Scottie and McTavish

This week's pattern on the Friday Block Party is 'A Scottie Dog'. I made two of them. One is in reverse so they can look at each other.

Today is Wednesday, I Think

My day has held a lot of stress for me. I had to meet with my financial advisor to figure out how I will survive on my pittance of a pension for the rest of my life. He thinks he can do something for me, but I have been hit hard by our tax man. It seems I paid too much into my RRSPs and now I have to pay them back- the tax that is. This is going to take a huge chunk out of my new kitchen fund.

Then my DD phoned me to tell me that she was in a car accident on her way to work this morning. She is okay, but the car may not be. The couple that ran into the side of her car are okay too. Can't blame this on our winter. We had the most beautiful day today. The sun was shining and the temperature was not too bad. There was no ice or snow on the roads. DD thinks it was her fault.

I have been waiting for the guy from Home Depot to call me regarding my kitchen cabinets. We are supposed to okay the deal and order them tonight. Then the destruction work will begin. I'm dreading that. Just more stress.

I decided to make my own pattern for the paper pieced camel on the Block Party this week. I am not very happy with the way he turned out. But maybe amongst many other blocks in a child's quilt he will look okay.


And something I told myself I wouldn't do.... I fell for the cuteness of the Henrietta BOM. (You can find it on my sidebar) I decided to machine applique the blocks so that they would not take too long to make. I still have to finish them.

I have no pictures of my hexagon quilt. I misplaced one of the fabrics and spent most of my day looking for it. The good part is, I got my sewing room tidied up. And I found the missing fabric, so I will have lots to work on this evening, while I stay up late to watch 'Off the Map' at 10:00pm.

A Whole Week Has Gone By!

Gosh! I just realized that I haven't posted for a whole week. It went by quickly, but I think that was because I had my Bernina back! It's all fixed and the tension is perfect. It just hums when I sew. I love my machine!

Let me first show you the fabrics I got this month from the Bargain Club at Sew Sisters. These look like Japanese fabrics, but they are by Northcott. Beautiful cottons in beautiful colours. I love the one with the bird on it. Don't you?


And here are the fabrics I received in January from the Bargain Club at Sew Sisters. Pretty pastels. Think a baby quilt is in my future. No time to start it now though. I have too many quilts to finish first.


So... having said that... here is a project I started last week. I know, I know! I shouldn't have done that, but I couldn't help myself. It's a Trip Around the World pattern. I cut the fabrics last week, but I didn't dare start to sew the strips together because my old machine does not do accurate 1/4 inch seam allowances. This is going to have to be a WIP because I can't do much more than a few strips per day. But I love how it is turning out. I'll show you more as my work progresses.

And last, but not least is my hexagon Wannabee Quilt. In order for the end sections to fit, I have to add another row of hexies to the inside section. So that is what I am doing now. There are a lot of these little pink hexies to sew on. It will take me awhile before I have this part done.

But Felix doesn't mind how much is done or not done. He just loves a Quilt in Progress!

Another thing that is keeping me from sewing is my new kitchen. Well, it hasn't actually been installed yet, but I have picked out the cabinets and the colour of the counter. I have also bought a new fridge - a nice stainless steel one. It will be delivered in the beginning of March. I'll show you photos when I actually have something to show. This past week the contractor came and built me a kitchen in my basement. We had always intended to have a kitchen down there. It is part of a one-bedroom apartment we built. I have been using the kitchen part of it as my stained glass studio. So even if we never rent it out, I will now have a beautiful full kitchen in my studio, with a sink, cupboards and a stove and fridge. We are still waiting for the upper cabinets because they were out of stock. As soon as they are installed I will post a photo. The kitchen downstairs will also serve as my temporary kitchen while the main kitchen is installed. I'll keep you posted.

You Gotta Have Heart

I posted this block on the Friday Block Party this morning. Since I hadn't tried it out before I posted it, I thought I would give it a try this morning. I don't know what I did wrong. It may just be my machine. This old Jeans Machine does not do accurate 1/4in. seams. The pattern called for templates - which I hate! So I measured the templates and cut my fabric accordingly. The squares are 1 7/8in. The triangles were cut larger and then trimmed when the center of the block was complete. I had to make the strips around the heart larger than stated in the pattern. My block just wasn't big enough. Then I cut the block down to 10 1/2in. square.

More Mug Rugs

We have beautiful sunshine today. But it is extremely cold. With the wind it feels like -25C. It kind of takes your breath away. I just stuck my head out for a moment to throw some peanuts to the squirrels. Oscar thought he wanted to go out, but he changed his mind once he got to the door and felt the cold. Smart cat. And smart me too! I decided to make this an indoor, sewing day.

But my sewing machine is still at the shop. It has been serviced, but I can't pick it up until Saturday. So for now I have been playing with my fabric. I have had to use my old Jeans Machine (White). The seam allowances are not very accurate and it feels like driving an old truck instead of a quiet BMW. But it was okay for making these string hearts. I think I will make a small wall hanging using them. I'll finish it on Saturday when I get my machine back.
I also made a mug rug with one of the blocks. I have sandwiched it, but will wait for my Bernina to finish it.

And last, but certainly not least, is my chicken block for this week's Block Party. I designed a paper piecing pattern for it. Then I added the strips on the side. The chicken part measures about 6 inches square. This will also be finished next week.

Scrappy String Hearts

I just had to make a couple of these scrappy string heart blocks. They are so quick and easy and they only use scraps. I found them on Block Lotto and just couldn't resist them. I experimented with two blocks, but I am sure I will make more of them. But not this weekend because I will be without my sewing machine. It has to go in for a tune-up, so I will have lots of time to work on my hexies. Have a great weekend!

Valentine Kisses and a Mug Rug

I have not been working on my UFOs as I had promised myself. I have just been playing with my fabric. This is not a good thing because I really have to get out of this rut and actually do some real quilting. I did finish my February block of the Birdie Stitches BOM. (see my side bar) It's cute, but it's not a finished quilt. (sigh)


I also made this mug rug using a cat pattern I had downloaded somewhere a long, long time ago. It's kind of cute, but it also is not a finished UFO! This week's block on the Friday Block Party is a cute, fat chicken. I may have to make another mug rug, but not before I finish something else.

So now I am going to tidy up my sewing room and look for a UFO quilt that I can work on this month.

Groundhog Day

I made many hexies this week! And finished another section of the Wannabe quilt. I have five more of these units to make.

We are supposed to be having the worst blizzard of this winter. But if you ask me it's been blown way out of proportion. I don't see that much snow. Perhaps it is worse out in the real world and not what I see from my window.



Flights have been cancelled at the airport. Schools are closed. The Toronto District School Board actually closed their schools today. Do you believe that? This is unheard of! I phoned my daughter at 6:30am to let her know. She was ecstatic. She told me she was going to put her jammies back on and work on her report cards. Roads have been closed and lots of other things cancelled. It has stopped snowing now, but it looks bright outside, kind of like the sun is trying to come out.

And speaking of sunshine and shadows. Our resident rodent, Wiarton Willy predicted an early spring. He could not see his shadow. They had to have the event inside a tent because of the weather - a first in over 50 years. But if you ask me, no ground hog in his right mind would venture out of his burrow on a day like this and try to scratch his way out of the snow! I predict spring will arrive as it normally does, on the spring equinox.

Mimi certainly doesn't like the idea of waking up. Do you girl?

"Meow! Go away and let me sleep!"

The Coldest Month of the Year is Over! Yippeee!

Because this is the last day of January I would like to tie up some loose ends. First of all I have to mention the award Carolyn, from The Vegetarian Hunter, bestowed on me. It's the Liebsters Award. I have no idea who started this one, but 'Liebe' means 'love' in German so I guess it's a Quilt Lovers or Blog Lovers award. Normally I don't accept awards. They are too involved and work oriented. But this one is just an award to bring bloggers together. I can now play it forward and nominate 3-5 more bloggers for this award, but they must have fewer than 300 followers.

I therefore nominate Nynke, from the Dutch Purple Rabbit. She is so sweet and generous and she has a couple of really cute cats!

I also nominate Vicki, from Felines and Fiber Arts. She has given me lots of scraps and some really nice fabrics too. Her quilting is amazing. You have to see it in real life, but since you can't you''ll just have to take my word for it.

Third is Saskia, from Dutch Girl Quilting. She does a lot of hexagon flowers and stitcheries that I love. Her whole family is creative! Go on over and take a look. There is always something interesting going on over there.

I can nominate two more bloggers who have less than 300 followers, but I will leave that up to you. If you qualify, give yourself this award. And then nominate 3-5 other bloggers who have blogs with less than 300 followers.

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Now on with my quilting! January was a busy month, but I did manage to make another quilt for charity. This one was very easy. The kit was missing a piece of fabric for the back, but I used one that I had on hand and I think it turned out pretty good.

I have not been able to sleep well the last few weeks. I seem to be up at all hours of the night and during the day I feel listless and want to nap all the time. This morning I woke up 1:30am and could not get back to sleep. So I got up and started sewing some scraps together. Here are a few of them. There were too many to show them all to you.

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Now I have to get my bread maker out and mix a batch of pizza dough. My daughter is coming over after work to pick it up. She wants to make pizzas tomorrow, but I told her to come over today because we are expecting a huge storm tomorrow - about 30cm of snow and I thought she should go straight home tomorrow. It is also going to be very cold. So... January is over, but look out, February is on it's way in.

Flowers on Wednesday, But No Hexies!

I have some flowers to show you, but they are not hexagon flowers. Those are still at the planning stage and I haven't quite figured out how to fit the next section in. I have some thinking to do.

But I do have some wonderful flowers. This is my yellow, almost green, orchid. I have had this one for several years and it never lets me down when it comes to flowering time.

This one is a pink orchid. It has also been here for several years. Only one flower this year, but there are still a few buds that I hope will open soon.
We have shivered through an extremely cold weekend. On Saturday we went to do our weekly grocery shopping. It was snowing. And it was frigid. But these tulips caught my eye. I couldn't help but think of spring, so I bought them. They are a lovely peachy colour.
A couple of weeks ago I was 'talking' to Saskia of Dutch Girl Quilting about the horrible illnesses that can strike anyone, including family members and friends. It came to me that a positive attitude is necessary to recover from them. We need the four F's, faith, family, friends and fortitude. Now I am adding another F, flowers. They brighten our lives. They give up hope.

I finished the comfort quilt I made for my friend, Linda, who is going through radiation therapy at the moment. I used all my bright flowery fabrics. I had hoped to have it done sooner, but things always take longer than I imagine.

Felix has given it his approval. He is a good tester for my quilts.

It's a nice quilt, isn't it Felix.

"Meow! It's wonderful! And now you can add a couple of more Fs. Meow!"

What do you mean?

"I'm Felix, right? That's one F and I am a feline. so that is another F! Please don't make me get off. I love this thing! Meow!"

I hadn't thought of that. Felines named Felix are definitely a wonderful commodity when it comes to curing what ails you. So that is seven Fs - faith, family, friends, fortitude, flowers, felines and Felix. Thanks boy. Just don't leave any fur balls on that quilt. Okay?

First Finish for the Year!

I have a finish! This quilt is destined to go to a vet in a nursing home. I have no idea who or where. It is a Quilts from the Heart quilt. Our guild members will know what to do with it. I'm just glad I got it finished in time for our meeting next Monday evening. A lot of scraps and pieces from my stash were used to make this Bento Box pattern.


I also pieced the back. I wanted to use up some more of my stash so that I can go shopping! The purple fabric in the centre is not really purple. It is very dark, almost a brown colour. But it has little patches of glittering gold so I guess that is why it tricked my camera into producing a purple colour.

We have some lovely sunshine today. The temperature is only -13C and with the wind it feels even colder, but a pair of mourning doves were enjoying the rays on the bird feeder this morning. Can you see blue sky? Isn't that beautiful? Don't get used to it though. We are going to get clouds and more snow for this evening and into tomorrow morning. It is nice while it lasts though!

Now to get to work on my friend's quilt. I want to mail it out to her on Saturday.

One Flower Wednesday and Other Stuff

I have been busy with my hexagon quilt. Last Friday I showed you the inside of this block. This is all I got done this week. Once the piece gets bigger, it takes longer to go around. Six more hexies are needed for each round. This is where I am at now. Still lots more to go.

It has been snowing every few days since the beginning of the year. My backyard is covered in snow. I took these shots from the doorway. It is too icy today for me to walk outside. I am too afraid of falling. It's dark and gloomy. The snow just keeps on falling - tiny flakes that are almost invisible.

I started a new BOM. I know that I promised myself I wouldn't do that, but I just couldn't resist this cute block. I am going to do it all in black and white.

And speaking of black and white... Here is Oscar. He kept putting his nose into my camera lens until I finally relented and took his photo. Now he is purring! He's so vain.

My internet provider is acting up lately. If it seems that I have not been visiting your blog or not leaving any comments, it is because I only have a few short moments when it works. If this doesn't get better soon I guess I will have to phone the cable company and find out what is going on.

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.