Snowy Saturday Morning

Well, woke up this morning to snow!!  Icky!!  And to think hubster and I have next week off to go and enjoy some 'spring' camping!!  What was I thinking???  I should know better after living in this area more than 30 years....however the weather folks are projecting +20 Celcius by Tuesday....cross your fingers for us.

So, I finished the quilt top for the new bed quilt.  The backing fabric is currently in the washer, so hopefully I can piece that this afternoon and do my sandwiching this evening.  I have no doubt that I won't get it quilted prior to leaving on our camping trip Monday, but since we'll be back on Friday there's another weekend before having to go back to work....just maybe I can get it done.

The picture is not the best as I was trying to work around the fellas who are watching a hockey game.  They need to get their fill before they are cut off while we're off reconnecting with nature.

I also want to give a shout of thanks to all of the lovely people who are helping newbies with their charm collections for a postage stamp quilt.  I have received emails from 5 of these lovely people already ranging from Peoria, IL, to Sweden.  Also thank you to the Curious Quilter for putting all of this together.


Well, I'm off to try to begin getting grocery lists and laundry done in preparation for camping this coming week.  


Take care,
Cath

A productive rainy Friday

Friday was rainy, but productive.....I managed to put together a hobo purse using the instructions at jcarolinecreative.com.

I used a piece of upholstery fabric that I found in the cast-off bin at Fabricland and lined it with some yellow plaid from my stash and included a couple of interior pockets for items that I want quick access to.  I'll keep any changes in mind for the next one as I use this one.

I also finished the binding and washed the charm square quilt that I began the weekend previous.

This little diddy is going to be used as a blind in my sewing room.  Once again I practiced my fmq'ing skills and they've gotten a little better, but they still need some more work before I'm anxious to show them off with some closer pics.

Happy days to all!!

Finally some pictures

Yeah!!  Finally loading some pictures - once again please forgive my photography skills....

This is a batik that I got in a jelly roll and stripped together and then fmq'd.  We've put it up in the bedroom to brighten up the builder's beige walls.  I love the way it adds some colour to the room and just makes it feels cozy!!

This one was started a couple of years ago and spent some time on the quilting frame....I had gotten about the bottom 6 inches handquilted and confirmed that handquilting is not my forte at this point in life.  I took out the handquilting and machined it in straight lines.  Love it....it's now taken on status of being my favourite sofa blankie.


And here are a couple pictures of this weekend's project....

I had to go to the store last week to pick up some thread for another ongoing project and a Moda "Modern Workshop" charm pack fell into my basket of goodies and how could I possibly resist.  It's been pieced, quilted and is just awaiting the binding, but that will have to wait until there's something good on tv to sew along to.


I mentioned previously about the redesign of the sewing room now that Edith (the new machine) has come into my life.....here are some pics of the room that hubby spent a day moving everything around in and putting together shelving for, in order to accommodate my little hobby and keep me amused.  He's a keeper!!

Yes, it already needs a tidy, but it's got lots of little bits of inspiration and ideas 'close at hand', or that's my justification.


Thanks for stopping by and taking a look......have a fantastic spring!

Terrible, Awful, Really Negletful Blogger

Well, look at me finally getting back to this and not even pictures to show.  They are on the camera, but lately it's been a bridge too far to actually get them from there to here.  Ugh.

I haven't been sewing much lately due to the fact that I've been battling the hip pain - and now it's in both sides so sleeping is atrocious!!  C'mon surgery date.....right now even a date would give me some relief so I would have something to mark off on the calendar.

In the meantime and inbetween time I have managed to do a little family history digging.  Although I'm still a little stuck on my maternal side....I found the ship my grandfather came to Canada on, but not much past there.  (If any of you are family history diggers and have some history on poles from Galicia please share.)  I also found my hubby's paternal line on a ship from the same corner of the world.  Spooky!  Even spookier when both of our maternal sides come from Ireland too!!

Back to sewing.  My daughter came by and picked up my old machine the other day, so she's hoping to get some sewing in on remaking some clothes.  FUN!!  Other than Christmas pj's I've been out of the clothing stuff for a long while, but I'm sure I'll be called upon for some advice.  :-)  I also got into the room and got the cutting done on a quilt for the bed that will replace the "camper" one that we'll move into the trailer for the season. 

Woohoo!!  Have our first trip booked for the 7th of May.  I CAN'T wait!!  I just hope that the temps are in the double digits during the day time by then.  Unbelievably it snowed the majority of the last 5 days here.  It has pretty much disappeared already, but they are calling for light flurries again later this week.  Mother Nature can be fickle.

Well, back to work for me and here's hoping that this will kick me in the rear to load those photos tonight when I get home.

Ta ta all!!

The Weekend Flew - planning for next one.

My St. Paddy's weekend flew by - Thursday night:  picked up the new machine (I'm in love) on the way home from work, Friday:  got up at a decent hour just after hubster left for work (poor sucker) and walked the pooch, played with the new toy for a while, then wound up napping from 10 am to 4 (the hip was truly unpleasant) and can't even recall what happened for the evening....likely zilch, Saturday: hubster and I went to Ikea to trick out the sewing room with new shelving and such, got home and hubby dismantled the old and moved it to it's new room and then put all the new stuff together (have I shared with you yet what an amazing husband I have?) and when it was finally done about 10 pm it was time for bed, Sunday:  played in my 'new' room with my new toy and put together a jelly roll of Moda's Tropicana batiks.....just simple strips all lined up that will look lovely on the wall over our bed.  I attempted FMQ'ing with the new machine - I suck at it!!, but it's the first time I tried and I still kind of like the way it looks....so I finally finished up about 9 pm and got the binding sewn on just in time to watch the final end of the Women's World Curling final before I staggered into bed to start the week again.


And now it's Monday night and I had intended to finish hand sewing the binding down while watching curling, but alas......Urkel decided it was ball time.  He has no trouble coming up and down the 3 steps from the back door to the main area except when he has something in his mouth - in this case a ball.  Therefore, since he missed the catch I went over to 'assist' him back up the steps....and well down I went - and not gracefully.  My arm and wrist are hurting like 8(*&U*^&&^&Y and I didn't even break my *(&*((&*( hip!!!  Argh!!  At least if I would have broken the hip they would have to move me up the waiting list for a new improved one.  :-O  Alas, no....I'm just bruised from wrist to elbow.....and that's without even checking my fanny.


So, instead I am watching Dancing With the Stars (our dog's namesake "Urkel" is on this season), pouting about my sore arm, reading blogs and such.  :-(


I did take before and after pics of the sewing room that I will share when the pouting stops, I will also share pics of the batiks quilt/wallhanging when the binding is done and it's washed and in place and maybe even some ideas for what I'll be doing for my first FNSI. Input welcome!!


Here's hoping your Monday night is going better than mine.  Ta ta all!!

Whoop Whoop

Splurging on a new machine!!!  Elna Excellence 740

Yabba Dabba Doo

I hope to pick it up Thursday night and have hubster help to move it into the sewing room so I can play on Friday.  :-)

If anyone has any suggestions or advice before I splurge....please share!

Ugh

Well, Friday was a cruddy day which I let flow into Saturday, but this afternoon I'm trying to force myself out of my funk.


For those who have just met me I've been battling some pain issues which they finally determined is degeneration of the cartilage in both of my hips.  I'm on the waiting list for a new left hip, but  since I had a shot of cortisone just over a week ago in my left hip it is now the right hip that is killing me.   I had an appt with my family doc on Friday and his only advice was that I take my painkillers and anti-inflammatories more often.  GRRRR. 


So since then I pouted on the sofa and watched the last few draws of the Brier on tv.  :-)  I may have had to given up participating in curling this season, but I've gotten really good at watching it.  Alberta's team is in the final this evening.  Whoop Whoop!!


On to schtuff you might actually be interested in.......


In order to get me moving again I grabbed some scraps and threw together a potholder....just played with some odds and ends and a little bit of stitch in the ditch and some straightline quilting.  I like how it turned out, but not shareworthy....


I've managed to recover a pillow in a quilt as you go for my favorite back alley salvaged chair.  I think it adds a little burst of spring colour to the living room.  

I also managed to take a pic of the tiny little quilt I plan to give to my Mom for Easter.  I've named it "Spring it On".   (My picture taking skills currently suck....so I'm going to work on that, but bear with me, please.)

And finally I'm going to have to wait until hubster finishes painting the guest bathroom to haul the big camping quilt outside to take a pic of that one....and of course, just as I finished typing that came my darling took a little break so I got him to pop outside and help me out.  :-)  (He's handsome, handy, patient and has good timing...I think I'll keep him.  XOXO)

Back is in soft cord for those chilly mountain nights.

I did the front in summery, happy squares to keep the trailer bright.

While I've been sewing I've been listening to "The Bayou Trilogy" by Daniel Woodrell.  I love to read, but I also love to listen to audiobooks.  Must have been growing up without a tv for parts of my youth and listening to CBC.


Well, back to thinking about all those things that I've been procrastinating about all weekend, groceries, dinner, getting ready for another week of work.