What I am Working On

I am always asked why I don't post more often.  People complain that they visit my blog, but there is nothing new going on.  I am working as fast as I can, folks.  But it is spring - sort of - and I am busy in the garden, getting out on my scooter and doing other outdoor stuff.

I am still sewing and quilting, but not as much as I would like.  I do have something to show you though.

Here are some of my maple leaf blocks.  I still have a few more to go.  Hopefully I will finish them in the next week or so.  I am trying to sew at least one block per day.

And here is something new I started a couple of days ago.  I am sewing selvages together that will eventually become a bag.  This is so much fun!

If you want to show me how much you like my blog, leave me a comment.  That way I will know that folks are interested and maybe I will post more often.  Thanks!

Bob the Builder Baby Quilt

The top is finished!  Now I just have to sandwich and quilt it.  My DD commissioned me to make this for a friend of hers.  It is approximately 42 inches square.  The baby shower is not until the end of June, so I have time.

This was a fun project to work on.  I have another piece of fabric with dinosaurs on it.  Someone gave it to me.  I think I will make another quilt like this one, using that fabric.  But first I have to finish the maple leaf quilt.  Hope to show you that one soon.

I am linking up with the needle and thread network and a quilting reader's garden.

Happy Earth Day!

We finally have some spring.  Not a lot, but there is a hint of it in the air.  I planted an urn with some spring bulbs, pansies and primrose.  I just couldn't wait for the flowers to come out in my garden.

But my Scilla Siberica is also blooming on my front lawn.  I love blue flowers.  When these come out I know it's spring.

It rained last night and you can see the droplets on the flowers.  Another sign of spring to my eye!

Today is Earth Day.  This is one of my favourite days of the year.  I hope you plan to do something green to help our planet.  Maybe join in on the 22 minute clean up.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

I will show you some quilty stuff tomorrow.  I promise.

Hey! What's that White Stuff?

I had wanted to show you what is on my design floor, but I can't concentrate on my quilting when my world is starting to look a lot like winter again.

My frog is freezing his little you-know-what off.  Not a happy camper right now.  I think.

And what about this robin?  I found him sitting in my apple tree, singing away and preening himself.  Kind of like using the snowflakes as a shower.  He seemed happy, but I'm not sure.  I wouldn't be.

I guess he has seen snow in April before and is making the best of things.  So I will do the same and show you what I will be working on in the next week or so.  First is my maple leaf quilt.  This is one of my UFOs that I want to get done this month.  I have a few stems to applique before I can finish it.  But that shouldn't take long.

And then there are my hexies.  I am still working on them.  I doubt if they will be finished any time soon. They are my ongoing evening project.  I think these will take another year or so.

And last, but not least is this quilt.  My DD asked me to make a baby boy quilt for a friend of hers.  So this is what I came up with.  There will be a total of 16 blocks with sashing between them.  I hope to have it completed - at least to a flimsy stage - by this weekend.  The focus blocks are made using a Bob the Builder fabric that I have had in my staff for a long time.  It will be good to get it used up.

And now I am off to my Tuesday morning group. 

 See you again soon.

A New Species of Wildlife

At around 9:30PM on Saturday evening I looked out of the front window of my DD's house and saw what I thought was a cat.  Our visitors had just gotten into their car and I wondered how this 'cat' had not been frightened away. It had its back to me, so I called my son over to look at it because it seemed to be a strange colour.  That's when my DS told me it was an opossum.  How exciting!  I had never seen one before.  I thought they lived in the southern states.  And they do, but lately many opossums have been seen in the Greater Toronto Area.  I wasn't able to take a photo because it was too dark and I didn't have my camera, so I borrowed this pic from the internet.

This is the Virginia Opossum and it is not native to Southern Ontario, but has been coming here over the last few decades, probably hitching a ride on the back of trucks.  It is the only marsupial found in North America.  They really don't like the cold, but the one I saw seems to have weathered our worst winter in over 20 years quite well. I can't wait to see more of them.

I am now going back to my sewing room.  I had wanted to post 'what's on my design wall' this morning, but decided to go to the library first thing, before the rains came.  I also needed to buy milk.  It is still warm out - in the high teens, but that will change by tomorrow morning.  The forecast is for -1C with freezing rain and snow.  How crazy is that.?  Hope that opossum is able to keep himself warm.

Garden of Hope - A Recovery Quilt

Our Guild held a quilt show this weekend.  It was fantastic!  Lots of quilts and wall hangings.  Lots of vendors, a boutique, an auction and results of our quilt challenge.  I spent my afternoon viewing the quilts and then manning the admissions table.  I managed to get a few photos of the quilts.  I will show some more of them later, but for now here is the quilt I entered into the show.  It measures about 60 inches by 84 inches.

This is the quilt I started a few years ago when I was in a rehab hospital recovering from a rare neurological disorder.  It was an attempt to relieve my depression over not being able to walk any longer.  I was given large doses of steroids to stifle my auto-immune system, but even after several months things did not get much better.  I was offered mood altering drugs by several doctors, but I didn't think my body could stand even one more chemical.  I told them to give me fabric instead of pills and they just laughed at me.  But even as they were laughing I turned my hospital room into a sewing studio.  Boxes of fabrics, lined my walls.  I hand pieced and appliqued during my free time between physio and OT and often far into the night.  The nurses were very supportive.  They would come and visit my room to see what I had accomplished that day. I based my quilt on one that I saw in the magazine, Australian Country Threads.  And guess what?  My therapy worked!  A creative heart is a happy heart!  

I got many compliments on my quilt today and that felt good.  A wonderful woman named, Janet Chisholm long arm quilted it for me.  She did a wonderful job.  I don't think my quilt would have looked as good if she hadn't spent so much time on it.  

And now I am off to bed.  It's been a long, exciting day!

 

Quilt Show

It's spring!  And if you live in the Greater Toronto Area and feel bored this weekend, what better thing to do than to come and join us at our Quilt Show.

I was over there last night to drop off my quilt and it looks like it will be a great show.  Lots of members' quilts and wall hangings, our raffle quilt,  merchant's mall and guild boutique, tea room and bake sale, guild challenge display, viewer's choice awards, door prizes and more.  It's being held at the Pickering Recreation Complex located at 1867 Valley Farm Road in Pickering.

I did not take a photo of my quilt before I put into the show, but tomorrow I will be manning the admissions desk and I will have a chance to look around and take some photos.  I'll post them on Monday.

Now for my indoor garden.

This is my red Amaryllis.  There is a second flower stalk coming up beside this one.

This is a pink one.  I didn't even realize that I had a pink one.  Soooo pretty!

And here are the tulips my DD brought me on my birthday last week.  They are still gorgeous.  I just love yellow tulips!

Hopefully I will be able to show you some outdoor spring flowers soon.  We had rain all day yesterday. Most of the snow and ice is gone.  My robins are back and my crocuses are blooming in front of my house. You can see them on my header.

See you at the Show!  Have a great quilty weekend!  I know I will!