The De-Cluttering Continues ........

............So not a lot to say about anything new on quilting.  I've just been working on the same quilts and doing a little bit of stitching for the charity fundraisers.  Until next week here are a few photos.

Needlecases

Ahhtishooo!  

This Way - all finished

My finished folded log cabin cushion - Happy Halloween!

Hubble Bubble

It's that time of year, season of mellow fruitfulness, beautiful autumn colours and making hedgerow jams, jellies and preserves.  Plum jam was the first at the end of last month then Rowan and Apple jelly last week and this is the second batch of plum jam yesterday, and before the jelly pan was returned to the back of the utility room cupboard hubby decided to have a try at quince and apple jelly, quinces bought at the local market and crab apples from his Mum's trees.  Store cupboard full!

It's a quieter house now without Techie and he is settling into his new home and getting everything put in its own space.  We have being trying to do the same - slowly tidying and rearranging rooms, doing a bit of decluttering as we go along.  This is not a quick fix and it could take a   l  o  n  g     while.

I have managed a few evenings sewing this week and on Tuesday at class T gave a tutorial on how to do a folded log cabin block.  This made for an enjoyable evening with all the equipment in use and the sewing machines humming.  I used some autumn colours with cream all found in my scrap bucket.  I continued with the block and decided I will make three others to join together and perhaps make a cushion cover.

The binding has been stitched down on That Way but the label is still to go on.  I like how this one has turned out its so bright and cheery.

I have no plans for this week other than I have a couple of ideas for small items for some fundraising for a few charities which are looking for crafty items for their Christmas Fayres so I might try them out to see if they are worth passing on for sale.  

Have a good week.

Under The Needle

This has been a much more productive week for me all round.  Not only have I managed a bit of sewing I have managed to calm myself and don't feel quite as manic.  My mind is a bit calmer and I have tried to make time for myself as well as my family this week.  The results you will see below.  I am in the process of working on four, yes four UFO's.  Under the needle today have been Which Way and That Way.  I must admit I have made quite a bit of progress on these bright cheery quilts.  I like everything about them, the colours the patterns,  the stitching - they have just come together well and no hitches so far!

That Way - Half Square Triangles

Which Way - Flying Geese (very appropriate for the season)

Last night I put the final stitch in the binding of the scrap quilt I started in Canada.  This was fun stitching all the little 2.5 inch squares and remembering all the projects I have made using the fabrics, you may even recognise some of them too.  I bought the trellis fabric for the background in Sugar Pine from their sale room. The border was from my stash and I have had it a long long time. I knew I wanted to put the blocks on point but my head was not allowing me to work it all out and I wasn't quite sure how to go about it until I remembered the exploding block!  yep success although of course I forgot that you lose the points don't you.  Ahh well not to worry, this is another charity quilt and while I do like try to perfect my points (don't we all) I am sure this little quilt will keep someone cosy throughout the winter.

I am a very contented and happy quilter tonight - I am up to date again with my blog posts, the Gallery Page is about to be updated and I'm looking forward to finishing off Which Way and That Way over the next week.  I believe today was 'Sew Saturday' with events going on all over the country, however I enjoyed my Sew Saturday in my sewing room stitching away merrily on my own and I achieved lots.  I hope you all had a good day!

Time Flies

Oh dear, it seems I have been dragging my feet again with regards my blog. I realised last night that I had not updated you all this week.  Before I start writing a post I always go back and read my previous one.  I don't want to be repeating myself now do I?  I was horrified to find that my last post was on the 18th September. That's four weeks ago!

Well as you have probably realised I've had a hectic few weeks since coming back from our holiday in Canmore.  Where has that time gone?  Sadly my sewing machine still sits idle, the dust is gathering on my cutting mat and my fabrics I bought on holiday still lie waiting to be put away.  So yes you've guessed no sewing updates again.

The experience of looking after our grandson was fun as expected, although we had a little 'moment' at bedtime.  He is not used to being put to bed by Grannie and of course it's a very long time since Grannie put a wee one to bed.  We survived though and I had a great time and I'm sure he doesn't usually have his breakfast toast with both honey and jam.......... no don't worry I didn't give in to that one!

Ingliston Quilt show was a good day out, unfortunately K did not receive any ribbons but it was great to see her quilt hanging with all the other entries.  Well Done K!

K's Faberge Quilt - beautiful hand quilted feathers

The show itself I thought was a little disappointing, lots of lovely quilts some expertly sewn, but it seemed all the top spots were won by what I would call the professionals, some of which I had seen before.  Perhaps next time the organisers should include a category for new exhibitors or newcomers to the quilting world.  I don't think there were so many stall holders and a few of the regulars I thought were missing.  It was held in a larger hall than the previous McRobert Pavilion which is being renovated, there was easier access, a larger cafe, more room between the aisles and quilt displays but in my opinion the one downfall was the poor lighting.  I didn't make any fabric purchases but did buy a couple of books.  It was worth the visit though.

Last weekend was spent in the Aviemore area where we attended a wedding.  A glorious weekend, beautiful bride and wedding party and great venue.  It was good to meet up with all our friends and see how their families have grown and blossomed over the years into young professional men and women making their own mark on the world.

So here we are another week on - this last week has flown in a mixture of house sitting, waiting for deliveries, shopping, cleaning, packing boxes, washing floors and windows and hanging curtains in readiness for the big move.

Techie has been getting himself organised for this move for a long time and of course we have all been involved.  He moved in to his new home over the weekend and last night our house was so very quiet by this I mean the noise level - there's still plenty to be organised and tidied, laundry to be caught up on, cleaning to be done etc etc.  But I miss his whistling already and the sound of the television/music in the next room has gone.  Life moves on and I wish him all the best as he makes his little house into a comfortable home allowing him to do what he wants, when he wants without any mealtime restrictions being put on him by his Mum and Dad.  

I hope to get a bit of sewing done this week.  Tonight I plan to sit and tidy my work space and decide where and which UFO I should start on.  I'm sure it will be a long todo list and there are a whole lot more ideas swimming around in my head.  

I hope you have all been more productive with your stitching than I have.  The curtains are being closed earlier now as autumn approaches,  it's time to pull out the hand stitching switch on the daylight light and sit by the fire, perhaps even listen to an audio book while enjoying the pleasure of sitting under a quilt stitching.  Happy days!

Back Home

We left snow topped mountains behind last Sunday and I can't believe we have been home almost a week already.  

Jet lag has been awful, early morning, 3.30am forays to the kitchen for tea and toast and woozy head in the mornings.  I would like to say I am feeling a bit better but it lingers and it can hit you when least expecting it.  I am however managing a full nights sleep now.  

It's been a busy week catching up with all the family, we had a little visitor yesterday which was lovely and enjoyed some time in the garden in the sunshine.  It's amazing how quickly little ones grow and this little boy is no exception - we saw quite a difference in only 3 weeks away.  He is copying everything and is very chatty.  

                                   

       

Techie has taken the first step on the property ladder and has got the keys for his house.  It's exciting times as our lives will change once more.  Today Techie and I are off shopping for curtains and soft furnishings for the new house.  It's always fun to help spend other people's money and good to spend time with him to help him set up in his new home.

There has been no machine sewing this week but I did manage another hexi the red one is now sew together.  

My machine is sitting patiently waiting for me to summon up the time and energy to move on to the next step of my bright rainbow quilt, but first I need to get it up on the design wall to see the placement of colours.  I bought a 'roadway' panel for S for his cars when I was on holiday.  I need to decide whether this is going to be a hand stitching project which was the plan when it bought it but......... that may take me too long to do.  I think he is ready to start playing with it soon.   I also have a couple of WIP to finish,  if you remember I pieced two tops just before I went off on holiday This Way and That way.  They will need to be sandwiched up and quilted too. 

Next week looks as though it's going to be busy.  I must get my hair cut, all of a sudden I can't do a thing with it and every day seems to be a bad hair day,  I am looking after our grandson for a couple of days to allow Mummy to do her field work while Daddy is off with his pupils on an outward bound activity week.  Grannie and S will have fun and have some adventures on our own hopefully.  I'll take my hexi project with me and perhaps do some stitching if, and it's probably a big if, he has a nap.  

At the end of the week I'm off to the Quilt Show at Ingliston.  K has submitted an entry - she has entered one of her stunning quilts and I am looking forward to seeing it hanging and being admired with all the others on show.  Her quilt is one of Jinny Beyers designs and has been expertly executed with mitred borders and beautiful hand quilting.  Oh, and the colours are gorgeous!  Look out for it if you go along to the show, Good Luck K!

I am not short of things to do, so what will you be working on this week?  Whatever you decide to do enjoy the process, relax and have fun, it's good to see things growing and evolving.

On Top of the World

I had forgotten how beautiful the view from the top of a mountain can be.  As a long time retired fairly basic skier I used to enjoy the amazing vistas you were able to enjoy when at the top of a chairlift.  Yesterday we took advantage of a summer visit to the top of the Norquay ski hill in Banff.  It was somewhat strange going up in the chair without skis dangling from your feet and I had forgotten how much movement and bumps you had to endure on the way to the top but they actually stopped the chair to allow you to dismount - no balancing tricks trying to ski off.  What a view, we have been waiting all week for a clear day and we were not disappointed.

A coffee in the restaurant rounded off our visit, the return journey was a bit daunting.  Although I had  travelled up a mountain many times when skiing never had I experienced the chairlift going down.......just a wee bit scary!

We are almost at the end of our stay here but obviously have been in touch with home and all things going there.    One of our sons colleagues had a little baby boy at the end of June.  Baby CT was diagnosed just last week with a heart defect and had a procedure on Tuesday at the new hospital for sick children in Glasgow.  I got to hear about this and thought I would get in touch with ER our local Linus co-ordinator to see if it was at all possible for a Linus quilt to make its way to the family at this anxious time.  

I thought this was a long shot - especially as I'm on the other side of the Atlantic involving time differences etc. I heard later that evening that a quilt was delivered by a contact of ERs.   They had managed to find the family.  All I had given was the little boys name!  

                                     

The procedure went as expected. This is the photo Mummy F sent to Linus and is posted on their Facebook page.  I am sure they won't mind me sharing.  This was taken just before he was discharged from hospital.  This family certainly need a hug at this anxious time, especially as Daddy (32) was diagnosed last year with early onset Parkinson's.  

Well done the Linus ladies!!  The family are extremely grateful!  Happy ending, C is now back home and doing well, just over a week after surgery.  The power of the Internet, and the diligence of the Linus network system is working well.  However that's not the end of this story.  Mummy F sent a lovely thank you note to Linus and posted it on the Project Linus UK Facebook page.  Low and behold, not only did the post pop up on my feed it made it to the pages of UK Quilters United yesterday!  

All I did was send one little quick email!  It just goes to show how wonderful the folks out there are who make quilts and blankets for Linus and other charities.  This has helped a lovely little family,  who will treasure that little quilt and I am sure it will provide lots of fun for C in the future.  This story has reached a huge audience and raised awareness and hopefully will recruit more quilters and knitters out there to perhaps donate their time, talent and materials to spread the love and hugs around to many more children in the future.  It has also served to remind everyone that the Linus charity is there for all children of all ages right up to teenagers.  So if you know of any child, now or in the future who you feel needs a little extra comfort, whether it is a hospital stay, accident, family breakup or bereavement just get in touch with your local coordinator (or the one closest to the child) and they will do their best to fulfil any request if they can.  There are networks all over the UK and in many countries all over the world.  More information can be found on the Project Linus UK website.

Packing up of the sewing equipment will start later today.  I've had fun with this block, it bright and colourful and was great fun to do.  

I have not quite managed all the blocks needed to complete the quilt but the finished ones are travelling back to Scotland with me so you should see the end result on the design wall in the not  so distant future.

Storm Clouds

 The forecast was for showers today so we decided this was to be the annual shopping day in the big city.  The drive into Calgary was enjoyable although the traffic on the other side of the highway heading out in the opposite direction was quite heavy.  This is the start of the long weekend and some city dwellers were making the most of it and starting the journey early for their well earned break in the mountains.

I enjoyed a good day of retail therapy, lots of purchases but not too excessive all thanks to my flexible friend.

This is what we were met with on the return journey - this was three o'clock in the afternoon, a huge storm brewing.  Bangs and flashes all around.

                                    

We managed to skirt around it and returned home to find snow on the mountain peaks!

I have been knitting this week, handstitching hexis and have started to cut into those nice bright rainbow fabrics, I'm really enjoying this unusual block.  There was no rainbow seen today though. The sun was a bit elusive but hopefully it will appear tomorrow at least for a wee while.