UFO Update

On June 19th I started my UFO count - 22 was my starting number.

Today I finished turning the Binbrook BOM Sampler Quilt blocks into placemats. Sooo...

September 30th - I'm down to 19 UFOs.
hmm, hmm, hmm, zippidy doo daa, zippidy-aaaayy ... hum along with me...

Caledonia Fair and UFO update

The Caledonia Fair was this past weekend. My guild always has a booth at the fair and our members are great about volunteering to keep the booth manned (womanned?) for the four days. This year we actually had a banner! Yaaayyy (try to sound like the IKEA guy when you say that)!!

Here is me womanning the booth.







Here are some detail shots of the banner and quilting, front & back. Yes, I quilted it on the longarm. And the plum thread was giving me fits. *#@%*$#!!




I was at the booth on Sunday from 10:30 until 6:00 so I had lots of time to fill. That is where the UFO update comes in.











UFO UPDATE
These blocks were started several years ago for a sampler quilt. Yes, I KNOW the colours don't go together. At the time I was uneducated, ok??? Anyways, they are being turned into placemats for Meals on Wheels.
The sides are on them, they measure 12 1/2" x 18 1/2" (give or take) and will be quilted up and given away soon. Another one that can come OFF that darned list pretty soon.

Quilt Show on Manitoulin Island

Margaret wants me to see the parts of Ontario that I've managed to miss so far. She has a friend, Nancy, who lives up (waaay up) on Manitoulin Island. When I first met Nancy I asked her if she was in the Witness Protection Program? Well, Nancy's guild The Island Quilters had their quilt show this past weekend.

I left Thursday morning at 9 am for the Muskokas, where Margaret and I met at her other friend Jan's house.

I left my car there, under the watchful eyes of Molly the lab and Jilly the mutt. Margaret and I left at 1:00 for Manitoulin Island.

We arrived at our destination around 7 pm. The first b & b we stayed at Thursday evening was ok, but not worth a review. However Friday thru Sunday we stayed at the Red Rooster and it was wonderful. They served real whipped cream every morning with either french toast or waffles or crepes. And homemade preserves. And maple syrup. Plus all the other breakfast stuff - eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, toast, etc, etc. Can you say "oink"?

Here is the organized pandemonium that precedes every quilt show.









Margaret was pretending this was her very pretty quilt. But we know better. There is too much non-blue fabric for this to be hers.



There was not much machine quilting at the show. But one of the featured quilters did exquisite hand quilting.



Nancy was desperately trying to finish the quilting on one of her pieces before the show. She has a wonderful quilting studio on the top floor of her garage-mahal.


Margaret & I went tooling around the Island, and LOOK what we found. Just in time - as the whipped cream from breakfast was wearing off. Whew - crisis averted.

And, yes, in case you are wondering... from Thursday through Monday I DID manage to add a few pounds to my frame. Celery and vitamin pills for the next few days... bleahhh...

Postcards, Mom's Curtains & My Asia Trip

I'm in a postcard swap with 12 other gals. Here are some of the cards I've sent out - the theme is 'Gone With The Wind'. My interpretation was 'time flies' - do you remember the New Millennium?



As promised here are Mom's very lively curtains. Mom has always been into blues, cream, beige. These are way outside her comfort zone.



My brother went to visit her earlier this week and brought her a huge pot of mums. Very pretty but they take up 3/4 of the space on her dresser. In case you find the picture a little confusing, that is ME and Mom, not my brother.


My trip is scheduled for January - we planned to spend week one in Japan, week two in Bali and week three in Singapore. The day after we whipped out the VISA cards and paid for our flights the travel agent called to discuss the wee matter of a travel alert for Indonesia, INCLUDING BALI. Heightened terrorist activities. Can you say 'dammit'? Now I have her looking for an alternative spot for Doris and I to spend the middle week. I just can't see myself enjoying having my head on a pole for the terrorists to videotape. I'm not sure they'd remember that I always wear mascara, ya know?

The Current Story of Mom

I went on my retreat to Margaret's last Thursday. On Friday, it seems that Mom fell. Her homemaker found her on the bedroom floor and Mom either would not or could not get up. The ambulance was called and they took Mom to the hospital. My brother and sister were on 'take-care-of-mom' duty for the weekend since I was away.

Mom stayed in the hospital from Friday until Thursday. The doctors would not release her into her own care - her dementia is too severe. On Thursday she was transferred to a retirement home with LOTS of supervision and all kinds of care workers to help her with daily tasks. There is a dining room for meals, they do the laundry, and hopefully clean up the food she likes to stash (wrapped up in napkins) for 'a bedtime snack'. I've been with her every day this week but I've come down with the plague, AGAIN. My brother has gone up to Grand Bend camping from last Wednesday until Sunday, so my sister will be on 'visit Mom' duty this weekend. I am coughing so much today that I don't dare go near the retirement home.

My normal nature is to be cool, calm and collected all day during these crises. I save my little breakdowns for martini time when I get home. But when I'm sick I get very weepy. I have almost embarassed myself twice during discussions with the administrator, and with the CCAC Case Manager. sigh... But the papers are all signed now and Mom will go on the waiting list for a nice new Long Term Care home. She hates the curtains in her room sooo much I've already asked the administrator if I am allowed to make new ones (yes I may). I'll get a photo and show you next week - they are gawd-awful orange and yellow plaid. Ick. Bad enough to make anyone demented. Since Mom will be staying here for 4 - 24 months I think it will be worth my trouble to make her new curtains. (uh-oh... halo getting heavier....)

I must stay home this weekend and I plan to 1) work and 2) get at the postcards for the postcard swap from MQR with a posting deadline of Sept 17th.

Another retreat and finished quilts

Fall Retreat at Margaret's:
Departure at 7:40 Thursday morning. Okay, that is waaayy too early for me.








Red lights, LOTS of them on the 407 ETR. Huh?? Express??






Arrival at Margaret's at noon. I get out of the car and trip on her front steps. The photo is upside down. Very elegant, n'est pas? And to think mom made me walk around with books on my head to learn poise... ha, ha, ha, ha.

Cap'n Margaret taking us out on her pontoon boat. I asked her what it was like to wake up every morning and be on vacation?






At the Buckhorn Quilt Show. This planter was designed by someone who never took a design class.





One of the quilt kitties helping me with my old Dresden Plates.






I managed to finish the top in spite of the 'help'.






Who have we here??? The Flintstones? They woke up grumbly for their breakfast.




Before quilting. This was the 'twist' challenge. You will notice it is now OFF the ufo listing. Yippee!!! New name is Tipsy 9-Patch.





After quilting. That dog is certainly NOT camera shy. I finished the binding during the evenings at Margaret's.



Waa, waa, I don't wanna go home....