New Year

A very Happy New Year to you all!

May it be filled with good health, enjoyable projects and happy family times.

As you can see, we finally got snow. It now feels like winter.

 

See you in 2013.

Christmas sewing

I can show these now because they have been delivered so they are no longer secret.

 Emma's Tree in red and ...

in green.

A Partridge in a Pear.

One stocking in beige and red and ...

one in plaid and green.

So, that's what I was up to for the past little while and why I haven't posted any photos of what I have been sewing.

Now I can think about the things that I want to finish off. I have a quilt that needs a couple of borders and then I can quilt it. There are a pair of cords that need repair (oh, joy.) With a new grandchild due in March, I'd like to make another quilt and I have a couple of small knitting projects that should be finished off. The list goes on and on, once I start thinking of them, so I will make a list for myself and then cross the things off as they get completed.

Have a safe holiday week.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

 

Hyvää Joulua

Feliz Navidad

 

Joyeux Noël

God jul                                                 Frohe Weihnachten

 

Gleðileg jól

 

                        Buon Natale

Gelukkig kerstfeest

Glædelig jul

Late gift

My quilting buddy Judy and I don't get together too often. During the year, we do attend a quilt show or two but the last one we were to meet up at never took place. Judy lives an hour and a half away and this quilt show was almost half way from her place and my home. Unfortunately, her daughter had the flu that day and fainted and they decided to go to the clinic. As a result, I didn't go to the quilt show on my own. We were to exchange birthday and Christmas gifts. Judy's b-day is in Sept. and mine is in Oct. Well, I just received Judy's gift this weekend. My husband was in her town and picked it up. He had delivered mine to Judy's home the last time he was in her town, which was the day we were to meet up.

Gorgeous fabric, isn't it? Almost too nice to cut up. The pattern was part of the gift too. It's a Canadian pattern company, Quilters Clutter, and one I had not heard of before. They have some really cute patterns.

The paper pieced elk is part of our paper pieced North American animal exchange (mammals only, no birds.) It's been going on now for several years. We are in no hurry with our challenges and exchanges. We realize that life gets in the way and also that we have other things we like to concentrate on. One day we'll find that we have exhausted all the foundation pieced North American animal patterns out there and then start to make the quilt.

I'm looking forward to opening up her Christmas gift - but that won't be until the big day.

Now, I still have a three things to finish sewing so I should go and utilize my time wisely.

I have finished my Christmas shopping so at least that's out of the way. I do want to bake some cookies for Santa, though.

Today and this month

I just finished skypeing with these two - Luc and Laila. The tree behind them is a real tree and I am told that little Luc likes to un-decorate it. They have snow - we don't and today's high is supposed to be 6C.

This was a letter (I am assuming it's a Christmas card) that came in today's mail. I like the post office cancellation stamp. Children can write letters to Santa at North Pole and his postal code is - HOH OHO. This card wasn't even for us. The sender got one number wrong in the address and so, after a little bit of searching online, I found out that it is our neighbour, just up the street.

This past month I have baked a lot. Multigrain bread and banana loaves. Most go home with my children since my husband and I cannot eat a whole lot of bread and I really don't like freezing stuff.

This really was worthy of a shot. Pixel and Digit are sisters but they are not friends. They do not normally sleep this close to each other and when it did happen, I had to capture the moment. We are so lucky that these senior girls are still so very healthy.

Well, back to finishing up my sewing - well finishing a couple of things and then there are a couple more things to make. It will all get done. No stress, at least, not yet.

Toys for Tots

Remember back in August I finished up these little doll quilts - made with some four patch blocks that I had in a box?

I did a little research and a little surfing around and found a woodworking group in a city in my own province who make Toys for Tots. These little quilts will be sent up north today.

A little update

In addition to hemming pants, I put together a few more 16-patch blocks.

I'm planning on making this for a single bed. The beds I have are usually up against a wall so I don't need to make it very wide. At first I thought of having it seven blocks across, which would make it 56 inches wide (the blocks will finish at 8 inches square.) A single bed has a 39 inch mattress so that doesn't really give it much of a hangover. I may just add another row to bring it up to 64 inches across. I'll see what it looks like once I get enough blocks for the length.

 

Have a great weekend. I have Christmas bazaars to attend and perhaps some decorating to do.

Variety

The weekend before last, I went to a few Christmas bazaars and one craft show. Besides the requisite goodies to eat, I bought this for myself.

A Christmas tabletopper. I liked the vibrant colours and it saved me from making one.

 



This little wall hanging is now finished. I made it for my eldest daughter. It was a kit that Ifound while visiting her and I decided I would take it home and make it up for her.

 



I am currently knitting this little sweater while watching TV. I needed something to keep my hands busy and I didn't want to have to count cross stitch so this came in handy. It isn't for anyone in particular. I purchased the yarn last year and had a pattern earmarked for it so I decided it was time to give it a go.

 

I'm linking up with Esther's blog and the Needle and Thread Network.

Baking

I have made pulla, a Finnish coffee bread with cardamom, the old fashioned way but while my eldest daughter was here she made it with the bread machine. I watched and learned.

Success. My very first bread machine pulla.

I offered one to my youngest son who missed out on getting his own but unfortunately, he is out of town. Now I'm wondering who is going to show up to take one of these off our hands.

 

The weekend is supposed to be great weather and we are going to be visitng a few Christmas bazaars and craft shows to see what we can pick up.

Just a little bit of sewing

I made Luc two hats while he was here.

This was to be a prototype just to try out the pattern. Luc's mom liked it - a lot. It's made from a white knit fabric similar to sweatshirt fleece. Personally, I am not a fan of the peak being up like that but that's the pattern. The other hat I made was a different pattern that I had already used but I didn't remember to take a photo of it. I made it out of red plaid fleece.

 

Laila wanted a little vest for Luc to wear under his winter jacket and she wanted the back slightly longer than the front to keep his back warm. It didn't take long to make at all. The fabric is fleece and it's the same fabric as the little jacket and pants I made him earlier this year.

 

I'm still working on other things and they should be finished soon since this little guy and his mom have now gone home. I'll post a few pics to show you what Luc got up to while he was here on vacation.

 

I'm linking up with the Needle and Thread Network. Go take a look at what other Canadians are doing this week.



Proud mom and mummi

My family - all together last night.

(Ayla, Laila, Eric, Maili, Mark and the little one of course, is Luc)

The Maple Leaf Forever...

That is the song.

Here are mine.

One more maple leaf block to make. It's a small wall hanging. I was all set to applique that stem but the instructions indicated that it was to be pieced. Much easier.

I'll show it to you once it's all done.

I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network. The link is on the right.

A super special family

Today is my birthday. From the moment I woke up, it has been filled with well wishes from family and friends but ... especially with flowers. Whether they live here in the same city or across the country, the flowers have been arriving.

First off though, is this ...

This is the outside of the card. The design is made with sand.

 

And this is the inside. By little Luc who is 18 months old. It may not be much to you but it sure did bring a smile to my lips this morning when I opened up the card.

So, now I will share my floral day with all of you.

 

 

There were just too many cut flowers from my husband to fit into one vase.

This arrangement, from Mark and Kate, arrived at 8:40 a.m. along with...

these gorgeous flowers from Maili and Casey.


 

Then, at 12:00 noon, there was a knock on the screen door. It was a local florist delivery guy and after I accepted the arrangement and told him that it was the third one that day, he told me that a fourth was in the truck. So, I put this one, from Eric and Ashlee, in the kitchen while he got the other one. I had been in the kitchen with the music blaring but I had left the door open so I wouldn't miss anything. I was told to expect a delivery today but I wasn't expecting multiples. We don't have a doorbell and I tend not to hear knocks on the door or the ringing of the phone if I am in my sewing studio with the audio tapes on.

So, here's a close-up and ...

from my family in British Columbia, Laila, Gilles and little Luc, I received these. When my daughter got married  4 years ago her bouquet was sunflowers.

And, since I have 5 children and one husband, the last arrangement just arrived.

Inside a pumpkin and with lollypops - from Ayla and David.

And here they all are without all the wrapping.



Two years ago my birthday was extra special because on that day I found out that I was going to become a grandmother for the first time and now I would like to announce that little Luc will become a big brother next year. We are all thrilled that our family is growing.

I'm going back to the kitchen to bake some cookies and listen to more Dean Martin.
I hope your day is a good one.
Mine's better than yours by a long shot. Dinner with the whole family (the ones in town, that is.)

Cute sewing

I have been sewing something that is cute and also useful. I have made these oven mitts before but I don't know if I took a photo of them before I gave them away.

I first saw this pattern at a quilt show but I didn't buy it. It seems I had to think about it for a while and finally I did purchase the pattern at a quilt store - months later. Not all quilt stores carried it because I remember when I was out west a couple of years ago I asked about it and described it to the proprietor of a quilt store. She didn't have it but looked it up on the internet and after I confirmed that that was indeed the pattern I was after, she promptly declared it cute and put in an order for it.

Here's the latest ones - cupcake oven mitts. Cute and useful.

I am linking up with The Needle and Thread Network.

Easing back

Trying to do some sewing, but not wanting to hem the pants that my son handed me this weekend and not motivated enough to dive right in to the quilt that still needs borders. So...

I got some fabrics together and cut them up into 2.5 inch squares, sewed them together and now I have added two more blocks to this scrappy quilt. I really do like this and have go put more fabrics together. Scraps that are solid or read as such are what I'm looking for. I'm also knitting one of those frill scarves and will post a photo once it's finished.

I'm linking up with the Needle and Thread Network. Just click on the logo to the right and it will take you to the site.

 

Random photos

Nothing whatsoever to do with sewing, stitching, knitting or any other needle art.

 

My little grandson Luc and me. No, I did not teach him that. I was just trying to take a picture of the both of us and whenever I concentrate, my tongue sticks out. I guess little Luc was just mimicking me.

 

 

Momma's little helper. Luc enjoys taking things out of the washing machine and putting them  into the drier.

 

Cars, trains, trucks and anything with wheels is what fascinates little Luc.

 

 

 

 One of my favourite photos of Luc. His mom has a great smile too. This was his first swing ride.

 

 

I have been absent from blogging. The previous posts were pre-posted because I was in the interior of B.C. looking after this little guy for the month of September. Satellite internet is quite slow at times when it comes to uploading photos onto the blog and that's why I pre-posted. It will take a little while before I get back into visiting all of you and I do have some quilting to get done so take care, you will hear from me again - shortly. 

Finally finished

This is the sweater I started last spring. It's Red Heart Artesano yarn and is a bulky yarn but soft. I finally got it finished and just in time for the cooler weather.

 

 

And this is the little boy I made it for - Luc. He doesn't pose for pictures and so all the ones his mother had tried to take are either him on the move or his back.



Sewing again

This time it was an apron that my daughter requested for her tall, lanky boyfriend.

From the stash. Candy fabric accented with red. And it fits.

At it again

Oh look, more scraps. Already sewn into 4-patches. 

So, I sewed a couple of them together. They were just taking up space in one of my little boxes. I knew I had some but I didn't know exactly how many there were. I made them a while ago thinking that one day they would come in handy as a border treatment for a scrap quilt.

They have hung around long enough. I even forgot about them until I started thinking of making doll quilts. That's when I remembered that they could be a starting point. This is all in an effort to get rid of what's been hanging around way too long. I think I have enough for about 3 doll quilts. 

This is just the start so stay tuned...They are cut 2 inch square so that one 4-patch is 3.5 inches. Another nice way to use up bits and pieces.

I will be linking up with the all Canadian Needle and Thread Network. Go have a look to see what others around the country are doing.

Continuing on

Last year, I decided I would go through this book...

Modern Basics by Amy Ellis making whatever quilts suited my fancy while at the same time using up only my stash. Here's the original post. I did complete one quilt  and now I have continued on making...

this quilt that is on the cover of the book. I opted not to add the flowers, even though it's called Posie Patch, since I didn't really think they added anything to an already busy quilt.

Oh, but that's not all. I had already put aside these fabrics.

I liked the combination and thought it would make a nice modern baby quilt. Some of the patterns in the book have yardage requirements for several sizes of quilts and I had already decided that I would make a crib size quilt if that was an option.

 This was the pattern in the book - 1,2,3. I have no use for a pile of lap throws.

So, here's the baby quilt. If, and when, a baby is expected, I will finish this but until then, it can stay a quilt top. Or perhaps I will finish it and donate it to Linus quilts. We'll see what the future holds.

I'm still quilting away on the Juniper Hollow quilt but this post was a diversion since I didn't think anyone wanted to see the progress of the quilt on the frame.

I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network
Esther's blog and W.I.P. Wednesday at freshly pieced.

Blue Jays

No, not the bird kind, the baseball kind - the Toronto Blue Jays. It was family day at our house yesterday since those of us that live in Toronto got together (it was actually a Father's Day gift) and attended the Jays game at the Rogers Centre (formerly known as SkyDome.)

We all met at a venue not too far from the stadium since I had all the tickets. The Jays were playing opposite the New York Yankees and I can tell you, it was a very good game. The Toronto Blue Jays won 10-7.

I always like looking at the artwork outside the building.

There was a bag piper trying to make a few dollars.

There was also an artist or two selling their wares. This was just one of the 3 displays there.

Carrie Underwood threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Oh look Maili, it made it to the blog. This is the compulsory photo. That's Casey beside her.

Mom with 3 of her young'uns - Eric, Maili and Mark.

This is the third of three photos Eric took - trying his darndest to just take his photo, with the baseball field in the background, but without his sisters. He didn't quite make it.

Casey quickly sneaking in to the shot with Ayla and Kate.

I don't know why my children have to have their mouths open as soon as they see a camera pointed at them. That's Ashlee beside him.

Watching or snoozing? The roof does open up but there was a hint of rain so the roof stayed closed.

After dinner at our house. Great time. Family time. Nothing beats it. Maybe an annual event - with the B.C. part of the family,,,