AND THE WINNER IS!

Yesterday while waiting for my son to get his colonscopy, which turned out well by the way, I thought I'd stop in at Sally Ann and see what they had on as Tuesdays are Senior discount days!


I found these two plates for .85 each. Hand painted in Portugal now less. The blue one has just a small ridge for cheeses etc and the larger one is quite flat but they were both so perfect for the cottage that I was just so pleased to have found these perfect items.


I'm getting to my decisions....hang on. Be patient!


Then, as I was looking through the books area for
something interesting, I found this old quilt book
of Quilts made in the last century in Ontario. Although some of the quilts are from Pennsylvania and New England areas and are photographed in black and white, the book was a dollar, so I grabbed it.


The history of Upper Canada as we were known is very interesting and probably not unlike what the pioneers of the northern States endured.


It has some great stories which I will post at other times when I don't have much to write about....



I remember when Karen (Karen Quilts) went to the
Dakotas last summer, I just couldn't get enough of
the stories of the pioneers of the area.



I can't imagine that we would be that tough today what with our central heat, the air conditioning in the summer and the cook stove at our disposal at any time and the refrigeration!


These women worked! We just putter around when one considers their working conditions.


Anyway, with all your postings, thank you all so much for the opinions, but #2 is the choice that I let my sweetie make. And so it goes.

Tomorrow we are off to the plastic surgeon for a carpol tunnel procedure on my sweetie's left hand. It's been bothering him for so long that he decided to endure the about 15 minute procedure. I have other things in mind if I am to visit a plastic surgeon, but that's another story.

Ah this blessed weather. Today was glorious to the point that for the first time in about 8 weeks, I didn't wear a hat when I walk the dogs! I'm tough!

DECISION TIME...ALMOST!

So I said it would be orange dots. Well with 5 squares to go, I placed the pattern in two grids.

I know which one I like, what about you?

Even my sweetie has ventured into this and has said which he likes. Fortunately, it's what I think looks best too, but it's a bit of dilemna still.


I am off to finish the last five blocks this afternoon. One of my sons has had a bit of a scare and had a colonscopy this morning which took up most of the day. He is good
to go now and it was more stress related than anything
else. But it's a lesson learned, we should all make sure
that this procedure is done at least every two years as
it's a curable cancer in 90% of cases caught . Quite a simple
procedure actually, a bit noisy afterwards, but you
nurses know this.

We went to lunch afterwards and he had to excuse himself a few times as I would not let him do anything in public! Ok, too much information there...but you get the point.


Let me know which of the two you like. It is a very spring like quilt as Deb commented yesterday.

ORIGINAL ART WORK!

There are a couple of women that are friends of my daughter Kelly that make these very origina Pieces of ar

windows. I don't know how they make them but I now have two of these.

The flowers are all pressed, then somehow glued to the one side of the glass and really, the old one

that is in the kitchen at the cottage (not the best photo)

is still just like the day we put it up.

So knowing that we admired and loved the gift from last

year, Kelly got us this one for the living room (I think)

for this year.

Now, I don't have too many walls inside the cottage as we

have so many windows and the space is quite limited, but

I think that we will remove a mirror and put it in it's

place.

I have a couple of old pine windows at the cottage that keep getting moved from one space to..."don't throw that out I'm going to use it" another when my sweetie starts clearing out stuff.

I had thought to put photos in the panes of glass of the old frames, but as I said wall space is limited. However,

I am going to do something this year.

I have about 25 blocks done of the buckeye quilt so have put them out to see which pattern I am going to do with it all. I must say, pinning sure makes a difference in accuracy...I hate pinning...so the quilt has certainly been a turning point for me and I am a pinning queen!

My cold that I had on Saturday is virtually gone! I tell you Coldfx is an amazing product. Yesterday I was up and about like a new girl! There are athletes here in Canada, mainly hockey players and the figure skaters I think who use it annually to ward off colds. It works, and as stated before, I have no idea why, but it does!

I'm off to do more sewing today although I still haven't got my Janome 6600 back from the shop. I feel like it's been kidnapped...gone since Dec 22nd. Of course they aren't open till tomorrow morning. I'm calling first thing as I should be ready to do some serious quilting.

I will need a lesson in using the stitch in the ditch attachment as I've not been able to figure it out although I do have an attachment from the old machine which should fit this one...if I ever see it again!

YIKES! THIS IS ORANGE DOTS!

Now I like orange as I've said before in posts, but man alive....this is orange!


When Helen called in the summer and said that she had found some orange and white, white and orange dots and would I like a couple of metres since it was on sale, well what could I say?


Yeah sure a couple of metres should do me! Well how does one "tone" down orange? I've got this fabric that I found at goodwill and it actually seems to be doing the job. It isn't cut on the bias, it just is made that way, so it does give the block a bit of dimension, don't you think?


This is going to be my buckeye quilt that I posted a few
days ago. It sure is going to be differen. I may get
dizzy just looking at the dots.


Now, here is my question, should I put a yellow or
green binding on this, or just white. I think white
will be the back. I don't think I could live with
any more orange dots. The fabric actually also
comes in small orange and white dots...too much
of a good thing here....





I have been given a blanket holder...I'm going to paint it. Not orange for sure, but maybe just white and I am thinking that I shall put it in the bunkie at the cottage. Just for the decoration of it.


It was handmade by Mary's dad for her quilt that her grandmother gave her. So I'm going to cherish it. It has already come in handy for putting my strips for the quilt.


Oh it's so nice to have my computer back. Over 200 little critters were in here messing about. I was told that like a car, our computers need tuneups at least once a year. My antivirus scans didn't catch any of these! Only $70.00 for the fixup and a couple of new programs on of them being Excel, which I've never had.

We are in the middle of another very cold spell which I didn't realize when I took the dogs to the park for their run. The sun was shining and it wasn't until I got there that I realized the north wind was blowing drifts across the park. Even the dogs didn't last more than 10 minutes....One of them had ice on his chin from chasing the ball. My cheeks are still red! It's winter people!

I still haven't got my sewing machine back, hopefully tomorrow. It's because of the holidays and all the days that the shop was closed. Tomorrow...I hope!

GOODBYE AMANDAJEAN AND THANKS FOR THE GOOD TIMES!

Yesterday, I read that one of the most popular bloggers
was signing off.

I had just posted that she was the person who got me started quilting.  I've commented on her help over the past couple of years of course, but never did I think that her blog would come to an end.

I didn't expect her to respond to my comments, but when she visited my blog, I was so thrilled that she took the time to share her thoughts.   

It's a wonder she had time to sleep let alone keep up this blog that took on a life that she probably never expected when she started blogging.

I often wonder about the blogs that have hundreds and hundreds of followers like me, if they realize how much we depend on them...for free too.

Anyway, I found this photo on the web, saying goodbye and just thought I'd be one of the group who says thanks for sharing and bringing the love of quilting into our lives a little bit each day.

A QUILT REMEMBERED!

I saw this quilt that is the second quilt I made!  I remembered it so well as I made it with a 12" size cutting board and a 12" ruler.

My granddaughter Tory picked out all the fabric and started with the red dotted fabric.  When I finished this quilt, which is about 65 X 75, I remember thinking that this cutting thing was a chore! 

When I finished the quilt, is when I found a large 25 X 36 board, a long fat ruler and realized that changing cutters was awesome!  I tell you this (again) because it's now going into my third year almost of quilting so I have learned a few things since the 12" X 9" little pink cutting mat.

I love this quilt...it's probably in the easy label as quilts go, but I tell you, I had to look at each and every little block, every stitch, every seam that went into this...it was so hard for me to do.

I had only one little strip square left, but of course being me and doing the math the way I do, I actually have some of the red dot squares around somewhere.  Not enough to make a quilt, but a few squares are left.  Oh just another New Year reminder to this brain, I ran across all the orange and white squares that were part of the first quilt I made using the same measuring items.

I probably should have taken a lesson or two, searched the web a bit more, but after all, Crazy Mom Quilts...yeah her....she got me started.  It looked so simple and she didn't say what to use to cut the fabrics with...reminder to anyone starting out...use a large cutting matt and ruler!

So, looking at all my quilts, I've decided that I'm going to make another of this pattern...just because I really like the look of it, also I will need to try the stitch in the ditch thing with my Janome....that is if it ever comes back to me.  It's been at the shop since the 22nd of December.

Fabricland has a buy one metre, get two free going on...Sounds like good math to me!  I can cut out till my machine comes back.

Oh and I must do another strippy for a sweet little girl who likes pink!

Spring is 120 days away, give or take a day or two.

BRRRR! IT'S VERY VERY COLD

We are definitely in a cold spell here in Ontario.  Blizzard warnings and the lakes have frozen in the north near our cottage.

I received this photo to show that we should all be thinking of .....Antiqua...that would be good don't you think?

I sew in the basement which is usually just right for me to work, listen to music and be "creative" if you know what I mean.... well it's just too cold to want to do anything except put a quilt on my lap and watch television.

I did read "Playing for Pizza" by J. Grisham...the food made me want to go to Italy, but not in this weather...see?  I'm thinking warm and sunny all the time.

Last night, I saw "He's not into you" a total chick flick...Also watched "Two weeks notice"  again for the upteenth time and of course "Nottinghill" which is my favorite Julia film.

Today, I am off to pick up our Olympic girl as she is getting her resumes ready for University and we are going to lunch to discuss her future! 

Tomorrow...the tree comes down!  I'm over Christmas and all the holiday stuff.  I don't know any Ukranians !

THE DINNER PARTY

When we invited friends over for New Year's Eve, there were six of us for a small dinner party.  Cream of Leek soup, small salad, prime rib of beef, potatoes, carrots, onions and my "famous" yorkshire puddings which are always...remember that operative word always....so puffy and high that there are ooooooohs and aaaaaaaws, always. 

Everything went well till I looked at the yorkies just as my sweetie was carving the beef....They looked like hockey pucks in size !   What the devil could have gone wrong?   Oh well, we were amongst friends, so I served them on the platter anyway....Actually tasted good, although not as light as usual.  No one complained, because you know the best part of going to a dinner party anytime is not the food....it's the not having to clean up!  

We finished the night with delicious Monte Cristo coffees which my sweetie made at 11:30 so that we would be finished by midnight to bring in the new year!


Now, as we all get older and you know who I am talking to here....it actually gets harder and harder to stay
up past midnight on any given day, let alone New Years...We did manage to all be "cheery" till about 12:20 and then, it was four people out the door saying thanks so much for the fun!   We were all yawning as goodnights and thank yous were gushed!

I looked at the mess on the counter and thought " what was I thinking when I invited my friends to dinner?   Look at the mess!  Never mind that I had a good time, that there was laughing and great conversations......OMG, what a mess!

I decided to leave it till the morning, when my brain and body wasn't so tired...I actually slept in!  I couldn't believe that it was 8:45 when I awoke!    Happy New Year!   I felt actually good.   I don't drink very much at all so it is usually just being off schedule that bums me out for the next day...you know lack of sleep....

Coffee was made, the mess ignored....yes actually ignored and the bed beckoned me....I finished my little book, Playing for Pizza by Grisham (which by the way is quite good, different from the usual murder stuff) had another coffee and faced the kitchen.

The dishwasher was made for this occasion!  In about 10 okay 15 minutes, this is what the kitchen looked like.


Can you believe it?  Really it was done in that amount of time.  My sweetie cleared the dining room table, put the rest of our entertainment paraphanalia away and we were done!

Ok, it wasn't so bad afterall!  

Now it's the new year, I am not taking the tree down as I usually do on New Year's day, but will leave it till the 6th in honour of my Ukranian friends...I think I have some.    I'm not ready to get rid of it yet.   My family will be pleased as I usually clear out all the Christmas stuff as soon as I can.


Did you have fun? 

A FEW THINGS I HAVE LEARNED...SORT OF

I learned this year that my Janome isn't indistructable...
it has siezed twice in a year.


I learned that with help from my "private" teacher, I really improved in my pattern choices.


I learned that I really have gotten better at quilting at the cottage...


I also learned that it's not a race about finishing a quilt
so quickly...I don't know how some machine quilters do it.



I learned that the hand quilters who follow my blog are truly artisans....in my opinion.



I learned that the little threader that Helen gave me is probably one of the best little tool around.



I learned to get really really good at stitch picking.
Yeah really...



By the way the photo on the right is of the Virgin Islands, with 22 ft waves coming ashore. Oh to be a surfer.
I just loved the photo that was posted......I didn't learn anything from that...

.

I learned that sometimes 6:30 am with a cup of coffee in hand is sometimes the best time to quilt or get inspired.....my hands are quite steady then, so I can cut straighter than after 4 pm.




Best of all, so far, I learned that I am so thankful for the small joys in life that are shared by so many of the bloggers on the web....what did we ever do before the blogs were invented?



Happy New Year!

JUST BEING LAZY

Here is the photo of my mother and I on Christmas

morning. She still looks pretty good for 90 years old!


We were all at our daughter's home for the feast of brunch.


My mother lasted about 2 hours and then all the excitement of the day was too much for her. I'm sure that many of us with mothers who have a bit of dementia or other age related frailties can identify with my problem on holidays.


It has been decided that we will not take her out for huge family outings as it's just too hard on her, no matter how good our intentions!


But she was there for the photo op and I think that
counts for a lot.

I gave my daughter Kelly this quilt from the Moda, Swanky Chez Moi fabrics I made in the summer. It fits here bed well. She has a queen size bed, but we put the quilt sideways and with her duvet being white, the quilt looks made for the bed! She loves it!

Fabricland has still it's sale on, and so of course I had to see what was there. I did buy some black, white and black and white fabric for an idea that I have in mind.

I'm going to my quilt shop today, to see if they have my sewing machine fixed and also to see what's on sale there. The fabrics at the quilt shops here in Canada are always so expensive......$15.00 per metre is a lot I think...anyway 50% off is my regular price for shopping American online shops and they always have sales! Anyway, I am going to have a look-see.

We played Apples to Apples on Christmas day and with 4 teens, 4 adults, the game was a hoot. One of the cards said "a loan shark" and when one of the teens asked what that was, another replied..."You know Jaws, the movie? Well it's that shark all alone hunting for people to eat!" The adults just howled....not too bad a description of a loan shark after all I think.

Very very cold today, 2 degrees F. that's cold by any standard...

SO WE SURVIVED CHRISTMAS & KING TUT!

As is the norm, we are all so tired after the celebration

of Christmas day.

This year, my second son gave me a day out to see the

King Tut exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

There wasn't much of line when we arrived at 10 am, but an hour later, what a difference!

The set up was a bit distracting and I found it very "hollywood" in displays, what with the voice of Harrison Ford booming in doom like voice making the whole of it a bit too much.

The works of art are truly something to behold, so it was worth the walking to each room to view the statues, the icons, and the gold mask of King Tut. Amazing details when one considers the tools the Egyptions had to use.

There were some necklaces that must have had 2000

precious and semi precious stones, then others with

flowers embedded in the gold pendants about 1/2"

tall.

No photos were allowed of course and although many of the items were behind glass, others were touchable which made it all worthwhile.

Just to see the details of the works right down to the toes of statues that only stand about 6" high and others that were two to three times that size, but all so identical in detail must have taken those artisans many long and arduos days.

The highlight of the day at the Gallery was the display of about 100 model ships of all sizes and ages. There were tall ships and small passenger carriers, some models from as far as Japan and Turkey, aged from 300 year models to post WW2. Quite amazing displays of workmanship, some of which were done by POWs in the camps of WW2. And that was free to anyone to see!

On Christmas morning we picked up my mother at the nursing home to take her to our daughter's home for the Brunch of the year....So much food and so well presented. Sausage strata, blueberry french toast, cinnamon french toast, fruit trays, coffees, and too many juices to name. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Then our friends, Bob and Mary (cottage ) had our gang for Christmas dinner. Mary outdid herself this year and Jeremy was so happy that she made her famous squash and apple bake. All in all, even though we all say the same thing every year that we won't eat too much.....we always do.

Yesterday, we were vegetables, just laying around and watching movies and trying to not eat too much of the leftover goodies, that somehow always taste so much better the day after. Don't you think?

I've been reading those that posted, and it seems we all survived!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

I just want to thank you all for reading my blog over the past year.

It has meant so much to me, especially the encouragement and lessons you give me.

Life is good, we should count our blessings more often.

Nanci

THE LAST STRIPPIES!

I made the strippies because they were easy and fun to make! After my friend had done hers for her family, which they absolutely loved by the way....I decided to get moving on mine.


I made a couple of the "music" quilts, only because I could use black which is always a good colour to have and the teens will like the designs.
"Oh cool Nana" is going to be the operative word of the day.


One of the music strippies is done in a reddish check, while the other is in music notes. They both look good in the different colour schemes so if the kids bring them to the cottage or hang out together they won't get mixed up in whose quilt is ....whatever.




I really like the music notes a lot as it gave the quilt a really different look from the checked one.


I am also parting with the little green quilt that
is just poking in the photo on the right of the second
shelf. It's time to move on to others.


I still find it hard to part with my projects. I think it must be so for all of quilters, even if we will see them again in their different environments.






I then decided to use the black print that you see
in the last strippie...I bought this print as one of
my first purchases when I decided to quilt.

It is very suited for strip quilting as the print is very large. Large prints are hard to work with I think. This got rid of it.

I also used the last of the yellow print on the back which I had used on the Moda quilt in the summer. I didn't have quite enough, hence the lovely orange strip on the back. It just popped this quilt.




I also see on the shelf at the back the little doll
that I made years ago. It is one of 9 that were
done that year from a Vogue pattern for doll making.

My friend Dawn and I made the dolls, sewed the clothes too and then put the hair on individually on the heads.. The hair came from a bag of curls and that was the most fun. I couldn't download another photo on the blog, or I'd have done so. It is only one of two that remains....lots of use of these babies I tell you.

What with the Christmas rush upon us, I am amazed that anyone of us is able to post. This is my first in a week or so and I am taking time this morning to get it done. I've not even read blogs...that's how busy I've been.

I don't think I'll be back for a bit as I still have so much to do...all those organized people. My daughter, who loves this season always decorates her house beautifully and it always looks so different every year, has invited us for brunch on Christmas morning as is tradition, came to dinner last week and thought my decorating for the first time in years was awesome!

Candles are the way to go...I lit about 30 of them all over the house, the tree was up, fresh poinsettias around and Voila! Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you who come to visit...

I'M STILL DOING STRIPPIES!

I have been so busy doing other stuff besides quilting that I am resorting to doing a few strippies for gifts.

This one I just love the prints, although the photo isn't the best that I've taken, the musical instruments and the notes on the back make it quite "manly".

My friend Dawn has finished her quilts, actually did the corners to perfection and her carpol tunnel seems to be in remission as she has had acupuncture so the hand finishing of her last quilt was done by her.

We have had excellent weather here in Whitby, only receiving a dash of snow yesterday afternoon. Wet stuff too, so if the sun shines today, which it will, the snow will be gone! We still have not had a killing frost...imagine, it's December the 8th.

There is always so much to do for preparing for Christmas that it's a wonder we women survive it all.

I wonder if really it's worth it sometimes as we should really think of simpler times. We don't have little ones in the family any more, all teens now...hard to believe that the time has gone by as fast as it has.

#1 granddaughter is in her first year university, # 2 & 3 are finishing high school this year, there are 5 more in high school and only one in senior year of public school. Time really really flies doesn't it.

We have checked the web site that keeps track of our cottage country and this time last year there was a foot of snow...this year, there is still no ice in the bays which means people are still able to motor out to their cottages although there is only the little outboards that one can haul in and out quickly in the water.

A mild winter seems to be in the making. I still am in sweaters to go out...wahoo!

Yesterday on Turner Classic there was so much history on December 7th and the following war in the world that it was hard to concentrate on my quilting. I find it so incredible that there was so much film taken considering what was going on in Pearl Harbour, and also the following documentries in China, Japan, the African and European campaigns. We were witnessing history and it seems that we haven't learned much have we? Women should rule the world! We would protect our babies from harm!

I'M NEVER USING POLY BATTING AGAIN!

I find it really hard to do more of a "male" type quilt than

the "girly" ones.

I like bright colours, but when it comes to

boys stuff, it's hard to find something for my almost teen grandsons!

I found a few more neutral prints and have made this strippie quilt with a flannel backing which looks quite male.

I used (for the very last time in my life) a poly batting from when I had first started quilting and now I know why I had such a hard time quilting.

First, when I spray basted the flannel it was great, then when I sprayed to the cotton side, it didn't stick at all. I then had to pin the whole top to the batting which was a real chore! Not too much fun and if one has even a small nick on their hands or nails, well the batting caught it all.

I think this must be used solely for tying as I will never use it again. Bring on the natural battings!

Anyway, thank goodness that with two years under my belt in the quilting world, I worked through it. I can't imagine if I'd been a novice (sic) (really laughing at this) that I'd have given up on the quilt for sure. It looks very good now that my "expertise" had a go at it. I actually awoke at 6 am thinking about the work ahead on this quilt.

I have a couple more strippies that I will do for the boys and will definitely be using good batting. My local quilt shop also is now selling 120" wide batting which is quite nice to have, but I do like bamboo as one of my favorites.

While I was doing the hand work on the above noted quilt, I watched Michael Buble on tape at Madison Square Garden...I am so totally in love with his music and he is having the time of his life as he succeeds in doing what he loves to do best in the world.....singing the old standards. I saw this on Bravo last night and taped it anyway. Also another concert sometime in January apparently.

He told the story of his grandfather taking him around Vancouver to kareoke(?) bars so he could sing and that his grandfather got him his first jobs. Never did he imagine that he would be the success that he is. Just a wonderful guy, but OMG so much energy...he was awesome.