OCD Slacker

Early Morning Reflections

2009-03-29T06:59:00.005-04:00

It is 4:47 am
I am sitting at the window seat of a coffee shop
I am eavesdropping on the conversations of the other lost souls
I know why I am here at 4:48 am
But I am wondering why they are here
What are their stories of loss and discovery?
Do they too have no place else to go?

It is 4:52 am and I am watching a bus drive by
It is full of people with some where to be
Or do they?
Perhaps like me they have no place to be
But they prefer motion
While I prefer to reflect in the stillness

It is 4:58 am
And I feel relieved
A few hours ago we finally ended it
Whatever it was
It had a long lingering death
Sitting here in the stillness
I realise that I was repeating patterns
It was not "her" that I want
It was the idea of "her"
But I don't need "her"
All I need is me

It is 5:23 am
And I am happy
I see my reflection in the window
It is 5:24 am
And my half smile is mine again
All mine

Sledding from the house

2008-12-24T20:10:00.000-05:00

This is the extreme sledding starting position.

Len as a racing gate

2008-12-24T20:05:00.000-05:00

Len thought Allison should try to sled through his legs. He is either brave or stupid... no comment...

More snow in the sled

2008-12-24T20:01:00.000-05:00

I started this run up by the house. It ended a few feet from the highway. That was after I stopped laughing and got back on track. I am not going to make the luge team for 2010.

The sled and me

2008-12-24T19:53:00.000-05:00

This is me posing with the sled.

One too many hats

2008-12-24T19:48:00.000-05:00

Me wearing my hat and Len's. Apparently Len's hat slowed him down as he sledded.

A series of photos

2008-12-24T19:37:00.000-05:00

Allison and me

Sledding in Cape Breton

2008-12-24T15:44:00.005-05:00

Allison and Len arrived last night. They didn't know I was here in Blues Mills already. Allison called me a very bad name and hit me a few times. But I think she is happy that I made the trip. Today we went sledding down the driveways. Here are some photos.

Allison

Len and the sled

Me

I'll post more photos in a little while. Dial up is taking too long...

Must be a long weekend

2008-08-04T19:35:00.010-04:00

Okay it was a four day weekend for me. Oh the joys of working only four days a week. I finished sewing the main part of the backing of the quilt. I need to figure out how wide the border needs to be (since the backing is suppose to be longer and wider than the top). That can wait for another weekend. I still need to buy batting for the quilt. Perhaps that could be the top item on my gift wish list. Here are two photos of the backing. Of course Calle was helping me to position the fabric just right.

I was back at work today. This week is only a three day week. Life is good sometimes.

We will have some tomatoes soon.

I hope we get more than three tomatoes. We will have a lot of basil for pesto. We may need a new freezer.

I hope to have more photos of the quilt soon. I am going to try to save my money to buy some batting.

More later.

A post a month...

2008-08-01T13:09:00.003-04:00

Okay I am a slacker when it comes to posting. I have also been slacking off on the new quilt. I have an idea of how to do the back, but I have not started it. That is my plan for tomorrow. Iron and cut the fabric. And on Sunday I will spend some time sewing.

The construction workers are still working outside our place. The massive machines are hard at work making noise. They start up at 7am. The construction workers also need to turn off the water since one of their projects is upgrading the water mains. On Wednesday night the water did not get turned on until after 9pm. I think the city should reimburse us for all the take out we have had to get the past month and a half. Today the water has not been turned off yet, but I am ready in case it does. I have several jugs of water in the kitchen and the bathroom sink is full of water. What this means is that the water will not get turned off today.

Calle is adjusting to life without Trotsky. We took her the vet on Tuesday. Trish thought that Calle might have ear mites. She was right. The vet said that her immune system is probably weakened since she is mourning Trosky. We knew Calle was having a difficult time understanding where Trotsky has gone. But hearing some one else talk about Calle grieving was hard. The vet suggesting giving Calle Star of Bethlehem to help her.

Here is one of the last photos of Trotsky.

I went outside this morning to take photos of some flowers. Calle managed to make it to the mudroom. Here she is taking a look around.

This is Eros.

And this is Gilded Coral.

I'll take some more photos of the new quilt this weekend.

More later.

The Top is Finished

2008-06-29T15:44:00.002-04:00

The top of the Morning Garden quilt is now finished. I sewed the side borders this afternoon. Next I need to sew the backing together. I don't have a definite plan for that yet, just an idea. I need to see how much fabric I have left over. Here is a photo of a corner of the quilt with the border.

Here are a few new photos from the garden.

More later.

L

Morning Garden Quilt

2008-06-24T20:16:00.005-04:00

I have started a new quilt. It is from one of Kaffe Fassett's books. I am about 5/6 the way through sewing the top. I did a mock layout first using Excel to get a sense of how it would look with the fabric and to get an idea of how many squares I needed to cut out prior. Usually I cut the fabric and play with the layout. The finished dimensions are 95 inches by 62 inches.

For the backing, I'm thinking about doing another patchwork. All the pieces would be big. The instructions call for 6 yards of fabric for the back. If I use some of the left over fabric from the top, I will still probably need another 4 yards. I may pick 4 different fabrics and get a yard in each. I will finish sewing the top this upcoming weekend. I still need to get the batting as well. I'm not sure when I'll make it to the Quilter's Palette.

I need to work on decreasing the size of my fabric stash. I have a coworker who makes pincushions out of fabric scraps. I think I will give her some of my scraps. I have larger scraps that I can use for small projects (e.g. oven mitts and placemats). I think I will pick up some of the ribbon that I need to make some aprons (act surprised at Christmas).

I have almost finished cleaning up the branches that our lovely neighbour cut down and tossed in our yard on several plants. Seven plants were damaged. Most have bounced back. It took a while to cut up the branches. The leaves and branches filled five yard waste bags. I am still trying to think what is the adequate revenge is for such an inconsiderate act. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

More later.

Completed Projects

2008-06-07T20:33:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I finally finished hand quilting Mish Mash. It looks great. When I started working on it again I forgot how bright and colourful the fabric is. It has been warmer at night, so it is getting well used.

Yesterday I finally finished Trish's birthday present. On Thursday I bought the buttons and brown thread at Mac Fab. Yesterday Trish and I figured out the correct length. I hemmed it last night. Just in time for summer.

Today I started cutting the fabric for my next quilt. It is based on Kaffe Fassett's Morning Garden quilt pattern. I 'm using Amy Butler's Lotus fabric for this. This fabric is perfect for the quilt layout. I'll post some photos once I start sewing it.

Trish and I need to spend some time weeding the garden soon. But unfortunately today was a little too warm. I did attempt to cut the grass this evening. I hope we get lots of rain over night.

I should get back to the fabric.

More later.

Spring is here

2008-04-22T14:14:00.004-04:00

I have been a little busy the past few months with school and life. I finished school last week. On Saturday I fly to Halifax to visit my folks for a week. I start work on May 4th. I'll work four days a week in the summer.

I have started to hand quilt Mish Mash again. I am almost done. I have less than half of the outside border to finish. Then I'll trim the batting and backing and sew the binding. I cannot believe that it has taken me so long to get working on it again.

I have a sewing project to work on while visiting my parents. I am making Trish a top as part of her birthday present. It is an Amy Butler pattern. Trish picked out Kaffe Fassett fabric.

Have no fear. There will be be no flower or tie on Trish's.

I should go and spend some time tidying up the garden.

More later.

Blog Blog Blog

2007-12-27T10:34:00.000-05:00

Wow it has been a while since my last post. I have been a little busy. Also the projects I was working on were holiday gifts. Those are my excuses.

Here are photos of Allison's bag in progress.

The above photo is the front panel. There are two pockets in the front.

It is not your eyes. The photo is blurry. This the bottom of the front of the bag.

This is the inside of the bag. There is a place for pens and a wide pocket. There was suppose to be a zipper near the top. The interior fabric is too light for the zipper, so I improvised with velcro.

This is the finished bag. I'm not sure if the bag will be delivered to Allison. I think Mom may try to steal it. It took a long time to make it. It took me almost seven hours to cut the fabric. It also took a while to figure out the instructions. But once the bag started to take shape, it got easier. I have the fabric to make another bag, but that is going to wait until I have forgotten how frustrated this bag made me.

I also knit a sweater for Mom. Tomorrow I'll sew the zipper in. Below is the back in progress. It is a great shade of blue with flecks of other colours in it. Unlike Allison's bag it was ready to be unwrapped on Christmas Eve. Just barely...

Well Canada is playing at the World Juniors and the intermission is almost over.

More later.

Almost a month

2007-07-29T12:16:00.000-04:00

It has been a month since my last post. So much as been happening. Okay, not really. Well yes it has.

I have registered for my courses. Started to get exemptions from some courses. I have completed reading two texts and have started a new one. I have started a new knitting project. It has been too hot to quilt (at least that is the excuse I'm going with). I have filled in several ideas on my Christmas 2007 spreadsheet.

Here is Royal Tiara. This is the best year for her. Her colouring gets blotchy when it rains.

Here is Gilded Coral. She has had another good year.

Here is Perl. He got a little over run by the Bee Balm this year.

Here is the baby changing pad that I commissioned from Wendy for Nette. It received the cat seal of approval.

Here is my current knitting project. It is for me, again. In the top left corner you can see the quilt that I liberated from my mother. This will be a cardigan when it grows up.

Well, I should get some work done. More later.

Busy Saturday

2007-06-30T22:35:00.000-04:00

I had a busy and productive day. I met Heather (http://www.friendsknittogether.blogspot.com/) at the Bathurst subway stop. We went to the Quilter's Palette in Etobicoke. Heather got a few fat quarters of blues. I like the fabric she picked. Oh, if I didn't have so much fabric already. I have fabric for four quilt tops and Mish Mash to finish hand quilting.

I got some fabric for the border of the Ohio Star quilt I'm going to make with Amy Butler's Belle line of fabric. I also got Butler's pattern for High Street Messenger Bag. I think it has the possibility of gifts.

I went to Grassroots and got a new polo shirt. I bought 4 pepper plants. After spending some time with the cats, I returned my extra yarn to Romni for a store credit. Not sure what my next knitting project is yet. I went to Pre-Loved and picked up a shirt for Trish and a shirt for myself.

Tomorrow is time in the garden. I watered the garden today. I'll water first thing in the morning and spend some time weeding and trimming the trees. I'll also hand quilt, while I watch the Under 20 Canadian team play.

I also have reading to do. I have read a little more than half of the course kit readings for one of my courses. It is the kit from last fall. I'm not sure how much it will change. But is giving me a sense of what to expect in terms of readings. September and October will be busy with working fulltime and going to school.

There is a session that I'm attending on Tuesday called "What is Community Work; Highlights of the field". One of my goals is to get a sense of how many hours I'll need to make up at work.

More later.

A Quiet Sunday at Home

2007-06-24T11:29:00.001-04:00

Trish and I are enjoying Sunday. Trish is busy working (grading papers) and I'm, well not working. I have done some housework (dishes and the laundry is in progress). We did a bulk of the cleaning yesterday. We had lattes and chocolate croissants for breakfast from Madelaine's up the street. I have a few articles I want to read in the Sunday Star, but that can wait. I will need to make a trip to the grocery store, but first I need to figure out what I feel like cooking this week.

I had Friday off. I finally took the old desktop computer and monitor to Re-Boot to donate. The highlight of Friday was finishing the baby quilt for Nette. Yesterday I took some photos for my archives. Of course the cats were happy to help model with it. The quilt is now in the wash. I'll give it to Nette tomorrow at work. I send the extra fabric from the backing to Wendy to get a custom made changing cloth made (I'll post photos when I receive it). Wendy and two friends are in the process of setting up a small business. I have to find out if they have a website yet (I'll post a link for it).

I can now focus on finishing hand quilting Mish Mash. I also need to cut Allison's fabric for her Mish Mash. Once those projects are completed I can start on my next quilt. Allison got me two fat quarters of Kaffe Fassett from the quilt store on Bronte that is going out of business. I need to decide if I want to use the Kaffe Fassett or Amy Butler for my next quilt. Oh the terrible dilemmas I have. I'm going to use the left over fabric from Nette's quilt to practice making the blocks for the next quilt. Trish had the great idea of using the sample blocks and making oven pads out of them.

I still have to take the extra yarn from my Twisted vest back to Romni. Maybe next weekend. I am currently without a knitting project. I think I'm okay with that, I hope the shaking is from an excess of coffee.

Hopefully today we will have time to work in the garden. There is a lot of work to go. At the very least I need to water. Here a clematis. There are two other ones growing on the south fence, but there late bloomers.

More later.

Figjam

2007-06-17T15:08:00.001-04:00

I have just finished sewing the top of the binding onto the quilt for Nette. Now I have to hand sew the back of the binding and it will be done.

FIGJAM. A coworker recently told me about this term. It stands for F#*k I'm Good, Just Ask Me (FIGJAM).

I'll take some photos once it completed.

Figjam.

More later.

L

Saturday

2007-06-16T20:30:00.001-04:00

It has been a while since I have posted. I hadn't uploaded any new photos to my computer and I get bored of hearing myself ramble and figured you would too...

I have been working on the baby quilt for Nette. I have finished hand quilting it today. For the most part I have quilted it with circles. Now I need to work on the binding. I have started to cut the binding strips. It will be finished before she goes on mat leave at the end of the month. Here is Calle helping me baste it.

Things have been quiet. Allison was away for a few days (so she wasn't calling). We have finished watching season four of Monk. There are several options: Rome, Big Love, Deadwood. There is also the possibility of going to see a movie at the theatre (what a novel idea).

I'll leave you with some photos from the garden.

More later.

Back Home

2007-05-29T18:56:00.000-04:00

I had a relatively quiet flight home from Halifax on Saturday. Allison and Len met me at the airport and drive me home. They brought Harrison and Jackson. We had a walk to the little dog park, then came home for a visit.

I took the TTC to the airport the previous Saturday. It took less than an hour to get to the airport from home. I was worried about being stressed about timing the connection to the airport express bus, but I made it in plenty of time.

I had a great visit with my parents and family. I took a lot of photos of the scenery. I apparently should have been taking photos of people instead according to some of my coworkers.

Here are some of my favourite photos.

Here is a humming bird. They have already arrived in large numbers. I know it is sort of like a "Where's Waldo" puzzle, but there is a humming bird in the photo.

These are from the land behind my parents' house.

These photos are from our trip around the Cabot Trail.

On the way to the Halifax airport. Elizabeth was visiting with me in the front seat.

More later.

Native Plants

2007-05-05T16:55:00.000-04:00

The native plants in the back shade garden are all doing well. Here is one of my favourites, the Wood Poppy.

This is one of my Trilliums. I also have yellow and red Trilliums that should be blooming soon.

The Jack-In-The-Pulpit has returned. Each year I fear it is not coming back. I need to remind myself that it comes back later than the other native plants.

Here are the Solomon Seals. I think there were two plants originally. There is also a few False Solomon Seal plants.

I have started a sweater vest for myself. I went to Romni today and bought the yarn. The photo below is the colour of Trish's vest. I got "Mango" for myself. It is a lighter orange.

I still need to make travel arrangements to the airport for my flight on the 19th. I should get that done soon. I also need to get carry-on luggage.

So much to do, so little time... Oh my. I better get back to my knitting.

More later.

Weeds, weeds and more weeds

2007-04-30T19:43:00.000-04:00

There is a nasty weed in our garden. Its common name is Garlic Mustard. It comes under the fence from the yard to our north. The couple there don't garden much on that side. Between Trish and I, we spent almost two hours weeding along the fence.

Other than the weeds, the garden is doing well. The Hepaticas are almost done blooming. The Bloodroot opened yesterday and was gone today.

Several of the Mayapples will have blooms this year. Hopefully the squirrels will not destroy the buds again this year.

This is Spartacus. She lives in the house giving us Garlic Mustard. She lives with Kubla. I think we will be seeing a lot of them this summer.

More later.

It has been a while...

2007-04-21T21:05:00.000-04:00

Today was too nice to stay indoors. I spent some time in the yard getting rid of weeds and tidying up. There was an incredible number of cigarette butts in the vegetable garden. I wonder how they got there, Dad?

I finally finished the online HTML course I was taking through work. I think I understood what I was reading. I will learn more as I work with HTML and design my website. Okay I have no immediate plans to create a site from scratch.

Here are photos from the garden. The first one is a Hepatica.

This is another variety of Hepatica.

And finally the scillas. They have spread throughout the garden.

I have finished Trish's sweater vest. I'll take photos tomorrow. Finally a knitted gift for Trish that is finished before the required date.

This is what Calle does with her favourite catnip mouse. She carries around the house and periodically drops it in her water dish to make catnip soup. She is an odd cat.

More later.

Sunday Afternoon

2007-04-08T15:00:00.000-04:00

On Friday I cut the fabric for the baby quilt. Yesterday I went to the Quilter's Palette (www.quilterspalette.ca) and got the fusible web for the circle appliques. I also picked up batting and fabric for the back. I spent the afternoon sewing the appliques and then the blocks into rows. Today I sewed the rows together. I had a problem with my sewing machine that took too long to figure out the problem. Although sewing is faster, with knitting if there a technical problem, it is me. Oh well. I figured it out and it is okay now.

Here is the top of the baby quilt.

I think I'll hand quilt circles in the blocks. I still need to figure out my border. I'm not even sure I'll use a border. I'll sleep on that decision.

The fabric I am using is Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy (http://www.freespiritfabric.com/core-pages/gallery.php?gal_id=84). I tried to use mostly blues and browns, since it is for a boy.

I have almost three months until I need to give the quilt to Antonette. So I'm going to focus on Trish's sweater vest.

I saw a woodpecker in our yard this afternoon. Unfortunately if I tried to go outside to get a photo, I would have scared it off. So I admired it from a far.

How wrong is this? This afternoon I'll be cheering for the New Jersey Devils. If the Islanders lose the game, the Leafs will make the playoffs. "Go Devils Go".

More later.

Spring Snow

2007-04-06T10:31:00.000-04:00

Last Friday (March 30th) I used my Volunteer Day from work to help sell daffodils for the Canadian Cancer Society. There were three of us from work selling. It was a lot of fun. We sold out of flowers. I'm not sure how much money we raised, but it was at least $1000, probably closer to $1200. On the weekend I had a nasty stomach bug. I called in sick on Monday. So I worked three days this week and am exhausted. Why are short weeks also so tiring?

All winter I thought there was a dog that was regularly running in the backyard and leaving "presents". I was convinced of this early in the morning as I'm leaving for work. By the time I'd get home, I'd be awake and using logic. I mean, how can a dog regularly get into our yard from the street. I know there far too many irresponsible dog owners in our neighbourhood. The people who think that the leash works if they have it in their hand but not attached to the dog's collar. I hate these people. I understand taking the leash off in a dog park. But walking down Bathurst is not safe... On Monday while I was looking out the window thinking of the possibilities of spring I saw a dog in our yard, in the process of leaving me a "present". I went out back to find its human to clean up after it. The dog ran to the back right corner and went under the fence to get home. I blocked the hole in the fence with a planter box. This dog was completely unsupervised wandering the backyards of Albany. Great humans. At least I'm not crazy. Okay not crazy about confusing a dog and a raccoon.

It has been snowing here. A light dusting of snow is on the garden. Foliage is starting to emerge from the soil. Most of the daylilies have appeared.

I have been working on Trish's sweater vest. Last night I was in the process of the starting the v-neck of the front, when I realised that I had managed to stop knitting one of the middle ribs. I had to take out almost 10 inches of knitting. OUCH! But I will survive. It was far too noticable mistake to try to pretend it didn't happen. What makes it hard is that I'm knitting using a 4mm needle. I still think I can get it done for Trish's birthday later this month.

Here is Calle modelling the sweater vest. I'm not sure the colour of the vest compliments her colouring...

I have a plan for baby quilt I'm going to make. It involves circles and applique, oh my. The fabric that I got at the Quilter's Palette will look great.

This is a sampling of the fabric I have.

Now all I need is to learn how to sew in circles for the applique. Oh and more fusible web.

I should start knitting. I have some time to make up. I also want to get some housework out of the way.

More later.

Photos

2007-03-27T06:43:00.000-04:00

Here are the photos I had a problem uploading on Sunday night. Below is another photo of the snow drops. They should be open today. I'll try to get another photo tonight after work.

Here is one of the photos I took of Trotsky on Sunday afternoon.

This is is Trish's sweater vest as of Sunday. I have knit 5 of the 8 inches for the armholes. Progress is happening...

Here is Calle conducting a quality inspection of my work, again.

More later.

L

Spring has almost Sprung

2007-03-25T19:17:00.000-04:00

It is starting to feel like spring here. There has been some rain, and some variations in the temperature. I took some photos of the snow drops that are almost in bloom.

I took a photo of Trish's sweater vest. I have done almost 17" so far. I have another 5" to knit before I can start the shoulder shaping. I should be done the back mid-week. This will jinx my progress, but it is going quicker than I thought it would.

I hemmed a pair of pants today. I bought three pairs of "boyfriend trousers" from the Gap. And since they are women's pants, they do not come in length, so they all require hemming. I'm going to hem another pair later tonight.

I only quilted one block of Mish Mash this weekend. I'll spend more time next weekend. I had some extra errands to run.

I am having some technical difficulties uploading the photos I want to show you. I'll try to add them tomorrow.

I have to go and watch another episode of Dead Like Me. The DVD is due back at the video store at 9pm.

More later.

Mid-Week Report

2007-03-20T19:17:00.000-04:00

I have quilted one row of blocks on Mish Mash (6 of 18 bigger blocks are done). There is still much work to be done. But it is easier to work on it during the weekend. By the time I get home from work and have dinner it is almost 7pm and it is rather bulky. And as reminder, my blog is called OCD_Slacker...

Here is a photo from Sunday's work.

This is the last block on the middle row. This weekend I started another row.

I also need to start thinking about the baby quilt. Maybe I'll spend some time this weekend cutting fabric. I have until July... but at the pace I quilt... I should start soon.

I have been working on Trish's sweater vest. I have found out how to "purl through the back of the loop." It is knit on 4mm needles. Yes that is 4mm. Very small and slow. I have knit 4 inches of the back so far.

I'm getting ready for the Walk for MS on April 15th. To sponsor me you can goto www.supercitieswalk.com. Click on the "Get online with the Super Cities Walk for MS" button on the right hand side. On the next page click on the "Pledge A Walker" button. Enter my name in the "Find A Walker" field. Then enter the amount you want to donate to the MS Society. Thank you in advance for your support.

I should get back to knitting.

More later.

St. Patrick's Day

2007-03-17T22:33:00.000-04:00

I met Allison at Islington subway station today. We went to the Quilter's Palette (www.quilterspalette.ca). I got fabric for a baby quilt for a coworker. Here is some of the fabric. The pattern I got is called "Trapezoids". Most of the fabric I got was in the store's sample. Some of the fabric is Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy from Free Spirit (www.freespiritfabric.com/core-pages/gallery.php?gal_id=110&PHPSESSID=a7fd9381f425093ce5c2c54d4a2023b7). The quilt is for a boy. I tried to get a lot of blue. I'm thinking a solid brown for the backing and binding. I'll wait until I have the top finished before making that decision.

I also picked up some more Amy Butler fat quarters. They did not have the Kaffe Fassett fabric that I need more of. Now I have a reason to go to Oakville. In addition to seeing Allison and Len. It has been a few weeks since I have seen the renovations they have made.

I still have more hand quilting to do on Mish Mash (I have 4 blocks done... so yes a lot to be done).

While in Etobicoke we went to Village Yarns (www.villageyarns.com). I got Rowan's Summer Tweed to make Trish's birthday present. The yarn is 70% silk and 30% cotton. The pattern is from No Sheep For You by Amy R Singer. Unfortunately the colour of the yarn doesn't look quite right in the photo.

I'll work on this in secret, on my commute to work. I have quilting to do at home.

After the yarn store, Allison and I went the the Shamrock and Thistle for a pint and some stew (it was beef) to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

My priorities for projects are as follows:

Mish Mash - hand quilting
Baby quilt for Nette
Trish's sweater vest (shh... secret)
Pinwheel (need more fabric)

I need to get some rest. Tomorrow is a busy day of housework and hand quilting.

More later.

Daylight Saving Time

2007-03-11T17:39:00.000-04:00

The weather has been warm since Friday. Tomorrow the high is suppose to 9. I'm glad the snow is melting. It was startng to look and dirty. No doubt there will be new snow to replace the old stuff.

Last weekend I gave Allison her Christmas cardigan to get a zipper for it, since I had not found one yet (not that I looked very hard). Maybe she'll get one this week and she can give me the sweater and zipper to sew on Saturday.

Allison and I are meeting at the Quilter's Palette (http://www.quilterspalette.ca/) for their Open House on Saturday (March 17). I need to get some fabric for a baby quilt for Nette at work.

I have been busy handquilting Mish Mash. So far I have four of the 18 large blocks quilted. It is going well. I'm just a little slow. I'll take pictures once I have a little more quilted. It seems a little odd working with the old Amy Butler fabric after spending time looking at her new line.

On Wednesday Trish and I went to the Canada Blooms show. Saw a lot of beautiful flowers. I bought some more native plants for the back shade garden. They are from the Wildflower Farm (http://www.wildflowerfarm.ca/). Most of my native plants came from them.

We saw Patsy as we were leaving. I was thinking about her and Kathy as I wandered around the show. Several years ago I saw them at the show. Caroline was at the show with them but had gone off on her own for a few minutes. We had a good chat. She had to go and catch her bus back home. I forgot the camera, so I have no pictures. I'll definitely take photos of the new plants once they are planted.

I have signed Allison and Len up to join at this year's Walk for MS (April 15th). My work team has 7 people so far (including Allison and Len).

I should go and check on dinner.

More later.

L

Still WInter

2007-02-18T14:10:00.000-05:00

It took a while but we have a sufficient amount of snow. It was been rather cold lately. It looks like next week will be a little warmer. Trish and I were out walking in the snow yesterday.

I have been procrastinating on quilting Mish Mash. I need to spend time working on it. But my first priority is knitting a hat and scarf for work. We had an on-line auction to help raise money for our MS Walk. I need to make the hat and scarf and send it to the highest bidder. Her three colour choices were midnight blue, black and brown. Romni didn't have a midnight blue and the black seemed flat. So Chocolate Souffle it is.

I have been thinking about what to do with all the fabric I got at Christmas. At this point the Kaffe Fassett fabric will be used in a pinwheel quilt. I was looking through the Kaffe Fassett books and made a list of patterns that would require new skills. The pinwheel won out (a photo of the quilt can be found at http://www.cottonpatch.co.uk/acatalog/info_Quilt_1556.html). The pattern is on the small size (44 x 51), so I think I may try to make it bigger... I will need to get some solid fabric to go with it. Below is a photo of the main fabric I'll be using.

I also have a plan for the new Amy Butler fabric. I'm thinking about using the Wallpaper Strips Quilt pattern from Fassett's Quilt Road. But that may change...

Okay to summarize priorities:

knitting hat and scarf
quilt Mish Mash
use Kaffe Fassett fabric
use Amy Butler fabric

If you have any suggestions for the Amy Butler fabric, let me know. I'm always looking for new ideas.

That scarf is not going to knit itself. I better get back to work.

More later.

PS Happy Birthday, Dad.

Mish Mash Update

2007-02-11T12:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I basted Mish Mash. It took over the living room floor. I have no idea how long it took. I was fully supervised.

Calle is a little more "paws on" in her management style.

The photo above is to give you a sense of the size of the quilt. The finished size is suppose to be 63 x 70.

I will start hand quilting today. It will probably take a few weeks to quilt and a day or so to bind. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I really like Amy Butler's fabric. Wait until you see my next two quilting projects (one will be in Butler's new line of fabric and the other will be Kaffe Fassett).

I have been knitting hats and scarves for the Street Knit Project. My work group was mentioned in a recent post on their site (http://www.streetknit.ca/). There are some photos of my co-workers also posted.

I need to go and find some cat grass. These means I have to leave the house... I'm not sure that is a good idea. It could be worse I could live in Manitoba...

More later.

Sorry it has been awhile since I last posted...

2007-02-04T12:10:00.000-05:00

... it has actually been cold here in Toronto and I have been wearing my scarf and mittens indoors to stay warm. Today's high was predicted to be -15 (-31 with the windchill), so we are staying indoors. I almost got frostbite walking up the street to get the newspaper.

Next weekend is suppose to be warmer. My plan for next weekend is this. Find the Fabricland that is located near the HBC at Yonge and Bloor and get a zipper for Allison's cardigan. I also plan on basting Mish Mash. I finally got the batting out yesterday to try to get the wrinkles out of it. I need to sew the backing piece together. Calle will no doubt want to help with the baste part when the quilt is on the floor. To summarize I will be spending a lot of time with the sewing machine next weekend.

Last weekend I got up to get more coffee and this is what happened...

The boy stole my spot. This was Sunday morning as I tried to recover from Saturday. I meet Wendy and Lucie Jane at their hotel (Wendy was helping at the ONDP convention) and we went for breakfast. After that I met up with Allison and we went shopping. If you want a work out forget about the new Boot Camp fad. Go shopping on Queen Street West with Allison. We both arrived back here with bags and bags of stuff. Allison found some incredible deals. I got this great sweater from Preloved (www.preloved.ca). What they do is take old clothing, cut them and resew them together. I feel in love with a lot of their sweaters. The one I bought on sale for $20. It has some holes in it, that I will patch.

I have been having a difficult time taking photos of the amaryllis blooms. Here are two of the photos.

I like this one because you can see Calle in the background. I put the plant on the rad by the kitchen door to take the photos. That is Calle's usual perch. She is a little territorial.

Here is the second photo. I altered the lighting. I will keep trying until I get it right.

More later.

Only a zipper away

2007-01-21T14:28:00.000-05:00

I finished sewing Allison's cardigan. I finished knitting the collar on Sunday night. All I need now is a zipper and time to sew the zipper to the cardigan. There are no zipper stores in my neighbourhood (the purchasing of a zipper will require an field trip outside of the Annex...). I wonder if there is still a Fabricland at Yonge and Bloor? Then all I need is to remember what the zipper foot looks like for the sewing machine.

I have begun work on Trish's cardigan again. I have sewn the shoulders and am in the process of making the collar. I'll take some photos this week and post them next weekend.

We are still knitting at work for Street Knit Project. We gained our first male knitter this past week. Jim is a natural. He has been knitting on his breaks. We should have completed 50 scarves, 24 hats and 3 pairs of mittens by the end of the month in total since we started.

Several of the indoor plants are blooming. I'll take photos of them this week to post (help liven up the blog).

Next weekend is going to be busy. I'm having brunch on Sunday with Brian (since he left work to go back to school in August we have been trying to meet up for brunch once a month). Wendy and Lucie Jane are in Toronto for the ONDP convention. They left a few of Lucie Jane's toys behind at New Years that I should return. I think I also have tentative plans to meet up with Allison (she found the quilting pattern she misplaced at Christmas). I need to make a trip to the Goodwill to get rid of some old cloths.

Soon I'll start to work on Mish Mash again. I know I could get it machine quilted, but it is not that big. It is the basting that seems rather daunting to me. I need to iron the top and prep the backing. I also need to get the wrinkles out of the batting. I have only had that since September folded up in a bag. It will be nice to get it our from underneath the bed (although I am concerned to find other things that I have hidden under the bed).

Time to start dinner (there is a marinade that requires 2 hours of resting or whatever it does). I will have photos for next week and maybe funny stories about knitting and quilting.

More later.

L

It is actually snowing

2007-01-13T22:52:00.000-05:00

I think today is the first time it has snowed this winter for an extended period of time. It probably won't stick around for long, so I have not gone out back to make a snowman. Of course we'll end up with a blizzard in mid-May.

I have been working on finishing Allison's cardigan. I have sewn the shoulders together and have started to sew the sides. Then I need to get a zipper and machine sew it in. The yarn is 100% Lopi wool.

Looking at the cardigan as I was taking the photo I had a nervous feeling that perhaps the sleeves were short. I tried it on to check (yes Allison I wore your sweater) and the sleeves seem fine. I can make an adjustment if they are short on Allison (knit a few extra rows in the rib pattern afterwards). I made one sweater for Trish that required extra length in the sleeves and body. It worked out well due to the pattern of the sweater. So no worries... okay maybe just a little one.

Last year I made Dad, Len and Trish one each of this sweater pattern in different colours. Maybe Mom and I will get one next year...

I'm trying to figure out how best to finish Trish's cardigan. The pattern calls for a ribbon, but Trish is concerned about washing. Maybe we'll try a button approach.

We ordered our two daylilies this week from We're In the Hayfield Now (http://www.hayfield.ca). We went with Hayfield Sunrise and Hayfield Sunset (they should come as a set). The 2007 introductions have been updated on the website.

I have booked my flight to Halifax for May. I had a credit with Air Canada I had to use before June 10, 2007. I compared the airline ticket prices to that of the train and a return train trip is $10 less. But it takes a day and half each way and there is the need to buy food.

I am still distracted by all the fabric I got at Christmas. I have found a couple of ideas, but I cannot start working on them until my Christmas knitting and Mish Mash is done.

I should get back to finishing Allison's cardigan. I may need to shove the walkway this afternoon. Where did I put the shovel?

More later.

Settling into 2007

2007-01-02T10:36:00.000-05:00

My father called at 6:40 this morning to let me know that they arrived home safely. I spoke with both my parents tonight. I think it is best for me to talk to people when I have at least finished my first coffee of the day.

I took a photo of the white Amaryllis today. It will have three blooms on this stalk.

I hope to get the Ansel Adams exhibit before it closes on February 4th. The Emily Carr starts in March. When I first learned of the Carr exhibit, March 2007 seemed so far away. The restaurant at the AGO is closed during the renovations. We have lost a fancy brunch place.

I'm still working on finishing Allison's cardigan, then Trish's (I'll take photos of them in progress this weekend). My new years resolution is to minimize the number of projects I have going at the same time. Once the knitting is done, I can move onto finishing Mish Mash. I need to baste, then hand quilt it. First it will need to be ironed. I also need to de-wrinkle the batting.

I am still tempted by the new Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler fabric I got at Christmas. I also have about 25 fat quarters of Asian fabric to figure out something with.

I received the copy of Kaffe Fassett's Kaleidoscope of Quilts. I am disappointed. I ordered it on-line without seeing first. Basically it is the same patterns with his new fabric.

The Street Knit Project group at work is still going. I guess we will keep working until we are told to stop.

More later.

The Year is Almost Over

2006-12-30T12:44:00.000-05:00

I'm waiting for Trish and Trotsky to return home. Every once in a while I think I have done the required housework, I realize that there is something else that needs to done.

I have today's Star and Globe to entertain me. I also have the latest Karin Fossum book (Calling Out For You) to read. Trish gave it to me for Christmas. I enjoyed her other two books. Fossum is from Norway and writes mystery novels.

I'm also listening to the Yahoo radio station. I have discovered that you can skip songs that you don't like or don't feel like listening to. You can also rate the performer, song and album. It is keeping me amused.

Calle is doing her part to keep me entertained. She is now playing with the felt ball I got her for Christmas (Trotsky got one too). She will hid behind the Christmas tree to have a sneak attack. What a crazy cat.

I have discovered a stash of things left behind my parents. Unfortunately they only left behind a penny in terms of money (what a lousy tip). I think they will have to drop by to gather up the rest of their belongs before heading home.

This is the night light my parents (okay mother) gave me. It is made by Seagull. I will have to find a better place for next year. That will require Trish's help, as she has a much better sense of these things than I do.

This is the stash of fat quarters Allison gave me. It is the newest Kaffe Fassett. There is a pattern for it, but she misplaced it...

Calle is not going to give up her title as best Christmas present without a fight. Once some presents were put under the tree, she was unable to de-skirt the tree. Even my cat has a better interior design flare, than me... Allison made the skirt last Christmas. It was originally for herself, but I kind of guilted her into giving it to me...

Our friends Wendy and Jeff are bringing their daughters Olivia and Lucinda Jane for a visit tomorrow afternoon. The morning will involve child-proofing the upstairs and grocery shopping. If there is time maybe a stop at Bookcity to find a kid's book for Olivia. Tomorrow evening we are staying home. The plan at this point is for a Moroccan dinner and watch a movie or two.

I'm still working on a New Year's resolution. Although it is not a resolution and it is rather obvious, I'm not going to start any new projects until I have finished the three I have in progress. I have to finish Trish's cardigan, Allison's cardigan and Mish Mash. The knitting I'll work on first.

Okay I need to start my book.

More later.

L

Happy Boxing Day

2006-12-26T07:58:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of the cats. They are now able to be in the same room without hissing...

My parents and I went to Allison and Len's for Christmas dinner yesterday. It was a fabulous turkey dinner.

Today we are off to Ikea. They need to pick up something for my Aunt Gloria. And I need to some under the bed storage boxes.

I should make sure everyone has breakfast.

More later.

Christmas Eve

2006-12-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

I went grocery shopping with my Mom first thing today. This afternoon I went to Dufferin Mall for the first time. I went with my Dad for his last minute shopping.

I hosted a Christmas Eve gathering tonight. Allison, Len and his parents (Walter and Evelyn) came over from Oakville for Christmas Eve dinner. I made a beef stew for dinner (of course it had a red wine base). Mom took care of the appetizer. Trish (even though she is away) made dessert (chocolates).

On the topic of Trish's Christmas treats. She added two new chocolates to her collection this year. The first was an orange and dark chocolate bark, the second was a Jackson Pollack inspired chocolate with dried apricots and nuts. I have voted that they make the list for next year and so did everyone else. They are gooood.

We did our gift exhange. I got some of the new line of Kaffe Fassett fabric and from Allison. She also gave me a bracelet she made. A flower press from my parents. I gave Allison her yet to be finished sweater. I'll get it sewn this week, then I just need to get a zipper for it.

It is late and I need to get some rest. Tomorrow we go to Oakville...

I'll post photos tomorrow.

They have arrived

2006-12-23T08:19:00.000-05:00

My parents arrived yesterday afternoon. Their room was ready for them. They even got new sheets on the bed.

The quilt on the chair is the quilt my mom made two years. Allison and Len also got a quilt. Last year she gave me fabric to make my own quilt.

The cats are co-existing. They may spend time in the same room without hissing at some point. Elizabeth is being kept in the bedroom with my parents overnight to allow Calle to wander the house. The photo of Calle is before our company arrived. Elizabeth made herself at home quickly.

I should go. I'm being a bad bed and breakfast person. Day 2 has begun.

More later.

L

The calm before the storm...

2006-12-19T22:42:00.000-05:00

The bedroom has been refurnished. Gone is the old futon. In its place is a new mattress and Ikea bedframe and two new dressers. The room is now parent friendly. My parents would not have survived a night on the futon. They should be nice to Trish as she insisted on the new bed.

I have meet Harry the hairless dog. He definitely has an attitude. He is very adorable.

This is the coat that Trish gave to Allison for her birthday for Harry.

What is about my family now naming pets after the Royal family? My parents' cat is Elizabeth and now Allison has a prince.

Our tree has been decorated. It is a good height for our living room. Also it is a decoration friendly tree if that makes sense. The branches are evenly distributed with room for the ornaments to hang. To see the tree correctly flip your monitor to the left. I'm sorry I did fix the orientation of the photo before posting it.

I'll post photos of my cats with the tree next time.

I have a few days to finish preparing for my parents' visit. I need to finish cleaning the house, get some groceries that they eat and some activities to keep them busy since I don't have cable television. I also have to wrap Christmas gifts. I should get some rest for all that.

More later.

It's almost Christmas

2006-12-13T19:48:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I dropped off 10 scarves and 2 hats at Knit-O-Matic. I still have more completed scarves and hats at work to donate. I have been taking kits that Haley at Knit-O-Matic has made up to donate to knitters to make scarves with. I have been raffling them to knitters who have completed projects.

Trish and her parents delivered our tree on Sunday. With our fancy swivel tree stand it took five minutes to set up the tree. All we need is time to decorate it and the cats not to knock it over.

I'm almost done knitting Allison's cardigan. I should have enough time to sew it together. I will need to get a zipper for it. This weekend I need to make the catnip toys for Calle and Trotsky.

I got the new Scissor Sisters' CD today. I have only been able to listen it once. So far I really like it. At work Chris' radio station is only playing Christmas songs and it is mostly the bad ones. The rarities are covers of Joni Mitchell's River and a few others. I have been listening to Aimee Mann's Christmas CD (OneMore Drifter in the Snow).

On Sunday Trish and I are going to Oakville to meet Harry the hairless dog.

That is all for now. I'll leave you with a photo of Harry.

More later.

Update

2006-12-02T18:22:00.000-05:00

Okay so it has it been a little while...

I finally finished the Baby Brick quilt. All that needs to happen now is for the baby to be born. That happened last Sunday night.

I'm still working on Allison's Christmas cardigan. It should be done by Christmas. For Trish's cardigan I need to figure out what to use as a tie. Then I can sew it together.

Today I took a taxi to the Goodwill. I filled the trunk and the backseat. On my way home I stopped at Knit-O-Matic and dropped off the 10 scarves, 6 hats and 1 pair of mittens that my work knitting group completed for the Street Knits Project. There is still more at my desk. I also picked up 3 kits that Haley at Knit-O-Matic put together for Street Knits. I'll put the names of people who have completed projects in a hat and draw 3 winners.

I set up our wireless network today. This is the first post from not only the wireless network but from my new laptop. I have named it "Tinman". It is very shiny. It works on my laptop and Trish's work laptop.

I'm saving my housework for tomorrow. Also tomorrow is the Kids' Activity Party at work. I'm going to help out. I'm also going to work on my powerpoint photo show for our Holiday Gala. Another busy day.

The hockey game is about to start...

More later.

L

A Wasted Saturday

2006-11-05T11:26:00.000-05:00

I waited at home yesterday for a Purolator delivery. At 5:00 I called the office to make sure I was not wasting my day. I was told that the package I had stayed home to receive did not make on the truck. Apparently Purolator doesn't have the capability to call customers to tell them that their package will not be delivered. I rescheduled the delivery for Tuesday night. I am now boycotting Purolator. Thankfully Indigo uses Canada Post and Future Shop's photolab has a store pickup option...

It's not that I had any great plans for yesterday. I was going to drop off several scarves and hats that my work knitting job had completed for the Street Knit Project. And I would have gone to get the papers while the news was still new.

I have been busy. I am finished knitting Trish's cardigan. I need to sew it together (my favourite part-please note the sarcasm). I am almost done hand quilting the Baby Brick quilt. I should get it done today, I hope. I may have to slack off on the housework to have the time required.

November is a busy month. Next weekend is our annual Royal Winter Fair trip. Then on the 23rd we will make our annual trek to the One of a Kind Sale. What I love about this is that both are at the CNE, in the same building. You walk through the Royal and you smell animals. It reminds me of the time spent at the riding stable. Then you go back two weeks later and the smell is completely different. It smells like flowers and incense. But too much because that would be icky.

As I write this I'm ordering more prints online for my work Christmas cards. I am six gifts away from being done my shopping. I have no idea what to get Cameron, Cassie, James and Olivia (I'm hoping the One of a Kind will have something). I know what I'm getting my Dad, I just have to find time to go to the store (as I'm boycotting Purolator). I have several ideas for Trish, but I'll wait to see if I find anything at the One of a Kind Sale. I still have gifts to make, but I think I will be able to avoid the stores during the Christmas rush.

I have not download any new photos in a while. I'll leave you a memory from the summer.

More later.

L

PS I'll try to take some photos of my current projects this week.

Nothing new

2006-10-28T18:53:00.000-04:00

Another week has past. Not much is new. We are having a Halloween decorating contest at work. My group is called the "Smashing Pumpkins". It is cheesey. I'm working on our pumpkin this weekend. I cleaned it out already. Tomorrow I'll drill holes in it. A coworker is buying gummy worms that will be put coming out of the holes.

Knitting
I have finished knitting the front, back and sleeves of Trish's cardigan. I'm working on the collar now. The cardigan collar had 242 sts to start, so it is not TTC friendly. I started working on a hat and scarf set to work on during my commute to work.

My knitting group at work has finished about 14 scarves, 6 hats and 1 pair of mittens. I'm going to drop off our first batch next Saturday. There is still talk of a potluck

Quilting
I am still hand quilting the Baby Brick quilt. There are 12 rows and so far I have 5 rows quilted. I should get another 2 quilted this weekend.

Once Baby Brick is completed I can move on to the cat blankets. I have Amy Butler fabric for Calle and Kaffe Fassett for Trotsky. I'll take a photo of the fabric this week and post the photos next weekend.

More later.

L

Yes, I am obsessed with my holiday preparations

2006-10-21T18:23:00.000-04:00

Hello. My name is Lesley and I'm addicted to my Christmas 2006 spreadsheet. There is something rewarding about updating the status of my gift list. Today I updated 6 items. I also ordered my Christmas cards online. They should arrive in 2 weeks. Then I need to sit down and write the ones that are being mailed. I can procrastinate on the others. Including my Secret Santa for work I have six gifts left to buy. Of course there five others I have to make. The moral of the story is that my plan is working (unlike Bush's Iraq plan).

No new photos today. Just more bragging.

I have been hand quilting the baby quilt. I have no idea how much longer it will take. I'm more a little less than half done. Then there is the binding to finish. Tonight during the hockey game I'll finish the sleeve for Trish's cardigan and have enough time to start the other sleeve.

Tomorrow is the Creative sewing and needlework show. I have to finalize my shopping list tonight.

I have to go rest for tomorrow. I'm meeting Allison at 10:15 at Union Station.

More later.

L

Is it Christmas Yet?

2006-10-15T10:24:00.000-04:00

Okay, I'm close to being ready for Christmas. I need some time for knitting and sewing. But I have a well defined plan. Yes it involves a spreadsheet and colour. I'm still trying to figure out my Christmas card situation. I cannot find more of the photo cards, I may need to make a substitution.

Quilting
I basted the Baby Brick quilt yesterday. I started to hand quilt it last night. I was taking photos of it today, when...

I think Calle has confused Baby Brick with her Mish Mash. I have stopped working on Mish Mash to concentrate on the baby quilt. But I will start again once my holiday projects are completed (so early January). I have to prep the backing, baste then quilt...

Knitting
I have started Trish's cardigan. I have finished the back and left front so far. I bought the yarn last Friday and started knitting on Sunday during my trip to Bowmanville for Thanksgiving. I have been knitting on my commute to work and lunch hour. Now that I have started quilting the baby quilt, I'll work on that at night, instead of knitting.

Other Stuff-Yesterday, Trish and I went to see the Andy Warhol exhibit at the AGO. It was interesting. I knew of Warhol and some of his work, but I know have a better understanding of it.

Next Sunday, Allison and I are going to the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival/Show. I still need fabric for Trotsky's blanket. I think my approach this year will be: This is what I need. Last year's was this is what I want.

Trotsky went to the vet on Friday. The Vet called with his blood work results. His blood glucose is in the normal range. His kidney function is still high, but it is much lower than before. He weights 12.9 lbs. Calle goes for her followup visit on October 31st.

Apparently the baby quilt will not quilt itself. I better get to work on it.

More later.

Accomplishments

2006-10-07T18:18:00.000-04:00

Okay so it has been almost a month since my last confession, I mean post. Laziness is what has kept me from posting. I wish I could say it because I was waiting to have photos to post.

Quilting

This afternoon I finished Calle and Trish's Christmas stockings. I started them last weekend. I was able to finish the front and back of both. Today I sewed the front and back together and completed the cuff. Now I need to think of Christmas gifts to put inside them. But I have a few weeks for that!

This the stocking I made for Trotsky last year at the class Allison and I took at the Patchwork Porch.

This is the back of Trish's. There is a Christmas tree on the front.

This the front of Calle's. I still need to find buttons for the snowman's eyes. Her name is on the back.

Today I also had time to sew the borders on the Baby Brick quilt. I had not got enough fabric for the border, when I bought the batting and backing (I also got the fabric for the stockings that day). Fortunately Allison and Len went and picked up another 1/2 yard for me. Next weekend I'll baste the quilt and hopefully have time to start quilting.

Knitting

After work yesterday I rushed to Romni Wool to buy the yarn for Trish and Allison's sweaters. I was shocked when the guy (yes guy) at the check out was friendly. Maybe it was the longer hair I have (I have not been able to get in touch with my hairstylist to schedule a cut), or maybe he was lonely?

I'll start Trish's tonight while I watch the hockey game. It is a cardigan. I think this will the first sweater that I'll make using the yarn from the pattern. It is a nice yarn (10% cashmere). I'll take it with me to Bowmanville tomorrow. It is not a surprise since she picked out the pattern. I'll post some photos of it soon.

I have to finish Trish's sweater by November 16th. That is when I'm scheduled to start Allison's. So far I'm schedule for my handmade gifts. And well ahead of schedule for the store bought gifts (no Mom I'm not telling you what I got you!).

I'll leave you with a photo of the newest member of the family.

Here is Elizabeth (I still call her Rusty), my parents kitten. I think she is more trouble than my sister and I were.

More later.

Getting there

2006-09-10T13:46:00.000-04:00

I finished the inside of the Baby Brick Quilt top yesterday. I need to get fabric for the border, binding and back (and batting too). I will get that on Saturday before Allison and Len's BBQ. I also need fabric for two Christmas Stockings and cat blankets. I need to get batting for Mish Mash. And then there is the yarn for Allison and Trish's Christmas presents. I have cut back on my Christmas knitting. Everyone is getting a present that they have to make. I thought I should give you some time to deal with this (I don't want to see my parents cry when they open their gifts). So much work, so little time.

We started the knitting group at work. Eight people came on Wednesday. We will meet every Wednesday at noon. We are knitting for the Street Knit Project. I found a few scarves and hats that I made previously and will add to the contributions.

Trotsky is doing well. I think he has adjusting to getting needles twice a day. It is easier with two people, but it can be done by one of us. Good thing he is such a laid back cat.

I have to go and update my Christmas 2006 spreadsheet.

More later.

L

Finally photos of Mish Mash and more

2006-08-25T21:38:00.000-04:00

Sorry this has taken so long to post these photos, but dial up is slow...

This is the top of the Mish Mash. On the right is part of the inner border. I need to buy the batting, then I can complete Mish Mash and Calle can have her own quilt. Hopefully she will share it with me.

This is the fabric for the back. It seems calm in comparison to the front. I think I have enough of this to use as the binding (I hope I have enough, I bought what was left).

These photos are from for the Baby Brick Quilt from Kaffe Fassett's Muesum Quilt book. It is for Wendy and Jeff (Wendy is due in November). I have used the left over fabric from Mish Mash (so no you are not imagining a similarity). It is Amy Butler's fabric from her Freespirit line. I have yet to find her new Rowan line in stores here yet.

Well it is almost 11pm and I need to get my rest. Tomorrow is the Centre Island BBQ with work. I need to get in touch with Allison about when to meet.

More later.

Finally Saturday

2006-08-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

My vacation ended and I had to go back to work on Monday. Why cannot I win the lottery?

Trotsky is getting better. When he went to the vet on Monday his blood glocuse level was 1.9. That is very low, dangerous low. The vet altered his insulin amount and we are adjusting the amount based on how much food he is eating (e.g. if he eats a lot he gets the full injection. If he eats half of his food, we give him a half dose).

Trotksy with the frog Allison gave him.

Calle at her most refined.

Gardening
The daylilies are done for the summer. I got a number of good photos. I also learnt a lot about photographing flowers this summer. I bought a book about nature photography while I was on vacation (Digital Techniques for Successful Nature Photography by Cub Kahn). Although it is a small book, it has a considerable amount of information. It describes the basics of photography (e.g. aperture and shutter speed). I have been experimenting with garden photos and cat photos.

One of the many daylilies.

Quilting
I finished the top of Mish Mash while I was on vacation. I have not taken any photos yet. I have the fabric for the back, but I need to buy the batting. I went to Niagara Falls last Saturday with Allison and Len. I should have gotten the batting while we were there, but I forgot to make a note of how much I need. I did pick up a 24 inch ruler and more asian fabric.

I need to get fabric for the cat blankets and Christmas stockings (I also need applique paper for the stockings). If I have time I may make a blanket for the latest addition to the family, Rusty.

Knitting
I think I have picked out a few possibilities for Allison's Christmas sweater. I think I'll let her decide which one she like best. It is no surprise that she is getting a sweater, since she more or less demanded one.

We will be starting the work knitting group soon. I have to finish designing the poster and writing the announcement.

Other Stuff
Next Saturday is the Citi Friends and Family Picnic at Centre Island. I have invited Allison and Len to join me.

I have started my Christmas shopping already. I think I am the reason why Indigo Books had increased sales in the second quarter. Yesterday a package arrived and I thought it was a gift I ordered (remember Indigo sells more than books). But it was Season 2 of Veronica Mars. Which is so much better. We are currently watching Season 1 of Slings and Arrows (www.themovienetwork.ca/slingsandarrows). Season 2 comes out on DVD in November. Season 3 is airing on TMN (the last episode is on August 28th) . Each season is 6 episodes long (around 50 minutes each). It is a very smart and funny series. We finished season 4 of Six Feet Under.

It is time to check on Trotsky.

More later.

L

Where has the summer gone?

2006-08-05T09:30:00.000-04:00

I know there are more weeks of summer to come, but I have no idea where the past month and a half have gone.

At the beginning of July Trish and I met our friends Wendy and Jeff and their daughter Olivia at the St. Lawrence Market for a visit. We bought some fresh produce and had a picnic at the park on the other side of Bathurst. We made plans to do it again later this month.

That was until we found out last week two weeks ago that Trotsky has diabetes. He was at the Vet's office 5 out of 7 days. His blood glucose is being regulated by insulin. We give him two needles a day. He will need to receive insulin permanently. He has improved since Trish first noticed he was having difficulty walking. He goes back to the Vet's August 13th for another check-up. What they do is give him his morning insulin and monitor his blood glucose level every hour. After they are confident the insulin dosage is correct he will only have to go to the Vet's for 6 months.

Our summer trips have been cancelled to be home with Trotsky. The first three weeks are crucial while his insulin dosage is being adjusted.

Garden
Most of the daylilies are done blooming for the year. I got some good photos and some not so good photos. The not so good photos look good on the camera, but there seems to be a problem when I get them printed. I'll try printing one or two at home to see if the colours are any better.

We missed the Open Garden at We're in the Hayfield Now. It was last weekend. We really don't have room for more daylilies...

I'll post photos later.

Quilting
I'm on vacation as of 5 pm last night. I will be spending some of my time this week sewing (I hope to get the top of Mish Mash completed). I then need to find space to layout the backing and put that together. I have to buy the batting. Oh my, so much to do...

I started cutting the fabric for the Baby Bricks Quilt. Wendy is pregnant with a girl. I'm using leftover Amy Butler from Mish Mash. The pattern is from Kaffe Fassett's Museum Quilts.

I'm making the cats blankets for Christmas (one of September's projects). I'll use the block pattern from Mish Mash and make them 2 x2 with a 2 inch border. I also will make Trish and Calle Christmas Stockings like Trotsky's. I have these scheduled for October.

Knitting
I got official permission to organize a knitting group at work. We will knit for an organization called Street Knit Project (www.streetknit.ca). The scarves and toques we make will be donated to local homeless organizations.

I also have to knit a sweaters for Allison and Trish. That I'll start next month.

Other Stuff
We just finished watching season one of Deadwood (www.hbo.com/deadwood). I think my mother helped to write the profanity dialogue. It was very good. It is like the Sopranos set in the 1870s in a gold mining community. I have not seen a HBO series that I have not enjoyed. Oh wait I think Curb Your Enthusiasm is one of theirs. I saw the first few episodes and realized that if I didn't enjoy Seinfeld, I was not going to enjoy Curb. Revised statement: I have not seen a HBO drama series that I have not enjoyed.

We are now watching season four of Six Feet Under. Next on my list is Dead Like Me. Season 2 of Carnivale is out. Hopefully the video store across the street will get it in soon.

It is time for my visit with Trotsky to see how he is doing.

More Later.

L

Summary of the Weekend and more...

2006-07-03T16:20:00.000-04:00

The Garden
Carnival Nights and Gilded Coral had their first blooms of the year yesterday. There are a few others that will be blooming soon. Overall the garden has been enjoying the rain (especially the tomatoes and the daylilies).

Gilded Coral

Carnival Nights

Quilting
I finished the inside of Mish Mash on Saturday. Next I’ll sew the outer border patches together. Then work on the inner border. My choice of backing has me re-thinking the binding. Okay there is no rethinking. What I have now doesn’t go with the backing. Back to the little store in Oakville.

Wendy and Jeff will find out if their second child is a boy or a girl in two weeks. The room will remain green. I was thinking of using Amy Butler fabric for a baby quilt. I love the colours and patterns in her fabric. The baby blanket will definitely not be a traditional baby blanket. I want it to be something that can be used years after she or he has outgrown the crib. I may use the pattern from Kaffe Fassett’s Museum Quilts (yes I did finally buy it-it was on sale at Indigo’s website). It’s a brick pattern with 3.5in x 7.5in patches. I think that would highlight the colours and pattern of the fabric.

In the next few weeks I will have to explore the two quilt stores that are near me (it’s all relative as all of my quilt supply shopping has happened in Niagara Falls, Oakville and Antigonish). I don’t think either of these new stores sells Amy Butler, so it may be safe. I think I’ll wait for my next payday.

Here is a photo of my sewing table

Knitting
I need to start thinking about Christmas gifts. Allison has put in her order for a sweater. I’ll sew Trish’s mom some potholders. I’m not sure yet what to get Trish. Maybe I’ll get Dad some woodworking tools, so he has something creative to do during those cold Cape Breton winters. Oh and a space heater for his workshop.

Maybe Allison and I can go in together to get Mom one of those elevator chairs, so it is easier for her to get to her studio. Actually what she needs is a design wall. I’ll have to send Dad the instructions so he can make her one.

Other Stuff
I spent some time at Allison and Len’s new house on Sunday. I wasn’t much of a help.

Next Saturday morning, Trish and I are meeting Wendy, Jeff and Olivia at St. Lawrence Market for a picnic. Sunday will be a day of rest (and the required housework).

More later.

L

It's been a while...

2006-06-30T19:25:00.000-04:00

On Monday I found the sewing table of my dreams (and budget). It is a foldup table that is quite compact (code for small). It fits the 24 x 18 cutting board with a little room on the length.

I have to cut and sew the sashing for the Mish Mash quilt. Then I have to sew the sashing to the vertical units and blocks. After that is finished, I will have the inside completed. The next step is sewing the inner border followed by the outer border. I bought the fabric for the back. It is making me rethink my binding. I think I need something that will compliment the front and not be so drastic alternative to the back. Something with green.

I also need to buy more needles and bobbins. I found the type that I need in the owner's manual (yes I read the owner's manual). That will have to wait a little while.

Saturday is brunch with a co-worker and sewing. Sunday is a trip to Oakville to visit/help Allison and Len at their new house. Monday is relax around the house day.

I will not have to water the garden in the next few days. But I will have to cut the grass after it drys. I also have to spend some time weeding. Too Darn Hot bloomed yesterday. But the it was not a good bloom (too much rain). There are several others that will be blooming soon. My next post maybe all photos from the garden.

I'll give an update on Mish Mash tomorrow. I'll take a few photos of my table. And I'll try to post more regularly.

More later.

L

The Yellow Brick Road is Finished

2006-06-18T13:04:00.000-04:00

I just completed sewing the binding on my first quilt. Last Saturday I went to Oakville and Allison helped sew the binding onto the front of the quilt. I was left on my own to hand sew the back. Too bad it has gotten warm again. I will just have to admire my handiwork from a far (or under Trotsky and Calle). I can now focus on Mish Mash. I got the backing for Mish Mash last Saturday (very busy day). I will try to find a sewing table by the end of the month.

Trish is going to Newfoundland in August. She will probably go the Wednesday before I arrive and do some touring around. I'm trying to think of last time she had a real vacation. We went to Kingston two summers ago (but that was for the weekend) and Montreal six years ago (again another long weekend). I'll have to buy her several roll of film for her camera and batteries for the digital camera (maybe a new memory card as well). I bought a travel book for Atlantic Canada. It has some interesting places. I have also been researching on the internet. Trish's trip to Newfoundland will be a research trip for when we can both go and spend time.

Stella D'Oro is the first daylily to bloom this year (just like every year). It was too bright out when I took this photo. I'll get a better photo of Stella tomorrow.

We planted the tomatoes on Friday. We went to Lee Valley and I paid off my second round Stanley Cup debt. I got a set of the spiral tomato stakes. If they work well this summer I'll get more next spring. We need to get more container soil. There is always more work to be done in the garden. I want to get another hose to make it easier to water the back section.

I have gotten some great photos from the garden this summer. I think I may need to get the tele-converter lens for my digital camera to get better photos of the smaller flowers and the birds that have been visiting the feeder.

More later.

L

Finally Friday

2006-06-09T18:18:00.000-04:00

Another work week is over, finally. I am really starting to look forward to retirement. I think I see the incredibly faint light of it at the end of the tunnel. Okay I'm just fooling myself. I'll never be able to retire. I'll die of a heart attack at my cubicle. How is that for optimism?

I just finished booking my flight to Newfoundland and return from Halifax for August. I think I need to pack less stuff for this trip. Not that I felt like I had a lot of clothing last month. The less I pack the less I have to carry around. My flight out there leaves at 6:55 am on the Saturday. I don't even want to think of what time I have to wake up at for that. I will be wearing a baseball hat to the airport.

One more photo from Blues Mills.

One of the old cars up the hill from Mom and Dad's house.

The view from the upstairs hallway.

An apple blossom from one of the many trees.

More later.

More Photos

2006-06-05T18:37:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos. It almost 90 minutes to get these uploaded. It will be Christmas by the time I get them all posted. Maybe I should make a few photo albums instead.

The ocean on the way to Glenora Distillery.

Windmill between Mabou and Cheticamp.

Fishing boats in Cheticamp.

The hockey game is about to start. "Let's go, Oilers!" More later...

Back Home

2006-06-03T07:59:00.000-04:00

On Saturday I made a pumpkin cheesecake. It was okay (needed more time in the fridge). We had a great dinner at Aunt Gloria and Uncle Duncan's. Haley and Harrison were there. And No I didn't make either of them cry.

After the cheesecake was made; Mom, Allison and I went to Orangedale to visit with Uncle Harry. It has been nine years since Allison and I had seen him. And of course he is the same as ever. We also stopped by to visit Mom's friend, Irene. Saw several hummingbirds at the feeders she has setup at the windows. We also saw an eagle.

On the way home we stopped at L'arche. It is a cute, little charity store. I bought a necklace for myself and one for Trish. Allison and I also picked up Nova Scotia flashlights as some gifts (it is a match glued inside a clothspin with a small piece of tartan).

Saturday night I finished the baby blanket for a co-worker with the help of Allison and Mom.

Sunday morning Allison and I tried desperately to fit all our stuff into our suitcases and backpacks. At one point before I left I thought I'd come home with less stuff.

We had a scenic drive to Halifax. I briefly considered buying a lobster to bring home. Okay I didn't really, but I told co-workers that I'd look into it. We said goodbye to our parents and began our journey through security. I set off the metal detector. I forgot about my necklace and my belt has a large metal buckle. Good thing I wasn't wearing my steel toe boots. I also had to have my bag searched. They needed to make sure my bottle of Glenora whiskey wasn't openned. As if I'd share that with my family. It took a few minutes to repack my backpack. We had plenty of time to wait. Our flight was almost 30 minutes late but it arrived almost on time I think. We collected our suitcases and went to find Len.

It is good to be home. The cats forgot who I am. I think they remember me now.

Here are some of the highlight photos from Allison and my first trip to Blues Mills.

Allison in Montreal.

Me in Montreal. Viva La Second Cup.

Our Sleeper car. It was small but cozy and quiet.

This is the guest room upstairs. Allison and I call it "The Suite". The other bedroom upstairs is Mom's sewing room which we renamed "The Studio"

Dial-up is slow. More photos later (and there are lots more).

More later.

And tomorrow we leave on a jet plane

2006-05-27T08:50:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went to Sydney. Yet another beautiful drive. We stopped several times for photos. Allison and I mailed some postcards at the Christmas Island post office. At the Mall Allison and I got matching T-shirts that say Cape Breton Liberation Army. Mom got herself a very nice summer outfit. While we shopped Dad had a coffee at Tim Horton's. After the mall we went to Canadian Tire. My parents got some plants for the planter down at the road and a Delphinium to replace the dead shrub Dad and I pulled up earlier in the week.

Today, I'm making a cheesecake to take to Uncle Duncan and Aunt Gloria's tonight. Mom is going to show me how to finish the baby blanket and put binding on a quilt. I think there may even be time for a drive to Orangedale.

Tomorrow we fly from Halifax back to Toronto. And return to work on Monday.

More later.

Quilting and Whiskey

2006-05-25T08:13:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday Allison, Mom and I went to Antigonish to visit the Harbour Quilt Company. It was a big store with a lot of fabric and notions. The store had a lot of Thimbleberries and Homespun style fabric. There was no Amy Butler, no bold prints, no Asian inspired prints. Not that I’m surprised. But it was a long drive to get there. Mom bought two books; Allison bought one book and thread. Allison and I both bought fat quarters of Mona’s Withering Heights. I bought us the 4.5-inch squares for Christmas (no idea what we are going to use it for).

We had a healthy lunch of lattes and Oreo cheesecake. We stopped by my cousin James’ on the way back to Blues Mills. I made his son Harrison cry when I tied his socks together. Any hope of getting extra cash babysitting while I’m here is now gone.

We got home to pick up Dad for our pilgrimage to the Red Barn in Baddeck. He told us that Aunt Kay called. So he stayed home (I think the cheesecake high we were on scared him) and we hit the road again. We visited with Aunt Kay and her dog Tilley (part terrier and part collie) at her new house. There is something about big windows letting in lots of light that I like. The kitchen was large with an island (I love islands).

Our final stop was the Red Barn. It is so different from what Allison and I remember. I bought some postcards. I don’t think Allison bought anything (see Len she can resist the temptation of shopping). Dad had dinner ready when we returned.

Yesterday, we went to the Glenora Distillery. The drive has a gorgeous view. We had a tour by the Master Distiller and a sample. He is the nephew of the woman my parents bought their house from. They also got a U-Haul stuck on the way up the driveway (their was empty, unlike my parents’ U-Haul that was full). I bought a bottle of 10-year-old single malt whiskey for Trish (lord knows she needs it for strength to help put up with me). Allison bought two single serving bottles (one for Len and one for Dad). I felt better about the cost of mine when I did the math and found out that it would cost $209 for the 50ml bottles to get the same amount that I bought. But is it worth the price.

Here is an interesting fact for you: only whiskey made in Scotland can be called Scotch. Everything else is whiskey. Glenora imports their barley from Scotland and yeast from South Africa. The only thing Canadian about it is the water used and the people who make it. I think we may need to make another trip there when I'm back in August.

After the Distillery we continued on our drive towards Cheticamp and the ocean. I took a lot of photos (to be posted later). In Cheticamp we stopped for lunch. This time no adventure for me, I had chicken fingers. Everyone else had fish and chips. I bought a pair of slippers (“just like grandma made” was written on the sign). I have the pattern to make this style, but I had a problem decoding the pattern, so they are in the yarn cabinet waiting.

Bird sightings from yesterday include an eagle and heron on our road trip. More Purplefinches and Goldfinches. There were several Juncos around and I think I saw more Hummingbirds.

Our only plans for today are to go to the Coop for graham cracker crumbs, so I can make dessert for dinner tonight. We are going to Kennena and Dougie's for dinner. Mom and I were discussing her garden. I told her that Dad needs a grow light, so he can start his tomatoes and herbs from seed. She said I sound like my Uncle Duncan who is telling my father to build a vegetable bed. Uncle Duncan is a smart man if he is saying the same thing I am. My father has tried to get fresh basil at almost every store on the Island with no luck. A grow light goes on the possible Christmas list, as it now seems that they are going to get their own chest freezer in the fall.

More later.

L

Urgh!

2006-05-22T15:07:00.000-04:00

On April 30th I ordered two digital photo jigsaw puzzles from Loblaw's Photolab for my mom and dad from Allison and I. The order said it would take 10 business days. I thought I had enough time for delays. The system was easy to use and I got the idea to make calendars for Christmas gifts. I figure I would need at least six I started to pick out garden photos that I would use. But the whole thing was too easy.

I received an email on Wednesday May 17th stating that I could pick up my order in 10 days. It had already been 13 days. The puzzles were not ready to be picked up before I left Toronto on Saturday. I will have to pick them up when I return and mail them to my parents. At which point I will email Loblaws and express my great disappointment and frustration. I will also tell them that I had planned on using them for my calendars but I will now use another company to order my gifts.

I am still thinking about what photos to use. For my next online digital photo order I will do more research about the quality and reliability of the company I use.

Today I saw an American Goldfinch and Purple Finches (at least one male and several females) at the feeders. There was a hummingbird at the quince shrub. I really need to get a tele-photo lens for my digital camera for my garden and bird photos.

Tomorrow Mom, Allison and I are going to a quilt store Harbour Quilt Store, in Antigonish. While we are gone Dad is going to cut the grass (if it doesn't rain). What is a "gonish"? and why are people there so anti-gonish? Sorry bad joke.

More later (there will be more anti-Loblaw Photolab rants).

L

We survived the trip

2006-05-21T20:34:00.000-04:00

Allison and I left Toronto yesterday at 11:30 and arrived in Truro at 3:00 pm today on Via Rail. What happens on the train stays on the train. Except that Allison started her wrap and I started my sweater. We had dinner in the dining car. We both tried the halibut (neither of us are fans of seafood).

This morning we had an early breakfast. Then we spent almost two hours today in the observation car without any moose sightings.

Our parents meet us in Truro and drove us to their new house in Blue Mills. It is a little small for two people (please note the sarcasm). It is huge. Each room is at least twice the size of their old house.

We had dinner at Alice's in Whycomough. Plans are still being made for the week. But a tour at the Glenora Distillery has been added to the list of activities. Allison already had a visit to the Red Barn on her list. I think we should be able to add a trip to the local quilt and knitting stores.

I'll add photo from the trip soon.

More later.

L

Patchwork Porch and More Time Spend in the Garden

2006-05-05T18:53:00.000-04:00

Allison and I took our first and only official quilting lesson at the Patchwork Porch. It was suppose to be a class to make a simple Christmas stocking. There was nothing "simple" about this stocking for us beginners. In the description there was no mention of applique. We struggled through the class. Deb and Lynda were bald at the end because of us. Our stockings turned out great. I appliqued Trotsky on the back of mine. I'll make the rest of us (Trish, Calle and myself) one each for this Christmas if I get around to buying a sewing table any time soon.

We are still on probation at the store and to get into the store we have to bring them treats.

I have been taking lots of photos of the garden. The great thing about digital photography is that you can delete the ones that don't look right before printing them. I will invest in a telephoto lens at some point soon. This is one of my favourite photos.

I bought a tube bird feeder today. I had a feeder out back, but stopped using it when Doug started to spend so much time in the yard. Doug was an outdoor cat that used our backyard as his base of operations. He brought us a few dead birds, rats and even squirrels as rental payment. We started to feed him in hopes that he would stop hunting in the yard. Trish and I named him Doug after Doug "Killer" Gilmour. The nickname part definitelsuiteded him. It has been about two (maybe even three) years since our last visit from Doug. I decided his humans moved away. There have not been as many cats through the yard lately. So I'm back to trying to feed the birds.

We need to figure out how much top soil and manure we'll need for this year. I may go and get that clematis on Sunday. I'll probably get two.

I'm off to spend time with the cats (Trotsky and Calle). More later.

2006-05-04T06:53:00.000-04:00

The Super Cities Walk for MS went well. It was cold, but the rain held off until we were safely on our way home. Our team raised $1230. Allison, Len and Charlotte made it home safely to Oakville.

I'm currently knitting a pair of socks. I started them at Easter while visiting Trish's family. This will be the third pair I've made. When I started the first pair I temporarily thought about making people socks for Christmas. That idea went in the recycle bin quickly.

I may need another project for the train Maybe a spring sweater, or a baby sweater (all I need is someone with a baby). I could start my Christmas knitting. Or I could find a project that will use up my stash. Now there is a radical idea. Decrease the stash instead of adding to it. It could work.
Trish and I took our first garden centre trip of the year on Sunday afternoon. For the first time ever, we didn't buy anything, but we did some some things we liked. We found a clematis that would help hide the wire fence on the south side of the yard. There were several plants that we noticed but we decided to figure out what we want to do in the back of the yard, now that we have room after a few trees were cut down.

I'm going to Niagara Falls with Allison and Len on Saturday. The Patchwork Porch is having a fat quarter sale. We have to pick up some for our mom.

More later.

L

A To Do List

2006-04-22T09:18:00.000-04:00

Here is what I need to accomplish in the next few weeks:

Find time to visit Allison in Oakville and learn how to bind my first quilt.
Get a sewing table (my ideal table is one that folds because I don't have room for anything else).
Start using my sewing machine (spend some time practicing with it).
Finish Mish Mash.
Start Garden Walk quilt.
Plan 2006 knitted Christmas gifts.

Allison is lobbying for a cardigan for Christmas. I'll decide if she deserves one after our trip to Cape Breton to visit our parents. We are taking the train from Toronto to Truro and we fly back from Halifax.

I'm looking forward to the train trip. Sure it takes longer than flying, but I have always enjoyed train travel. Perhaps I have romantized it. There is something soothing about train travel. There is no gridlock, it is more comfortable than the bus. And you have limited options when you don't have a driver's license.

Allison has not taken the train to Nova Scotia before. I did when I was too young to really remember. Maybe that is my oldest memory a mental picture of the beds in the sleeper cabin I shared with my parents. I would have been 3 years old (maybe...).

We have a sleeper car from Montreal to Truro. It cost an extra $10 each to get a deluxe double room (it has a shower in the private washroom). I have started to think about what I'm taking with me for the train trip (travel scrabble, books to read, a knitting project-probably socks). Because we are flying back, I don't want to take too much stuff. We leave on May 20th so there is plenty of time to plan. Here is a photo of my sewing machine that my sister is storing for me at her place, so I don't have lug one from Toronto when I come to visit her to work on sewing projects together.

More later.

Eyes bigger than skills

2006-04-20T06:53:00.000-04:00

When I first bought the pattern for Yellow Brick Road (my first quilt), my eyes were bigger than my skill set (and they still are). I was going to make the king size. It quickly became apparent that was too big for not only my first quilt but also for my first sewing project. I downsized to the lap quilt. It is still huge (it is much larger than any lap I've seen).

I have finished hand quilting it and am now wait for my binding lesson from my sister to completely finish it (just in time for summer). Then I can focus on the baby blanket that I'll make for a co-worker (I have until June to give it to her). All I need to do is cut the fabric and sew it (I'm not putting batting in and it self binds). Then I can complete Mish Mash.

Sunday is the MS Society's Super City Walk for MS. Allison and Len (my brother-in-law) have joined my work team. It will be fun. This will be the third year I will have participated. The first year it poured. My umbrella broke as we were finishing. Last year the weather was amazing. I'm afraid to check the weather forecast for this Sunday.

After the walk I'll go home and make Trish's birthday cake. It is her birthday on Sunday.

More Later.

L

Lost and hopefully found

2006-04-11T06:52:00.000-04:00

When my parents moved, I lost my sewing room. Okay it was my mother's sewing room. But it was were I made a mess cutting fabric and sewing (and ripping out and re-sewing). It was also where I stored my fabric stash and quilting equipment. Now it is all at my house, slowly taking over.

I now have a sewing machine at home (my mother's old Singer) and a machine in Oakville at my sister's (it is the New Home machine my father bought at Value Village for $20). Both machines are in great condition (my mom bought her Janome when she started quilting seriously). It's not like I'm going to do anything fancy any time soon.

What I'm missing is a table to put the sewing machine on to use it. This has not been a problem because I had told myself that I'm not working on any new projects until I have finished my first quilt. Last night I finished quilting it. I now need to bind it and it is done. So now I have to find a table. Oh the difficulties...

I guess I need to find a knitting project to get me through. There are worse things in life.

More later.

L

Creative? Who me?

2006-04-09T12:22:00.000-04:00

People are funny. Some assume because I knit (and now quilt) that I'm creative. Nothing could be further from the truth. All I do is follow the pattern. The only time I change the pattern is when I cannot find the material called for in the pattern.

My problem is with colour. I lack any sense of what colour compliments another. My mother gave me a colour wheel for my birthday and I'm still lost. I have a lot of black, blue and green in my wardrobe (green is relatively new). Is there a name for fear of colour? There must be. Maybe some day I'll get around to looking it up.

On my second quilt (Mish Mash) I spent hours planning the layout. When I found combinations that I liked I took photos to record my choices. If that were not neurotic enough, I also made voice memos recording my layout decisions.

I think I'm being more neurotic this time because looking at my first quilt I see so many different choices I could have made. I really like the quilt and the layout, but I'm still thinking about what I could have done differently (which is not the same as should have).

Allison is also making the same quilt. Except being a girly-girl she was drawn to pinks, while mine is predominantly blue. I will be interesting to see the differences and similarities when they are completed.

Here is a corner from my Mish Mash.

More later.

L

Introduction

2006-04-06T06:56:00.000-04:00

Is it possible to be a slacker with OCD? This is a question that I have been asking myself. I have refolded t-shirts because I didn't like the way someone else folded them (they were mine, it's not like I do this at Roots or the Gap). Is it mild OCD (is there such a thing), or was I just trying to avoid other household tasks? I'm too lazy to research OCD. Something to think about...

My sister and I were recently orphaned when our parents moved to Cape Breton from Niagara Falls. We're not really orphans, but it is fun to play the guilt game with my parents (after years of being on the receiving end).

One of the purposes of this blog to keep my mother up to date about Allison (my sister) and my developing quilting skills. Another to continue to entertain my father with my lack of quilting skills. My mother started quilting a few years ago. Allison and I both started in the past 6 months. I am currently hand quilting the border of my first quilt. Then Allison is going to show me how to bind it. That will involve a trip from Toronto to Oakville (and since I don't have to go to Niagara Falls every other weekend, I have plenty of time to visit Oakville). This is Trotsky on my first quilt.

More later.

L