Batten Down the Hatches and Works in Progress

Today we had a new Washer and Dryer delivered and set up. Our old pair were getting on to 30 years old and so it was time. I received some Sears Gift Cards for a retirement gift, and saved them for just this purpose.

We purchased a pair of front loading LG's and Wow do they ever use less water and dry and in record time. So far so good. I will tell you how I like them better after a few more uses.

We are getting ready for a big storm coming north from Texas.  You might have a little laugh at this old video.

 So I sent hubby out today for milk and bread so I will not have to go out tomorrow if it turns out we get as much as they are calling for (6-10 inches) in our area.

The first photo is a pair of socks that I am working on. My first pair using self striping wool. Kind of cool.

The next picture are a small sample of the embroidery portion of a quilt that I am making, Over the River and Through the Woods. I will have lots of  handwork to keep me busy tomorrow.

Unfortunately if the weather is nasty I will miss guild tomorrow. I will however have more time to prepare the presentation on "Labels" that I am give at my other quilt group on Thursday. I am hoping however that the weatherman is may be exaggerating.

A Clean and Tidy Sewing Room

Tidy Sewing Room

I have a very small sewing room in this house, and after the hubbub of Christmas, it was a mess. It is that room in the house where, whenever I bring something into the house and don't know where to put it, I say to hubby put it in the sewing room. So now I have clean and put away everything that I can.

By your standards this may not be as clean or tidy as yours but for me this is as good as it gets,

Sewing Room right after we Moved In

 

I share my sewing room with the computer as well as an extensive library of quilting books, a TV etc.etc. I am pleased that it is now cleaned up and I can begin finishing some projects.

Great Giveaway- $50 Gift Certificate Fat Quarter Shop

There is a great giveaway over at Pigtales and Quilts. So head on over and put your name in. If you mention I sent you I will get another chance.

Great Day At Guild

I had a very good day at Guild. We had a guest speaker from Lang Pioneer Village who came to talk to us about the textiles that they have at the Museum.

We also had lots of talk about our upcoming Quilt Show in April. Nothing like a Quilt Show to get you in the mood to finish something eh!   So far I have volunteer to demonstrate some Yo-yo's, and some English  Paper Piecing (hexagons) and there will be a large Quilt there and  I have volunteered to do some hand quilting on it.

A great show and tell today. Lots of inspiration. Too bad I didn't have my camera!

In the afternoon I stayed with a friend to do some sewing and there was demo's on Labels, sleeves and binding.

Tonight the Canadian Junior's play the Russian in Hockey so I guess I will sit with  Hubby and watch for the evening and hand sew.

New Year, New Goals

Another year of Quilty projects unfinished. A time to reflect, take stock of those projects.

Do I want to finish them ?

Do I still like them ?

Do I want to  trash it?

Offer it to a friend to finish?

Bundle it up for my Guilds Annual Trunk sale? (We sell stuff from the trunks of our car)

Donate it to a local charity unfinished but packaged.?

I will ponder these and other of lives mysteries, such as New Years Resolutions!

Happy New Year and The Winner Is.........................

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE


The Winner of the Crazy Patchwork Book and Embellishments is Nanci.... over at
Quilting At the Cottage.

Congratulations Nanci, I will be emailing you for your Address.

Giveaway Reminder ----------------

Reminder that I am drawing for a book "Crazy Patchwork" by Janet Haigh. I will include some embellishments for the lucky winner. This is an absolutely beautiful book on Crazy Quilting with some great projects but I have ordered another book and have a new rule one in, one out. I have a very small sewing room and hundreds or books so I need to pare down. Here are the rules.
 

To qualify you need to make a comment on my blog and also mention the giveaway on your blog.


My hubby, my trusty helper, will draw the winning entry on the Eve of December 31, and I will post the winner on New Years Day.

Great Christmas Day

We had a lovely Christmas Day, just the four of us. My Mom, my hubby, our furry girl "Shadow" and I.

We rose at 9:00am and I put out the Orange juice while Hubby walked the dog. Then we went over to Mom's and opened the presents. Then we had breakfast. Lovely Peameal Bacon from Franz Butcher shop, scrambled eggs, toasted English muffins and homemade rhubarb ginger preserves, all washed down with lots of coffee.

Hubby and I went home and I stuffed the turkey and put it in to roast. After a well earned rest we commenced again. Mom came over and we started preparing the evening meal. Roast turkey, stuffing, turnip, mashed potatoes, jellied salad, cranberries and wine, followed by Oranged cheesecake and tea.
It was a lovely dinner and a quiet restful day. Hubby's sister phoned in the evening and we had a nice chat, to top off our day.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas too!

Christmas Service At All Saints

Last night Mom and I went to church for the late service. It was truly beautiful. It was a candlelight service and there were lovely carols and Poinsetta's and Trees were lovely. It felt truly wonderful to be attending services on the eve of Christ's birth, fulfilling the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to Everyone

I am getting ready to head to Church and I have one last thing to show you. I made a set of placemats for Mom for Christmas.

 
Merry Christmas to Everyone

Reminder of the Giveaway.............................

A couple of days I ago I posted about a give away for a Crazy Quilting book and some embellishments.

Please go back and have a look.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow Let it Snow!!!!

It is certainly not because I am fond of snow but boy it sure is pretty, especially when it is so close to Christmas. These are some pictures taken from just outside our home.

We were suppose to go out today and visit sime friends but the driving is not that great so I think that we are going to just stay home. 

On the picture below I was trying out a program to modify the picture. I think I like it and it might be next years Christmas Card.

Everyone stay warm and dry on this wintery in Southern Ontario.

Last Giveaway of the Year

It is the time of year when we begin to wrap presents and I thought why not wrap one more and send it off to a fellow blogger .

I need to make some room in my sewing room so I am giving away this book "Crazy Patchwork" by Janet Haigh. Here is a photo of one of the projects included in the book. If you turn your head side ways you can see that is it an embroidered and silk ribbon pillow. The book is gorgeous and full of lovely projects for both hand and using some of your fancy stitches on the machine.

I promise to include some embellishments with the book to the lucky recipient.

To qualify you need to make a comment on my blog and also mention the giveaway on your blog.
My hubby my trusty help, will draw the winning entry on December 31, and I will post the winner on New Years Day.

Good luck to all! 

Christmas Decorating and Giveaway

Getting ready for Christmas always seems like such a chore. I love the Christmas tree but hate putting it up. However once it is up and the room is decorated with the nativity scene, the nutcracker I always love it. Today we received a beautiful poinsetta that was sent to us by some dear friends and neighbours we lived next to before we moved.

Please stay tuned for upcoming Giveaway. Like Santa it won't be long now. 

Hubby and I have been attending the Wellness and Sport Centre, (I've been taking aquafit classes each morning). This week they had there annual Holiday Christmas Dinner for members. It was a lovely Turkey meal with over 117 in attendance.  It made Christmas feel like it is really here.

Shadow's Christmas Debut and Kiwiberry Quilt

Shadow, my darling furry girl was an excellent model for her Christmas picture.  She sat ever so still. Both her father and I are very pleased that we were able use her picture for our annual Christmas cards.

Yes, yes I know she is sooooo cute. I think she prefers not to wear her antlers though.

Over the last few weeks, it seems as though we have been so busy and I have so many projects started and in various states of not finished.

This is one of the quilts that is a little further along for me to show you. It is missing one more border, but here it is . The colours are a little washed out in this picture but trust me when I say this is a bright quilt. When I get the last border on I will take another picture in the daylight so you can really see the colours.  I should mention that the fabric is all Batik, using a Bali Pop (Kiwiberry). Using a book on strip tubing.

Sorry, I've been so long in posting

Sorry that I have been so long in posting but life seems to be getting in the way. I attended a class last week at our local Quilt Shop, Tangled Threads on Charlotte street in Peterborough. It is Tube Quilting and I enjoyed the class and teacher Shirley Challice very much. I have to get all of my blocks put together tonight so that I can put the borders on tomorrow in our last class.

So far here are the blocks I have put together. I am using a Bali Pop (Kiwiberry) It was given to me by my dear friend Kelly and I am so thrilled that I have been able to use it in this project. I will post more then I have them completed.

Then Thursday I am taking another class, Jelly Bargelly.  Yes I am on overload at the moment.

Orchids

In February, I am going to be taking a 2 day class with Renske Helmuth. She does lovely work. Please visit her site.

This class is mostly hand applique surrounded by some Sashiko. I believe we spend the first day working on the orchid and then part of the next day learning Sashiko. Here is a picture of the sample.

We can do our orchid in any colour we want so I am thinking I would like to do the Orchid the same colour of the one that I have growing in my kitchen window.

Received my Lovely Giveaway

We are home from our weekend getaway. Can you believe it I managed to go away for an entire long weekend, remember to take my camera but forgot to take any pictures. I can tell you we went to two hockey games, visited a museum, took in a Quilt Shop (didn't buy a thing) and went out for dinner several times.

I can highly recommend a fabulous Chinese Restaurant in Ottawa, called The Golden Palace. It doesn't look like much and decor is strictly "old fashioned Chinese restaurant" it is a little pricey but boy is the food terrific.

I have forgotten to blog a thank you to Shay over at Quilting in my Pajamas. I won a giveaway, and it arrived a week of so ago and I have neglected to take a photo until today. It included some lovely fabrics and pretty buttons. Thanks again Shay.

 I sent in my registration to Quilt Ontario 2011, for London next year and I am so looking forward to that event. Hope I will see some of you there.