This is so WRONG!!!

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....

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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?

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

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

CrazyMomQuilts announced that she will be closing her blog.