Must be a long weekend

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.

L

Completed Projects

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.

A Quiet Sunday at Home

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.

L

St. Patrick's Day

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:

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

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

More later.

L

Daylight Saving Time

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

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:

1. knitting hat and scarf
2. quilt Mish Mash
3. use Kaffe Fassett fabric
4. 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.

L

PS Happy Birthday, Dad.

Mish Mash Update

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.

L

Settling into 2007

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.

l