Merry Christmas....

....just putting in time before going to work. Spent some time on the phone with family which is always nice.

Here are a couple last minute gifts, well one is for me. It's hard to find the right background to show them properly.

lunch

Yesterday was the Sewcializers Christmas lunch at The Elk and Finch. Only 2 couldn't make it. The food was delicious and the gift exchange was fun. My friends are so talented. Thank you all for another year of companionship. As Cathy says, some days not much sewing gets done but we solve all the problems in the world. I had my camera with me and forgot to take pictures.

Then I had to go to a "tea" at my neighbour's. I'm not complaining because these ladies have been welcoming and friendly from the day I moved in. There are always too many goodies and yesterday was no exception. She went the extra mile with the fancy table and baking. Good thing I hadn't had dessert at lunch. Then she sent us home with a little plate of goodies. I'm not a fan of Christmas cake but since the others were saying how good it was, I tried it. And it was really good, nice and moist with icing on it too. But...afterwards I felt sick from all the sweets and skipped anything further to eat for the rest of the day.

Merry Christmas everyone.

I hate "garment" sewing

This apron pattern was one of the projects from the Schoolhouse Retreat in the spring. I  just made one  for my son and everything that could go wrong did..... from cutting of the brown  the wrong way to the beige being cut  too small, ( I measured 2 or 3 times)  to sewing the borders on wrong as the stripes were to be vertical and putting one of the slits for the ties in the wrong spot. But it looks OK cause you can't see where the beige is pieced.

He wanted some felt lapel flowers he had seen on an Etsy store for $20.00 each. I could buy a meter of wool felt for less than that. So I whipped up a few. The centre is needle felted in. That's a cool technique.

A few gifts....

for Gayle's birthday

for Sewcializers gift exchange

for my sister

I made a few runners for Christmas gifts. They have no batting or actual quilting holding the layers together which made them fast. Another circle one is underway as well as a wall banner for me. I think I will make myself a couple of new runners too as I'm tired of my old ones.

Phew!

Log Cabin Variation

Double Slice

As my friend Joanne would say "A flurry of finishes." These are all Scrap Bag quilts, some for donation this year and some to start up the stash for next year's donations. I think the one called Bricks cause I don't remember the name was from last year. The Log Cabin variation is something I started  last year when I was finally able to get back to sewing after Pete died. Just sewed pieces together and it came out OK looking. It's funny how doing these quilts to help out other people actually make us feel better.

Stash Buster

4 Patch

Bricks

birthday

My friend gave me this giant cup and saucer for my birthday as well as some of those red tools and the bum shaped spoon rest.I should have turned it around for the picture. The cup and saucer fits nicely into that corner  adding a punch of colour. We had a nice outing as her birthday was the following day. We went to the guild meeting in Kincardine then to the shop in Exeter. What a wonderful shop - Quilts and Calicoes. One of us forgot her purse at the meeting and it wasn't until we got to the shop that she noticed. It was 20% off during your birthday week there and they believed the one who forgot her BIG RED PURSE!!! Fortunately it was found safe and sound in the church office. This is about the 4th year that we've gone on a birthday outing, lunch and maybe even dinner. And this year we had both.

Ella Bella

practice piece

Double Slice

Finally got a piece loaded onto Bella after a lot of fits and starts. Now to practice and they say practice makes perfect. Got a lot of projects underway and planned  but seem to find excuses to avoid them all.
The brown Double Slice is supposed to be made with a layer cake but since I didn't have one I used scraps. I could call it a Slice of Chocolate cause it's all browns and beiges. It will go to a Scrapbag donation to a male. Joanne had made one but modified to a mini as she is getting well known for.I still have the Oct. SB one to sew  the rows together.  It's the same pattern as the Retreat quilt.I'm hoping to machine quilt all my SB and Guild quilts.

Retreat Quilt

Stash buster

This afternoon I finally finished sewing together the rows for this beige stash buster that was started at the Schoolhouse Retreat this past spring. I have a couple more items to finish up then I'm going to start on quilting them on Big Ella. I think I'll change her name to Ella Bella as Big Ella sounds derogatory.

Pot Luck

What is this???

Cathy and her Bonnie Hunter's Trip Around the World

Joanne and the layer cake resized

Yesterday I hosted a pot luck for the Sewcializers to show off my new home and sewing loft. Everyone made all the appropriate remarks, a lot of OMG's, about the loft. I was so pleased that the whole group could make it. We had delicious food and 3 desserts. Joanne and Cathy even brought their items for show and tell. It was a really good time.  I'm going to retry to post some pictures. Last night when I did this, my computer crashed  so here we go.... Ah good success. In other news I joined the Sunset Quilter's Guild in Kincardine last week. They support Project Linus as one of their outreach programmes which is one of my favorites. This past Saturday I went for my big machine lesson in London with a stop at the Marsh Shop in Coldstream. Just doing my bit for the economy. So now I have to get busy working at it. I have 4 days off next week so I'll give it a good go.

Sewcializers

Today was our first get together of the season. It was decided that I will be hosting a pot luck lunch for our next meeting. I want to show off my new home and loft. Here's a shot of my first official project in my new sewing room.

Early or faux Thanksgiving

Highberry's

not a very good shot of Matt and Patty

Last weekend I went to Terra Cotta to have an early Thanksgiving at Patty and Alex's new place in the country with Matt up from Philly. We all ate and drank  too much as well as taking in the Salamder Festival. UnfortunatelyI missed our Pumpkin Fest.

My new toy

Big Ella

Here she is in all her chrome and enamel glory...Big Ella... almost 4 months to the day that I bought her.It took 2 women the better part of the day to put the frame together. Now comes the fun part, learning how to use it.

ready for Big Ella

relaxing and hand sewing centre

Sewing centre

Looks like my room is finally organized. I still need some shelves to be put up over the sewing table and in the closet, and a few things hung up including the Quilt Diva at the top of stairs. The bright spot to the right of the chair is the window alcove where the Quilting Machine "Big Ella" is going tomorrow. Yes tomorrow, I can't believe it. I have a few Scrapbag tops to practice on and will be taking a class on Oct 15th in how to use it.

cutting table

The folding table leaning against the railing is going to made into a 2x4 feet ironing surface. It got a little warped from having my heavy maching on it for a few months last winter. That would be a good spot for it too next to the cutting table.There is a small ironing surface to the left of the sewing machine with the TV behind it. I don't know if that's a good spot for the TV though.I guess as long as I don't spray starch or sizing there it would be OK                                              

The new shelves at last

The sewing room is finally starting to take shape. The Ikea shelves got here almost 2 weeks late. They were easy to assemble, only the one on the far end has an upside down shelf. Elizabeth helped me lift the 2 big ones up and move them all into place.  How all this stuff fit into my 9x9 room I'll never know.  The little pink drawer unit is now filled with thread.
Today was the first Sewcailizers get together since June. It was good to get sewing again. I just grabbed a box of rag quilt squares that I had ready and started putting them together with a lot of input from the girls.
Tomorrow I'll have another go at  organizing.

...trying to make some sense of it all

Well it took 2 young guys 1 hour to move all this stuff up the stairs. I wonder how long it will take me to make some sense of it??
I'm anxious to start sewing again. I want to make a "The Witch Is In " wall hanging as my first new project. Gotta start something new in a new environment right?
Once this is sorted I'll get my new mid-arm delivered.

new floor

Here's the new floor. What was supposed to be a 1 day job turned into 2. The floorer was as picky as I am about prep work so I couldn't fault him for that. I think the bits of jewel tone threads and scraps will look good on it.

new sewing room

taken from in front of window

looking toward window

I thought I would take some photos of the empty room. It will never look like this again. Tomorrow the new flooring will be put in and I will be able to finally get it set up. It's been over a month that I haven't done any quilting and being unsettled. It's getting on my nerves. There was a nice surprise though, I thought this room was 12x18 and it's 12x30 Good thing a professional measured it

Closed due to moving

Packed and ready to go

My sewing room looks so sad and empty. Everything is all packed up and ready to go to my new home tomorrow. It has a large loft 12x18 (I think) which will be my new sewing room. In fact it's big enough that I can call it a studio! Don't want to sound pretentious though. A lot of quilts of all sizes were made in my little room, a lot of starts and stops and a lot of ripping out..A few treasures were unearthed in the  packing up and a few of "what was I thinking?" Hopefully I will be better organized in my new place and will be able to see my things without having to sort through piles and getting distracted along the way. But as someone said "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

My Mom's Log Cabin Quilt

In the summer of 2009 I received a package from my sister in law Shirley Andrews who lives in North Bay Ontario.When I opened it, my first thought was "This looks like my mother's writing." And sure enough it was a graphed out log cabin quilt with all the fabric except the yellow and a picture  of a blue log cabin quilt from a Woman's Day magazine. Some of the fabric had lines drawn on it. It must have been from the late 70's or early 80's cause in the late 80's I gave her a rotary cutter and mat. I eventually finished it last year and just had it long arm quilted by Mary Gunson of Tara.   I'll be giving it to my niece Sharon Andrews of Woodbridge Ontario.It was started by my mom Ella Andrews of Leamington Ont who passed away in 1989.

Claire's Quilt

This quilt is made of my sister-in-law Claire's clothing. She passed away last summer 2 weeks after a fall. I have known her all my life as her family lived almost next door. My brother was reluctant to part with her things and I almost wish that I gave in to him. It was all polys, brocade, nylon, fleece etc. so I put fusible interfacing on it all. I also goofed up by not cutting the black strips the same size. But there are  no quilt police at my brother's house. I had it long arm quilted by Mary Gunson with a purple varigated King Tut. She did a beautiful job as usual and the quilting makes it. It's in a posy and heart pattern to get away from the stippiness. I just finished the binding last night.

moving on up

just part of it

Yesterday Elizabeth helped me pack up my sewing room. She sure knows how to back books. It's pretty much all in the living room now. Just a few more books on the shelves to go and there's one room done. I got 3 garbage bags full of odds and ends and old paper clippings that I've been moving about since 1966.  I felt like a hoarder when I caught myself saying "...but that's from so and so" and ...I got that at ..." I do have 2 quilts to bind and some redwork so that I don't go into total withdrawal.. I need my boys to take down all the shelves next weekend.

A star of sorts

Months ago my friend Elizabeth donated some flannels to the Scrapbaggers. I found a finished top in the pile so I finished it up, machine quilting it and just got the binding done last night. I finally finished the Teddy Bears for the Friends of the Library but it might be too late for a summer raffle.

Scrapbag Quilters of Saugeen Shores

a table full of quilts and donated fabric

Joanne and June

Jeanette and Patty

Today was the last meeting until September. We tied about 8 quilts that were made this season, maybe some from last year too. These were taken home to get bound over the summer. There are 90 completed and turned in so far this year.Lots of laughs were shared along with plans for next season. And we all enjoyed a mini cupcake for all our birthdays courtesy of Elaine.

Full Moon road trip

Wendy in Wiarton had an "everybody's birthday sale" today for her monthly full moon sale. That meant all fat 1/4s were $2.00. As it was also Sewcializers Wed. we went on a road trip  to the sale and out for lunch.  The top row is flannels for something  for Scrapbags, the blues and beiges are for my somday blue and beige quilt and the ones on the end I just liked. I also got a couple flannel winter panels for SB and a piece of pink for backing. Carolyn came with us and I think is converted as she bought beautiful darks for a fall start. Fiona brought a new friend Dallas who she met here recently through their kids. Dallas hand sews and Fiona is talking her into joining SB. They lived 20 miles apart in England and both their husbands were in the Royal Navy and now work at Bruce Power. What a small world.

Retreat projects

Pin cushion/thread catcher

Beach bag

These are 2 of the projects that I completed at the retreat I thought the instuctions said 1-1/4 " button and it was a one and a quarter inch button. I got the correct size and a much cuter  button at the Markdale shop. The bag was made from a Moda jelly roll that I already had, the Le Generale line I think. I just used the reds out of it, the top border is the same as the lining as I ran out of reds. It's a co-ordinating street map of Paris. It's already been broken in on a trip to Meaford last Sat. It will never see the beach.

Ebenezer Schoolhouse Retreat

tote bags, Abbey thread bags, and quilt tops

Gayle and CAthy and a corner of the stone school

Joanne H, me, Sally, Joanne M and Gloria

What a great weekend it was. Gayle and Cathy did a terrific job organizing the retreat from the projects to the food to the games and doorprizes. We even managed to finish projects in time to take them home.And of course some of us took the long way home.

Retreat

No pictures today as my main computer caught a virus or something. I can't load photos onto this one. Hey, wait a minute, maybe I can as it has a camera app. Like I'll be able to figure that out.

Tomorrow we leave for the quilt retreat.Got my projects ready and am mostly packed.I'll finish it up in the morning as we don't have to leave at the crack of dawn this year.

So next post there will be pictures of the good time being had by all.

a few more pictures from Ailsa Craig