Getting Started

I only have a couple of borders left to sew onto my rabbit quilt.  But I just couldn't get started this morning.  Then I saw a tutorial for a cute log cabin type block on Tanyia's blog.  It reminded me of all the times I would sew a few scraps together in order to get my ass in gear.  So I tried that.  I did them in yellow because that is the colour for the monthly 2015 challenge.   Only got a couple of them made, but I really like them.  I think I will try to make them a bit smaller in order to use up more of my scraps.

I also have 15 house blocks done.  A new block should be posted in a few days.  These are really cute!

I might have to make a few more.  I'll wait and see.  Now back to the rabbit quilt.  I bought the pattern last year at this time and couldn't get it done.  I hope to get it done by this Easter.  I really don't want it languishing around for another year.

Just Puttering Along

Still don't have my machine fixed.  I am waiting for a new foot pedal.  So I have been forced to use my old machine.  It does not have any special feet for quilt purposes.  I got it before I ever started quilting.  But I figured out how to use the applique feature and now I think I can finish the Rabbit quilt.  So far it looks like this.  I still have 4 bunnies to applique.  I will sew buttons on for eyes after it is quilted.

A couple of days ago I was out on my scooter and I heard a robin, singing its spring song from the top of my tree.  I asked him if I could take his photo and he hopped down onto the lawn to make it easy for me.  Cute, isn't he?

Tomorrow is Earth Hour.  Will you join me in turning off all the lights between 8:30pm and 9:30pm?

I am linking up with The Quilting Reader's Garden.

Little Letters Top

Feeling much better today.  The foot pedal to my machine is still not fixed.  They have to replace it and I am just waiting on that.  Haven't done a lot of sewing lately.  But I came across my Little Letters quilt and since I had only a couple more letters to make, I decided to finish it.

I still have to put a border around it.  Guess I will have to break down and buy some fabric. These are all scraps and I don't have a big enough piece in my stash to use for a border.


I am linking up with the Needle and Thread Network.

A Bit of Weather - Under it, Over it. What the heck is going on?

I've felt a little under the weather the past few days.  Nothing too serious.  Just some body aches, stuffy sinuses and a bit of a headache.  I slept a lot and read a whole book in less than two days, James Patterson's latest, Hope to Die,

On Saturday I took my machine in to get the plug on the foot pedal fixed.  I have no idea if it can be fixed.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.  If they can't fix it, I guess I will have to buy a new pedal. But as the woman in the shop said, "That will be cheaper than a new machine".

And as I was coming out from under the weather, the weather became beautiful.  It started out cold and windy yesterday morning, but then the sun came out and it felt like spring.  We decided to go down to the lake and see how much winter was still around.  And I can tell you, there was a lot!  In the middle of the lake the ice had melted, but around the edges, it was still deep and frozen.  The ducks and geese were calling to us from the ice.  The gulls were screaming from the air.  It was impossible to walk anywhere because the paths had not been cleared.  So I parked myself on a bench, in the sun, along the edge of the water and took a few photos.

The sun felt nice.  Today is going to be another gorgeous day.  The temperature is going way up to 13C, that's around 55F.  Is our winter over?  Not a chance.  It will get cold again (not as cold as it has been) but the temps will be below normal for this time of year until spring starts on Friday.  And then we might even get a bit of snow.  This weather is crazy.  I want spring.

We still have a foot or more of snow on our lawn.  But close to the house the snow has melted.  And as it did, little green crocus shoots were already coming up.  Low and behold, a yellow crocus popped out of the ground and greeted me with a smile.

Okay, now I am feeling better.  The weather can do what it wants.  As long as I have something springlike in my garden I am happy.  I think I will ride my scooter up to the library and get another book. And maybe buy some strawberries for dessert.  Yummy!  I can taste spring already.

On the quilting front, do you want to see what I have been working on?  It isn't much.  Just a few more hexie flowers.  I can keep doing these because they are all done by hand, but the machine applique will have to wait until I get my sewing machine fixed.  This is what I have so far on ny design wall.  I have not decided how big I am going to make this quilt, but I don't think it will be much bigger.  Just a border or two.

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

Oh, no! That's not Good!

I bought a quilt pattern a year ago from A Red Boot Quilt Co.  It is called "The Rabbits at Hyde Park".  I didn't have time to finish it last year.  So, when I found it in a box at the bottom of my closet, I decided to get 'er done for this Easter.  I thought it wouldn't take me long, since I had a good start on it.  But as I was rolling around in my wheelchair (I still use one in my sewing room because it is too small to have two chairs and I can't get around very well.  I usually just roll from the sewing machine to my cutting table.) I got tangled up in the cord that controls the foot pedal.  The cord pulled out of the plug.  Not good!  I wonder how long it will take to fix it.

I still have some handwork to do on the Rabbit quilt, so I will continue on with that.  The machine applique will just have to wait.  And, as if that wasn't bad enough,  I woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose this morning and then to make matters even worse, I burned the stew I was cooking.  It's true!  I can only do one thing at a time and this morning I was trying to do too much.

But since I am an optimist (sort of) I will show you the Rabbit quilt.  I think it will be cute.  This is only part of it.  I still have more on my cutting table.

And last, but not least, a Hibiscus flower.  My plant is starting to bloom!  Spring must be on its way.

Can I get any more positive than that?

Hexie Flowers

My machine is back home!  Hurray!!  Now I can get on with some of my WIPs.

I worked on some hexies while I waited for it to be returned.  I have about 32 hexie flowers to do, so this is just a start.  Some of these are done and some still need to be sewn.  I plan to complete 4 per day.

The temperature is going up to 6C today.  The sun is shining.  Our cold spell seems to be over!  I plan to go to the library today.  I need to get out before I succumb to cabin fever.

Stuff - Sewing as Fast as I Can

My machine is in the shop, getting a tune-up and other things.  I miss her.  Have been doing some handwork and made a few March blocks from the #qmbittyblocks on an old machine that was sitting in my basement.

Also made the Hexie Blog's hexie project for March.  This block is not done.  It looks kind of crooked, but that is because it has not been appliqued yet.

And last, but not least is my turtle block from the Elephants on Parade quilt along.  I will do the birds when I get my machine back.  Hopefully that will be on Saturday.

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An Elephant Parade Game

Where has the week gone?  Time just seems to be flying by.  But that's okay.  It is so cold right now that I can hardly wait for February to be over.  The weather people are calling this cold spell a Siberian Express because it originates in Siberia.  Last year was the year of the Polar Vortex.  Crazy! But spring has got to be around the corner!  It is, isn't it?

I did a lot of sewing this past week, but I have very little to show for it.  I am still working on the Jungle Quilt, but right now I am just appliqueing the pieced down.  My machine is not happy about that and is making a lot of silly noises.  I may have to take it in for a tune up before I can continue,.  I did, however, work on the Elephant Parade quilt.  I got the frog done and made 4 little baby elephants.  I have decided to make this quilt into a matching game.  All of the adult elephants will have a matching baby elephant somewhere in the quilt.  There will be two of each of the other baby elephants too.  This is what I have done so far.

I also finished the little crocheted blanket I showed you last week.  Unfortunately I gave it to my DD before I could get a photo of it.  It is just a small blanket that she will use in the library when she takes William to story hour.  I will try to get a photo of it later.  When my DS saw the blanket he asked me to make something similar for his cats to sleep on.  I found a couple of crocheted blocks in a bag at the bottom of a bin.  I have no idea where they came from, or whether they were the beginning of a quilt or some left-over pieces.  I am going to use them.  This blanket should go together quickly and I think the cats will love it.  I am going to run the ends in as I go.  I hate having to still do them all at the end.

Visitors from the Serengeti

I have completed the five large elephants for the first portion of the Baby Elephant sew-along.  I spent a couple of hours yesterday and finished them.  All of my other quilt-related sewing is kind of tedious and boring, so I really enjoyed making these guys.  Can't wait for the next instalment.

What I'm Working On

I have been out of town for a few days.  Just got back yesterday.  I didn't have much time for machine sewing.  But I did do a couple of small things.  I started to make the basket blocks for the bow tie quilt I started last month. This month's blocks were small baskets.  I don't really like them; just a bit too small and fussy for my liking. I only made two of them and I don't think I will make any more.

I know I promised not to start any other new projects, but I just couldn't resist when I saw the elephant baby quilt on the Sew Fresh Quilts site.  The sew along started on February the 1st.  I made one elephant block so far.  It is so cute and it took no time at all.  I will definitely make more blocks of this quilt.  But I will finish some more urgent quilts first.

While away from my machine I worked on some crocheted granny hexies.  I spent a couple of hours each day working on these.  I think I have enough for a small baby blanket.

Today I am heading to my sewing machine.  I really have to finish that jungle quilt before William is too old for it.

DaGMT 2015

I have decided to take part in the Drop and Give Me Twenty.  (DaGMT 2015)  This challenge started on the first of February.  I didn't read about it until a couple of days ago.  But since I have been working almost non-stop on the Jungle Quilt, I think I can still qualify for this.

Here is my statement.

I, Hetty G, am joining Quilting Hottie Haven's fourth annual quilt challenge.   I pledge to sew for at least an hour a day, during the month of February, 2015.  I think that is doable.  I want to finish several more quilts in the first half of this year and this will help me accomplish that.

So here is what I did so far this month.

On the 1st. I did about 60 minutes of sewing.  That was all I had time for.  Because it was Sunday, we had to do some visiting.

On the 2nd, (Monday) I spent about 30 minutes sewing by machine and another 90 minutes drawing and cutting out animal parts for the Jungle Quilt.

On Tuesday (3rd) I spent about 2 hours of hexie hand sewing at our Tuesday morning Friendship group at the church.  I finished the February Hexie Blog's block.

On Wednesday, (4th) I spent 3 hours machine sewing the parts of the animals that I had designed over the last few days.

On Thursday (5th) I spent what seemed like the whole day at my machine.  I am sure I did about 4 hours of machine sewing.  Then in the evening, while watching television, I did another couple of hours prepping and hand sewing some hexies.

So now I am up to today, Friday the 6th.  I am going to try to do at least an hour of machine applique. My DD is coming over today with William and that will probably be the end of my sewing time.

Can't have a post without a photo, now can we?  So here he is, the flying William, practising to be an astronaut..  Now I must get back to my machine.  

Hexie Block for February

I have been doing lots of sewing, but have very little to show for it.  I did, however, finish The Hexie Blog's block for February.  I love these little hexies.  They are so much fun to make.  Here it is, only the 5th of February, and I am already yearning for next month's block.  Just four weeks to go.  Guess I'll just have to wait.  (sigh)

Sewing Monkeys

I drew the monkeys and then transferred them to Wonder Under.  Then I cut them out and ironed them onto the quilt top.  Now all that is left to do is sew them down.  I am not sure if I am going to add anything else to this quilt.  It's been a lot of work, but I think it's worth it.  I hope William loves his quilt.

I still have some things to embroider.  Some eyes etc.  Maybe I will get them done tonight, while I watch television.

Drawing Monkeys

Now that the Super Heroes quilt top is done, I have to get on with my other half finished stuff.  The Jungle baby quilt for William is up on the design wall now.  I spent the whole afternoon yesterday drawing monkeys.  But I was not happy with them.  They didn't look like they wanted to be on the quilt.  Have to get back to them later.

But first I have a few errands to run.  And hopefully get my hair cut too.

I saw some really cute, little bow tie blocks on  Tubakk's blog.  They are from a sew along that just started this month.  I know I said that I wasn't going to start anything new, but these things just screamed to me. So yesterday morning I made them.  They are only 3.5 inches unfinished.  I needed 16 of them.  They are not sewn together yet.

Now out to the bank and stuff and then back to the monkey drawing board.

First Flimsy Finish for this Year

My sincere apologies to all of my blogging friends.  I have been absent for a long tine.  Just before Christmas I developed a toothache.  I had to wait until after the new year to have it looked at by my dentist.  He pulled it out since it had broken in so many little shards.  There was no saving it.  The pain should have gone away, but it didn't.  So the following week I went back to see him and he prescribed 10 days of antibiotics.  Those ten days came and went and my tooth the space in my mouth where the tooth had been was still hurting me.  I was unable to do anything but sit around and mope and complain.  So to make a long story short, I didn't do much sewing and I had nothing to share with you.  But last weekend I felt much better.  I spent my time finishing the Super Heroes quilt for my DS.  I still have to send it out to be quilted, but when it is finished he plans to hang it on the wall in the staircase of his new house.

I am so glad this is finished.  Now I can move onto other UFOs that I want to finish over the next couple of months.  Hope to see you soon with something new.

I'm linking up with the Needle and Thread Network

One Flower Wednesday

Haven't posted any flowers on Wednesdays for a long time.  But this is my January hexie from the Hexie Blog.  It sort of looks like a flower and, it's done!.  Just have to applique it onto a background. But I want to wait until I see what the rest of the monthly blocks will be.  I think I am going to like this BOM for 2015.

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.