My Corona Tulips

At last, I was able to venture outside to take photos of this quilt on our hill.  Our spring has been wet and cold and miserable, but finally we are in the heat and I could safely drape the quilt on the stones without fear of getting it wet and muddy.

This is the backing that was used.  Whatever was left on the bolt was purchased but there wasn't enough.  After some careful cutting and piecing, viola!  The fabric is a rendition of Susan McCord's Vine Quilt and once I saw the fabric, I just had to have it.  

This quilt is currently hanging in our dining room.

Quilt Details:

Source:  Audrey from Quilty Folk blog so kindly offered the tulip block pattern to any that were interested (no longer offered) and I quickly asked if I could have the pattern and Audrey sent it to me and the rest is history.  A twist was added by the band of circles at the bottom of each block.  I must say this quilt turned out quite unique!

Tulip block size:  8" wide x 9" high (finished block size)

Circle block size:  8" wide x 3" high (finished block size)  2" circles were evenly spaced out

Started:  January 2021

Top Finished:  August 2021

Quilt Finished:  April 2023

Quilt size:  69" x 88" (top size before quilting, washing and drying:  73" x 91-1/2")

Batting:  Hobbs poly batting

Machine quilted by:  Kathy Wareham using Topsy Turvy Tulips E2E by Christy Dillon of My Creative Stitches.

Another quilt to display at this time of year when the tulips are blooming.

After taking photos, I turned around to gather up my quilt and noticed our elderly neighbours next door looking up at us and after a wave and hand claps, we all went our merry way.  They do enjoy seeing my quilt photo sessions on the hill.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Busy as ....

This past week was busy and so is this week.  My Hubby has one more week with the Parkinson's program and then he has homework to do to keep up the exercises and tips for getting up when he falls, for putting on a winter coat walking, writing and so on .....

He did have a memory test and didn't do so well.  Based on this, the Doctor is reporting him to DOT and they will send him a letter revoking his driver's license.  I'm happy about this as he was doing some funny things while driving and hasn't driven for about a year now as I started taking him everywhere.  On the upside, he has been referred to a memory specialist and they can determine if his memory issues are related to Parkinson's or the start of dementia.  We will also have a home inspection to ensure that our home is safe for us to get around.  He has also been referred to a speech therapist.  There will be a lot of appointments coming up.

Aging sucks, doesn't it ....

On a happier note, my hexie quilt-a-long is coming along quite well.  There are about 60 full hexies and 7 half hexies to do and then I can start sewing them together.  

This photo was taken on an angle so you can easily see how many have been done and how many to go.

Sadly, the binding for this quilt has taken a back seat.  This morning, fabrics were pulled to see which one would work well.  Maybe I might do something outside the box for me and make a scrappy binding!  Oh my!  LOL  It is a small wall hanging, so it won't take long to finish this quilt.  I may take it with me to the cottage this coming weekend.  This needs to be done by the end of this month as it is this month's binding challenge.  Better get cracking!

Nights have been cool lately with chances of Jack Frost visiting.  These are my annuals and they will stay in the garage during the night.  After June 1, it might be safe to finally get them planted in pots and placed outside.

Back to the issue of the b.e.a.v.e.r and the tree it chopped down by the lake at our cottage.  At the water edge, all these branches were picked up by myself and my sister.  These were brought home and I will wash them and then place them in a pot for display.  I was totally amazed by the workmanship the b.e.a.v.e.r did in stripping the bark off these branches.

Look closely and you can see teeth marks.  Some are single, some are by two and some are by four to indicate upper and lower teeth.

When I picked up this branch, was this mud?  Nope, for some reason, the b.e.a.v.e.r skipped over a couple of inches of  bark.  Weird, huh!

How many hours did it spend chewing away the bark?  We will never know.

 

The cottage is now open for the season, but with a few hic cups.  We may need a new water pump as water was gushing out from the connection under the sink.  Yikes, it took five towels to soak up the water.

Ah well .... cherish your day, cherish your life!

Hexie Quilt-a-long and 46th wedding anniversary.

Much, much progress has been made on this project .... because ....  that is the only thing I'm working on right now, except for bindings!  I'm obsessed with these hexies!

After looking at this photo, I realized that most of the hexies have been turned around ... so great progress has been made.   Since this quilt will be reversible, I want the back to look interesting too and colour placement is crucial.  You can probably see some triangle scraps sitting on top of some hexies.  Those are the back colours that will be used of which some are off on the side waiting their turn to be used.

A lot of batting pieces have been used up in the process, of which I'm totally pleased about and a lot of charms as well.  My charm bin is reducing, but there are a few more quilts that can be made using them up.

The program that hubby is on for Parkinson's is working for him.  He can now get up off the floor or ground when he falls.  Gardening is now better for him.  He can pull weeds without falling over while on his knees.   He still has issues with walking, but there are still two more weeks to get into a good pattern for that.  There has been improvement, but more to come.  The important thing is to keep up the work after the program ends.  Heck, the program has been good for me too.  I participate in the warm up exercises and then sit back and observe for the rest of the session.  Next up that I need to obtain is a doctor referral for a speech therapist and another for dizziness.  He is having great difficulty speaking some days and the dizziness is an ongoing situation for a number of years now.  He has had an MRI showing nothing to cause it.  Dizziness is part of Parkinson's, so that could be the cause.

Cottage season is now here.  My sister and I took a run out with a load of supplies.  A beaver has been busy chopping down a tree.  I didn't take any photos but will next time out there.  We did have some flooding in our area and our lake was up about 4-5 feet above normal.  We can tell by the debris left on the shore how high it rose up.

Today is Mother's Day as well as our 46th wedding anniversary.   I've never spoken of this to too many people as I didn't and don't want sympathy.   I'm writing this for posterity for my descendants to know the story as this post will be published into a blog book as well as recorded on the family tree info.  This is a happy/bittersweet day for us.  We were married in 1977 at 2:00 p.m.  My Day died from a massive heart attack on the way to the reception.  He was gone around 4:00 p.m.  My brother's girlfriend had a baby girl around 6:00 p.m.   To compound the issue, my Dad's mother passed away on the same day in 1969.  A day full of joy and sorrow.

I remember telling my parents our plans and they looked at each other when they found out the date.  I wish they had said something at the time as the date could have been changed for another day.  After the funeral, my Mom asked me why that date was chosen and I told her that was the only time available for the church as well as venue.   Would it have changed the outcome?  Probably not.  It is what it is and life goes on.   I was 16 at the time my Grandmother passed away and I didn't keep track of important dates back then.  I wish I had.

In hindsight, our wedding was small with only immediate families on both sides.  Our parents were our witnesses to our wedding and what an honour to have their signatures on our wedding certificate.  A friend of my Mom's was going to write up about our wedding in our local paper because this is how weddings were done before the invention of the current wedding parties.  

So, now you all know.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

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April and May Binding Challenge

Well .... we did it again!  April came and went and we both have another quilt done.

This is no-blog Mary's quilt.  The before on the left and with the binding on the right.  Mary said that she doesn't even remember making this quilt .... so it is very, very OLD!

 This is my tulip quilt and I will be showing more of the quilt on another post.

For our May challenge, Mary dipped her hand into a black garbage bag (yes, these bags holding her quilts gives me the chills) and pulled out this quilt.  Surprise!  This is another huge quilt and the pattern is Pushin up Spring by Apple Blossom Quilts.  She doesn't remember making this quilt; but, the pattern was published in 2009 ... so, I'm guessing this has to be very old also.

For me, my red/neutral circle quilt is being done for May.  Can you see all the blue x lines .... don't worry as they will all disappear once this quilt is washed.  I use Crayola Washable Markers and they work for me.  I want this quilt ready for hanging in our living room for the month of June/July to help celebrate Canada Day.  All the other red swirls is the quilting called Circle Meander.

It is a busy time for me right now.  Cottage season is opening soon and I'm gearing up for the first run out there to open the cottage and bring in supplies for the season.  

Also, my husband is on a month long Parkinson's program to help him with this disease.  It runs four days a week for an hour each day.   He was on a six week program to help him build up strength in his muscles as he was having difficulty just getting out of a chair and walking.  He has been working a bit in the garden and is using a cane for balance.  

You may have noticed that my posts are not as frequent each week.  Life is just too busy right now and my quilting and blogging are starting to be put on the back burner.  You know how it is .... life gets in the way and we must deal with these things.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Hexie quilt-along!

Well, well ..... surprise to me .... I'm actually loving this now.  When I first started, I wasn't sure at all and was thinking that this might just end up as a tote bag.  Instead, this will become a twin size quilt.

Three quilts were picked up from the LAer .... so these can be added to the pile for the monthly binding challenge.  I have enough quilts to do until the November challenge.  There are two more tops that will go to the LAer, so that will bring me to the end of this year and for January.  Not sure about next year unless a few more UFO's get completed.  Nah ..... who's kidding here ..... there will be more quilts for another year, for sure!  LOL

Cottage season will start soon and my quilting time will be limited.  There will be a few wee boys visiting and they will need to be entertained and watched over.

My shingles episode is getting better.  The blisters have healed nicely and each day the area is fading to a dull red versus the fiery red that it was, but the skin is just so, so tender right now.  Just a gentle breeze and rubbing against any kind of cloth and it hurts.   Any kind of scratching brings on a deep pain .... so no scratching allowed!     My shingles is in an area just above my waist to under my boob that extends from the middle of my chest to my side and to a few patches on my back.  No fun.  At least now, sleeping through the night is a good night.  For the first few weeks, I felt like Goldilocks and the three bears ... I just couldn't find a comfortable place to sleep and tried sleeping in bed, then on the couch in the living room then in my chair in my studio.  No place felt just right.  All I could get was just a few hours here and there and I was tired and in pain.  Meds helped for a bit, but that wore off after a few hours.  Now, meds are taken only when the pain gets bad.

So, on that note .... cherish your day, cherish your life!

Pesky Squirrel!

Oh dear, a squirrel and a herd of 10 deer came to visit!

I didn't get a photo of the deer .... we were too busy watching them!  Never have we seen so many at once.  Our neighbour called to ask if we are watching them too.  They have been living here for decades and they never saw that many in one go.

But .... that pesky squirrel ..... 

This will be perfect for a summer take along to the cottage.  Opening season will start next month as we are gearing up stuff for taking for the first trip into the cottage.  We just need the dirt road to dry up a bit more before attempting the trip.

This is a quilt-as-you-go hexagon quilt.  Really, really different for me.

How am I making these?  I found two different sized hexagon templates that work just fine.  There is enough seam allowance (5/8") for turning to make the binding around the edges.  More of a seam allowance would be better.  Here, you see, is the backing, the poly batting (hidden) and the top fabric.

After eyeballing the placement, all the pieces are pinned in place.

Now the folding over starts.  The bottom right has already been folded twice.  The arrow on the left shows just one fold to the edge of the inner pieces.    There will be one more fold and then I can move onto the next edge and so on.

Here is my completed hexagon with hand quilting in the center.

These are my two hexagon templates for cutting out the back and the top pieces.  For the batting, I just place the top piece on top of the batting and cut the batting with scissors.  Sorry, but I can't remember where these templates came from.  As you can see, they are not from the same set.

This is the start of my quilt.  None of the hexagons have been joined together yet.

About three a day can be made .... so the progress will be slow .... but in the end, I will have a completed quilt.

Fabrics are being auditioned to see what will work or not.

In the meantime, this project is using up a lot of charms from my stash plus leftover batting.  I'm using poly batting and it is making the hexies puffy.  I'm not sure this is me but will be interesting to do.  My garage friend made one in brighter colours and she used 80/20 batting.  Seeing her work on her quilt made me think I should, at least, just give it a try.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Winding Trails 1 & 2

Here are my two "Winding Trails" quilts.

Both are approx. 54" x 76"

Pattern by Karen Grisha

Batting:  Hobbs 80/20

Machine quilted by:  Kathy Wareham

These are both donation quilts for a women's shelter in a neighbouring town.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!