Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Completed...just in time!

I squeezed in a bit of time to get caught up on this month's sew-alongs....literally was sewing between 7 and 7:30a.m. to get these done!

I shouldn't have left it so long, as neither step was very time-consuming.

I have my blocks completed for the PEI Modern Quilt Guild Mystery Quilt-along....


....and I completed my monthly goal for November, which was the applique on the sunflowers and the pieced border for my Down the Rabbit Hole...


It's getting difficult to fit this one into the picture :)


I've had a lot of nice comments on Down the Rabbit Hole. Sarah Fielke's patterns are nicely written and come with a monthly video tutorial. Soon Sarah will be starting the patterns for her 2018 sew-alongs....that's right, she's offering two different quilts!

You can check it out HERE. I wasn't going to join again, but I have registered for her Simple Folk quilt.

Another bonus is belonging to the Facebook group for the BOM....lots of support and inspiration!

I am linking up with the PEI MQG for Clue #3 reveals. 

I am also linking with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social, Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Mid-Week Makers and with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal - November Finishes.

I'm not sure yet what my goal will be for December. There are a couple of items calling my name!

Have a great day!




Sunday, November 26, 2017

Bunny #4

An observation first....does it seem like we're all into the Christmas spirit early this year??? I know that I am! 

Maybe it's one of those superstitious things....like it means we're in for a traditional snowy winter? One thing I did hear that is supposed to be a "sign" is how heavy the pine trees are with pine cones this year. Have you noticed????


I have a lovely lunch to prepare for family today, but still managed a bit of stitching time to start my day.

I'm working on bunny #4 for Down the Rabbit Hole...



I love the background fabric for this quilt.

Soon all for bunnies will be done.....


...and I'll have to squeeze in some prep-work time for the next step, the tulips.

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching. Hopefully you can have a visit with her today to see what others are working on today.

Have a good one!


Friday, November 24, 2017

Alligators, bunnies and pups!

Yesterday I took a bit of time to get some piecing done on my Magnolia Mystery.

I like my fabrics, just not sure they are playing nicely together...but that's a mystery for you....just have to wait and see!



I don't know if that is the intended setting but I thought it looked nice!


In my last post, I shared pictures of a quilt that I had the pleasure of working on lately. You can read about it HERE




In some of the comments on this post, it seemed that some people thought this was my own quilt....it wasn't. This is a quilt made by one of my guild members in Hagersville...Betty. One day I hope to do this quilt though!


I've made good progress on my rabbits for Down the Rabbit Hole. 



The fourth rabbit is well on it's way, also. 

The other day as I was working, the thought crossed my mind to hand-quilt this one. I tried to push the thought away, but it kept niggling in my brain. I'd really like this completed by my guild's  quilt show next year, so it would be a challenge to have it done in time. Who am I kidding....it will be hand-quilted and I'm already looking forward to it!


As you know, we've had two litters of puppies with Cooper and Minnie and it's been such a wonderful experience. We even get the odd picture from happy pup-parents.....like this one just yesterday...



The white one is from our first litter. Turns out he has grown to 17lbs!!! So surprising as our dogs are 8 and 10lbs.

This week I decided to get Cooper neutered before Minnie comes into heat again....which may be soon. Ironically, we found out the same day that little Minnie has developed a slight heart murmur and the vet strongly recommends against any more litters. So, I feel better about the decision....and glad we found this out.

Today I am linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop! and with Busy Hands Quilts for Finished or Not Friday.

It's a beautiful day out there...hope you can get out and enjoy it!

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Jungle Friends

What a busy time of year, being a longarm quilter.

Pretty well any quilt done from beginning of November on is an intended Christmas gift. So much pressure to keep on schedule!

One quilt this past week was particularly fun to work on. It was a quilt made from a design by Lorna at Sew Fresh quilts.

The piecing was spot on, and the fabrics were perfect. Here's a couple of pictures...





I bought three of Lorna's patterns when I was lucky enough to see her trunk show...then I won two more thru' a draw at the PEI Modern Quilt Guild Mystery quilt! It will be difficult to choose which one to do first.



I ran in my final race of the year this past weekend....a Santa 5k in Hamilton. It was a lot of fun with lots of children and dogs running also. It certainly felt like being immersed in a Where's Waldo book!







...and a picture of all of us who participated from my running group in Port Dover, the North Shore gang (I'm the one give the peace sign in the back row!)...




I had some nice pictures to share of progress on my Down the Rabbit Hole, but for some reason they are just not transferring over to my blog.....next time, hopefully!

I am linking up with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social and with Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers.

Have a lovely day!!

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Stitching on a Sunday

Another Sunday morning with some peaceful stitching to start the day. This week just flew by!

My Life is Beautiful embroidery had come to a halt because I couldn't find my thread....luckily I happened to find it, by chance, and could finish off this block, which took way too long...



....and I was able to start the next block.....




I would have liked to be working on the next rabbit for Down the Rabbit Hole, but it wasn't quite ready yet. I have one of the four leaping rabbits completed....



I like him! 



We've had a sudden cold snap around here. Can you tell.....



I swear sometimes that Minnie thinks we got a fireplace just so she could snooze in front of it!



I thought this was a nice picture to take on the trail in Port Dover yesterday, but looking at it all I can think is that leaf-less trees have come about too quickly this year!...




I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching. Have a visit to see what others are working on today.




Sunday, November 5, 2017

Taking it slow...

What a nice morning to take it slow and get some extra stitching done.

It's a dreary morning....and I'm glad it wasn't like this yesterday morning!

On Saturday morning I ran my first official 10k in the Hamilton Road2Hope. I ran a good strong race and was faster than expected. We ran along the beachfront in Hamilton and for me it was a lovely, reflective run. I thought back over the last year and what I have accomplished and I also thought fondly of people no longer with me. 

Here are myself, Paula and Uli ( two wonderful new friends I've made through running ), and my BIL and SIL, Bob and Elaine....who started their running journey in April. All of us feeling nervous for our first 10k!


Here are Paula and I trying to keep warm before racetime...



....and so special to cross the finish line with Bob. We've known each other for 37 years and I'm sure neither of us could imagine in our wildest dreams taking on this adventure.


So, it's been nice to take some extra time this morning and look back on the race while taking some stitches in my Down the Rabbit Hole...


This is certainly the part of slow stitching that is special...the peaceful time that it gives to reflect on the goings on in my life. I will never take this for granted.

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching and with Cynthia for Oh, Scrap!.



Wednesday, November 1, 2017

One Monthly Goal....November


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November??? Really???

Now that Hallowe'en is done, get ready for Christmas music in the malls today. 

Wasn't it just Summer a couple of days ago?...it sure feels like it!




This morning I put a few stitches into this Life is Beautiful block...

I'd misplaced my embroidery floss for this project, but came across a bit so I could work on the block. I hope I can find more of this variegated floss as the shop that I originally bought it at has closed.

My monthly goal for November is to work on my Down the Rabbit Hole....


My goal is to applique the leaves onto the sunflowers in the corners of the piece and to complete the elongated hexagon border. Should be do-able!

This BOM has been designed and offered by Sarah Fielke. It's the second one I've joined in on. This week, Sarah has revealed the designs offered for 2018. That's right, she's offering two!! 

Just this weekend I said I wouldn't take part in the 2018 quilt...but, oh well, a girl can change her mind, right???

You can check out what Sarah has in store for us HERE. When you do one of Sarah's BOM's, you get monthly instruction plus an video tutorial and a great Facebook support system.

Today I am linking up with...

Elm Street Quilts for OMG - One Monthly Goal
Sew Fresh Quilts for Let''s Bee Social
Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers

Have a wonderful November day!