OUR COTTAGE CHAIRS!

Watching for loons is a favourite passing time away activity at our cottage.

Where we are on the lake is about 6 miles out so the water is quite often a bit rough so the loons don't visit that much as they like calm and still waters to dive for their fish.

The loons we see right now at this time of year are the young males who haven't mated. Sometimes we will see as many as a dozen just moving down the lake on a quiet calm day.

This guy was just about 30 ft off our dock. He was
around for about 10 minutes, then he dove, came up
about 4 cottages along the way.


Our chairs which are the favourites of most cottages around, cherished by those that have them, sit on our dock awaiting someone to sit, have a coffee in the early morning watching for loons or waving to who ever is out early.

Canoers who are going on their early morning rides quite often stop by the dock to chat or even sit on the side of the dock to have coffee with us.

At our cottage we are in our sleeping attire till brunch is served, which is usually late in the morning. Everyone
knows we don't move to quickly in the am.

I'm happy to say thank you to Tricia for helping me restore my blog. It's back to almost normal. Wierd wierd day on the blog I tell you.

Thanks everyone who left comments about helping me with the quilting queries. I'm having it basted, I'll quilt it myself....and I should have called Helen who actually was home, but Ididn't know that. Another lesson learned.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BLOG?

I have no idea what has happened to my blog.  For the past almost three years, my blog has been simple, plain red, no fuss no muss kind of a blog.

Well yesterday, it all went to pot.  I don't know what happened and no matter what I do, It's looking different.  Blogger had "new" templates so it seems, but how I got the "new" and not improved is beyond my simple mind!

Anyway, no photos today, I'm home, have put the Spring quilt in to be basted only.  The price for doing a "custom" long arm was way too much money.  Around $450.00 as she said no simple design could be used.

So, I asked that it be basted, which will be around the $100.00 mark.  It is probably a bit high, but I'm getting a good job done!

It's going to measure around 82" X 95" so I suppose that it's not too bad I think.

I'm going to work on the blog layout....any ideas?

Gosh, I almost forgot.  Look in my blog roll and look at "Quilting in my Pyjamas" for yesterday's blog.  I had tears rolling down my face...funniest blog and the funniest photos.  Boy!  Those Aussies are something I tell you!

FLYING GEESE TOP IS DONE! FINALLY!

Here is the best photo I could take early this morning of the Flying into Spring quilt top designed by Eleanor Burns.


There is still enough hanging on the other side to hold it to the railing on the deck. I'm taking it home to be sent to the quilting lady in Whitby.

The Cumberland Chick advised that sometimes the long arm quilters do so much quilting that the quilt could be quite stiff. I'm going to make sure that this is done very simply.

Oh here's a question. Do you have everything pressed?
Does she do that? Is there something else I should know?
How is pricing discussed?




She says she has lots of patterns and samples of her
work, but since I've never met anyone else who does
this kind of work, I'm sort of in the lost section here.
Any help would be appreciated.


The quilt is just too big for me to do. Oh here's something else...how much does it usually cost to have a quilt basted? I just can't do the floor thing due to the hip, so that may be an option for future use too since you are answering queries.

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See the black bag there? Well I got it from Bikini Bay about 5 years ago. The bag was free because I bought 6 outfits that really didn't fit! Well they did till the second week of the holiday! Oh you can identify with that can
you? Now Trish from Compulsive Quilting, she usually
loses weight when she holidays....drinking the water or
some such excuse....twice she gets these mini spa results
during holidays! Kidding Trish!

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The chair known as BearChairs here in Halliburton was made by my sweetie. We have 8 of them here at the cottage.


Anyway, I used my tape measure, copied it best I could
with the result that I am totally over the moon happy with it. The lining is from Cozumel when Mary and Bob were there last year. I'm making more of these very servicable bags.

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The outside fabric is left over from indoor/outdoor fabric that I got for $5.00 per metre at Fabricland. I made cushions for the sofas here in the sun room.

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It washes like a rag, really as I must wash the sofa cushions regularly. For under $30.00 I made five cusions and with the left overs I'm getting creative.

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You know before I started quilting, I puttered around with sewing. I made some clothes for the kids, for grandkids, was never afraid to try most things. My granddaughter Tory and I went shopping for a bag for her to make to carry her "stuff" it had quilting in the pattern.....I just couldn't do this bag. Now three years later, I look at the bag and wonder why I was so nervous about quilting the little bag.
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Yep, you know the answer, I'm going to make this bag. I'm also going to do the above bag with quilted fabric next too. I even added extra pockets so that I can use this for grocery shopping just like the black bag.

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It is very wet here today, we had tropical downpours yesterday, it's humid and I can't believe my sweetie just asked if we wanted to go home early....we shall see.

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My westie is so dirty he looks grey, I don't think I can even post a photo of him...we had a raccoon visit for the first time in three years and he has been under the cottage, running around in the mud, his feet are black , his face was so muddy that I washed it! He is getting a hair cut on Friday...I may not be able to wait that long for him to clean up! What a mess he is!

DOG HOUSE DAYS AT THE COTTAGE

When we bought the cottage there was a little "dog house" at the shoreline...almost anyway.

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We, over the years used it for storing absolutely everything from oil for the boats, gas for the boats, lines for what ever, and assortment of water toys for when the kids were younger and anything else that we could just "put it in the dog house".

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Well, my sweetie and I could only open the door and just couldn't get in to clean it up year after year. We would wait for the grandkids to come up and they would empty it out, we would sort through the junk and then when it was all tidy we would "put it in the dog house" scenerio all over again.

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Well, now that the kids are teens, the toys are big toys like ski equipment which is kept in the bunkie (photos another day).

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All the equipment is neatly stored there as they sleep in the bunkie when they do come up with friends.

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So, Saturday with Bob and Mary here, the boys took the dog house down. Believe it or not there were three layers of shingles on the roof of this little sucker! And in some place 6" spikes were used to put the roof on.

I think that since shingles had to be carried (by boat) to

the dump that the previous owners just put the extra

shingles on the dog house. It's a wonder the plywood didn't collapse under the weight!

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I've stated before that this lake is a strange place to be if there is storms in the area. Well here's one of those strange happenings.

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The sun was shining on our little island but to the east and south there was a rain shower going through which we could see while the guys were demolishing. I took this photo of the rainbow which was huge for about three minutes.

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Aren't rainbows just the best surprises? We were

expecting the showers to come to us, all the patio

cushions were wrapped and nothing happened.

A few drops fell, with us just sitting under the

canopy of the trees then we unwrapped all the cushions and enjoyed the views.

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I know I'm supposed to be finishing the you know what, but the weekend was just too busy!

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Our friends brought up their 93 yr old dad who was just a charmer and so agile getting in and out of the boat that we are sure to have him again this year.

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Tomorrow, I'm finishing the top of the Eleanor Burns design and moving on to other things. I'm also not going to do the finishing myself. It's just too big for the machine and I do want a long arm design on it.

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I'm wanting to do other projects that are fun to do, make a few bags, keep myself busy while I am awaiting the date for the old hip to be replaced.