Material Junkie

This is so WRONG!!!

2011-03-23T14:59:00.000-04:00

http://daphnegreig.blogspot.com/2010/05/quilt-market-report.html

and then read this:

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2010/07/with-sad-heart.html

Itchy Itchy Itchy....

2011-01-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

Is what I am. I ended up getting hives out of the blue last week and have been waiting to see the doctor. The Pharmacist told me to take Benadryl in the meantime and that stuff knocks me out, so my sleeping has been really screwed up and when I am awake I am so l-a-z-y. I did start back to the gym Mon- Wed - Friday's last week, so I am pleased about that. How is it when you are busy busy busy you wish you had time to do stuff and now that I am not busy I do feel like doing much of anything.
So in the meantime I shall show you a centre piece table top I made and am now making 4 placemats to go with it to use up the scraps. Colours look like crap here..but I absolutely love the colours in person. The blue in the brown looks so blue here but not in person.

Not everyone is lazy like me. My out of province BFF sent me this picture of a quilt that she will be teaching a class in February.She is so talented and so percise.
I remember when she first asked me to come "quilt" with her and her other friends...
My response..Uhm......NO! NO! NO! That is for 80 yr olds. Wow, how nieve was I?

So the top is partially done and she is going to put a scallop border on it. Pretty Pretty.

Here is the start of a pattern for my next quilt...Just have to cut out some templates. Easy peasy.

Year 2011 - Project Me

2011-01-02T15:55:00.001-05:00

I really do like the beginning of each year. It's like you have a chance to start "over", though we really can't ever start over. We can only continue our journey in a different way..with a different attitude..with different goals..The beginning of a new calendar ..is just that..the beginning of a new calendar year. A starting point. A date to measure our goals by. We usually give ourselves the entire year to measure success or failure.

I knew in March 2010 that I would be losing my job..sometime before the end of the year as my boss wanted to retire. I was so looking forward to that day. I chose to stay and work up until the final day rather then find another job so I could have some time off. I have been a workaholic for many many years. So in September my job of 12 years ended. At that time I had a part-time job also so I wasn't too worried but I got blindsided (along with others) and that job was finished in December. They may reopen in March 2011 after the owner renovates. He can go %#!@*& himself. I am pissed about that one. They are trying to sell as he wants to retire also. So I have gone from workaholic to sweet piss all!

Good comes from every bad though and since I was the only person in the office it was real hard for me to take holidays and when the job finished I got to visit BFF in New Brunswick and my brother in Nova Scotia.

This is the first time ever in my life that I have been without a job so this New Year I really am continuing my journey in a whole different way. I am still not sure what I want to be when I grow up.

This is what I do know though:
1. I want to change my blog name ( I believe this to be true) and format.
2. Either get my shit together and write on the blog or delete it.
3. I rather work 7 days a week and bitch about it, then not work at all.That I should take this time to get to
know myself and what I want to do in the future.
4. I got very lazy and convinced myself that I should not waste the gas money to travel 1/2 hr to go to the
YMCA since I do not work, but still pay the monthly fee.
5. Not going to the YMCA is more damaging then not working.

So to sum it up..quilt more..blog about it..exercise more...blog about it.

Best Wishes in 2011

2010-08-09T11:47:00.001-04:00

Summertime means outside renovation time. This is what was under the front porch after it was removed.

I fell on top of this and it hurts. The ole mare ain't what she used to be.

But it did not hurt working on these:

Have a good day!

2010-07-15T11:33:00.000-04:00

I previously showed you pics of my bosses garden and my perk for working for him, but I did not say what kind of work we do. Here is my boss at work...

Oh and I see our labourer doing some work too. Leaning against the ladder. And no..absolutely I do not work on the site..I just take pics and pick veggies from the garden back at the office.

It is a school that we just finished building.
Now we are going to fix this school.
Removing 2m around the perimeter of 4 walls to replace spalding bricks.

And here is a picture of the school we finished last year.
It is nominated for a Builders Excellence Award. As it should be. Nice looking school.

Wow..that is alot of blogging for one day.Got work to do now.

Have a Great Day

Oh How His Garden Grows!

2010-07-15T10:57:00.001-04:00

Every year my boss says he is not going to plant his garden as big as he does. Every year he plants it bigger.

The thing is..there is no one to eat it all...even 1/4 of it. His kids come out every now and then to collect some veggies..but not enough to warrant a garden this size. I don't know why he bothers doing it so big..it is lot of work for him and ..let's say...he ain't getting any younger. Is it a male thing?
The cherry trees were unbelievable this year..sweet and sour both. Strawberries..not so good.

Fig Tree...Peach Tree...Grape Vines...forgot to take a picture of the Yellow Plum Tree.

In the garden (oh- there is another one around back) he has garlic..leeks..potatoes..tomatoes..zucchini

..squash..snow peas..other peas..onions..3 types of lettuce..hot peppers..green and red peppers. Basil..rosemary..thyme..some kind of red bean..and who knows what else!!

So can you go and pick your lunch off a tree when you are at work..Perks!!!

Happy Picking!

I Wish

2010-07-15T10:22:00.000-04:00

that either of these were mine..but they are not. My BFF sent me these following pics. 1st one is from her BOM she did through the Fat Quarter Shop. She did an awesome job. And the 2nd is a picture of a quilt at The Apple Blossom Quilt Show (somewhere) in the Maritimes and she knew I would appreciate that border and it is hand stitched. Enjoy!

All Finished Up

2010-05-04T07:49:00.002-04:00

I showed this quilt a bit ago that BFF was working on. Here it is all finished...and HAND QUILTED. Oh and I see a label peeking out at the corner....so organized and detailed she is. Complete opposite of me.

I found THIS AWESOME TUTORIAL on line...and though I would love to make it with the Sanae Line for Moda "Arcadia" as in the tutorial ~ I cannot find it on line or anwhere else I have been. It's not that old but apparently there's none around. I have faith that a couple of charm packs are hiding somewhere. I used fat quarters of Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry and there may be some Timeless Treasures in there also. The white is from Northcott. Love their solids - it has a linen look to it up close..but our local quilt store has not been able to get any of the white in lately as Northcott is changing manufacturer's or distributor's? Either way- I am out and I don't like it.A friend of mine was in the States last week and grabbed me some brown and white of Kona Cotton for $3.99. I pay $9.99 here. So that was a deal.

Got it Done

2010-05-03T08:24:00.000-04:00

I hate making pinwheel blocks..Always have...Always will. But I managed to get 4 of them done and 3 small quilts done for THIS LADY. Oh and they made it there on time. Amazing.

Onward and Forward to something else now.
Take Care
.

Breaking Ground Quilt.

2010-04-15T09:34:00.000-04:00

How is it that I grew up in Toronto and had never heard of this tragedy. Mind you I was just a baby at the time but you would think that one would have heard about this. More so now, that I am in the construction industry. Read this article and look at this quilt. Awesome work by fabric artist Laurie Swim. I had never heard of her also...It's an interesting read...GO HERE and read about her work.
Then GO HERE to see the quilt.

This is Why I do not Facebook

2010-04-09T12:05:00.003-04:00

I do not want to know every detail of what my kids are up to. Just like I did not want my mother to know either. But it is funny.

It's Been A While

2010-04-05T10:32:00.001-04:00

but I have been busy. I decided I would get all my tops together and start sewing them..and I have...except at the same time I started two more. My goodness what is wrong with me?? I need to Focus!!
Well now I am going to Focus....on something else of course....
I have committed to sending some blocks and some baby quilts to this lady for her Quilting for Babes cause. Check out her blog and maybe you may want to donate also. I am pleased that it is for a Canadian Hospital.

Next up are two WIP by my BFF. One is from a free BOM from Gail Pan Designs...(I think I have one more block to do) and the other is one she is doing in her Quilt Guild in New Brunswick. Love it!!
My BFF does not think she does good work...ha ha..you should see her painting...she is quite the artistic gal.

Have a Great Day

The Wonders of the Web

2010-02-22T10:53:00.000-05:00

So on my last post I received a comment..from no other then Ricky Tims. Though I doubt he was scrolling through blogs and found me. I would assume that he has some kind of program that lets his "people" know when someone refers to his Convergence Quilts. And rightfully so. I am working on another one (my rendition of) for my dining room wall. I am aware that I do not get to learn a whole lot from a 3 min video so I will get his book. I can imagine one could do some interesting things with his technique. I used regular cotton in this picture and already learned the benefits of having the dyed or batik fabrics so you can flip the cuts whichever way you choose. Having only one good side does not give many options. But I still like it, and I am still interested in this technique. So my daughter who is an Amazon junkie will order the book for me on her next order so we can get free shipping. Gotta save those dollars for fabric.
On other news..I prepared 3 quilts for finishing.
Have a good day!

Convergence Quilts

2010-02-12T08:23:00.000-05:00

I watched a video last Friday where Ricky Tims was doing a demonstration on his "Convergence Quilt" technique. I...AM...HOOKED. I whipped this puppy up in no more then 1 hr..then spent time just sewing the snot out of it with different stitches for practice. (Still need alot of practice) I had these batiks laying around forever, so I used them for the practice one but I luv how they turn out and am kicking my ass that I do not have enough to make a larger wall quilt. The possibilities are endless!!I have all kinds of ideas running through my head and I am going to get some nicer batiks and make a bigger one...

Have a good weekend.

Tutorial Thief

2010-02-10T15:49:00.004-05:00

I never did post a picture of this quilt that I did from a tutorial on http://www.cluckclucksew.com/. I love it. I am going to make another one with traditional fabrics.

I am a massive TUTORIAL THIEF. But in my defensive ... these lovely people do take their time to make great tutorials for us and I bet they are pleased as punch when we use them. I know that I always send the person I got the tutorial from a picture of the finished quilt and they appreciate knowing that you used it and seeing the finished product.
I am doing the quilt below with Joel Dewberry and Amy Butler fabrics. It goes together so easy with THIS tutorial. I wanted to make one with the same fabric in the tutorial but I could not find the fabrics - I ended up doing one with a retro look because these FQ's were only $2.00 each. Imagine...a thief and cheap!

I generally hate Len's Mill Stores (because they over price their fabric that is 3-4 years old and sometimes even sell fabric from Joann Fabrics from the States at 3x the cost) but I did stop by there the other day to check out the price of Bamboo batting ~ and lo and behold ~ they had layer cakes (new for them) and the price was $21.99 and charm packs for $ 5.99. I knew that was cheap for Ontario so I had to buy them just because I think someone priced them wrong.
So feminine...Patissiere...so not like me.
The next day I checked out the Len's Mill near my work and they were $30.00 there and charm packs were $8.99.. Then I checked online and in the States they are still selling the layer cakes for $35.00. So I am estatic that they priced them wrong and I got them for the price I did...suckers....looks good on them.

Did you know that since October 1, 2009 I have only missed the gym 4 times...Oh yeah..pat me on the back. I still like going just as much as I did when I first started.

Talk to you soon
Jocey

This would be fun!

2010-02-08T13:04:00.000-05:00

By camera battery is being a little bitchy lately..so in the meantime..check this out:

I could so do this in any station...how fun is that.

Then when you are done there - check out how they did it:

Ambers Quilt

2010-01-23T08:57:00.002-05:00

I forgot to take a picture of the quilt I made for son's girlfriend for Christmas. It was from a Mystery Quilt Design by Blue Meadow Designs. However, everyone and their uncle are doing this pattern. It goes together so quick. I had used a Swanky charm pack by Chez Moi for the centres and the pink is from Objects of Desire Line, then White by Northcott (nice fabric-has a linen look to it) and I can't remember who the brown dotted fabric is from but I want to say Timeless Treasures. The binding is a deep rose by Northcott (though it appears red in these photos). I had a different binding on but I totally screwed that up and I have no idea how, so Christmas Eve day the LQS was open and saved the day. I liked the new binding way better anyhow so it all worked out - but I was up on Christmas Eve sewing the binding until 2 a.m. My fingers were so sore..that will never happen again.

How do you decide?

2010-01-18T10:50:00.001-05:00

I don't buy alot of patterns but I do get alot of ideas off of blogs and tutorials and pictures of quilts. It's not that I don't want to buy patterns..I just can't follow them well. When I use to crochet I would call stitches..small ones..funny ones..big ones. It is funny how we all process info different. So when I see a quilt that I like..usually it is the colour I notice first and fall in love with and the pattern is secondary. Then I have to draw it myself for it to make sense to me. Then if a pattern is available I will buy it if I want to make it. Even at work I read blueprints for construction jobs and if it is anything other then square I need to draw little pictures for the drawing to make sense to me what we are building. I have asked for Lego for the last 10 years...I thought it would help to build it first. I am still waiting. So what's the point you say???
Well I think we all have our favorite designers..admit it..even if it's just to yourself. While we appreciate them all and like their work ....we do not idolize them all equally. I have my hands down favorite. Healther Mulder Peterson. Love her quilts. Love her blog. So anyhow..I was at the LQS and seen they have an upcoming class and they had a top completed up on the wall of the pattern they were doing and I thought.."I have seen that quilt somewhere" . I read the info and it was one of Heather's quilts that I just had seen on her blog the other day. I don't need to take the class to make the quilt, but all of a sudden I felt uhmmm..let's say "protective". The sample they had up was absolutely no indication of the actual quilts Heather does. I did not like the quilt sample and I would not have wanted to make this quilt if I had not of seen this quilt first. I wanted to say to the shop owner that I don't think she did this pattern any justice. So is that just me..are others able to look past boring and see potential?

One Down

2010-01-10T18:58:00.002-05:00

The following quilt is the first one of the New Year. I ordered all the fabric from Connecting Threads..Fantastic Prices..The fat quarters were 12.80 for 22 pieces..the yardage was 5.96 and the thread was 1.59. Cheapest quilt I ever made. In Ontario we just do not see those kind of prices of a entire collection. I really liked the thread too.. I liked the fabric (though I haven't washed it yet) but I did not like that the selvage was the same colour as the rest of it. I am so used to the white selvage that I kept forgetting to cut it off so the blocks ended up smallers then I wanted. I knew when I ordered this that I was going to just make a big block quilt - quick & simple as seen on http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/ . So had to adjust the borders a bit due to my impatience ~ but it is one of my favorite.

First pic is of outside. Second shows the back. I just love the colours.

I took the entire crate of scraps I showed the other day and spent 3 days cutting them down into useful size pieces - anywhere from .75 to 1.75 inch. Then I cut the white stripes into 1.25" strips and put them down the centre with white on each corner to have one focus fabric to "ground" it or "neutralize" it. I want to use the scraps but I needed some kind of constant. I am going to make a string quilt, then pass on the remaining to my friend in town and then mail the rest to out of province friend. After that ... I do not want them back. It's funny how I can remember each and every fabric in there.

I have decided that I am going to finish all my UFO's and use up most of what I have due to the price of batting. I use the Arctic Bamboo batting and right now it is $16.49 a metre..Crrrrraaaaazzzzy prices!! A friend of mine is going to Ohio at the end of the month and I am thinking of ordering the Warm & Natural on a bolt but I don't really like it as much as the bamboo. I find it is thinner then it used to be and wonder how the hell is that think piece of cotton suppose to keep anyone warm.
That's all for now.

Take Care

It's a Sad Day

2010-01-04T08:58:00.000-05:00

CrazyMomQuilts announced that she will be closing her blog.

And New Year Begins

2010-01-01T18:38:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking lately that I need to get on the bandwagon and either post to my blog or delete it. I had started to do the blog so that I could stay in touch and show BFF (who ditched me) what I am working on and also keep track of what I was working on...Oh yeah..and have somewhere neutral to bitch since no one in my family reads this any how . So I will be better at blogging this year. So I was looking through the blog....and thought.....not a hell of alot done. I start things and do not finish.. I have lots of unfinished projects. It stresses me out having all this unfinished stuff. So change is needed and change will start ... today ....with this.....ahhhhh that feels better already.

Then I gave myself a pat on the back for the more important things that I DID accomplish. Quit smoking in June and joining the YMCA in October. I go to the YMCA - Mon - Fri at 6 am and have not missed a day.Even though today is a holiday it is Friday so I went today..and did the gym and aqua fit.
I hope I NEVER start smoking again....I know people that started again after being smoke free for a long time...Please don't let that be me. Just before Xmas I went to my doctor to get the results of updated blood work..you know..to see how its all going. Well WTF was up with that? My cholesterol was down..impressively so - if I do say so myself...my Vitamin D was finally on its way up after another 12 weeks of 50,000 i.u. (not an exageration). I did have the lowest count of any patient in her office but just recently got beat out by a patient that was 1 number lower then me...they now hold the record and they can have it...BUT my sugar was elevated and my triglycerides were elelvated and they have never been.. What's up with that shit?? Don't know but I am going to work hard to make sure they come down and get re-tested in March.

That's all for now .
Take Care

Amber's Quilt

2009-11-13T08:46:00.000-05:00

I had part a whole whack of Buggy Barn to make my son's girlfriend this quilt. She wanted pink~ white and brown. Well I had it mostly done...and I hated it..just hated it..could not continue working on it..it was just too blah ... wrong fabrics...so I went and bought different fabrics..I needed more bright colours to work with. The Object of Desire is more a coral then pink but I love it. Then the centres are charm squares Swanky by Chez Moi. and I can't think of who the brown with coloured dots belongs to right now but I think it's Timeless Treasures. I have been using white by Northcott Fabrics and love it..it has the look of linen..to me anyhow. I like these colours. Hopefully she will also. I have alot more then this done so I can pick and choose blocks but I had this picture on my camera.

Already Here

2009-11-13T08:10:00.000-05:00

I received my winnings from kimsbigquiltingadventure when I got home yesterday. Wow, that was so quick. I will be working on those when the snow flies..no time before Christmas this year, Then again you never know! Thanks Kim!

Going Crazy

2009-11-11T14:23:00.001-05:00

This quilt drove me bonkers putting it together. What I thought were good flat seems..uhhmm..not so much. When I had it up on the wall- my daughter and I had it all sorted out so no two colours ended up side by side but somewhow I managed to screw all that up when I was sewing them together. That's o.k. Then I go to the quilt store to p/u the backing. Well I don't usually pay $9.00 a metre for backing but, it was the only Joel Dewberry left. I love Joel. He was worth it. So that was o.k. too. Now most of these fat quarters I got for 2 - 3 dollars (which is a good deal here). However this quilt is not fat quarter friendly...at all. Alot of waste. But so worth it. So that was o.k. too. Allison never claimed it to be fat quarter friendly. She said to use strips. It was a great tutorial. I didn't listen...

So Sunday I am stippling happily away so I could sew the binding on while in front of the TV while watching Amazing Race~Desperate Housewifes and Brothers & Sisters. Yeah......like that was going to happen. I was almost done stippling and my machine started getting a ~~little~~ ALOT pissy with me ..jumping .. sticking... hopping...I broke 5 needles..I re-threaded..I cleaned...I begged..I pleaded. This was so not O.K. So I did what any frustrated quilter would do... I went bat shit crazy. I actually sat in front of that machine and yelled obscenities at it.. I think I am over my temper tantrum now and I will check tonight to see if it needs a doctor or a damn good smack.
Did I say how much I just love this quilt and I am so making one in traditional fabrics...soon. Oh..and from strips.

BFF...

2009-11-11T12:23:00.001-05:00

No idea if you are interested in these prints I picked up. I had to be careful in case you do not like any of them...because I would have to use them! One is gold on cream, gold on green, red-green and goldie colour, and some snowmen. You are more girlie girlie and huggy huggy then me..You are more artistic then me. We do not see the same. I do not like any traditional christmas fabric..so I just winced and picked some Xmas colours that arn't so out and out christmasy. Though the green has trees...and there are snowmen. I do not know really what you want to make..I don't know much because you do not send me any pictures of anything you are working on. I have been forgotten. Sniff...Sniff..take a moment.
Okay...so the fourth picture is the ONLY two blues in the place with gold in it. One is navy and the other is a brighter blue. Hell if I know. But the numbers are not the same. The girl said the numbers could be different then yours because it is a different pattern. The numbers are not inclusive to a line.

C60-20-615 is the navy one. Let me know. Do you want me to take a picture of all the Xmas fabric that is on sale??? I will..just let me know...sale ends sometime..don't know when.

Excuse Me......

2009-11-01T11:29:00.002-05:00

Excuse me....check THIS out. Oh Yes..that would be ME she is looking for. How awesome are those patterns. Thanks Kim.

I Have Lost

2009-10-24T17:25:00.000-04:00

my son. Oh yes, he has been taken over by this ~~lovely~~ girl that he is living with. Enough said.
On to better news: I had my cholestrol taken on Oct 21st at a clinic held at the pharmacy. My total cholestrol was down from 9.3 to 4.08..... Oh yeah baby.... mama has been getting her ~~fat~~ smaller ass out of bed Mon - Friday at 5:15 and working it. I cannot wait to see how low it is after the 6 weeks. I actually really enjoy it and next week we will start doing the machines every second day....and that may very well be a different story. The only problem is ..... staying awake at night for some sewing time.
Did I ever mention that I never thought I would live to see the day that I no longer smoked..
I am so so thrilled that I no longer smoke. I hope I never ever never ever put another smoke in my mouth.
Have a great day!

2009-10-09T08:51:00.001-04:00

My doctor's office called about my test results for my cholestrol levels. I was not surprised how high they were but my Doctor was. She upped my dose of Lipitor but really it is not an "up" dose because I haven't been taking my Lipitor for about 2 years because I did not want to pay for them. But don't think I wouldn't spend that 45 per month on quilting.. There are heart issues every which way in my family so it was actually a stupid thing to do. Regardless, I quit smoking 4 months ago...so that will help..I am taking my Lipitor at the "upped" dose for 6 weeks and then I will get re-tested.... and since Oct 1st - four mornings a week I get to see this:

I joined the YMCA with my friend Trudy. This is usually what we see when we are LEAVING. We meet there at 6:00 am and we have started with swimming to help build our endurance and flex our muscles. This weekend I am going out to get me some cute workout clothes for the machines that we will start on next week. I am excited...Wonder how long that will last? Already I feel so much better..Who knew??

So when I am not hauling my fat ass in the pool I am working on this quilt:

I am so addicted to making these blocks. I made another 10 last night and I think I may have enough for a good size lap or twin. You can make this quilt too if you follow this tutorial http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2009/09/tutorial-double-hourglass-blocks-easy.html. She tells you to try one block first, and for me to get it to work I had to cut the square 7 5/8 x 7 5/8. But do try one..they are addicting.

Have a good day.

Sick

2009-09-24T15:25:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to note that on here so when I get sick next time I can see how little time in between illnesses are becoming.

No words needed

2009-09-19T07:20:00.000-04:00

Tornado Pictures

2009-09-11T06:11:00.000-04:00

These are pictures sent to me of the tornado that went through near Orangeville Ontario. That would be no more then 1/2 hour drive from me. Time to go to work . I will post more tonight.

Basicgrey

2009-09-09T08:34:00.000-04:00

Well " Basicgrey Figgy Pudding" distributed by Moda just may be my all time favorite fabric.

And this place http://www.fabricsquareshop.com/ could cause me serious financial trouble.

When to say NO!

2009-09-04T08:42:00.000-04:00

It is the long weekend...Luv it. Need it. Want it. Then my friend calls and says she is having a garage sale this Sun. and Mon. and would I want to put anything in it. HUH? That is short notice since I work tonight, Sat night and Sun night...so...uhmm...NO. Okay..will you help? HUH? ... so uhmm.. I guess so. Now I know she works hard..she has her own little lunch cafe'..but she is done each day at 4 pm and she closes Sunday's and Monday's. She is now only doing it to put in time- or to ignore her husband, I am not sure which anymore.
We became friends just after I moved to this town. Marie's daughter played baseball with my daughter and that is how we met. Marie worked for Carmen at a (then larger) restaurant that Carmen owned and asked me to come work with them. I was told by many that "I" would not get along with Carmen because the two of us would butt heads. I remember the first thing Carmen said to me " Just because you managed at a big restaurant with a head office - don't think you can bring that "chain restaurant" attitude in here" I looked at her and said "Wow, you really can be a bitch". She said - YOU ARE HIRED!.
We got along great and we have been friends now for 16 yrs.
But I still don't want to help her with the garage sale.

Have a great weekend.

It's How I Roll

2009-08-25T08:35:00.003-04:00

Well my favorite designer is having her first Blogiversary! To have additional chances of winning any of her give aways, I had to post about it. As I wrote to her, I said it was a good thing not too many people read my blog because that reduces my chances. I am selfish like that.
But if my BFF from out of province reads this then I know she will be over there toot sweet!.
So go on over and check out her wonderful blog http://ankastreasures.wordpress.com

How much say do designer's have?

2009-07-29T08:46:00.008-04:00

My son's girlfriend asked me to make her a quilt. Well " I most certainly will". However, it will be for Christmas. So I sent her a bunch of choices and she ended up choosing this one. It was a mystery quilt they did. I can't tell you how pleased I am that she chose a very easy one. She said she is just a simple girl...but I think its because down deep she knew these designer's are from Manitoba and so is she. She wanted pink - brown - white. I chose "In the Pink II" from Buggy Barn. I haven't decided if I am using white or cream fabric yet though. I will make a block of each and then decide.

I know many designers let us into their creative space, offer free designs, tutorials and advice, and we all appreciate it, probably more then they will ever know. That said ... I still go bat shit crazy when I buy fabric with an obvious straight pattern like this one

Now this is only a fat quarter and look how much waste there is. When I see an obvious "straight" design sewn on to the sides of a block ...it is the first thing I notice when it has been cut crooked and sewn on. It sticks out like a sore thumb and takes away from the quilt.

So do you think designers have a say with the fabric manufactures that would correct this problem or not?

Check this beauty out

2009-06-26T22:29:00.003-04:00

How do you like that picture eh? Well you can either purchase the 7 month BOM or try to win (like I am trying to) by visiting this wonderful blog: http://hugsnkisses.typepad.com.

I Really Don't Want To

2009-06-23T08:57:00.002-04:00

Share this link with anyone. I figure the more people that visit and comment on their sites will lessen my chance to win. I know not many read my blog..I am a blogging virgin after all...and am not consistent and not a sewing machine fanatic as some others are, but sharing the info to even one reader lessens my chance to win because when you go and read what is going on you will be following also and piling up your to-do-list. But I cannot be selfish..that is not the right thing to do. So if you read this you can follow this link http://gudrun.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/06/minnesota-designer-blog-hop.html and see some great designers.
If anyone reads this and knows how to make my links smaller please let me know!!
Have a good day

Easiest Zig Zag Ever

2009-06-14T11:43:00.006-04:00

When I first discovered blogs..one of the first I began to visit on a regular basis was crazymomquilts.blogspot.com. I really liked her style. Then I seen this blog aquiltisnice.blogspot.com and really like her style also. She had made this quilt http://aquiltisnice.blogspot.com/2008/09/zig-zag-quilt-kit-tutorial.html and I really wanted to make it ~though I was dreading (just a bit) the triangles. BUT then Crazy Mom Quilts made a zig zag quilt WITHOUT TRIANGLES and posted her tutorial here: http://beesquarefabrics.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-make-zig-zag-quilt-without.html. Well I knew I was going to go to the Creative Sewing Festival in April and had no doubt I would find some bright and different fabric from what I usually use. I LOVE IT!!!..and easy easy easy...so I am on my way to make another one..just a bit bigger. It is my favorite quilt...It was also the first time I had actually did a pieced back..Love it ... The striped fabric was to be used for binding but I totally screwed that up so I used the leftover pieces to sew together and put on a binding with all the colours of the quilt in it. So thanks crazy mom quilts for showing yours!!

QUILT QUA

2009-03-03T19:14:00.002-05:00

I was contacted to join Quilt Qua by a lady named Connie who has this great quilty website with just tons of links to blogs ~guilds~ quilt websites~ manufacturers and a section with great hints and ideas. Go check it out...you won't be disappointed!

Busy Busy

2009-02-19T19:31:00.006-05:00

Well my Gentle Grace fabric arrived. All cut up ... almost all sewn together.

Does anyone else press the back of their blocks like this to reduce the bulk at seams?

While I was waiting for my fabric to arrive I started cleaning out the scrap bin to make this simple nine patch. They are 4 1/2 squares.

That's all for now..Survivor is coming on and then Grey's Anatomy!!

Most Canadians Want Him

2009-02-19T09:42:00.003-05:00

I know I should be updating soon....but Obama is coming to Ottawa today. I am so excited I could pee my pants...oops..I may have already...! If Obama had of driven in motorcade from Washington to Ottawa (I know-not feasible) just saying..if he did..you could bet that Hwy 401 would have lineups like we have never seen- just so we would witness a part of history. It would have nothing to do with thinking "Obama walks on water" it would be for what he represents ...CHANGE ... because we need it too. Enough said.

Are they really your friends?

2009-01-31T11:32:00.003-05:00

When you admit to your friends that you have an addiction and they still encourage you to pursue that addiction are they really your friend?
Hmmm..out of province BFF just had to call me today to tell me the fabric that I covet was on sale for 3.00 a yard. How am I to overcome or even manage my addiction when they provide me with this information?
I am weak..I had to order it..I love it...and now I shall wait for it to come..from Honey Fork Fabric. It is Gentle Grace by Danhui Nai and is an older line from last year but I love it as much this year as I did last.
Addictions are not easy to overcome.
Thanks BFF.

Please stop me!

2009-01-19T09:35:00.004-05:00

I am still down and out and feel like pond scum. Does that stop me from starting something new? Absolutely not. Can't sit at the machine but I can sit in the recliner and make these little suckers. I am starting to realize I may have a problem...you know what that's like don't you? Something tells me that I am not alone.

1 1/2 inch hexagons..I am making a zillion from leftover "Hanky Panky" line by Ro Gregg for Northcott, and another zillion out of batiks. Have no idea what they will become. But I sure like making them.

Meet my new best friends-

I do not like honey, but we have a guy that keeps bees at the back of our property at work - in fact - he sells his bees all around the world. He brought us some honey he had made and I remembered that he said 1 tsp. of this honey a day kills all bacteria in your mouth. So I have been sucking back on that and then putting it in this tea. I swear it has helped me ALOT. Now I just need to go back to work to get some more - just in case!

Punishment sucks!

2009-01-17T11:45:00.010-05:00

I snuck a day off work last Friday and I am sure I am now being punished. I had a sore throat and burning eyes that hit me out of nowhere. Stopped at the quilt store on Thursday after work and grabbed some deals and came home and was in bed by 6:30 ... and that is where I stayed until Friday morning. Got up and called into work (both jobs) and off I went back to bed until 8 p.m. Knocked me on my butt. I have now been up for 1 1/2 hrs and going for a nap when I am done this post. I am itching to go to IKEA with my daughter. Maybe Wednesday night but I do not know if 4 hours is enough time in IKEA for either of us.

So here is my grab from Thursday night..Buggy Barn and Heather Mulder Peterson for $5.00 a metre.

I didn't post the my finish the other day. This is the first time I did not wash before I made, to see what the final wrinkled look would be. Gotta tell you - I like that look for lap quilts.

It was stippled (of course) as that is all I am comfortable doing right now.

And the back. Love that wrinkled look!!

Next up is a Cottage Blossom by Kim Schaefer for Andover Fabrics. The pattern is really simple and little waste which I wanted as the pack only had 15 fat qtr's in it. Enough for lap size.

I really only do throw size ..I do not want a full size quilt on my bed. ( I know some think that is wierd) and I like to make lots of different ones so the throw size works for me. I have seen this pattern for sale..in quilt magazines and on blogs. So I really do not know who this pattern originally belongs to..but alot of people are doing it..probably for its simplicity and the different looks you can achieve.

The colours look much nicer in person and really nice fabric to work with.

That is it for today..have fun sewing!

What Money Can Buy

2009-01-13T20:28:00.003-05:00

Last Friday I took the day off work and was able to go to the LQS that is always closed when I am home. She always has some good deals in there and I was not disappointed. It is wierd but she only accepts cash or cheques. I use debit ALOT so I only had about $15.00 on me. I meant to go back on Saturday but I never made it before I left to go out of town. So there is 2 yards and 1 fat quarter of (Northcott Bella line) 1 yard and 1 fat quarter of Northcott (Heaven on Earth). Yardage was $3.00 and fat quarters were .99 cents. Now in the States you may find deals like that all the time..but we do not here in Ontario. I will endulge even more this Saturday.

I started on the BOM from http://elliesquiltplace.web-log.nl/ that I mentioned in the last post. The snowman's arms do not show up that well on camera but show up just fine off camera. I made two in case I want to keep one, and I did not want to go and buy fabric for it. I have lots of fabric in these colourways that would work for the entire quilt. Now I did not finish the blocks off yet as I want to wait and see what the next month will bring. I like to plan my scraps...but I set aside the fabric for the border of this block.

I started on the Bunny Hill BOM, it is all ready to be sewn to the background but I am waiting for the next block of that one too.
Such a procrastinator!!!

THIS IS WHY I AM STRESSED !!

2009-01-08T10:18:00.004-05:00

Because I spend too much time on the computer and then find another Free BOM from Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs. Click on link in the sidebar or go to her blog: http://bunnyhill.blogspot.com/ Wow...I certainly hope I can follow through with both and become an overacheiver. So out of province BFF are you going to do this one also??
I am behind in my work now..so must get busy so I do not have to stay late...I have some sewing to do!!

Free BOM

2009-01-06T09:21:00.003-05:00

Browsing some sites this morning (while at work) I came upon this ladies site http://elliesquiltplace.web-log.nl/ At the bottom of each post she also translates her posts in English. She does beautiful work. So she is doing a FREE BOM calendar project and it can be done with stitchery or applique. I just may do one in both and turn it into a quilt for each of my kids rather then a calendar. Yes sireee..I will do that. I do not usually participate in BOM projects but this seems simple enough....so far.
Go visit her site..you will enjoy it.

Ask and you shall receive

2009-01-05T20:49:00.005-05:00

When I was asked what I wanted for Christmas..I said...fabric spray adhesive and batting..lots of batting, so I could get the quilt tops stitched up. So my daughter spoiled me with spray..gift certificate for batting and gift certificate for more fabric to use only after I finish what I have she said!

So tonight I prepared this one.

She got this fabric spray from the LQS. It had came in by mistake, price was good, so she bought me all 3 cans. Have you heard of it. I liked it. It is from France.

Occupied Japan Sewing Machine

2009-01-02T11:28:00.007-05:00

Good morning...My friend gave me an old sewing machine for Christmas. He hunts this old stuff down whether it is worth anything or not. So this machine has a plate on it that says "Admiral" and made in "Occupied Japan" so I will have to check it out on the net..one of these days. If anyone reads this post and could tell me anything about Admiral, etc..I would appreciate it.

The cards below (one from last year and one from this year) are made by my sister in law in Nova Scotia. I think they are the cutest things but I am not going to make them. When I was visiting there in October - she has an entire room filled with products - stamps -card stock - embellishments..it just went on and on. And you know you can fit alot more scrapbooking stuff into a room then you can fit fabric. We all have our stash eh, in some sort or another.

Bad Start - Good Finish

2009-01-01T23:04:00.004-05:00

Well it is New Years Day and I have been surfing and catching up on some blog reading. I decided that I would (should) check my stat counter because I am rather new at this blogging thing and do not have much traffic like many others do. Then again..I haven't had much interesting to say either. Hmmmm. Not usual at all for me. I have an opinion on EVERYTHING! Anyhow, my counter says that 2,903 people have been through here. So either I am a very very boring blogger (probably true) or I do not blog enough (probably true also). So either I chat it up like I am good at or I post more quilting stuff which I am bad at. (a.k.a. LAZY) So I decided I will do both. Just not today.
This morning at 6 am the phone woke me up. It's my son.
Son: Mom, the ambulance is on its way
Me: WHAT? What happened
Son: My bowel movements (a.k.a. bum urine as he calls it) has too much blood in it and I am having trouble breathing
Me: WHAT? Why did you not call me...I am getting dressed..I am leaving and I will meet you at the hospital.
Son: I don't know what hospital they will take me to.
Me: I will find you - no worries...(Mothers just know that stuff)

Get dressed in 30 seconds flat..go to the car..OH MY GOD..I forgot(too lazy) to get gas last night. It is New Years Day and there are no gas stations open until 9 am.
So wake up friend who drives me to daugters and took her to work and made it to Cambridge Hospital by 7 am. Not bad timing actually.
In the meantime his girlfriend had been at work (she is a prison guard) and since she was on escort duty she was also able to leave an hour early since she would not be escorting anyone in the next hour.
He was put on IV for the day with antibiotics and to get fluids in him as he was dehydrated. He has had the diaherra since Sunday but just gradually got worse. So he did not actually have trouble breathing it is just that whatever illness he has and the dehydration caused him to be so weak and it was exhausting for him to walk from the bed to the bathroom so many times during the night. The doctor says he probably felt like he was running marathons due to dehydration.
While I was driving over I had checked my cell phone and he had left me a text message at 4:30 am that said "Mom - I need to go to the hospital" Seriously, a text message? You called me at 6 am - you could have called me at 4:30 and saved yourself $85.00.
So they let him go around 4 p.m. without knowing what it is. Nothing showed up in his blood work and they will test his usual urine and his "bum urine" as he calls it. They will call if something significant shows up, and of course..if you get worse - come back to the hospital.
So at 11:00 tonight I called him and he said he had woke up around 8 completely soaked, so that would mean at least his fever broke.
So I am puppy sitting for a few days so he can rest and get better.

Did I read somewhere " a bad start to the new year means a good finish"? Hope so.

STORM DAY

2008-12-19T17:47:00.010-05:00

Today I went into work - for 1 1/2 hours and then got to go home due to storm that hit all of Ontario. Instead of getting anything accomplished, I put in a roast, did a couple loads of laundry and then layed in bed all afternoon watching movies. Having an unexpected day off was not productive at all. I am still dragging my ass.

So 3 weeks ago my son got a dog for Chritmas from his girlfriend. He is so cute..He is now 12 weeks old..and I got to babysit last weekend while we went to cut down the tree. He is such a smart dog and already he is trained to use the outside facilities. Wonderful.

Here he is picking out the Christmas tree. His name is Reece and he is so cute.

Now on to quilting stuff. I have been finishing one item to mail to my sister-in-law, and I guess it won't be there for Christmas. But the fact I am finishing it - is amazing in itself. I will post picture later.

Back in July, I blogged about this designer http://gudrun.typepad.com/ (GE Designs) asking for donations to help the flood victims in Iowa that were members of the Eastern Iowa Heirloom quilters guild in Cedar Rapids. So I had sent some fabric and yesterday I received a pattern, a book of hers and a thank you letter. How wonderful and thoughtful of her to send something to those that donated.

The letter has a lot of glare so you may not be able to read it.

Here is the book and and pattern.

Go visit her blog and look through her archives. There are quite a few quilts in there that I would like to make.

Thanks for reading!

One Down

2008-12-04T18:47:00.007-05:00

I finally got this off to my out of province BFF. I needed it there by Dec 1 and it got there exactly on time. I procrastinate...ALOT!!!
This was a cute panel that you sewed together and then fused the prints onto felt to put in the pockets as the days progress or put them in the pocket and take them out and put them in the bowl as the dates progress. It is called Cookie Cutter Advent Panel by Janet Wecker-Frisch. I know....I cheated..but sewing a blanket stitch around all the little guys was time consuming.

Then I had made the one below from the Dec 2008 Quilter's World magazine. A table runner designed by Grenzner of Quilter's Roost. The original was quite large 24" x 54" and I could not remember how big her table was so I shrunk it down to approx 16" x36". The first one I made was a disaster and I do not think that the one I sent was a whole lot better. Me and those triangles did not get along. I usually do not have a problem with triangles but this time they had a mind of their own.

Oops!! Note to self - look at the picture before you send things away...I think I forgot to wipe the chalk marks off....Maybe she won't notice.ssssh.

So Cute

2008-12-04T18:42:00.003-05:00

This is my son's new dog - collie and lab mix. So cute with my DD.
At least he will have lots of time to train him while he looks for a job.

CONCLUSIONS !!

2008-12-04T05:50:00.003-05:00

I have come to the conclusion that I am not superwoman anymore. I have lost that title. I know that Christmas is on Dec 25th around the entire world and yet I look at other blogs and they are sewing up a storm and decorating and baking...and I am wondering...What the ?**#$**? How do they do that?
I have not finished shopping..(maybe it's because I have not started) I go to the stores and just cannot get into the mood this year. I think.." I will get so & so this..and so & so that..and then I just go "nah" and come home and think about how much I have to do and how much time I do not have left. I have no tree up, I have no decorations up, I have not even thought about baking anything...(just as well - I am a horrible baker!!)
Seriously, does no one else work? Do they have alot of free time? Are they just more motivated than I am?

Speaking of work...I know who doesn't work..my son. After 9 years -3 guys got permanently layed off on Tuesday. Economic slowdown. WOW. I actually thought he had a recession proof job but I guess that was a wake up call. So I have been making a few calls to find out some info for the 3 boys and have come to the conclusion that I didn't know all about the labour laws that I thought I did. When the **#@!!** did that happen? My goodness I am slipping.
They were given an offer and a paper to sign that they would not discuss the offer with anyone, but they did discuss it with a lawyer who thought it was not a great offer so they hired him and we will see what happens. I thought the offer was fair..I guess not.

Well I must go to work now and I do have some quilting pictures to post now that they have arrived at their destination.

This is Funny

2008-11-19T08:09:00.002-05:00

I have been reading on several blogs that many have had or are going for a colonoscopy. My doctor said if our health care system allowed it, that she would have one done on all of her patients over the age of 45. Interesting. Now that mine is finished and I passed with flying colours I had this email sent to me. I think it is funny and anyone who has had a colonoscopy may find it just as funny as I did.
Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald. This is from newshound Dave Barry 's colonoscopy journal:
I called my friend Andy Sable , a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis . Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left Andy 'S office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 'S enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy ?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't t hought of this but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.

'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy , from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

On the subject of Colonoscopies... Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous.... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:
1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!
2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'
3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'
4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
5. 'You know, in Arkansas , we're now legally married.'
6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
7. 'You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...'
8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!
10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'
12. 'God, now I know why I am not gay.'
And the best one of all....
13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?

Not Liking This...AT ALL

2008-11-16T07:49:00.007-05:00

It has been so mild here lately and then the rain started yesterday. By 7 pm it had changed to

this!

Someone didn't get their patio furniture in put away in time.

At least we can see the road this morning. Had to leave my car at work and drive home with a friend last night. It was a brutal drive.

So I can't get a ride to get my car until late this afternoon, so I am off to the sewing room for the entire day. Yipee!

WHAT AN ASS

2008-11-02T14:22:00.002-05:00

You may know what this is but if not allow me to tell you. It is for a colonoscopy.

You know what I will be doing today.. My procedure will be done tommorrow at 8 am and they say I will be "legally" impaired until the next day...So my ass of a boss says.." Oh..it will be okay..they just say that..so you could come for half a day" WHAT AN ASS!! and no I will not be coming for any part of the day...

I will be eating....ALL DAY LONG!!! I had dinner at 5:00pm last night and thats it. Not allowed any food at all today..only clear broth and jello..and alot of Gatorade..yuk...

So I hear this commercial all the time that says you can have up to ten pounds of waste stuck onto your intestinal walls....so I should come out 10 lbs lighter. Also..my surgeon said to weigh myself before I start drinking the "stuff" and if I lose more that 5lbs I am to call the hospital. Are you crazy..if I lose 5lbs and then 10lbs that she can remove..that's 15lbs and I just may have to drink some more of that "stuff" next Sunday for another 5!

WHAT THE HECK IS THIS ABOUT

2008-10-29T20:19:00.008-04:00

Close to where I live is an outlet store called Len's Mill. They have several locations in southwestern Ontario. My friend said the other day that she picked up some fabric and was shocked that it cost her $17.99 a metre. So was I but I thought that maybe she just picked a new Xmas fabric. Len's Mill does not carry a full line of any one fabric line - they are an outlet and have fabric from all manufacturers and usually it is the older stuff. So the next day I had to go into Cambridge for work and stopped at the Len's Mill they have over there to check out the Christmas fabric.
I was flabbergasted. I do not pay this for new lines of fabrics from any of our quilt stores in the area. The quilt shop has sale fabric cheaper then Len's.
Furthermore, I found Joann Fabric from the United States there for sale. What's with that?

Here is the email I sent to them...I await their response..

I have to tell you..I went to your store in Cambridge today and was APPALLED at the price of your Christmas Fabric.

Your home page specifically says the following:
Len's Mill Store always offers great quality at unbeatable low prices! There's so much more at Len's Mill Store!
Absolutely this is NOT true. The pricing of your fabric at 14.99 and 17.99 is not an unbeatable low price at all. Further your choice of Christmas fabrics are more often then not from the year 2003 - 2005.
The quilt stores in Guelph, Fergus and Elora sell CURRENT lines of fabric for LESS money then that.

Also even with the dollar less then the American Dollar you can still buy CURRENT fabric from on-line stores at a lower cost then you offer..and you all buy your fabric from the same place.
In fact I am willing to bet that you have purchased fabric this year when our dollar was even with the United States and that you will still sell at your inflated prices.

Furthermore, you are selling "Len's Mill Logo" fabric for 25% off...and alot of that fabric is from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store in the United States. Are they part of your business partnership? I frequent Jo-Ann Fabric often and the price you are selling is again significantly higher then their price. What is going on? Does Jo-Ann Fabric endorse this?

I know I am only one person but I will wait for your response and then I am going to post this on my quilting blog so I no longer will be only one person.

I couldn't wait. I am not a patient person when I am getting ripped off!

I DON'T GET IT !!

2008-10-19T09:17:00.003-04:00

There have been a few posts on blogs about copyright infringement and such when it comes to patterns, fabric and making items from both of them.
I am not understanding how a designer puts out a product- either pattern or fabric and then says that you cannot make something and sell it.
I understand that you can not take credit for a pattern that a designer put their hard work into and totally agree with that, but come on - you are not suppose to buy their fabric and then make something with it and resell it? What the --$@!** .
Many people buy fabric and make items for craft shows, gifts, ebay or etsy shops and sell it.
What is the sense of buying fabric if you cannot make something with it and sell it if you so wish?
I just cannot get my head around that.
Do they not design fabric to sell? and yet they say we cannot make anything to sell with it?
Please someone explain this to me!!!
I was sent a link to this website and it makes for interesting read and confuses the matter even more.
Go see for yourself and let me know what you think: http://www.tabberone.com/Trademarks/HallOfShame/HallOfShame.shtml

What was I thinking?

2008-09-10T12:57:00.004-04:00

A few posts ago I showed a Crapapple Hill Studio pattern that I purchased when I skipped off work. My goodness..what was I thinking???? This picture shows part of the pattern on the window with me tracing it with a Pigma .01 pen. That is ALOT of tracing. The pattern requires your panel be the WOF x 15" and there are THREE of them --- so I have a ways to go. I have a 12" square light box but that would just involve too much repositioning so I thought it would be easier with the window method. I think I may want to buy one of those Xray viewers that go the length of the wall in the Xray departments that the doctors use to view your Xray. That would make it alot easier eh? I wonder how long it will take me to stitch that...and you can be sure that I will be alot better at stitcheries when the end of this baby is done.
If you click on the picture it will show you the detail alot better.

One Down

2008-09-08T07:37:00.005-04:00

I regularly visit the sites from overseas and admire their stitching abilities from this side of the pond. Stitchery is much bigger over there then it is here. Well at one of the sites I visit daily: http://abyquilt.blogspot.com/ said she had asked to be a stitching angel. So I followed the link and got the information but did not sign up - because quite frankly - I am only testing the waters learning embrodiery and did not want to commit to something that I may not be able to do. But the site did offer you the opportunity to download the FREE stitchery pattern that was posted from designers each Monday. So here is the first one. It is an arm chair caddy for holding your pins and two side pockets. So cute..so easy..great directions. In hindsight I am glad that I did not sign up for the swap because I definitely need improvement on my stitches and also because I would not have been able to keep pace with these ladies.. They sure can they stitch!!!

You should go and check out the website at: http://www.hugsnkisses.typepad.com/

Have a nice day.

She Scored !!!!!!!!!

2008-09-06T09:35:00.005-04:00

I love garage sales..but I have not been able to get to any this summer. That changed this morning at 7:30 am while I was reading the paper and having my coffee. The ad said "Quilters Dream" several "bags of material". The sale was up the road. I threw on some clothes and flew up there like a 747 Jet. Well the material was nothing to get excited about.. at least not by me. It was mostly polyester and other unknown fibre. So it stayed there. I would never use it. But these things came home with me. Two baskets, flower pot, two wrought iron bicycles...and three Anne Geddes pictures (still in the car) for my daughter. All of it came to $ 5.00.

Then there are these: Who knew someone could get so excited over candles?? Oh, but wait..I am not using them for candles..I will use them as RULERS to mark squiggly lines on some table runners I am making. Oh yes I will, and I am sure they will work just fine. Price - $0.00 - the lady thought I was nuts so she gave them to me..

But the score of the day was a drafting table (still at the sellers house until pickup). I want to use that to draw some pattern ideas....and for a cutting table. It was only $15.00.

It's going to be a good day!

WHO DOES THAT?

2008-08-31T10:40:00.011-04:00

Well I guess everyone does it/has done it. I looked at this block and realized what I did and un-sewed it...and then sewed it back together the same way..not once...but four flippin' times..grrr.

It is the Churn Dash block..and there is nothing worse then triangles..except taking them apart!

Picture doesn't show what rich colours these are..when it is done I will get a better pic so it will show colours better.

Now onto other things....I have been gnawing at the bit for grandchildren for the last 2 years. My DS has made it quite clear that I need to look elsewhere ~~ simple as that ~~ no specific reason ~~even though he is the oldest....so when I look at my DD she gives reasons like... needing to be married before that happens. Really? Since when? Lots of people have babies without being married...I don't know why she can't.....( I know I am not being responsible..but they do) So I tell her to get married ...BUT then she says she needs a boyfriend first......well......would you date either one of them when they look like this?

Well at least they know how to have a good time when they get to see each other!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Thursday's Haul

2008-08-27T05:28:00.006-04:00

As I said I skipped out of work last Thursday. I had ordered a book BEFORE I had found out there was a give a way on her blog for the same book. Go check out her site - her name is Healther Mulder Peterson..Anka Treasures http://ankastreasures.wordpress.com/

The quilt I want to make is called Meadow Lane and I would like to do it in her "Winter Spice" fabric line also.

While I was there I bought the new Crabapple Hill Stitchery called " Over the River and Through the Woods"

Then when I got back home I went to The Olde Crow our new LQS and picked up backing for my daughters quilt...finally...and these fat quarters. I got to pop a balloon and got another 30% off the total purchase. Yeah for me! They had 3 fabrics of the "Winter Spice" line I want but I want more of a selection. Will have to check on line for those..The colours are gorgeous.

Another One

2008-08-23T20:55:00.004-04:00

I finally finished the top of the quilt with the Mix & Mingle charm packs. I put a little peeper border on it and then a regular border. I will scallop the border after it is quilted to jazz it up a bit since this is the first quilt I made just with charms packs. When I went to the LQS to pick up some yardage for the peeper and the outside border I had in mind to do the peeper in the torqouise which I did, but I wanted a dark fabric for the outside and they did not have any. So I picked the yardage from the Fall Back in Time line. It looks more yellow then I expected but at least it is done. AND I still love those colours....

I skipped out of work for the afternoon on Thursday and tommorrow I shall post what I bought.

This is funny

2008-08-17T07:44:00.007-04:00

I was browsing - again..and came upon this site: http://elaineadairpieces.blogspot.com/. If you click on the link and scross down the page you will come to her post about Quilt Police. I am sure you will find this hilarious!! And check out the awesome Kaleidoscope quilt she has done.

Now, when I was at work last Saturday night, we seen all these cars pulled over on the highway. Wondering what they were doing we had to go see. Well, they all had their cameras out taking pictures of this. It was at 8p.m. after it had rained and the sun peaking through as it was going down made this field look absolutely beautiful. This is when you want to be a good photographer!

START THE CAR !

2008-08-10T09:25:00.007-04:00

I was putting in time at work Friday and thinking how much I DO NOT want to be there and that I should take a break and go down and buy some fabric..I tried talking myself out of it...because I knew it was totally out of boredom...but the urge just took over.

Well la~de~da..I am so glad I did because our fabric outlet Len's Mills has put in alot more charm squares...and I found the Mix & Mingle by Sandy Gervais there...INCORRECTLY priced at $4.99....Actually there were 5 packs priced at $4.99 and the rest were priced at $8.99. I quickly snatched up those 5 packs..and the whole time I kept thinking of the Ikea commercial where the girl is scurrying out of the start yelling for her husband to start the car!!!

I took the packs and shuffled them up and just started sewing the charms together. Top is now done except for borders and I wll get some yardage today at the LQS.

Time Flies By

2008-08-06T14:17:00.006-04:00

I can't believe that I have not visited my own blog in so long. Time Flies.

I have not been doing much of anything. Busy season at work..actually both jobs are in their busy season ... and then with the heat and humidity I go home drained....so I've been reading. I just finished my second Jodi Picoult book that my daughter insisted I read. My Sisters Keeper is a very good book..and it really makes you think. I hear there is or going to be a TV movie out for it. It may already be out in the States but we cannot get it here yet.

I did go to my son's in London for holiday Monday and had a visit with him. It was their annual RibFest but by the time we went to go the rain had started. Oh well..it's all good.

I have been making some table runners - no pics yet - from scraps. I really do want to start another quilt! There is just so many choices for fabrics and quilts..it's crazy! It is driving ME crazy. First I like one, then I like another one, then it's this colour and then that colour..and on and on I go.

When my daughter hears that I went to a quilt store she just about hyperventilates... she wants to know where HER quilt is. Well princess, it is beside the machine waiting to get quilted...geez .. where do you think it is. So maybe I can't decide what quilt to make next as I am feeling a little..okay...maybe ALOT guilty that I have not finished hers yet. But her birthday is coming in January 2009 and she never really said "which" birthday she wanted it for.

This is a rag quilt that I made 2 years ago. I made one for each of my kids. My Out of Province BFF had made a Christmas rag quilt and I really liked it so I had to try also. Hers was detailed ..mine is simple. So when I was in the States I bought some homespun fabric....Well I was happier then a pig in *#!& when I got it so cheap..come home - cut it all out...then realized I forgot to double the quantity for the backing..Oh great...off I go to Len's Mill Fabric Store who had a terrible selection to start with and ended up paying three times as much for the back as I did for both of the tops....grrrr.

This next picture was a panel I picked up at the Creative Sewing Festival in April 2007. When my other friends father passed away last September she kept reciting the Serenity Prayer over and over. So I took that panel...did some bead embellishment on the wreath and wrote out the prayer with a black Pigma pen and stippled it. She now has it hanging in her guest bedroom.

I was quite pleased with how it turned out.

Below is a mirror frame that I want to paint. It is not primed here but I do have that much done. While I was in London on Monday I went to Home Depot and picked up a quart of Ralph Lauren paint for $22.00. It had better go on like silk..actually for that price it should get itself out of the can and get on there all by itself. I wanted a dark brown/black and Ralph was the only one that had a colour even close to what I wanted. It is called Turret Stairs..and it is all because of this blog: http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/ Love her site and how she decorates with refurbished estate and garage sale finds. If I lived down there in Atlanta I would be following her all around every weekend.

That's all for today...Thanks for stopping by.

Helping Others

2008-07-22T20:13:00.004-04:00

I mentioned the other day that Gudrun http://gudrun.typepad.com/ had put out a call to help quilters that lost so much in Cedar Rapids, IA due to floods.

So here is my box and tommorrow I shall ship it out.

It feels pretty heavy!

QUILTERS IN NEED - CAN YOU HELP?

2008-07-16T07:50:00.007-04:00

I was reading blogs this morning and happened upon Gudrun Erlas' blog. I am not familiar with her but she is a designer. She has put out a message on her blog to help the quilters in Cedar Rapids,Iowa and surrounding areas that lost so much in the recent floods. She is looking for donations of quilting supplies to help those quilters that lost it all!.
You can go to her blog and read more about it and maybe you also can donate.
You can click on this link and the post is on July 11, 2008.
http://gudrun.typepad.com/

LUSTING

2008-07-15T19:05:00.003-04:00

Oh yes, that's right. I am lusting...and if BFF is reading this from the new province then she had better be lusting also. We both lusted after Keith Urban..but he is old news and ever since he got married he has turned into a girl...HOWEVER, I will never fall out of lust with my new love - GARY ALLAN.....he will never turn into a girl..and I will think of him everytime I am in an airplane. I have spent about 2 hours now reading his bio from every available site that had any actual info on him and listening to his music. I have pretty much watched all his videos on You Tube also... I heard about Gary Allan last year when my daughter went to see Rascal Flatts in Toronto and he opened for them, and she told me his wife had died and the song he sang was one he wrote after she passed away..but selfish..terrible me...I was too busy quilting to pay attention..when I should have been consoling him. You can check him out here if you wish:
http://www.garyallan.com/
Did I mention how much I am lusting after him?
Must go - Gary is waiting!!!

GOBSMACKED !!!

2008-07-11T21:44:00.013-04:00

So I put in a full week without taking care of my bosses wife...Weird..I did not know how to work for a full 8 hours. For the last 6 months I have only been getting 3/4 of a days work in as the rest of the time was taking care of Carolyn. It will take me a bit to get back in the swing of things I think. On Wednesday I mailed for them ...get this...450 thank you cards..and they were waiting for their order of another 200 thank you cards from the funeral home!. Wholly.........who knows that many people?? Just think...those thank you cards only went to those that made donations to a charity or sent flowers....Seriously....who knows that many people???? They used 2 guest books at the funeral home....I am gobsmacked..................... Like I said I was there 10 years and I am thinking...where the hell were all these people for the last 10 years and why did you not come and see or call or send cards in the last 6 months of her life?

On the quilting front - I have not done any sewing.....but I think I shall work on my daughter's quilt. That would be the RIGHT thing to do. BUT...... Oh I know...I shall go to the quilt store in town in the morning to see what else I can buy that I don't need.

Last time I went there they had fat quarters for $1.00 and yardarge for $5.00 of Northcott Fabric Line called Hanky Panky by Ro Gregg. Who could resist those prices and they had some of the entire line. So with them I have put together this pattern called Porch Swing by Bella Moon. I had seen it made up at the Creative Sewing Festival Spring show in Toronto with April Cornell "Sunshine Fabric".

It was gorgeous made out of the Sunshine Fabric Line so I bought the pattern. HOWEVER, I was quite surprised to find out that the whole thing is made only with one block - and a LOG CABIN block at that. How did I miss that? I didn't need a pattern to do that. So when I got the Hanky Panky fabric so cheap I decided I would use that. I still have a final border to put on it. Maybe that will get done tommorrow???? So here it is so far:

Here's a couple of close ups of the fabric.....Geez, I take awful pictures....The colours are much nicer in person. My daughter has the same camera so she is going to have to show mama how to take a proper picture. I've seen her pics and they are nice..must just be me or our lighting here.

Then again..I really should pull some weeds before the neighbours think I have abandoned the house. I hear they send the city in to clean up the yard and send you the bill after it becomes an eye sore so I could wait for that....wonder how much that costs? Probably more then I would save on fabric - even if they had more at $1.00 a fat quarter.

Have a great weekend..thanks for stopping by.

2008-07-05T07:53:00.004-04:00

Back in January I went with my daughter to Ikea in Burlington. On the way I HAD to stop at a quilt store in Waterdown. Well they had a sample of this quilt hanging up with these exact colours and my daughter asked me if I could make that for her birthday, which is in January. Well OF COURSE I can, lets pick out the material! I want those exact colours she said. Well I was surprised but said to the lady "Can you collect me the exact same fabrics as your sample?"

So she did, we left, I put the top together and there it sits UNFINISHED. I think she should have been a bit clear on which birthday year she wanted it.

The pattern is Cheese 'n Crackers from Atkinsons Designs and if I had not seen the pattern made with these colours I would probably never would have purchased the pattern. The colours shown on the pattern cover is not very enticing at all. Goes to show you - it's all about colour!!. It was such an easy and fun pattern that I will do another one....eventually.

The first picture is from the package and the second is the one I made for my daughter.

I actually just love the colours in it. They look wild but go together so nice. I think it is the white that makes it stand out. Love. Love. Love. It.

Another Journey

2008-07-04T13:15:00.005-04:00

I work in a small construction company's office..the office being attached to my employers house and have been there for 10 years. I became the adopted daughter. Two years ago my bosses wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer and it had held its own until this past January. After a few days in hospital her wish was to come home to live her final days and it was at this time that her palliative care started. Between my boss and I, we have taken care of her since then. I looked after her the most, probably because the office is right there and I certainly could not just shut the door and pretend she was not on the other side. Her family did what they could, when they could but the main care was from me and my boss. She passed away July 1 at age 64!
This is the message she was given at the cancer centre when first treated: Any women who spots blood after menopause needs to have their doctor prove to them that it is NOT CANCER. before allowing them to prescribe progestrone for spotting. Unfortunately by the time she had her hysterectomy it had spread to her adominal cavity. It was a rare form of pappillary serous carcenoma and she was diagnosed at Grade 4. Her only symptom was spotting.
In fairness to her doctors..it was suggested to her that she have a hysterectomy about 8 yrs ago but she did not want to have that done ( no one had mentioned the "C "word only that she did not need her uterus any longer ) so she was quick to accept whatever treatment they prescribed to her in the early stages that did not involve surgery. Would the outcome be any different? Who knows.

Today is a Gift.....Tommorrow is promised to NO ONE.

How blogging started

2008-06-27T06:33:00.006-04:00

A friend of mine that does not sew or quilt sent me a link one day to Bonnie Hunters' site http://www.quiltville.com/ and that was it. I became hooked on her site with all the generous patterns and tutorials that she put up and that led me to following blogs.

This quilt is the first I made from Bonnie's tutorials. Of course it is not finished yet..but it will get done...someday!

Soon I found http://abyquilt.blogspot.com/ and began following her adventures and and I have been waiting patiently for her to put a tutorial up on the way she did a hexagon quilt. Yesterday she got it up. So this is the next quilt I will be making for sure. Check it out..

Thanks for stopping by.

2008-06-24T19:24:00.004-04:00

Last post I had shown a picture of the quilt I made for my (future) granddaughter. But I was prepared..I made one for my (future) grandson also. Oh yes I did...and actually I made two of each..exactly the same..just in case my DS or DD decided "theirs" was better for "their" child. So no need for any bickering...if they both have girls first...done..if they both have boys first...done..if they have one of each...done...Like I said I am prepared..or hmmm..maybe a bit desperate for a grandchild? The one I made for the "boy" was from a panel ( yeah I cheated after all the pinwheels in the girls) but the panel was so crooked I had to cut each alphabet square out and put a small sashing in between. I do NOT use panels any more. Lesson learned. I can make it crooked squares all by myself-I do not need to pay good money for them.

Get on with it

2008-06-22T11:27:00.005-04:00

I am feeling alot better then I was Friday, so I decided that I would wait until I get a CatScan done on my back before I let the physio people at me again.

I still can't sit very long but it is getting there..so no excuse for not going to work tommorrow.

Since I can't sit and sew I think I shall clean the sewing cave this afternoon and leave you with some pictures of a quilt I made for my grandaughter. I can't remember where I had seen this quilt but thought it was an easy one. I made it 2 yrs ago and it was hand stitched...I know I need practice doing that, but it won't be anytime too soon!

Oh, did I mention that I don't have a granddaughter yet? Just thought I should do one because I may not be here by the time my DS or DD decide to give me one! DD has no interest in even dating right now..DS is seeing a girl off and on who has 2 children so I let him know that pre-made grandchildren would be perfectly acceptable with me. The clock is ticking..maybe not theirs but mine is...They need to get on these things in a timely manner eh!!

I AM THRILLED

2008-06-19T21:44:00.007-04:00

Who would have thought? I have comments!! Hurray!! I joined two Quilting Rings..and all in one day I might add.

I have been lurking around this quilters website http://cre8tivequilter.blogspot.com/for quite a while and absolutely love her "A Bit Askew" quilt that she made for her aunt. Go and check it out.

I have been stalking http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/ for a long long time and am still wondering how she gets her quilts done so quick and hosts quilt alongs also...Amazing I say. My BFF that is moving to another Province at the end of the month did the first quilt along..Wonder if she finished it??

Today was 2nd physio appointment. Yesterday I was in more pain then I was when I went in there and not a happy camper at all. So I called and complained - well not really - I only voiced my opinion in an agitated tone - one that one would expect one to have when they are in agony...however..these girls don't scare easily as they convinced me to go back today. Hmmm..well I can walk straight, but can't sit much..so I am on my knees at this time typing away here. I haven't tried quilting on my knees yet....But I am sure I will be able to kneel at my desk tommorrow at work. My boss will make sure of that no doubt.

So enough of all that whining.....let me show you a table runner I have made. It is from the Spring 07 issue of America Loves Scrap Quilts by Jo Beth Simons. I did not make it exactly like the pattern as I had these scraps I wanted to use and they were only 2.0". Being the novice quilter I am I thought I would find it easier to lay it out on quilter grid and sew on the lines..NOT!! I do not like that stuff. But it's done and it was a bit more experience so it's all good in the end. The applique is raw edge and sewed with a satin stitch. I think you can double click to make it larger if you wish.
Thanks for stopping by.

Table Topper

2008-06-18T20:41:00.004-04:00

I received these gorgeous Northcott fat quarters from my friend at Xmas. I really should have picked off the threads before I took the picture..but I didn't. I did however take them off after I took the picture! Originally I was going to make something for her with them, but I didn't. Then I decided it would go to my brother in Nova Scotia, but it didn't. It did go to a friend of my son's on Saturday night when they were in town visiting me. Hope she really does use it on a table and not put it in a closet.

Getting old is Not for the weak!

2008-06-18T06:50:00.002-04:00

So my back has been bothering me off and on and finally I decided to break down and pay for physiotherapy. WELL that did not go well. I feel worse today then when I went in there!! After that tortured me for an hour I came home and went to bed and that is where I probably should be right now. However, the whole idea behind going to physio was I may as well pay up since I would end up losing work time if I didn't. Well low and behold, I am not going into work any time soon this morning!!! Then at noon I will call them and ask them what the heck they did to me!!

First Day

2008-06-16T21:34:00.001-04:00

Today is the first day of setting up this blog. I guess after stalking..oops "lurking" at other blog for the past year I felt like getting in the game. It looks like it may be fun. Another reason, my BFF is moving out of the province so I will need to be able to post my quilting attempts for her to see. I am going to miss her !! This post will be short and sweet since I am trying to figure out what the heck I am doing. Why does it not help that I have a Diploma that says "Microcomputer Business Applications Specialist"? I knew I got ripped on that one.