Patterns!

It's been a busy week catching up on projects. Last Tuesday I started preparing the 3 blocks from the De Deauville To Cape Cod BOM by Roxane at Scrap, Quilt and Stitch; I felt really behind and wanted some evening handwork desperately! The crazy quilt was first on my list but after looking for hours for the beads I gave up. I know someday I'll come upon them while searching for something else. Until that happens, it has to remain a WIP! I promise to keep looking! Not all my craft boxes are empty for lack of space. Frustrating...

So far, De Deauville to Cape Cod quilt has been the favorite project! I so dearly love working on this quilt probably because it makes me think of the beach days that we all long for. For these blocks, I decided to use the sky fabric I painted in Mickey Lawler's class at Road to California Quilt show. What great fun that was; I had never painted on fabric before, at least not intentionally like this. She's a wonderful teacher and I believe we all had a great day playing with paint and fabric. So it's fitting to put some of it to use in this quilt THIS year! 

Block 7

     Block 6    

 

Block 4

                                    

Just after Christmas, I made a camera bag for our daughter Isabel and it didn't take long to get requests for more bags. Our oldest daughter Madelaine wanted a weekender bag so it's been a project of mine to hunt for the supplies. Don't you love the hunt?? After close examination of the pattern I had originally chosen, it was clear that some changes would have to be made to make it sturdier. I decided to use another pattern but the amount of fabric I purchased was not enough. What to do? I decided to sew a sample of the bag in fabric I had on the shelf to see how I can make Madelaine's with her fabrics. 

First step was to quilt the outer fabric and lining... after Lolah got a good warm up, she was ready to go and she sewed like a dream! Not a skipped stitch, not a knot, nor a broken thread!! What a treat!! This pantograph is called Flowers For Haley. I used Magnifico in grey... LOVE IT! First time trying it out on Lolah and it quilted beautifully! Love the sheen too.

                                     

                                    

Then it was time to draft the pattern pieces... THERE ARE A LOT OF PIECES TO THIS PATTERN!!! and 3 small errors or discrepancies. I will be contacting the designer to inform her of this so she can make the changes. It does have to do with the measurements listed being different from those on the diagram. I cut before crosschecking the listed measurements... luckily I had plenty of fabric.

You'll have to wait to see the results of this bag. Remember it's only the sample bag!

Yesterday, though I chose to play with a smaller, quicker to assemble bag. One request came from one of my sisters; she wanted a small camera bag too. I asked her to measure her camera (Kodak Easyshare) and to choose her colors. Her request was for grey, blue, and yellow! This is what I found... you can see the chalk lines for quilting. This is a fat quarter piece of fabric.

 And I couldn't resist the mice for lining! The brown in the above fabric was very difficult to match!! :) Don't you love the 3 Blind Mice?

 Love the mouse on the bicycle too.

 This is the result...

 All the inside seams are bound. And she LOVES it! I have yet to add my logo on the strap.

Patterns... you see them everywhere! Paper patterns like the ones above, patterns in the snow, on the water, in the sky, in fabric, on this bird... a visitor to our yard this weekend. He's called a Northern Flicker; he's in the only family of woodpeckers that forages on the ground for food. This one is around our house daily... quite cute! Love his coloring! and the pattern on his back and wings.

I'll be linking to WIP Wednesday at The Needle and Thread Network and Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

Toodles,

Lorette

Feeling great!

Have you noticed the difference Daylight Savings has made? I have! I really feel the pull of hibernation in November when we move to Standard Time and can feel my body wake up in spring... wonders that are more pronounced this year since we've moved back home. I love it!

Today I anchored my new extra large cutting mat acquired at Tuesday Morning in CA before the move. The grid measures 33" X 60" but you can see the borders make it larger. Since I didn't want to adhere it permanently to my table with epoxy, I used what is common in earthquake country: Museum Wax. It's a necessary evil in California! Anything you want to make sure doesn't move during an earthquake should be "glued" down with this product. It's not a glue, but a wax... you scoop up a small amount, roll it in a ball and apply it to the piece and press it to the surface. It won't move!! EVER!! To remove the article, you twist it off! I don't plan on removing this mat for quite awhile so I hope this holds it steady for a long time. You can see through the mat where I've anchored it.

         

I got back to Scrap Quilt and Stitch's De Deauville to Cape Cod today! It feels great to handle fabric again! I've missed the creative side of quilting. I'm behind in this BOM by three months! YIKES!!! It's time I catch up!! I'll be preparing all 3 blocks before the appliqueing begins.

      

             

Since I need something to work on in the evening, I found this long forgotten piece I started in 2000! Yes you read that right: the year 2000!!! I attended Dalhousie University's Costume Studies in 1999-2000 and our year-end project was recreating costumes of the 1870s. While we were creating these beautiful costumes, I asked for donations of trims, fabrics, etc from all the students in the class and I put them together in a crazy quilt. You'll have to wait until it's done to see the final piece!

I'm nearing the end of this WIP (Work in Progress). It'll feel great to get it done and about time don't you think? It's a great reminder of a wonderful time spent sewing with great people, students and teachers alike. I can't wait to have this one done.

Today I'm linking with The Needle And Thread Network. Check them out and see what other creative people are working on in CANADA!

Toodles,

Lorette

March 13/2014: Also adding this to Let's Bee Social at http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.ca/ Go visit and see what this community of creative people are working on!

Details!

When we moved to the farmhouse in 1998 from Ontario, this small space was an ill-designed bathroom where the counter was much too tall or too big for the space and the toilet was facing the door and way too short. Both were removed and the space was turned into a closet. The redesign and renovation of parts of the farmhouse in time for our retirement made us decide to bring back the bathroom.

Today the accessories went in. Now we need to decide what to hang on the wall...

Speaking of walls, there is little room at the farm for a quilting design wall. Next to Lolah sits a large shelving unit where we've stored packed boxes that won't be touched until the future garage gets built. Storage, as I've mentioned before, is at a premium and we're trying to find creative ways to store our belongings and hide unsightly boxes. While researching curtain hanging equipment, we came across this cable system that could hang from the ceiling. It was worth a try and since it wasn't all that expensive, it wouldn't break the bank if it didn't work.

This morning, DH helped with the hanging and voila! a new multi-purpose curtain which by the way is composed of 2 tablecloths: it hides the boxes and serves as a design wall! This will have to do for now. I could have ironed the tablecloths if I knew in which box the iron was packed!! :)

This leads me to Peppermint Place... the last corner block's applique is done! Now I need to get my sewing machine into its proper place so I can get back to this quilt. It's already been too long since I've had a chance to work on it...

I must say that my eyesight is either getting bad or the lighting here is different. Perhaps maybe both statements are true. Since I like to work at machine sewing during the day, although there hasn't been any of that since before the move, I leave my appliqueing for evening work. I already need readers but I've longed for magnifying lenses for quite some time. Have you seen those advertised in the quilting magazines?? The ones that cost $900+?? I would love a pair of loops but I won't spend that kind of money for them.

For Christmas, I put several inexpensive options on my list and received 2 of them:

The first is a 20X magnification pair with LED lights. They aren't suitable for my purpose. The lights are very bright though! But they're too strong and the work has to be very close to see anything clearly.

The second pair is much more suitable, it has an LED light that pivots and has an extra magnification lens on the side that can rotate into the rectangular lens to add extra close up when needed. The headband is articulated at the sides with screws that tighten the "cap" to your desired reading angle and also allows you to flip it up out of the way without having to remove the whole unit from your head. The only draw-back is that the "cap" can easily flip down and will land on your nose if you don't re-tighten the screws. I like these and despite this little drawback, I'm quite happy with them. I haven't had to use the extra lighting but I know there will come a time when I will and it will be a welcomed bonus!

Details... there are plenty to deal with, to add, to adjust, to perfect when you move... one such detail was what to do with a table at which we've enjoyed many a meal here at the farm! It was a conference table we purchased in 1986 when the school of nursing across the street from us was selling their furniture before closing. It had seen better days but was still solid and serviceable. It weighs A LOT and we've moved this everywhere but to Los Angeles!

Years ago we took a belt sander to the top, stained it, then added 14 coats of polyurethane. There's not a hot cup or pot that could damage it!! Indestructible! It has a few issues though... it's a little high for a dining table although that's what we used it for; and it's too low for a proper cutting table; it hurts the back! So what to do with this table??? We didn't want to get rid of it... it was perfect for cutting fabric at a proper height... so we added wheels! Swivel and locking wheels.

I love it! I can spread out my projects and fabric and cut away... I believe I might want to add an ironing station at one end but I'll wait awhile before deciding that. Details... little ones make me happy! It doesn't take much! 

Looking at the bay last week when fog rolled in on the bay! Interesting phenomenon!! 

Just another detail... but boy! Am I happy to see it!

Toodles,

Lorette

Outside my window!

We've had some activity in the woods... Our newest neighbor, woodlot owner decided to cut logs off his land but in order to do this, he needed access to the lot. Our land borders his and the road is on our property. Permission was granted for him to have access last year but since that winter was milder with an earlier spring thaw, not all the logs were cut. They returned this winter to finish the job. 

In dry summer, it would be advisable to travel this road on a tractor... even then it could be tricky since the land is so boggy. We've done it a few times by tractor and wagon without problem but if the summer is rainy, one would not want to get stuck in the mud. In winter, with the ground frozen, there's little chance of that so it's much safer. Having seen the men go in and out in their trucks we decided to trek out there in our SUV to see the excitement in the woods.

This monster machine picks up the cut and stripped logs and brings them close to the house.
 before they get loaded on a logging truck.

It also clears snow in the yard before the neighbor can come clear the driveway. Clearly, the day after the blizzard, it was making a path for the worker bees!! His own car was by the roadside and the lot owner was waiting to drive up as well. We don't mind them fussing about a clear path! :)

We also ventured down our new driveway... this road is south of the main route and leads to the water and to the location of our future cottage. We built the road several years ago so that it would be well "seasoned" before we build. We also transplanted over 300 spruce trees we'd tagged from our own wood lot. This was done with a shovel and a lot of hard work digging up each sapling from the back hill and transplanting in a newly dug hole.

Deer tracks are everywhere... we did spot the mother and her fawn later that afternoon.

 It amazes me that this logging truck can come and go in and out of the yard but our moving truck couldn't navigate the curve into the driveway!!! Our contractor did mention that the day before the movers arrived, this logging truck actually ditched the back end of his trailer. He figured he'd be stuck here for quite awhile (it was quitting time!) but the driver of the logging truck used his claw (sorry... I don't know what else to call it!) to pick himself out of the ditch and put the back end back on the road. How clever!!

We've witnessed quite a few of these loads leave the yard and today it's been quite busy! And the last of the monster machines has left the lot. All that remains is for the logging trucks to return to pick up the last logs. We hear rumors that the owner of the lot next door will develop a blueberry field. Wild blueberries are big business in these parts. There's also an apple orchard with many varieties of apples on that lot. We have our own apples that need special attention. Maybe with the chainsaw!!!

Toodles,

Lorette

One week later!

Our mover/driver was unable to get up the driveway because of how low and long his trailer was. DH had to rent a Ryder truck to unload by the road and then drive it up to unload in the house. What should have taken 3 hours took 8 hours! Everyone was tired by the end of the day!

It's been an interesting week since to say the least. It all started off on the wrong foot... DH slipped on the ice the day after the movers left and injured his ribs at the site of a previous injury suffered on a bike tour in July 2012. It'll take a longer time to recover from this one no doubt; I just want him to recover completely and quickly. Unfortunately, he refuses treatment of any kind which includes medication to deal with his pain. I can't change his way of thinking, I can only support him in his decision and his chores.

Because of his injuries and limited mobility, he's been unable to help much in the way of emptying boxes. That activity has been mine which is just as well as I can take my time and plan what and where to store and what to donate. This old farmhouse lacks a good storage room! That will change as we prepare to start our big construction plan this summer. First off will be a garage/workshop with storage room upstairs. That will greatly relieve the tight space we live in today. In the meantime, we have to make do with what we have.

 

Lolah now sits comfortably in her room, on the frame; we thought she'd be safer set up! It was a big job in tight quarters surrounded by boxes but we managed. Our contractor installed ceiling LED track lighting above her bed which will greatly improve visibility in the North-East facing room. We could keep our contractor busy here for the next few years. My thoughts of loading a quilt will have to be suppressed for a little while longer as I continue to clear a path around me.

I don't want to offend anyone who has experienced this winter's record snowfall but we've really enjoyed the last three storms to hit our area. We've been away from this for the past 13 yrs and we really missed it. It was exciting to watch... we were like little kids going from window to window marveling at Mother Nature. The snow started falling on the day the movers were here. Luckily, it was near the end of the move when it began. Then Sunday's storm was fantastic: almost 18 inches of snow and blowing snow with winds so strong that at times, we couldn't see our car in the yard. A few days later another 6-8 inches fell overnight. What beautiful scenery snow creates! 

The trees surrounding the house were all dressed in white... it was fabulous. Friday's rainfall and yesterday's beautiful sun, warmer temperatures and a good breeze have melted more than half of it already and our yard is again mud. We do have snow in the fields and the forecast is for more deep freeze temperatures so winter isn't over yet. Thank you to our wonderful neighbor who comes by to clear our driveway!  

The wonderful thing about all these snow days is not having to go anywhere. LOVE being retired!!! Being retired also means we can sit and watch the Olympics without guilt! Canada does a much better job at reporting the games than the USA! We've just finished watching the hockey gold medal win of team Canada against Sweden! What a game!!! YEAH CANADA!! Both men and women hockey GOLD medal winners!!

After all this excitement it's back to unpacking and setting up the sewing and scrapbooking rooms...

Toodles,

Lorette

Bear with me a little longer please!

Our move from Southern California to Eastern Canada has gone well!

We trekked across the US for 7 days with only 1 day of bad weather. The movers were here to deliver our belongings 2 days ago; the internet was installed the same day and yesterday, the satellite dish for TV reception was installed. We seemed to be getting back to regular communications until our land line phone went dead! That's life in the country...

Please bear with me a little longer. I am amazed at the number of boxes we have; this is an old home and the requirements of that generation were very different from ours. It'll take time to find a way to store our belongings, hopefully not too long.

Lolah is sitting on a comfortable bed while awaiting her own space. I'm sure she'll look very pretty in her new room.

Toodles!

Lorette