Very little show and tell...

For a gal that had 3 quilt outings this week, she doesn't have much to share with you does she!?! 8-(

For all you yarn lovers, here is a photo of Kn's yarns that she had fun coloring/painting/creating... I think she has enough there to last a lifetime...?... but then, Kn likes to do lots of wool hooking... She had this wonderful wall-hanging she made of a local Ukrainian church here, and dummy me did not think to take a photo!!! Grrrr....Lp had a wonderful little flower wall-quilt that she finished the binding on, and again I didn't think to take a photo!!! I'm loosing it!!! Grrrr.... 8-(

Here is the progress I made on (yes Lilly's) the X-Bag. This is the lining you mostly see... Hopefully I shall have it done today or tomorrow... 8-)... and then it is time to get my appliqued pieces made and ready for the "lick and stick" stage of my parent's 50th anniv wall-quilt... 8-)

Found another BOM through QGB - Kh's blog!

Check it out at MissyMackCraft and then check out the Missy Mack's blog

DD1 popped by last night with her godson T. First time I met him.... Little cutie he is! A typical little boy that can't sit still. That is why DD1 had him. She took him off of his Mom's hands for a while... He loved the fur-girls! 8-)

On a roll in the sewing room... 8-)

Tuesday...

Here is some prep work I did yesterday. I have all the pieces cut out to bring to Wonky Bits on Thursday...

I had also gotten the cuttings ready for 6 more cat blocks to have sewn together to give to Jc on Wednesday night at the club... Hopefully she will have enough cats to put the quilt together soon...
Story in this post here by cats blocks...

This is the quilt that Lp was binding last night at our Country Rose quilt night for her new grand-daughter... A tiny precious she is... 8-)

Wednesday...

The cats got put together earlier today... A couple of funky looking ones! All ready for Jc now... 8-)

I got the binding made, and the iron on interfacing attached to the X-Bag pieces this afternoon, and it's all ready to bring to Wonky Bits tomorrow... I will be bringing my Pfaffy along, shock of all shocks!!! 8-)
At the club tonight I traced out all of my pieces for the Hollyhock pattern onto the steam-a-seam pages... There were only 5 of 23 at the club as it was a provincial guild meeting night (most of the gals are members)... Thus, no show and tell... 8-(
And this is what I came home to by my back door... SNOW!!! It had been raining all day, and now it is snowing...in May!!! Go figure... 8-(I am looking forward to Wonky Bits tomorrow...
Sew & Tell? Most likely!
Till then....

From under the deck...

We have a very low deck, and that is where some rabbits live all winter I'm sure... You saw the Momma and Poppa on Saturday's post, they were frolicking in our front yard... I had mentioned not having seen any baby bunnies yet... Well, here is one of them! Photos taken Tuesday... 8-)
It is about the size of a hamster right now... There were two babes out, but the one was very skittish! The photos were taken from my dining-room/kitchen windows... Isn't it sweet!?! 8-)
I am curious to know how many there are... The cats in the area have been coming onto our yard... Not good for the bunnies, as I am sure that some of the cats may find there way under the deck... So far my fur-girls have just been sticking their noses under the deck, and I hope I will not be finding them (Ruby mainly) under the deck at any time soon... 8-/

Edit: Caught the 2 bunnies later in the day yesterday... 8-)

Mother's Monday Night...

Being that a couple of our children were working on Sunday, they all took me out for supper last night. The DDs had me over of pre-dinner drinks, and then we went to meet DH and DS at an "undisclosed to me" restaurant after they were done at work. They took me to "The Melting Pot", a fondue place. Collage photo... what can I say? We have fun! 8-)

It was wonderful, but you really need to have the time be able to linger that long. We got there at 7pm, done at 9:30pm... I finally remembered to take a photo when dessert came along!!! I could have shown you all 3 fondues that we experienced!!! It was a "meal for 4 or more" on the menu... First up we had a "cheddar/beer" as well as a "swiss/wine" cheese fondues with bread, followed by ceasar salad. Then we had your "farm fare" and "seafood" fondue in oil or broth pots, accompanied with plates of stirfried veggies and a rice pilaf. Finally, the "fruit/banana bread/marshmallow" white and dark chocolate fondues... It was all very delicious! I would recommend that place anytime... 8-)

I thought I might be headed to Fargo/Grand Forks this morning with my cousin for our annual "April" trip, but we will be holding off for yet another week or so. Seems there are still all kinds of detours due to the flooding in the area...
The clay dikes and sandbags are finally coming down, up here this last few days though, so it shouldn't be long for the water to recede down south too, so that everywhere it is open for traveling again....

This is how my work table has looked since I came home LAST WEEK Monday after the retreat! Yup! It sat like that all week, weekend, till now!!! So, since I am home this week, I think it be time to clear it off today, and get going on a few things! Yesiree... High time!!! lol! 8-) As suggested by some of you lovely ladies, I shall make a list of most important right now to make, to what can wait a bit! 8-)

Check out Millie's blog post here. Heck check out her whole blog while you are there... Talented lady... She's posted about a win she received in the mail, and what looks like a wonderful book for jelly roll patterns... I shall be looking for it when I go down south... 8-)

I believe I have 3 quilt outings this week! My Country Rose group tonight (I think), My Club group tomorrow night, and Wonky Bits on Thursday, so I should have some Sew & Tells for you this week...

From an email I received...

Poor Kermit... 8-(

Day after giveaway...

What a day yesterday! Can you believe that it was actually snowing in the morning!!! My hubby said the ground looked white when he got up!!! Sheesh!!!

Bunnies frolicking in the front yard last night! Can't wait to see the young ones, the babies! 8-)

In reading friend Kh's latest post, I was hit with regret and disappointment realizing that I had missed an outing that I was to have met Kh and 2 other friends at!!! A quilt show of all things!!! And I missed it! Darn thing is, I've been wanting to go to this show for a while now!!! Dang memory... I might as well not have it!!! 8-(

Heard from my giveaway winner Lilly, and we are email discussing fabrics/colors for her X-Bag... 8-) But really right now she has other concerns on her hands, which is more important than a bag right now.... Some storm damage to deal with... They lost a beautiful tree too... Take care Lilly... 8-(

I am still trying to feel "normal" since last weekend's retreat, but it ain't happening too fast!!! I've been nursing a low-grade headache, on and off, since the Sunday night of the retreat... My sleeping has been majorly "off"! It has never been a good sleep routine, but I kind of felt like I had jet-lag yesterday! Fell asleep in the afternoon on the couch! I never nap!!! Very weird...Feeling some better this morn...

No sewing getting done...yet... I think I have kind of, in a little way, may have over extended myself a bit with sewing commitments... Me and my big mouth!!! Open mouth, put in foot... or maybe even two next time!!! lol! 8-)

I've volunteered to;

1.) make 10 bags for friend that is involved, making, and selling them, for a very popular fundraiser through SLF Grands 'n' More Winnipeg, since November '08. All net proceeds go to support children in Africa, who've been orphaned because of HIV/ADIS, and to the grandmothers who are raising them. They have quite a few gals making the beautiful bags, and can't seem to keep up with the demand, so I offered to make only 10... I mentioned no committed deadline for me though... 8-)

2.) join the blocks and finish up the quilt top for a group Sudoku Quilt. We are donating it to the children's camp/retreat house where we have our retreats. A fundraiser for them... Dp will quilt it, and I will bind it... hopefully to have it done by mid June before the summer camps begin...

3.) I also have my parent's 50th anniversary wall-quilt to start and have done by the end of July... Pg is already on my case to get going on it!!! lol! She's going away (trip) for a long while, but I know she will be watching me!! lol! 8-)

4.) Photos to scan and make into a slide show for the 50th, and of course I take my time going through the photos for "memories" sake... and for some confussion, as Mother dearest doesn't have anything in order from over 5o years of photos... 8-(
Thank goodness DD2 is keeping me to task!!! 8-)

What else!?! There must be something else! Hmmm....? I know I still have some of your blogs/posts to catch up on...

Well, that is enough blabbing for now... Time to go to church, and then to my parent's for Mother's day! 8-) My children, due to work schedules, will be taking me out for supper tomorrow...

Happy Mother's Day!

400th Post! .....Drum Roll Please....

And the winner is...
Number Can you believe out of 390 this random generator picks a 2 digit number!?!

The 20th comment is in the month of April, is in April 2nd's post!
And the winner is....Congratulations Lilly! 8-)

I don't even have to email Lilly to let her know because I know I will hear from her at some point today/tomorrow... 8-)

Lilly and I have been visiting each others blog since I started blogging a year ago. 8-)
I am very pleased to be making her a bag. 8-)

Thanks to all of you that visit and comment on a regular bases! You all make my day, and I am very happy to visit you all. You are all so very inspiring! 8-)

I like this kind of a private,
constant blogging friends only, giveaway... 8-)
Your thoughts?

Post # 399... Sew and Tell

It was a quilt night today! Small group of 10. I think a bunch of the gals are still out of sorts from the retreat also... 8-)

This is Pg's Stained Glass Grapes... she mentioned the name of the pattern, but my memory is toast tonight... Isn't it lovely!?! 8-)

This is also Pg's! Something she made in a class a very long time ago now... She's never hung it up for display because of what her eyes see...?... I think it is wonderful and should be hung up in my place... lol... 8-)
This is Dk's. She said "when you have scraps, make a quilt!" and that is exactly what she did, in flannels... Dk is donating it to Project Linus when done... I think it will be well loved and snuggled by some small child! 8-)

Michelle had emailed me to asked how I went about having my weekend posts all ready and scheduled to pop up while I was gone. I sent her an email back with visual photos of the steps, that she had no trouble figuring out. "Easy peasy" as she said! 8-)
If anyone else would like this info, feel free to email me, and I will pass that info email on to you... 8-)

Took my blocks out of the box today and loaded them up on the display wall, only to find an error in the "falling" block below... One of the girls at the retreat said something in one corner looked "off", but I didn't see it, so thought it was all fine... Well, I gots some frogging ta do now!!! 8-/OH my...! Soooooo much for me to get caught up on! I am so out of sorts still from my weekend retreat! Do be patient with me. I will get around to visiting everyone again... you know I will! 8-)

post # 399
Ya know what that means! "Next post" is my anniversary/400th post giveaway!!! I think the winner will be telling me what colors she likes, cause the bag needs to be made still! Good luck everyone! 8-)

2009 May Retreat Sew and Tell...

I must first say, this retreat was a tad different from our past three. Out of the 16 of us there, eleven stayed for an extra day. It felt weird to me having ladies leave, and us left behind, but it did worked out well. We already have plans to book our 2009 October and 2010 May retreats... 8-)

Now for the Sew & Tell!!!
Remember, you can click on the photos for a closer look, then hit the back button to go back to the blog! (for Sw, who is new to the internet) 8-)

First photo up is Jr's WIP that she was putting together all weekend. She added piece by piece to all of her blocks all weekend. She was nearing the end of doing that. I bet she will have the top together for this coming quilt gathering on Wednesday... No pressure Jr! lol! 8-) I think it's called "Summer Garden", and she plans to do a silhouette of some sort on the quilt top before sandwiching... Maybe an iron trellis/gate... I suggested she do the garden variety of "Manneken Pis" ( Brussels, Belgium) lol! 8-)

This is Sw's pillow case. Sw is a new quilter...
Love the hot air balloons!

Sw's "I Spy" panel that she quilted at the 2008 November Retreat. She finished it up this past weekend...

This is one of many beautiful blocks that Sg (new to our retreat) was making... Beautiful work, and so much machine stitchery fun!!! Do take a closer look! 8-)

This wonderful quilt top was made from start to finish at the retreat by Nd!!! Those half-square triangles are about 1.5" finished!!! It seemed like it was a never ending thing for her, but she persevered, and is well rewarded with this beaut! 8-)
And it all started with her wanting to feature her outer 2 fabrics!!!

Nd's table top she had made at a workshop at some point. She was hoping to get it quilted, but her time was taken up in her "tree quilt" all weekend...

Nice table topper Nd! 8-)

I could not crop this photo to feature Yn's little projects on the left without totally distorting it. Sorry Yn! I should have taken a close up!!! Yn made the carrot table topper, the little bag/pouch, and the pin cushion. Yn was also making a lovely bag which I did not get a photo of...yet! Maybe this week Wednesday? lol! 8-)

Paper-piecing by Mm... Very small! Very cute too! 8-)

This is Mm's WIP. This is her keepsake of her Australian fabrics/pattern that she came home with not that long ago now... Wonderful isn't it!?! 8-)

This is Ls's weekend wonder!!! Very bright and colorful! She is thinking to give it to a close friend of her's that suffers from seasonal dissorder. I think this quilt will definitely cheer her up, don't you!?! Wonderful fabrics Ls! 8-)

Ls's next project started...

So far so good Ls! 8-)
A close-up of my Wonky Flowers! I was thinking to hang it up in my sewing room once done, but now I am thinking to give it to my friend that lives with MS in a nursing home... She may like something cheerful to look at from her bed! 8-)

Jc has a friend in need of everything due to loosing all in an electrical fire of her home while away on holidays... She has only what she brought on her trip, including her cat that she loves dearly, thus a cat quilt for her... Jc asked us if we would all mind making a bunch of cats for her as a contribution and to make the project move along faster... Jc needs about another 50 cats to get it together... We are glad to help out! 8-)

Besides working with the cats, Jc was making flying geese for another project of her's... Hope you are feeling better Jc!

Ed is new to our retreat, in fact she had never been to a retreat before! Ed is a very talented and creative sewer, but believe it or not, she is not a quilter, but I would say she is becoming one! Ed has some more to do to this creation once home... Made of 3 different fabrics... Love this project!!! 8-)

Dw was a busy bee all weekend with her strips for a Bargello... Love your fabrics here Dw!!! Can't wait to see this project evolve... 8-)

Here we have some of Dp's wonderful stars...

...and more of Dp's stars of a different sort, but then not! 8-) She did a few demos for us, and this block was one of them... Thank you Dp! Great quilt! 8-)

Isn't this quilt intreguing!?! Dp has soooooo many fabrics in her stash, and this one grew from that! Not often does Dp need to go out and buy... This one is awesome... and bright! 8-)

Dp is teaching a BOM in her little country guild. This is this month's block. A new method of paper-piecing with freezer paper that can be reused over and over again! I shall have to try it out some day... Nice block and thanks for that demo too Dp! 8-)

This awesome WIP is Dl's doing. (Dl, as well as Dp, are the "Speedy Gonsales" gals of our group!!!) Dl was just finishing up on piecing her boarder this weekend, and she had some beautiful machine embroidery on the feature blocks. I may post photos of them tomorrow. Love this quilt Dl! 8-)

This is one of Dl's Bargellos from the weekend, though she did have somehelp with this one so far, from dear Aw as she was bored with her own project that she brought to work on.... You see? That is why it is very important to bring 3 to 5 projects to a quilt retreat! 8-) Anyway, Aw was too happy to help Dl out with this project...
We all tried to bribe/hire her service at the next retreat! lol! 8-) Dl has more strips to add and it will be done in no time!!! Love the colors in this Bargello Dl!!!

Dl is such a giving person too. She was seeing many of the gals through the steps of making a Bargello this weekend, as well as did a few demos for us...
Thanks Dl, and I will be making one too... soon... I think?

Dl put this quilt top together this weekend... When Dl comes to a retreat with all her stips cut and ready to go there is no stopping her!!! Love this one too Dl! 8-)

Cw's colorful Disappearing 9-Patch! I think she had this quilt top done already and just brought it to show! Hard to know when sitting at the other end of the room!
Cw (sister to our Dw) was at our November Retreat as a fairly new and enthusiastic quilter. I'd say she has definitely caught the quilting bug!!! 8-)

Here is Cw's small trial Bargello she did during the weekend. In this photo she had it cut in half and prepared a strip to join it all down the middle. She has decided that she will be finish this up for a small lap quilt for her aging father-in-law... Happy looking isn't it!?! It was great seeing you again Cw! 8-)

Aw (Dl's Bargello helper) was working on her 12-Days of Christmas blocks. They were simply gorgeous!!! Aw, not a constant quilter, but a really talented sewer, saves all kinds of wonderful fabrics that she incorporates into the quilts she does venture into... The blocks are great! 8-)
Here we have our dear As! Fairly new to quilting still, and first time retreater!!! We so enjoy As's antics and stories! She's a real character! 8-) This is her start to her Bargello. If you look on the table you can see a bit of her color range.

Our youngest kitchen volunteer, J, had some of her own creations to share with us... again! This is a "requested" jean quilt top that she's put together.
What a great job she did!!!

And here is a jacket she made for herself!
Check out the collar and back! Do have a closer look at it. Some of us have never even tried this technique! She's off to a grand start with her sewing/quilting!!! 8-)
I know of another young quilter of the same age that liveds in Australia, who is also home-schooled and of the same faith. I thought J might like to correspond with this gal, and visa versa. J was quite happy with the idea, but with all the hussle and bussle in the kitchen, she forgot to give me her email address, to pass on to Er if she is interested... 8-(

OK now! That is a long enough post! Toooo long! Yes!?!

post # 398 - draw in 2 more posts!