Very Great Week (entry 65)

Hi Ladies, I’m please to report a VERY good week, even though I was crazy busy with the business and several 1am nights (well 2 to be exact) I still feel great.

Monday started with our cut-off on Journey of a Quilter. When we first started this Block of the Month I had 10 sign up – then I got another 13 – then I got another 2 – so that’s 25 in total. We were hoping for 30 and would love for you 5 to come on over and join us!! I hope to mail out the first round of kits to everyone next week so the people that sign up now will be a couple weeks behind on your first kit only…there are some great prizes…

Tuesday is one of those days I will always remember. The Olympic Torch came through my little town of Chestermere, Alberta – just East of Calgary. I invited my sister Lisa and her two boys. We had so much fun! What a sense of community and being Canadian – I always love a good dose of both:)

I have maple leafs on my mitts but I wish I had a pair of the Olympic ones 🙂

here it is…lights, camera, action…awesome!

they released white doves, such a sign of peace & hope for the best days to come.

Me with my two nephews at Tim Hortons

my sister, Lisa with her two boys

After we had a bit of a hot drink, we just spent the day outside, the boys played and we visited – what a beautiful day, LOVED it!

I still had a pile of stuff to do on Tuesday, so when I got home I worked on this adorable bag I made to teach a class Wednesday night…Cathedral Windows tote bag, lined with silks and topped off with a fringe.

as you can see I’m not quite finished adding my little squares…but working on it!

don’t you just love it? It’s perfect to put your Journey of a Quilter block into and take with you 🙂

Wednesday, I taught part one of this class on and it was a success – thanks to Lakeside Girls. I brought the silks for people to pick a colour to line their bags – and they loved the silks – I was so happy!!

I also was a Guest Blogger on Quilting Gallery’s website, and I got two more guest blogging requests – how fun will these be?

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This is the block that gave me so much frustration last week, thought I would share it with you. I’m still not happy with the final turnout…99 pieces.

3 paper pieced house blocks…”lights are on” come on in for a cup of hot Quilters Tea 🙂

I also worked on the Kitten’s Tale Block of the Month AND I cut out the second block to Journey of a Quilter…how was your week, I would love to hear from you!

Until next time, have a happy, creative and Canadian spirited day!!

 

Christmas Tree, Freebie 15, Tig (entry 53)

Hi everyone, I’m sitting here thinking about my blog and how great it will be to expose all of my handmade Christmas items after Christmas…how I wish I could share them with you today as they are so cute!!

Here’s a few shots to tide you over 🙂

{cute shot of one of my sweet little somethings on the tree}

here’s my beaters…they DIED during the whipping time of my famous shortbread cookies…these are probably over 12 years old. You would think they could have made it through another year 🙂 

This gorgeous quilt was a raffle that we did just for our own guild, we all made a somewhat scrappy block, I put the pieces together and made the piano key border and Kathy B hand quilted it, I think she said she completed this in 2 weeks, yes ladies 2 weeks!! She’s amazing, thanks so much Kathy. Heather won this quilt and it’s sits beautifully and cozy on her bed but she brought it to show everyone. We all wished we would have won it!!

Here’s my 2nd Freebie 15 block for this year, this is called “Poplar”

Here’s Tig, playing on the back deck, watching the snow drip from the window sills from above, we had a fabulous chinook come in this week so it warmed up from -30C to -2.5C, she was enjoying the warmer weather.

QUESTION: Over the holidays I’m hoping to find a new iron, I want something super hot (temperature-wise:) and high end – what are your favourites and why? I’m thinking about spending a couple hundred…please help me out finding the best iron – thanks ladies!!

Until next time, if I don’t get another post in before Christmas (I hope I do) I will wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year. Have a happy, creative day…

Around the Net: UFO Challenge (entry 41)

My Around the Net post for this week is all about UFOs. Jacquie from Tallgrass Prairie Studio Blog has an excellent challenge for everyone called, Joy in the New Year. It’s a place where you can list (I entered in 5) projects that you want to for sure complete over the next year.

Mine are all at various stages and my list may increase as the year unfolds, or a new pattern comes out that I would love to do, or someone shows me a quilt that is a MUST do lol, so many reasons to have many projects on the go:

Quilt for Zach – picture to soon come, after Sat, no more secrets I promise

Quilt for Baby Girl (not sure who to give it to as of yet), I have about 5 blocks cut out and ready for appliqueing to background fabric, all fabric is washed and ready to go.

Cotton Theory Quilt – so close to being complete and the best part is this technique is a quilt as you go, so once I finish sewing the blocks together it is finished…

nicely packed away until I have time…

close up of the block, decorative stitch across the center, french seams around each border at least once…

Freebie 15 (2008-2009) – just working on final border 

Apple Core Quilt (hand-pieced) – small table runner with homespuns

(just the top is done so far)

My Home or Yours BOM Quilt (almost done each block) I forgot to add this one to my list over at Tallgrass…Jacquie can I add one more to the list 🙂 You have seen quite a few of these individual blocks as I’ve completed them throughout the year, I think I have 4 blocks to finish and then time to sew together, layer, quilt, & hang!! Yay!

 Until next time, have a great day.