Yay, it's a sew-day!

I am working steadily along on Grand Illusion, it seems to be taking longer than it should.....and I'm only doing half of the pattern! Today I'm working on the units that have the green in them....

I shouldn't have any trouble getting this step done today, even though I have to run a couple of errands, one of those is picking up parcels at the post office. I was excited thinking it might be a dress I ordered that is a possible candidate for my wedding in July, but on thinking of it there is another possibility of it being  not such an exciting piece of mail. We'll see!

Back to Grand Illusion, I know of at least one friend who is completely up-to-date with all the units and probably anxiously awaiting for the next part due out on Friday. I don't know how she did it!?

As I wrote in yesterday's post, we tried a new recipe in the ActiFry for dinner. It turned out pretty good. The chicken was cooked to perfection, but there was just something missing in the flavour, I'm not just quite sure what though. It had curry, ginger and pineapple, so I don't know what else we could have added, but I'm sure we'll do this type of meal again in the "hairdryer" as Iain calls it.

Hmm, I think in the New Year, one of my goals will be to learn how to crop pictures on here :(

Also, yesterday, I was in a quandary on what to do but then I got a phone call that my rulers had arrived at The Quilting Bee in Fonthill. I had taken some classes there in September with Linda Hrcka of The Quilted Pineapple. At the time, Linda was close to finishing the design and manufacture of her very own rulers and I have bought myself some. I can't wait to try them out, I have a client's quilt set aside waiting for techniques using them.

So the afternoon was spent with a good friend on an outing to Fonthill. Good time had by all, lol !! I have to admit I came across a "have to have it" .....something else to add to the loooong list of quilts I must do. Of course, it's always fun, too, helping a friend spend her money on fabric....maybe just as enjoyable as buying for oneself???....I think so!!!!!

"Relax"

I think instead of New Year's Resolutions for 2015 I will focus on the word "relax". I do think when we make resolutions, we are probably being unrealistic, so I think I will choose a word instead. It's already been pointed out to me though, that "relaxing" may not be realistic with a wedding to plan this next year!.....but I think it can work. I'll think about it for the next couple of days.

One thing I am definitely resolute about is that tomorrow is garbage day, and that means any remaining sweets are out to the curb after today! Sweets are my weakness but I have had enough of the sluggish, foggy feeling that comes with overindulgence of food and sugar!

I wonder what everyone is up to today? I am still on Christmas holidays for a couple of days and have been looking forward to a couple of days of just sewing. I'm a little behind on my Grand Illusion and a couple of days would be great to getting caught up. I've been doing a bit of sewing/applique on Urban Owls and here is how it looks this morning.....only a couple of leaves and bumblebees and this centre section will be complete...

Yes, I had no problem giving myself a couple of sew-days, but now I have the thought of going to the movies to catch a matinee. I'd really like to see Into The Woods. I'll think about it. I'd also like to get the Christmas tree taken down. Hmmm, too many ideas distracting me from Bonnie's mystery....maybe I should just head up to the sewing machine and stick to the original plan!!!

One thing I AM looking forward today is dinner. We have had great success with the ActiFry this year, even for chicken wings. Iain had his doubts but even the "wing-connoisseur" that he is, he had to admit the wings were the best.....and no added oil.  We did do a test-run for risotto before Christmas, thinking that that would be awesome if it worked....but, no, it was a bust. We made our traditional risotto for Christmas dinner much to my grandson's delight. He usually has two or three servings and takes a doggy bag home with him!

Today I am going to try something different though, Saucy Chicken with Pineapple. Hope it works because it looks good in the photo!

Have a great day!

Last, but not least!

I wonder how everyone is doing on there Christmas preparations? We are doing very good this year!

We have our big family dinner on Christmas Eve. Years ago, when my four children were still quite young, we would make the Christmas Day trek to the different grandparents houses like always. It was always so good, but at one point when the kids were that young, by dinnertime they would be sugared out and cranky from getting up early and dealing with all the excitement. That's when we started having our own little turkey dinner the night before, visiting grandparents in the day on Christmas, then making our way back home for leftovers. It just turned out easier and saner for us, so we stuck to that and made our own tradition.

Another bonus to this tradition, now that my kids are grown, is that they are free to go to their significant others Christmas celebrations on Christmas day with out having to alternate or pick&choose. Love it!

So, today is a day of "lasts". I have the last of the cookies to bake, the very last of the presents to wrap (only 3 or 4!) and the last outing for last-minute things! I also finished the last block for this year of Flower Garden (by Kim McLean) seen here....

I've been keeping up good with this applique project and am looking forward to doing the next blocks in the new year.

 For the next few days, my early morning applique will be my "circles". I'd like to have them all stitched by the end of January so this can become a finished quilt top soon! Last week I purchased the border fabrics and I think it's going to look great. I'm already thinking of quilting designs that would look nice on it. Hmmm, maybe if I put it on my calendar for February it will give me a bit of a kick to get it done?

I also think this may be the last posting I do til after Christmas, but who knows!!!

Have a great day!

P.S. I saw a parody on the news this morning of George Clooney's appearance of Downton Abbey, I'll have to youtube it to see the whole thing. If I do find it, I'll try to post the link. Only a couple of weeks til the new season....woohoo! I wish I could say the same for Outlander ! smc

'Tis the Season!

'Tis the season to enjoy spending time with good friends.....and that's what I did on Thursday!

I have a good friend who is also a longarmer and we have always said it would be nice to do lunch every 6 weeks or so. Well, life is busy but we do manage to have an outing a few times a year. I really didn't think we would manage before Christmas, but thankfully I was wrong!

Not only did we have lunch but we had a nice visit with Lana at Quilt Junction in Waterford. She is having awesome "12 Days of Christmas" specials....make sure to check it out! I think I'll have to make a quick trip back today, because the item I'm interested is the special for today.

We went on to have lunch at The Windmill Country Market in Mt. Pleasant. What a nice experience. Not only is the food incredible but there is a deli, bakery, etc on the main floor and upstairs is wonderful wood furniture, gift items and art work.....all beautifully displayed. I know I'll be back one day soon to purchase one of the jute area rugs that I passed on yesterday.

All of my life, turkey dinner means having some kind of vegetable juice served...most likely Garden Cocktail. Love it! I've always hated, though, plunking that unsexy plastic container of juice on my Christmas table....so this year I thought I would keep my eye out for a nice pitcher. Yesterday at the Windmill I came across the perfect vessel....

The "Gluggling Fish Pitcher"!!! When I saw it, I knew it was exactly what I wanted! I guess it's not a new thing, but I had never seen one before. Even better that it's a brilliant red, which is what I use for a hit of colour in my kitchen. I haven't tested it yet, but after pouring the beverage it's supposed to make a glugging sound. I can't wait to see my grandson's reaction at Christmas dinner.

We ended our outing with a lovely glass of wine at Devlin's in Mt. Pleasant, toasting a Merry Christmas to each other. Thank you, my friend, for a lovely day!

My day doesn't end there!

Last evening, my lovely fiance and I dined at The Twisted Lemon in Cayuga. I guess I would have to say it's my favourite restaurant. Such a nice comfortable atmosphere for the fine-dining experience. I had the Twisted Lemon Chicken for an entree but decided to push myself out of my comfort zone and ordered the Rabbit Agnolotti for an appetizer. I had to ask what that meant! I have never eaten rabbit before.  Here is the description of the dish...

"braised rabbit and ricotta stuffed agnolotti, mushroom and hazelnut ballotine, organic purple carrot puree, pickled squash, kumquats, brown butter sauce with fresh sage and shaved Pecorino cheese"

The description  made it sound so good I had to try it!

Here is a picture of me with the man behind the Twisted Lemon, Chef Dan...

When he asked how our meal was, I told him that, as always, the flavours he creates in the different foods is simply wonderful. He replied that they at the Twisted Lemon are flavour junkies! And that's exactly what makes the experience of his restaurant worth every penny....it's not about trying to impress you with massive mounds of food, it's about the flavours. Many times when I'm eating there I find myself just closing my eyes and savouring the taste of the food.

Not much in the way of sewing yesterday! Hopefully I'll have a bit of time to work on Grand Illusion today...I still have to begin Part 3 and now Part 4 has been released this morning!

Have a great day!

Woohoo...one more day!!!

Or maybe I should say "hoot, hoot"??? Here are my two little owls I worked on early this morning ...part of my Urban Owls quilt....

They were fun and quick. It's going to be enjoyable working on this quilt in the coming months.

I have one more workday before starting Christmas holidays. This is the only time of year I take a block of time off, generally, so I'm looking forward to it. Sometimes I use the time to slip in one of my own quilts but I'm not even doing that this year. I intend on fully enjoying the Christmas season this year. Last year, despite the best Christmas meal ever, was beyond hectic with a series of events! This year I'm hoping for a nice, calm season with my family.  (Did I just jinx it? Hope not!)

Yesterday I took a break and went into the city with my daughter to do a last pilgrimage to the mall. We had a great outing, and I feel like I got my "fix" of the bustle of the mall for the year! Now it really is Christmas, lol !

A Surprise Christmas Gift!

This is a post more geared to those of us over 50....you'll understand exactly how it is!

I think it's a common thing that when we turn 50 that our memories seem to turn to mush. (I keep holding on to the hope that when I turn 60, it all comes back?!)

Well, there's the odd time when this lapse in memory can result in a pleasant surprise.

This summer we went on a nice weekend trip to Frankenmuth, Michigan. What a lovely weekend in such lovely atmosphere! There is a Christmas store there the size of three football fields. As soon as you walk in you're straining your neck looking at all the decorations....from floor to ceiling! I got a nice gift for my son there and they personalized it on the spot. I also got this nice little ornament for myself as a keepsake of our trip....

It's like a little glass pillow. So cute.

I had remembered that I'd bought the gift for Casey, but when I went to dig it out of it's hiding spot I discovered this quilty ornament. I had totally forgotten, but what a great surprise to myself....like a Christmas present from my wayward memory! haha

As for the Quiltville mystery, I was able to spend an hour at it yesterday and got Part 2 all sewn up, just needs pressing. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to start Part 3!  I have two days of longarm work to do and then I am officially on vacation....can't wait! Then the baking and wrapping can begin.

Abstract art, abstract applique

Well, I managed to avoid Limeridge mall yesterday. We did go on a little outing in search of a picture frame. On the weekend I received an early Christmas gift. It's an original painting by a Canadian artist....and the first part of this abstract post.

The colours are great and may even inspire a quilt someday.


The abstract quilt block is this one...

It's a block from the Flower Garden quilt I'm working on by Kim McLean and, for some reason, the centre piece of the flower was appliqued on all wonky! I was thinking this morning that it's not often I feel compelled to tear off a piece of applique and re-do it,  I actually  don't think I can remember this happening at all. I'm usually content to let the pieces lay as they are.  I do strive to improve my applique with new techniques, but I am by no means a perfectionist...afterall this is my hobby and supposed to be fun. But this piece was disturbing to my sensibilities and had to be removed. It was an easy and quick fix, so why not?....and I think it looks much better now....

It's funny that I let it bother me, as the block is a whimsical piece and no one would have thought it was not meant to be all wonky.

I did manage to get a couple of things Christmas-y accomplished yesterday. We got the tree up and decorated...

Looks real nice this year, but do you think I could find the tree topper? No! I have no idea what happended to it last year....maybe got broken, who knows!

So I came up with an alternate topper. I usually like to get a new ornament each year and this year I got three. One of them  was a find from AKA Designs in Simcoe. Actually, all three ornaments were bought there! Here is one of the ornaments in it's new home atop the Christmas tree....I like it!

hat I

A little bit of Christmas crazy!

For some reason I feel like going to the mall today. I think I'm just a wee bit crazy!

The other day I did a Costco run so we wouldn't have to go again before Christmas, now I think there's one more thing on the list. Oh, man!

Then, we did so much running around on Saturday....last of the presents bought, Christmas booze bought, groceries, etc. All done with the intent of a leisurely Sunday at home putting up the tree, wrapping gifts and so on. But for some unknown reason, I feel an urge to go to Limeridge mall today....crazy!!! We actually haven't had to do the mall this season, really, so maybe it's just something inside that says it's not Christmas 'til I battle the mall??? Who knows.

That's about all I have for today....stay tuned to see if I was able to squelch this urge to torture myself. On the other hand, will it be torture?....seeing the bustle of shoppers, the children waiting to talk to Santa, the decorations and music.....uh oh, I'm feeling an even stronger urge.

Have a lovely Sunday!

Costco...2 weeks before Christmas? no way!

I know we need a couple of things soon from Costco, but the thought of going either of these two weekends before Christmas just made me cringe! I thought we could maybe go Saturday as soon as they open....but then remembered that tomorrow morning is the monthly meeting at Quilt Junction in Waterford for the mystery BOM....can't miss that!!

So I went this morning to Costco first thing and got the important things...

Well, I did need a couple of other things, but really needed to be stocked up on coffee so we don't run out at Christmas. This is a box of there own brand made for Keurig coffee makers. I've tried a few but we both really like Kirkland. We did make a trip to ECS Coffee last weekend to get a few other necessities...decaf, hot chocolate, etc. It's nice there because you can pick and choose and make up an assortment. They had some nice ones for Christmas like "Winter Wonderland" and "Winter Carnival" and one with "Santa" in the title but I can't remember the name because it's long been drank (drunk?). I think it's nice to have an assortment this time of year!

I have taken an hour this afternoon to finally get a few blocks sewn on Part 2 of Grand Illusion! The blocks look great. There is the odd time I will press my seams open. I pressed the seam open where I have sewn the two halves together on this unit and I highly recommend it. The intersection looks good and lies nice and flat.

Now to sit and make a list of what I need to get at the bulk food store for my Christmas baking. I wasn't going to do much this year, but it's what we do, right??? lol

Have a great weekend!

Applique woes!

I've been so excited this past year to work on a big applique project. The pattern is by Irene Blanck and is called Auntie Green's Garden. Have a look HERE on Irene's blog to see a picture of the quilt! I still love it. It's a little more difficult to work on because I'm used to stitching on a piece that is more easily held, ie; 8" blocks, 12" blocks, etc. This one starts on a large centre medallion background, then a second border fabric is added so you can continue to applique, then a final 3rd fabric is added to complete the piece. Here is a picture of my progress....

So far, this measures approx. 46" x 56". I'm really happy with how it's looking. The problem? When I started this quilt at the start of the year (or earlier?) my plan was to have the applique done by the end of the year and then enjoy leisurely quilting it thru' 2015...maybe in time for the Fair in the fall. Obviously, that goal is kaput!....and that's ok. I'm not going to rush, but saying that, I do want to make better progress. I have to say I don't think I've touched this quilt in a couple of months, and I know exactly why.

The part of the process that is hard for me is putting time aside to do the prep work....picking out the right little pieces of fabric. It's so much easier to just resort to an easier project like this...

....which I'm loving, but was meant to be a take-along project to guild meetings, etc, since it is an easier applique project.

Or this....

....Flower Garden by Kim McLean. I'm loving working with the fabrics and the large, gentle lines of the pieces.

As I write this post I'm encouraged by a thought. I normally take the last two weeks of the year to enjoy Christmas....no longarming. I think I will make it a time to try to do a lot of prepping for the next two corners of this centre medallion on Auntie Green's Garden. I am really looking forward to having this part done so I can work on the brown "vine" part and then adding the next border. The funny part is, the applique work to me is the relatively easy and quicker part of the process. Once the pieces are ready I just love stitching them on. It's that darn prep work!!!!

Here's my new goal.....it would be nice to have the applique done by the end of 2015, then start the quilting in 2016. 

Time to get to work for the day. It's snowy days like this that I'm even more happy with the ability to work out of my home. I'm so lucky to be doing what I do, in so many ways.

Be safe!

Last post about Buddy....unless he comes back....

I'm feeling quite bummed out this morning. Up til now I've felt like Buddy could frolic back into our household at any moment. Everytime I go past a window I have a look. When I am in the car I'm scanning the scenery for a black spot in the distance. Today, though, I think he really may not be back. We will try an ad in the Sachem next week. It's a free paper that everyone in the area gets so maybe it's worth a try.

I think what still has my stymied is how completely out of character it is for Buddy to wander. Hopefully he's just caught the scent of an interesting female and will come back when the romance is over!

Like I said in the title of my post, I will try not to be such a downer and only report back on Buddy if he shows up one day.

On a quilty note, here are two quilts I quilted on the longarm this past week for a good friend of mine...

They are both beautiful and very well done! The second one is what I would call a Spiderweb quilt, but I think it's also known as a Kaleidoscope. It's a pattern I've wanted to do for at least ten years! I even have a beautiful fabric I've been saving for where the black is in this particular quilt!

I don't think I'll have time for doing much piecing on Grand Illusion but it will make me happy to just get the sewing lines marked on the back of all the 2.5" squares! The black squares will be tough, I think I'm running out of "ink" in my white marking pens. Maybe I'll try the new gadget I bought last month!

It's the stiletto-like pen I bought from the Thimblelady site. It's been working well so far for marking my applique. I think I'll try it on my black squares today.

Have a good one!

Christmas is on the way!

We all know that Christmas comes at the same time every year. We even know how fast it sneaks up on us after Hallowe'en. But it wasn't til a nice chat with my friend this morning that I was jolted into realising that it's coming up even faster than I thought! I'll be taking a drive to Caledonia today so I think I'd better make a detour to Canadian Tire for some gift tags and wrapping paper!

I've said that I won't be doing the Christmas baking that I normally do....cuz we all know what happens after the Christmas guests are long gone.....I end up eating it for the next 2 weeks. Not this year (I said with determination!). Then, of course, you get the kids hoping for the favourites. Son #2 has already put his order in for PB squares, Sweet Marie Bars and Boterkoek. I think I had narrowed it down to only two this year; Sweet Marie Bars and Empire cookies. Hmmm, but how about the rum balls for Grandma????

I started my day out today with a little work on Urban Owls. Working with perle cotton and wool applique is fairly new to me so my stitches are nothing to write home about, but then I figured to not fret about it. It'll come....I just need to allow myself to be a beginner.

Have a great day....

Can this be a super-productive day???

I have nowhere to go today. No errands, appointments, etc. I'm hoping for a super-productive day! I have a client's quilt to work on and then hopefully time in the afternoon to play at part 2 of Grand Illusion.

On Sunday afternoon, I had hoped to work on mudding the guest room, in hopes that it would be done and painted before Christmas. I really couldn't put my mind to it, though. Needed to go pet and play with some fabric in the studio to take my thoughts off of Buddy.

So, I can thank the president of the Norfolk guild for what I did end up doing! Each month she issues a challenge. This month is to do something with flying geese. Well, as it happens, part two of Urban Owls is mainly flying geese....what a great time to get at it. I have been putting this BOM off a bit as I'm not sure about dealing with the wool and such. Which is silly, I know, given the fact that I like doing needlework! I did finish the geese except for the trimming of them, which can be done another day. Here is my flock....

So thank you, Madame President, for giving me the push I needed!

Sunny Sunday

I have a guilty secret....I love doing online BOM's. Maybe it's that little bit of excitement finding a package in the mailbox.....who knows! The most current one is called Urban Owls by Wendy Williams, and you can see it HERE. It's an Australian design and I'm finding myself drawn to their whimsical patterns and fabric choices. This one combines cottons and wools....I think a first for me!?

Have a great day, and please say a little prayer that Buddy is safe.
What a bright, beautiful day. We went out and about to have a look around for my lost pup. We had a lead this morning that he may have been seen Friday night around the corner of Cheapside Rd and Concession 11. We also posted a picture at the local grocery store. Facebook networking is great in this situation.....we have people from Selkirk to Brantford keeping an eye out!

Here's the cat trying to catch a sunbeam. She's been sitting at the front window all weekend, seemingly wondering where her pal is. :(

Here's a picture that we are circulating of Buddy. What a beautiful pup, I just hope that he is safe somewhere. The not knowing is driving me nuts. I was going to say I hate mysteries, but then again I'm involved with three mystery quilts at the present time. Go figure!

Well, I have a lot I want to get done today, and now life has thrown a curve-ball. Buddy is missing. I went to look around and the gate was wide open. I'm sure he'll show up any minute but this isn't like him.

On a brighter note....I did get part 1 done of the Quiltville mystery yesterday afternoon...and now the next clue has been revealed here on Bonnie's blog.

Here are my units from Part 1, looking all bright and cheerful! I am only doing maybe half of the pattern to make it more likely that I'll keep up. I seem to have found myself bogged down with monthly projects!!!

Part 2 has three different choices of methods. I could probably do method 3 since it is familiar to me, but I don't always get great results with that method so maybe I'll be daring and try one of the other ones. Probably the second choice, we'll see.

Have a great Friday!!

Thursday already & I'm not ready for clue #2!

There won't be much time for quilting today, but I did manage to make headway on some binding this morning. Many times quilters ask me for advice on what to use for a binding and many times I suggest they consider striped fabric....either running perpendicular to the quilt or sewn on on the diagonal (really nice!). Here is mine on this quilt and it's looking very nice!

I would like to do a bit on Grand Illusion today but I'll have to be disciplined and work on a customer quilt first. That won't be a hardship because I love the quilt....one that Bonnie Hunter has done on her website, funny enough! I did get all the half-squares done yesterday, here they are all chain-pieced and waiting to be cut apart from each other....

This was a gadget I received as a gift a couple of years ago called The Cutting Gizmo and you can see it in use here   and is a product from The Gypsy Quilter. It's quite useful when you have a long chain of units to snip apart! I did get the HST's all pressed so even if I could get the yellow and black squares cut I will feel good! And, yes, it was later in the day when this photo was taken, you can see a bit of wine glass in the picture....a much needed break at the end of the day!

Now, to get ready for my drive into the city for my appointment. I get so anxious at the thought, but will just go get it over with so I can spend the afternoon in my studio, or as a friend once called it, "the lounge"!

Trying a new technique....

A quilting client of mine picked up her quilt today and it was so pretty.

I had to know about the pattern so she brought me the info. It's a block called the Disappearing Four Patch. I've heard of the Hidden Nines, but not this one!

Here's how the block is supposed to look...

It's made quite easily using 5" squares...so charm packs would be ideal. I googled the block and came up with this link....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA-10A_Uc6k

When my customer came to pick up her quilt, she also brought the pattern to show me, and it was written by the same person in the youtube video, Jenny Doan.

Here's the start of my block....a four-patch using 5" squares...

Then you make a cut 1" on either side of the seam lines, horizontally and vertically. It's a good idea to work on a mat that you can rotate so you don't disturb the pieces and get all mixed-up!

You then exchange the large squares at the top and the large squares at the bottom.

Then rotate the mini four-patch in the middle by a quarter turn....

And sew the whole thing back together again!

Now my friend told me that you really have to watch that everything gets sewn together properly. She actually had a couple sewn together improperly....but when I watched the youtube video didn't I see a block done improperly the exact same way as my friend, lol !!! The funny thing is, I like the wrong version better!!!

Here is a picture of an example from my friend's quilt followed by a picture of my block done the "wrong" way....

I think I'll have to try the Disappearing Four Patch on a baby quilt sometime! Love it!

The potluck and Christmas meeting of the Norfolk Guild yesterday was great. Lots of good food and good cheer! I just forced myself to have a bit of lunch just now, even though I don't think I'm hungry yet after all the wonderful food yesterday!

Food, Bonnie's Mystery....Christmas must be on it's way!

Well, I had a nice evening with friends last evening at the Haldimand Guild enjoying the first of many Christmas feasts! Today I am in for Round 2 at the Norfolk Guild...meeting for a pot luck lunch before our afternoon meeting today. It's always a huge meal since they have approximately 100 members participating!

Another sign of Christmas was myself keeping cozy this morning during my applique/coffee time. I have brought out this quilt....

This was a quilt made many years ago with a group of friends and we referred to it as the Brown Bag Quilt exchange. Each of us picked our own theme and made a block. The project was then passed from friend to friend on a monthly basis until maybe a year later we got our blocks back and were able to see what everyone had contributed. I've been involved in many of this type of exchange over the years, some were great and some not so much :(  but this one is a keeper! After all this time, I did the first little repair this morning. As I sat there with my morning coffee, I noticed a little leaf on the "partridge" block had come a bit loose. Not bad for being used all these years! Many of these blocks were made by quilters who are still my good friends today.

I did finish the quilt top yesterday that is to be done for Christmas this year. This means that I can start on Grand Illusion. I don't have much time today, what with getting ready for the guild meeting today, but I will do a little this morning so I can at least say that I started! Here are some of my fabrics that I picked so far for the mystery....

One of the neutrals I'm not too sure about and I should look for a few more greens and pinks in the stash, I think....but it's enough to get me started!

That's all for now, hopefully I'll add another post later if I get a block done!

Update:  I had to get a block done before getting ready for potluck/guild! You understand that compulsion, don't you?????  lol

 

Monday, Monday.....

Isn't that an old song by the Mama's and the Papa's? Why, yes it is, check it out here! Love it!

Today is all about a bit of work and then hopefully some piecing time, maybe on the new mystery, Grand Illusion.

The other thing is finding some room to store this....

And,no, I don't mean Buddy. He just snuck into the picture at the last minute as if to say, "don't forget me"! lol

This is actually a picture of a lot of bags and boxes of decorations for our backyard wedding next summer. A friend of mine contacted me and said they were trying to find a home for all of this that was from their own family's backyard wedding last summer! So cool! The funny thing is that she was tired of it taking up room in their rec room since last February and now it will take up residence in mine for many, many months!

I'm looking forward to this evening. It's the monthly meeting of the Haldimand Quilters' Guild, you can check them out here on Facebook. Tonight's meeting will include a Christmas dinner which will officially start the anticipation of the Christmas season! As if driving around the parking lot at the mall on Saturday hadn't convinced me of the time of year already!!!

I think I will finish this short post with a picture of my new grandson, Silas,  enjoying one of his new quilts. This is one I made to duplicate the quilt I made for my eldest son when he was born. I loved this little quilt so much, I always said I'd make it again when my son had his first child.

Sunday outing...

We have finally taken a drive to Port Dover to try out the The Urban Parisian. It's a nice, little cafe on the main drag that I'd heard good things about from a few of my friends. I ordered my favourite beverage, a Chai Tea Latte and am happy to report it was one of the best I've had! I also had a croissant with sausage and cheese it the middle.....again, yummy! We will definitely be back again.

I'm also happy to report that I was a good girl....when we got home I immediately planted my Spring bulbs. Who knows when we'll have a mild day again!

I would like to work on this quilt today and get the borders on. It's the only quilty thing needing to be done for Christmas. When we were in Alberta in September, my future DIL took me to a local quilt shop. Stacy loved this quilt, so back the kit came to Ontario to be made into the perfect Christmas present for her and Kyle.

Have a great day!

 

Do I like to applique?....well, let me tell you!

Yes, I am an avid applique-er!

Most of you know that about me already, it's no surprise, I'm sure. I also believe in trying new techniques and gadgets to possibly hone my skills. I hate to say it, but as a longarm quilter I do see the work of those who do and don't try to dabble in new techniques to find out if there may be "a better way". I have tried new methods over the 34 years that I've been a quilter and my theory is that if it works then I have improved my technique.....if not, oh well, it was worth a try! And, yes, just because it wasn't for me surely doesn't mean that it won't be wonderful for you!

Well, this past week I have tried a new gadget in my applique. New to me, that is!

It looks like a pen, but it's actually a very fine, sharp stiletto. I also got the white, silicone (?) pad that you see on the right side of the picture. They are items I bought from the Thimblelady, based in Australia.  This is not the first time I've ordered from her, I have her thimble, as well, but that's something to share in a future post!

This stiletto is called the magic seam folder and you use it instead of marking your applique piece with markers, chalk, etc. As you can see in the photo, it makes a bit of a score on the fabric and then is easy to needle-turn. Actually, maybe it's hard to see the scoring in the photo, but it's there! I was skeptical that the mark would last, but as you can see it is still there after two days since I marked that particular fabric. Mind you, even though there is a mark, the fabric is not at all damaged. I'm glad I bought the little pad. It makes a good surface to do the scoring on. Apparently this "magic seam folder" can also be used to mark quilting lines on your quilt.

Just to be clear, I am not being reimbursed for any product I blog about. These are just my personal trials into the many gadgets out there! I will definitely use this product for certain applique projects, but will also continue to use the Frixion pens that I have really liked in the past year or so.

The project that is in the picture is an applique kit I purchased while at QuiltCanada this past year in St.Catharines. Here is a pic of some of the blocks I have completed so far....

 

About thirty blocks done, and forty or so to go! This is not a project that I work on every day, but one I work on when I don't have other projects prepared and ready to applique! 

I finished a quilt this week for a client using the Popcorn panto. Over ten years ago I started out with three pantos, and Popcorn was one of them. After all this time, it's cool that it is still the perfect design for many quilts!

Have a great Saturday, and here is the question of the day....Is it too late to get my bulbs planted?....and why does this happen to me every year?

 

Happy Birthday, sister!!

Happy Birthday to my sister, Linda!

There are four of us sisters and here is a picture of us with my father, celebrating Linda's 50th two years ago.

What a surprise party for Linda it was that day....she had no idea a party had been planned!

Happy Birthday little sister!! xoxo

 Here I am just practicing....I took a picture with  my phone to see if I could figure out how post it here and somehow I did it! lol

We went to Main 88 in Hagersville last night for our favourite pizza and wings. Awesome crust! This is a fairly new restaurant, they changed over from another pizza joint, and I hope they make it since we really enjoy their style of pizza!

Of course, many of you know that today is the start of the new mystery quilt, Grand Illusion, over at Quiltville. I have decided to take part since the quilts are always beautiful and a few of my friends are going to do it. I'm not going to start today, probably will be early next week. I really have to finish up a quilt top that is a Christmas gift before I get side-tracked!

Have a great Friday....and, again, have a wonderful birthday, Linda!