New Year's Eve
Lovely sunset when picking up Edna. What a scrumptious Santa Lucia pizza supper with Edna and Sylvia. Then an hour to enjoy the Celtic Thunder New Year's Eve special from my phone and ending with puzzle setting!
Even got home in time for the 10pm fireworks near the Leg Bldg from my apartment!
Now let 2024 bring much good health, joy, love and peace to all!
Jan 2nd
Ohhh NOOOOO another shop closing! Happy Retirement Joanne!!!
Okay I think these exercises are definitely helping avoid sciatic problems! And after a call from a friend, I'm into sorting my Sashiko threads and maybe start a project too! Most of my skeins were opened and knotted like the blue variegated skein, but when using them they'd tangle up! UGH!!! So decided to do as instructions I had found.
Jan 4th
The past couple days I've played with Sashiko embroidery and pulled out other finished pieces, only one is completely finished. The others soon too!
Today was another puzzle setting day, BUT, not sure it'll be there on my next visit! See both Sylvia and I had many gruff words right from the start!!!
Jan 5th
Finally I've sewn up my ACQ mystery quilt Block #8 tonight, so here are my blocks so far. Good job as instructions for Blocks #9 and #10 have arrived! Now it's getting interesting as I'm reusing the bubble fabrics I have reversing the colour layouts now.
Jan 10th
Finally working on some UFOs again, this one is from Aug 2022, 3.75" scrappy apple cores cutting Aug 18th & 19th, 2022, hand pieced apple core top completed Jan 8th, 2024, inner border trimmed square and outer border added Jan 10th. Next to decide whether to pillow turn then quilt or quilt then add binding. 🙃🙂 The top right now is a 32.5" square.
In one of the pictures you'll see my 1.75" mini apple cores which might finish off to a 12-14" square or 10x14" rectangle, have no idea on this as yet, except I'll hand quilt this mini if ever finished. After finishing this ABC NICU quilt top I think I'm crazy to attempt a mini one!!!
Jan 20th
Update: So appropriate Thursday from my Albertan friend with this Alberta Clipper blowing in!!!
I love this and there are some uties on this site. Thank you Susan for the chuckles! 💞
Jan 11th
Holy Crappola!!!!! I usually get this over a few days of snow falling NOT in one overnight!!! Since late evening look what's on my window ledge this morning! Can't see out the window at all. 16" and a 2" drop to ledge. And this Alberta Clipper is to continue into late tonight!!!
Ledge update!
Yes it's light snow and there are breezes or wind gusts so easily knocked off and without icy substance to keep it intact. Now I can look down some. Wonder how long those crossway limbs will last through this winter's snowfalls, they're bending more and more since damaged limbs were cut off during severe storms earlier?
SHEESH!!! Crazy out there but thankfully most WERE driving for the conditions and I didn't venture far. Went to my local Safeway to get ingredients for my homemade Rustic Italian soup with Mitchell's bagged items for tomorrow's supper before the MPQ Country Fair Quilting Retreat starts! Edna says these start kits are really good! It's been awhile since I've really cooked so hope I don't mess it up!
Jan 12th
Brrrrr guess springlike conditions in winter might be done with!!! Glad I plugged in my car for the night!
Well I think doing some cleaning, rearranging and cooking to get ready for the MPQ Country Fair virtual quilting retreat was good for me! I liked my place all spiffy and ready for company this evening. I even made the Mitchell package Rustic Italian soup, halving the diced tomatoes (which I dislike) and adding in fried mushrooms. Yeah like a ginormous pressure cooker pot 3/4s full. It tantalized me all afternoon with an awesome aroma and was anxious to get Sylvia and Edna and get back for the last of the addins and finally chow down! Edna made egg salad sandwiches and Sylvia bought pickles and dainties, afterwards we joined the ZOOM activites!
WELL let me tell you, for someone who doesn't make soup much or really likes soup, this was just AWESOME and I even ate all the tomatoes in my full bowl!!! Even the girls said it was good and took home some too!!! I'm so proud of myself!!! In a way I miss my cooking BUT hate doing such just for myself! Even have two helpings going into the freezer for myself AND for Pat who usually gives care packages to me!!! 🙂🙃🙂
Jan 13th
OH WOW!!! Looks like I may have won a $100 gift certificate for a quilt shop or quilting service of my choice! Hmmm looks like I gotta get my act together and top sewn up so it can be sent out to be quilted, using this big win!!!
Here are my blocks and my possible layout.
And here is the quilt I WON in Christchurch, New Zealand during my visit in September 2015.
What a lovely day we've had so far! I picked up Peking Chinese Restaurant supper and we cleaned off the dishes! YUMMY!!! But dang it's cold out there!!!
Edna sewed her Ribbon Quilt blocks into rows and will sew the rows together tomorrow. Then she started her Blast Off wall hanging. Sylvia finally sewed together her Bali Bed Runner, but for the back of her couch, an UFO from three years ago. I finally put together my hand stitched apple core top and just about finished the multi-zigzag quilting over the seams. Then bury the ends and an ABC UFO from 2022 will be complete!
Jan 14th
Damn I hate FB wiping out my draft posts before I'm finished them!!!
Yesterday I lost against the top thread chicken race on the last foot or so of my quilting.
Then after the evening wound down I drove Sylvia home first. Next was Edna but by then I guess I switched onto auto pilot and drove to my home again before both of us realized. So a roundabout way home for Edna!
Today I picked them up again and Sylvia came to my rescue with the same colour thread and I finally finished my 3.75" hand stitched apple cores BUT machine sewn border and quilted after pillow turned. Finally an UFO completed.
Then I switched to my ACQ mystery quilt blocks. Sylvia started a new table runner but the pattern was not quite clear enough so she spent the afternoon with her seam ripper. Edna contined working on her paper pieced blocks.
This virtual retreat was just awesome this chilly weekend and the trunk show by Terry Rowland (a few of her quilts I really loved follow) on using scaps was spectacular, thank you to all organizing this event! The potluck meals, close and ZOOM company just lovely!
It was nice that we stopped at A&W for supper. Wind down time, sleep in and stay put tomorrow!!!
