Remember this?

This was our sewing kit as kids at home - by Tupperware!  I often look in thrift stores to see if I stumble upon one.  I don't think I'd buy it, but it would be fun to see it again.  Hey Mom!  Have you still got this thing?

9 of 9 and a Little Stash Enhancement

I borrowed another BOW from Civil War Quilts, so I'm now caught up with 9 blocks. 

I went back to St. T. today, despite terrorizing reports of the "Frankenstorm", in order to attend a funeral.  Before I left to come back home, I stopped at a fabric store, and bought up some bags of scraps -- here's a selection of some of my stash enhancement - the ones that all read as solids.  Very pleased!

Cheated again!

This one is called Port and Starboard and I've borrowed it from the Civil War Quilts blog.  I think I've got some perfect points in there!  Good for me!  One more block and I'll be caught up with the Block of the Week from Grandmother's Choice.

I've got the place to myself today -- Itty Bitty and Hubby have gone on an errand back to St. T. to get our treadmill out of storage.  Yes, along with instituting a regimen of regular quilting (for me), and daily guitar practice (for Hubby) -- it's time to add a wee bit of a walk too.

Brick Pavement - 7 of 9

Brick Pavement

I still have two more blocks to make in order to catch up, but I was happy to see this week's BOW wasn't too difficult!  I actually put in a couple of hours of sewing this afternoon, while watching QuiltCam.

Itty Bitty is visiting this weekend - and just in time too!  Neither Hubby nor I were tall enough to change the overhead lightbulbs in the spare bedroom where I have set up my sewing space - even with the step ladder.  I return, I've promised to cook him a turkey dinner tomorrow.

No more sewing tonight, I'm afraid.  My back is aching from being bent over the ironing board!

A Trip in the Wayback Machine

Ah!  What a week!  All of us at the office were so glad to have made it all the way to Friday.  To celebrate this accomplishment, we went out for lunch.

Over lunch, I asked if anyone had seen the new Match Game yet. Well...because there is a span of some 20 years between the eldest and youngest members of the team, those of us with a few more years under our belts had to explain what made the original Match Game so wonderful back in the 70's.

Next, we reminisced about all the great television shows we were forced privileged to watch during the 70's and 80's due to the CRTC's strict Canadian content rules.  Thus an entire afternoon of calling out our fond recollections ensued. 

Unless you are of a certain age, and spent your childhood and adolescence in The Great White North the rest of this blog post will be meaningless.  So humour me... 

Okay - you remember the Definition theme song....it became Austin Power's theme song (Mike Meyers, b. 1963, Canadian...makes sense, eh?) 

A Lovely Evening

With Gibson's help, I completed another block.  Okay...so I chickened out.  I swapped this block in for one of the three outstanding blocks that I was dreading having to piece together.

What a gorgeous day - record high temperatures and sunshine.  After work tonight Hubby and I decided to stay out and enjoy the last of this left over summer.  We walked down the street to Diana's

It was wonderful!  I had a plateful of delicious and spicy butter chicken with basmati rice, while Hubby had a steak that he raved about. We had been hearing so many good things about Diana's, but never made the opportunity to check it out.  We'll be going back for sure!

Next was a walk to the Public Library to return some books and pick out a few more selections.  And to round out the night, we stopped at Market Fresh to browse through the aisles and pick up a little treat from the bakery.  

I have a lovely piece of cheesecake for a bedtime snack!

Gettin' There

Aunt Eliza's Star  

I'm now at 5 out of 8 - I'm catching up!  The remaining three are VERY CHALLENGING!  I might have to substitute different blocks...that's allowed, right? I really, really can't deal with the thoughts of creating another Amethyst block - oy vey!

Hubby recently started taking music lessons.  He's been playing guitar for many years, but feels like he's plateaued.  Formal lessons = regular practice.  Regular practice = me in the sewing room with the door shut!  I was going full steam ahead last night, and actually missed the first half hour of "Call the Midwife"! 

Back to work today - ah!  So busy!

Halfway to Caught Up

I finished another block - Alice's Flag

I had the option of piecing the star, or cutting it whole.  Since I had a striped fabric, I decided to fussy cut.

Last day of holidays!  You know what that means...a whole day of housework!  Yahoo!

Back to work tomorrow - not sure what we'll be doing.  The office is actually closed, because there's something going on with our servers? Replacing them, maybe? I don't know - but that means we won't be able to to use our computers, and we're darn near 100% paperless at our office, and almost all of our work requires being connected to our servers.  I see on the calendar we're starting off the day with a staff meeting!

Currently reading: 

It's a modern retelling of "Jane Eyre" - taking place in 1960's Scotland.  

I must tell you about this website I discovered while cruising around Pinterest: What Should I Read Next.  You type in the name of an author or title that you particularly enjoyed, and the website generates a list of books that come from real readers lists of favourites.  I put in "The Thirteenth Tale" and it generated a list that included a couple of Kate Morton novels that I have already read and enjoyed.

Whatcha doin'?

Gibby is confused!  What's going on in this room?

I finished another block: Union Square

And I'm well on my way to finishing my fourth block.  But holy moley!  This week's block was posted today, and it's the same as Amethyst! with strip pieced triangles!  ACK!!!  That block almost killed me.  I can't bear the idea of making it AGAIN!

Grandmother's Choice

Grandmother's Choice - - again, the pattern should be ignored.  The bizarre 1/8" measures had to go - - draft it out yourself.  I increased the centre square to a finished 2"x 2" size, which is larger than the outer squares.  I'm not happy with the choice I made, going with the solid fabric for the 'background'. I may end up making another one.

Amethyst

I actually made the SECOND block first, of Grandmother's Choice.  Not on purpose - I didn't notice until I started writing this blogpost.  But I'm very glad to have this one DONE!  It took me the better part of a whole day, a a couple of tries - - the first try was torn apart a couple of times, and finally tossed.  The second attempt was torn apart once, redrafted, recut, and sewn together twice - - but FINALLY it is sized correctly, points are perfect, and I no longer have a burning desire to stab myself in the neck with a seam ripper.  The pdf for the pattern did not print correctly, so I had to draft the pattern myself.  Here's the post for "Amethyst"

I've decided to go with red and black reproduction fabrics.  

Back from the Cottage

Sunset on the St. Clair River.  

I had a nice break from the regular head space I generally inhabit.  The "intention" of the three days retreating was to do some intensive NOTHING - - - Mission: Accomplished.

I did a little sewing.  I worked on some HSTs and 4-patches to assemble a red and neutral quilt that I've had cut out for yeeeeears.  But mostly I napped, and read, and nibbled, and giggled - - I even piloted a cross-border shopping trip with six women, to five stores in three hours (talk about some some clock work precision commando-style shopping!).

I enjoyed watching all the scrapbooking going on around me, but I didn't feel any eagerness to get back into that old addiction.  But I do feel more excited about getting cozier with my fabric and sewing machine.  

Prepare to be amazed amused!

I'm just about ready!

I crept out of bed in the wee hours this morning and began packing my bags for my ladies retreat that begins tomorrow!

My Janome "Lucy" --who has been languishing, lonely and ignored, for many a month  -- got a bit a a cleaning, and a drip or two of oil.  My iron dusted off and cord reeled in.  I filled a bag with my notions, kits, cutting matt and rulers. My iPod is charged and loaded with podcasts.  I'm just about set.

And wouldn't you know it?  Just while I'm innocently surfing the web, I discover a Block of the Week that just started in September. The uber militant feminist in me loves the theme! It wouldn't take me too long to catch up, would it???  Maybe I'll get caught up during this week of vacation! 

Poor Hubby and Gibson the Cat will be on their own for the next few days.  I've got a nice dinner in the slow cooker that I found on Pinterest yesterday : Creamy Country Chicken and Vegetables.  Looks good, eh?  I'll let you know.

Speaking of Pinterest, I've become an addict.  It's a recent weakness - - it took a few months before I realized that I had to start my own boards.  Here's my quilting board of pins.  It's pretty small right now.  But it will get worse...I mean better!

I'm reading a new book: 

Have you watched "Quilt Cam" on Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville? I caught a short notice about a surprise Quilt Cam last night on Facebook, and took my laptop to bed with me so I could watch it.  Sounds funny, but it  really was enjoyable!  She was doing green strip pieced blocks on an old Singer treadle machine last night....I bet it has to do with a project related to her Ireland trip next year.

I think it's time for a nap - and then I'll pack my pj's (I don't expect I'm going to be wearing anything else over the next few days!

yep....I'm on vacation

WHEW!  It's finally here.  It was a brutal week - trying to jam 5 days of work into 3, but I'm now free!  Mostly my plans include doing a WHOLE LOTTA NOTHING!

I'm heading out on Monday to stay in a cottage with my mom, sister, and a handful of other women for three days.  They are all scrapbookers, but I don't discriminate.  I'm taking my Janome, and a totebag full of precut kits that I put together a few years ago.  I guess that means I'm going to do some sewing!  Wow!  I hope I still remember how!

In the meantime, I get to enjoy an outing with Hubby tomorrow to the local hospital for a colonoscopy. Weee!  I sure am enjoying watching him endure the prep part. 

I'm reading another Jennifer Chiaverini book: