PhD Challenge is almost over...

A very early "good morning" to you, from Me...
(not at all a morning person)
As you read this I am still in my slumberland bliss...
Thank goodness for the scheduled post option!!! lol! 8-)

Tomorrow is June 1st in my part of the world, in others it is already that date. This means there is only 30 days before the end of the "PhD Quilts 6 Month Challenge". It also means it is time to squeeze in those last couple of "Projects Half Done" to reach your goals for this challenge...

You can do it! I know you can!
Go Quilters Go! Go Quilters Go! lol! 8-)

For all you wonderful gals that have participated in my challenge (listed on my right sidebar), I will host a giveaway, just for you on July 1st. More info for that to follow closer to June 30th...

Happy stitchings to you!
Myra

Alone at last....

Yesterday the girls were here awaiting their menfolk to return from fishing... I told them they were just about as bad as my fur-girls sitting by the window watching for them! LOL!!!
Gosh... you'd think they were in love or something.... lol! 8-)

The menfolk arrived, dinner was served, the "fights" were watched on TV, and then everyone went home around midnight... only to arrive at noon today to help clean up camp stuff. BUT, I did have time alone this afternoon to do some stitchings! Yaaaaaay.... 8-)

I built a cottage! Whew... I'm beat! LOL!
Now to embellish it some...

Hope you all had a great weekend, and managed to stay dry... I had some rain leakage in the basement to mop up... Time to fix that problem DH!

Happy stitchings!
Myra

Saturday Sampler @ Six... Block 3

Block 3 - the "Basket" block
Still needs squaring off...

You can see the story behind this BOM and the first 2 blocks here...
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I've been attempting to figure out this pattern, and cut the fabrics for it, here and there all week, but with all the young adult female activity around here I have not been successful... 8-(

I really should look for some brainless sewing to do today, since my routine/brain is all out of sorts, and I seem to have the day to myself... for now...

Hope you are having a great weekend!
Happy stitchings!
Myra

Baby Bunnies Update...

First let me say "Welcome" to any new visitors, and to the new followers that have linked their attention to my blog. My goodness you've surprised me! I hope I can keep you entertained... 8-)

Might I also mention a "Thanks" to my regular blogging friends for their continued visits! I know I have been lax in my return visits. Busy with "the crazies" here...

For new visitors, "the crazies" refers to my 2 daughters' weddings coming up this August and September, and all that goes with it, plus the 2 wedding quilts I hope to have made in time...
Sorry I can't "show" any updates on the wedding quilts till after they've been received... 8-(
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I've been watching the "under deck" baby bunnies grow for the past month. At one point I thought 2 went missing cause I had only see one for the longest while, and lately I've been seeing 2 baby bunnies again... Now I am fairly sure one got caught by a neighborhood cat earlier on....
If you look at this mother's day post, you may see how much they have grown... 8-)
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Expecting the menfolk back from their week of fishing today. Kind of concerned about their 3-4 hour boat trip back to the vehicles, as we have been having thunderstorms today. Weather reports that it also reaches the area where they are...

Mopping up water trickling into the basement all morning here...
Well, back at it now...
Happy stitchings!
Myra

Sew Show & Tell

We had a visitor to our Wednesday night gathering last night! MM is a very creative gal! These small photos are of
different challenges she has done with her quilt group outside of the city. Each one is only about 9"x12" in size...
Click on each image to enlarge for a better look-see. They are incredible!
Thanks for sharing MM! 8-)

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These creations were shown at Wonky Bits today...

PG whipped this up right after our last quilt retreat. Used up row scraps, and added circles "because it needed something"... Isn't it great!? Love it P! 8-)

PG made this quilt top at one of our past retreats.
Today she was stitching down the binding...

S, otherwise known as "call me crazy" has one of these quilts on the go right now... Go check it out!
Border close-up...
I haven't found time to myself for stitching yet...
...maybe tomorrow?

Happy stitchings!
Myra

Men gone fishing, the gals at play.,..

The menfolk left early Sunday morning for their annual fishing adventure. In the mean time, this is what the womenfolk have been up to at our place...

DD2 - Scrap-Booking...

MsLocks - Cutting out skirt pattern...

and learning to sew from me...

We did a "Lord of the Rings" viewing marathon over the course of 3 days...
Complete with scrumptious snacks...

MsLocks modeling a first sewing experience creation...
Skirt and Sash

We did some DD1 wedding invite envelope addressing together last night...

This afternoon 2 of us are watching Avatar!!! 8-)

And me, well, I've been entertaining and not getting any of my things done... But, that will change tonight, as my company will all be doing their own thing, at their own places, till the menfolk come home on Saturday...

Tonight is a quilt gathering night, as well as a Wonky Bits gathering tomorrow... So, I should have some Sew, Show & Tell up here soon!

Hope you Canadians all had a great Victoria Day long weekend!

Happy stitchings!
Myra

Saturday Sampler @ Six... Block 2

Block 2 - Honey Bee
Hand-pieced

You can see Block 1, and the story behind this BOM here...
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Here is a Toiletry Bag and Makeup Pouch I made yesterday. They are to contain some items for a package prize to be won in the Choice Auction at my daughters' Wedding Social fundraiser event at the end of June...
On to making a couple of totes and kiddie items for the same purpose...
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I am going to be a "single" woman for the next week. Woohoo!! lol! DH is going on his annual fishing trip with his friend from Thunderbay. DS, MrRose, and DDB (my dear darling brother) will also be going on this outing!

Hope you are having a great weekend!
Happy stitchings!
Myra

Working in a sweat shop... no more!

The last couple of days it felt like I had been working in a sweat shop... My sewing room faces South, the hot sun has been shining, and the temps between 26 and 29*C. Opening the window was of no help, and the heat from the iron sure wasn't helping either. A big floor fan kept it a tad better, but not by much, thus the "Sweat Shop"!

So, yesterday I to tried to keep some of the heat from the sun out by putting up a piece of cardboard over the window. It did help some, with help from the fan also... 8-)
Even the fur-girls under my sewing table weren't happy...
"Don't you have air-conditioning?" you might ask... Yes, but DH had yet to do some maintenance on it before I could turn it on...
Today the A/C is on, and I'm loving it!
Hence, "sweat shop no more!" 8-)

Here is a sneak peek at a part of DD1 and MrFarmer's quilt. This is one of the filmstrip borders I had made. Today those borders are on, as well as the outer borders, and I am a "cool" happy camper!!! 8-)

Now to make some items for the choice auction table at the wedding social fundraiser, and then I am on to DD2 and MrRose's quilt! 8-)

I don't know who the little "angel" was to have this wonderful little newsletter come to my door, cause I don't recall ordering it, but I say "thank-you!" THANK-YOU! 8-)
Now to go have a look through it as it just came...

Have a great weekend everyone!
Happy stitchings!
Myra

Are you into puzzle games?

Last night I found a Patchworkz Puzzle Game
on the internet!
It goes up a level each game you play,
and gets harder and harder...
The photos are of the first few games played,
waiting for the final piece...
Fun stuff if you like playing games once in a while!
Just thought I'd share the fun! 8-)
Let me know what level stumped you!

Warm weather here today! 26*C right now!
Soon it will be time to put the A/C on again...

Back to wedding quilt #1...

Happy stitchings!
Myra

The Window Through Which We Look

From an email I recently received... Very true, and something we often don't think about...

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line, and said to her husband, "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others, depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

- writer unknown

Saturday Sampler @ Six... Block 1

I started this project about 7-8 years ago!!!

We had started a new quilt group back then, the "Quondo Quilters" (this group is now our "Wonky Bits" group after we changed venues), with quite a few ladies that were not quilters. You see, one excited lady invited most of the ladies in her condo to join us, in the Condo gathering room, quilter or not! lol! 8-)
We thought that doing a BOM project would introduce quilting quite nicely to these ladies. The most of it was done as hand-piecing, some applique, and machine piecing.

I don't have the blocks in the order we did them, as it has been so long ago that I can't recall...

Block 1 - Dresden Plate
All blocks to end up a 12" finished.

I have 23 blocks done, and 3 that need a bit more applique done on them. I had planned to do more blocks, but since I decided to put all these blocks on point, I think I have more than enough blocks done for a queen size bed quilt.

I shall post a new block each Saturday...

Happy stitchings!
Myra

We interupt this stitching to....

Refill the bobbin...
Don't you just hate when you are busy sewing away, to find that after you've carefully lined up and fed multiple fabric layers through your machine, that you've stitched about 30 inches without stitching anything!?! All due to an "empty" bobbin!?!! Especially when you are on the home-stretch of finishing a quilt top!!! Grrrrrr.......

After posting a lot of my quilt group's wonderful "sew, show & tell" quilts, I finally have something to show for myself now!!!! I just finished putting on the borders tonight...
Here is my "Sunday Sampler" quilt...
Finally done!
A monkey off my back for sure!
My BOM started in 2006...
You can see all the posts on this quilt here...
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DH and I brought DD1 down to Grand Forks, to to catch a bus down to her sweetie, MrFarmer in Wisconsin... and since we were there anyway, we did some shopping! 8-)

Some of the fabrics I bought here....
I can't show you the other "9 fabrics" I bought, as it is for DD2 and MrRose's wedding quilt. We must keep that secret until the quilt lands in their hands... Just like DD1 and MrFarmer's quilt. Just about done that quilt top too.... Tis a shame I can't share photos with you right now... 8-(

This is Rosco, a friend's new adoption from the Humane Center. He is now 7 months old. A very sweet dog... 8-)
They think he is part Rotti and part black lab...

And finally my last photo from my group's latest retreat, a photo of Quilter Going Bananas', "Bananas in Pajamas"!!! We always come up with something to sneak onto them, to surprise her... She was not impressed with "the smoke" we made...
But it was all in fun!! lol! We removed the "smoke" before she brought them back home to her children... 8-)

For those that have inquired, my mother is doing really well. Pretty much her ol' self again. Still managing some pain, which apparently she will experience for up to a year after surgery...

I do apologize to my friends, home and in blogland, for my lack of contact/visits, and email/comments... Life seems all consuming to me these days... Besides the wedding stuff/quilts, unplanned small trips, and my normal routine, right now bridal shower plans are in the forefront... sigh... 2010 is a busy year...

Happy stitchings!
Myra

HMD

A "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY" WISH

TO ALL YOU WONDERFUL MOTHERS OUT THERE!!! 8-)
Mother rabbit under our deck has 3 babes...
That I know of... Aren't they cute!?! 8-)
{Ignore the garbage can!}

My darlings took me out for supper last night to the Olive Garden, and now it is time for me to make my mother a nice brunch, in her honor... 8-)

Wishing you all a wonderful day!
Myra

Retreat Sew, Show & Tell

Here is half of our city group ladies, that came out to the retreat this past weekend...

And here are some of their finishes they either brought to show, or completed/created at the retreat...

It was a very productive weekend! 8-)