Time Flys When You're Having Fun!

Where have the last 5 months gone?!? Can hardly believe it's been that long since my last post.... Now - where to start...

 Quilting is one of my favourite pastimes - here are 2 my latest ones, a twin size and a lap quilt.
Another is finished, just need to take a picture...

This one is a combination of piecing and applique. Applique is something I hadn't tried previously, but now find to be great fun to do!


The lap quilt is all pieced and set on point! Now that was an experience! I may try it again - sometime! There are a couple boo-boos in it, but if anyone finds them, they're way too close to the quilt!!

The  other finished one is my variation on a snowball block. I had two of the same 5" charm squares packs, with 2 of each fabric in each one, giving me 4 squares to play with in a block. It turned out quite well!
A friend has a longarm machine and is doing my quilting for me - and a great job she does! She says she's practicing, but if my quilts are the result of "practice", I think she's beyond that stage!

The Chesterville Fair is over for another year! I enjoyed my years as the Fair secretary, but have decided not to have an 'official' position any more. Meaning that I can do the things I'm interested in doing for the Fair. The new secretary is working out quite well and I'll still be around if needed. 2011 will be the 80th Fair, so plans are under way to make it better than ever! The website is: www.chestervillefair.com .

Back to quilting - just purchased Electric Quilt 7! Now to get it loaded on the 'puter and let the fun begin! Maybe my stash will start shrinking now... Really need to get some of it used up before it takes over the house!

The 4 furbabies are enjoying the summer - lounging, eating, playing, sleeping - what a life! 

 That's all for now - hope everyone has a great summer!

Life Happens! Deal With It!

Sometimes life just gets in the way of the fun stuff! Arthritis is no fun, as I'm rapidly discovering! Need 2 knee replacements, but having had venous and arterial ulcers on both legs I'm definitely not a candidate for surgery - possibility that the incisions may not heal. As the surgeon said - 1 cane, 2 canes, walker, wheelchair, scooter etc. Oh well, at least I can still get around by one method or another - never give up! The scooter could be fun....

When life hands you scraps, make quilts! Just finished a Lancaster Seasons queen size for our bed. It turned out quite well. Had it quilted and bound by our local long arm quilter - she did a great job! Never realized how much you use your thumbs until you have trouble with them! Arthritis again! Can still make tops, though!!! There's some ready to be sent for quilting, some waiting to be put together and some in the planning stages - should keep me busy for awhile! The newest project idea is for a lap quilt for a cancer patient - using bright colours and blocks of an applique pattern for cancer - 'Think Pink' - free from http://www.fatcat patterns.com - look under 'For Her" and a white dove drawn by my friend Heather - thanks Heather! A flannel backing will make it really cozy for anyone undergoing chemo.

One granddaughter is taking driving lessons - I may have a chauffuer soon! Fabric stores may not be her first choice, but it would be practice!

One of our furbabies is at the vet's having some dental work done - she'll not be a happy camper tonight! The other three are doing very well - the baby will be a year old on April 20th and is spoiled rotten! She can get herself into more trouble than enough! Then you get the "look" with the big eyes - "Who, ME? What did I do?"

This is little miss innocence - Callie.... the poor elephant foot plant had a rough time. Callie's getting bigger now, so she doesn't fit in the pot any more!

Enough for now - I hear some fabric calling my name!

Have a happy and healthy Spring season!

Christmas Wish List

I wrote this poem in December 2004 - it's still my wish list...

MY CHRISTMAS WISH LIST

What do I want for Christmas?
Six little words with a wealth of meaning...
Of material goods I have no need,
For spiritual blessings I would plead.

An end to hunger and fear worldwide;
All races and colours stand side by side;
Free to worship, each in their own way,
Welcoming peace here on earth every day.

Families together, healthy, happy faces;
Everyone visiting old familiar places.
Through windows, softly glowing in the dark,
Glimpses of friendship and love are the spark,
Lighting the spirit of this holiday season.
Keep it year 'round, defying all reason.

White Christmas! What a dazzling sight!
Sparkling crystals, prisms of pure light.
Candles gently glowing, drawing us nigh;
Fragrant trees gleaming, reaching on high;
Wreaths hanging on doors - "Welcome, friend."
Joy to the world...peace without end.

© December 3, 1994

I've been working on quilting & sewing - 2 quilts are ready for binding, a couple more need to be quilted. I'm getting great enjoyment from doing what I love - playing with fabric! The 4 fur babies love "assisting" - by holding whatever I'm working on in place, usually not where I want it! Callie, the 7 month old kitten, loves to sit on the sewing machine table and grab for anything that moves - including the needle. Not a good plan!

It'll be a quiet Christmas here - we had Christmas dinner here on Nov. 26 with our daughter and her significant other - only weekend they were off work until after the New Year. We had a great time - of course, Carol & I went fabric shopping. We're both addicted! Hummm - wonder if there's a 12 Step Program for fabricholics??? Carol's 3 lovely girls - 16, 20 & 27 & our 8 year old great-granddaughter live about a 5 hour drive from us. We're hoping to see them in January, if all goes as planned.

We'll have another Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve at our son's - just up the road from us. My daughter-in-law is a great cook. They also have 3 lovely girls, 12, 14 & 16.

Here's a link to my favourite website for applique patterns - Sindy is extremely talented & a wonderful lady! I've made several of her designs & love them! Most of them are free, which is great! When I get some pictures uploaded, I'll put a couple here... Check the site out, you'll love it! Click on logo or go to www.fatcatpatterns.com

Back to wrapping gifts to get in the mail & doing the Christmas cards... Hope everyone has a great Christmas with family & friends. Best Wishes to Everyone!

Merry Christmas to All!

Time Flys When you're Having Fun!!

Well, the Chesterville Fair is over for another year - and very successfully so! July 24-26 was a very intense time for all Directors and volunteers. Thanks to everyone - especially the high school students who volunteered over the weekend to earn some of their volunteer hours. Here in Ontario, students must earn 40 hours of volunteer service from Grade 9 through Grade 12 in order to graduate.

Now that most of the paperwork is under control (sort of!) I can get back to reaming out the sewing room - think I need some student volunteers for that... I'm freecycling a lot of things I will likely never use and someone else may as well enjoy. Patterns, some fabric, quilting magazines are all going out the door. Can actually see more of the floor already! Three sewing machines and many totes - large - take up a fair bit of space!

The queen size quilt top may be finished by Christmas... However, there are a number of new projects jockeying for a place in line... also discovered a pile of mending to be done - oooppppsss!

We now have 4 furbabys - the little stray - Baby - presented us with 3 beautiful babies in April. 2 are now living with our next door neighbour and we have Baby & Callie - an adorable faded calico. Some adjustments are still being made - Jenny still objects to the new family members, while Tygger has adjusted quite well - he even gives Callie a bath when he feels it's due. The Vet says Baby was a year old in June, so she's had her share of life experiences already. She has been spayed and Callie will be done in October. The hard part now is trying to persuade them that they should not bring their "toys" in the house!

Well, time to get supper started - hard-working hubby will be in from the barn about 6:30pm or so...

Stay healthy and happy!

Catch Up Tyme!

Time flys when you're having fun! My friend Paula and I spent March 6-8 cooking for a Sparks, Brownie, Guide and Pathfinder camp at Camp Adelaide near Haliburton, Ontario. We enjoyed being with the girls and everyone had a great time! I've been involved in Girl Guides of Canada for almost 40 years and still enjoy it all - especially Trefoil Guild. Us 'retired' Guiders are always up for fun, either with girls or at our own camps, outings etc.

On March 10th hubby & I attended the opening of a month long show of paintings by a friend. I love her sunflowers - she manages to work them into quite a bit of her work! I'd love to see her become a well-known artist!

March 15 I attended, with 2 friends, "The Wizard of Oz" stage play at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. It was a very good production which I enjoyed thoroughly. Would love to see "Cats" again - for the 4th time and "Mama Mia" for the 2nd time...

It's a beautiful sunny day here - laundry is done and hanging on the line, blowing in the breeze. Nothing like the smell of line dried sheets!

Finally finished a quilt started in 1998! It was a block exchange on the online quilting guild I belong to - all cat blocks! Not the best pic, but gives an idea... It's now a favourite of our two fur-babies! Now to finish the other challenges etc. from that time period... should keep me busy for awhile...

That was apparently about the time I started becoming ill - the onset was so slow it wasn't caught until January 2008. Now that I'm feeling much better, I realize how ill I was. Thank heavens for a very supportive hubby, family and good friends. They all put up with a lot and I'll never be able to thank them enough! There are long time periods that I still am very vague about.

Enough for now - must go and try to be productive for awhile - unfortunately I am side-tracked very easily!

Have a great Spring and I'll be back soon...

My life in a nutshell? Crazy! Working on several projects at the same time can cause mental overload... something I'm quite familiar with - unfortunately! A good sense of humour is a great help. Taking a break to write here definitely helps clear the cobwebs and bring back some semblance of order to the thought process.

My "to do" list for this year of 2009 will be accomplished one step at a time - a few items are:
1. Finish the queen size quilt top that's been waiting patiently for over a year now and put together the blocks for another top which has been waiting almost as long...
2. Make as many baby blankets/quilts and little outfits as I can before year end - these are going to be included in 'going home' packages for new mothers in Belarus, Russia. The area is extremely poor and lacking in many amenities we take for granted. For more info, visit: www.canadianaidforchernobyl.com
3. Do some entries now for our local Fair, held July 24-26/09. No more procrastinating!
4. Organize my sewing room - that should be interesting!
5. Clean out the basement - think I need a life line to start that one!
6. Sort 45+ years worth of photos and scrapbook the best of the family and vacation ones. There will likely be a few good laughs...
7. Keep in closer touch with family and friends - time passes much too quickly.
This is my top priority - none of us are getting any younger - I don't want to say "Gee, wish I'd called her/him."
8. Finish the last 4 lessons to complete my grade 12 graduation diploma - better late than never. I'm doing it for myself and for my Mom and Dad, both deceased. Health issues got in the way a few years ago, but seem to be be fairly much under control now - so back to the books!
Guess this list will keep me going for the year and quite possibly longer. I can't say I have nothing to do!
Until next time - "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

Trying something new!

Never thought I'd have a blog! So here goes... It's snowing, cold & windy here - even the cats won't go out! Talk about cabin fever!
Finally finished a quilted table runner and wallhanging that have been WIP's (Works In Progress) for awhile. Now to get the queen size quilt done... as well as all the other sewing etc. hanging out in my sewing room.
The fur babies love that room. Lots of soft stuff to catch a proverbial cat nap on or in. Hubby and I are 'owned' by Jenny-Any-Dots (a lovely calico, with typical calico attitude) and Tygger (a very talkative up-close-and-personal marmalade tiger), both about 8-9 years old. And there's a little stray I've been feeding - think she was dumped off and found us. I've been calling her 'Baby' as she looks to be only about 6-8 months old.
Enough for now - time to think about something for supper. Hate to think of how many meals I've prepared over our 45+ years of marriage... mind boggling!
Have a good evening!