Happy New Year!

I can hardly believe that 2014 is almost over.  It seems like just yesterday that the year started.  I have not been sewing a lot this past year.  The arrival of my first grandson kind of strayed me off the sewing path.  But he is so cute and I had to hold him and play with him as much as possible.

I did finish The Hexie Blog BOM though.  I changed a few things, but for the most part I did as instructed.  My November block is different.  I used diamond shapes to represent leaves.  For me, in this part of the world, there is not much left growing by the time November rolls around.

I always think of the song, "The Last Leaf Clings to the Bough".  So I wanted my November block to represent the fallen leaves.  I used the pumpkin block to represent October.

Here is the whole quilt top.  A block for each month.  Sorry for the poor quality of the photo, but it is snowing out and the light is very bad.  Also, there was no one here to hold it up for me.

Happy New Year!

Hope 2015 is a good one for you!

Linking up with the Needle and Thread Network and Angie's blog, A Quilting Reader's Garden.

Merry Christmas!

Sending warm wishes

From our house to yours

For a safe and happy Christmas

Filled with hope, peace and joy

I made my DD a new wallet.  I think I can show it to you because she is so busy with the baby at the moment that she probably won't read my blog.

Lots of room for a cheque book, a pen, change, bills, and credit cards.

My sister made this gorgeous stocking for William.  She is the cross stitcher in our family.  I just sewed the whole thing into a stocking.

Now to wait for Santa to come.

 

Off to the Library

It's cold out, but I have nothing to read.  I just can't see a whole week without a book.  So off I go.

Some Handwork on a Dreary Sunday

It's dark and dreary outside, so I am just working away on my hexie quilt BOM from The Hexie Blog. This is the December block.  But don't get excited.  It is not my last block.  I still have a few more to finish off and applique down.  I am using different backgrounds because I  have lots of fat quarters. The HST are all from my scrap bin.

Have a terrific weekend.  I have to go and pick up the other blocks from my design floor now.  DH is going to vacuum and I don't want any of those tiny pieces to get caught in the beater bar.

Linking up to A Quilting Reader's Garden.

A Hexie Pumpkin

Things are slowly getting back to normal around here.  Grand baby has gone home.  It's very quiet now. Felix is happy about that.  And I am getting more than just a couple of hours of sleep at night. I've even had some time to catch up on some of my BOMa.  This is my pumpkin from the Hexie Blog for November.

I'm not caught up yet, but I hope to be soon.

Earning my PHD

I have taken our Guild's PHD challenge.  PHD stands for Projects Half Done.  I am ashamed to say that I have many of them in my sewing room.  This challenge is a way of completing some of these projects.  I have picked 4 to work on over the next few months.  They have to be completed by the end of May, and must be quilted, have the binding attached and a label if the project is a quilt.  Smaller projects like pillows and wall hangings don't need a label. If I cannot finish any one of them, I will have to pay $5.00 to the woman's shelter our guild supports.  That\s a win/win situation.  Don't you agree?  Even if I can't finish the projects, the women's shelter will still benefit.

So here are the projects I have chosen to finish.

First is the Super Heroes quilt I started to make for my son last year.  I wanted him to use it on his bed, but he wanted to hang it on a wall.  I lost all interest in finishing it when I learned that.  But he recently purchased a brand new house.  It is still being built as I write this.  By Christmas it should be finished so that he can move in.  I want to finish this quilt for Christmas.  There is not too much left to do.  It is very large, so I will send it out to be quilted.

My second PHD project is the Maple Leaf quilt I started last year.  I still have a lot to do on this one, but I really like it and I want to get it done.

This is my third project.  It is a Trip Around the World that I started several years ago.  I really love this quilt, but I guess I got tired of making the strata for this one.  This one will also be sent out for quilting when it is finished.  I think it will be a Queen size quilt.

The fourth project is a cross quilt that I started at least 3 or 4 years ago.  It used a lot of fabric that other quilters gave me.  I have no idea how big I will make this one.  I only know that I want to get it done.

I signed these quilts up for the PHG challenge last night at our last Guild meeting for this year.  I was kind of distracted and I totally forgot about William's Jungle Quilt that I have been working on lately. Since DD has been staying at my house, I have not had much time to finish this one.  But it has to go into William's room when they go home.  And that will probably be soon.  So I am, unofficially, adding this one to my PHD list too.  I am going to love working to finish this one.

Wish me luck.  I think I am going to need it!

Scrappy Hexies

I managed to sew a few more scrappy hexie flowers together.  That's 6 more in the past couple of weeks.  Now to sew them onto the quilt top and make some more white hexies to join them all together.

Linking up to A Quilting Reader's Garden.

Little Letters Update

Haven't had much time to sew, but I did work on some little letters.  This is my blue/green version. The colour version is on hold for the moment.

William is starting to do cute things.  He smiles when anyone talks to him.  He loves to hang out in his monkey sitter and look around.  This morning I had him on top of my cutting table.  He loved it there.  He was able to help me sew and also look around at all the interesting things in my solarium. We had snow last night and the backyard was white and beautiful.

Big Smiles

Sorry that I have been so long in posting.  It is impossible for me to keep up with the daily photos. So much has been going on here.  There seem to be daily doctor appointments, breast feeding consultations and weigh-ins.  But I did want to show you a cute photo that I took this morning. William is almost four weeks old now and he is smiling - not only when he has gas, but all the time.

November 5, 2014

Pretty Cactus Plants

Thought I'd show you my Christmas Cacti today.  They are so colourful!  But it is nowhere near Christmas, so I guess this first one is a Halloween Cactus.  It is just loaded with orange blooms.

There is also a red cactus that has been blooming for a while now.

A light pink cactus.  I have two more pink plants like this.  They are very old, but they are still producing more buds.

And a dark pink one.  This might be my favourite pink cactus.  I love the fushia colour.

October 29, 2014

Adding to My Stash... I Know I Shouldn't, but I Did Anyway!

This is what I bought at the Creativ Festival.  A couple of pieces of lights.  I just love anything with words or numbers on it.  I found a piece of Sudoku and one all in French.  Also a Canadian flag fabric, bexause I didn't have any in my stash, and a grayish fabric that only cost me a few dollars for two metres.

I also found some colourful Kaffe Fassett fabrics.  I have no idea what I will do with these, but they were just too beautiful to pass up.

October 25, 2014

OMG!  It's only two months until Christmas!

Creativ Festival

The weather was perfect today, so I decided to attend the Creativ Festival.  It was an adventure.  First a trip to the GO station on my scooter.  Then a trip by GO train to downtown Toronto.  Then a short ride to the Convention Centre.

It was busy.  But soooo nice to get out for the day.  There were lots of exhibits of all kinds of crafts.  . Red Heart yarns had a wonderful jungle themed display.  Everything had been crocheted by volunteers, so there were no patterns.  Here is a bird that looked right at me!

October 24, 2014

I am going to have to look some of these up on Ravelry. 

I met many quilting friends from our guild.  I talked to other quilters about their favourite techniques. I bought a few pieces of Kaffe Fasset fabrics.  I had some lunch and afterwards made the trip back home.  Everyone at the GO station was very helpful, guiding me to the right platform to catch my train home.  Being downtown was kind of exciting.  Lots of construction going on.  Toronto seems to be growing day by day.

Sorry this photo is sort of blurry.  I took it through the glass of the Skywalk.

I can't wait until next year's Festival.

What's Happening to Our World?

A tragic situation took place in our nation's capital yesterday.  A Canadian soldier was gunned down at the War Memorial in Ottawa.  We are in mourning.  This kind of thing shouldn't happen in our country.

A police officer, running down an Ottawa street with his gun drawn.  Canadian flags blowing in the wind behind him.  I could get totally depressed over this event.  But I am Canadian.  I will take a few minutes to pray for the victim's family and hope that this sort of thing will never happen again.  Life must go on and we can't let a terrorist stop us from living our lives to the fullest.

With a new baby around it is easy to keep focused on the present.  My sister came over yesterday to drive DD and her baby to a pediatrician appointment.  DD is still not able to drive herself.  William passed every test the doctor gave him.  He is doing very well and growing quickly

My sister enjoyed holding him and keeping him entertained all afternoon...  until he began to cry and nothing could console him but his mother with a delicious body-temperature meal.

October 22, 2014

Thanks, Sis!  For coming all the way over here and doing the driving.  (She used to drive a subway train before she retired, so she is a great driver!)  We are grateful for all the support that we are receiving from family and friends.

Sashimi!

Yum!  We ordered Japanese take-out for dinner this evening. 

October 18, 2014

Little Things

I have made one little letter in the past three days.  That was the 'K' and it was kind of difficult so it took me a while.  I have also started to join them together, but I already had that done last week. These blocks are the ones I did in the second colour combination.  Still have to do the first combo. So maybe in another three days I will post those.  LOL

William is doing well.  He is eating well and growing.  He gained 105 grams in two days.  He is also sleeping well, but not at night.  Why is that?  I guess he just wants to be held in the dark.  I can't get over how cute he is.  Just like an angel.

October 16, 2014

Thankful for William

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!  Today is Turkey Day for us!  You guys south of the border will have to wait until next month.

Do I have to tell you what I am thankful for?  I think you probably guessed it!

I won't bore you with more William photos!   But he is so photogenic I can't help myself.  Mom and baby arrived at my house about an hour ago.  They will be spending a few days here until my DD is feeling better and can do things, like stair climbing, lifting, cooking and laundry for herself.  I'm very excited!  I am going to enjoy this time!

 My daily photos have sort of fallen by the wayside.  I have just been too busy.  Here is yesterday's photo - an outdoor, rose picture.  Fall is here and there will not be many more garden shots.

October 12, 2014

Bonding Time

Sorry, I am not keeping up with this 'photo a day' thing very well.  There is just too much to do.  I slept 5 hours on Friday night.  It wasn't enough, but I just couldn't sleep any longer.

Went to visit DD and grandson.  Both are doing very well.  Here is a photo of the two of them after William had his first 'meal'.  He was very content.  Such a good baby!  He only cries when his diaper gets changed.

After our hospital visit, DH and I went grocery shopping, then home to eat left-overs for dinner. I barely got through my dinner, when sleep over came me.  I guess I must have gone to bed, but I don't remember anything until I woke up there this morning at around 2:00am.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone, for all of your wonderful comments.  I loved reading all of them.  It's still very quiet around here right now, so I think I will go back to bed for a few more hours.  Gotta get my beauty sleep, don't cha know!  I love being a grandma, but I don't want to look like one!

Photo for October 11, 2014

Welcome William

It's been a long week, but I now have a new grandson.  He is such a sweet baby.  After 50 hours of labour the doctor determined that the baby was not cooperating.  He seemed to be holding onto my DD's rib cage and refused to budge.   So they performed a Caesarean Section.  The result was this cutie they are calling William.  Mother and baby are doing fine.  I, on the other hand, am a tired, blubbering mess.

October 10, 2014

A Ghost for Halloween!

I spotted the cutest little ghoul on Dunham Girl's blog this morning.  She had a link to a sew along for it.  You can find it here.  I decided I had to make one, even though I have a million other things to finish up.

A lot of things came up this afternoon, so I didn't get it done.  But hopefully I will be able to finish it tomorrow.  Cute, isn't she?

October 8, 2014

Fall Crocus

My fall crocus is almost finished blooming.  This plant is so pretty.  Fall crocuses have to be planted in the fall.  Then they send up some very large green leaves in the spring.  The leaves die back and the plant goes dormant by the time July rolls around.  In the fall it sends up pretty pink, white or purple flowers when you least expect them.  I planted this one a few years ago.  It was a very large bulb.  I thought I had saved the package it came in so that I would be able to identify it.  But the package is gone and I have no idea which variety this one is.

October 7, 2014

Charming Star Blocks for October

I made 4 more Charming Star blocks for the sew along at Terry's.  The top 4 blocks are last month's creations and the bottom 4 are this month's.

 

October 6, 2014

An Early Thanksgiving

I decided to cook a turkey dinner today.  We have no idea when the baby will arrive and we wanted to get together for a Thanksgiving meal as a family before that happens.  Turkey, gravy, potatoes, salad, green beans, corn-on-the-cob, stuffing, cranberry sauce and apple cider.  Yummmm!

photo for October 5, 2014

I had to bring my tropical plants inside yesterday.  The temperature went down to 3C (37F) last night. I noticed a beautiful white blossom in one of my big outdoor pots.  On closer examination I discovered that it was a climbing sweet potato flower.  It looks like a gigantic morning glory.

That's because they are in the same family.  Here are some little blue morning glories.

Even with the temperatures going down so low, there are still some very pretty flowers in my garden.

Pillow Case

After spending so much time in the Neonatal Department on Thursday, my DD decided that she will need to bring an extra pillow from home for the delivery.  That is allowed, but the pillow case has to be very distinct so that it doesn't get mixed up with the hospital pillows.  So I made her one last night.

This is the case that is demonstrated on the Missouri Star Quilt Company video.  It only took me about half an hour, but choosing the fabrics took much longer.

October 4, 2014

A POTC Update

Sorry, I do not have a photo for yesterday because of circumstances beyond my control.  But I do have a few hexies to show you today.  I took all of the POTC blocks I had made to see what colours I should use next. I discovered that I had 9 blocks made already.  I think that is enough.  I wanted to make this pattern, but I did not want to make a full size quilt.  A wall hanging will be just fine with me.  My blocks are not completely done and they are not in any particular order.  But this is what I have so far.

Now I am off to do some chores and catch up on yesterday.  There are so many things that have to get done that I had to make a list!

October 3, 2014

 

 

A quilt with a cat on it always looks cuter!

 



 

 

I am linking up to Angie's A Quilting Reader's Garden.

A Blooming Cactus

My Christmas October cactus is in bloom.  I don't think I have ever had one in bloom this early. It's a light peach colour.  Very pretty!

Maybe it's a Thanksgiving cactus.  We celebrate Thanksgiving on the 13th of this month.

October 1, 2014

Galloway Road's Adopt a School Book Contest

I received an email from my DD this morning, so I am posting my second post for today.  I usually don't have enough to write about for a single post, but this is important.  And funny.  So please read on and watch!  If you came to see my daily photo, just scroll down.  It is right underneath this important message!

My DD's school is taking part in the Indigo Adopt a School Book Contest.  At the moment, her school, Galloway Road Public School in Ontario, is in first place.  But their lead is getting smaller and smaller every day.  The contest is over on Saturday and the school who has had the most votes will win $10,000 worth of books for their school library.  That's a lot of books!  And believe me, this school could really use them.

So please watch this video.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OHMJ-S8S9U  And then follow the message at the end of the video. 

This is what it says to do...
Click on www.adopt-our-library.com
Click on 'Find a School to Support'
Click on 'ON' for Ontario
Scroll down the list of schools until you come to 'Galloway Road PS'  It is in the 3rd row (row on the right) about a third of the way from the bottom.  This is important.  You don'\t want to vote for the wrong school.  Click on Galloway Road P.S.
To log in you must create an account.  Just follow the prompts.
This is all free.  Yes!  FREE!  You can vote once, every day until Saturday.  I hope you will support our school.  It means a lot to me.  This is where I have volunteered my time in the past.

Thanks for watching the video and thanks for voting!

 

Feeling Blue

My DD was feeling tired and frustrated a couple of days ago.  I guess that's what being 9 months pregnant will do to you.  (She is due any day now.)  She had planned to bake some cupcakes for the kids in her class - a sort of goodbye treat because yesterday was to be her last day at school.  But she just didn't have the energy for baking.  So I baked them for her.  48 little blue cupcakes.  Don't they look disgusting? But the kids loved them!  I'm telling you... 12 and 13 year olds will eat just about anything.

September 30, 2014

Perfect Fall Weather

The weather was perfect for an outdoor adventure yesterday.  I don't know how many more nice days we are going to have before the cold sets in, so I put my sewing away and went out for a ride on my scooter.

This is Curran Hall Creek that flows through Scarborough, just north of us.  It was beautiful back there.  Lots of birds and hundreds of squirrels.  They all ran away from me as if I would hurt them.
Silly Squirrels!

There was Golden Rod growing everywhere.  I love this bright yellow weed along the side of the creek. Some of the trees were already starting to change colour, but most were still green.

Doesn't that look like it could be made into fabric?!   I don't want things to change colour too quickly. That would mean that winter is on its way and who wants that?  As I drove along I found some beautiful red leaves growing on a fence.  I think they are Boston Ivy.  So pretty and bright red. The same leaves are on my header.

Then I saw this tree.  It was like a tree on fire.  The colours are really wonderful this year.  And look at that sky!  Such a beautiful cerulean blue!   Does it look as if there is rain in the forecast?

This is the kind of weather that makes everything worthwhile.

September 29, 2014