Catchup - Jan 18th-28th

Jan 18th

It wasn't so bad this morning as I cleaned off my car etc before joining the ladies at ACQ for a sewing day, since I'm plowed out.  Then took Edna grocery shopping and short visit with Michelle to pass on Sylvia, Edna and my bindings for CQA donations.  But DANG IT I just about got frostbite taking six picture, three off McCreary Road and three from the driveway!  I plugged in my car, praying it doesn't blow in again and I'm staying put tomorrow!!!

Jan 19th

OMGG talk about me being stupid!!! I'm used to my floor lamp over my left shoulder for my hand stitching and always bring my small table lamp, but not that great. Well last night I was searching floor lamps as suggestions for here when I REMEMBERED there's a three light floor lamp in the basement next to the puzzle table. DUH ME!!! So up it came and it's lots better today! Gotta do this next time too! 🥰

Jan 20th

OKAY this is enough of deep freeze temps!  My feet haven't been warm for a week if not more, I put on my wool socks - too hot, my fuzzy socks - cool feet and my cotton socks - cold feet!  They better warm up sooner than later!!!

Jan 22nd

I just LOVE my Christmas postcard with matching bookmark that was delayed because of our postal strike but arrived just fine!!! Thank you Cindy Vrtis! I LOVE angels!!!

Jan 23rd

Well a great start for Sylvia and I to a Quilters Jewel retreat in Winkler! First breakie at Sals, supposed to be a quick stop at Mook's for some fabrics (not so with mega shoppers there) and onto Carman to check out Mama Bears new quilt shop. Finally to Lily Stone Cafe in Rosenort for lunch with our niece Debbie too! ❤️ The roads were clear with periodic snow blowing. Then onto Winkler to register at Best Western Plus (lovely queen suite) and check into my first hand stitching retreat weekend! Sylvia is having hopefully a relaxing weekend away too with her hobbies she brought!

Jan 24th

Finally after a couple years I've my 18" Summer Hexies (1.5") finished. Just the label to make up when I get home next week.  So all hand pieced, assembled with drapery flannel in between layers and hand quilted. I started it August 2023 and completed it today!!! Funny how the images differ colourwise, taken near a window and antique-type inside lounge area.

Jan 25th

Today I drove Sylvia to Flavours of Mexico for her meal choices then back to stitching for me. Pearl invited her to see Show n Tell plus participate tonight too. Then I went next door to Winkler Fabrics plus and picked up a selection for placemats for me maybe and could not resist the paisley ones.

Okay here's my new fabric selection I bought at Mook's then the black at Mama Bears at Carman for the sashing. I downloaded the free pattern, Inferno, from Andover, and will be reducing the size as much as I can! Sorry my picture is not very good. I've found an image of some of the 15+ colours in this Texture Basics line, it's an Australian design/fabric which is probably why I picked it for this pattern instead of Ombre!!!

So Sylvia joined us for Show n Tell before we relaxed for the night.  She finished off her UFOs.

Here is a "thank you/rembrance" gift for Pearl from us for her 35th Quilting Jewels Retreat.

Jan 26th

Today was pack up, brunch and head home after a lovely hand stitching retreat hosted by Pearl, Quilting Jewel Retreat!!! As we left Winkler headed north it was ground level blowing snow and tugging on my steering wheel. Well half hour later, turning east it was totally clear? Good!!!  

We stopped in to visit Debbie and the family and enjoyed a very light second lunch with them all. I even got to hold Colter and Beckham both born bbeginningof November, alongwith play a bit with London when she allowed. Sylvia did too! Was lovely even with Sylvia's slight slide into the snow, she says nothing hurts, I hope so!

Then once into the city I stopped to pick up the Sashiko etc MPQ draw prize that she won on Wednesday but we did not attend. Then I happened to see this lovely sunset and turned onto Lyndale Drive and took these pics before heading home to put my feet up!!! WOW!!!

Jan 28th

Okay Sylvia just about finished off the winter puzzle and today both of us completed it!

Now we're sorting the gift Susan gave me!!! Yowsers, not sure about this one! The borders are all navy with a blue equal sized stripe!!!

Catchup - Dec 19th-22nd

Dec 19th

Can you believe it, I double booked my Wednesday and totally messed up my massage appointment. So rescheduled for Jan 2nd - UGGGGH!!!! Then someone else messed up and I landed up taking her appointment yesterday - AWESOME!!! 

Then over to Sylvia's for some online fun and puzzle setting! That one was so dang easy, finished maybe in 2 hours. The pieces were like 1.5 inches, a sinch to do!

Dec 20th

Today up early to Urban Garage to get my new tires on! 

All done!!!

WOW!!! Nice ride and at stop lights only ONCE did the skidding light come on instead of nearly each icy corner. In the new year it'll be the back brakes and hopefully that's it for major maintenance for awhile. I totally love the service here!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Pat!!! 🎉🎂💞

After my tires got replaced, I picked up Edna and headed to Joey's on Kenaston to lunch with Pat, Randy, his Mom Edith, Byran, Sylvia and us last to arrive! LLovely lunch and visit but GOSH DARN it was NOISY!!!

And DANG Amanda showed me to select Portraits and that way blurry the background! DUH!!! I forgot to!!!

Dec 21st

I'm again on a tatted dragonfly mission. Basically using Riet's Dragonfly pattern with some of my adaptations. Top left unknown thread, the rest I used blues Parlak Oren Bayan Dantel Ipigi 50, blues/mauve 185 Lizbeth 20, dark greens 167 Lizbeth 20 and botton right greens/brown 179 Lizbeth 20.

So I gifted my car a Christmas present!!! Yeppers since it was warmer I took it to Chamois for a thorough cleaning, in and out, then off to Winnipeg Square heated parkadefor another wipe down, doors open heater and fan full blast for a half hour at least. It's so pretty again!!!

Then back home for another crazy quilted postcard and more tatting embellishments for it, probably finished tomorrow.

Dec 22nd

I did lots of shopping there and remember those slight bumps in the warehouse floors especially!

I've completed the embellishments on my PFA swap postcard. For the embroidery I used gifted Rajmahal Art Silk threads (very slippery), Lizbeth #124 size 20 for my tatting and dismantled a bracelet for the hummingbird charm. 

Now to pick up my fixed laptop today, prep n print off my back and try finish it for mail off in the New Year!!!

After picking up my now working laptop and visiting Angela (was gifted a tray of her cookies - Yummy), I finally set up Angie's gifted tree which does not have lights attached - I'm drained! 

Next year I'll put the tree on a chair, wind lights on, then up onto the table! I'm relaxing now. Figured if I'm home I should put the tree up with a small amount of her decorations and mine that are out and around all year! I should have put my crocheted angel on top, next time. Maybe I'll put them away this year?

Catchup - Sep 16th-17th

Sept 16th

Hey, I forgot to post the ACQ Sept 7th sewing day results. Lately I've been playing with my 9" square I Spy blocks for MPQ ABC quilts. That day I sewed up 17 blocks. Today while at Edna's I sewed up another 12 blocks and forgot all about the leftover 9 sets pinned ready to sew from ACQ sewing day! AND wonder how many more blocks from the tray I've yet to sort out???

Edna finished off her last year's, I think it's called twisted ribbons, just in time to maybe quilt it at the retreat this year. It was a pattern that Adina had sewn up and passed onto Edna.

Walking to my car I noticed the Sturgeon Creek Portage Ave lights are out so guess that affected her Shaw TV and power flickered off a couple times while eating supper. Also look at the sky!!! 

Sept 17th

Here is Lori's write up on my 52 Scrappy Triangles quilt she custom quilted. It's naturey, simple and more me than the feathers I first thought of, so I'm pleased with her quilting. Thank you! This was also part of the $100 virtual retreat prize I won last year from MPQ to go towards any quilt shop or service!  

I just ❤️❤️❤️❤️ it and now to finalize my label and bind it! MY QUILT!!!!!

Rose Anne brought this lovely quilt in for some custom quilting. A few members of my local quilt guild got inspired to do some paper piecing and followed The Year of Scrappy Triangles blog post by Leila Gardunia. I saw some photos of this quilt as Rose Anne was working on it and had thought her chosen background was black, but it is actually a beautiful deep green! It is a lovely compliment to all the batiks she found in her stash.

Initially I thought feathers would be the perfect suggestion for the green strips, but I just could not get them flowing nicely to the inner green border. Everything I tried looked really awkward at some point. When I suggested the echo curve design for the outer border and the center strips, Rose Anne loved the idea and the rest of the design fell into place quickly after that.

The gold border received large curls, the inner green border an oak leaf and curl, and the paper pieced triangles received some branching curls. I always try to repeat motifs somewhere in the custom quilting so that the quilt feels cohesive at the end.

I used an olive green thread for everything but the oakleaf border. There I switched to more of a rusty gold thread to make it stand out a little bit more and add a bit of interest.

OMGG!!!!! Hope all are safe around there! 🙏

Today I started off lazily then kicked into motivation gear and successfully tatted and embroidered the rest of the evening! So I've some tatted butterflies and completed my PFA swap postcard top, now to work on the back and sandwich it together. 

Hopefully my newly serviced Janome will cooperate with the satin stitched edging! Jo do you recognize my source of inspiration for a couple of my seams? Yes I use it for some help! ❤️