....and moving along....

I can make any number of excuses about why I've been such a bad blogger these last few months....but talk about BORING!!!

Let's move on to more exciting topics:

1. I haven't sewn much over the past six months.  I recently have started flogging this old horse - Jamestown Landing from Bonnie Hunter's "String Fling" book.  Let 's do a little math.  The overall quilt centre (minus the borders) are made up of 21 x 18 little 4x4 blocks, each with approximately 8 pieces in them - roughly 3000 pieces.  Wow.

2.  I've applied to two universities to pursue a master's degree in Social Work.  I won't know for awhile yet if I've been selected.  Fingers are crossed.

3.  I bought a new memory foam bath mat - - the cat will not step on it.  It freaks him out.  I can now confirm--without any reservations--that THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG with my cat.

4.  Itty Bitty has just completed the first semester of his fourth year of undergrad.  Thirteen more weeks until he completes his degree.  This has been the shortest four years of my entire life.  He is also applying to grad school to complete a Master's degree in social work - different universities though.

This past semester he spent Fridays with me at my office doing an elective practicum.  It's been so much fun. Okay, not fun exactly. He has heard some truly horrific stories, and seen some hair-curling, run-screaming-into-the-street sorts of sights - - but certainly has the professional, non-judgmental, this-is-so-completely-normal, social-worky approach down SOLID. Besides, he's also really good at lifting heavy objects, mind-numbing clerical/administrative tasks, and run-down-to-the-courthouse-to-get-me-documents-and-while-you're-out-bring-back-coffee sorts of jobs.

5.  I've been reading quite a lot.  I also went to my first ever book club meeting to discuss "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion.  I want to recommend this book to everyone I meet.  I understand it is going to be a movie - - and the movie just will NOT be as good.

In the past 24 hours, I completely consumed "This Won't Hurt a Bit" by Michelle Au - very readable.

Lastly, I've been working through the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon again.  I started to read them when they were initially published back in the 90's - but since watching the TV series in the summ...wait...WHAT?!?!? You haven't watched the TV SERIES?!?!?!?  Wow.  Go do that.
Anyway - the books have been re-released to coincide with the  television series premier in August and I have been yummying them up:

  

I'm ready for book #4 - and my sister-in-law has given me #5 & 6.  Why is the bookstore so far away????

Oh! Scraps!

It doesn't matter how many drawers full of scraps I already have - - I love, love, love scraps.  

I did a little bit of thrifting on Friday with Hubby and bought a $3 bag of scraps.  Here's what I got that I'm keeping:

The smaller piece of batik (with the stars) is a 1/2 yard, and still had the price of $7.50 attached to it.  Thank you!  I'll take that!

When I was at the Greenwood Quiltery yesterday, I snagged several bags of scraps too.  I spent the evening pressing, squaring up, trimming, and organizing scraps.  My favourite way to spend a Saturday night!  Even Gibson got in on the fun.

Linked to Sunday Stash # 58 @ Molli Sparkles

What Does a Cat Have to Do to Get Into a Picture....for crying out loud...

Itty Bitty is home for the long (Canadian) Thanksgiving Weekend.  We dropped Hubby off at work bright and early this morning, and I forced him to drive me to all of the thrift stores in town, looking for some quilting goodness.  I bribed him with a stop at Tim Horton's for a Pumpkin Spice Muffin and tea.

I bought some quilting magazines, Amy Butler's book "In Stitches", a zipper, and a bag of scraps - all for less than one new magazine on the news stand!

Whose bum is that sneaking in on the perimeter?

Well look who's here?  It's Gibby!  Look at all 

the good stuff I found at the thrift stores!

Whatever...just scratch my chin - wouldya?

Miss me?

I haven't been doing much sewing.  
I've become addicted to Mad Men

All of my spare time has been stuck, glued to the television catching up on six seasons on netflix.

But I did go out of doors today to do a little thrifting! I found all kinds of handy notions, a bag full of velcro ($1), another full of self cover buttons, D-rings, snaps ($1), another baggie of thread ($.50), some zippers ($.50), a bag full of good quality quilting scraps ($2) (most of which I can use from my Granny Square quilt that I've been cutting for)

I had to push Gibson's gut off to show you the glass frog. ($2) These are so handy for holding pens and tools.  I can't use them for flowers - Gibson eats flowers.

And then I found this quilt pattern! ($1) It's so cute!  I wish I had a little girl to make this for.  I can see it all done in 30's reproductions.

Friday Finish - another UFO Bites the Dust!

A partner for this pillow:

The House by the Side of the Road

by Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911)

There are hermit
souls that live withdrawn
In the peace of their self-content;
There are souls, like stars, that dwell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths
Where highways never ran;-
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

Let me live in a house
by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by-
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban;-
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

I see from my house
by the side of the road,
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor of hope,
The men who are faint with the strife.
But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears-
Both parts of an infinite plan;-
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

I know there are brook-gladdened
meadows ahead
And mountains of wearisome height;
That the road passes on through the long afternoon
And stretches away to the night.
But still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice,
And weep with the strangers that moan,
Nor live in my house by the side of the road
Like a man who dwells alone.

Let me live in my
house by the side of the road
Where the race of men go by-
They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
Wise, foolish- so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat
Or hurl the cynic’s ban?-
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.

What Gibby and I Have Been Up to This Morning - a Saturday Morning Sleep-In/Sew-In

This is what Gibby has been up to this morning:

9:00 am

10:00 am

11:00 am

Noon

Yes, he has done nothing but sleep in Itty Bitty's back pack.

What I have been up to this morning:

Dear Jane LS4 Virginia's Kite

Grandmother's Choice: Art Square

Backing for one of the Sampler Pillows

Oh....I think this has got to be one of my favourite all times

I'm telling you...this cat...
As soon as he hears the camera turn on, he's photo bombing

Get lost, Gibson!

Finished measurement is 95" square

I am absolutely delighted with how this turned out.  And it occurred to me last night that this is my own design - - no pattern. I am responsible for all of the idiosyncrasies - for example, take note of the 1/2" black strip just inside the final pieced border.

Let me explain - I had intended the hourglass blocks to be 6" finished, but cut them wrong, and ended up 5" finished.  I needed to add only 1" , although I probably could have eased the final border in, but went ahead and added the 1/2" to ensure that the final border lay straight, without any ruffling.

The blocks in the centre were created according to the instructions on this tutorial.

What? I'm HELPING!

one...

 ...two...

 ...four... 

...excuse me?

Trying to pin pieces together, and who shows up to 'help' me?  First he LAYS his flabbiness directly on top of the sections I'm trying to put together, then he proceeds to pull pins out of the pincushion, one after another, and toss them around--undoubtedly for me to find 'the hard way' later on!  Oh, Gibson!

Just Rewards: Retail

Last Tuesday was my birthday, and my lovely mother-in-law sent me a Happy Birthday cheque in the mail.  I hadn't thought that I would be doing any stash enhancement with it - - what could I need?  But as I started to cut the pieces for the borders on Black & White, I realized I was all out of white on black prints.  

So, today at lunch, I did a quick trip to the LQS - Greenwood Quiltery to pick up a couple of FQs.  But who could resist the new "Type" fabrics?  Evidently, not me.

Decision

Oh Gibson! I really don't think he cares if he's in the way or not.  He's actually sitting on a bunch of strips I've already cut.  I've tried to explain to him that they are not eggs, and he is definitely NOT a chicken! He's waiting for me to go to bed so he can spread them around the apartment again.

So I did decide to go with the LeMoyne Star block, instead of this week's posted Grandmother's Choice BOW.  Pretty nifty!

I've been working on assembling Sylvia's Bridal Sampler this afternoon.  It's beginning to take shape. I'll be setting these blocks on point.  I don't think I've ever set a quilt top this way before!  I'll have to figure out how to calculate the sizes for the side and corner triangles - there's gotta be a website somewhere that will do that for me.

Saturday Sleep-In, Sew-In, Settle-In

We just got home from getting a few groceries, and Hubby says, "We don't have to leave the house until tomorrow when I take the garbage out!"  I like the way this man thinks!

Took a side trip to Chapters and got a copy of Jennifer Chiaverini's "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker".  After reading a couple of reviews here, here, and here I decided this was a great choice for a "To me, from me, with all my love" birthday present. All of the reviews mention that the novel gets a little slow with too many battle related details, but I am passionate about history, so I bet I'll have extraordinary tolerance for those bits. I can't start reading it yet though, because I'm still working on "The Secret Keeper".

And just because I've been an extra good girl, how about a glossy quilting magazine?

I liked a lot of quilts in the magazine, but I'm particularly drawn to this one: 

I was pretty impressed with the slick piecing trick to make the LeMoyne Star blocks without any set in Y-seams!  I will have to try that technique out - - perhaps this weekend as a replacement for this week's Grandmother's Choice BOW: Parasol.  I don't like it - I don't think it will fit in well with the blocks I've made so far.  I'll let you know what I decide!

 I spent some time last night cutting the sashing pieces for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler while watching TV.  I left them all stacked up neatly on the coffee table in wait for morning when I could start sewing them to the blocks.  When I awoke this morning, eager to get to work, I realized my favourite furry friend had spread the neat pile all over the apartment. Seriously Gibson? I hope I've found them all, and only a few were really hairy.