This week I….

Went cross country skiing twice, on Monday and today…
Took a day and a half off work with the stomach flu – feeling better finally today…
Read The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  An excellent read…
Watched the movie Midnight in Paris and enjoyed it immensely…
Received these blocks in the mail: December adventure block from Margaret…..
 
November six inch blocks from Robyn…

I sewed these six inch blocks for the January swap with Jolanda…

And this block for the January Christmas swap with Sue…

I made this postcard for a Yahoo group postcard swap I am in.  I drew the dragon using this tutorial…

I have to make two more Year of the Dragon postcards for the swap…
I prepared ten of these hexies to send to DD # 2 for the Grandmother’s Flower Garden stepping stones…I’m not sure how preparing the hexies became my job…

And I cut two sets of fifty-five two inch blocks for the
 
at The Curious Quilter.  I have to cut forty-five more blocks for each set as we are swapping sets of a hundred…

It feels like a productive week…  Back to work tomorrow…
How was your week?
Janet

New Year’s Eve gifts

I received great mail on the last Friday of the year; several items that I won in the pre Christmas Blog Hop Party and Sew Mama Sew and lots of other giveaway frenzy arrived, and I am sooooo lucky!

First up I won this lovely pattern from Daphne Greig.

This is such an interesting design and I’m going to have to try it out soon, maybe on a block for a swap  

Margaret from Applique Addict picked six different winners for batik charm squares in a range of colours.  I won the blues.  So beautiful!  I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with them yet.

I also won the GRAND PRIZE from Jamie at Terrabyte Farm.  This parcel was so big. DH picked it up from the post office and insisted I open it while he watched. 

He laughed as I pulled things out of the box one after the other.  There was just so much in there.  And he already thinks I have a lot of sewing stuff  

His laughing quieted a bit when I showed him the awesome wool from the Terrabyte Farm sheep.   And when he saw the package of heavy duty specialty hand sewing needles he grew really interested.  Remember that hubby sews leather from time to time.  Then he said “Her husband must be a bow hunter.”  This is high praise coming from him.  Jamie has seen told me that no, her hubby isn’t a bow hunter, but I am not passing that message on!

Lovely wool and felted pieces.  In the tin is wonderful beeswax hand salve, also from the farm.  I know just what I’m going to do with the felted pieces. 

A fat quarter case and almost enough pieces of fabric to fill it.  I love the orangey fall range of colours and there are different fabric weights too.

And look at this bounty of sewing notions: hand needles – 4 packages of different kinds, machine needles – 6 packages with four different kinds, thread, bobbins, 2 sizes of elastic, snaps, 2 sizes of iron on patches, a lint brush, pins, needle threaders and iron on fusible web.  Jamie’s sister works as a marketing assistant with the US distributor for Singer.  I will definitely use all of this!  I had been thinking lately that I need to renew my hand sewing needle supply in particular.  Well no more!

Then, as if I hadn’t been spoiled enough, I won a stocking from Robin in the stocking giveaway she organized on her blog.  And oh I was starting to feel overwhelmed with the bounty… The presents from Robin were lovingly wrapped but I tore them open before I even thought about taking a picture.   So I had to stuff them back in the stocking and pretend.   Here is the stocking ready for hanging by the chimney with care…

 

 

Look at all the lovelies!  A bag pattern, a skirt pattern, a Schnibbles pattern (the first I’ve ever seen), two cute ornament kits, thread snips, a lovely piece of bright fabric (we all know I LOVE bright fabric), a little notebook and pen and six spools of thread.  And a lovely bell ornament that I seem to have forgotten to take a full picture of, but you can see it peeking out of the top of the stocking above.

This package must have been roughly handled at the post office because look at the plastic spools.

Bits of plastic broken off and floating free in the bags.  Fortunately I have all those new bobbins that I can load them onto.

So I may not have been spoiled in the sewing area at Christmas but I sure was for the New Years round.   Now I just have to get on with some actual sewing! 

Janet

New Year’s Day

Your going to start to think that I am going to post everday!  I’m not, I just have a lot of posts to catch up on right now.  

DD # 3 came over yesterday so she could finish sewing the apron she was making her boyfriend’s sister for Christmas.  She used to sew freehand when she was very small and I still have a doll that she made.  But she hasn’t sewn for years.  She often says she wants to make something but never follows through, until now.  Here she is hard at work.

And ta da!

After dinner we played Euchre and partners Cribbage on our new crib board – a gift from DD # 2’s “friend” in Newfoundland.

This board is very fun to play on – you go up over the hill and down into the valleys.  (Sorry the photo is terrible.)  This board is made from a moose antler….

All the way from Newfoundland.  Some facts about Newfoundland.  The provincial flag is green, white and pink!  I never knew that but there is a Newfoundland flag painted on the top of the board.  Albeit they have since come up with a more modern flag but the green, white and pink is the original.  Go here to see the flag and learn some history.

Moose were an introduced species to Newfoundland around the turn of the century (the last century – ie 1900).  Now there are more moose per square inch in Newfoundland than anywhere else in the world; approximately 150,000 moose. 

Newfoundland practices the interesting Christmas custom of mummery – people dress in strange costumes and go door to door, where they are fed and plied with liquor.  Music and dance are important pieces of the tradition.   Here is an old time video…it’s sort of like a home invasion….

DD # 2’s friend sent me a mummer tree ornament.  I love it!

And on into 2012!

Janet

Looking back on 2011

I was thinking I hadn’t done much sewing in 2011, then I made a mosaic.  I realized that I have done LOTS of sewing.  I only made two full size quilts this past year, but I made lots of smaller items.  Here is my mosaic.  I didn’t figure out how to add the captions, so I’ll list what they are below the photo.

Left to right, top to bottom:  1. Mug rug, my Yukon home, I kept this one.  2. Hanging case for my measuring spoons.  3. Mug rug for Beth, Mug Rug Swap Adventure # 1. 4. Pin cushion for Isijem, Scrappy Pincushion Swap. 5. Toadstool pin cushion, this one was for me. 6. Brown bag quilt top.  I would like to get this one backed and quilted this year. 7. Hot pad made for Jody in the Hot Pad Swap. 8. Mug rug for Helen, Goodie Swap. 9. Mini quilt for Beth, 12 X  12 Something from Nothing Swap. 10. Garbage mini quilt.  I wanted to do a garbage series but this is the only one I got done. 11. Postcard for Fiona, for our private “one year of blogging” swap.  12. Mug rug for Hattie, Mug Rug Swap Adventure # 2.  13. Mug rug for Narelle, Crafty Pug’s Christmas Mug Rug Swap.  14 & 15.  Front and back of quilt made for friends who got married in September.  16. Bag for Helen, Goodie Swap.  17. Bag for Kathleen, Goodie Swap.  18. Mug Rug for Kathleen, Goodie Swap.  19. Post card for Sheila, her Post Card Swap. 20. Pin cushion for Marian, Kat’s Scrappy Swap.  21. Mug rug for Hilary, Mug Rug Swap Adventure # 3.  22. Table runner for Lynne, Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap.  23. Bag for DD # 1’s 32nd birthday.  24. The fabulous quilt for DGS. 25. A blind for DD # 2’s bedroom – many years in the making. 

I participated in lots of swaps this year!  I also participated in a couple of  round robins – the 15 Minutes Play Challenge, the Crazy Pincushion Quilt Along, – and five monthly block swaps – Adventure Block Swap, Christmas Block Swap, 6 inch Block Swap, Inchy Hexagon Swap and Victoria’s New Bee Block Swap. 

I am behind on three obligations from 2012: a scissor keep for Kerry, a pay it forward for Cheryl and a cat block for Em. 

For 2012 I am determined that I won’t sign up for so many swaps.  I’ve already signed up for three though….Somebody please rein me in!

Other big events for 2011: my 8000 kilometer journey across Canada in February, starting a new job at the beginning of August, a great potato crop this summer, a really nice trip with DH in November. 

I don’t know what 2012 will bring but I have lots of intentions for being a nicer person, spreading more love and being happy. 

Janet

Happy New Year

Christmas was wonderfully fun!  My s-i-l drove 1500 miles with her two teenage children to spend it with us.  DD#2 flew in (well flew to Edmonton and then drove) from Charlottetown at the other end of the country.  And she only had to work five shifts on the ambulance, one of them 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Christmas Eve.  They lost two people to heart attacks that night….  DD # 3 flew in from Victoria and her boyfriend was home as well. 

Many stockings were hung by the chimney with care…

On Christmas day we opened stockings, ate a wonderful breakfast – scrambled eggs, coffee cake, bacon (the best bacon in the world all the way from Victoria), grapefruit, pineapple and homemade Baileys to go in the tea or coffee.

DD # 3 is our professional pineapple cutter.  She learned the technique from her Thai auntie.

Then there was a lot of present opening and a casual afternoon long feed of cold meat, cheese, vegetables and dip, crackers, and two kinds of trifle for dessert .  Lots of games were played; euchre and cribbage seemed to be the most popular and we had a few tournaments.

My big present is my Kobo book reader.  We do name exchanges for stockings, one present in family and one present each for both DH and my extended family.  So you buy and receive three presents and fill a stocking.  Makes life way easier.  This of course doesn’t include the little children.  They got lots of presents. 

I received a few quilty things.  In my stocking were a few items I’ve been hankering for – more straight pins, a long measuring tape – and the green item is a nifty ceramic cutting tool.  It isn’t for fabric but for paper.

A quilting friend gave me this fabulous tote box, which will be wonderful when going to retreats or sewing sessions.

And lovely presents from two non-quilting friends: a wonderful pincushion – the black part is made from a tin can - and a great looking book.

 

On Boxing Day my nephew and two nieces came to visit as well as DD# 3’s boyfriend.  We had our big turkey dinner.  Son-in-law cooked the turkey, which was wonderful!  Mashed potatoes, baked yams, Brussels sprouts, carrots and Baklava created by Sister-in-law.  Then several game marathons: Pit, Euchre, Apples to Apples and the younger folk played Pictionary into the wee hours.

DD # 2 and S-i-I are gone.  DD # 3 is around for a while but is currently hanging out with her boyfriend in Whitehorse.  There were only a couple of BIG EVENTS over the holiday.  We went skating down on the arm.  There was some snow but a nice cleared patch and we were having a lovely skate…

when S-i-l fell and cracked her head open.  She had to get four stitches in the back of her head, but fortunately there was no concussion.  Then when S-i-l left on December 28th she forgot her purse!  She didn’t discover it wasn’t with her until she went to buy gas 500 km down the highway.  Fortunately her daughter has a credit card and they were able to continue on home.  The purse, along with all her necessities of life is on its way home now.  Despite these escapades S-i-l said she and her kids had a wonderful time.  She is trying to convince us all to go to Thailand for Christmas next year….  hmmm….if I’m going that far, I’ll have to continue on to Australia….

My wish for this evening is to stay home and relax but we are invited to a party and DH wants to go so I guess we’ll be out and about for a bit. 

I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, love-filled new year!

Janet

But Granma, Where’s the Quad?

I finished the quilt around midnight on Christmas Eve.  Well except for about half an hour’s worth of quilting that got done on the 27th.  But it was bound and ready to use despite the need for a slight bit of finishing.

It measures approximately 49 by 65 inches. 

The panel at top and bottom and the road backing fabric are both from South Sea Imports “Going Places” line. 

The blue sashing is “Puzzle Pieces” by Moda. 

The black “read as solid” in the backing is a “Marbles” by Moda.

Vehicle blocks came from my own stash and from donations from many sources:  Kerry, Melody, Karen, Julie, Linda, Sue (whose blog name I can’t remember – Sue if you read this please tell me your blog name so I can correct this), my friend Jo, my friend Donna’s mother (age 86 or so, she provided the hog on a hog piece) and my sister-in-law Lori.  If I have missed anyone who donated I apologize profusely.  It is not from a lack of appreciation.  I could never have gathered this wonderful variety on my own!  Thank you all.

I quilted the names of the different vehicles in the crosswise sashing, but not in the same order as the pictures.  It can be a game for DGS to match them up once he starts to read.  The vertical sashing has three big Xs in each piece.  I also quilted around each of the vehicle fabrics.  The panels are freehand quilted following the lines in the pictures.  They didn’t end up exactly the same.  On the two big blue side panels I wrote the name of the quilt and label info – for DGS from me, date and place.  The outside of those two panels has simple stipple quilting.

The binding is a “Marble Dot” by Moda in green.  I used this same fabric for the binding on DGD’s I Spy quilt that she got for Christmas last year.  I like that there is that connection between the two quilts.

DGS really loves his quilt.  He was known to say on several occasions when others picked it up “Hey, that’s MY blanket.”  He had it laid out on the living room floor running his cars up and down the roads as soon as all the scraps of wrapping paper were cleaned up. 

I found the quilting on this quilt went quite quickly.  I’m getting better at it all the time!

And yes, I called it, “But Granma, Where’s the Quad?”!

Janet

Merry Christmas!

The DDs from afar are home.  My s-i-l and her two children have arrived after their long (two day) drive.  The tree is up.

S-i-l is in the kitchen baking bread….and look how happy she is to be cooking….

DH has finished his sewing….

DGS’s quilt is almost done – I just have the binding left do.  The grandkids are here so I have to wait until they go home this evening to get it finished.

I hope everyone has a very happy Christmas!

Yupiq Eskimo Village of Quinhagak, Alaska

Janet

Giveaway Winner

I have been totally overwhelmed by the number of people who responded to my giveaway and became new followers of my blog!  I have 100 more followers than I did when this crazy started.  Thank-you and welcome to all my new followers.  You’ll find that I am a sporadic poster.  I won’t plaster you with many messages a day and sometimes it will be a couple of weeks until you hear from me.

I am going to pick a winner today, by hook or by crook, if I can get Random Number Generator to appear here….  But I can’t make it work… please someone who knows how to copy and paste it let me know. 

However I do have a winner.  Random Number Generator did choose and you’ll have to take me on good faith.  The winner is Lynne, commenter # 5 who said on 12/9/11:

“I am a follower. I live in Sydney in Australia. I like living here because the climate is temperate and democracy is alive and well!”

Lynne please contact me with your postal information so I can send you your prize. 

Since I was going to do a 100 follower giveaway and I now have 200 followers, you can be sure there will be an even bigger giveaway coming up.  It will have to wait for after Christmas because I am too busy doing things like this…

And this…

And sewing like mad to get all the gifts made!

Is everyone else ready for Christmas?

Janet

Friday Night Sew In Report

Last night I put together the back for my grandson’s quilt and started quilting.  Just straight line quilting so far.  I want to get a good stint in on it today and have to cook a turkey, make salad and make cranberry sauce for the community Christmas dinner that my craft club is cooking and serving for this evening. 
The completed front….

And the back…..

What are you doing with your Saturday, or Sunday, as may be?
Janet

Friday Night Sew In Report

I got a good start on the vehicle quilt for my grandson last night.  Figured out the layout and sewed the block strips together.

Can you spot my mistake?  Probably not because the picture is too small.  I sewed this block in upside down.

But I caught it before I sewed on the long sashing so I fixed it….

Right side up now.  I finished sewing the long sashing strips this morning.  I was going to put the panel on the top and bottom, but now I’m second guessing myself, due to DH’s comment that “there is a lot going on” when he looked at the blocks. 
Does anyone have any thoughts?  Here’s another pic.  I would put a strip of 5 to 6 inches of blue on the sides of the vehicle blocks, then a panel strip at the top and bottom of the quilt.  It makes it a good size for a twin bed quilt and I like it, but I’d love your opinion.

Janet

Quilter’s Bog Hop Party Giveaway

The giveaway is closed.

Welcome to everyone hopping around in blog land for the Quilting Gallery Quilter's Blog Hop Party and my giveaway. A huge thank you to Michele for organizing this event.  I hear there are more than 250 participating blogs so it is sure to be a barrel of fun – and take lots of time to look at all those blogs.
If you are new to my blog please don’t be afraid of the Dall Sheep on my header.  He is behind a fence at the game farm and I think that his “you look mighty tasty” approach is just his way of saying “hi”.  Please look around and enjoy yourself while you are here.
I’m not going to dally around much as I think I am a bit late getting my blog posted.  It was supposed to be up by noon EST and it is 9:32 where I live in PST.  So doing the math….
Here is what I’m giving away today.  Two half yards of pretty batiks in colours that make you want to eat them – or something. 

You must be a follower of my blog to enter the giveaway and it is open to anyone in the world. Please leave me one comment letting me know you are a follower.  In the same comment please tell me where you live and one reason why you like living there.  The giveaway will close on December 17th at 6 p.m. my time.  More math for you…..
Thank you so much for coming by.  Please check out the Quilting Gallery link to see a list of all the participants in the Blog Hop Party.
Janet