Mother's Day

Today turned out to be a great early Mother's Day for me. It could have been a couple of degrees warmer, but at least it was dry.

The three of us struck out early this morning for town wide yard sales in Heidelberg.  Just like last week, we were in Mennonite country, but this week, we were SMACK DAB CENTRE of Mennonite Country!  It was interesting parking roadside with horses and wagons front and back!  We had to be careful not to step into 'road apples' as we walked through the neighbourhoods of modern subdivisions.  No remarkable finds this week - - a few goodies though.  Itty Bitty got a bookshelf -- something he's been looking for for a couple of weeks.  I got some quilting books, some embroidery transfers, a few odds and ends.

Then we went to the St. Jacob's Farmers' Market.  All the years we've been regular visitors to St. Jacob's, this was our first visit to the market.  After browsing around, and picking up some fruit and veggies, we headed into St. Jacob's proper, and Itty Bitty treated us to an early Mother's Day lunch at the Stone Crock.  

The men patiently waited while I visited Reichards Quilt Store.  It was busy, and all the fabric was 25% off - - and then I realized it was a Shop Hop!  RATS!  I missed it!  Oh well, I had a bit of a mini-shop hop anyway, because on the way home we stopped at a quilt store in Elmira that I had never visited before: Quilter's Nine Patch.  OH MY!  I'm going to become a regular visitor.  I came out with a bag full of goodies!!!

Tonight I did some quilting, and finished one of my pillows.  I used my walking foot for the first time ever -- had to get out my instruction book to figure it out!  I'm hoping to finish the partner to this one tomorrow!

And here's a photo of the new borders on Virginia Bound. I used my Dear Jane ruler to cut the string blocks.  I feel like I want to do one more border...hmmmmmmm.  Or maybe dark binding will be enough.  Any thoughts?

Computer Issues

I've been a little on the quiet side...

My laptop is on the fritz.  It works just fine, but the screen is completely black.  Itty Bitty has hooked it up to  Hubby's desktop monitor, but it is completely inconvenient.

Beautiful weather!  Finally, spring!  The three of us went to a town-wide yard sale in Mannheim (near Kitchener) yesterday.  I expected I might find lots of quilty goodness in Mennonite country, but alas, it wasn't to be.  I did see lots of quilt-themed art, and plenty of scrapbook/stamping supplies, but not much else I was interested in.  

One great find though!  A new office chair for my sewing room for $5!!!  It's fully adjustable, and in good condition.  I had been using a dining room chair up to now, and I was afraid it was going to soon get wobbly from skooching it back and forth from where I cut to where I sew.  

I also picked up a supply of journals for a ridiculous cheap price - - now when I suggest to clients that journalling might be a good strategy for them, I can offer to give them a journal at the same time.

I pieced together a new border for Virginia Bound - I'll post photos when I get them on.  I have to "unsew" the original border first!  

Such a great sewing day!

Remember when you were a kid, and excited about Christmas?  You'd be awake in the middle of the night, wishing and wishing morning would come?

That was me this morning.  Laying in bed, thinking about starting to sew.

I had a blast yesterday.  

I made a fabric box for my knee highs - - a little disappointed, because I didn't use heavy enough interfacing.  Oh well, it will still work.

I also figured out how I'm going to finish off Virginia Bound.

I'll take the light border off and string piece blocks - - triangles a la Dear Jane!  I measured, and sketched, and prepared paper backings.  Looking forward to some more mindless string piecing.

I also cut hexie papers for Grandmother's Flower Garden while watching "Bates Motel" last night.  

But the project that had me awake before the birds this morning was a cushion that I'm anxious to start.  I dug through my bucket of crumbs and box of strings to pull out "low volume" prints.  Now I have to figure out how to piece "a slab".  I'm anxious to get started!

April Goals - - waffling

I don't know what to choose for my April UFO goals.  I'll keep up with Dear Jane blocks and Grandmother's Choice blocks, but...

I'm on holidays this week!  This was a last minute decision - I have four weeks to use up before mid-August, and this week didn't look too messy, so I just booked it off.  Hubby is home today for Easter Monday, but I have the next four days to myself!  So here's what I'm thinking:

While I've got the extra time, I want to get over 'the hump' on a couple of bigger projects.  You know what I mean...the next step that seems too difficult or too fussy to take on - but once done, would open the door to a finish.  

• Heart of the Home - it's been on my Goals List for Feb & March, but incomplete.  It's the basting that I'm not into. 
• I have thought of an idea for the borders on Virginia Bound - but there is math involved.  If I can get past the measuring and calculating, it should take too long at all.
•  I need to cut some more hexies papers to do some more flowers for GFG, but that means changing the ink cartridge in the printer, trimming freezer paper to the correct size.

I'd also like to finish a couple of projects.  There's a couple of pillows that I'm anxious to make using these sampler pieces.

I also want to make a fabric basket to store my knee high nylons in.  The need for knee-highs is nearly over as the warmer season finally comes upon us, but I'd like to tidy up my drawers, and this would help. I have saved a couple of ideas for this on Pinterest, and I've got some girly fabric set aside in my stash that will work well for dainty storage.

Progression

My boss reviewed my (last year's) vacation time, lieu time, and sick time on Wednesday - - and insisted I start taking some time off.  So, I didn't have anything booked for today, and decided to take a day off to spend with Itty Bitty before he goes back to university.  Instead of doing something fun, we actually ended up doing chores - laundry, groceries, cleaning.  But that leaves the weekend free for fun!

So, I thought I would post tonight about my progress with January's goals.

I did go to the library on Wednesday to get some books (inspiration!) for how to finish some of these partial quilt tops, and spent the last couple of evenings leafing through them. For Virginia Bound, I am going to do a scrappy piano key border, and tonight I sketched out the borders for Black & White, and the Tulip appliqué.  I also made a decision about how to finish my Sylvia's Bridal Sampler (which involves making four more blocks).  It will be similar to this, but a little longer: 

When designing the borders for my quilts, I had to figure out just how big I wanted them.  So, I consulted a few websites.

Standard Quilt Sizes

Worksheet for Calculate Your Bed Quilt Sizes (pdf)

and from Pinterest:

I also finished the 10 bookmarks, and took them into work to give to my colleague.  She was very excited to donate them to Action Read, and picked one out for herself to keep.  That made me feel good about that finish!

Partial finishes of goals: 1) I've caught up with Grandmother's Choice blocks - four more to go, and 2) I have one Dear Jane block done - one more to go.

Virginia Bound - top is done! (sort of...)

I haven't fully developed the idea of a border yet.  It's 65" x 80" right now. I like the idea of having a border all made in lights, so that the dark stars seem to float on top of the lights, and then frame it all in with a dark binding.  I might stop right there.  It's a good size for a twin bed, I believe.

So...what's next? oh yeah.  Maybe I should get back to my Courthouse Stars. It's been in a box since November-ish.  It began in September '09.  Perhaps I'll have it complete by Sept '10??

So, I'm back to school....

I decided at the last minute to pick up two more half credits this summer.  Thankfully, they only involve a Monday afternoon and a Wednesday evening for the next twelve weeks.  Both of them are Thanatology courses. Okay...you're probably wondering: what the heck is Thanatology? It's the study of death and dying.  One class is Children & Death: Theory and Interventions, and the second is Suicide: Theory and Interventions.  I DID NOT want to take either of these courses, but I DID want a lighter load in the coming school year, and these are acceptable electives. But having been to one class already, it's actually (and unexpectedly) quite interesting. I am also starting a Child and Adolescent Therapy half course next Monday morning, but it's an everyday thing, for three weeks -- quick and dirty academia!

In the quilting vein of things, I now have all of my Virginia Bound sub-units sewn together into 20 complete blocks, and all of the foundation paper removed.  Maybe I'll get them assembled tomorrow!

I just started reading "The Household Guide to Dying" (speaking of thanatology...) by Debra Adelaide.

Delia has made a living writing modern household guides. If you ask, she can tell you how to get the wine stain out of your linen, and the proper way to boil an egg. As the book opens, she is not yet forty, but has only a short time to live.

Unlike the many fans of her advice column—people who can't quite cope with dirty shirt collars—Delia knows just what to do. What she needs is a manual —the kind she is expert at writing. Realizing this could be her greatest achievement, she sets to work. But in the writing, she is forced to confront the ghosts of her past: She realizes that there is a journey she needs to make and one last vital thing she needs to do.

Yet just as Delia is coming to terms with the impossibility of her to-do list, an unexpected visitor helps her believe in her life's worth in a wholly surprising way. Witty and uplifting, The Household Guide to Dying is a beautifully written novel about life.

Here's a link to Debra Adelaide's website.  I'm only a half dozen pages or so into it, and I can tell it's going to be a slow read....not 'cuz it's bad, but because the words are laid down in a way to be savoured.  It's truly beautiful writing, and I can't bear to gobble it up all at once.

You're sure it's Thursday?

With the help of good ole Gibson (aka: Gibby Kitty) ...

...(he always looks mad, doesn't he?) I WAS able to get all 80 of my Virginia Bound blocks done, and even sewn into pairs!

Here's my first of the nine quilts I intend to finish this year (perhaps this summer???)

What's today....Thursday?

As promised, Block #3 of my Baltimore Folk Fusion is completed.  I wish I had used a darker colour for the cat, but it's done.

I also finished the binding on my Shirt-Stripes Boxes quilt.  I'll take a photo tonight, when my 'crew' is here to help, and post it tomorrow. I can't express how please I am with the final product.  It's wonderful!

And finally, I got 10 more blocks completed for Virginia Bound.  I'm now at 68, leaving 22 to go, and guess what?  I have those 22 blocks partially done.  I might be able to finish those this morning, and start assembly!  Very exciting!!!

Oooh!  And I just checked the weather forecast for today.  Lookin' good!  Might actually be able to get back outside again - - it's been a wee bit chilly for the past week.  Tomorrow appears to be PERFECT for outdoor relaxing--a high of 24!

a little about what I've been up to...

I started this applique block about two weeks ago.  It's from a book that I bought last February when I was visiting Ottawa, (Seasons Sampler) and the quilt on the front cover has nine different blocks with a Folk Art/Baltimore Album fusion thing going on.  I've just about got the second block done.  It's my "handwork in bed" project.  I'm using stash from my CW repros.

I also began piecing "Virginia Bound" from "Scraps & Shirttails".  I've got 30 of the 80 'sub'blocks completed.  It's a fun project.  Lots of mindless sewing, because I'm paper-piecing each block. Bonnie Hunter recently blogged about teaching "Virginia Bound" and there's a slide show of the different blocks her students created.  Worth a look!

QNIC with Gail tonight.  I wonder who else will show up?