Cretan Stitch - DYOB

Well I just made it in time before #4 DYOB stitch is posted - PHEWIE!!!  See Sunday morning the next stitch on this Chain of Hearts DYOB activity will be posted.

BUT I can't take credit for this design using the cretan embroidery stitch, even though this is my favourite embellishing stitch, beaded or not, as it was an idea within "The Magic of Crazy Quilting" by J. Marsha Michler - my CQing bible that is now starting to fall apart from constant use!!!  Then I added gold delica beads for stars to the sky.  I've left the seam finish untouched at this time - maybe a future stitch will finish off there OR when all stitches are embellished then I'll choose something else to finish it off.


on Rose Anne's heart block

on Rose Anne's swapping block

Now wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Threaded Arrow Stitch

Okay I've finally finished the Chain of Hearts group DYOB second week's stitch on both my own heart block and the square block for swapping with a participating member.  Now you can barely tell this stitch as it's the brown/black used as a base to thread the cord which was a chore to get through the fabric to hide the ends and also the strung beads.  A very useful stitch for heavier embellishments to anchor in place.

My own heart block



My block for swapping

Now onto the third week's "Cretan" stitch. This will be a challenge as you can see I used that stitch to weave the varigated cord through the Threaded Arrow St. So I'll have to get more creative me thinks! Hmmmm!
 
I still am behind in my March commitments, but slowly creaping forwards!!!

Crazy Patched Block Finished

Well I've finally finished one of three comfort blocks that need to be finished by the end of March and into the mail - wonder if I'll make the deadlines with the others yet???  Also, I've a SewBuds RR crazy patched block to get stitched up and ready for mailing for the 30th.  AND I've fallen behind on the 2nd week's DYOB stitch and now the 3rd week's stitch was posted on Sunday!!!  YEPPERS better get crackin!!!



Comfort crazy patched quilt block

 

Lower portion - closeup

 

Upper left - closeup

Upper right - closesup

OK onto the next one!!!  Oh and I forgot but I have a farewell gift to stitch for my boss for April too!!!  Definitely no lazing around for this gal!!!

Hearts and Hands for Sendai

I am so glad that the Crazy Quilting International Yahoo Group started this project along with display coordinator, Hideko Ishida who along with her family survived the earthquake and the tsunami recently in Sendai, Japan.  This is a project for the whole quilting community at large, sane and crazy!!!

I personally will be preparing a crazy patch block and then embellishing it to the best of my ability and submitting for whatever quilt project the organizers choose to include it in.  It would be awesome to have a "whole" exhibit just from this quilting project and glad that Patchwork Tsushin will be working with Hideko and CQI on this endeavour!  Please stay tuned for future updates on my block here and check out the Japan Project page tab at the top under my header for more information and/or guidelines for this project.

OUCHIE & WOWIE!!!

OK I know I did a stupid thing but DANG it hurts and guess I better make an apt tomorrow with the Chiro for Wednesday!!! 

See I had picked up Maureen & Charles' two Ikea chairs that I just LOVE and decided to put a sign up in the apt mailroom to see if anyone would want my 1970s huge hide-a-bed, armchair, ottoman and the older large 19" TV and the previous caretake came to see it and took the lot!!!  WOOHOOIE!!!  So today they came to pick it up and I was helping with doors but honest not any heavy lifting.  BUT STUPID ME - there was no room in the elevator for me so I rushed down the stairs and into the hallway arriving before the elevator BUT wiped out on some water and fell flat on my BUTT and just missed klonking my head on the cement floor!!!  Guess I was a sight for the guys getting out of the elevator.  AND to add insult to injury they didn't even need my help!!!

Anyways, here's a HORRIBLE before picture of my living room cum sewing area in front of the TV and large windows.  You can just see parts of the ugly brown plaid couch under all the sewing stuff!!!

Now here is my NEW living room from the TV corner minus all the sewing stuff!  AWESOME EH?  Now I really have the incentive to sort and clear out that sewing room so I can actually get it laid out as I've planned on paper!  Eventually when Ikea arrives in Winnipeg I'll purchase new covers for these chairs and probably get one of their ottomans in matching fabric.

And here is the layout from the bathroom corner which also shows the cleared out hallway too.  Now that square end table in the hallway will be fixed one of these days and used as a coffee table for the time being but whenever I get the smaller recliner it'll be between the two areas and that round table gone. 

There is like FOUR feet between the computer and the sitting area - WOW!!! No more skirting around and knocking anything off the desk or pulling the pincushion off the armchair!!!  And maybe I'll get a half circle carpet for that area or depending on the costs just a nice rectangle as I don't like chairs moving on hardwood floors.

I'm Tired but Happy!!!

OMGG I just got home about 6:30 pm from 9:30 am and I'm totally wiped and poured myself a glass of wine to help relax!  Guess I better get supper shortly!!!

First off our crazy quilting group has heard from Hideko, one of our friends from Sendai, Japan, who says she and her family are safe and well at this time but still not totally secure because of after shocks and nuclear plant scares.  I and I'm sure many others pray for the safety of those affected by this quake, tsunami and after shocks!!!  Take care!!!

And thank you to Jeannette (who woke this sleepy head this morning), Margaret, Ricky, Wendy and Gayle for showing up today at our Aurora Quilters gathering and talk about a WELL BALANCED AND YUMMY luncheon - thank you all - even without a dessert! But then we had raisin bread and cinnamon rolls for coffee! I even have leftovers for my supper when I relax some first! Thanks girls! I even prepared and sewed on my binding to my first bed quilt - yes this is for myself! So just to prepare the label and then finish off the binding and it'll be ready for the quilt show this spring and then onto my bed!!!

Then I rushed home dropped off the food and picked up my new Bay purchases - yes Thursday I dropped in to look for one item and came out with four pieces of clothing - totally not what I was looking for and all for $49.01 taxes included!!! One is a dressier sweater with awesome topaz like gems in various sizes that when I'm finished with the top I'll be cutting off and using them on my crazy patch projects!!! Yeppers two for one for $10 - not bad eh!!!

And off to pick up Pat (niece) and show off my quilt (which she just LOVES) and my new clothes (OKd them too) and then off to Copperfields where I picked up this awesome CQing book by Allie Aller - Crazy Quilting - Modern Piecing and Embellishing Techniques for Joyful Stitching and boy do I love some of her methods within (yes Ricky I'll bring it to the next meeting and also to Morden). I also picked up a neato quilt pattern by JWD called Giggle Leaps by Mickey Depre - The Ninepatchers - A Family Reunion and it looks so funky I'll be using the technique on my postcards this week and who knows maybe make a quilt or two for charity from scraps stash some day too.

Then Pat and I checked out Ming Emporium and I bought a few $1 greeting cards and she found a nice glass ornament and a card too. BUT she'll be going back there with hubby for maybe some yard statues or house decor - lots she liked there.

Then to CDN Tire and I picked up two mini mouse repellant sonic thingies and they are in the two main rooms along with the peppermint drops so I PRAY I have no more mouses visiting here in future!!! When I have some spare change again I'll pick up another package and then I'll have one in the sewing room also and maybe in the hallway! Thanks for the heads up Wendy lots better to repel totally than to have poison out and occasional visitors!!! My niece says if they work she'll be picking some up too as her cat is getting to old to be a mouser!!!  After that she was beat so we picked up Tim's coffee and Timbits for the family and headed to her place for a visit before I headed for home.

Then one more stop at Price Choppers for some laundry detergent and drinking water and now I'm home relaxing with a glass of wine!!! AND watching curling, maybe hockey later on too and if I feel like it clip my binding in place ready to stitch up.

Ohhhh and thanks Ricky for showing me again that needle threader - I'll have to open my package and USE IT!!! And thanks to Jeannette that I should thread up a number of needles plus anchor knot periodically so if the binding is accidentally opened it's not all the way!!! Lots of helpful tips today along with awesome food and friendships too!!!

My Encrusted CQd Heart is HOME!!!

OMGG this is soooooo beautiful and definitely LOTS LOTS LOTS better in person than the pictures show and I love the individual journal entries too.  Thank you so VERY MUCH Cathy L, Debbie S, Paula R, and Peggy R!!!!

I think this is the bestest CQd heart I've received so far! WOW I can't wait to show it off to the my co-workers!!!  They have so enjoyed my showing off your blocks as I worked on them and they along with me have waited a might impatiently to see this in person especially with each photo posting! 

As to finishing it, sorry you'll have to wait longer as I would like to have a 3x4 foot wall hanging with various sized hearts some with lace around - some without, on a dark coloured velvet background.  I think I only have 3 finished so far.  BUT I can guarantee you that I'll be posting and showing it off once it is finished.

Final CQd RR Block Done!

Here is the block I received after the combined embellishments by Debbie S, Paula R and Peggy R and awaiting my additions.

I first off added this brown butterfly to the existing Hershey's patch, thought it was appropriate.

On these two patches I first used a brown Edmar rayon and embroidered the designs on the chocolates.  Then in the adjacent patch I found various chocolate resembling buttons along with the heart for "the love of chocolate" for the button cluster.

And here I had a ball!  See I sort of remembered there being chocolate hedgehogs so I did a Google search for a tatted pattern and lo and behold there was one and I was able to pull it off!  Then I tatted the Easter egg (as I love the marshmallow ones) adding matching seed beads within.  My other downfall is the Caramilk bar and thought these brown glass rectangles reminded me of that chocolate too - so in they went.

Here I wanted so badly to tat brown medallions for the cookie tops but the pattern just was too finnicky to figure out, even for my friend Michelle too, so I changed it to DMC metallic brown embellishments on the cookie designs.  Then I added a red heart button with sandy/brown floss stem hopefully resembling the cherry that originally is on the ice cream cone.

So here is the before picture of Cathy's naked block full of various chocolate yummies and next to it is wholely embellished block by her CQing friends.

I first dreaded ever receiving this baby as I had no clue what I was going to add to it.  Then when I started to see the pictures of what the other three had added to the block, well then I got ideas and except for that tatting pattern "went to town and had fun"!!!  Sure hope you like your block Cathy and I can't wait to see the finished wall hanging!

Thank you for Gifts Rec'd

Well I got back home late afternoon on Saturday and had a couple of calls from friends - one from Angela that I had to call ASAP.  Needless to say I thought something happened in her family only to find she wanted to have breakie with me sooner than later.  So Monday I was off and we met at Smitty's for a lovely breakfast AND I was given these lovely carnations and tulips arrangement from her parents.  Then she hands me a gift wrapped box and inside was this lovely "woodsy-like" angel which she thought was more representative of my Dad than a fancier one - HOW TRUE!!!  See she had given me a porcelain praying one when Mom passed on and now this beauty.  Thank you very much Angela & Bruce and Joan & Ralph, you are so thoughtful.

Now this arrangement is from many of my co-workers along with a sum of cash that I will be sending in as a charitable donation shortly in memory of my Dad.  I've left this at the office for all to see what they have given me and I will enjoy it Thursday and Friday before bringing it home for the weekend.  I did not expect to receive this bouquet - but am very pleased with their thoughtfulness.

I just love the compact but yet so beautiful arrangement!  Thank you my friends!!!

My Dad