Merry Christmas

A reason for the season.

Groundhog Day!

Well, it's official - six more weeks of winter. Apparently every groundhog in the country saw his shadow this morning! Too bad we don't have a Scarborough Scarlet or something because it's dark and grey outside. No sunshine here today - therefore, no shadows! Instant spring! Wouldn't that be nice?

What do you think Mimi?

"Meow! You guys really base your weather forecasts on a rodent? That's just plain dumb! Meow!"

Yeah, I guess you're right Mimi.

But if we are going to have six more weeks of winter, I am going to stay inside and sew. This month's UFO to finish is number 7. That's 'Chicken Soup' on my list. Here is a sneak preview.I still have some embroidery to do and then sandwich and quilt it. I hope I have the energy to finish it. When I looked at it closely yesterday, I noticed that I did this one all by hand - the applique, the sashing and even the borders. I have no idea when I started this one - perhaps 8 or 10 years ago! So much work has gone into this one. This really should be the month to finish it. But I am feeling somewhat guilty because I started a quilt with a friend in Japan. I have not had the energy to do anything on it for a long time. Sorry K! I think I will move our Yokohama/Toronto quilt to number 7 and move Chicken Soup to 7a.

The only thing I seem to be able to sew at the moment are these strip blocks. This is a warning! These things are highly addictive! I have made 61 of them so far. These are the four I made this morning. I think I will limit myself to four a day. I want to have 80 in total. That would make a quilt about 48in. by 60in. - big enough for a lap quilt. But who knows! I might not be able to stop!

I promised to take a photo of my stained glass lamp that I posted a couple of days ago. So here it is - taken yesterday when the sky was blue. The dark glass I used for the leaves is actually a translucent glass. I think it was antique glass. I love it because it looks dark, but when the light is on, it shines through and makes it appear light - a pretty aqua colour.And here is another lamp that I made. It has orchids all around it. This was the first lamp I ever made and I think it is still my favourite!

A Finish!

I joined the UFO challenge that Nancy from the Patchwork Penguin is hosting. I had wanted to finish this quilt before the end of last year, but things just didn't work out. So here it is - the end of January and I am finally finished my Christmas Table Cover/Wallhanging. (It's having a bit of an identity crisis since I am not sure what I will do with it - wall or table - but at least it's finished.) It's about 4feet square. I found the pattern in a Fons and Porter magazine.

I didn't have enough of a Christmas fabric for the back and because I had originally thought of hanging it on the wall, I decided to use a light blue fabric that I didn't particularly like. But there was not enough of that fabric either so I brought out some old blocks I had made a long time ago. I pieced them together and put them into the back. Voila! Back art!


But perhaps the most exciting thing that I have finished this month is the swag lamp that I made several years ago. It is hanging above my work table in the solarium, thanks to my DH! Now I have light and I can even cut fabric at night. I have strict orders not to become a night hawk though! But I just love to stay up and quilt when the house is quiet. Maybe I can sneak a bit of time in.


This lamp was done in stained glass using the copper foil method. I made it several years ago, but never got the electrical stuff to wire it. On a recent trip to the Home Depot, I decided it was time to hang this thing before it got knocked off my workbench! I apologize about the photo. It doesn't show the colour because it was already starting to get dark when I took it. The colours are really soft and pretty. I will try to get a better photo tomorrow.