I'm on a Roll!

The baby shower was yesterday, so I can show you the 'Rubber Duckie' quilt now. I finished it on Saturday - just in the nick of time. I think it came out very cute. The new Mom and Dad loved it! I quilted in the ditch and stippled (free-motion quilted) around the ducks. It measures about 41inches by 49inches.

Because it was only about 40 inches wide I figured a piece of fabric the length of the quilt top should be enough for a backing. I thought fabric was around 43-44 inches wide. But I guess like everything else, they are making it smaller. My backing fabric was exactly 40 inches wide from selvage to selvage. It just wasn't enough to cover the back of this quilt. So I decided to piece it. I had made an extra row of duckie blocks for the front, but decided that it would make the quilt too long. So I used those blocks on the back, piecing an inch of the backing fabric between each one. I really like the backing material. It has little ducks on it, but after seeing it on the back of the quilt, I felt that it was kind of boring, so I am really glad I did a bit of 'back art' to give it some interest.

I also crocheted the upcoming baby a baby afghan. It is done in the same 'I love scraps' pattern that I used to make the one for my mother (you can see it here) a few weeks ago - the one she wanted to give away to the new Mom and Dad. I wanted her to keep the one I had made for her and offered to make a new one for the baby. She wasn't able to come to the shower, but this way she was there in spirit.

And can you believe it? My cactus is still flowering! See that little pink flower in front. And it has a few more buds on it too.

An Olympic Finish!

I have been working on this afghan for the past couple of weeks. It's lap sized, designed for someone in a wheelchair. I got the pattern from Talking Crochet. (Sorry I can't get the link to work) It's called 'I love Scraps'. I used a large (very large) ball of off-white yarn and a lot of scraps from my scrap bag. It was nice to be able to use up a lot of them. The coloured portions look like hearts, so it was fitting that I finished it last night, on Valentine's Day, while watching the Olympics. I worked an edge all the way around it. As I was doing that, Alexandre Bilodeau won the first gold medal in an Olympic event on Canadian soil, or should I say 'snow', in Moguls. So even though the edge is done in off-white, I am calling it the 'golden edge', not only because Bilodeau won a gold for Canada, but also because I was so proud of him and the love he showed for his older brother, Frederic, who has Cerebral Palsy.

My Christmas Cactus is now a officially a Valentine's Day Cactus! It is still blooming. I wonder if it will last until Easter.

Colour in December

My Christmas Cactus is blooming! It must be Christmas.

I love this cactus. I bought it so long ago I can't even remember. It gets a bit fuller each year and blooms profusely starting in the beginning of December. I don't do anything special to it. It lives in my solarium for most of the year and gets lots of sun there. Perhaps that's the key to its success. Lots of sunlight. Then cooler temperatures as the year goes through the fall season. The solarium is heated, but in spring and fall it feels more like the temperatures outside than inside. I think that helps to set the buds.


Here is a closeup of the flowers. They are huge - measuring about four inches in length. I had this plant sitting on my basting table. I also had my batik nine-patch blocks laid out on the same table in order to move the blocks around more easily. When I got up this morning I noticed that the blocks were all mixed up. Many were on the floor and some had fallen behind the table. I know that had to be Mimi's work!

But how can I accuse her of messing up my design when she looks so innocent and cute? After all, it's Christmastime! And at least she didn't push my cactus onto the floor!

Ahhhh! Back to Normal!

The holiday season is behind us! Kids are back at school and employees are back at their jobs. The radio no long plays Christmas carols. The sun is shining! Things are back to normal. All is right with the world!

Over the weekend I made this block, called 'broken dishes - variation' as part of the Friday's Block Party. (see sidebar) This was week 1, so I am still on schedule.

Besides doing the broken dishes block, I have been busy sewing scraps together to make this wall hanging. I think it will be about 40in. square when it is finished. That huge white space in the middle is supposed to be for an applique. But unfortunately I cannot find an appliqued medallion that I like in all the books and magazines I have.

So..... I guess I'll have to design something of my own. That shouldn't be too difficult. Or should it? So far I have wasted at least a tree's worth of paper trying to come with something. I don't know if you can see my drawings. They're not very good, but I think you can click on them to see them better - if you must. Why was this so difficult? I never have problems drawing anything.

Then it hit me! Duh! I have forgotten what plants and flowers look like. It is January - the beginning of January to be exact - and flowers are a long forgotten memory. I decided to take matters into hand and had my DH drive me to Allen Gardens yesterday morning. It is an amazing spot in the old cabbage town part of Toronto. They have several large hothouses there, filled with plants and flowers and cactus and I hoped, some colour to revive my imagination!

I was not disappointed! Lucky for us they had not removed the Christmas display yet. Everything was covered in poinsettias! The colours ranged from the traditional reds to pinks, corals and variegated varieties! I was in plant heaven!

Brilliant reds! Bright yellows! And calming oranges! Huge bunches of bananas and towering palm trees.

I think I will be able to come up with something to applique. I'm going to work on it now, while I have the inspiration!

This is the life - so relaxing! No one to bother me! Soft music playing in the background. Felix and Oscar, asleep in their favourite daytime spots. And Mimi.... well Mimi is busy, protecting us from squirrels. They are scurrying around up on the solarium roof. That's good. That will keep her occupied for hours.

Meow! Someone has to keep these pesky critters in check! You should be glad I'm looking after things!

I am Mimi. Thanks!

My Postcard Arrived at its Destination!

I decided to send one of my postcard to see if it would arrive, safe and sound, at its destination. I am happy to say that it did! It was a birthday card for my sister, whose birthday is tomorrow. Happy Birthday Sis!!! She got the postcard today. I wish I had taken a photo of it, but I guess I was so excited about sending it, that I forgot. Instead you get a shot of a trumpet flower, blooming inside my solarium. Even with the snow outside, I still have some colour indoors!

Oh, and I also want to tell everyone to go over to Frida's Hive and leave a comment. She is having a really cool give-away this week to celebrate her one-year anniversary. Happy Anniversary Nanette!