Stash Report, Week 30, 2014

I have usage to report, and more than just a couple of inches....... finally. And it's because of making the backing for this.

Cactus Rose is finally loaded and the quilting started. I'm about 1/8th of the way done. I'm doing tons of stitch in the ditch, and lots of echoing and leaf shapes and a little bit of McTavish style and a bit of pebbling as well. I don't want the quilting to take over the piece, but to complement it, and look like it was meant to be this way. While I was at the sew-in day yesterday, I saw some quilting that Lorna was doing, and the filled leaves in the outer border section of this quilt were inspired by what she was doing. This is going to be a time consuming project, nut I'm thinking it will be well worth the time.

Used this week:           3.4 yards
Used this year:            53.8 yards
Added this week:        0 yards
Added this year:         52 yards
Stash Busted:                 1.2 yards

I'm linking to Judy's Stash Report.

Saturday Sew-in day

We had a sew-in day sponsored bu the guild today. It started at 9 am and went to 4 pm. I didn't get there until about 9:20, and it took until about 10 to get all my stuff sorted out, and my brain semi-clear enough to begin handling sharp objects. It took me all of the rest of the day, with an hour taken for lunch, to get one more of the Meteor Shower blocks done. Of course, there might have been just a little bit of talking and visiting and checking out what other people were working on involved during that time.

 The picture is a little bit blurry, and the colours are a bit off, but you get the idea. One of the reasons it took so long to put this together was because I didn't have a big enough design space to be able to spead out and see what was going where. I decided that, when I got home, I would fix that.

Here's my solution. I found a piece of foam core board and covered it with a scrap of batting, using duct tape to hold the batting onto the board. And now I can put all the pieces up where they are supposed to be, and not have to keep rearranging them and checking them and re-laying them out in order to keep track of what I am doing. I only have 2 more of these large blocks to do, and this should make doing them go much easier, and much faster. My own portable small design wall.

Design wall Monday on Tuesday

This seems about par for the course for my life these days. I'm behind, yet again. I'm getting lots of quilting done, but not much else. Our guild quilt show is coming up in October, and I'm trying to use my time better in order to get all the quilts done. I can manage the ones coming in from customers OK. It's getting to my own that is presenting the problems. I'm quite certain this is common throughout the long arm profession people. But, I will persevere, and with better time management, I should be able to get more done. Part of that time management is going to have to be spending less time on this contraption.
I spent the day over at Gail's on Saturday, and managed to get 2 more of the big star blocks put together for Meteor Shower, a design by Judy Martin found in her book Scraps.

The center nine block are now all finished and sewn together. The design calls for a large star block in each corner, and a plain border and a border of small stars that run in between each of the large corner stars. If I get time in the evenings this week, I'll work on the corner stars. There is also a guild sew-in day coming up on Saturday that I am planning on attending. I really want to get this quilt finished and entered into the quilt show.
I'm linking up to Judy's Design Wall Monday and also to Connie's Linky Tuesday. Then I really need to get off this computer and get this day going.

Round Robins Results

This past February, Gail from The Cozy Quilter, approached a group of us wondering if we would be interested in participating in a round robin. Four of us agreed to participate. We were to each do a center square, pick out some of our own fabrics to go with it, and then pass it around, taking a month to work on each others' projects. This past Thursday we gathered together at Gail's for a reveal party. It was so much fun to see what each of the projects finished up to be. Each of us that were participating have blogs, so we decided that we would blog about our own project and link to each others. This is how mine started its journey. I decided that, since this would be going out into unknown territory, I'd start it with something I normally don't do, which is asymmetry. I also don't ordinarily use the type of background fabrics that are in this. I found the design in the latest Quiltmakers' 100 blocks magazine. I haven't got it immediately to hand to be able to give the designer's name.

 The first place it went to on its journey was Christine's house. She used the fabrics that I enclosed, a lot of which had a sewing theme, to add the liberated triangles border. I love the pop of yellow in it, and also the black on black triangles.

From Christine's, it traveled on to Jacqui's. She said she tried a few things on it, including carrying the spool theme out into the border. But, in the end, the quilt ended up being very bossy, and insisted on having a narrow red border, followed by some simple squares and then another narrow red border. The quilt knew exactly what it needed, and I'm glad it talked to Jacqui. I love that she continued the yellow out into the corners.





                                                                                From Jacqui's. it traveled on to Gail's. While there, she added the 60 degree triangles around the outside, again using the yellow as an accent in the corners. She added some of her own fabrics to it, and kept the 60 degree triangles mostly in shades of black, with just the occasional pop of colour. I love the way it turned out. I had no idea what to expect when it came back, and I can only say that I am thrilled. This was a very fun and very challenging experience, and I would willingly participate in something like this again.



 
Here I am, looking extremely happy, after getting
 my quilt back. Thanks ladies, for all the work you did, and for all the fun this was. You can read about
 Gail's here at The Cozy Quilter,
 Christine's here at Quilting at Balmoral Cottage and
Jacqui's here at Treadle Quilts.
Once I figure out how to quilt it, it will hang in a place of honour in my long arm studio.

Stash Report, week 29, 2014

It's been slow going in the stash reduction area. I've been doing tons of sewing and quilting, but it's all been already counted, or it is sewing using fabrics that belonged to other people. I participated in a Round Robin this past winter and spring, and the finished tops were exchanged on Thursday. More about that another time. I used a little bit of my own fabrics on making the backing for the raffle quilt for the guild, and that's been it. I'm planning on loading one of my own quilts soon, so that will help the numbers, a bit.

Used this week:               .4 yards
Used this year:               50.4 yards
Added this week:              0 yards
Added this year:            52 yards
Net stash added:               1.6 yards.

I'm working away at getting the London Roads raffle quilt done, tomorrow should do it, and then I have plans to load on Cactus Rose. I think it has waited long enough.

I'm linking up to Judy's Stash Report.

An Avery sort of day.....

Today has been just absolutely jam packed full, because it was an Avery coming to visit day. I have a quilt on the machine that has to be done by the beginning of next week, so I actually asked my dear husband to bring me in a cup of coffee at.... gasp...... 8:30 this morning, I had to get some quilting time in before we got ready for their visit. I've been working on quilting a London Roads quilt for our guild. It will be used as a raffle quilt for raising funds for the out reach committee, which does quilts for the Children's Aid society and also Quilts of Valour.

 It's getting a Maple Leaf pantograph. It's about 2/3 done now, so finishing it Monday shouldn't be a problem.  Then it is on to someone else for binding.
I worked on it until 1 pm, and then came back downstairs to get supper ready, since we were going on a short road trip after Avery got here.  Both my husband Scott and our son Noel, have some art work hanging in a gallery here, so we all went to see it. Here's a link to the Westland Gallery. We didn't stay very long, since it was hard for a three year old to be interested for long in the art. But it was long enough to get a really good look at most of what was hanging, and especially theirs.

We came back for some supper and play time, and a popsicle or two, and then it was time for him to go. It went by way too fast. For a little boy who's only three years old, he's so smart!! I may be a biased Grammy, but still, he's smart. He's reading! We gave him a new book, and he was reading the cover, and the titles on the pages. He talks all the time, and constantly uses his imagination. He is a Thomas the Tank Engine fan, which is why they are here this weekend. One of the towns near us has a Thomas train that they can actually ride on, so they are doing that tomorrow.
As for me tomorrow, I'm off to Gail's for a girls' day out for sewing. I plan on working on Meteor Shower, and am hoping to get lots done. However, it will mean an even earlier morning..... gasp..... 8 am, in order to be at her place by 9:30, and at least semi coherent by the time I get there. LOL! SO, it's time for medications and relaxing before trying to get to bed a bit earlier than normal. There just might be a report about the sewing day tomorrow.

Gut Lake Trail...

 We had gorgeous weather again today, and the rain held off until we were finished our hike. This one felt a little more ambitious than the other ones we've done while here. Going by my GPS walking app on my iphone, it was closer to a 5 km hike than 2.5. 

 We saw this group of canoes and kayaks ahile we were walking. I don't think there is anything that says outdoors in Canada as much as this. All of the lake in this area are surrounded by these types of rocks. It never fails to amaze me how a full sized tree can grow seemingly out of the side of a huge rock.

 The tree on the end of this point looks like it would only take the smallest breath to blow it over.

This was taken at the end of the lake where it narrows down into the smallest stream. It opens up again into a marshy wetlands area. Now, I have to say that I love this country and I love this area, and all of the beauty found in it. However...... the bugs...... it wasn't mosquitoes this time that were the issue, but the flies that kept circling around our heads, trying to bite, and flying into our glasses and ears. Highly annoying..... the price one pays for being outdoors, rather than watching it all on a screen. What I often wonder, is how did the initial settlers and explorers manage without bug spray with Deet in it? I did some research before we left to come up here on bug repellants, without using the Deet stuff. I found all kinds of sources that said that mosquitoes hate citronella and basil, and that using those essential oils, and a few other ingredients, you could make a good repellant. Somebody forgot to tell the bugs up here that they don't like those things. They didn't work, and we ended up having to resort to the Deet stuff just to preserve our sanity.

I thought this was an interesting passageway type area we found along the way. This was towards the end of the hike, and I was awfully glad we didn't have to climb up that rocky area. I think this is going to be the last of our hikes this time round. The last one is around a beaver dam, and is listed as longer than all the others. If the pattern continues, it would be double the length that the maps says it is, so it will have to wait for another time.
The rest of this evening is going to be quiet time, with either a book or my knitting, or maybe both.

On my Needles, July 11, 2014

 We're still here at our campsite, but decided that today was a stick around the campsite and campground and not do too much requiring energy day. Yesterday's hike to the falls, found here, really tired us out. If the weather is good tomorrow, we'll do another hike. Every time we come to a campground, we like to do a walk around to scope out any good sites for further reference, so that was the extent of our exercise today. That meant there was lots of time for sitting and knitting. The body and the hood for my Flyaway Hoodie are done. While sitting down by the lake earlier today I did the boring chore of sewing in the ends I've created so far. Then, when we got back to the campsite, I found a patch of sun, and sat out and picked up the stitches for one of the sleeves.

 And in between working on the hoodie, when my hands needed something to do, but my brain didn't, I've been working on these socks. The instep decreases are done, and I'm on the home stretch for the foot.

This is a picture of our lovely campsite. I am standing in the far corner to take this picture. The site is huge! There is a pull through area where the trailer is, and then there is a sitting area off to the side where the fire pit and the picnic table are. It could easily fit a couple more tents or, if we had remembered it, the screened shelter. In our stroll around the campground, we didn't find any sites that were nicer than the ones in this area. All of them are like this, large and very well wooded and private. I am so enjoying our time away. I'm not going to want to go home. I'm linking up to Judy's On the Needles, and then I'm going to see if I can wrap my head around the instructions for the sleeves. I have to do wrap and turns for the top part of the sleeves, as well as remembering to do the right section of the cable that goes down the arm. This has been a fun and challenging knit.

Recollet Falls Hike

 It was a fabulous day out today, sunshine and cool breezes, the perfect day for a hike. We decided to go down the highway a bit and check out part of the French River Provincial Park. There isn't any camping available at this area. It's a protected space in the province, full of history. I've left the photo of the description board full sized so you can enlarge it to read it, if you wish.

 This is Scott, waiting so very patiently for me, as I get my camera and other assorted stuff straightened out and ready to go.

 They weren't kidding when they described it as rugged. There was a fair bit of clambering to do. But we took our time, and didn't find it too hard. There are blue dots on the trees marking the trail. I have a new best friend to help me on these trials...... an old cane that used to belong to Scott's dad, now acts as my walking stick. It is a huge help, far more than I ever thought it would be. When Scott first grabbed it, I thought he was going a bit nuts, but when I tried it out, turns out I'm the one that was nuts not using one for all these years.

 This was the plaque that was in place at the end of the hike, describing some of the history of the place. I've left this one biggie sized too, for easier reading.

And this is what we came to see...... absolutely glorious!! It was worth the walk to get here. The sign at the beginning of the trail said that it was 1.5 km. I think that must have been measured as the crow flies, because my GPS walking tracker said it was 2.5 km, one way. It was a great work out, and now we are both completely tuckered out. Supper was the old campers stand by of weiners and beans. And there just might be a campfire this evening, provided the mosquitoes don't carry us away. LOL!

Swan Lake Trail

 The weather cleared up enough today that we were able to get out onto one of the park's trails. We decided to go with the shortest of the trails today, just to get ourselves used to it. It's listed as 1.5 km, and gently goes up and over the large rocks around the lake, along with a boardwalk to get across the neck of the lake.

 This is the lake the trail is named for. The trail goes all the way around it, and we ended up on the rocks that you can see in this picture. There is something about the shapes and the colours that are found in the rocks in this part of Ontario that I find to be totally magical.

 We found this little flower growing out of one of the rocks. I have no idea what it is, though. It almost looks like a water lily, except that is was growing in rock, not water.

 This shot is taken from the end of the hike where there was a boardwalk rest area. It was a short trail, but with all the stops for picture taking and admiring the view and listening to the wind in the trees and the birds, it took us about 2 1/2 hours to do a relatively short and easy trail. If the weather turns out as promised tomorrow, we'll do one of the longer trails. As for now, and the rest of the evening, it's time to make some supper, and then some knitting to keep me occupied. It's a little too chilly this evening for sitting outside around a fire, and even if we could, the mosquitoes will pick us up and carry us away. They are vicious!!  If it's warmer tomorrow evening, we'll break out the citronella candles and see if that might help keep them away.

Vacation, enforced relaxation.......

Here we are, at Grundy Lake Provincial Park, at the end of our first full day of vacation. We haven't done a whole lot. We went for a drive down to the general store for some milk and bread and stuff. Then we went for a drive around the campground, scoping out all the different areas, looking at the different campsites, finding the gems that we'd love to come back to sometime. The enforced relaxation has been due to the almost non stop rain. There was a break for about half an hour or so, and I went out for a bit of a walk, just to stretch my legs.

I went down by the water for a little while, although with all the rain, you'd think I'd be tired of water........ but there is something about the quiet sound of little waves lapping at the shore that is so soothing.
There were some people heading out in a row boat with their fishing rods, a perfect time for it, since it's almost dusk and the fish should be rising for the bugs on the surface of the lake, in theory, at least. I wonder if they will catch anything? My reward for the short walk was the sight and sound of a loon out on the lake..... one of the most beautiful and yet haunting sounds there is.
I think it just might be time to make something to eat.... a bowl of soup and some toast is about the level of my ambition right now. And then, I just might do some reading and maybe some knitting. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a much dryer day, maybe with some hiking. enjoying the beauty of our surroundings.

Stash and knitting report, week 27, 2014

I've been sewing up a storm this past week, but I can't count very much of it. Four of us from the guild have been doing a round robin. We are all at work doing the last round, and that's what I've been sewing for the past week. I'm working on Christine's right now. She sent all of her own fabric to use for it, so I can't count any of it as out of my stash. We are all meeting up in the middle of this month to do our exchanges and final reveals of each others' quilts, so I'm running out of time. The only sewing I've done for myself has been a journal book cover, which took one whole fat quarter.

Used last week:                          .25 yards
Used this year:                     50 yards
Added last week:                         0 yards
Added this year:                     52 yards
Net added:                              2 yards

I have some of my own sewing coming up to do. This month's colour for the scrappy challenge is red, so that will work in all of the projects I have going. I also have some backings to sew up, and, at the moment, one quilt to bind, which will help with the stash used numbers. None of that will be happening in the next week, however, since we are off for a week away in our trailer, starting tomorrow. I'm not sure that we'll be able to get an hydro site, since we don't have reservations, which means all my sewing stuff will be staying home.
What will be coming with me is my knitting. My Flyaway Hoodie is coming along well. The body of the sweater is almost done. I've left it on the needles just to be able to get the length right for the zipper. I've started on the hood, and it's almost to the point of starting the short rows, which is going to involve learning a new skill.... wrap and turns.















This is the back of the sweater. I love the cables across the top of it.












I want to take extra knitting with me, just on the off chance that I either get the green sweater finished, or I need a change, so I did up a tension swatch for the next sweater I want to start. And

 then, I've also managed to finish the pair of socks that travel with me in the car as my take along project.
I still have to graft the toes to finish them up. I've started another pair of take along socks, but haven't got a picture of them, since they are up in the car. I'm not sure how often I'll be posting while we're away. I've looked at the wireless coverage in the area of the park we're going to, and it looks like it might be patchy. We're heading up to Grundy Lake Provincial Park, one of my most favourite places to go. It is so beautiful. If there is coverage, I'll try and get some posts done with scenery pictures, which might just make you wish you were there.
I'm linking up to Judy's Stash Report and also to her On the Needles. Then I really should finish getting organized to get going first thing tomorrow morning.