Officially An Old Broad!

 First, here is the little Superbowl Sunday quilt, completely finished.

It's so pretty, thanks to the Moda Charm Square pack.  

I did learn a valuable lesson, though.  Don't write out a quilt label while you are messaging with the Beach Girls about March appointments for haircuts.  You WILL put the wrong date on the label.

I figured it was close enough that I was not writing out another one.

BIRTHDAY!!!

In the middle of a pandemic, I managed to have my 65th birthday yesterday.  Yay me!!

As I have been saying for months, YES, I had Bailey's in my coffee (and a little Kahlua, too 😉).  I waited until 10 a.m. and celebrated with the Beach Girls on a video chat.  The super-special part was an in-person gift dropoff, which was in addition to the extra bits that came early in the mail.

I also had a long-time customer drop off a gift a few days early, with explicit instructions to wait until my birthday before I opened it.  Hah.  This made me laugh out loud!

Where on earth she found that notebook... ???  She is well aware that I have a penchant for shoes so this did not disappoint. 😁  The bottom of the shoes are covered in sparkly stick-ons, so now Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes is stuck in my head.  Love Paul Simon  💗. I called and left her a slightly drunken thankyou message, which apparently made HER husband laugh.  Sigh.  Oh well.  I've embarrassed myself in worse ways.

My standards have really dropped with Covid lockdowns, going on a full year now.  My request for birthday dinner ... Swiss Chalet.  Hah!  DH and I worked together this afternoon and made a cheesecake for dessert.  We didn't kill each other, and the cake is extremely good.

My first retirement project is all lined up and paid for...it's a 6 week writing class, starting the end of March.  If I manage to learn something, maybe there will an improvement in the quality of my blog posts.  Fingers crossed.

COVID-19 UPDATE

There are a couple of gals from somewhere around here who are booking quilt trunk shows/lectures and running them on zoom, so I paid my $10 and spent 90 minutes watching Victoria Findley Wolfe.  Well worth the money, since we can't go anywhere..

WORLDWIDE:  113.9 million cases, 2.5 million deaths, 369,000 new cases Feb. 13/21

USA:   28.5 million cases, 512,300 deaths, 73,000 new cases yesterday

CANADA: 870,500 cases, 22,000 deaths, 2,068 new yesterday

ONTARIO: 305,000 cases, 6,960 deaths, 1,147 new yesterday. 

HAMILTON:  10,457 cases, 283 deaths, 28 new yesterday

Camelot Quilt, A Quilter's Day Out, and Zucchini Report

The quilt maker was kind enough to supply the following information about this quilt.
"Camelot", made from instructions in the Quiltmania magazine, starting with the Jan/Feb 2016 issue.

We discussed quilting ideas, then I sent her a few mockups that I drafted on Intelliquilter (which is the computer drive for my quilting machine).  She chose a couple of borders, and the pretty feathered wreath that fills in between the blocks.

The treatment in each of the blocks was up to me.

I stuck with straight lines, curved lines, pumpkin seeds, and feathers.

When I had everything done except the spaces between the blocks we discussed again, and settled on the bowtie-ish fill.  I really liked that choice because it echoes the circles of the compass blocks.

The wide border got a new-to-me feather design.  Love. 💓

The back.  Sooo pretty.

For those quilters who think "Oh, she's computerized, she doesn't really have to DO anything."...these are the rulers I used on this quilt.

So.  Do you want to hear about my day out this past week?  I had to go pick up my sewing machine which was in for service.  I picked up my friend who was keeping me company and we headed off to Sew Etc. in Burlington, where I got my Pfaff out of hock (a $10 surcharge for cleaning?  Really?).  After I got my machine safely ensconsed in the back seat, we were  discussing lunch locations and decided to head over to Swiss Chalet.  The Bulk Barn just happens to be on the way so we made a pit stop there and I filled up on Almond Butter.  Next stop:  Swiss Chalet.  BTW, they are hiring for all positions, if anyone is looking for a job.  Next door happens to be the CIBC so we walked over and I did a little banking.  Then my friend said:  "Oh look, a shoe store."  Well, dammit.

We tried to go to the Farmer's Market (even though I had NO MONEY left) but the farmers were all closed and heading home.  Up the escarpment we go, and I asked if she needed anything at Costco.  I had to stop for a double package of vinegar, and the ziploc bags that were on sale.  Well, as you probably know, you can't buy just two things at Costco.
So my day out cost me:
machine service: $147.45
Almond butter:  $10.90
Lunch:                $20.00
Shoes:               $185.43
Costco:              $51.45
=====================
Total:              $415.23

I'm not sure if I should go out MORE often so I don't spend so much in one friggin' afternoon, or LESS often which would mean I'd stay home and eat zucchini.  For free.

ZUCCHINI REPORT

Picked this week:  18
Picked YTD:        104 ***Woo Hoo!  Broke the 100 mark!
Gave away this week:  0 none, zip, nada.

I didn't give any away, (well except to the compost, which got a few fuzzy ones)  but I did make six jars of relish, and froze 12 cups of shredded zucchini for the winter.

Beautiful Embroidery and Never Too Old For A Little Excitement

Machine Embroidery was used to make the beautiful bird & butterfly blocks.

Quilting in the outer border doesn't really show on the busy fabric.  Everything else was s.i.d., with Egg & Dart in the blue border, then a motif in all the geese units.

Background x-hatching took f.o.r.e.v.e.r.
The embroidered blocks were quilted first by the quilt maker, then they were sashed and appliqued to the background.  I did not quilt inside them at all, except for the s.i.d. on both sides of the sashing.

It turns out that even at the ripe old age of 60 I can still find things that excite me.  Today, for example, I washed a load of laundry.  It was two hours later when I went downstairs to get the wet items out of the washer and hang them outside on the solar dryer.  Oh, you should have heard the piercing scream when the *!*!!$#! centipede surprised me.   8O
I friggin' HATE those things.  But, I can assume now that my heart is in good shape.

ZUCCHINI REPORT

Picked this week:  6
Picked YTD:    39

A friend of mine from Manitoulin Island emailed me today to report that a zucchini is going for $3 up there.  If I were selling mine I would have enough $$ to pay for the shoes that I ordered online last weekend.  ha ha ha...

Bright! Stripey! and Cheap Entertainment/Red Hats/Zucchini Report

If this doesn't keep her warm and cozy this winter I don't know what will.

Oh, I just love these colours!

Great pattern - lots of movement.

I could get myself in all kinds of trouble now.  The new DSW has opened in Ancaster.  I stopped in after our Red Hat Pot Luck/Pool Party, where we got into complex discussions about things like folding & rolling your underwear.  Which I actually DID when I got home.   :-)

I made up for the shoe purchase by getting free entertainment.  Waterdown hosted a brand new festival this past weekend artsfest.ca, so Teresa and I went to see Ashley MacIsaac , the fiddler.  Whew, he put on a GREAT performance.

And, of course I have free food to go along with the free entertainment...
ZUCCHINI REPORT
Picked this week:  8
Picked YTD: 33

Flying Geese Pinwheels and Scrappy Sewing

I enjoyed every minute working on this quilt.  This winter there has been sooo much white.  Freezing, face-pelting snow.  For MONTHS now.  This, on the other hand, is white and bright. 

These kinds of colours make me stare longingly at my sandals in the front hall closet.  Seriously.  I'm not kidding.  I open the closet to get my sweater, coat, scarf, ear muffs, hat, mitts and boots so I can go down the driveway and get the mail.  As I'm standing there I look at the sandals, reach out to stroke one gently, get a little lost in my head and go to my happy place.  Aaah...

But I digress. 
I quilted this with the cutest (!) cupcake pantograph.

Here's a music quilt that was treated to the perfect music pantograph.

Believe it or not, there have been THREE social events in my life this week, and none of them were cancelled due to weather.  It made me feel that shaving my legs last week (for the first time in about 6 weeks.  It was starting to itch.) was totally worth it!!

Monday was the Scrappy Club at the Caledonia guild.  I like to wear my very special sewing watch to guild events.  Purchased in Hong Kong last year.  The original watch band lasted about, oh, three hours.  Then the paint started peeling off the, um, leather (?).  I found this twill tape at a quilt show, printed with measuring tape pattern, so I made my own band.  So far it has lasted WAY longer than the original.

Here's what I was working on.

On Tuesday I met Jean and Jane at IKEA where we enjoyed a cheap an economical supper.  I'd post the selfies I took, but they'd kill me.  Yeah.  Not flattering.  :-)

I needed to replenish the glassware in the kitchen.  It's been a long, hard, winter (sorry, I already said that, didn't I?) and I was able to get another gross of matching wine glasses.  Now I can stop drinking from empty jam jars and put them out with the recycles.

On Wednesday the guild had an extra UFO day, so I was working on the challenge quilt we have going with the Caledonia, NY guild.  The top is finished but I can't post photos - it's a surprise.  Then I headed over to the County office and paid my property taxes.  Using my credit card.  Who knew?  I collect points so this works out perfectly in my favour.  More points = more shoes.

Shoe Quilt

This is just THE most cheerful quilt, ever!

Shoes, hearts, cupids, pink, red.  How girly can you get?

Even the back is adorable.

I thought I'd post this today because I have a $10 voucher for DSW that is burning a hole in my pocket.  So I'm going to spend it today.  Yee hah!!
For those of you who live in a gopher hole - DSW is Designer Shoe Warehouse.  My very favorite store in the whole wide world.

Modern Half-Log Cabin & Silly Men

Half-Log Cabin blocks in solids and tone-on-tones.

I love the effect of the clamshell quilting.

Our best man turned 60 and his wife threw a surprise party for him.  He and DH go back a long way, so there are two bottles of booze buried amongst the golf balls.

The whole thing was wrapped in duct tape.  I guess that is a man-thing:  make your friend REALLY WORK to get at his gift.  Hah - nice collection of shoes that need to be put away.

Baby Quilts

This gal made a couple of baby quilts for a set of twins.

They got matching doll quilts, too.  What a great idea.

Love variegated thread! That dragonfly pantograph is definitely a favorite of my customers.

Yum. Cheesecake for supper - from my postponed birthday shopping trip to the Walden Galleria Mall in Buffalo.

New shoes from DSW. 

I did lots of other shopping too, mostly summer clothes for my upcoming trip to Bali. It was so nice to see all the lovely pastel colours in the stores!  Coral is definitely popular this year. There were a few bargains on winter-wear that came home with me, and they'll come in handy.  When I look out the window in the morning there is still snow on the ground.  I'm not sure why that surprises me because it IS still winter.  I guess I am just sick of it at this point, and getting anxious to see something green popping up.  

I am foregoing my annual retreat with the Binbrook quilters at Creiff Hills this year because the vacation budget will only stretch so far.  That money will go towards batik shopping in Indonesia.  Stay tuned for the April stash report.  Heh, heh, heh.

On the disability front, I am SICK OF THIS CAST!!!  Two more weeks to go before it comes off.  Progress is showing though - I helped with supper last night.  A large pot of water with pasta is impossible to pick up, so DH did that, and he cut the veggies and shredded the cheese.  And he put the casserole in the oven, and took it out when it was cooked.  But I COOKED everything, and assembled the casserole.  And, of course, I chose the recipe, which is where everything begins.  We made Gringo Starr from the Looneyspoons cookbook.  We make a funny pair these days, since he threw his back out last week.  He's crooked and bent over, and I can't pick up anything heavy or hold anything small.  We're the walking wounded.  :-)

Blue beach quilt & stash report

This is a great beach theme quilt that makes me long for summer.

I did some outlining in the shell border

The center panel also includes outlining along with some background quilting.

Some little star-fishy quilting between the small blocks.

JANUARY STASH REPORT

I provided the backing for a couple of Quilts of Valour that I quilted.  With my new broken wrist I think that might be all that happens for the next little while.

And speaking of broken bones, do you suppose I would have fared better at the arena if I'd been wearing these?  I could have fallen in style.  Pfftt - if I had skates like this I think I'd frame them.

Guild Challenge and Gardening

Wednesday was our year end meeting for the Caledonia guild. Pot luck. Yum. Tons of healthy salads AND tons of not-so-healthy desserts. A perfect combination.

Our challenge this year was to take a book, any book, and use page 12 as inspiration for a ... something.  I made a telephone table mat.  Cute, eh?  Not.  one.  single.  friggin.  vote.  sigh.  Must avoid challenge try harder next year.

This week's schedule was:

• catch up all leftover late quilt jobs
• finish the garden
• quilt my own Bunny Hill quilt.   

The catch-up part took me until Thursday.  Today I got out to the garden with the zucchini and cucumber plants.  I've been waiting until the cucumber beetles and the squash bugs decided to go somewhere else for their seasonal buffet.  Hopefully I have waited long enough and they are all over at the neighbours'.  Today's supplies included a big pile of newspapers. Thankfully, DH was his usual, um, forgetful self on garbage day and the newspapers didn't go out to the recycle truck.

Problem area covered in weeds and grass with roots as thick as my toes.  I am NOT hoeing and digging this crap all summer.

Solution:  cover problem area with thick layer of newspapers, then top with mulch.  In this case, the mulch is from our grass clippings pile.  Issue dealt with. Mostly.  By this time it was almost noon and I was hot, sweaty, smelly, (attractive sounding, no?) and hungry.  There is more to do but I got the worst of it.

Nauseatingly healthy salad. Garden lettuce, broccoli, blueberries, strawberries, feta cheese, eggs cooked just shy of hard, and my homemade dressing.

LATEST DISCOVERY

Crocs (you know, the shoes) are ridiculous.  I finally broke down and bought a pair.  Seriously.  $35 for plastic shoes that are covered in holes.  That is a ridiculous price.  And they are very unattractive.  They don't keep your feet warm, dry, or clean.  Which makes me wonder what the hell good they are?  The only thing they have going for them,... ok, TWO things:  they are easy to slip on, and they hose off without doing any damage to them.  because they're plastic, silly.  Even the dog has no interest in running away with them.