A Bag will Travel

Now that Judith has received her tote bag that I made for her, it’s time to show it to you. This bag is very similar to the one that was sent to Peg; but it is slightly different. This is the last of the orphan block that started these tote bags.

Judith and I were doing a personal swap and this was my gift to her. She is going on vacation soon for 3 weeks and this bag arrived in time for her to put it to good use.

Have a great day!

Pattern Source: Paper pieced trees from EQ5 software program.

Meet the Gang

We have additions to the family for nearly 2 weeks now. Yep, we have cats in the house! We inherited them from my nephew. His BIL is very allergic to cats; thus the need to find a new home for them. What fun we are having with them! :o)

Meet Ashes. She is a ragamuffin and is adorable. Her domain is my sewing room and all I need to do is get within a foot of her and she starts to purr. Yesterday, I was trying to pin the stems for my Four Seasons Spring quilt and she was ready and willing to assist me; but it was more like ‘get in her way’ attitude. So, whoever receives this mini, if the stems are a bit crooked, blame Ashes

Meet Hank. SHE is a female and why her name is Hank, we don’t know. We are her 3rd. set of humans to have her. Hank started life in Scotland and has made her way to us here in Canada. Hank is my bed-making assistant and very, very friendly.

So, with these two beauties around, there is not much quilting going on lately (I did get my Winter quilt finished and will show that to you next week). We are spending time getting acquainted with each other and having fun in the process.

During the past few years when I’ve been browsing through all the quilt blogs, I would chuckle at all the photos of cats helping out. Now it is your turn to chuckle with mine.

Have a great day!

Exchange for Spring

I'm a bit tardy in getting the Four Seasons Spring Swap quilt on the go. By now, this quilt would have been finished and sent off; but lately I’ve not been in the mood to do much quilting.

We’re finally getting warmer weather and buds are starting to form on the trees. Soon, soon it will be time to think about getting pot plants and tending my perennial garden.

Gotta go …… this mini has to be finished this week! :o)

Have a great day!

Pieced or appliqué?

In my last post, Teresa had a question about the block: Was it pieced or all appliqué?

The little squares are hand pieced and the oval piece is appliquéd on last.

More charm packs have been ordered and these blocks are on hold until my parcel arrives sometime this week. I’ve so enjoyed working on these blocks and am glad that this quilt is being stretched into a bed size instead of a wall hanging.

You can be sure there will be more to show on this project sometime down the road. Mind you, I really should be working on my WIP’s ……. oh well. :o)

Have a great day!

My hospital crafting spot

Quilting, knitting and word puzzles were my activities while sitting with my Mom at the hospital. She slept 99% of the time that I was with her. It gave her great comfort to see me sitting there when she woke up and then would drift off to sleep again. She would ask what I was working on and always liked what I showed to her.

My chair was very comfortable and my quilting was contained in this recycled (you know me and my thriftiness for using recycled items) Swiffer case. The size was perfect for my needs and I could throw whatever I was working on in the box in an instant and not worry about dropping pins or a needle or scissors, etc. The lid snapped on easily and stayed in place.

Block after block of the Lover’s Knot was made. This is the first time that I did hand piecing and I have to confess that it was very relaxing to do.

This is what has been accomplished so far. In a previous post, Lynette Anderson had asked if there was a pattern. There probably is and May Britt could tell us more as she has one displayed in her post. I have seen this block many times in quilt magazines and when I saw it on May Britt’s blog, I just had to make it. My pattern came from EQ Block Base (#1532) and I’m using charm squares. If you want to do the same, you will need two of the same charm squares packs. I’m using a mix of Moda and Marcus Fabric charm packs. Sorry, but I don't know how many packs have been used so far. When I get my packs, I hand wash the charms and hang them to dry and then just throw them into a bin.

My intention was to make a wall hanging; but the more I look at the blocks on my design wall, the more I want to make it into a bed quilt. Yikes, I will need more charm packs! :o)

Have a great day!

Not just a box!

How fascinating this box is …… I’m like a kid in a toy store. Remove the lid and everything inside flops down flat …... remove the lid and everything inside flops down flat again …. and again …. and again. What fun it is to see this in action. Judith sent this to me as a swap for one of my tote bags. I just love the fabric choice and colours that she used to make this box.

I could not finish her tote bag because I had to suddenly leave to be with my terminally ill Mom. My parcel arrived while I was up north and it remained unopened for nearly five weeks. When my DH drove up for Mom’s funeral, he forgot to bring the parcel with him. Oh well …. but what a welcome parcel to open once I got home!

Now that I’m home, the tote bag will be first on my agenda to finish and mail out to Judith.

Thank you, Judith …… I love my needle box!

Have a great day!