Warm and cozy

It's another cold and snowy day in Southern Ontario, but all is warm and cozy inside. We had a wood burning insert put into our fireplace back in September, and it has been wonderful. It's a good day for a fire, an olympic hockey game, (this from someone who ordinarily hates watching hockey), and making progress on one of the BOM's I'm doing. There are 4 of these basket blocks needed, and they are a bit of a challenge. The finished size of the block is 12 inches, and, since it is a five patch, which doesn't easily divide into 12, the measurements and sewing are tricky.
(Don't worry, Susan, we'll do this one when you are here this summer). So, I'm hoping to get the other 3 done today, and maybe sneak ahead into the next month. Nicole, Rebecca's Maid of Honour, is coming on Monday to get measured, so I have until then to play, before I have to get back into doing the dresses. Samantha hasn't been able to get over for a fitting yet, so I can't do anything more on the one that is almost done. I have cinnamon pastry coffee in my large thermos cup, Hillsong playing music, and my sewing machine calling my name, asking me to come back and play some more. I think I'l go play.

Dressmaking, vs. quilting

My daughter and I finally got out earlier this week and picked out the contrast fabric for the bridesmaids' dresses, so I can now get seriously to work on them. I have the first one to the point of needing a fitting. I really hope that it fits, and doesn't need any ripping. Quilts are so much easier. they don't have to fit exactly to curves, don't have to have zippers, (I remembered today why I hate putting in zippers), don't have to have boning............. sigh. But, I volunteered for this, and they will be really nice when they are done. It's just getting there. Why is it, that I will sit for hours and hand applique, but dislike sitting for hours hemming a dress by hand? It's the same activity, same stitches, same needle and thread. Hmmmm... doesn't make sense to me. But, now that I can't go any further on the dress, I can go play with a quilt, and reward myself for being such a good girl. Oh yeah, I have to get those swap blocks packaged up and sent off, so I'd better go and do that. I'll post a pic of the dress as soon as I find the cables that I need.

 Found the cables. When all else fails, check the daughter's room, and there it was. She and I share the internet access on this computer, since our router quit working, and this one has a rogers stick. Most of the time it is OK to share with her, but there are times when things mysteriously vanish, and turn up in the black hole of her room. I can't complain too much, though, since my sewing room has a black hole of its own.

Brutal week

That was a brutal week. Our hospital, which looks after veterans from WW2 and Korea, is probably going to be shutting down one of its units, since there aren't a whole lot of WW2 vets left. Consequently, I am trying to pick up as many shifts as I can before the shutdown happens, since I don't know how many will be available afterwards. Working 6 out of 8 days is way too hard on this old lady. But, with a wedding coming up, and retirement to save for,  I have to take what is available. There wasn't even a whole lot of quilting done on those days, although I got a fair bit done on Cactus Rose on Monday and Tuesday, my days off, while watching the olympics. All 4 of the centre blocks are done, and the applique started. Becca wants to go out later this afternoon to look at wedding invitations, and pick out the contrast fabric for the bridesmaids' dresses, so I'm hoping to get the last of my swap blocks done before that. She and Matt are out right now starting their registries, which should be a lot of fun for them. They got their engagement photos back yesterday. Aren't they the greatest? I know, biased Mama talking. (giggle). June 12th is coming up way too fast. (sigh)

Design wall Monday Feb 15

On my design wall is Cactus Rose, by Judy Niemeyer, and it's grown over the last week. I was able to take the cactus units with me to work on the weekend, and I spent my supper and coffee breaks de-papering, so they are all ready to go. I'm hoping to get the rest of it pieced today and tomorrow, and then it will be time to do the applique.

Working Weekend

I'm not going to be able to get much quilting done this weekend, (sigh). Have to work at the hospital all weekend. But, the good news is, I can take the cactus units I have done with me, and use my breaks to de-paper. So I won't have to use sewing time at home to take out the paper. It will make the task a little less unpleasant to imagine that I'm getting paid to take it all out. Good thing the girls at work already know that I'm crazy, or they might doubt my sanity. I'm a good way towards having the swap blocks done, just have to piece geese units for 6 more blocks, and then I can put them together. So, I'm going to go play with fabric and thread before I have to go to work.

One down, 11 to go

I've been busily cutting and sewing, and have one of the swap blocks done, already. I can almost feel the warm spring breezes, when looking at these fabrics. Woohoo. I'm having a blast doing these. Thank you, Shannon, for hosting this swap

Life is Good

It's cold and snowy outside today. A perfect day to stay inside and do, wait for it............. more quilting and sewing. Yippee!!!! I have coffee, not flavoured though, I ran out, and that isn't enough incentive to go out in the cold and snow. Or, there are all kinds of teas that I got for Christmas, to keep me warm while I sew. There are places to visit, and people to talk to on the internet. Shannon, at The Pieceful Kwilter blog is hosting a spring block swap, that I've decided to participate in. I know, I know, I really don't need another project. But, it called my name, and I had to answer. It's to be the February block pattern from her BOM, all done in spring fabrics and colours, so it will be spring in my sewing room, if not outside. So, I think I will take a brief break from all that paper piecing, and play with some other fabric. I think I'm going to use the fabrics pictures here to do the blocks. The cream is to be the background, and the green is going in the same place as it is in my block here. The purple will be the star points, and the pink and yellow will be the rectangle under the star points. I'm going to fussy cut the seed packet fabric for the centre square of the block.  All of the large cactus units are done, and are waiting to be de-papered. (yuck). I have my February block finished, and did one of the same pattern for a charity quilt, which has to go to the post office so that it can go back to it's organizer, when the weather clears. Life doesn't get much better. The one thing that could make this day absolutely perfect, would be to have Susan, my BFF, who lives in Edmonton, here to sew and chat with me. But, that's not going to happen. But, with this wonderful tool of the internet, I can chat with her, and keep in touch, and rejoice in our friendship. The music is on, currently playing Christian contemporary Michael W. Smith, and I can sing along to my heart's content. Yep, life is good. Thank you Lord.

Design wall Monday Feb 8

Well, I'm making good progress on the "Cactus Star" quilt, by Judy Niemeyer. It had been sitting in my UFO pile for the past year, or so. I'm hoping to get it done, at least to the point of putting on the applique, before the winter is out.

Time to call the men in the white coats

OK, it's official. I can't deny it any longer. Someone needs to call the men in the white coats to come and take me away. This cactus rose quilt is beautiful. I love it. I love the colours, and the 4 coloured background, and the ring of points, and the cactus points, and the star in the centre. I do not love the paper. I wish there was another way to achieve the same effect, with the same accuracy, but, there isn't. So i will continue with the paper, hopefully without going further out of my mind, because the end result is SO worth it. It took me almost 15 minutes to de-paper the section pictured here. Getting the little bits left behind in the sharp points. Arggggggg!

Cactus Rose

Now that the wedding ring quilt has moved to a hand project, it's time to pull out another of my machine UFO's to work on. I've decided to get back to Judy Niemeyer's  Cactus Rose, which is another of those instances where I saw a quilt, fell in love, and had to do it. I ordered the pattern, and the foundation paper to go with it, started it, and got really intimidated by the scale of the project, and so put it away. I have 4 of the star point units done, and 2 more partially finished. Lots of time yet, to go into this one, but isn't that what cold winters are for? I have to work at the hospital this afternoon, so I think I'll spend the time before i go in getting re-aquainted with this project, and maybe even get some sewing done on it. I'm not quilt obsessed, am I?

Wedding ring quilt progress

I've been making really good progress on the wedding ring quilt. It is all sewn together, and all the applique is fused, and stitched down. Phew!!! Now, I have to hand stitch the junctions between the rings. I think it is going to become my take along project for the next while. So, now to decide on another machine piecing UFO to drag out and get back to work on. Decisions, decisions.

What am I doing wrong?

OK, so I'm doing something wrong. This is the second week I've tried to link up to Judy L.'s site, and both times, the link I post, which I took directly from the top of the page of my post, says that the page is not found. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Any suggestions?

Design wall Monday Feb 1

I've been working on a disappearing 9 patch all week. Actually, there will be 2 of them, twin sized quilts commissioned by a family in Texas for their 2 sons. I'm leaving it up for a while to stare at, and see if there is any tweeking of block placement necessary. I used some of the fabrics that I had for my daughter's wedding quilt, which is themed on their favourite things, hence the pizza, BBQ stuff, s'mors golf balls, etc.