September...what??

 What happened to the past few months!  Well:

This was the last group project that I organized.  It was for the Binbrook guild and I had "planned" to do a demo on back-basting at the June meeting, to end the season.  All the background squares were either white, cream, grey, or black, with text of some kind.  All the center circle pieces were somewhere between yellow and red.

However, it was scheduled for the day I got home from Quilt Canada in Edmonton.

As you can guess, I did not make it to the guild meeting.  I also managed to pass the virus along to hubby, so we were both sick for a while.  Thankfully one of the other guild members came over and picked up all the supplies and filled in to do the demo on my behalf.  You've gotta love such willing partners.  And in truth, she knows the technique much better than I do anyways.

I was very well behaved in Edmonton and bought basically nothing.  A couple of thimbles and almost no fabric: only one fat quarter and one charm pak.  Lectures every day kept me busy, zipping from the show floor to the conference rooms and back.  Somewhere in there I managed to, ahem, drop my phone in the toilet.  Thankfully it was a CLEAN toilet.  Unused.  Putting your phone in your back pocket is not smart!  I heard the "clink" "sploosh" and thought What the hell? Hoo boy.

I took it apart and gave everything a shakeoff and wipedown, put it back together, then made a call to see if it worked.  That was the point when it occurred to me: I had a toilet-washed phone up at my face.  Eeeuw, gross.  Shudder.  After it dried out it has been working fine ever since.

Anyhow, continuing with the CQA, I've finished the mystery quilt they ran this past year.  I modified the size a bit and altered the border a bit.  Quilting still needs to be done but I'm glad the top is complete.  It certainly is RED.

I've also completed a little quilt using the sample blocks from a 60༠ ruler demo. Sooo often I cut all this stuff out, piece a bunch of blocks, present the demo, then throw everything into a box somewhere.  I've been pretty good this year about NOT leaving more UFO's than what I started with back in January.  I still have some stuff laying around from demos, but not as much as usual. 

Nina got some love from me and the clippers.  Dog grooming is certainly not a strength of mine.  Four and a half hours later...

The little quilt I pieced on SuperBowl Sunday was next up on my list.  All finished now.  I've got TWO charm paks to choose from for the 2025 event.  This size quilt uses 80 squares, so I buy one charm pak and then cut an additional 40 squares from my stash.

Aren't these the prettiest little glasses of flowers?  Cosmos.  So happy.  I needed two little centerpieces for our big social event of the summer.

We had DH's family here in August for a BBQ lunch.  There were 11 of us all together; long distances make these visits difficult to arrange.  I think we had at least three different dates on the calendar, changing from one to another then back again, before choosing another one.  Somehow the pandemic changed our habits and we don't have company the way we used to in the before times. Poor Nina has never seen that many humans!  After person number six showed up you could see her little brain saying "what the hell???".  This visit was especially great because DH's brother recently got married - it was so nice to spend some time with his bride and get to know her a bit.

This is my most recent finish.  I got involved in a challenge with some gals on a longarm forum I belong to.  This is a Potato Chip quilt, so named because you can't make just one.

There are a multitude of block layouts and colourations to work with.  I really like this dark/light version.  There's enough 'colour' in the dark blocks to keep it cheerful while still maintaining the DARK feel.  I'll get the binding on it in the next day or two.

This is a very s.c.a.t.t.e.r.e.d. post - I clearly have not been doing any writing for the past while.  The final update I'll give you today, which I know you are DESPERATE to hear about, is the zucchini. Well, I had three plants.  One of them died pretty early in the summer, leaving me with two plants.  I made an attempt to grow them up a trellis, which was not very successful, but it did keep them off the ground.  I have not been overrun with fruits, the plants have been very well behaved, producing a zuke every day or two.  I'll probably get some zucchini loaves made and put away for the winter but there shouldn't be much produce for shredding and freezing.  

The butternut squash, on the other hand, are big enough to kill someone.  Holy sh*t.

 

Happy New Year - UFO's and Stash Report

Aah, New Years Day. 🎆 Time for a reckoning.  I set some targets every year so there's an endpoint where I'd like to find myself.  I don't manage to fulfill ALL of my goals, but taking a few minutes early in the year to think about where I've been and where I'd like to go does help to give me some focus.

This is a quilt I started several (!) years ago.  It's a Bonnie Hunter leader & ender pattern TO THE NINES from one of her books.

Occasionally we have enough sleepover company that I need to put the sofabed to use, but I didn't have a quilt that looks nice in that room AND that fits properly.  So woohoo!  Problem solved!

My target for UFO completion in 2023 was finishing up any THREE ufo's.  I only managed to take two off the list but I'm still happy with that result. 👍 Especially considering that one of them was 25-ish years old.  Good Lord.

As for my stash, like many quilters I probably have more fabric than I will use in my lifetime.  I set a moratorium on purchasing but, well, that didn't work out for me this past year.  In 2022 I generally only purchased fabric that I needed for a specific project.  But in 2023 I got a bunch of stuff at the guild, either for free or dirt cheap.  I also bought some fabric just because it was pretty.  AND I bumped up my collection of reds.  When all that intake happens during a year when not many projects were finished, the numbers tell a sad story.  2023 target was net OUT 50 M.  What actually happened was net IN 1.8 M.

My targets for 2024 will remain the same - finish any three UFO's and a net stash OUT 50 M, along with a minimum of 5 donation quilts.  If you see me in a fabric shop, wandering around with a couple of bolts in my arms please make me put them back!

SLEEP AND DOGS

I used to be able to sleep like the dead.  My head hit the pillow and I'd be zonked out within about three minutes, falling into such a deep sleep that an atomic bomb wouldn't wake me up.  Now, I often DO manage to fall asleep in short order, and then within a half hour something...usually a hot flash, wakes me back up.  Aargh.  So frustrating.  Or, I fall asleep and then wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to dreamland.  Today it was 4 am, so I stayed in bed for an hour, then gave up and got out of bed at 5.  It's a good thing I prep the coffee the night before and don't wake anyone up when I flick the coffee maker on.

This is the vision I took with me to la la land.  10 or 1030 at night is when playtime starts.  Again.

I think Nina was trying to do a Thread The Needle pose, maybe?

I have NO idea what anyone was trying to do here besides creep me out with the whites of her eyes.

I will be spending today sewing with a friend, then we're having Chinese food for supper.

And, speaking of UFO's, maybe I'll get something done with this in 2024.

I hope you have a healthy, happy, and productive year!

COCO does a blog post

 Friday.  My favorite day of the week!  Mommy takes me for a drive so I can go play with my fourpaw fur-friends.

OK, now that I've burned off some steam it's Break Time!

Meh.  Don't like that pool.  More space in this one.

Self-explanatory? 😂

It's a dog's life... 🐕

Two More "Same But Different", Movie, Book, Dog

 Here are two more quilts of the same pattern, but different colour choices.

The pink quilt got a fun back too - made with a floral panel.

Whenever I go to a quilt show I hang around the aisles where they've hung all the quilts that were made at a workshop, so you can see the "same but different" quilts.  I've learned a lot about colour by paying close attention to how other people make use of their fabrics.

MOVIE:

I watched West Side Story and did not enjoy it.  It was depressing.

BOOK:

I finished reading The Diamond Eye.  It was good.  Except for the people who died, everyone lived happily ever after.  ha ha ha

DOG:

OMG, Coco loves doggy daycare.  When I took her last week she was whining in the back seat all the way there.  I thought maybe she needed to poop and I almost stopped at the side of the road.  I didn't (see:  proof right there that I'm a bad dog mom).  When I got her out of the car at the trainers' she was CRAZY to go see the handler, wagging her non-existent tail, rolling over for belly rubs, and jumping up in excitement.  After my little burst of joy at her happiness, I felt a bit like chopped liver.  Sigh.  Taking here here (The Canine Bond) was definitely the right thing to do to help her get out of her anxiety after the traumatic move from Mexico.

Coco's the little one on the right, with one of her new friends. 

SOCIAL OUTING:

Yes.  I went OUT.  The Beach Girls met in St. Jacobs for a celebratory birthday lunch.  Afterwards we hit the outlet mall, and then drove three minutes over to the Market.  I've never been to the market that I can remember.  We got a bonus deal on blueberries so the next time you see me I might have a slight purple tinge. 

And speaking of food, I made a batch of DELICIOUS Maple Buttertart Bars.  If you're like me you might scratch your head a bit over the cranberries, but trust me - these are delicious.

What I should be eating:

Same but Different, Coco updates, More UFO's

 I love seeing the same quilt made two different ways.  These are customer quilts, but this pattern is definitely on my "to-do" list.

Example #1 - dark geese with light background.

Example #2 - light geese with dark background.

COCO UPDATES

• She's still terrified of DH.  I keep reminding both of us that we should expect to have 14 years with her, so calm down.  If it takes a year for her to get comfortable, then so be it.
• We go out in the backyard in the afternoons now.  She kinda plays but not for very long.  She HAS barked at me a couple of times out there.  The first two or three barks really made me laugh - you could tell she hadn't used her vocal cords for quite a while.  You know how weird you sound first thing in the morning?  Transition that to dog barks. 😄
• Morning walkies can be a bit of an adventure.  She likes to pick things up, carry them for a while, drop them, pick them back up, repeat...  She also likes to eat dirt.  Ick.  That can't be good for her, can it?  She also likes to eat grass (which might explain the middle-of-the-night puking).
• The most recent "normal dog" event - twice now she's gone and picked up one of her toys from the dining room and brought them to her bed in the living room.  Is she corralling them?  Maybe.
• She looked like she had fun at doggy daycare this week.  
• I washed the floors on Easter Sunday.  OMG they were filthy with dog drool.  And that's all we're going to say about my housekeeping.

MORE UFO'S

Yes I need to have my head read.  I have two more ufo's on the go.

I'm working on a quilt for Ukraine with a friend of mine.  We're each making blocks, then we'll assemble them into a nice sized quilt (double bed size I think).  It will go to one of the refugee families.

Working on those blues & yellows has temporarily interrupted my other recent UFO.

I have 98 of those little blue/grey half-square triangle blocks, which are cutoffs from a baby quilt I made a few years ago.

JANUARY 2022

The are getting the log cabin treatment until they hit 7" x 7".  At that point I will make two baby quilts from them.

APRIL 2022

And speaking of Ukraine and the atrocities being wrought by the Russians, I just started to read The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn.  It's too early to say good/bad but it's about a female Russian sniper.
 

Log Cabin & Stars

 This is quilt work from January.  During the pandemic I didn't really have a lot of opportunity to go over quilting ideas in my studio - we were all afraid to get within six feet of each other.  Quilts would get dropped off on the front porch and we'd visit for a little while.  The quilt would stay in quarantine for at least three days, then I'd photograph it and email doodles to the piecer so we could kick around ideas.

This was nicely pieced, which makes it much easier to work on.

Feathers, with some nice contrast from the straight lines.

A beautiful combination of colours, don't you think?

My favorite kind of back...artsy-fartsy, using some leftover blocks. 

WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON...

• First use of the solar dryer on March 18th.  That's always uplifting because it means sunshine and warm weather.
• Our s.i.l. passed away from a brain tumor - just heartbreaking, she was only 62.  I contacted the hospice where she spent her last days and they would be grateful for flannel pillowcases.  I had offered them either pillowcases or a Dignity Quilt, but they already have a quilt.  I've got lots of flannel on my shelves (ahem) so that will be my little project for the next few weeks.
• I'm trying to use up some of the frozen produce from last year - I made a nice pot of asparagus soup, rhubarb muffins, and cherry-almond crisp.  You can probably see my arse expanding from there.
• Coco started doggy daycare with the scaredy-cat group.  The first day she spent two hours being a scared/disinterested attendee.  Then she must have figured what the hell and decided to play for the last hour.  Week two was even better - she got right into the fun as soon as she got there. 
• I finished the Superbowl Sunday quilt.  Yay!  This goes into my box of donation quilts that will be delivered somewhere later this year.  Usually I bring them to the Women's Shelter in Hamilton.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Coco is starting to turn into a "normal" dog.  She woke us up puking at 3 am.  sigh.  Other big events:  she picked up a Kong ball and nosed it around, she's eaten the treats that were stuck into the Kong rubber bone (one of those toys designed to keep a dog amused for a while), she likes to roll around in the dead/rotting bird carcass on our morning walk, and she's chased the frisbee in the backyard.  Mind you, she only chases it ONCE.  Then I throw it, I go get it, I throw it, I go get it...  
• I finished the 2021 bookkeeping and got everything off to the accountant.
• Out here we all have those rural mailboxes at the road.  One of our neighbours has a problem in that their little mailbox door is usually open.  I guess it's loose and won't stay shut.  On our morning walkies today Coco jumped up and tried to rip it off.  Just for fun.  You know.  Thankfully she has bad aim!
  
  
  

The Flag of India, First '22 Finish, & New Addition

 This was such a fun piece to quilt!  It's based on the flag of India and was the last "custom" quilt of 2021.

Much of the quilt is hexagons.

Some applique.  Well, actually all of the hexies, the mountains, and the wheel are appliqued on to the background of sea & sky.

Lots of c/c quilting (Continuous Curve) and s.i.d. around all of the elements.

The strippy blues for the water are very effective.

I always love the back of quilts.

FIRST FINISH OF 2022

This one's mine.  Started on New Year's Day and complete by January 31st.

I purchased the layer cake in 2017 while I was on a bus trip to Missouri Star Quilt Company in Hamilton, Missouri.  I had NOTHING in my stash that would make a suitable border so I crossed my fingers and went online.  Cherished Pieces had exactly what I needed.  With such a lovely stripe I decided to take the extra time and miter the border.

The panto I used is a new one and I like it - looks a little Art Deco-ey to me.

The bonus - 10.8 meters off my stash report!  Woo hoo!

NEW ADDITION

Let me introduce you to Coco, our new family member.  She's a rescue from Mexico, a border collie cross, 10 months old.  She's been with us for two weeks and is VERY skittish.  She's starting to get a little bit comfortable with me, but she's quite afraid of DH.

The challenge with a rescue dog is the lack of history about the dog's circumstances.  We don't know what toys or treats make her happy.  We managed to find a food that she likes, thank goodness.  She still spends the majority of her day laying around/sleeping.  According to the paperwork that's to be expected. We are looking forward to her coming out of her shell...soon, hopefully!

Because she's an unknown quantity we are keeping her on the leash whenever she's outside.  This means we are getting LOTS OF EXERCISE until the day comes when we feel safe to let her out in the backyard on her own.  For now, we worry that trying to get her back in the house might be an issue.  And could she jump the fence?  We don't know.  So for the time being, better safe than sorry.

IN MY SPARE TIME

Sit down.  Really.  I have started cleaning my house.  For the past two pandemic years there have been almost zero people in the house, besides DH and me.  The Beach Girls are coming for Winterruption at the end of the month (well, fingers crossed about that) so I need to get my shit together. This week I washed down all the doors in the house - 18 of them.  Also the cupboard doors in the potties.  Next I will be cleaning the kitchen & dining room chairs along with the table frames/pedestals, and then the kitchen cupboards.

WHAT I'M READING

I recently finished two rather intense stories.  The Breadwinner, about a young girl in Afghanistan, and The Nightingale, about France during the Nazi occupation.  After those I needed a bit of a mental break, so I'm working on The Unhoneymooners which is rom-com fluff.  It's good though - laugh out loud funny.

COVID-19, STILL

World:  Total cases 393,623,786.  Total deaths 5,735,389.

USA:  Total cases 76,458,488.  Total deaths 902,266.

Canada:  Total cases 3,117,218.  Total deaths 34,635.

Ontario:  Total cases 1,050,000.  Total deaths 11,770. 

The latest Covid bug up my ass is the truckers protest.  Do those idiots actually think the population of this country thinks THEY should be in charge of setting public health policy?  FFS.  Have another beer.

Embroidery Quilt, Zucchini, and Laundry

This gal loves doing embroidery and is making quilts for her grandkids.  This one is number four,  think.

Edge to Edge in the center portion, with a separate border.

I still have zucchini in the freezer (which, as you can imagine, DH is THRILLED about, lol).  This was good.  Normally you see zucchini used in a sweet loaf but a savory version was great with soup and made for a nice bite at lunch.

With the weather getting nicer I can get some of the laundry outside to dry.  Save the environment, you know?  You can also use it to track your laundry patterns by counting your socks...19 days since my last dark load.  And why 2 pair of boring socks?  Was I depressed?  I like to entertain myself with these existential questions as I pin things up.  Over the years I have also discovered that apparently I often match the colour of my knickers to my tshirt.

Ha ha ha, it almost looks like they're hanging on the fence. 😆          

I will leave you with a little cartoon...