Hedgerow Harvest

You have all been very patient with me and my quilting.  Yes I have been sewing but as I said last time I am not really able to show you what I have been up to.  Three of the baby quilts are finished but not yet delivered. I have been doing lots of preparation for the class. I had been a bit lax last session with ideas, mainly because so much of my time was spent with Mum, but I am sure no one will be complaining about that.  That time was special.  I have just completed trials for two different class projects, one is the on going Block of the Month and the other is a fun and easy gift project which we will attempt at class when we have our Cake and Craft evening at the end of the month.  In actual fact it took me longer to write up the tutorial for the second one than it took me to make it!!  This little item could be completed in under an hour, but with all the chit chat going on at class I'm not sure they will manage it, however there will be the threat - no finish, no cake!

It's been a busy week in the household, autumn is with us and the two male members of this household went off berry gathering last weekend.  Result - Kilner jars full of Sloes topped up with gin.  Soon to be put away to infuse and be ready for next year.

What a lovely colour

They also collected lots of elderberries which have magically turned into lovely jelly ideal for putting on these delicious scones I made this morning.

Look closely the one at the front seems to be smiling.  What fun!

 

Ok enough rambling, down to quilting.  I completed three quilt tops when on holiday and I am now about to sandwich together the first one. Here is a sneak preview and I will hopefully have a bit more to share with you next time.

About to be sandwiched - need to decide on which cosy fleece

On another note, a very BIG thank you for the very generous donations made in Mums memory to Marie Curie Cancer Care.  I have thanked those involved personally on behalf of our family but I feel it is necessary to say thank you here so that everyone is aware of what is going on behind the scenes.

I hope you are all managing to do a bit of stitching this weekend.

A Little Slow - Sewing that is!

I am sorry followers I haven't been keeping up to date here.  Since coming home I have been playing catch up, trying to get my house in order.  There seems to be so much to do and little time to get it done.  I am sure all you quilters out there often say 'if only I had more time'.

I have managed a little sewing but I can't show you any of it just yet, sorry.  As I mentioned before there are baby quilts to be done, so that's what I have been concentrating on this week.  

Our class exhibition is all set up in the library and I have managed to make a basic table runner for the raffle, proceeds of course going to Marie Curie Cancer Care this year.  The display will be on show for a couple of weeks and we will draw the lucky winner of the runner at the end of November as it is made with red green and gold fabrics it will be a nice decoration for someone over the festive period.  If anyone would like to take part in this draw just go to my Just Giving Page using the donate tab above and leave a minimum donation of £2 with your name, then use the contact form on this page to send me your details and I will make sure your name is included twice in the draw.  

Hopefully I will have more photos and news next time.  Happy quilting.

Class Tutorial

Some changes had to be made to our class schedule this month.  Nothing had been arranged for last night so I thought I would show the ladies how I made my cathedral window pincushion.  Good Plan!  Except I had left my new pincushion in Canada for my sewing box there so I didn't have the sample to show, only the picture.  Undeterred another sample was cut out and we all enjoyed (I think?) a fun night and learned something new. I look forward to seeing all the pincushions when they are completed, then we could have a group photo.  What would you call a collection of pincushions? 

This time I did find a sparkly button which I think finishes the whole thing off.  Had I thought about this for a little longer perhaps I should have added a little ribbon before sewing it all up.  Given the colours it could be hung on a tree later in the year. Oops I'm not going to mention that word just yet am I?

Festive?

I also have another finish - remember some of these fabrics, sorry I can't show you the quilt just yet.

Riley Blake - Life in the Jungle is the feature fabric

The first of the baby quilts is finished and will be heading off very soon to the first new arrival, Harry.  I will reveal the complete quilt when he has had the opportunity to try it out! Congratulations to the very proud parents  E and R. 

Back Home

Does anyone have an easy solution for jet lag apart from putting up with it or not going on long haul flights?  I know there seems to be many remedies out there, but I am afraid I haven't found an ideal solution.  Forays to the kitchen for tea and toast at 4 or 5 am can be quite normal for me after a long haul flight and I have been known to be writing class newsletters or doing a bit of reading before breakfast. I thought I wasn't too bad this time around until the sniffles started, which has developed into a head cold.  Ho hum I am feeling sorry for myself.

However feeling sorry for myself is pointless.  Roll up the sleeves and do something.  Well yesterday I rearranged my sewing room - well not exactly rearranged, just moved a table and put a bookcase in place.  Watch this space!  I have a few ideas for my fabric stash.  I don't know how you store your fabric but mine is all in boxes sorted in colours. My stash is growing quicker than I am making quilts at the moment so something needs to be done and soon, the lids won't go on properly they are too full.  I have decided that when you have them stored in boxes you seem to forget what you have, or at least I do.  Note to self: stop  buying fabric for a while.  I think I said that last year too! 

If you have been following along you will know that quite a few metres were bought when I was on holiday.  This morning I've been scanning them and saving them on my PC for when I use EQ7.  I use this software programme to help me see how my fabrics work together when planning a project.

My next task is to decide on the baby quilts I have to make. That will be my goal this month, together with making some headway with fundraising for Marie Curie Cancer Care.  I hope to start up an online shop to sell some of my finishes for the charity.

Our quilting class schedule needs a bit of tweaking too so I need to find something to inspire the class on Tuesday. Off to find my thinking cap!

Engadene Lodge for Afternoon Tea

Thanks to our good friends we enjoyed afternoon tea today at Mount Engadene Lodge.  A short drive away, the warm and inviting Lodge is set in normally majestic mountain scenery on the Spray Lake Road above Canmore.  It was a bit overcast and rainy today though.  This is not my favourite road surface, as it is not a paved road and as you climb steeply up the winding road it is very rough and rugged and shakes every bone in your body. I have driven it once and that was enough, although the scenery is usually spectacular, today the clouds were masking the top of the mountains and a few flakes of snow were falling as we approached Engadene.  As ever our expert driver negotiated the washboard ruts and potholes and we arrived just in time for a scrumptious afternoon tea.  Leaving the car in the car park and walking to the lodge this female Moose was spotted down in the meadow below.

I am not quite sure what she was eating down in the mire, but she looked as though she was happy enough.

We were welcomed by the very friendly lodge hosts and we sat looking over the meadow hoping we might see more of the moose family.  What a delicious spread of goodies, we were allowed to help ourselves to cheeses, crackers and olives, dips, nachos and fruits, followed by a superb selection of pies, cakes and loaves all washed down with a refreshing cup of tea or two.

 

 

This little fellow was spotted sitting in the tree opposite our table, obviously he was enjoying his afternoon snack as much as we were.

 

 

 

Back at home we have just had a late, light supper.  A very enjoyable day with very good friends!! Thanks for a lovely day.

The sewing machine and all my fabrics, mat, rulers and notions are packed away for now as we head back to the UK very soon.  I didn't want to start another project so I will just content myself with a bit of knitting, reading and planning what I will be doing next.

Hope you all had a great weekend too.

My Unwanted Scraps - Gone to a better place

You will all be pleased to know my scraps here in Canada have gone to a good cause. Unfortunately I did say I was binning some fabrics in one of my previous posts, fabrics that I was really fed up looking at and had used so many times. I got so many comments about me binning fabric. As some of you will know I, like many quilters, am a very thrifty quilter I waste nothing!! That throw away line got me into so much trouble. I really need to be more careful how I say things, I have a reputation for saying things and regretting them later. So after making a few enquiries this is what happened to them.

The local hospital here had put out a request for craft supplies for their extended care facility. This would allow residents to be able to take part in and enjoy crafting to make new soft furnishings for their facility. Yesterday we took along a big bag of batting scraps which I hope will be ideal for table runners, cushions and stuffing for soft toys, together with a bag of the scraps which have overstayed their welcome in my box and have become a source of angst. I hope you will all feel better now you know they are being up cycled.

My sewing has been progressing now that the weather is a bit cooler here and the new bundles of fabrics are beginning to turn into tops. I have been strip piecing and have made some half square triangles, two very easy and quick methods of piecing. I will leave the more complicated patterns till I get back home.








I will not be revealing these just yet, I am taking them home to Scotland to sandwich up and quilt. Please keep following along and you will soon see the finished quilts which will eventually be put up for sale to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

I hope you are all planning your projects for the coming months, it is so nice to close the curtains on the darker nights and sit in front of the sewing machine or the fire with a new project. Being still in summer holiday mode I have not yet thought about the next holiday season - I am not mentioning that word just yet although there are lots of seasonal fabrics appearing in the shops.

Have a good day folks, I hope you find time for a stitch or two today.

More Fabrics

I have a few baby quilts to make over the next few months and when I visited the quilt shop in Cochrane earlier this this week this is what I bought.  Bright and cheery and in my eyes suitable for either boy or girl.  As many of you know I have great difficulty with girly colours so I guess I always seem to veer to the boys colours.  Never fear I promise I will look for some more girly colours too!  I intend doing something with HSTs (half square triangles for those not quilty minded)

We went for a short drive this afternoon down by the river, a few folks were out enjoying the trails, a photographer capturing Yamnuska and a couple of fishermen drifting in their boat downstream - no wildlife!  As we sat enjoying our afternoon coffee we could see the storm clouds building up to the west.  By 4.00pm we called it a day and returned home just as the rain came on.  

I decided to make a huge pot of warming soup for dinner - sweet potato with cumin and ginger. Hearty and warming, it was delicious. Lamb chops, green beans, mushrooms and garlic potatoes followed, all rounded off with a lovely glass of wine.  I did sneak some sticky toffee pudding and icecream to complete the meal.  

If I don't fall asleep I may just do some stitching tonight using some of these fabrics for my next quilt.  Have a great week folks, I hope all my friends at quilting class have made a start to their BOM (block of the month) or at least had a look at it.  It will soon be time for the next one!  Happy stitching.