Various things

Here's the final 5 little doll quilts with their little pillows that our little group, the Champagne Quilters, have made for the Toys for Tots campaign in connection with the Superior Association of Woodworkers.

All of this putting fabrics together for these little quilts has inspired Marg to make a few for her church bazaar.

 

My Christmas cactus has decided to bloom.

 

This was my backyard last week. The pear tree was in bloom, the forsythia were blooming and there is another tree to the left peeking through that has pretty pink flowers. They are still blooming but the wind came at took some away.

 

Mother Nature never fails to surprise us. Even though it wasn't cold, we did get hail last week (click on the photo for a bigger view.) These are my front steps and yes, they do need a good paint job but I'm hoping that they get stripped and stained instead of painted. Our hail wasn't as big as some other people got in the suburbs. There, they got golf ball sized hail.

 

I have started yet another new project but this time, it's cross stitch. I needed something that I could do in the evening while watching TV. I have already changed the colours. This is from Stitchy Kitty's web site and these squares were supposed to be pink, alternating with red. I don't really like red and pink together. Two shades of blue are more to my liking.

 

I'm still working away on Patric's baby quilt but it's slow going. I added to some of the blocks that I already made and changed the last bear's colouring. Having to re-think things is taking time but it will be up on the frames ready to hand quilt shortly (I hope.)

Tuesday Treat

While I was in B.C. for a month visiting with my two little grandsons, the ladies I quilt with were keeping busy.

Marg and Ann made 11 more little doll quilts with pillows for the Toys for Tots in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

 

This is just one example of the little doll beds that the Superior Association of Woodworkers (SAW) makes and donates at Christmas. Our little quilts will be used as bedding for these. Check out the Gallery link on their website to see examples of other bed designs that they have done in the past.

Update

Well, I wasn't going to show you anymore doll quilts for a while but my friend Ann has completed these.

Seven little quilts with pillows.

 

My little Teddy has friends now - but since it's not finished nor delivered yet, I can't show you the whole thing.

 

And my favourite Peeps now come in turquoise! I know they all taste the same but turquoise is my favourite colour.

 

I broke down and bought some fabric. The remnants are all half off the lowest price. I didn't need them but they are nice to have.

 

I hope you're having a safe and productive weekend.

More

Ok, this is it ...

the last, for now, of the little doll quilts. I really need to get my own stuff done.

 

This is as far as the little matinee jacket has gotten. The back and two sleeves. As you can see from the back, there is a lot of white in between the colours and since I wanted to make the sleeves both at the same time, I didn't want to waste (cut off) yarn to get them to the right colours. I don't think the little one will mind.

 

I'm linking up with the Needle and Thread Network. Drop in and check it out.

A few more...

doll quilts, that is. 

My friend Marg keeps going through the fabric that we have (mostly donated by various people) and comes up with more and more tops. The teddy bears were all on one piece of fabric. She either cut them out to size, or she cut out the bear and hand appliqued them onto a backing. Then she went and got suitable backings for them. The little pink one is all hand done. She appliqued it and then she hand quilted it. Ann put the binding on for her since Marg and the sewing machine don't always get along. I brought them home, sandwiched them and then machine quilted them. I also made the pillows. I need to get a few more pillows made though. There are a few more quilts too that need finishing so I guess I should go and sew.

Have a safe, relaxing weekend.

Wee baby stuff

I am busy working on a few things for the new little baby who is due at the end of next month. I did order some yarn from Mary Maxim but for some reason it is held up and so I went to the Len's Mills in Toronto - just to look around - and this is what I picked up.

It is soft and suitable for either a boy or a girl. There is just a little hint of yellow in it. I did have a turquoise blend in my hands but I put it back and picked this one instead. I may just go back to get some other yarn that they had - or perhaps some backing fabric for the quilt. I was a bit rushed so I didn't really look at the fabrics all that much. It's nice to have a Len's Mills in the area. Better than travelling to Guelph.

 I just had to start the sweater yesterday. It was searching for the correct size needles that held me back but I finally found the size 4mm that I was looking for. I thought it was nice that the bottom of the sweater started off in the green - totally unplanned. See the yellow?

I'm also cross stitching a card. Little Luc got a card when he was born and his mom framed it along with some of his baby pictures so I figured his sibling needed a card too. This one is a different design and I do believe it was a kit that I won in a giveaway.

Continuing on with the doll quilts, I came across a small baggie of these little one and a half inch squares of fabric. I think they were a freebie from some manufacturer. Anyway, I sewed them up in strips and will be adding some solid (or print) fabric to make a top for a little doll quilt. Talk about using stuff from my stash - this is a bit ridiculous but I just wanted to see how far these little squares would go.


I am linking up with the Needle and Thread Network so pop on over when you've got a minute to see what other Canadians are up to this week and go see what's on Esther's blog for WIP for Wednesday.

More doll quilts

I have finished 10 little quilts so far and four pillows. Six more little pillows to go.

Once they are done, I am going to do something else.

 

Have a safe, enjoyable weekend.

Busy

As with a lot of you out there, I am completing some things that were started but then, for one reason or another, were left unfinished.

I had photocopied the pattern for this little sweater soon after I found out that I was to be a grandmother for the first time. It looked like it was doable once I got a few easier knitting things done. I hadn't knitted since my children were really little. The remarks on the photo were a reminder to myself as to what kind of yarn to use and how much of it I needed. It just happened that I had purchased some burgundy worsted weight yarn when I was in Williams Lake, B. C. visiting my little grandson Luc for the first time.

 

I finally started it last year but then Christmas came and went and I had no time, nor the inclination to work on it. Then I decided that if I wanted to start something new for Luc's sibling, due at the end of March, then I should really finish something. This has been my evening project while watching TV and I have just one more sleeve to knit. I do love the pattern and it is easy but involves counting so there has been some 'going back a few stitches.' I don't want to say unknitting because I haven't had to undo any rows - just a few stitches. I have no idea who it will be for so after it's complete, it will join some of the other knitted things that I have been collecting.

I want to make a matinee jacket in pure white (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino) for the new baby. I don't know what the yarn is like but I have read that it is soft.

 

I have also been busy sewing. These are little doll quilts that I have made using up some scraps, unwanted blocks and quilter's candy - you know those little 4", 5", 6" or 7" squares you get when you attend quilt shows? I have them in a clear plastic shoe box and wondered how best to use them up. Making doll quilts was the perfect solution. Also, I have some old fabrics that have been sitting on my shelves for years and I was all set to donate more to charity but then I figured they would make great backings. I also have some flat batting to use up. Some of the batting is cotton and others are a combination. I'm not a fan of hand quilting with it so this is, again, the perfect oppportunity to use it up. It does feel so good to use up what I have and make something useful. So far, I have not purchased any quilt fabric this year and I will continue to dig into my scraps and other fabrics to use up what I have. Although I did purchase some yarn recently, I will be trying to use up what I have in that department also. There is quite a bit of chunky yarn that needs a project so I guess little Luc will be getting another sweater this year.

 

I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network so pop on over to see what other people are working on this week.

 

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.