Happy New Year!

Ahhh....one last day of holidays to relax before heading back to work tomorrow.

I took some time this morning to get the bindings of these two quilts - - both of them are Bonnie Hunter designs -- stitched to the front.  I believe I'll spend the rest of the day with my feet up hand sewing the bindings to the back.

Jamestown Landing and Celtic Solstice

This week has been particularly busy, as we traveled to Newfoundland to ring in the New Year and celebrate the wedding of our oldest son.  Sailor Boy lives in Halifax, but his new wife was born and raised on The Rock. 

Itty Bitty and Sailor Boy

The wedding was held indoors, of course, but a lot of the photos were taken outside, with the added bonus of "natural confetti" falling from the sky.

This was our first visit to Newfoundland. We met some of the warmest, kindest people while we were there - - although we could have used an interpreter to understand that Newfie accent!

Another Sunday....slow stitching

Still stitching away on the applique borders of Sprigs & Twigs.

Old age is making all this handwork extra challenging.  The best thing ever is the Clover needle threader that Hubby brought me from Florida a few years back.  If you see one, get it!  It's not just another gadget -- it's a life saver!

Slow Sunday Stitching

Last load of laundry is in the washing machine, menu for the week planned, and groceries shopped....heck, I even went out and purchased a new filter for the furnace.  Nothing much else to do this afternoon, other than put my feet up and binge watch some TV shows while I stitch bindings on these two quilts, and the applique on Sprigs & Twigs.

Anxiety Level: Warp Factor 8

It's a bittersweet time

This past week I've been saying good-bye to my long(ish) term clients.  Lots of hugs - a few tears - a couple of laughs - - I have this one guy, incredibly ill with bipolar that I've been working with fairly frequently in the last two years or so - - he came in Friday and we reminisced about all the good times we have had when he was manic.  A mom and son that I've seen from time to time to work on different issues dropped in the same day and brought me a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates.  The mom speaks almost no English at all, but told me "I love you".  I was so touched, because I recognize that this gift represents a big chunk of their income once the rent is paid - getting misty typing this story.  A woman that I've seen a half dozen times in the past six months stopped by the office and told our receptionist to tell me that she wished she could move to Waterloo so she could still work with me.  Ahh social work process - termination phase is an emotional roller coaster for everyone!

We were approved for the house we REALLY wanted to rent - I'm getting excited about settling into our new 'home'.  
We went to a town-wide yard sale in Mannheim yesterday, and I made a couple of purchases to feather our nest.  I've been on the look out for a headboard for Itty Bitty's bed for about five years, and finally found one yesterday for $5!  Nothing quilty - unless you count this jar that I am going to fill with buttons:

It's a Longaberger Blue Ribbon quart sealer.  I thought it might have a little bit of value, but I must say I'm shocked at the prices I saw on eBay for them.  I have a scrap of fabric printed with vintage pearl buttons on it that I will cover the lid with.

Okay - so some stash-talk.  I went to Quilter's Nine Patch in Elmira last weekend, and purchased some $5 bags of scraps.  I had a blast tearing them apart, and chopping them up, and piecing them together!  Here's one example of the contents of a bag that I brought home.

This month's Annie's Creative Quilters Fabric Club.  Yup - I'm cancelling my membership.  I haven't made anything with the fabric I've received - - it's just going in my swelling stash.

Itty Bitty has a "thing" for Batman.  I couldn't resist these two fat quarters that I picked up at Greenwood Quiltery.

On to what I've been sewing! From the bags of scraps I got a lot of Civil War reproduction scraps.  I pieced 59 nine-patches (finishing at 3") - I'm quickly filling my jar!  I now have 170 blocks.

 I am still making split nine-patches (finishing at 6 inches).  I think I have 91 blocks now.

Okay - so I couldn't NOT cut into the orange/pink/grey prints that I showed above.  I had this pillow pinned on one of my pinterest boards:

I can't say I "nailed it" - - there isn't enough contrast in the fabrics I have used, but I think if I quilt around the perimeters of each cross, it might highlight the pattern a bit.

Sunday is all about 'Slow Stitching' - I used up the smallest sock monkey scraps that remained from the bag of scraps I bought (yes, another $5 bag from Quilter's Nine Patch) to make a mug rug for a young lady at work.  I need to stitch down the binding.  I added some ric-rac as a "flange".  It didn't turn out as cute as I thought it would.  Oh well!  

I have two more blocks ready to go for "Love Blooms Here" - the series from Quiltmaker magazine.  I'll probably work on hand appliqueing tonight in front of the TV.  

Sunday checking in

My much anticipated, and much needed loooooong weekend has been messed up by a bad cold.  Gah!  I feel like crrrrrrrrrud! I'll be keeping this short and sweet...

My plan to do morning sewing to bust some UFO's is going well:

I picked up some remnants this past week:

Made some tissue holder from scraps left over from the totebag I made last weekend.

I've also been working on the latest blocks for "Love Blooms Here"- a 6 part series in Quiltmaker magazine.

Scraps, Stash, & Slow Sunday Stitching

Eighteen days until spring.  Has this been the longest winter EVER?!?!?  Aren't you sick of talking about how cold it is and how much snow has fallen?  Ugh...

Scrappy Mug Rug.

I got on the Split Nine Patch band wagon as my "leader/ender" project just as Bonnie Hunter announces this year's new Leader & Ender: Lozenges

This month's Quilter's Club package came in the mail this week.  All blue? two months in a row?  Hm.  Rethinking this club thing.

This week's Slow Sunday Stitching is going to be about closing the turning opening on my table runner, sewing on the buttons, and starting the quilting.

Hubby and I went thrifting yesterday.  I found this ginormous jar.  When I brought it home (and it was freakin' heavy!) I didn't have a clear picture of what I was going to do with it.

Oh wait!  Storage for scraps for 15 Minutes of Play!

Hubby found a soft guitar case that required some stitching.  Uh...mending?  Seriously?  Okay...so first thing this morning I glued down the trim, clamped it down, and then stitched it down.  He is my slave - FOREVER!

Some Sunday Stitching and Stash

I'm completed the blocks for "Love Blooms Here" (Parts 1 & 2) so this Sunday, I'm working on an old UFO.  It's a table runner, and on each end is a basket of flowers.  I've appliqued the flowers on one end this week, and today, I'll start on the other end.

For the first weekend in a long while (since Christmas I think!) we finally have had some decent weather, so Hubby and I decided to make a trip home to see some family.  While we were there, I stopped at Baskins Fabrics to feed my need for fabric.  I was delighted to find that they had three huge baskets full of baggies of fabrics at $1 each.  Here's a small selection of a few I added to my stash.

Fleurs de lis, chandeliers, and chairs.  I love these colours.

Ordinarily, I would never buy batiks, but I noticed right away that the print (below) were of Fiestaware, then I noticed coffee pots and mixers - and thought these were so unusual and delightful, I could find a place for them.  Each piece is about 24" x 10, and I got doubles of some of the colourways. 

This fabric below is very sweet.  I might cover some notebooks and give them to other social workers I work with in the community.

Sunday Checking in

Still working on hand applique for Love Blooms Here blocks (Part 2)

I made a mug rug for a co-worker from a pile of scraps that were crying out for some attention.

I went shopping yesterday, and with the help of Hubby's new smart phone, we were able to find Creative Sisters Quilt Studio in Kitchener.  I spied two plastic containers packed full of scraps! ($4 each)  So excited!

Also did some Stash Enhancement.  The blue batik FQs came from Creative Sisters and the other four prints came from Quilter's Nine Patch in Elmira.  I'm in serious like with the black and white Eiffel Tower print.  The Deb Strain floral prints were in the bargain bin.  I think they are sweet.

Itty Bitty is home from university for Reading Week. I'm not sure what kind of trouble we can get up to - but he's definitely going to spend some work hours with me - learning what the world of social work is all about.  Itty Bitty will be finishing up his B.A. in criminology in the next year, and is giving grad school some serious thought to pursue a Masters in Social Work.  (Totally psyched about that!)

I almost fell for this video Quilt Along:  

Yes, I watched the first three videos this morning, and started pulling fabrics, started piecing the first friendship star, and thought "what the heck am I doing???".  Put the fabric away!  Put the fabric away!  Put the fabric away!

Slow Sunday Stitching: Love Blooms Here

I just got the newest issue of Quiltmaker, and the 2nd part of the series "Love Blooms Here"

Last Sunday, I worked on, and completed this block:

This morning I prepared for the next three blocks, so my Slow Sunday Stitching is all ready to go for the rest of the day.

Sunday: Reporting In

It's been a BRUTAL week.  So busy with work that all I want to do is take of my pants and flake out on the couch.  I haven't sewn a stitch.

Slow Sunday Stitching:  I'm ready to start the next block for "Love Blooms Here" (the Quiltmaker Series) that I'm doing in batiks

Put Your Scraps to Work 2014: not exactly a finish.  This is the pillow front of "Heart's Desire" from the Feb '14 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting, designed by Jen Kingwell

Sunday Stash: I recently joined Annie's Creative Quilters Fabric Club and received my first shipment this week.  I'll be able to use some of these batiks for "Love Blooms Here".

Sunday Stash and Slow Stitching: Love Blooms Here

I'm ready to start the embroidery for the stems on this block. All of the applique is done.  I swear all of the leaves ARE green - just didn't show up so good in the photo. Hmmm.

And yes, I did tell some horrible lie by saying that I could complete this quilt from my batik stash.  I stopped into the Triangle Sewing Centre this week to enhance my batik selections. Forgive the horrible lie.

Linking to Sunday Stash and Sunday Slow Stitching

Love Blooms Here - Slow Sunday Stitching

  

The newest issue of Quiltmaker includes the 1st of 6 parts of a new series called "Love Blooms Here".  I quite like it - but when I saw the quilt in batiks, rather than "folk art calico", I was sold!

So last night I pieced together the little friendship star blocks, and today I am hand appliqueing the basket block.  Here's a little confession: I have a drawer full of batiks, but I have NEVER made a single thing with batik fabric.  I think there is plenty of fabric there to complete this project.