I can't WAIT no more!!!

I GOTTA show at least one off!!! LOL!!! Shoot I'm not good with waiting or keeping surprises etc. So I'm gonna give you a sneak peak at one of my newest postcards!



They aren't finished yet - but dang it - they look pretty good already if I say so myself! What you think?

Lovely FALL Day!!!

Last week was totally rough with filling in for a co-worker and getting the office ready for the movers/painters to come in Monday to start painting the office and me a pinched nerve in the neck too. So last night I didn't do anything but today WOW!!!

The weather is just AWESOME (except for the wasps) - why can't fall stay around a whole season - I'd rather fall than the 30+ summer? I've had a LOVELY day so far and hope it continues tomorrow. You won't recognize me with my mop chopped off!!! Gosh it feels like a tonne of bricks lifted off my shoulders!!! Then I zipped over to the stitching shop and picked up my two magazines I had ordered on the Kimono canvasswork patterns (cheaper than the quilting ones) and stopped at Value Village and picked up a couple more doilies in taupe and found two 4" square peuter-like frames for the 2" canvasswork scissor fob I made but want to frame instead! WOW!!! Someone's castoffs - my treasures!

Then I picked up a chicken burger (YUK!) and went to watch Byran's football game with Pat, Myrna and Amanada. It was exciting, but they lost and this larger opposition guy snagged Byran and swung him around to the ground - I wanted to go out there and give him what for but stayed in my seat and just voiced my displeasure. They were twice the size of our guys - not fair!!!

Then I came home and walked over to Safeway (LOVELY WEATHER) to get my prescriptions and even checked out some of the Village shops before coming home and played with a "design board" online with various complimentary fabrics with that snowman panel I got and still don't know which fabrics I'll pick up for borders. But it looks good! I'm not that keen on the knit-look fabric as a border so maybe good that there isn't any around here. I tried to save the design board, but it would not let me so I just printed it off.

Then I got back to my Hats Off postcards - those Victorian Hats I had planned a while ago! WELLLLL you should see these. They are turning out very well so far and I've laid the odd feather on them and WOW WOW WOW!!! Yes, I've taken step by step photos and will show you soon. I've got them all stitched and now it's the embellishing part so just about finished. Then I've the sandwiching and satin stitched edgings before mailing off! Maybe this next week finally!!!

Corner Joined Bindings

Okay I thought I had written this up but can't find it anywhere and now I don't remember the details - so hopefully you can figure out from the photos and then play with it to figure out your measurements according to the finished binding you would like. Good luck.


Sew your single or double fold binding in place on all four sides (four separate pieces with about 2-4" extra) and stop 1/4 inch from edges and back tack to secure.


Align corner bindings and draw a line up from where the stitching stopped. Then mark a 1/2 inch away from that line and line up the dot and ends of the straight line and mark and X.


Then stitch from the corner up over the dot a stitch or two and backtack. Then stitch from fold over the dot a stitch or two and backtack. Turn to check if okay, if not then adjust to fit. Once pleased, trim.

Turn.


VOILA!!! Now repeat for the other three corners and hand stitch in place.

This was something shown to me at the 2008 Western Retreat by Flossie and I thank her muchly for this as it has saved me much agony for my coasters! I love when many out there are willing to share their "knows" with others. Thank you Flossie!!!

A Sunny Day Outing!

Yahooie I convinced my sister to delay her departure home and join me at a local group's quilt show! We kinda arrived a might too early but stayed out of the setup areas and quietly viewed the quilts then came back when opened and shopped. Then we had a homemade lunch before she left for home. Hopefully you made the four-hour trip safe and sound and not too tired!!!

I took just a few pics and here they are:


I LOVE this Bargello - V Reimer and notice the small wall hanging bottom right corner!


Evening Shadows - L Ridley - this is very eye-striking and looks to me like birch tree trunks.


Flora Fantasy - D White - this was a floral panel cut up along with coordinating fabrics.


Starry, Starry Night - C Schick - talk about so cheery, I just love this one.


Jacket - J Gowron - very interesting!


Scrappy Bear Paw - H Manfield - talk about all the work on this baby!

Now the next two are the same Mexican Star pattern but using different fabrics and talk about different looks!!!
J Giesbrecht
B Price

Stars Around the Garden - L Santa - now this sampler is quite attractive.


Now this one is neato - Star in a Star - L Eisbrenner - and some are kinda hard to see as the fabrics blend in with the larger star (think my red is off as it was more cardinal or brick red in person).

I'm Bragging!!!

I'm really really really grateful for my "artsy" sister visiting me this week!!! I've had a GREAT time and we are finishing it off with a local small quilt show tomorrow before she goes back home.

We've had a great shopping spree today (well actually she's had I just chauffeured her around) and finished off with the guild meeting and she won the FQ draw tonight too. And I've even some show and tell for you!

See some time ago she made an Eagle wall hanging that she had cut up a horizontal panel and made it vertical and used a smaller eagle - just lovely. WELL this time she used the same panel with it's large eagle, again changing to a vertical and added in more water, trees, clouds and another smaller eagle.

Heck I don't know which I like better now!!!

YAHOOIE!!!

Phew, at the rate I'm stitching lately I just might get myself caught up this month yet!!! Yes, I can happily say that I've stitched the top of a mini quilt since Sunday, that was supposed to be mailed in July (very very late) and I am VERY VERY VERY pleased with the results so far.

It was called Star Quest, based on the Bright Star pattern, designed by Sherry Fourez found in the QUILT Magazine (sorry don't know the issue as it was a pattern I tore out and ditched the rest) with a skill level of "intermediate". Each Bright Star block is made up for four 2" blocks (YOWL) paper pieced and the borders added on in a square format which I changed. I first stitched the three borders together and then stitched each set on and mitred the corners. I thought with all the points it was more appropriate this way.



PHEW and I say it is too, as with paper piecing, I thought the seams were to match and yet the angled ones don't. Now that could be my sewing too as I see some of my points are either disappearing or falling short of the block - hmmmmm - I alway find paper piecing a challenge. AND had to redo four blocks as I did not allow enough fabric for the one corner!!! Oh well I'm still very pleased with this baby. Not sure what I'll call mine, it hasn't spoken to me yet but hope it will before I need to make the label up this weekend!!! Now to figure out how I'll quilt it tomorrow evening! HMMMM!

Now to Rest!

Phew, talk about a rushing around again! I had TWO sisters visiting yesterday and one needed me to chauffeur her around shopping and the other wanted me to meet her for supper (all three did)!!! Lucky me! :))) Well it worked out and even had a BBQ lunch with my niece's family too along with a jar of my first made garlic dills - they loved them.

Last night Sylvia helped me cut out all the pieces for the second set of spacer blocks for my Moondance quilt and that's the project I'll take with me to the retreat end of October. NOW it's to find all the cut up pieces for the first set of spacer blocks that I cut out like two years ago - they were not in the project bag so I'm very annoyed and confused as to where they are!!! This quilt has been a challenge for me right from the start but darn it I'm determined to finish it off!!! Too much money and time on my part and effort on Sylvia's part helping me figure out those blocks - gotta finish!!!

And today Sylvia and I went out for breakie and she's probably now with Dad in Dauphin and Florence has the baptismal for her granddaughter so I think I have peace and quiet to relax and plan my next stitching project. But first I spent a couple of hours coring, peeling and slicing up Florence's awesome apples that I picked a couple of weeks ago. Well they're all done and bagged and in the freezer ready for apple crisps etc this winter.

NOW I think I'm finished with "preserving" for this year - never did this much before! LOL! Okay, since it's quiet on the email front guess I'll put my feet up and read a bit then actually start on the mini quilt I need for a Christmas gift (was supposed to mail out like in July!!!).

And More Postcards

WOW if I keep this up I just might catch up on my swaps outstanding this month!!!

I finally finished off my postcard from the CQ-CA Flower Garden swap and I just love this technique and even experimented with a fancier cut window!



Here's another of the recycling of those selvedges that usually go in the garbage and I've hand embroidered each seam with a different treatment and colour of floss. Yep, I just LOVE these and this is mine finally completed from the May 2008 FAPC In Stitches swap.

And then I used this same idea for Thank You cards for the gals that finished their Mystery Project activity in the CQ-CA group I'm in. There were 13 participants signed up with five completing their blocks and three actually finishing them up into a project of their choice. Within the group we had a Viewer's Choice on the posted finished projects and I also had a competition based on checking the submitted block pictures to see if they did stitches I had posted. So hopefully this next week I can finally get the prizes off to the recipients, that is after I gather and sort out the CQ knick knacks etc and items from my stash!

More Postcards

Okay I'm a little late on posting this one as the results were posted this week and NO I did not win the "Back to School" competition within one of my postcard groups. Oh well I gave it my best shot but it was not as amusing as the one that did win! Here's my card, all hand appliqued and then machine embellished slightly and a fabric marker for the text titles.



Then this week I finished off the birthday PCs for this same group and they were mailed off today to the gals, hope they like them.

Fall Harvest

PHEW now I remember why I don't do any canning anymore! LOL!

Yep, I used to get zucchini and do up some pickles and then make my own salsa too! Actually probably still have some jars back in the cupboards from gosh knows when - should check and pitch them me thinks!!! LOL!

ANYWAYS, September long weekend I visited my sister Elsie and came back to the city with a Safeway bag full of beet leaves for my oh so favourite beet buns, another bag of young cucs and dillweed to make up my own sandwich dills and if that was not enough she got me working and packed up 13 jars of garlic dills for myself to take home. Now I've never made these on my own and I think the last time I made them with Mom was some 35 years ago - now should I remember how to make them? LOL! Yep she expected me to know what to do so it was hit and miss if they actually got done correctly. And off I went with instructions to do these up ASAP!!! Yeah right!

Well that Wednesday I made up all the beet leaf buns and didn't finish until 2:00 am and then up for work the next morning. Needless to say I was to darn tired to stitch never mind to do up dills yet too so they sat in the fridge - I also needed a couple of spices that I hoped to borrow instead of buying finally today. Them garlic dills got their daily shake ups and figures they started leaking but guess that's normal if overpacked like I did them so into the fridge they went and on Sunday I tested a jar and YUMMY!!!

Oh - today I took in one of the leaking jars (I tasted them at home first) to the office today and picked up some garlic sausage and my coworkers (about 15 of us) polished the works off. There were many compliments so guess I passed mustard with the preserves!!! Yep, my first time too!!!

So yep today finally I got going and three hours later had the cucs sliced, jars sterilized and brine cooking - YUK what a stink in this apartment - wonder what the neighbours are thinking!!! Oh well I've now got 6 medium sized jars of sandwich dills and if they turn out as YUMMY as my sister's were I'll be enjoying my lunches for a while that is for sure!!!

Now considering my apartment is so warm I have to keep these in the fridge and thankfully I have a large fridge and not much in there! LOL!

AND that's it I've had enough of canning and I think I realize why now! It's always everything all at once and it's all time consuming and WORK!!! I'd rather be stitching!!!

What a Weekend!

Okay, I'm back from Dauphin and have 199 messages (hope they're not all important) - YIKES!

Now considering that a dear friend's daughter-in-law (and mother of very young children) last week lost her will for life - I'm sure leaving all devastated - including me and I barely knew her; I think I have much to be grateful for!

1. for the chance to visit with my Dad and hope to continue such
2. for a car that has delivered me there and back safely in my many travels
3. for siblings that were very generous this weekend: Florence/Wayne for their hospitality; Elsie (yes you're reading right) for inviting me out to pick some beet leaves for my favourite Ukrainian dish and Erlene for showing up too and helping me out; also Elsie for assisting me in making my FIRST batch of garlic dill pickles (I have to wait 4-6 days before opening and tasting - but those at Florence's were very good); and Elsie again for packing up tomatoes and more cucs so I can make up my own sandwich pickles that she made for Dad and were super delicious and he's asked for more to come (chuckling)!!!
4. and an unexpected little something from Dad which I put towards the gas home
5. and very very very thankful to the Lord for keeping me safe through this couple of days of THUNDERSTORMS (which I totally HATE) that rattled Florence's house (curtains/doors all closed and cats a cowering too) and the four hour drive back in a continuous heavy downpour!!!
6. AND especially Dale Anne for urging me to read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (actually listened to the CDs while driving) and now 2/3's of the way through the second time and hopefully this will make some changes to my life soon! There is nothing like having my special family members and friends in my life to share LIFE with! Thank you!

Ohhhh and then last week I was overjoyed for renewed contact from two precious niece/nephew who are busy with their own lives. I received an email preinvite from my niece asking for me to attend her university graduation - I've made a note and hope to enjoy that date with her and family/friends. Then also my nephew stopped into work for a visit and update me on his tumultuous house saga which hopefully after two years of trials and tribulations is now sorted out and their lives are hopefully more relaxed. Even an invite to come out and visit one day along with a map on how to get there!!!

Yes, I'm more than thankful!

Update

Okay, I've not gotten much sewing accomplished but have worked on various items. I did finish off a new postcard for the "Back to School" competition in one of my postcard groups and really like my results. Sorry I can't upload a picture till after Sept. 7th and the Viewers Choice is announced. Also I've stitched up more of my selvedges into postcards and doing my hand embroidery seam finishes on them for thank you gifts. Yes I have my postcard swaps to work on too but they are taking longer than I anticipated to pull off - guess sometimes my "ideas" get the best of me!!!

But my co-worker again brought in more beet leaves and also told me how they make their dish so I tried it this time around. You know that saying "this is better than . . . . " LOL! And much better than the previous batch I did!!!

These beet buns were baked first and then a mixture of heated whipping cream, butter, fried onions and garlic poured over and warmed through before serving and are soooooo close to my Mom's I could just bawl!!! I don't care if it adds pounds etc to my body I enjoyed this bowl and then will freeze in decent portions the remainder and doll them out gingerly!!!

So basically I let the dough rise first as per instructions (I used frozen again), knead down lightly, grease baking dish, rinse and dry beet leaves (remove fatter brittle parts of stems). Then break off small bits of dough (large olive amounts) and wrap leaves loosely around dough (I did right side out) and set into pan allowing breathing space around. Once all wrapped cover with towel and let rise half hour or so. Bake until golden brown and enjoy either with sour cream or with the awesome heated up cream mixture!!!

Just heat whipping cream to take the chill out, saute diced onions and garlic powder in margarine and add to cream and pour over baked buns and heat through before serving.

Now don't use a spring pan like I did or you'll have a mess to clean up too!!! But even this slip up was worth it!!!

2008 Bead Journal Project!!!

Well, finally my new BOM - 2008 Bead Journal Project - has some activity and we're getting ready to start officially in September. If you're wondering what I'm talking about here is the Website to check out.

If you'd care to check out the 2008 BJP Blog (there are three of them this year) here are the links and since we're 260 members we were divided geographically and I'm in blog #3.

08BJP (#1)
morebjp08 (#2)
andmorebjp08 (#3 and the one I'm in)

So when I came across the 2007 BJP, well I just had to sign up for the new year and hope to portray bits and pieces of my life in these monthly journals with expressions of CQing and beading. The first of which is a tribute to my dear Mom, my heavenly Angel, and from there who knows. I would LOVE to incorporate these into a finished wall hanging or scrapbook but as yet that is undecided. Now onto the planning and playing on these along with the rest of my life and projects.

Rose Anne
My Creative Works

I've been Quiet but Still Here!

Yep, it's been a quiet four days for me this week. See Wednesday morning I entered work and felt a sharp twinge in my right under arm from elbow to armpit and wondered what the heck now. But no pain and the day was okay so I totally forgot about it until after work entering City Place and I felt it worse and just about dropped to my knees. DANG IT my shoulder was paining and burning just about instantly. Well it was a long walk home after visiting the Library and spent the evening icing it and downing Ibuprofen. Thursday was worse and the pain and swelling was unbearable and needed replenishing of meds and muscle rub. Friday I got in to see my Dr and basically I've reaggravated my rotator cuff and now am on anti-inflamatories for two weeks and hopefully it'll settle down again. So it's been a few days of limited PCing and just about no sewing so needless to say I's been feeling miserable!!! Not good company at all. LOL!

Anyways I've spent a lot of time watching the Olympics and cried too when Canada finally started getting medals and WOW and what a legacy for Michael Phelps of USA!!! Congratulations to all the athletes and all they've given up to compete at this level! My hat goes off to them all.

NOW I finally did some sewing today, well actually finished off putting together the CQd Heart Pins that I stitched while on vacation. So now a quilting friend has to choose the one she wants and I'll have an extra for who knows. I definitely have to make more of these up in various colours etc as they sure are popular.

Now these look kinda cockeyed in the pictures but in person they are not like that - weird!!! These are 2" heart shapes, padded and covered with embroidered CQing and then assembled into pins. I think just lovely!

What a Day!!!

Okay, I've somehow pulled something in my sore shoulder today and it was bothering me and then went and tried opening doors on my way home and it is just killing me tonight.

BUT I did drop into our Millenium Library (closed for a long time for renovations) and WOW talk about a new look!!! I've got to take my stitching with me one day and sit in the "study area" along the glass wall and relax some there in AC or would be awesome in the winter watching the snowfall too!!! Anyways, they called me as my reserved "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne was in so I picked it up along with the CD so hopefully will start to read it this weekend in between stitching. Also I picked up two books on crazy patch works and motifs too for my upcoming projects.

Then I stopped at the grocery store on the way home for some goodies (mango for $1.68 - WOW!) and by the time I got home with the bags etc my shoulder is KILLING me and two Ibuprofen to my rescue along with a nice cold Corona!!! Yep I'm ready for bed now!

BUT first I have to tell you of my lovely mailbox surprise! See I'm going to be doing up a fabri mini album in a CD Tin for my coworker and it arrived TODAY!!! Dale Anne did a wonderful job of embossing hearts on the top for me - and not just simple hearts as I asked but there are two with wedding bells inside and then two with flowers, leaves and curly ques inside different sized hearts - WOW!!! Thank you so very very much Dale Anne, it is just lovely! Now to do the tin justice by doing a lovely momento to go inside!!!

Thanks also for another of your awesome hand made greeting cards (a surprise too) in that package - WOW just what I needed to perk me up! HUGS!!!

Now for the BLAH part! See I got home about 6:00ish and turned on the PC and no Internet connection to Webpage again!!! Dang it!!! Well 2.5 hours later on the phone (three quarters of it on HOLD!!!) and I finally got Internet access around 8:30 - SHEESH!!! At least this time the techies did not get me to crawl underneath to disconnect and switch around cords - THANK THE LORD - as my shoulder just would not have cooperated. It's even giving me grief to type so I think I'll just sign off and read and relax now!

More Stitchin Catch-Up

Okay, I've completed another of my deadlines (only a few days late) and completed my so called "trademark" of a web and spider onto my starter patch for my SewBuds Patch Round Robin. This is a first for me and I'm anxious to see what the other girls have started with and how we progress with this swap. It basically goes round and round within the group until we're happy with the looks of the block! Oakie Dokie!



AND I've also completed one of two of the CQd patches for the CQd Heart Pin that I've received an order for but forgot to take the metallic threads with me on vacation to finish off. I'll stitch up the second one and then assemble the pins and let my friend choose which she likes best!

Then it's onto some more postcards and maybe some UFOs or maybe the sewing room??? Who knows.

More Quilt Show Pics

Okay, I've uploaded my 2008 Moose Jaw SK outdoor Quilt Show as promised. Now these aren't ALL the quilts, just the ones that appealed to me for whatever their reasons. There's one in particular that I'm gonna have to investigate the pattern/kit as I just LOVE it - the bargello heart!!! Okay this kit can be found on Veronica's Sewing Supplies site about halfway down page 2 of Kits (link on left hand side border). Enjoy!

OHHHHH and I had entered my Celtic Knot Table Topper (won 1st place - red ribbon) and my Pink Comfort - farewell quilt for Shauna (won 2nd place - blue ribbon) in the Dugald MB Springfield County Fair - WOW eh?

Show n Tell

Okay you asked for some pictures - well here's some from my vacation this past week at my sister's 2008 Perrault Falls Show n Sale - hope you like them. Enjoy!

Soon I'll post those take at the 2008 Moose Jaw Quilt Show!

I'm BACK!!!

Yep, I'm back home and it's not so hot in here for a change!!! Good thing I was in and out most of the summer so I didn't have to put up with the 90+ temps inside and out. For sure next year I'll have to put in some type of AC or I won't survive and accomplish anything in here.

Ohhh on the way from my sister's I came upon a beautiful looking deer crossing the road but something was wrong with it. See it kept looking at me approaching and limping across the road, it could not run, and as I neared it very clumsily went down the gravel road and into the slight ditch and into the bush. I really felt bad for it as it either was hit by a vehicle or maybe shot and injured and now will have the prey to deal with.

ALSO the trans Canada around and through Kenora is nothing but CONSTRUCTION (same like anywhere else I guess in summer) but I like the openness that will result from some of this clearing for poles to carry some fibre optic line. I had horrible traffic (hate to see what it's like there during the work week - uhhh maybe not) and on top of it about an hour from home the duct taped plastic cover on my busted window ripped off and then I had to watch for items possibly wanting to FLY AWAY from inside!!! I hope it didn't hit any vehicle behind but went into the ditch.

Okay, back to unpacking and maybe if I have time uploading my pics and then feet up and resting for work tomorrow!!!

I'm Having FUN!!!

Okay I said I'd be relaxing out at my sister's in NW Ontario and here's proof of it. It was actually a very overcast day and I sat outside between visitors to the quilt sale and stitched on my cool ties. Yep seems like all my vacations this summer have been sitting outside and stitching!!!

And here's a peek at my sister's lilies - the whole front is covered in various coloured lilies and white daisies and some small flowers too. Just lovely along with the hummingbirds at the feeders and actually getting pretty worked up with others invading their feeder!!!



Now here's the outdoor stuff: the stripped diamond willow and there is a willow basket too made by my BIL and the stone geese and ducks made by one of their friends that are for sale this week too.



And here is Len with a newly constructed planter birdhouse chair that Sylvia put an old kettle with lovely red flowers planted inside for show - will have to take that picture too!



You can see my old bomb in the background parked out front in the soupie grass to let visitors know where to park rather than around back and going to the wrong doors. And below is a pic of the lovely sunset over the water across the highway from their home. There was also a rainbow but heck it hadn't rained much at all - like a spinkle maybe??? But the pic is not so great!



Okay here's the layout of the once craft shop now decked out with various quilted projects on sale from Sylvia and her friend Fran and a couple from me. Mostly I have my small items but they too have been selling. Mostly placemats, table runners and baby quilts have sold so far.





Naturally, there are many that are just on show and yes three are favourites of many stopping in and continuously asking if the person would change their minds and sell the quilt - nope it's definitely not for sale. Basically to show what that person is capable of doing. Now this next picture is basically the "display only" wall just behind the cash desk and it gets lots of compliments. There is one with visitors checking it out too.





Okay, my basic postcards all sold and my sister said I should make up more and put them out. So not being prepared at all it's a little limited but in the bag of scraps from Linda there were some fall leaves fabrics so with Sylvia's Heat n Bond and luckily I brought some Fast 2 Fuse with me so I whipped these up today - now wonder if they'll go or not.

Okay, I checked and there a way too many emails for me to read tonight! I 'll do a few and then off to bed as I'm beat like by 9:30 here and sleeping in till 8:00 or 9:00 and then breakie before the early birds start dropping by on their way to town etc. LOL!