A Bluish Purple Garden

My blue and white Iris is in bloom.  I love this plant and wait for it to bloom every year.  It has not failed me yet.  This thing is gorgeous!

And as I looked around my garden I noticed a lot of other bluish/purple plants in boom.  Here are my perennial Geraniums, also known as Cranesbill.

And my Chives.

I bought this basket of Million Bells several weeks ago.  I had to take it in and out of the house when the weather did not cooperate.  But it survived and looks amazing right now!

That is when I remembered that I had some scraps sitting beside my sewing machine.  So, yesterday, after returning from my outing with the Tuesday Friendship Quilters for an end-of-the-year luncheon, it started to rain like crazy!  There was nothing else to do but sew my scraps together and make a cushion for one of the garden chairs.

I used an old pillow form that had seen better days.  It is 14 inches square.  The fabrics are not really outdoor ones.  I will have to take this little cushion inside at night.  But it feels great to use up some of my scraps and make something pretty for the garden.  I hope to make several more of them from my scrap bin, in lots of other colours to match the flowers that will bloom later in the season.

Little Blue Hat

I needed something for instant gratification.  So I spent my evening, yesterday, knitting this little hat.  I made the pattern up myself.  It turned out okay, but I have no idea how big a baby's head is.  Anybody have any ideas?

I think I will make a few more of these once I figure out the right size to make them.

My Design Wall

I know it seems as if I am not doing any sewing and I'm not doing a lot, but I do have some things on my design wall.

This is a 16 patch which I saw on Nicolette's blog.  I loved it and I thought I could use up lots of 4 inch strips that I had cut out several months ago.  I think I was planning to do a star quilt or something, but it was all in purples and it just didn't turn me on.  My design wall is doing double duty.  You can see some maple leaf blocks behind the 16 patches.  I still have two more blocks to make on that one.

If I make the 16 patch quilt 4 blocks by 5 blocks, as Nicolette has done, the quilt will measure 56 inches by 70 inches.  I might add another row to the bottom to make it 84 inches long.  This will fit my bed better, since I am still using a hospital bed and that measures 36 by 80.

In my garden there is lots of colour.  I especially like blue flowers, so here are my Virginia Bluebells - Mertensia virginica.  I just love these!

Switching my Quilt Addiction for a Plant Addiction

It's finally planting season.  I have been busy - digging, pulling weeds, moving things around and buying plants from the nursery.  I managed to get a couple of quilt blocks done, but not much else as far as sewing goes.

Last weekend my DH and I went for a walk in the woods.  I used some walking sticks - you know the kind that have spikes on the ends, much like ski poles - and I was able to get around without any problems. There were a few trilliums in the woods.  They were just beautiful.  I love seeing the trilliums,  When they are in bloom I know it's spring!

I also spotted a plant that I don't think I have ever seen before.  I think it is a Toothwort.  If you know this plant or know what it really is, please leave me a comment.  Thanks.

To all my friends south of the border, have a fantastic long weekend!  We had ours last weekend.  Drive carefully and stay safe.  The weather is just perfect here at the moment.  I am going back outside to plant a few more things.  Hopefully I will have time to do a bit of quilting next week.

Butterflies in my Garden

Last week I showed you the wonderful butterfly for the month of May by The Hexie Blog.

I saw a smaller hexie butterfly on the internet a couple of weeks before this orange one.  I decided to make a couple of them - purple one...

and a pink one/

I have no idea what I will do with them, but they were so much fun to make.  I think there will be a few more of these in my future.

I am linking up to A Quilting Reader's Garden.

Going to the Dogs

Introducing... (drum roll please) ... Patches, my little dog!  Isn't he cute?

I have neglected my sewing for the past two days in order to put this little guy together.  But it was worth it, I think.  I am very pleased with how he turned out.  But not only was a bit of crocheting going on around here, a lot of growing was going on in my garden.  We had some extreme rain in the past few days and the temperature was very spring-like.   Just look at how my garden has blossomed!

Here is Patches in my Bergenia.

And here he is admiring my Euphorbia.  This is one of my favourite plants in my garden.

But he looks lonely, don't you think?.  I must get busy and make him a brother or sister. 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Have you hugged a Mom today?

Butterfly Hexies

I joined The Hexie Blog to make a different hexie block each month.  The block for May is a butterfly.

I didn't add the hexagon with the antenna because I didn't have any fabric that would work for that.  I think I will just embroider some after I applique the butterfly to a background fabric.  Here is another shot of it beside some dandelions that are coming up all over the place.  It's spring and I love it!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Dance of Joy

The Folk Dance Jamboree is being held because it is Education Week here in Toronto.  Every evening this week, Albert Campbell Square is alive with the sounds of music and children's laughter.  I have always loved this wonderful event, so I asked to go along and they let me.

I loved it!

On the sewing front, nothing much has been going on.  I had an extremely busy weekend. There was a lot of fence staining going on.  My future weekends will likely be filled with more of that.

But I finished the baby blanket I was working on.  It is loosely based on a Lion Brand pattern. And when I say "loosely", I mean it.  I didn't use Lion Brand yarn, not even the bonbons yarn that the pattern called for. I used mostly Red Heart yarns - huge balls called 'Comfort' and some others that I had in my stash.  With size 6mm needles I cast on a number of stitches that I thought would make the blanket wide enough.  I don't even remember how many.  Then I knit some white rows and changed colour according to the colours of the rainbow.  I had these yarns at home, so I didn't even have to buy any yarn.  I used 8 rainbow colours.  The only problem I had was running out of the white about 10 rows from completion. So I went out and bought another ball.  Bummer.  But now I have enough to make another blanket.

It's just plain knitting, but I love how it turned out.  It's about 35 inches wide by 45 inches long. My DD loves it too.  I made it especially for her.  Well, not for her exactly, but for her new baby boy.  You see, my DD is pregnant and that is why I am doing the Happy Dance!

What I am Working On

I am always asked why I don't post more often.  People complain that they visit my blog, but there is nothing new going on.  I am working as fast as I can, folks.  But it is spring - sort of - and I am busy in the garden, getting out on my scooter and doing other outdoor stuff.

I am still sewing and quilting, but not as much as I would like.  I do have something to show you though.

Here are some of my maple leaf blocks.  I still have a few more to go.  Hopefully I will finish them in the next week or so.  I am trying to sew at least one block per day.

And here is something new I started a couple of days ago.  I am sewing selvages together that will eventually become a bag.  This is so much fun!

If you want to show me how much you like my blog, leave me a comment.  That way I will know that folks are interested and maybe I will post more often.  Thanks!

Bob the Builder Baby Quilt

The top is finished!  Now I just have to sandwich and quilt it.  My DD commissioned me to make this for a friend of hers.  It is approximately 42 inches square.  The baby shower is not until the end of June, so I have time.

This was a fun project to work on.  I have another piece of fabric with dinosaurs on it.  Someone gave it to me.  I think I will make another quilt like this one, using that fabric.  But first I have to finish the maple leaf quilt.  Hope to show you that one soon.

I am linking up with the needle and thread network and a quilting reader's garden.

Happy Earth Day!

We finally have some spring.  Not a lot, but there is a hint of it in the air.  I planted an urn with some spring bulbs, pansies and primrose.  I just couldn't wait for the flowers to come out in my garden.

But my Scilla Siberica is also blooming on my front lawn.  I love blue flowers.  When these come out I know it's spring.

It rained last night and you can see the droplets on the flowers.  Another sign of spring to my eye!

Today is Earth Day.  This is one of my favourite days of the year.  I hope you plan to do something green to help our planet.  Maybe join in on the 22 minute clean up.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

I will show you some quilty stuff tomorrow.  I promise.

Hey! What's that White Stuff?

I had wanted to show you what is on my design floor, but I can't concentrate on my quilting when my world is starting to look a lot like winter again.

My frog is freezing his little you-know-what off.  Not a happy camper right now.  I think.

And what about this robin?  I found him sitting in my apple tree, singing away and preening himself.  Kind of like using the snowflakes as a shower.  He seemed happy, but I'm not sure.  I wouldn't be.

I guess he has seen snow in April before and is making the best of things.  So I will do the same and show you what I will be working on in the next week or so.  First is my maple leaf quilt.  This is one of my UFOs that I want to get done this month.  I have a few stems to applique before I can finish it.  But that shouldn't take long.

And then there are my hexies.  I am still working on them.  I doubt if they will be finished any time soon. They are my ongoing evening project.  I think these will take another year or so.

And last, but not least is this quilt.  My DD asked me to make a baby boy quilt for a friend of hers.  So this is what I came up with.  There will be a total of 16 blocks with sashing between them.  I hope to have it completed - at least to a flimsy stage - by this weekend.  The focus blocks are made using a Bob the Builder fabric that I have had in my staff for a long time.  It will be good to get it used up.

And now I am off to my Tuesday morning group. 

 See you again soon.

A New Species of Wildlife

At around 9:30PM on Saturday evening I looked out of the front window of my DD's house and saw what I thought was a cat.  Our visitors had just gotten into their car and I wondered how this 'cat' had not been frightened away. It had its back to me, so I called my son over to look at it because it seemed to be a strange colour.  That's when my DS told me it was an opossum.  How exciting!  I had never seen one before.  I thought they lived in the southern states.  And they do, but lately many opossums have been seen in the Greater Toronto Area.  I wasn't able to take a photo because it was too dark and I didn't have my camera, so I borrowed this pic from the internet.

This is the Virginia Opossum and it is not native to Southern Ontario, but has been coming here over the last few decades, probably hitching a ride on the back of trucks.  It is the only marsupial found in North America.  They really don't like the cold, but the one I saw seems to have weathered our worst winter in over 20 years quite well. I can't wait to see more of them.

I am now going back to my sewing room.  I had wanted to post 'what's on my design wall' this morning, but decided to go to the library first thing, before the rains came.  I also needed to buy milk.  It is still warm out - in the high teens, but that will change by tomorrow morning.  The forecast is for -1C with freezing rain and snow.  How crazy is that.?  Hope that opossum is able to keep himself warm.

Garden of Hope - A Recovery Quilt

Our Guild held a quilt show this weekend.  It was fantastic!  Lots of quilts and wall hangings.  Lots of vendors, a boutique, an auction and results of our quilt challenge.  I spent my afternoon viewing the quilts and then manning the admissions table.  I managed to get a few photos of the quilts.  I will show some more of them later, but for now here is the quilt I entered into the show.  It measures about 60 inches by 84 inches.

This is the quilt I started a few years ago when I was in a rehab hospital recovering from a rare neurological disorder.  It was an attempt to relieve my depression over not being able to walk any longer.  I was given large doses of steroids to stifle my auto-immune system, but even after several months things did not get much better.  I was offered mood altering drugs by several doctors, but I didn't think my body could stand even one more chemical.  I told them to give me fabric instead of pills and they just laughed at me.  But even as they were laughing I turned my hospital room into a sewing studio.  Boxes of fabrics, lined my walls.  I hand pieced and appliqued during my free time between physio and OT and often far into the night.  The nurses were very supportive.  They would come and visit my room to see what I had accomplished that day. I based my quilt on one that I saw in the magazine, Australian Country Threads.  And guess what?  My therapy worked!  A creative heart is a happy heart!  

I got many compliments on my quilt today and that felt good.  A wonderful woman named, Janet Chisholm long arm quilted it for me.  She did a wonderful job.  I don't think my quilt would have looked as good if she hadn't spent so much time on it.  

And now I am off to bed.  It's been a long, exciting day!

 

Quilt Show

It's spring!  And if you live in the Greater Toronto Area and feel bored this weekend, what better thing to do than to come and join us at our Quilt Show.

I was over there last night to drop off my quilt and it looks like it will be a great show.  Lots of members' quilts and wall hangings, our raffle quilt,  merchant's mall and guild boutique, tea room and bake sale, guild challenge display, viewer's choice awards, door prizes and more.  It's being held at the Pickering Recreation Complex located at 1867 Valley Farm Road in Pickering.

I did not take a photo of my quilt before I put into the show, but tomorrow I will be manning the admissions desk and I will have a chance to look around and take some photos.  I'll post them on Monday.

Now for my indoor garden.

This is my red Amaryllis.  There is a second flower stalk coming up beside this one.

This is a pink one.  I didn't even realize that I had a pink one.  Soooo pretty!

And here are the tulips my DD brought me on my birthday last week.  They are still gorgeous.  I just love yellow tulips!

Hopefully I will be able to show you some outdoor spring flowers soon.  We had rain all day yesterday. Most of the snow and ice is gone.  My robins are back and my crocuses are blooming in front of my house. You can see them on my header.

See you at the Show!  Have a great quilty weekend!  I know I will!

Earth Hour

First I want to thank everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday yesterday.  Between snail mail, my blog, emails and Facebook comments, I was busy all day!  Then my DD and her fiance came over for dinner and brought me these beautiful flowers.

I thought this bouquet was perfect for Earth Hour - the bounty of our planet to brighten up my kitchen. What more could one ask for?  So if you want to help bring attention to saving our world, join us for Earth Hour at 8:30pm this evening.  Just turn off the lights and television for one hour.  Light a candle and sit with family and friends, chatting and enjoying the solitude.

Happy Earth Hour to everyone!

Stuff

It's been a week since I last posted anything.  Not much sewing has been going on here, so there is not much to show.  I have been working on my hexies, though.  About 150 are prepped and just waiting to be sewn into the the quilt top.

On Monday evening I decided I needed a few more dishcloths.  So I found some nice spring coloured cotton and got started.  Felix sat on them as soon as i put them down, but he refused to look at me when I took the photo.  I still love him though!

Last week I showed you a photo of the crocuses growing in the front of my house.  I was hoping they would be in bloom by now, but NOT!!

It's been way too cold.  Below freezing temps and lots of wind.  We did miss the storm that moved through just south of us and hit the Maritimes with up to 50cm of snow, the biggest storm they have had this winter.

The only things growing are inside.  This is an Amaryllis that I bought a couple of years ago.  It went dormant and now it is ready to bloom again.  There are two buds on this one and another plant has one bud.  Can't wait for these to open up.

And my Streptocarpus is doing fantastic!  It went into a dormant spell, but now it is blooming again.  I love these blue flowers.  I know these plants are indoors, but they give me hope that spring will arrive one day - soon, I hope.

Tomorrow I will be 24106 days old.

Spring?

In an hour or so spring will be here.  Don't get me wrong.  I love spring, but I am a bit skeptical this year.  It doesn't feel like spring and it doesn't look like spring.  In fact, it looks just like winter to me.

This is the view from my front window.  Still lots of snow.

I decided to work on my 'green quilt'.  I need green in my life right now.  This quilt is from a 2005 calendar by Fons and Porter.  This was the quilt for March.  There were no instructions, so I just made it from 2.5 inch squares and bigger pieces of all the greens I had in my stash at that time.  When I ran out of green fabrics, I put it away and just found it again this year.  I have more greens now, so I think I can finish it.

It's called, 'Scraps of Green'.

It is only 2C today and we have had snow flurries all morning.  But look what I found in front of my house. A patch of crocuses, just showing their green shoots above the ground.  They are only a foot or so from the house, so they are in a warm zone.  Usually they are blooming by now. But not this year.  Still, I'll take any sign of spring that I can get, especially if it is green.  

 

 

 

So bring spring on!  To this year's winter I say, 'enough is enough!

 

 

 

St. Patrick's Day

Scraps and Pi

I was searching through my stash the other day, looking for a quilt I had started in 2005.  It was in a Fons and Porter calendar for the month of March, all done in green fabrics.  I really loved that photo and decided to make the quilt, but I ran out of greens.  My stash was not as extensive then, as it is today.  I found the green blocks, but I also found a partially completed top made with 2.5 inch scraps.  I decided I needed to finish this one first.

I worked on it all morning and hoped to show you the finished flimsy, but I guess my calculations were not the best, or maybe there is a block hiding somewhere in my sewing room.  Anyway, I am one 25-patch block short.

Calculations are not my forte.  But I do know that it is Pi Day today.  My DS is a math instructor at a local college, so this day is celebrated at our house yearly.


"Meow.  What is pie day?"

Oh.  Hi Felix.  It's not pie day,  It's pi day.

"Meow.  I love pie!  Especially catnip pie!"

I am talking about pi.  3.14 as in today's date, March 14th.   It's defined as the ratio of a circumference of a circle to its diameter.  This is the symbol for it.

I don't expect you to understand, Felix.  You have to be kind of nerdy to get this stuff and maybe not a cat.  But it is also Albert Einstein's birthday today, so it is a double nerdy day.

"Meow.  So are we going to have pie today - catnip pie?  I hope, I hope!"

Maybe, if I can get out to the store.



Buy I don't think that is going to happen.  We had another huge dumping of snow a couple of days ago. And yesterday it was very, very cold, so nothing melted.  Today it is nicer, but there is still too much snow out there for me to get out on my scooter.

I think I will go back to my sewing room and look for the missing block and if I can't find it I guess I will make another one.

Have a Great Weekend, Everyone!

Goodnight Irene Update

Got one more row of my 'Goodnight Irene' sew along quilt done.  Just haven't sewn it to the first two rows. Terry is hosting this one. Go over there and look at some of the other quilts made in different colours.  So interesting to see how different they look.  Now back to the sewing room.  I have to cut some more 2.5 inch green squares so that I can keep on using them as leaders and enders for this project.

It Still Isn't Over!

Environment Canada warns us that our winter is not over yet.  Spring will be delayed.  Like I needed to hear that!  I took a photo of the front of my house yesterday.  I can't believe how much snow we still have and it is already the 5th of March.  

I want to see flowers!  I want my crocuses to bloom in front of my house and the snowdrops to show up in the backyard.  I wonder how long I will have to wait for that.  I need colour!  While surfing some blogs this morning, I came across one that showed some fabric flowers.  Can't remember where I saw them, but I saved the link to the tutorial and made a few of them.  I didn't have the right tools and I wasn't able to make any leaves, but I think they look pretty in a pot of jade.  You can find the tutorial on this blog.  It is on her sidebar.  They are called, Fleur de Marguerite.

Remember I promised you a photo of my hexie demonstration at our guild a couple of weeks ago. Well a kind member sent me this photo.  Those are all of my hexagon projects in the back.

My longarm quilter got the quilt. that I am putting into our quilt show. finished.  Gosh it looks great.
I would post a photo, but I think I will wait until after the show is over.  Now I just have to sew on the binding, make a hanging sleeve and a label.  But in order to do that, I will have to take another trip to the quilt shop to buy some fabric.  Ha!  Poor me.