Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My daughter and family have left. They were with me for three weeks. We had a fabulous time. I had a moment when they were planning the visit to mourn my unfinished Christmas quilts! Then, I had a reordering of priorities. What is more important? Spending time with my daughter and granddaughters or finishing quilts? So I wrapped them up and called them finished enough!

I managed to almost finish four Christmas quilts. Three were the Holiday Hustle quilts from Sew Lux. One required quilting through the outer border. Done yesterday morning!

One requires all the quilting. My daughter has moved it onto my sewing machine! Done today!

And the third requires the binding sewn down and all the quilting done. I have a bad habit of finishing the quilts just enough so I can sit in the evenings and hand sew the binding. Love!

The fourth quilt is just a sandwich quilted in squares for my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter. My daughter took it home with her to finish sewing down the binding. I will give her a month!

Robyn, my daughter, made a pillow for her sister's husband to match the pillow she had made for her sister. Turned out fabulously!!! She is now talking about making one for herself. Love it that she has taken to quilting!

Best wishes for the holiday season! I have used the lesson learned on reordering priorities several times during this holiday. When things start to feel out of control, I take a deep breath and check to see if my priorities are still in the correct order. Family first!

WIP List for 2014

I have joined with Jess of the Elven Garden and Rebecca Lynne to pledge not to buy any fabric for 6 months. That still gives me 9 shopping days. This will be the WIP list I will be working off of.

Top done, backing and batting purchased: Lady of the Lake, Striped Placemats
Squares done, top to be put together: Evermore, Stars, Bee Churn Dash, Bee Wonky Log Cabin
Blocks cut out, some assembly done: Cheese, Celtic Garden, HST Baby Quilt, Green Quilt, Bungle Jungle, Terrain quilt, Joy Christmas tree skirt,
Binding to sew on: Christmas Table Runner, Halloween Table Runner
Material bought and waiting: Norwegian Woods Baby Quilt x 2, Blue Quilt
Need: Quilts x 3
Material bought and keep changing my mind on what to do with it: Urban Cowgirl, some blue yellow material for linked box quilt, Mooshka baby quilt, Serranade, High Street
In drawer and can't stand: Mostly completed wall hanging.
QAL: Sew Lux BOM

I am a Fabriholic

Hi, my name is Pam and I am a fabriholic. I am joining Jess at the Elven Garden and Rebecca of Making Rebecca Lynne and taking the Pledge.

Fabriholics Anonymous Pledge

I pledge to 6 months of fabric fasting between January 1, 2014 to June 30, 2014

I am not entirely sure this is a good idea as when I think I am being deprived, I WANT. Need has nothing to do with wants as you will see by my list. I have enough fabric to make all but one of the following quilts on my list. So if I get through a goodly portion I give myself permission to buy material. I am giddy already thinking about it. What a carrot!

WIP Wednesday - Christmas is Coming!

I love Christmas! I love everything about it! The cleaning up the house to bring all the decorations out, making a bigger mess than when you started. Oh yeah! I took my first quilting workshop. I went as the fabric for the project was Winter's Lane, my new favourite this year. I made a table runner. Did not finish it in the evening even though all the pieces were already cut up! Bonus!

Brought it home to quilt it with the invisible thread on the top and the colour on the bottom, to get that I did it by hand look. Did not work for me. So threw some quilting on to hold it steady and the binding. It is now sitting on the table and I will finish it up over the holidays. Kind of my favourite way to finish up projects. Use them while you finish them.

Made a couple of coasters and mug rugs for a Kid's Christmas Craft Fair this weekend. I had plans to also make some coffee cup holders. I have now run out of time so not to be. Oops camera is out of battery life. Pics to follow.

Lady of the Lake still sitting there. Guilt on a chair and she hasn't even said a word.

Finished up my bee blocks but forgot to take pictures. Who does that? A Cathedral Window and 3 house blocks. Sooo glad they were not paper piecing!!!

Linking up to The Needle and Thread Network.

Finish it up Friday - I'm a new Nanny!

My daughter just had her second baby. Another girl! I am so thrilled! I love girls. Actually I just like babies! 8 lbs 9 oz, a nice size but she looks so tiny. A carbon copy of her big sister. Big sister and I had sleepovers. Love having sleepovers! We get up in the morning, have a banana and an orange in bed, and play Snail Bob on my IPad. Best time ever!

So I went to my LQS to buy some girl fabric. A long time family friend is having a baby, and she knows it is a girl. I have loads of fabric but I wanted some Aneela Hoey. And it was on sale!! Bonus! I bought some fat quarters and some yardage for the back, all at 50% off!

I brought it home, cut it into squares for 2 different quilts, sewed and finished  one. Not sure of the original pattern idea of frames, the squares seem kind of small.

The one I finished is small squares sewn together in a diagonal pattern. Love the simplicity and the pattern. The purple of the Posey line is fabulous. I kept it simple for the quilting with straightish line diagonals. It is very mono chromatic. Hope the recipient likes purple!

Baby quilts and instant gratification! My two loves.

I also finished sewing my daughter's baby blanket for her. She wanted flannel and was sewing the quilt sandwich together, not an easy job with an ordinary foot. The drag and shifting of the layers was huge. Nine month pregnant women do not need that aggravation. As if I needed any reminders, I LOVE my walking foot.

Linking up to Finish it up Friday at  Crazy Mom Quilts

WIP Wednesday - a win!!!

A Win!!! First off to say I love this fabric. It is Winter's Lane by Kate & Birdie Paper Company. I was looking them up on line when I noticed they had a draw. And I won!!!

I was already in love with this fabric as I had bought the Holiday Hustle Quilt Kit from Sew Lux Fabric & Gifts in Winter's Lane. Then I bought the panel at my LQS. Now I have enough material to make another quilt! I have made a couple of pillows that need innards, and I was thinking coasters or a table runner or..... I am in love!!! Thank you Kate & Birdie Paper Company.

This is my Simply Solids Bee Block. Not sure how it ended up the way it did as I had not laid out the pieces in this order. I find paper piecing a real challenge.

 My Lady of the Lake is getting closer and closer to a finish. As you may know I was getting very ready for this quilt to be done. So decided I had enough blocks and prepared and sewed the setting blocks. Can you say "My what a tiny quilt you are"? I figure it may cover one leg as a lap quilt. Hmmm, borders to the rescue. I really like them, feels like they finish off the quilt. Love!!!

 So the question is what to use for binding. I am always partial to the Lotus Leaf print .

 Also really like the stripes. What do you think?

I was taking these photos this morning. Looked out on the balcony before leaving for work and there was the quilt still outside! Wet with the morning mist. Note to self, do not take photos before work.

Linking up to The Needle and Thread Network.

WIP Wednesday

October already. How did that happen? I have been working on my brothers quilt. Love the way it turned out. The goal is to get this in the mail by the middle of the month. Just sewing the binding on now!

Went to my LQS and these table runners fell into my basket! One is totally complete and the other is waiting to be quilted. I have never done FMQ so thought these would be fun to play with. The first one just played with zigzag. I quite like the way it turned out. Number 2 I am going to attempt a spider web. Why not, just another form of straight line, right?

Lady of the Lake. Really close to a finish! Like making the backing, sandwiching, quilting and binding are nothing! Oh I love my rose tinted glasses! Tried this quilt with a straight setting as I am very tired of this quilt. Thought I could get away with some borders and call it quits. No dice. Boring. 

So plopped it on point, stunning!

I am re enthused!

As you can see the setting squares still need some tweaking. My brain does not do setting triangles well. I have never ripped so many seams as I did making those little puppies.

So, tired of those triangles I sewed up a baby blanket last night. It was all cut up and now it is a top. Instant gratification and not a seam ripper in site! Heaven!

My condo looks like a batting bomb went off in it as I am "relaxing" the cotton batting over the couch and table. Very Haloweeny!
Linking up to Needle and Thread.
On the personal front I have been grieving. Rob's birthday was last week. How he loved his celebrations! He would call it his birth month and celebrate every day. Prior to that Vancouver hosted Truth and Reconciliation. He would have been intimately involved with this. Oh the joys and sorrows he is missing. I give thanks every day for our life together. I miss him. Grieving.

Finish it up Friday

I finished sewing down the binding on the baby quilt. A happy sad moment. Happy to be finished, sad I have no other projects ready to go. This quilt is 25 x 33. Quite small but I wanted the recipient to be able to use it as a stroller blanket.

This flannel has a lovely hand feel. Lovely and thick. As it was flannel I did pre wash the fabric prior to sewing.

Love the hearts around the edges. Sending this quilt with lots of love!

I also finished sewing the top on my brother's quilt. Deadline is the middle of October for this so very pleased with the progress.

The plan is to start quilting this today, so best get busy.

Linking up to crazy mom quilts http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.ca/

No-low spend Challenge week 3

This week I have done quite well. I have closed several shopping windows without buying fabric! IPad shopping is definitely allowed as long as I do not hit the checkout button. I add things to my cart then delete them all. It is working for me, so far. I may crumble, however, I will hang onto the thought of "it is only one more week"!

I have taken my lunch to work but supplemented with a couple of take out salads. My go to lunch spot is making yam kale salad this week. Yum!

I attended my local quilt guild, but that was free as it was my first meeting. Bonus! fun for free! And I am attending a sew in this evening. I am looking forward to meeting the other quilters. Two big steps for me. Out of the house and quilting with other people.

I have also rejoined choir. I love to sing! The deep breathing, the sound, the challenge, and the singers high! What an awesome way to spend an evening.

Definitely a little anxiety as I push my comfort level from cocooning to out there.

It is time.

Linking up to No/Low Spend Challenge

WIP Wednesday

I started this baby quilt after my trip to Smithers in May. I purchased the fabric while visiting, came home and pre-washed it, cut it up.....and there it sat. It was time to finish it.

 

The flannel never called to me. I was not enthused. Then half way through quilting it became. From ho hum I do not really care for this, it came alive. 3/4 of the way through my favourite straight lines it was suddenly a quilt and I loved it.

My Lady of the Lake HST's. Progress made. I am up to 15 blocks.

Star Quilt. (There was a flaw in the directions and my brain was not engaged so I trimmed the blocks.) Finally decided what to do with the too small blocks. It is a scrappy quilt anyways so what is a few more additions. Unfortunately there will be no points on the stars. Such is life springs to mind. Still need to trim them to the correct size.

Linking up to The Needle and Thread Network http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/p/wip-wednesdays.html and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Finish it up Friday

I have finished my churn dash baby quilt. Just love Bungle Jungle by Tim & Beck. I thought I saw a layer cake on sale for 50% off. Can't find it now, which is sort of okay, as it would definitely not go with my goal of no-low spend on fabric I do not need!

Just love the churn dash. I was unsure about the corners on the individual blocks but once it was all together I really quite like it. Saw the idea for the corners in Quilting Quickly Fall 2013 on a quilt pattern by Jenny Doan.

The crossword material is a big hit with everyone.

Love the look of the back, however, it was a bit of a fiddle to try and get the lines to match the quilting. Next time I may have to do diagonals so it is not noticeable. You will note I did not pick out the quilting and try again!

The quilt was gifted yesterday at a baby shower. My office mate now knows why I was quizzing her on the colours of her nursery. Blue and green, a perfect match. I am very happy with this quilt and will be making another for my grand baby! Due in November! They call
the baby a boy and I keep referring to her! We will see.

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts. crazymomquilts.blogspot.ca

It is done!

On August 13, 2013 at St. Mary's Anglican Church in Lifford, Ontario, in the midst of his family, we laid to rest the ashes of Robert Allen Pollock, October 4, 1957 to January 6, 2013.

In a lovely service led by Reverend Sue McCullough we had a graveside burial. Patrick, Rob's nephew, played two songs on his violin that brought me to tears. It was a simple but powerful service with music, tears, words from Rob's blog and words of comfort from Rev. Sue. We then had a picnic and walk around the historic church site. Thank you to everyone who participated and who attended. Rob would have loved it all.

It is done.

August Bee Blocks Done

We just spent a week in Ontario at the cottages. Love it there with all the family!!

Thank you for all the suggestions on the binding. I went with the light purple. I think it gives the quilt more of a light and happy look and I just love Kaffe Fassett shot cotton. It's like you get two colours for one. How fabulous is that. It was for my nephew's 21st birthday. I had to give hime the quilt and then sew the binding on through the rest of our week together. Finished last Friday!!! Just in time for our Saturday departure. (My Sil sent a picture she took with her phone and I downloaded it! No it did not work.) The quilt was a big hit. Love it when that happens.

I finished some bee blocks. Yeah!

One bee I had to make another block from July. I just cannot seem to read directions very well. Hopefully the rest are okay!

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday. http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.ca

No-Low Spend September

I'm in!

Carla from my 1/2 Dozen Daily is having a No-Low Spend September challenge. After summer holidays I thought it might be fun. My two goals are:

1. No eating out. This will involve shopping and cooking. I know this is a novel concept, but living alone I have moved away from both. This is a health concern as I would like to eat way less added salt. My favourite food group this summer was potato chips. No more crunchy, salty, potato goodness for me. As my daughter says it is my kriptonite.

2. Sew from my stash. I will only buy fabric to complete existing projects. This should take me to October with absolutely no problems what so ever. I have three quilts on the go that I may have to purchase backing for that I would like to finish this September. This will be a challenge as I love to pick up little extras at my fabric shop while buying the necessarys. A little charm pack here, that little fat quarter there.....oh and it needs that contrasting fabric......they all seem to fall into my bag.

I may have to continue this challenge into October as one study I read says it could take 45 days to change a habit if it is deeply ingrained. Oh yeah, my two challenges are deep, very deep!

If you would like to participate in the challenge Carla has a linky on her post.

Link is here. http://halfdozendaily.typepad.com/my-half-dozen-daily/2013/08/september-nolow-spend-challenge-goals.html

WIP'S Wednesday

Working on this fun quilt. Sort of slowed down on the quilting as I am unsure of what to bind it in. 

Love the Lotus Leaf I usually use but...

maybe stay the same with the dark purple...

however could go scrappy...

not having a ah hah moment where it seems to click. Wait, that picture looked pretty good!

Amy at 13 Spools http://www.13spools.com/ had a great post on adult play. What it is and what it is not. Lots to think on. Lots of concepts to embrace and put into practice. I think I will measure my fun today on a scale of 1 - 5. Taking the bus and reading my book 4, walking home from work and not reading my book 4....is there a 5 in my day? I will keep myself open for the opportunity.

Linking up with Needle and Thread http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/ and Lee at Freshly Pieced. http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WIP Wednesday

I am finally putting the binding on Jordan's quilt. Yeah!!! No more guilt for Nanny. Every time I said I was going to sew, she said "Jordan's quilt?" Of course I have not finished quilting it, just sewing the binding to a half quilted quilt.

 I bought the backing for the last two placemats. Still unsure if this will be Christmas! I have my doubts I can wait that long but who knows. 

Lady of the Lake. Love the colours on this one. Of course, Kaffe Fasset is one of my favourites. I think this is my fifth quilt with his fabrics. Love!!

Love the shot cottons too. So light, not as heavy as regular fabric and rolls up smaller, so easier to quilt. That's me Quilting Lite!

For my solids bee this paper pieced block. When I finished the block I thought I would never paper piece again. However, looking at the picture I love how it looks and I learned a new skill. Never say never.

My start quilt. Love the fabrics, however, I need to recut the filler blocks. Feels like a redo and that is always a staller for me. Soon!

All the other projects are waiting in the wings...calling!

Linking up to Freshly Pieced and The Needle and Thread Network.