..... QUILTING FOREVER, HOUSEWORK WHENEVER .....
I noticed Jeanne from Luv 2 Stitch had bought herself "The X Bag" pattern, so I mentioned to her that I had made a couple of bags. She asked if the pattern was easy to follow.... hmmmmm?! Well.... that would be hard to say for me. I am one of those people that learns better from seeing things done, than reading a pattern. That is not to say I can't read and follow a pattern, I just have to read it a few times for it to make sense to me. If I recall right, putting the bag together was a bit of a challenge, but once I got the first one done the second one was much easier. As per usual with anything in life, right!? 8-)
This is the photo of the two I made. The one with the turtles was made for my turtle crazy DD#2. She is just about 22 years old and still uses it! 8-) Apparently, girls ask her where she bought it cause they like it....
The brown one I made for myself, out of cotton and cordroy (sp?) but I seldom use it. I am one of those people that carries everything but the kitchen sink in her purse, so I found it on the small side. If I were to make another one for myself I would enlarge the pattern a few inches in width and length... but that is just me. 8-)
Another bag that I made is the "Fat Quarter" bag. A gal at the Carberry Retreat taught a bunch of us how to make it. I used up a good amount of my left over sunflower fabrics from my Sunflower Quilt top. It is amazing how much stuff I can fit into it when going to a day/evening quilt gathering. It makes a great weekend bag to the States too! 8-)
And this sweet little blue jean bag was made from my son's first pair of jeans from when he was 3-4 years old. Ya I saved them... they were sooo cute on him! I call it my Toddy-Butt-Bag. I don't use it, as, once again, it is tooo small, but I do have it hanging on my sewing room wall.
These are photos of the Circle Square Ranch where I have gone for the Carberry Quilting Retreat for the last 3 years in March. It is about one and a half hours away, but it is sooo worth the weekend! We have a blast there! Lots of lovely ladies there. About 45-50 of us quilters from all over a good part of Northern Manitoba. A great bunch of gals!!! 8-)
These photos are of what we see when we drive up there. On the left side of the long driveway we see these Teepees that we think the kids summer camps use. What fun that would be!
Just beyond the Teepees is the big sign to the ranch! We are here!!! 8-)
And beyond the sign around a corner and over a hill we see the ranch town its self. It is a place for summer/winter camps for kids, and also used as a retreat and conference center I believe. When we are there in March the road can be very mucky, but so far we haven't gotten stuck...
The building on the right are the sleeping quarters. Bunk beds, but us ladies only use the bottom bunks. Four Ladies to a room, with a bathroom.
The building in the middle is the cook house, dining room, and offices. The food is wonderful!!! The building also has sleeping quarters upstairs. I've never stayed up there myself.
The third building is the workshop, up and downstairs! The quilting workshop that is!!! 8-) I was in the upstairs room the first year, but the last two years I was in the downstairs. About 14-16 work stations fit in the upper, and the rest of us are in the lower work stations. Lots of room and very good lighting!!! 
These are the chuck-wagons beyond the workshop building. We think that the camp kids use them also. Once again, it must be great being a kid at camp there!
The only thing I don't have a photo of on the grounds there is the barn and horses. Lots of horses!!!
Tomorrow I will post some photos of the lovely show and tell we've had there.
I seem to have lost about 400-500 photos somewhere. I am hoping they are on a misplaced disc with all the turmoil of our move. I probably put it in a "safe" place if it is indeed on a disc! We all know that "safe" places are really safe for the simple fact that we can't remember where they are.
Anyway, I managed to have a few friends email a photo of the quilt (what are the chances of them being the same photo. LOL!) rows in progress, hanging (taped) on the display wall at the community club where we meet. The finished quilt was just lovely...
Now time to get the heck off this darn computer (sometimes known as the devil) and get my 1 more hour of hand quilting done so that I can post a photo of it....later! 8-)
I am still nursing my Ruby, in that I have to stop her from getting rambunctious. Not getting anything done on Pfaffy, but am finishing off my hand quilting on my little whole cloth sampler. Just got about another hour's worth to do tomorrow (eyes going bonky), and then I will post a photo.
We had a Crescentwood quilt gathering tonight. More "show and tells"!!! We all love Show and Tell!!! First we have N's Bargello again, only this time it is bound and quilted. The boarder she use finishes it off nicely, and though you can't see it, N did a lovely job of quilting it.
This second Bargello is D's creation. It is just a top right now, but I bet she will have it completed soon enough! D is one of our busy bees of the group.
Photos just don't do justice to showing the beautiful fabrics we use sometimes, such as in D's Disappearing 9-Patch. She used some beautiful Christmasy colored fabrics. She mentioned donating it once she is done, but the memory is failing to bring up to who/what?! Ahhh live in my 40s....
Another quilt top made by D's hands. This one
is made of flannels. It will make a nice cuddle quilt when complete.This is J's work of art, c
ompletely quilted and bound. Just needs a label and then it is off to her nephew for his graduation gift. Lucky guy!!!
The backing on this quilt is all cats, for his softer side... 8-)
Another creation from J! I think it is called Stained Glass. Beautiful colors! This was a tutorial that we had that about half of us participated in. We have yet to see a few more. I was not a participant due to having tooo many UFOs in my life, but I may make one yet!
AND, our latest addition to our New older home is our new gas Barbeque!! We had steaks last night.... Yum!!! 8-)
Yup! I don't know where it goes, but the days are just flying by for me lately!!!! No wonder we age so fast after the kids are grown!!!!
Last night we presented the Path Through the Pines raffle quilt to the school! We are hoping that it brings in a few thousand dollars for them by Christmas 2008.
There were 7 of us quilters present, as well as the Principal, Vice-Principal, one School Trustee, two Parent Counsel members,
and a writer from the local paper for the area.
L did a wonderful job on the label for the raffle quilt! She even made a pinned on label with washing instructions for who ever the lucky winner is!!! OH! And that will be me! I tell ya! I'm going to win it!!! 8-)
This batik beauty is a full photo of L's quilt for her D-I-L. I believe it is the "Turning Twenty Again" Pattern. She is bound and just waiting for the label now.
I found this photo, taken a few years ago now, of one of J's first few quilts she made. Thinking that that also may have been her first experience with machine quilting too! I believe this one is the "Yellow Brick Road" quilt pattern.
For those of you following my Ruby Pug's progress, she is doing really well. I have the cone off her today, and so far she hasn't been scratching at her nose stitches, or licking her belly stitches. Dora though wants to play sooooo badly with her, but it is too soon to rough-house! Yesterday Dora nosed Ruby off the back of the couch to the floor. Momma not happy about that!!!! Luckily no harm done, and life goes on....
...when on the hunt for something .... Still haven't found what I am looking for!!! I thought though, since I had some of this stuff out, I might as well picture it for my blog! Gives ya all something to see since I am still playing nurse maid to Miss Ruby and getting NO sewing/quilting done...
This first photo is my very FIRST attempt at quilting... When my children were in elementary school a bunch of us young moms got together once a week for a coffee/craft morning. The person who's turn it was to host gave the craft supply requirements the week before for the craft she was hosting. Well, we had decided that we should give quilting a try. NON of us were quilters, but some were sewers. We cut out cardboard templates for this log cabin that I found in a magazine. Well, you can imagine how wonky the pieces were with everyone using the same cardboard templates, cause they get destroyed very quickly. You can see the bowing of my finished top. It was supposed to be a cover for our piano bench.... Its still in the bag...
This is my first and second attempts at Cathedral Windows. One of them I tried on my own (magazine instructions), but it had raw edges showing from the backing. Then friend B showed a bunch of us one day. The proper way of doing it, not the shortcut I had tried. B had made a large quilt in the manner. We could not believe the weight of it!!! I do plan on finishing this one up to make a toss pillow for on my bed...
You will note on the side where I list upcoming quilt shows that there is one in Kenora starting later this month. I went to that showing 2 years ago now, and still this lovely little kit I bought there sits waiting.... STILL!!! I am going to this quilt show on the 26th with about 12 other ladies from our Wonky Bits group.... I don't think I should buy any kits while I am out there this time.... AND there is a new quilt shop out that way to check out too yet!!!
I have this fabric and a "Country Woman" magazine pattern for a cute little table topper sitting.... and sitting.... and sitting..... waiting patiently for me to make.... I shant tell ya all how long it has been sitting there waiting... I would blush as I typed it! 8-)
Click on the images to see a larger image, then hit your back button to go back to the blog page...
Its lovely fabric. Watermelons... I plan to paper-piece it!
This is my Yo-yo maker I mentioned before somewhere on here! I found a tutorial on how to use them on other blogs! Check out Anita's here. I plan to make a table topper that I saw somewhere in my travels. I have no pattern, just a photo from memory that I made up in "paint" on the comp. Not the greatest photo, but you can see how it will lay out. I drew it with 2 rows of Yo-yos going throughout it, but I think I will make it with 3 rows... when I get around to it!!! 8-) Do you think we can quilt in the after-life? 8-)
When I as a young woman living on my own I had a few tools that I kept in my broom-closet for when I needed to fix or hammer something, and I knew exactly where to find them. After getting married and having 3 children I kept my tools in my broom-closet still, and the older the kids got, and the lazier the hubby got (my toolbox is out in the garage), my tools started to disappear. I never knew they were "borrowed" until, of course, I needed them and could not find them!!! After many a frustrating times such as this, I bought myself a "cheap" toolbox, kept it hidden, and eventually it broke. My DD#2 bought me a new, better, toolbox with some extra tools for Christmas this past year and so far no tools have gone missing....
What led me to type of this, is because I just caught my DH sneaking down the stairs with MY toolbox!!! He has been sneaking it out of my sewing room quite often of late, sooooo, I am thinking it is high time to hide my toolbox once again before everything does go missing.... again!!!
Just like my scissors used to go "missing", but that hasn't happened in a very long time now... 8-) because everyone here values their life!!! 8-)
I know you understand about things like this! 8-)
Still nursing my recovering Pug, and trying to get the laundry done...
I forgot to show you my latest purchase from last weekend!
I got my Sew Steady Portable Table to attach to Pfaffy! Would love to have DH cut an opening in my sewing table to set Pfaffy and the acrylic table in to make it all flush....Hmmmm?
It was the day to pick Ruby up at the vets, as well as a Wonky Bits gathering day for us, and boy did we have some "show and tell"!
First things first, I called the vets to see how Ruby was first thing this morning, and all was fine. Then off to Wonky Bits for 10am, with the intention of leaving early to pick my Ruby up around 1pm.
This little WIP table topper is being made by J! Some of the fabrics have coffee cups and coffee beans on them if I recall correctly. J is always surprizing us with something new when she comes out... Nice job J!!! 8-)
This block is a quilt-as-you-go being done by H. On the other photo she laid all the blocks on the floor to see it's affects! H is making the quilt for her husband that just recently moved into a nursing home. I am sure he will be as snug as a bug with the quilt soon enough! Nice job H!
This quilt is a "quilt an hour a day" tutorial from Judy Laquidara's blog. It was a May tutorial. P could not resist going to her stash to find the fabrics to make this lovely quilt top. P was a bit miffed with herself cause, in her own words, "I don't know what I was thinking! Like I need to make another quilt!!!" But you know how it goes! If something inspires you, and you have what you need in your stash, why not make it right here and now!!! P is known for doing things like this often... Way to go P!!! 8-)
P always seems to have an endless stream of "show and tell" quilts for us to see. She is a recent addition to our group, and whatever she brings to show us, we are just in awe of it all. We think P is a GREAT addition to our group! Don't we grils!!! 8-)
The flower quilt is one of P's, as it the next 2 beauties!!! These 2 were of her own creations. P was inspired to be creative not only once, but twice with this idea! "That seems to be the problem. I have to try it again in other colors!" says she!!! 8-)
These 2 Disappearing 9-Patches were made by J. (the one on the left for her sister-in-law, and the one on the right is for her) J is the new quilter I mentioned in a past post. She belongs to Wonky Bits and to Crescentwood. She always seems to have a new suprize up her sleeve when I see her too! Beautiful work J!!! 8-)
This is L sewing a label onto the raffle quilt. We are handing it over to the school this coming Monday, and it will be handed it over gladly. You know, sometimes you just got to get rid of it hey!?! 8-)
L is finishing off the Batik quilt on the right. It is a gift for her daughter-in-law. What a lucky gal hey!? Just lovely!! 8-)
This flowery bag was made by K! K is a lady of many hobbies and talents! She is the sole rug hooker in our group. She makes beautiful rugs. K has made many quilts, and wows us with the clothing she makes for herself! 8-)
Here is my Ruby, home from the vets. She got spayed yesterday, and had her nose snipped. She started rubbing at her nose, so I had to put the cone on her. If you click on the photo you can see her lovely purple stitches. Dora is happy to have Ruby home, here she is checking out the fancy collar!!!! And water can be drunk from the water bowl with the darn thing on!!! Cool! Now I am wondering how she will sleep tonight in her kennel with the cone one? Hmmmm?
And on the menu tonight!
Game-burger Casserole…or Not
1lb ground meat (moose, deer, or ground beef)
1lb ground pork sausage meat
1 onion, chopped
6 to 8 medium size potatoes, pealed and thinly sliced
1 can cream soup (mushroom, celery, or potato)
½ soup can of water
Salt and Pepper to taste
Brown together the first 3 ingredients, then drain off fat.
In a bowl, combine the soup and water well.
Spread meat mixture on the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer the potatoes (salt and peppering a bit between the potato layers) and top off with the soup mixture.
Bake covered, at 350*F for 45 to 50 minutes, till the potatoes are tender. ( some times longer depending on your oven)
I noticed Jeanne from Luv 2 Stitch had bought herself "The X Bag" pattern, so I mentioned to her that I had made a couple of bags. She asked if the pattern was easy to follow.... hmmmmm?! Well.... that would be hard to say for me. I am one of those people that learns better from seeing things done, than reading a pattern. That is not to say I can't read and follow a pattern, I just have to read it a few times for it to make sense to me. If I recall right, putting the bag together was a bit of a challenge, but once I got the first one done the second one was much easier. As per usual with anything in life, right!? 8-)
And this sweet little blue jean bag was made from my son's first pair of jeans from when he was 3-4 years old. Ya I saved them... they were sooo cute on him! I call it my Toddy-Butt-Bag. I don't use it, as, once again, it is tooo small, but I do have it hanging on my sewing room wall.
