Blast from the Past

This morning, I received an email from Kathy (my LAer) and she sent a photo of something she found in this magazine:

It was an article about a quilt that I had made from one of their patterns.  This was at the time when we lived in Scarborough, Ontario (a suburb of Toronto) and that is me holding up the quilt.

Talk about a Blast from the Past!  It made me chuckle and it made my day!  Thank you Kathy for sending this to me.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country!  My country will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!  BABA

Some Good News!

Recently, my friend Darlene and I each donated a couple quilts to a health organization for a silent auction.

For me, this was a test run to see if they would sell and be wanted.  Not everyone is into quilts .... I know, I know .....

Anyway, they all sold and for the highest bidding prices!  Woohoo!

These were the quilts that I donated.

Considering that hubby is using our health system more these days, it was a good cause to donate to.  I will have a couple more for next year.

Regarding hubby, he is falling less these days .... which I'm so happy about.  I didn't know what would await for me when I woke up in the morning.  A physiotherapist is coming to our home once a week to give him exercises to help make his legs and core muscles stronger.  We are just starting to see results.

He is also receiving help from PSW's twice per day now.  It just got to the point where I just couldn't give him the proper care that he needed.  I had to laugh one day when a new PSW came to visit.  He didn't know if it was me or hubby he came to help.  When I told him it was hubby, he said that he could also take care of me at same time.  That is how poorly my health has become.  I'm just so weak and tired these days.

I did make a trip down to Toronto to see a neuro surgeon.  He will be doing a muscle biopsy to help find out what is my problem.  I'm just waiting for a date.  This way, hopefully, an answer will be found and if there is a treatment or not.  I just need to know.

My sister and I will be visiting a few local nursing homes in the coming weeks.  An application for hubby will be submitted so that he can get on to a list for down the road.  If I go into a retirement home, hubby may not be able to come with me as he is on the cusp of a home vs. nursing home.  

We are working with a co-ordinator that makes things happen for us as she knows our goal is to stay in our home for as long as possible.  When my sister and her went to check our home for safety, she saw my quilts and was totally impressed.  I could hear them laughing and asked my sister why?  My sister then showed the lady all the quilts in the bookcase in my bedroom and she said that there were LOTS more in other places in the house!  LOL

So, that was my good news and not so good news ...

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

Cassandra's Circle

In my quest to move along some old UFO's, this project was pulled out and worked on.  Lots of applique to help keep me busy for a few nights.  Look at my beautiful Shweshwe fabric.  Love it and I have a bin full of this fabric in this colour.  I just drool every time the bin gets opened!  LOL

There are still three tiny circles to applique in the center, but soon I can start to figure out how to finish this.  There won't be any more blocks to make as a decision was made to cut back on the pattern and finish it.

My flying geese are slowly being work on and there are just four more rows to go.  Yeah.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

 

Joseph's Coat

Finally, finally, this quilt is finished!

I brought it to show at night guild and two lovely ladies held it up for all to see while I sat in my chair and talked about it.

In my mind, I have been thinking that this is a 15 yr. old UFO.  Duh, wrong!  It was started in 2009 and that makes it 17 yrs. old.  Now, the funny part is .... we have a high school principle in our group and when she heard about when it was started .... can you guess what she was thinking?  Math was never my strong subject.  Oh well .... move on!  LOL

Here is a closer look:

Anyway, can't say this has been a total joy to make.  A few different methods of applique was used until my favourite method was used to complete it and then the finishing became easier.  I'm glad it is done and crossed off my UFO list.

Quilt Details:

Source:  I can't find the source for this pattern.  It got lost while this project was being shuffled around for a few years.  This started as a quilt-along, but I think the blog is no longer active.

Started:  November 2009

Top Finished:  September 2025

Quilt Finished:  May, 2026

Quilt Size:  62-1/2" x 90-1/4" (top size before quilting, washing and drying:  64-3/4" x 93")

Batting:  Hobbs poly

Quilted by:  Kathy Harris using Midsummer Dream by Christy Dillon

So glad this quilt is done and put away for a rainy day.

On a different note, my niece and her family nearly lost their cottage that is situated on a lake in our city.  She sent me photos the next day.  Look how close the fire came!  Cause is possibly electrical from a water pump.

This was the fire taken from the lake.

My niece's cottage is the one with the Canadian flag.  Luckily, neighbours doused the side of their cottage with a hose to keep the flames from spreading.  The only damage to this cottage was a dryer vent that buckled from the heat.  Fire trucks were there but the fire was too far gone.  The cottage was old and wooden, so all they could do was keep the fire from spreading.

This was all that remained the next morning.  So sad as the owners lived there for 53 years.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will always, always be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

Flying Geese Again

The process of sewing all those flying geese blocks into strips is a tad tedious and boring, but they are getting done.  Only 6 more rows to go ...

I sew batches of 10 blocks from each colour and then join into a long strip.  It is slow going as there is a lot of pinning going on.

Yep, getting there.  Just those 6 rows on the right to do.

Guess what ..... I'm already thinking of borders and what fabrics to use.  Other fabrics have been pulled out, displayed and discarded.  So far, these are a go for now.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country!  My country will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

Flying geese ….

This project has leaped forward quite a lot.  Just a scattering of blocks to make and then assembly time. 

Yes, I saw that red block was placed wrong and it has been corrected and all blocks will be double checked to make sure they are going in the right direction before assembly.

Another pair of leg warmers have been made!  I’m so happy as my legs will be nice and warm this coming fall/winter.  Two pairs!  Yeah.  I’m also so happy that my change in knitting method is working out.

Then, I had some free time and got another section done on my EPP project.  Once the flying geese are off the design wall, that EPP project will get pinned and I can start sewing together the next section.

On hubby note, he is still falling.  This morning, his legs gave out and luckily he was using his walker and ended up on his knees and was then able to use his walker to stand up.  A physio lady is coming to our home on Monday to assess him and hopefully she will be able to help him build up strength in his legs.  Every day is an adventure ....

On a political note, a mining company in British Columbia just hired Kristi Noem.  WTF.  I thought we Canadians were smarter than that.  I'm absolutely disgusted hearing that news.  Perhaps that company is American owned or she has something on the owner .... or maybe the site is overrun with stray dogs.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country!  My country will 

ALWAYS, ALWAYS be CANADA!

What I’m working on ….

This past week has been busy with hubby.  He has been falling, falling, falling ….. and can’t get up again.  This morning, I had to call 911 to send paramedics to help get him up.  They are going to recommend a service to contact me and they will be working with us to help keep him safe.

So, not much sewing has happened, but I did get some sewing in.  I’m revisiting this project again to keep it moving along.  

The blocks are getting pinned onto my design wall.  So far, about 3/4 of the green and red blocks have been made ..... so I'm getting there!

I'm trying to get all Xmas quilts made and then donate the rest of my Xmas fabrics.  Time to deal with my stash.  

I don't know about you, but I'm praying for pouring rain on June 14 in a certain part of the world!  A certain orange clown needs to have a pissy day considering the cruelty he has imposed on the world and on humanity.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will ALWAYS, ALWAYS be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

A Few Finishes

I'm quite pleased that there are a couple finishes to share today.

First finish are these leg warmers.  Yes, I know, I know ..... a bit late in the season as we are finally rolling into nicer weather.  At least, come fall, these will be ready to wear to help keep my legs warm.  There is enough yarn in the big ball, so another pair are ongoing now.  Maybe, I just might have two pairs ready to wear come fall?   For knitting, I did have to change my usual method to accommodate my hands and this new method works for me for now.  In the past, I could easily knit for an hour, but now after 5 minutes, a break is needed.  Things are just slowing down now.  Same with quilting.  On the bright side, at least I can still do these things!

Next finish is this teapot placemat.  This was my night quilting guild challenge and so glad that this is done and ready to show at next meeting.  The back has a green leafy fabric which will be perfect for Xmas.  My plan is to have the teapot showing for the June potluck meeting and for the Xmas potluck meeting, I will just simply flip the placemat over and viola, perfect for Xmas. 

So, two finishes for the month of May.  Yeah!

Then, not to be outdone, this top is finally together.  Outer borders need to be added as soon as I find the teal blue fabric that was used for the HST's.  It is somewhere in my studio and a cleanup is in progress so that fabric can be located.  Can you see all of the scrappy blocks that were made?  I'm very happy using up all those scraps.

Now, about the cleanup ..... as fabric is being sorted and reorganized ..... you know, squirrels could be happening again.  As I'm sorting the fabrics, ideas are popping up in my brain and I know what is about to happen.  So many, many gorgeous fabrics to play with and they just have to be used in something, right?!

Binding is happening on a quilt, so perhaps next post that quilt can be shown?

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will always, always be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

BTW, comments can't be responded to.  I've been able to reply to some, but notifications are coming back to me that some can't be delivered.  So, if you comment and don't hear back from me ..... that is the reason why.

Exchange quilts

I participated in Humble Quilts 2026 Quilt Exchange.  This will probably be my last year to do so.  My hands are not as nimble as they used to be and I never want to send out a crappy piece of work.  I will see how this coming year pans out with my hands.

This is what I made this year for Janet in St. Louis, MO, USA.

It is always a problem for me to decide what to make as there are endless ideas dancing in my brain.

What about a simple Trip Around the World?  I get to use up a number of scrappy strips in the making.  Oh yes, this will work out just fine.

This was the start of my hand quilting.

The border.

The finished tablemat/quilt.  I'm pleased with it and would love to make one for myself too.  That always happens to me as I like what has been made.

Through this exchange, I got to meet two new lovely ladies.  Merry and Janet.  Go here to see what Merry sent me.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will always, always be CANADA1

Elbows up, eh!

New project!

This has been on the go since last fall.  It was to be something else, but then saw a photo ..... ummm ..... a squirrel ..... on Pinterest and the layout changed big time.  What kept me stalling was all those white blocks.  I decided to start making them up from my scraps and stash.  Finally, bit the bullet and started making them.  

Every other block is made from scraps.  Solid white fabrics were used to help diminish the need to match up all kinds of seams and it worked like a charm. 

You can see a few of what those blocks look like.  Anything that could be used, got used.  Did it make a dent in my whites bin?  Only a bit, but happy that the fabrics got used.  I'm not sure now about all those seams, but once it is quilted, those seams hopefully will disappear or be not as noticeable.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will always, always be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

Got my quilt!

This year, I participated once again in Humble Quilts 2026 Mini Quilt Exchange.  This link will take you to show all the quilts that were received in the exchange.

Merry in Mount Vernon, Washington sent me this gorgeous mini quilt!  What a delight to receive this.  Not only that, but it arrived on our 49th wedding anniversary.  What a way to start the day.

When these quilts arrive, I do like to look at each piece of fabric to see if was in my stash.  The only fabric was the blue border fabric but it has been all used up now.  Lovely to see it again.

Once again, thank you Merry for a lovely quilt.  This quilt will be added to the room off my studio with all my other exchange quilts from over the years.  Every time I go into that room, I stop and admire all those little beauties.  I will have to do a post to show them all again as there have been additions since last shown.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will always, always be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh

Who wants a Fort?

Well ..... these two little guys do!  That is why we make quilts!  To sleep under and to build a fort for playing.  Why not?  LOL

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country!  My country will always, always be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

Update or not on projects!

It has been a busy month for hubby with appointments, etc.  Still, a bit of work did get accomplished.

Meet Section B of my hexie quilt.  Can't believe that all these hexies will be assembled into a section!  These will be put on hold for a while and will be worked on later while sitting in our new gazebo and also for cottage trips.

Then, this UFO was pulled out and worked on.  After many, many years ..... a layout was finally decided upon and then pinned onto the design wall.  There will be some applique in the white border areas.  Soooooo happy to have finally made a decision!

It is hard to move or work on anything when this little guy flops down into my arms and sleeps like a baby!  What do I do?  Well, just sit back and adore him and watch some t.v. or even have a nap together.  Why not? 

A few weeks ago, when we still had snow on our back hill, five deer came for a visit.  Ridley wanted outside and he found an area with no snow and looked up at this deer for a very long time.  The deer stamped it's feet a few times but that didn't scare Ridley at all.  Can't see the deer?  It is just in front of the clump of three trees.  So very well camouflaged.  

I have also been busy hand quilting on my secret mini quilt for the Humble Quilts 2026 Challenge.  Just binding to add and a label, wash and dry and it is ready to be shipped out.  More on that quilt later once it has been received.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will always, always be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

April Showers .... er ..... Snow!

We've been having snow and rain lately.  This coming week the temps are supposed to remain above zero .... so perhaps we will finally move into spring?!  The snow we had overnight has melted on our driveway and the sun is shining today.  

March was a productive month for me but not much for showing.

My hexie project has moved on quite well.  The blue border in section B has now been fully sewn together.  Yeah!

Lots of hexies have been prepped.

Alas .... there are still lots more to prep before I can start pinning them to my design wall.

What else did I do?  Curtains.  I'm recycling the curtains from my living and dining rooms.  Ridley, the cat, tore them down two years ago when we first got him.  He tried to climb the curtains but they and the rods came tumbling down.  Now, Velcro tape has been added and that is what is being used to hang them just in case he decides he wants to climb again. My curtains are just side curtains so they don't close.   So far, he has stayed away from them.  Perhaps he remembers what happened last time he tried to climb them.  Now, those rooms feel more like home once again.  The vertical blinds work, but they felt sparse and too clinic like.  When ordering the blinds, I requested something that he couldn't climb and he doesn't even try now.  Also, the blinds are easier for my hubby to open and close as he just has to stand still in one place.  Less chance for him and me to lose our balance.  That is so important these days with our disabilities.

What will I do for April?  

Well, more hexies for sure.

Plus, a secret project that I'm working on for the swap challenge with Humble Quilts.  I've decided to participate again this year.  This will probably be my last year to participate, so I will enjoy working on my project and to receiving my mini swap quilt.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will always be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

Start of a new section

Here is the start of the next section on my Hexie quilt.  The blue borders will go on first and then as hexies become complete, they will get pinned in the center and probably moved around and around many times until I’m satisfied.

We have found out that Ridley loves playing in the snow.  He loves to chase snowflakes but can't find them when they land.  LOL  All of the paw prints in the snow are from him chasing the flakes.  We laugh each time we see him doing this but never have a camera on hand to catch him in the act.  Oh well, it just makes us happy to see him play and have such fun.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will always, always be CANADA!

Elbows up, eh!

Longing for Spring!

Oh yes,  I'm so looking forward to spring.  We are supposed to get some more snow for the next couple of days.  There is still about 2' of snow in our backyard and more where the sun doesn't shine.  But, enough about that.

My hexie project is moving along.  Since this photo was taken, all the fabrics for the next three sections have been cut and placed in their separate baggies.  My plan is to have the same fabrics in each section.  As each fabric was found and cut out, a blank hexie was pinned to the fabric and onto the next one I went.  That is why you are seeing a lot of white.  Now, the hexies can be basted for the next section.   The blue hexies for the border are all ready, so I'm thinking of pinning those on the design wall.

Since today is also Caturday .... how about a photo of Ridley.  Some mornings, he just doesn't want me to get out of bed and he just wants to cuddle and snooze.

This is the quilt he is laying on and the quilt on my bed for the month of March.  This quilt was finished back in 2022.

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country.  My country will always, always be CANADA regardless of what chaos the orange clown will create next!  After he is done with Cuba, he will go back to Greenland and then Canada.  It so saddens me to see how he and his cronies are destroying the USA from within.  Canada has moved on and so has the rest of the world and we are not going to get sucked into his madness.  Remember to cherish, cherish, cherish and cherish!

Elbows up!

Spring Ahead

Well, I didn't get the memo and forgot to change the clocks before heading to bed.  Luckily my ipad is programmed to change and it did and when my alarm went off at 8:30 a.m., I thought it was 7:30 a.m. because that is what my beside clock said.   Nope.  No problem, I can have a nap later to make up for the lost hour.

Yesterday afternoon, I went to my niece's hockey game.  The calibre of play was incredible for under 11 yr. old girls.  They lost their game but improved for their next game this morning which they won and then won a shootout to determine who was going to the playoffs.   They are now off to the playoffs.  Woohoo!

What did I accomplish this past week?  Well, more than I first thought.

My four corner blocks are done for my Down Home Christmas project.  This is a night guild challenge and I want to get it done to show at our Xmas meeting in December.  There will be about six applique blocks to be done and they will get prepped and ready to sew while hubby and I sit in our new gazebo this coming spring.  Spring is definitely coming as the temps are hovering above zero for the next few days.  Such a nice, lovely change.

I've also been busy prepping for the next three sections on my hexie project.  See all the paper hexies pinned in place?  That means that the fabric has been cut out for the next three sections.  The blue borders are already all prepped, so I can start on the next border any time now.

These are my three little piles of fabric cut for the next three sections (there are lots more in their section baggie).  It feels so good to make a start on the cutting.  I could have cut all the fabric at one time, but I didn't know how it would look and instead decided to concentrate on just the first section.  Now, it is full steam ahead.

I was looking for another UFO project and will be doing a clean up on a few shelves in my studio.  I also found a pattern that I have been wanting to make for about a decade.  Some fabric had already been pulled to help me make a start anytime now.  I need to resist until a few other projects have been dealt with first .... unless a squirrel happens to drop by ...... LOL!

Cherish your day, cherish your life, cherish your freedom and cherish your country!  My country will always be CANADA!

Elbows up!

February and March goals

Well, I actually had a good month .... watching the Olympics and hand sewing.  Yep, many hours were enjoyed by me!

First off, this quilt got it's binding on.  It has been added to the donation pile.  I'm doing more and more donations quilts lately.

This section of my hexie project is completely sewn together.  Lots of prep work for the next section is happening now.  The blue border hexies are all prepped, just need to concentrate on the other hexies.  When I prep for that section, the rest of the hexie pieces will be cut out at the same time.

Now for March .... what shall I feel like working on?  For this Chookshed Stitchers 2026 Challenge, I don't have anything written down.  I just go with what I feel could be accomplished.

So, I really, really need to get going on Charlotte's quilt!  I've been peeking at the instructions, but haven't gotten any further.

If I can get a few blocks laid out ready for sewing, some more Flying Geese blocks might get done.  Flour blocks at a time per week .... they add up quickly.

My 1-1/2" squares bin is overflowing.  Time to make some Waffle blocks.  If I lay a couple blocks out per night before going to bed, they will get sewn together the next day.

For my Down Home Christmas pattern, one block is done and another is laid out ready for sewing.  There will be applique and those I will keep for later this spring when hubby and I sit in our new gazebo.  We will be adding screen to keep out the mosquitoes and this is something we will be enjoying. 

So, a little peek at what I'm playing with.  

There are a few more scrappy projects that may have been started, but that can wait for another post.

What a crazy, crazy world we are living in right now.  The wrong First Lady was grilled for the Epstein saga.  Duh .... anyone seeing the photos know that the current First Lady should be front and center and grilled to exhaustion about what she knows.  What is wrong with the Republican Army?  I say Army because there is a history of a Republican President starting wars for no legal reason.  No war can make the rest of the world want to know who in power truly is involved with Epstein.

Cherish your day, cherish your life cherish your freedom, cherish your country!  My country will always be CANADA!