Flowers on Friday?

Heck, why not?

I thought you might like to see some of my Christmas Cactus. They have been flowering since November and still have lots of buds. This is the red one.

And here is the pink one. This one fell over last fall and a lot of the branches broke off, but it doesn't seem to have had any effect on the flowers.

And finally, here is part of my hexagon quilt. It is getting so large that I have to work on it in sections. The prepared hexies were supposed to be last night's sewing-while-watching television, but my hands were too sore. I finished knitting a scarf instead.

Snack Time

I was inspired by Wanda of Exuberant Color to make a journal quilt. I don't know if I am going to join a group doing this. It seems like a lot of work to do each week of the year. Then I have to wonder what I will do with all those little quilts. So I decided to make a mug rug out of my first journal. It seemed fitting to use the wonky log cabin blocks with the elephant block for week 1 and 2 of this year. It measures 8inches by 15inches. I think that is a little large for a mug rug, but it's only my first one and I am still experimenting.

Here is the fabric I used for the back.

So it's snack time. Coffee for me and peanuts for this Ellie.

Ellie the Elephant

Here is my elephant block for week 2 of this year's Friday Block Party. Just click on the party icon on my sidebar and it will take you there. The instructions for this block were very clear, yet I still paper pieced mine. I can't help it. I paper piece everything if it can be done that way. It's a 10-inch block and I think I am going to make a baby quilt with the 10-inch blocks this year.

I have been sitting in my solarium today, enjoying the snow, the intermittent sunshine, the squirrels and Mimi. We had about 8cm of snow last night. Not enough to even bring the snowplows out. But it made for a nice white backyard. The squirrels have been running around through the snow on the fence and roof, driving Mimi almost insane! As soon as she saw my camera, she jumped down and hid under my bed. What's all that about? She probably thought she was doing something bad because those squirrels really were a tease.

A Gaggle of Geese and Some Wild Ducks

When I showed you the projects I hoped to work on this month, I had completely forgotten about the Row Robin which I have been involved with for the past year. My last row commitment was due at the end of December and I thought I had already done it, but when I looked, I only found the rows that others had done and none of mine. Since there was already so much applique work in this RR, I decided to do a pieced row. The theme of this RR was birds and anything to do with birds. So, I chose 'Wild Ducks'. This block was featured on the Friday Block Party for week 43 of 2010.



As I was working on these three blocks, I kept having the strangest feeling that I had already done a row for this RR. When I was about 3/4 of the way through my third block I remembered! I looked in one of my UFO bins and found it right on top! A lovely strip of flying geese!

I finished the wild ducks anyway and have decided to send them all. Just a senior moment folks!







Here are the other rows in this quilt. I did not have enough room to lay them all out with mine included. So you will just have to use your imagination.

I also have some hexies to show you, but it is getting too dark out. I will take a photo tomorrow and show you then.

New Year UFOs! A Sort of Resolution

I want to be more organized this year. I want to finish some quilts that I started not too long ago and some that I started years ago. I figure the best way to stay on track is to list my projects for each month at the beginning of that month. That way I will have to stay on top of things and finish them. So here goes. These are the ones for January...

The first is the 'Healing Quilt' for my friend, Linda. Only a couple of blocks to go then it will have to be sandwiched and quilted. I figure that will only take a few days, maybe a week. I want her to have it as soon as possible.

My next project is the Bento Box quilt I started to make for Quilts from the Heart. It is all pieced and ready to be sandwiched and quilted. I want to have it done by the fourth Monday of this month. That's when our guild meets again.

I also want to finish this lap quilt. I used a bunch of blocks from a quilt along which I joined a long time ago. I think it was called 'Geese in the Forest' or something like that. I made the first 27 blocks, but then decided that I would never finish it. So I brought out those little flying geese units just before Christmas and sewed the geese blocks alternately with Christmas fabrics. It didn't get done before Christmas. I would like to finish it this month so as not to have so many UFOs hanging around.

And then of course, there is my hexagon wannabe quilt. Those little hexies are a lot of work now that I have moved to the outside of the quilt. This is not a 'to be finished' quilt. I only mention it here because I will continue to work on it in the evenings, while watching television. It is a work in progress.

Finished Quilts for 2010

These are the quilts and wall hangings that I finished in 2010.

Finished in 2010

My finished charity quilts for 2010. My goal was to make one per month. These are the only ones I got done. Hopefully 2011 will be more prolific.

Happy New Year!

From my family to yours... I want to wish everyone A Happy and Healthy New Year. Only a few more hours and 2011 will be here. Isn't that right, Mimi?

"Meow! Whatever! Just don't wake me 'til next year! I am getting my beauty sleep. Meow!"

I guess we are going to have a quiet New Year's Eve.

Back to Normal?

The turkey has been eaten. The wine bottles are empty. The Christmas chocolates are still around to tempt me, but I'm stronger than they are. My DH has gone to work. I am alone with my fabrics and sewing machine. So I started to make a scrappy quilt this morning.

It's for a life-long friend (no blog) who has been stricken with cancer. I found out about it a day or two before Christmas and can't stop thinking about her. She will start radiation therapy in the new year. I thought she might need a bright lap quilt to help her through the treatments. So I started on these scrappy blocks this morning. She could probably use some prayers too, if you are so inclined. Thanks.

Now I need your help. Do you think it is too colourful? Should I tone it down a bit? Please let me know.

Table Mats

Hope every one had a wonderful Christmas. We are only half way through our Christmas celebrations. Today is Boxing Day, but I have had enough of shopping so we are going to my sister's house for an extended family Christmas get together.

And I can now show you the Dresden Plate table mats that I made. They were fun and easy to do. I still haven't figured out how to do a pdf file, so I have not done a tutorial on this. Maybe I should make 'learning how to do a pdf file' my New Year's resolution.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

Feliz Navidad

Vrolijke Kerstmis

God Jul

Frohe Weihnachten

Joyeux Noel

Buon Natale

Merry Christmas

Feliz Natal

44 years? Is That Possible?

Where has the time gone? It was 44 years ago today that my DH and I got married.

There are not many photos of our wedding. The photographer (my uncle) was taking pictures all day long. At around 10:30 in the evening he came to us with a long, sad face and proceeded to tell us that the film in his camera had broken and all the photos of our special day were ruined. Being young and in the spring of our lives, we just took it all in stride. It was like an adventure. But we did want to have some photos to remember this important day by. So we took several family shots over. This one is of my family - my mother, sisters and brother. My father is in the top photo, just to the left of me.

We recreated the signing and ring ceremonies.

We even 'rebuilt' the cake because it was half eaten by that time. Luckily the top tier was still intact. We just put some cups under it and took a photo from the front.

And we all went back to City Hall on Christmas Day, even though it was closed, and took some more pictures of the entire family. It was very cold that day! With the wind it felt like -20C! But we made the best of things.

And I was happy.

Sing Along

We are surrounded by snow, heavy snows and winds and traffic woes to the north, south, east and west of us. But here in Scarborough we only got a dusting. That is not to say that it isn't cold, because it is. With the winds it feels like -10C. So I decided to make the most of today with this little poem.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

But the view is so delightful,

And since I've got no place to go.

Let me sew, let me sew, let me sew!

I am making Christmas presents. Can't show you right now, sorry.

Wednesday's Hexagons

I don't have any flowers to show you today, but I do have a large piece of my 'Quilt Wannabe' done. This is my evening project, to work on when I watch television. I am now at the stage where I have to make it longer rather than wider. Will have to think about that.