Blogtoberfest

Lane always has such neat ideas. So I've decided to sign up for Blogtoberfest, which means I will blog every day for the month of October. Of course it's already the 2nd so I'm behind before I start but that's nothing new *LOL*

You can sign up too at tinniegirls blog. There's a whole slew of people signed up which is kind of neat. Over the month I'm going to travel around and I just might learn something or find something interesting I haven't see before. There will also be giveaway's on some of the blogs.

Seeing as it's already Oct 2nd and what I have to give away is a Hallowe'en theme I'm going to post mine today. I'll be doing the draw on October 10 so that I can get these mailed out in time for someone to use them for this year.

The package will include 2 panels. One for a wallhanging



and one of 12" squares that would be great appliqued on a childs trick or treat bag or made into a special Halloween quilt:



I'll also be including some smaller applique sized images that came with the panel.



I've never done a giveaway before so I'm not sure of the rules. Just leave a comment and let me know that you want to be included in the draw. I'll be putting up reminders leading back to this post every few days.

Guess I should have pressed everything before I took the photos but I'm allergic to ironing *LOL* They do press up nice though, promise.

New Sewing Table

I got it! I got the Janome table for my machine! I've been spending cash at the shop instead of using my earnings from the website and I finally had enough to buy the table I've wanted for awhile. It's meant for my Janome machine. It sits right down in the hole, you don't have to take the bottom off like you used to have to do with machine tables. It has a long bed for supporting quilts while you quilt and I've hooked up the knee control (okay, not hooked up, pushed it in the hole *LOL*). My ankle gets sore sometimes if I have to sew continuously so I hope the knee control will make that easier. I've always had the control but was afraid to put the machine that close to the edge of the table. I was using a 15 year old IKEA kitchen table and it was okay except it was really deep and took up a lot of room. This is nice and narrow.

It's metal so it's sturdy and it has a 39" rule in inches and cm along the front of the table for measuring. Between the ruler Angela sent me and this ruler I better stay on my toes measuring wise!


Now I'm working on bunging out and organzing my room.

Quilty Stuff for a Change

Yes, you read right, I actually quilted! Our weather is so nice it's hard to get motivated but the nights are getting colder and I needed a nice warm quilt to snuggle under. I sure picked the right one. I haven't slept so well in weeks! It's sooo cozy. But two things have happened. I've lost my quilty train of thought and I've gotten too sure of myself. I put the rows together for this quilt just fine. But instead of numbering them with little pieces of paper like I normally do I decided I'd just put one on top of the other in order. Bad idea. I wondered why it looked funny... once it had been pieced, sandwiched, quilted AND bound. They aren't in the right order! Oh well, thank goodness it's a utility quilt and warm which is all I wanted. It's called a Flannel Squirrel quilt for lack of a better name. It was the cute squirrel fabric in the border that got me. We don't have problems with squirrels so I still think they're cute. We have 2 nieghbourhood squirrels and much to my sister's horror (she lives back east where squirrels are pests) I leave peanuts out for them in the winter.

The other thing I did I absolutely adore! It's a sample for the shop but I told her she couldn't have it unless she promised once the patterns are sold out that I can have it back. She promised. The only thing I don't like is that it didn't tea dye properly. I guess I need to get a stronger tea, or leave the tea bag on longer. I need to practise cause I'm afraid I'll leave it on too long and ruin it.

Now aside from embroidery my piecing has to focus on my daughter's wedding quilt. Our weather is still beautiful although there is a stong wind from the West today. For once I'm glad our neighbour to our West has a 30 foot cedar hedge for privacy, it blocks the wind.

Mail Call

I am SO spoiled. I signed up for Angela's PIF and look what she sent me!



Sorry it's so blurry, or maybe it isn't. I just got new glasses so I can't tell *LOL* I especially love the shopping bag cause it's soft so I can fold it up and keep it in my purse. I'm always running small errands and I refuse to use plastic bags if I don't have to so it's very handy. I already used it yesterday picking up some pre-cut veggies for stir fry. They come wrapped on a tray.

Angela sells the bags too on her website Country Scraps Quilts

My other favorite thing is the little heart. Isn't it sweet? And there was also some fabric, a pattern and the neatest ruler for measuring seams. Now I'll have no excuse to have larger than 1/4" seams *LOL*

And while I'm on the subject of mail Molly sent me something too last week. Two of her gorgeous snowflake tree ornaments. She does amazing work.

Free Embroidery Patterns

I joined a stitchery group and one of the members who has a blog on here told me about another blog, The Painted Quilt. The blog owner Kaaren is offering a free embroidery pattern the first Friday of each month. I adore the Fall one she has now. It would be in her September 4 post. I'm working on finishing a quilt today and also a cute sample for the store. I'll post them when they're finished.

She's baaaack... again

Sorry to have disappeared from the blog from so long. Life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes.

For some reason we've ended up with Ontario's weather - sorry about that Hazel. It's been gorgeous here.. still is. So I've been out in the yard trimming things up while it's still enjoyable to be out there. I'm not a gardener but I do like it to look tidy.

Quilting wise I was working on the embroideries still. These are two of the ones I've done. I'm just doing a little sample of each pattern so people can get a better idea of what they will be like. Sometimes the photos just don't cut it.

This one is from a Bareroots pattern called Stitchery Basket/Accessories

And this one is from another Bareroots pattern for a camping quilt and pillow.

It's fun to do these cause they don't take long to stitch up. I basically look at it as a way to practise my stitching. I've done a few others but don't have photos of them.

On Thursday night I went to the first of a series of "Boot Camps" my LQS is having. When the owner asked for suggestions of what we'd like to see I told her I'd like to take some refresher type classes. We all develop bad habits in anything we do. Her first class was on Machine Quilting and we made a quilt as you go table runner. It sewed up really fast and with the shapes I got to practise blanket stitching around them while quilting at the same time. I also learned to couch, which is what I did with the rick rack ribbon that makes the tendrils on the pumpkin. I'd tried it before but that was when I had my Pfaff and I was using invisible thread. It REALLY didn't like invisible thread at all. For this one I used regular threads. I also did the binding by machine which usually I'm not too sucessful at but it worked this time. When I'm doing a class I'm not as sloppy as I am when I'm trying to rush to get something done.

Of course I don't get to keep this cause she wants to use it for a sample at the store. She has a hallowe'en mystery project coming up and this is going to be it *shhh* People just sign up and if they buy the kit then they can just sit down and learn how to complete it no charge. We usually hold these workshops for Halloween, Christmas and Easter.
Unfortunately my camera didn't capture the brightness of it. It's really pretty in person. Mostly batiks.

How Convenient

I keep meaning to take a picture of this but I keep forgetting. I'm so used to seeing it that it doesn't look unusual to me. Ever been shopping and needed a washroom but not been able to find one? Ladner has a solution to that problem. The municipality has erected 2 porta pottys by the side of the street just about the middle of the village. They've draped either side with a fake bamboo drape hoping to disguise it. Not so sure it works. I mean the white roof and little chimney vent thing kinda gives it away.

But still I think it's a very nice thing for them to do. Maybe one of the higher ups suffers from incontence or something *LOL*

I haven't been doing a lot lately. I'm still working on the bunnies. I forgot to take a picture of the one I just finished but tonight I start on the last one *whew* One thing it is doing is giving me lots of practise and I do enjoy stitchery.

My quilt I'm working on is ready for me to put the borders on. Don't know when that will happen. I'm kitten sitting this weekend. My son refuses to have the kitten stay here so I have to go stay at my daughter's for the weekend. That isn't all bad news. It gives me a break... although their house smells like stale smoke *blech* but I also get to play with the Nintendo WII which I've never done.