Spring Sampler

Here is my update on Spring Sampler by Little House Needleworks. I'm afraid I don't have a lot to show as last week I also worked on my ABC exchange for the SBEBB. The stitching is done and next up is the finishing. I think I'll browse the Focus on Finishing blog for some ideas on that. And I spent some time this weekend quilting. It was another one of those very rainy, very chilly weekends, very spent inside. Although we did have a great dinner out Saturday night with some friends who kindly treated us after hubby had spent some time fixing up their computer problems.

Thanks for all the advice about magnifiers and readers! I tried some cheapie readers at the dollar store actually. The 1+ didn't seem quite strong enough and the 2+ seemed a little too strong. Yes a little bit of Goldilocks going on here, because of course they were out of the 1.5+ style. I don't mind the option of sticking an extra pair of glasses in front of the ones I wear. In fact I do that with my sun glasses. I have fantastic sun glasses that I bought years ago (make that also very expensive sun glasses) from back in the days when I only wore contact lenses and when driving I always pop them on. Works for me! So next time I'm near the dollar store, I'm going to try again. Meanwhile I'm afraid the 40-cts are going to have to wait for daylight stitching!

This is a short posting as work is calling me, its piled high on my desk today!

Carriage House Samplings

I love these pieces, I really do, I just don't know why I don't seem to get more accomplished on them than what I do. I finally finished up Block 1 of Houses of Hawk Run Hollow, all except for the name and year. I'm leaving out the year, because really who knows when this piece will ever be finished. If I sound frustrated at this point, I am. Its been over a year since I started and I haven't even reached the halfway point.



I still enjoy stitching on this and I have to remember, the joy is in the stitching, not in the finishing. I guess its because there are just so many things out there that I want to do, and as much as I would like to start, I can only work on so many things at a time.

And part of the problem with this one and the CHS Alphabet series, is the 40 count fabric. I love the look of the stitching on this fine count, but my eyes have decided that its a little too fine for comfortable stitching. Which is a quandry because I can still see well enough to read so I don't feel I'm at the point of needing glasses. I tried a magnifier that clamps onto a table and as long as I can get it positioned properly, it works great. But most of the time I can't get it positioned properly. So every time I plunk myself down for the evening, I have to get hubby to help me adjust everything just so and I dare not move until I decide its beddy-bye time (and, sigh, this means no bathroom breaks either). That also means that I have to have everything at my finger tips, all flosses, scissors, snacks, drinks, and of course remote control!

So meanwhile I'm still plodding away at my CHS pieces, slow but sure wins the race......and eventually I'll need those reading glasses!

A Sewing Weekend

It sure wasn't one of those weekends where I wanted to spend much time outdoors. It felt like winter out there! So I had to make the best of my time inside and at my sewing machine. I made myself another project tote bag, this time one with fabrics that matched my sewing box (that is still in the works, waiting for its lid to be attached and various inside pieces to be done). But this tote bag it now done and I'm wondering which project I can use it for....hmmm, maybe something new?



I finished quilting this table runner for my kitchen table, ready in time for our Easter dinner. It was made with a charm pack called 'Santuary' which was a pack of 5" fabric pieces from the Sanctuary fabric line. Since everything is already cut, its so quick to sew it together and then it was just a matter of sandwiching it and machine quilting it into a table runner. Its nice to have something new and fresh for the kitchen.




And here are my completed Twisted Log Cabin blocks from my quilt class last week. These fabrics are called Spring Fling, from the Moda jelly roll pack. Cool looking huh? They are waiting on white sashing with stars at the intersections which I didn't get around to this weekend. A little too much thought needs to go into that since I have 5 colours to work on for the stars, and will need to mark each sashing piece to get the star colours to match up.

Hubby and I went out Saturday night to a local theatre production of Brigadoon. One of Carrie's best friends was starring in it and it was fantastic! We so enjoyed it - the music, the singing, highland dancing and even the bagpipes! It was held in a renovated town hall from 1873, so quite small but full of character. We really have to get out to more of these local productions. Last night hubby had tickets for the Toronto Raptors but basketball isn't really my thing so he took Nick and his girlfriend Kristy and they all enjoyed the game and I enjoyed my quiet evening. I got started on my ABC exchange for the SBEBB! April is going by too quickly for me!!

Spring Sampler ~ Little House Needleworks

I just realized I don't have pictures of my Jelly Roll quilt blocks... you'll have to wait for those! The class was so much fun and made me wonder why I hadn't been taking more classes. Its so much nicer to sew among a fun group of people than on your own. The day just flew by! I have a little homework to complete before the next 1/2 day class, but that's 3 weeks off so lots of time for that.

When I got home I had some nice mail stash arrive - a package from Mary Kathryn from Ehandcrafts with LHN's Spring Sampler. This came with the new Crescent Colours Belle Soie silks and 32 ct natural linen so how could I wait to start? Here is my little blue bird already done. While the silks really remind me of Gloriana silks in the look, they don't want to lay as nicely as the Gloriana. Another funny thing, the variegation seems to show up much more in the picture than in RL too! How odd? I'm wondering if I should re-do part of the birdie so he doesn't look so chunky??

I must get out tonight for some Easter shopping! I just realized I haven't got anything in for the kids, big as they are, they still look for something from the Easter bunny. And I think I have a pinched nerve in my neck - ouch! I've been stretching and using an ice pack, and of course my workload has suddenly increased hugely, but tomorrow is a holiday so that will help.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Yummy jelly rolls

I have some new pics to share, if only Blogger will cooperate! Is it me, or is Blogger unbearably slow to upload pictures?

This is a jelly roll, not the edible kind that with all those delicious sugary calories. This one will definitely not be added to my hips! Jelly rolls are the name given to 2 1/2" cuts of all the fabrics in a fabric line, this one being called Spring Fling. I think there are 40 fabric prints in total. Isn't it gorgeous! This is going to be used in the quilt class I signed up for tomorrow, for a pattern called Twisted Log Cabin. Marg and I saw saw samples of these at our last quilt block meeting and couldn't resist. Tomorrow is a full day class and in 2 weeks, we finish up with a 1/2 day class. What a great reason to take the day off work.


Next up is my latest finished sock. And I've got to hurry up and finish the other one before Nancy entices me into some new start at the Knitting Frolic Day she is tempting me with. She knows my weaknesses!



And finally my Sampler Gameboard which I managed to pick up this weekend while at a stitching gathering at Marj's house. I got 2 houses, one motif, and some lettering finished up as of Sunday night. Tonight I'll have to get my things together for the class tomorrow! Can't wait....

Shopping

Carrie and I hit the mean streets of downtown Toronto for a shopping trip on Sunday. She needed a new dress for the wedding she is attending in North Carolina (no, not Kelly's :-) next month and her favourite store at the Eaton's Centre was having a store-wide sale.

Its so good to get downtown again after not having been there for a couple of months. The Eaton's Centre is always so spectacular when you first walk in. Its celebrating its 30th anniversary which is hard for me to imagine, as I remember when it was being built and when different sections of it started opening. Of course I used to spend every weekend there.


Carrie found a gorgeous dress, she's actually holding it here, its brown and white, and it fits her beautifully. She is eagerly anticipating where she is going to be spending her first pay cheque when her job starts at the Cancer Centre.

Carrie had to take this picture....her favourite actor, Wentworth Miller from Prison Break, modelling for The Gap. It took a few minutes to drag her away from this oversized image of her honey.

And here's me looking a little windblown - those downtown streets will do that to you. Of course what's a shopping trip without a Tim Horton's coffee?

No stitching to show.....all surprises going on here ;-D

Pillow Finishing

Thank you for all the great comments! Its really so wonderful to read these and know that other stitchers are looking at my work. Blackbird Designs are so much fun to work on, now that Gift of Life is finished, I'm wondering which one the SAL group will want to work on next.

Not a lot to show on the stitching front otherwise this week. And since I do love to have pictures of something, here are 2 pillows that I finished last weekend from last year's Shepherd's Bush series.

I am happy dancing though - Spring has sprung!!! Even though we are having showers on and off today, yesterday was gloriously warm and an amazing 11 degrees! It felt wonderful! Of course hubby and I had to enjoy it with a walk along the lake with the doggies. I am so glad the clocks went back early this year so we can get out and enjoy the evenings. The sunset at the lake was gorgeous and the colour of the water beautiful. Why didn't I think to take the camera!?!

This weekend is the Christmas Ornament SAL but I think I'll have to beg off this one. The fibre I was waiting on for my last PIF giftie finally arrived and I want to get started on it.

Oh and one more thing to show, I bought this magazine last week and have had it sitting on my desk all week so I can admire the cover quilt. Its called Spice Island Beauty and is shown made with batiks. I'm in love with this one, but its listed as 'challenging' and I don't know if I 'm quite up to that. But one can dream.....


Have a wonderful weekend!!

Blackbird Designs Garden of Life

Its finished, as of last night!

I couldn't resist going ahead with the stitching on this, especially since Marido from the Blackbird SAL so kindly sent along the French translation already charted. Originally it read "Friends ~ flowers in the garden of life" but I much preferred the translation as it sounds so much prettier. I even broke down and gave this fabric an iron before I took a picture. I am really not impressed with the fabric, I think its R&R 30 ct Natural, but its so stiff and creases so easily. Its definitely not one of the nicer ones I have used nor is the colour.


I have a couple more pictures to post of what I did on the weekend, but Blogger is not cooperating at all today. I think I'm lucky to have gotten these 2 pictures up, but its not letting me place them where I want.

We have such a dull, dull day here today, and more snow flurries. Where is spring?

Chatelaine Mystery X

An update, finally! Its coming although I hate to admit this is still February's section I'm working. Whew, talk about labour intensive and I'm not even adding any of the beads. Tempting though that might be, as you can see from the number of gaps, there are a lot of beads to be added and I'm starting to rethink having to add all these at the end.

I'm still working...slowly too...at my PIF gifts. I'm hoping this weekend to start working on some of the finishing of these projects so I can finally get a couple in the mail.

I went to a local scrapbook shop last night with Carrie and Kristy and totally fell in love with a new paper pack from DCWV called Once Upon a Time. Its absolutely gorgeous and of course it just had to come home with me! I have no idea yet what I'm going to do with it, I'm tempted to just put it in an album on its own and just admire the beautiful papers. But I might try to get a little more creative and as it says on the cover sheet, create my own fairy tale.

If anyone ever thought they might like to try their hand at scrapbooking, this is the paper for you! Its so pretty that you don't even have to add anything other than the pictures themselves, and not too many, because you don't want to cover up too much of the paper.

Computer woes

It died ... sometime late Friday night. And just wouldn't turn on Saturday morning at all. No warning, no strange noises (as happened the last time), just wouldn't start up. Its pretty scary how attached I have become to my faithful ol' computer and the internet. I felt lost for a full day while hubby scrambled, purchasing a new computer and reloading software, and transferred what data he could from the old system. Thank heaven for my little IT hubby, what would I have done without him? But then Sunday night, after spending a good part of the day, resetting my word processing programs with all my stuff and trying to re-access my favourite message boards and blogs, the new one died, again suddenly without any warning. Hubby managed to get some life back into her and get her running again, so at least come Monday morning I could get some work done, which luckily needed Word as it was the only thing running, until that afternoon when the keyboard froze and there you have it. A brand new beautiful system went downhill, never to be revived again.

Hubby very luckily brought home a new hard drive and spent the best part of the next 5 hours re-doing my system yet again.

Which brings me to the point of all this - how necessary this computer has become to my life, not only for work but for my sanity ~ blog reading, message board surfing, OLNS surfing. Watching the TV for hours just doesn't cut it. While I have to admit, I did get out for several nice long walks (and puddle jumping, Berta!) and enjoyed this gorgeous spring-like air, I missed my computer! Its back up and running, though very noisy, however I lost a lot of my old work, links, and even e-mails which were not backed up.

And I did get in a fair bit of stitching while watching all the operations going on about the computer desk. Now to find that cable for the camera, since my scanner has been decomissioned. Pictures are coming!


My latest update on Blackbird Design's Gift of Life. I think I am caught up with the SAL group?!?

More blocks from Leanne's House

I finished up the embroidery on my mini blocks from Leanne's House. I did my first applique piece (the heart) using freezer paper and it actually turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. And how cool that Michelle (Cozy Egg) and Sonya (Silver Thistle) have signed up for these lovely monthly blocks too! We will have to do a quilt-along.

Finally I feel some satisfaction to my craving for colour. Of course not when I look outside. We still have snow and although we have had day after day of sunshine, this terrible cold snap is doing nothing to get rid of the snow. Today the forecasters have started to call for temperatures about 0 degrees C, and then warming up for the weekend to a nice balmy 6-7 C ( high 40's F?). I can't wait ......

Nick has started his March break and he and girlfriend Kristy are off to the Toronto Zoo today. I miss the days when I used to take the kiddies, it was always a March break day trip for us. I don't day infringe on his special day planned for Kristy but I would so love to go! I guess I'm just a big kid too :-D


Publish

PIF from Sonya

Look what Sonya (Silver Thistle) sent to me in the mail! This is her PIF - a stunning little cushion stitched in gorgeous shades of blue, and she sent some wonderful goodies, a sweet smelling sachet, a skein of Weeks Dye Works, a chart called Wee Hearts by Heart in Hand and embroidery scissors! Ohmigosh! I'm absolutely thrilled with the wonderful piece she stitched for me and to have sent all these lovely presents along with it! Thank you, thank you, Sonya!

I'm sorry that I couldn't seem to get a better picture of the detailing on this lovely cushion -Sonya's stitching is lovely and her finishing is wonderful! And I just realized I neglected to take a picture of the back where she sewed on a lovely charm.

I feel incredibly guilty as I have yet to get one of my PIF's finished and into the mail! I do have 2 1/2 done (yes, only 1/2 because I ran out of just 2 of those threads and have yet to run down to Michael's to find them) but that's only the stitching. They are still waiting for finishing. Where does the time go?

Thank you all so much for the suggestions for dinner the other night! I'm sure to use all your ideas up over the next couple of weeks when my dinner-turn rolls around again.

Leanne's House 1st mini block

I finished sewing all my mini-blocks together for Block 9 and last night worked on the embroidery. Here is my first mini block done! Isn't it pretty? Interesting combinations of fabrics too, I doubt I would have ever put this colour combination together, I'm far too staid in my own choices, so I really like how this project is forcing me outside 'the box'.

I have my other mini blocks ready to embroider too, but I really wanted to get back to some stitching on Chatelaine's Mystery X. I realized as I was printing out March's patterns, that I hadn't finished February's. I think I spent about 10 hours stitching and was only 1/4 into the February's chart. This was certainly a labour intensive one. Luckily she has lightened up for March so as to let us all catch up! A pic of that will be coming. I've almost reached the 1/2 mark and I love it!

Jean-Francois (the chef wannabe) cooked dinner for us last night Japanese-style and it was scrumptious. Pics for that will be on Carrie's blog I'm sure! Tonight is my turn for dinner ~ we started assigning each other specific nights for cooking so that it didn't fall always on one person (mine) and so far its worked out great and we are eating like kings. But I'm stumped for tonight's meal.....any thoughts?

Leanne's House

Finally! I ordered Leanne's House about 6 weeks ago from a quilt shop in Australia. I had started seeing this pattern everywhere, in quilt magazines, and bloggers (Nicki, for one :-D) who were working on it. Its offered as a 10 month block of the month club and I always seem to get pulled into monthly things like this (well, I think sucker is the proper word). I really like the fact too that this design combines patchwork with surface embroidery.

So after waiting and waiting and stalking my mailbox, the other day I finally had an envelope arrive from Australia. It was marked 'Checkerboard Strips' and that was it, about 20 strips of fabric, no pattern, no instructions. Very, very odd. I hoped the rest of it was just being shipped separately and it finally arrived yesterday, in an envelope stamped 'Delayed for compliance with Aviation Security Regulations, Australia Post'. How on earth could an envelope stuffed with fabric pieces and patterns be a security risk?


Oh well, never mind that, its here and guess what I'll be doing this weekend! I'm super-impressed with how everything has been packed up and sorted according to mini-blocks. The fabrics are just gorgeous and I can't wait to dig in. I'll be sure to get a picture up of my blocks as they get done.

Here is a picture of the finished quilt from an Australian Country Threads magazine:

And here is a picture I have to include, of Nick with his cute little girlfriend Kristy. She's such a sweetie, and so petite, he just towers over her!
We had a freezing rain storm last night and some of my shrubs in the back don't look like they have fared too well. Poor Jean-Francois was 3 1/2 hours getting home from work last night! But it seems like a lot of people have decided to stay home this morning, and hubby says it only took him 30 minutes to get into work. They are calling for rain all day today, and then more snow tonight. Crazy weather, its March, we're supposed to have spring soon!

Santa at Last

Prairie Schooler Santa 2005
Stitched on 20 ct New Khaki Lugana

I'm a couple of days late posting this but I finished my Santa! I started this during the January weekend of the Christmas Ornament SAL but I only got him about 1/2 done. So he had to wait for this past weekend's SAL to get finished. And I managed to put those last few stitches in on Monday night. Ta-da!

At this rate, I won't be getting too many ornaments finished for this year but I'm still ahead of last year, when I didn't make any!

New Stash

Where did the weekend go? On Sunday Marj and I drove to Ann's little shop Knowledge and Needles to check out all the charts she brought back from Nashville. And of course to enhance our own stash .... a couple of things managed to find their way into my nice little pile! It helped that I had been stashing away a few dollars here and there so I could spend freely to my heart's delight. What made for an even better day, was enjoying lunch along with Anita and her daughter (who is also a stitcher - who knew?) and then having a mini-stitching get-together when the shop got too crowded during the Open House.
Here's a few that managed to make their way home with me: Carriage House Samplings Mary Margaret and Elizabeth. I loved all 4 of the new girl designs and had such a hard time deciding which ones to get...for now! I also picked up La-D-Da's Love is Patient. This is one of Carrie's favourite sayings so I have a good idea what to do with this chart. Underneath those are 2 JBW Designs French Country Apple and Celebration of Love.

I found 3 Prairie Schooler charts to add to my growing collection: Holiday Homestead, Forget-Me-Nots, and Christmas Trees II. And then the 2 charts I specifically asked Ann to pick up in Nashville for me ~ Papillon Creations Ring O' Roses, and With My Needle Ackworth Friendship Book.

Whew, what a haul! Of course I'm dying to start something new, and Mary Margaret looks like a good one to get moving on. As does that sweet pillow Celebration of Love. Too many choices.

Luckily in spite of the snowstorm that was predicted, the highway was dry and the sky was clear so it was a perfect day for a drive.

But here is a picture outside my front window from the other day when a sudden storm kicked up out of nowhere. And from the looks of things outside now, it is looking like yesterday's snowstorm is headed here today.

Guild present

It is my needlework guild's 10th anniversary this month. Although I missed the actual party date, due to the nasty cold a couple weeks ago, look at the cool gift baggie of goodies I got ~ some John James needles, GAST thread, beads, charms, a small piece of evenweave, and best of all ~ a gorgeous pair of scissors!

Last night we started hemstitching for a needlebook. And I have to say most of us were definitely 'all thumbs'. Trying to turn 1/4" hem twice seemed almost impossible. I didn't get too much accomplished before I packed up to come home. But I am determined with this little project, I am not going to set it aside and then forget entirely what I'm supposed to do with it. I love the look of hemstitching and I want to get this one finished!

And speaking of procrastinating, I started to make a list of all the things I need to set up appointments for ~ doctor, dentist, optometrist, naturopath, massage therapist...... and it almost seems overwhelming. And then I really needed to give myself a good shake. With our extended health care plan, all these things are covered! I don't need to pay a single dime for any of these visits for any of us. So what on earth am I complaining about? So I'm determined this morning to start making those calls and start getting these things arranged, even one a week, its certainly doable. Funny, I have to pay the hairdresser and yet I don't avoid those appointments? So look out Nick, I'm going to keep you and I busy for a while. Hubby can take care of his own appointments since he usually cancels anything I arrange for him. Harumph!

And even more houses....

I finished and I'm happy dancing! Here is my quilt called Row Houses. I didn't get a picture of the entire quilt top and I just realized I didn't get any pictures of the border either but ..... its done and whew I am so relieved. I started this quilt on January 1st, 2006, and it was put away for a good portion of last year. As much as I enjoyed it, the entire thing is made up of log cabin blocks, 1" strips of fabric, and they start to get very very tedious after the first few. Each house is made up of 8 log cabin blocks, there are 20 full houses and 8 1/2 houses, which means....192 blocks! The border looks more like a sidewalk with colour chips surrounded by a border, and it took 92 of those to go around the edge.

I do have the backing fabric but I think I'm going to sit back for a while before I get around to quilting this one.

And this house theme I have going these days ....Sampler Gameboard, Houses of Hawk Run Hollow, and two neighbourhood round robins....I wonder what that means?

And more houses...

Aren't these beautiful! Its so nice to see some colour at this time of year, especially when outside everything is so white. Not that I'm complaining, in spite of the freezing cold and blowing snow, it was wonderful to be outside yesterday and enjoy that fresh crisp air with crunchy snow beneath your feet. And of course the dogs loved it.

Last night I worked on my Houses of Hawk Run Hollow. It takes a little getting used to, this magnifier, but its coming.

And to the lady who asked me about the magnifier I use, I checked all over it and couldn't find a brand name anywhere on it. I bought it used from a garage sale a couple of years ago. It was lying on the ground at the side of a driveway and I recognized it from ads in the stitching magazines. And from CSI! This one attached to my table and has a lot of knobs that allow you to find the correct position to hold it in. And it has the true daylight bulb which I love. I think I paid a whole $7 for it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

...and we have lots of snow but to Nick's disappointment, no Snow Day has been called for the schools. We have about 15 cm and another 10 cm is called for during the day. But from all the weather forecasts, it looks like we got off pretty good. And if this is the worst winter storm we get, its great! Of course I say that because I don't have to get out this morning and try to get into work!!

I scanned the Valentine's card that Carrie made for me and left on my desk this morning. Isn't she so sweet? And hubby left a card for me also. Presents to come later.... :-D
And here is an update on my Sampler Gameboard. This one is going along great, its fun and easy to pick up and throw in a few stitches here and there. Those little houses can get done so quickly. I'm doing this on Willow Green 32 ct linen, something I've had in my stash for a while and I liked how the floss colours popped off the fabric when I tried them.


Meanwhile, I've been sewing on my Row Houses quilt and I'm so happy to say my houses are finished. I've been sewing them together, into rows, and next I need to tackle the border.

I hope to get outside for a bit of shovelling. I don't do a lot, the driveway is too big for me, but I love getting out after a fresh snowfall....before the doggies have been out there and the salt trucks have been through!