier than later for the Quilt Show.

I'm a HAPPY CAMPER

Oh yes Oh yes that is for sure!
And I'm just having a glass of wine!!!


See after a pressure filled February and so far into March I'm actually accomplishing lots either in my purging of my messy apartment or in my quilting projects! And I'm very pleased with myself!

Now I'm just back from dropping off my crazy patched and embellished bookcover at the PO to fly off to one of my CQ Friends - a small swap that group asked me to put together. So hopefully my friend will love what I've done for her and for once the postage was under $4.00 (airmail) so hopefully it will be in her hands within a couple of weeks!!!

front cover

back and front

upper back

upper front

centre front

lower front


I even learnt two new stitch combinations for this baby! One was the "Arched Stitch" (check out photo upper front - green and gold seam finish) which JO in NZ had featured in a postcard - just lovely and the other was the Feather Stitch Combination (check out photo upper back - sand seam finish) from "The Magic of Crazy Quilting" book by J. Marsha Michler (page 49). I thoroughly enjoyed embellishing this bookcover even if the actual sewing up was tricky for me - naturally I did not follow the pattern!!!

Now since I was the swap hostess I know who is making mine but she's tricked me and is not posting the pics into our group photos until I've received it - I LOVE surprises!!! I'll naturally let yah all know when it arrives! (chuckling)

And here are two bookmarks I've received so far from my CQ-CA group swap - remember mine posted Feb. 21st - these little treasures are sure turning out to be something the gals should be proud to display and/or use. I've three more to arrive as yet and will post then. The first is from Diane B and the second is from Mary S - ain't they something?




March 13, 2008 (7:40 am)

Well so much for my enjoying that glass of wine last night and for some stupid reason I moved it from the mouse tray where I usually keep my glass/cup to the keyboard drawer. While answering an email I had gotten up to get something and swung my chair around and YEP in goes the drawer and over goes the glass of wine. Now luckily it knocked it down and not over totally and busted glass everywhere too, but SHOOT that was the last glass and I needed it to unwind!!! Oh well I was also fortunate it did not find it's way onto the keyboard - but gosh it sure wreaked!!!

I'm getting somewhere!!!

Yep, I've been taking my Celtic Table Topper to work with me and during my breaks I'm just about finished all the applique work so hopefully this weekend I'll add the false and outer borders and assemble it for quilting! That would be awesome as it's one of the pieces I'm entering into our Quilt Reflections MPQ Quilt Show April 11th-13th here in Winnipeg.

THEN tonight I finally finished off the embellishments on my CQ-Friends cq'd bookcover and so tomorrow evening will stitch it up and it will be into the mail Thursday morning zipping it's way off to it's new owner!!! This is just barely a week late which is getting better and better for me and deadlines! I can sure tell you that it's going to be very hard for me to part with this as there are some of my favourite fabrics and some new embroidery stitches that I've tried on this piece. Oh well I do know the person receiving it will enjoy using it and treasuring our friendship too!!!

Yes pictures of both projects will follow when completed!

Closets Purged!!!

Yep, I continued, upon waking, on emptying the apartment storage closet and made some progress before Angela arrived. Together we emptied it all, then sorted again as to keep, garbage and Value Village and then that was finished. What a difference I can actually get my vacuum in and out without fighting with it and various other stuff fallin on me!!!



Well you should know Angela by now, she promptly moved over and opened the hallway closet and YIKES stuff fell out onto her - I TOLD HER NOT TO OPEN IT!!! LOL! But no more than three-quarters of an hour later we had that cleared out too. What a go getter and so organized - definitely not me - but hey I know what pile has that fabric I want!!!



Well we had storage stuff moved to the nifty metal rack I moved to the locker this morning (remember that nice empty space in the yesterday's pictures) and hauled the garbage out and only one box for Value Village this time and maybe some plant stuff for Randy (Pat's hubby) and one box that Angela took for her SIL and the Santa Suit we sewed some 15-20 years ago together for the Camera Club, that she's giving to her parents for their village Santa Suit rental cause.

Phew another aspect of my apartment cleared up, now just the sewing room and then maybe my dining and living rooms cleared out so I can actually "e n t e r t a i n" again!!! WOW I just can't believe my computer area - you can see the FLOOR, now just to clear off the top and WOW!!!

Then we stopped for some tacos and salsa and much needed water to wet our whistles and sat down to watch the afternoon curling with me stitching and Angela continuing on shredding my box of bills. Yep something definitely wrong with this so I stopped stitching and help by pulling the cazillion staples out while she shredded - she teased me that I kept the staple business in operation that is for sure. This continued until the pizza arrived and we ate and sipped on wine while watching the evening curling.

Yep she was at it again, checking out the sewing room and asking how I visualized it to be. She's anxious to help clear out that sewing room, but I'm not touching that until I get another large pantry (and on a good sale too) then the FUN will begin all over again. She commented on the fact that maybe the next time she comes she can actually sit on the sofa!!! Cheeky brat!!! I've also to go through my kitchen cupboards as there are things I never use that definitely someone else might want or just garbage. WELL, I finally convinced her to STOP and then helped her out to the car with that box and now I'm checking emails. I'm ZONKED!!! Think it will be to bed soon.

What a DAY!!!

I was on the go from 9:30 am and did manage to empty out my storage locker, garbaged some stuff, dropped some off at my nieces and Value Village and the rest just put back properly after cleaning too!!!







Then I tackled the apt storage closet and got the metal unit out and into the locker along with some of the plant stuff I'm keeping and then put the cube unit in the closet to use for some of the printer binders etc. The rest of the closet will be emptied tomorrow, sorted through and then rearranged for easy access again. At least my vacuum and broom have more room and the doors close easier!!! Maybe I'll even get to the hall closet - maybe not!!!



Then it was a quick shower and zip out the door to meet up with my Lewiscraft girls for a lovely supper at a Greek restaurant. It was supposed to be supper here but there was just no way that was possible. They teased me royally for such exquisite service and ambiance - YEAH RIGHT!!! We somehow got around to chatting about computers and I mentioned that my new printer just won't align or print properly and Mary Grace asked if she could come over tonight and check it out. The HP technical support did try to help me out but finally said it had to be sent back to them for repair/replacement - where??? - I said I'd buy another cartridge first which probably would be cheaper. WELL Mary Grace went through various Printer Service Options and cleaned and aligned the machine and then tried to reprint the same page I had done. ZIPPO same thing but at least the black is printing better now and both Mary Grace and Amy Jean deduced that the tri-colour cartridge did not have any cyan in it. So I'll pick up a colour one next week and give it a try. Hope that's it as I really do not want to send it anywhere and Staples won't take it back either.

SO them girls had all come back to my messy place (Mary Grace was their ride home), saw my show and tell that I didn't haul with me and all want to come back in November for dinner to a totally different place!!! PHEW wonder if that will be possible? Will try!!!

Another BLOOM

GOSH it was -44C with the windchill this morning and warmed up a little through the day and here my Phal Jack Crawford orchid was in full bloom - WOW!!!



I think if it was me I'd have stayed in my bud as it's slightly chilly next to the windows - or maybe that's why it spiked and bloomed this year??? This baby is about 2" across and a lovely majenta colour and I know it hadn't bloomed for a few years now!

New Embroidery Stitch

Yep, I enjoyed tonight and just relaxed and stitched away. Even tried the Arched Stitch from Jo in NZ blog that Debbie R tried and WOW I LOVE it. Except that my red Perle Cotton does not show up in my pic at all and yet in person it's right there. Gonna have to retake the pic in better light I think. Anyways, thank you JO as I really like it and maybe another day I'll try the curved vine one too. Thank you also Debbie for drawing our attention to JO's work. Much appreciated!



Now not sure if this one is better or not to show the red embroidery?

Back to Work!

BUT I don't want to!!! Hmmm two years and three months then hopefully lots more vacation time than the earned six weeks/year???

Okay I'm back to my normal life (if that is possible - LOL) and a messed up apartment (as usual) as I've sort of unpacked but not put things away. I need this stuff as I'm gonna try to work on various projects needed ASAP.

I thoroughly enjoyed my week vacation with my sister and BIL and even succeeded in completing or make headway with various UFOs and current projects. Here's me finishing the binding on my MPQ Quilt Reflections 2008 wallquilt challenge for the silent auction with proceeds going to Helping Hands Inc. for Manitobans with Breast Cancer.



Then here is what's left of that awesome Dandelion Days fabric after both Sylvia and I fussy cut our centre floral flairs out. And following that is my proposed wallquilt layout (not finished yet).





AND Sylvia very kindly walked me through the stitching up of the blocks for the 96 FQs scrappy quilt which actually makes up two quilts. Can't wait till I can actually get into and see all I have in my sewing room and start on this baby! Hopefully I can remember the steps!!!

And here are the two Stair Step spacer blocks (perfect size - YAHOOIE!) for my already completed nine star blocks for the dreaded Moondance quilt - getting closer to putting blocks together and then hopefully the machine applique of the flowers, dragonflies, bluebirds and maybe butterfies, then stitching the top tog, the assembly and quilting process - long road ahead yet.



And remember that Alberta Clipper that hit Manitoba on Thursday well the snow started to fall in NW Ontario that evening and the next morning Len said the snow was against the door and he proceeded to shovel us out and then took the snowblower to the driveway. Here's what he looked like coming in and some fell off already.



I left their lovely hospitality Saturday afternoon and stopped in overnight to visit with Adeline in Kenora and we gabbed some along with stitching too! I worked on my Celtic table topper and have like 6 inches left, so the end is in sight for this baby too!!! Then I can start stitching the borders together in the octagon shape. I can't wait for the last stitch and then more pictures.

Here's Adeline with her 3/4 inch finished strips in the Barn Raising Log Cabin method. She definitely was having fun!!! This time I didn't have pictures of her cat but she definitely insisted on her time on Adeline's lap especially after coming in from outside! (chuckling) Yes lots of times using the lint brush!!!



Okay so guess it's time to get off this baby, get some supper, read my Canada Post mail and hopefully stitch up something yet tonight! Lots to do but not much time before the MPQ Quilt Show April 11th - 13th at the Canad Inn (Polo Park) here in Winnipeg.