Works in Progress -- Time keeps on Marching, marching, marching into the future....

Wow! the days go by quickly! Don't they?  Sometimes they disappear so quickly and even tho we know we must have gone through them, we can't really account for everything that kept us busy...

By my standards, I was busy...  but then of course my standards of busy-ness includes lots of reading, crocheting, and watching tv time!  So to me, taking on an unusual project, or attending to "out of town" guests, and giving a bit of help to a senior relative, means I have been busy!

My "out of town" niece brought to mind some family heirlooms that I had rescued about 5 years ago, from a DIRE situation (another family member was intending to take piles of collected goods to the landfill in the back of his truck!)  So, since my niece was here for a few days, I gave her the option of taking possession of some of these items from her grandmother and great grandmother and deciding their fate...

My reason for passing along these things is because I do not have my own direct decendants (my children have no children) to give them to, so better the decision made now than to have the same kind of fate befall these heirlooms that I already saved them from...

There was a gathering and organizing and packing up job that occupied a couple of days and that job led to my next idea...

 

 

Family Photos...

 

It seems that I have become the keeper of the history...  but like I said, alot of this has no where to go after me...

 

There were many photos left in my Mother's house after she died and again, it was me who rescued quite a number of photos, especially photos of my fathers family (my Mother had a extreme dislike of my father's mother and therefore did not care how or where those photos were kept)  But I found them and have organized and identified those that I could...

 

 

Many of the oldest photos remain in piled stacks, or in 'books' as they were recieved by the photo shop way back in the 30's, 40's and 50's...

 

 

Even photos taken in the 60's, 70's, 80's and up into the 90's, remain in stacks in boxes or envelopes...

 

So, I decided it was time.  Time to get them in order, time to decide what is worth the space, and time to cull pictures of roads and trees, mountains and lakesides, pictures of someone standing beside a tree or a building so far away, their identity is in question...

 

Pictures of other people, taken a time ago and their names forgotten or become unimportant through the years.

 

And still there are stacks to organize...

 

Now, my order of business is that I decided there is no point in trying to figure out years that pictures were taken, so I am working on general categories...

 

My first category...

 

 

then

 

The Baby Years

 

Working and Growing

 

Life after the Children...

 

and maybe a few sub categories, but for now, this is my method...

quick little...

I discovered a link up this morning that I wanted to tell you about...

What is a link up you say? It is a web page were bloggers can list their current post on their blog and when someone cliks on a little icon they are brought to a blog where they can read MORE about what interests them...

Check out Live a Colourful Life, Really Random Link up

And just as a little reminder, if you look up at the tab bar at the top of my page, not the very top, silly! just below the title and the header pictures...  You will see a tab that says, Link Parties...
If you clik on that it will go to a page where I have posted the icons for other link up pages for various days of the week...

Using these link-ups are a great way to discover new blogs that may suit your reading style and interests...

Whats in the Bag, Dad?

 



 

Strawberry Plants in Bloom on my front 'porch'...

 

Work in Progress -- Modern Classics Challenge

I am inspired!

The other day a friend was looking for the name and instructions to make a 'classic' quilt block.  Classic but not very well known.  Over time the design and its instruction have become "little known".

One of my Quilting "things" is to collect old quilt patterns and booklets and magazines....  I have thumbed through these books over and over and over and, well, if I must say so, I knew what she was looking for, and I knew where to look for it!

Then another friend sent me an email to tell me that she really enjoyed the way I was able to share my knowledge of quilting...

So those two 'events' have inspired me to make for myself and new SUMMER CHALLENGE for 2013. 

I would very much like if you could follow along!

THIS IS THE MODERN CLASSICS SUMMER CHALLENGE

I will post a unusual quilt block each week, along with a tutorial of how to put it together.   Each block, I hope will introduce you to what was once before called MODERN QUILTING!  

I will be starting the challenge on May 21, 2013 and the last post will be on Sept 03 2013,  by my count that is 18 weeks so 18 blocks. And I have a feeling that will not be nearly enough to cover all the interesting early MODERN quilt blocks!

 

There will be blocks that are fairly simple with straight line sewing, there will be blocks with triangles of various sizes, there will be blocks that are appliqued and there will be blocks with curves, and there will even be blocks to embellish with embroidery stitches!

 

 

Unlike last summer's self challenge to make 10 quilts and donate each of the quilts, my challenge is to awaken an interest in some of these patterns and designs.   I hope that somewhere along the weeks of the summer YOU will find a quilt block that you LOVE and will make your very own MODERN CLASSIC.

 

I am posting these all on my blog and I do ask that you use the designs only for yourself, if you know someone who likes the pattern, please ask them to come visit my blog to get the instructions.  

 

 

None of the patterns are original designs by me, but I am doing the research and posting the information about them.

 

I will give you as much history on the blocks that I am able to discover.

 

So if you would like to follow along with this series your best bet is to sign up on my email list so that each time I update the blog you will not miss and 'episode'...

 

Also if you are so inclined, I would so much appreciate knowing how you are doing with each block posted and if you have a question that I did not address in a particular post, leave a comment, or use my email contact which is on my blogger profile.

 

I hope to set up a group flickr account so that you can post photos of the blocks that you accomplish!

 

Ready?

 

Works in Progress - It Could Be Anything....

I have not written a blog post for almost two weeks, that is quite unusual for me because I always have something to say...

 In fact I talk so much that my husband has got into the habit of saying "umhumm", whenever he vaguely hears my voice....

He has no idea what I have said and I suspect that it really doesn't much matter to him... Someday I hope to say to him " DUCK! "   and he will say "umm" and then not have time to utter the "humm" part of the word....

I have been spring cleaning again -- I keep getting this urge or need to declutter.   The things I went through 6 months ago and decided to keep are again on the chopping block...  Space is not at a premium in my house, I still have some empty shelves, empty drawers and empty rods in the closets, but I keep thinking back to when I was a child and had my bed, and a dresser and a few books and about three china horses on top of my dresser.  My room was not piled with things or toys or dolls.   When I wanted to take up a crafty project, there always seemed an old shirt or skirt to take apart to make barbie clothes with, or my gramma would give me yarn to knit a scarf, or my dad would buy me a paint by number kit .

I keep yearning to make things simple...

But it is not so simple to live simply...  Sorting scrappy squares, in anticipation of a summer marathon of quilt top making...  want to sew along with me, this summer?  I have not set myself a plan or a goal yet, tho...

 

A box of chocolates, that have already been eaten and then filled with scrappy triangle pieces....   I have been sewing them, light to dark for a day or so now, with no real plan for them as yet -- other than a someday quilt top -- maybe part of my summer project...

 

 

These blocks were from a few years back, a pattern from Quiltmaker Magazine that a group of 5 exchanged blocks from...  I used half the blocks and made a really nice lap size quilt, but still have about 30 blocks -- I think it might be a bed runner....  and more half squares sewn together, not sure where or what their purpose is.  And under the "heritage squares" are a stack of blue and white bowtie blocks...

 

 

 

and this developing "postage stamp" project, each block is 25 squares and measures 6.5 inches --- the postage stamp squares are 1.5 inch each...  a long way to go....

 

 

And while I watch my favourite shows in the evenings or sometimes when I wake up at 1am, instead of laying in bed, I get up and crochet...

 

This granny square project is well on its way, all the 'rounds' are made --- 80 of them and now I am adding the last white round to make each granny square, square and at the same time joining them...

 

 

And who but Walter finds a way to lighten up any serious thoughts!  If he could talk he would be saying, " Take a Break, Already!"  Walter thinks everything except laying around is work...  I think I do agree.

 

 

 

and if I have the GAUL to ignore his suggestion to take a break, he just lays on top of my work or my instruction sheet and forces me to consider his suggestions...

 

 

Even if you don't have a 'Walter' sit back and find that ZEN moment.

 

 

Best Laid Plans...

The sun is shining...  The birds are tweeting...

And I decided first thing this morning to put a binding on a quilt that has been finished for about 3 months except for the binding.

I had my breakfast -- an omlette with slices of avocado on top and a nice fresh cup of coffee (sometimes I use yesterdays coffee left in the pot cause I am too impatient to wait for an fresh pot), checked my email and was headed to the sewing room before 7am...

I pulled out the quilt that needed the binding and plopped it down on the floor beside my sewing chair while I sewed the long strips of binding together

 

Then I turned to pick up the quilt and guess who? had made himself comfortable within the folds.

 

 

For a change he wasn't knocking things off the cutting table or taking up all the space by stretching out in the sun on my ironing surface, SO...

 

I shifted my focus and decided to work on another project.

 

 

Another small "chocolate box" of already cut 2 inch squares was passed along to me a week or so ago at guild meeting, so I thought instead of loosing them in the piles of stuff, I would do a bit of stitching them into a few blocks.  25 patch blocks, that maybe will become a doll quilt or? who knows, but I was in a mood to sew and since Walter had disrupted one plan, there is always an alternative in my sewing room...

 

 

Well, I did not get very far along when my DH asked if I wanted to go get some groceries, so I only got a few blocks done...

 

 

These are rather fiddly little blocks, but now they are started and I am back from the grocery store interruptions so I shall head back to the sewing room, open my window and listen to the birds twittering and fluttering outside my window, and get some more sewing accomplished...  And thats the plan for today.  It is not yet 10:30am!  Lotsa time!

 

Pink Kick...

Say that three times in a row! Pink Kick, Pink Kick, Pink Kick!

I saw a shawlette on one of my favourite crochet blogs, a few weeks ago and decided to go ahead and create a really large drapey shawl for myself using this 'shawlette' pattern stitch..  You can find the instruction for the pattern, free on Ravelry - it is called the South Bay Shawlette. (you need to log in or create an account if you have not already done so). 

But.  I first saw this pattern in progress on Le Monde Sucrette - you will have scroll back a few posts -- I did that on purpose cause I want you see her lovely projects as you scroll back!

 

Is this what you call ombre?  Cream, light pink, hot pink, and finally burgundy...

 

 

See that bit of yarn hanging?  I was in a bit of a rush to take these pictures as it is just after 5pm and the daytime light will have soon been gone for the day, so I finished up that last stitch and hung the shawl on the back of a chair on my balcony to get a quick pic...
 

 

Isn't that a great stitch?  Such a nice lacy effect and yet it is only a two row repeat.  Such a simple pattern stitch and it looks quite intricate. I may just create another in this pattern with a natural or organic quality yarn -- this one is done with 4 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver yarn.  I'm thinking this might look and feel really nice in a lighter weight yarn, but still as large shawl.  This version hangs down well past my bum and will keep me very cosy I think.  I definately prefer the longer coverage.

 

I have been wanting a shawl for a very long time to wrap around my shoulders while I work at my computer on those very early mornings when I tend to be doing my best work...

 

I just want to put a bit of trim at the top edge -- no fringe tho because it will just be chased by Walter, who if you read this blog regularly, you know is an imp in black and white cat fur...

 

 

trying on a pink hat to see if it will match the shawl?...

The Iron Challenge!

It is a huge job to organize and find ideas for your fellow quilters when you belong to a local quilt guild or a quilting group!  A few months back Diana announced the idea of a Iron Challenge and she did credit the idea back to the Fraser Valley Quilters Guild.   So this month members of our guild -- Abbotsford Quilters Guild -- picked up the idea and held our own EVENT...

This has turned out to be a wonderfully co-operative and creative enterprise and I know I thoroughly enjoyed the two hours my group spent working on our Iron Challenge Quilt.

Let me explain the details and rules that our groups used. 

First Diana supplied sign up lists and then she arranged those who signed up into 5 or 6 "man" groups.

Each team had to follow set rules which included: making a quilt from start to finish in two hours, the quilt must have a measurement of at least 140 inches all around or what we call premie size about 30 inch x 36 inches.  It must be a quilt, three layers, with binding and a label.  It can be any design.  Only one sewing machine, one iron and one ironing board per team.

On my team there were 6 people and Diana emailed us to let us know who was on our team about a week ahead.   This week allowed time to pick our leader -- Me, actually.  Then I made a plan, that included a listing of the supplies, tools, etc we would need and each of us declaring what job we might be best suited for.  I also created a plan for the quilt we would do and the whole instructions step by step.

Our group included Me, Lin, Karen, Bev, Carol and Jane --and part way through we aquired a helper, that I am sorry but I did not learn her name, but she did sew on the quilt label!  (names not necessarily is order, and not everyone was available for the photo)

 

A couple of other things to note, Our guilds charity quilts program, supplied all the fabric, batting and backing.  Harriet who takes care of our 'We Care' program brought piles of donated fabrics and each team chose what they wanted to work with.   Then just before each team started, every team  was given a fat quarter of fabric that Had to be included -- in our quilt it was that little strippy green that we put at an angle in the corner of each rail fence block....  then we called the quilt OLD RAILS.

 

We had a great time!

 

We learned from each other and our charity quilts program had six baby quilts all finished up to donate to the next children who are in need of a quilty hug!

Politics, Religion and Money...

You thought this was a craft blog, right?   Well, it still is, but there have been so many things in the news that is upsetting, whether it be war, or fraud by big business, or ideas that fall into the "I can't quite believe it" section...

So I am going to post a few links on Mondays, that inform or infuriate.   Things that as a whole population we CAN fix if we choose to take our support away from business that cheat, or sneaky little scams that don't seem to hurt anyone but DO, and to pose the age old question, Where did I come from and where am I going....(religion)

If you haven't seen these bits of news before, I am just posting the links and you can take the time to go check them out and be informed or just skim over them and continue on your way... The journalist who write these news stories tell them much better than I could cause I might start using a few NASTY words that need astericks and percentage symbols to illustrate them!

This week:  Facebook -- geez this is a sneaky one!  Best read this article in the Calgary Herald by Dave Budge....
Facing up to Facebook Scams

MONEY...   The first place that wants to slide your dollars out from under you is the government.  Second is the big banks...  Royal Bank of Canada (that does say CANADA!) not only wants our money but they don't want to pay Canadian employees....

Check out this article about sending work to another country, and bringing workers from another country to replace close to retirement, long term workers... 
RBC replaces Canadian Staff with foreign workers
and todays response...
RBC Scrambles to explain

As to Religion -- nothing new discovered... but then I don't know much on the subject, but am attempting to learn I even spent a short bit of time listening to LDS General Conference (no i do not belong to the church or any other, tho) -- I am always wanting to learn so thats not so new and find multiple sources that I think might help me learn more about my world......

Oh and an Animal story...  Everybody likes animal stories, but are you biased against BLACK???  read this one about black dogs...
Black dogs sent to BC for better chance at adoption

And to end on an UP-NOTE...

 

Mill Lake Park in Abbotsford BC... Spring has Sprung!!

The Peace Proposal

Said General Clay to General Gore
"Really must we fight this silly war
To kill and die is such a bore"
"I quite agree," said General Gore

Said General Gore to General Clay,
"We could go to the beach today
And have some ice cream on the way".
"A grand idea", said General Clay

Said General Clay to General Gore,
"We'll build sand castles on the shore".
Said General Gore, "We'll splash and play".
"Let's leave right now", said General Clay

Said General Gore to General Clay,
"But what if the sea is closed today
And what if the sand's been blown away?"
"A dreadful thought", said General Clay.

Said General Gore to General Clay,
I've always feared the ocean's spray.
And we may drown." "It's true we may.
It chills my blood", said General Clay.

Said General Clay to General Gore,
"My bathing suit is slightly tore.
We better go on with our war."
"I quite agree", said General Gore
Then General Clay charged General Gore
As bullets flew and cannons roared.
And now, alas, there is no more
Of General Clay or General Gore.

- Shel Silverstein

I almost never comment on political, religious, or criminal types of news on my blog, but THE PEACE PROPOSAL has long been a favourite piece of poetry of mine and unfortunately it seems to be becoming relevant to current events...

Works in Progress - How things Progress!

Right now I have a few projects finished up and a few  more that are well, you might say, IN PROGRESS....

The Done One is the pillow from a t-shirt project that I have had in my sewing room for at least 6 weeks and I kept studying it and thinking on it -- I was unusually determined to make it Perfectly Right so I did alot of thinking on it and making those little decisions about a project that can make a huge difference.  One decision was to go and buy the inside 'rope' that you get to make a cording around the edge of a cushion.  It was a bit more difficult to work with because of its stiffness, (as compared to my created cord of crochet cotton yarn) but I am really glad I made that choice because it gives a better definition to the edge of the cushion.  Another decision I made was to use two layers of fusible interfacing on the t-shirt so that it would hold it straight and firm -- and that was a good decision too, because this t-shirt has been worn and was slightly stretched at the lower front and had a teeny tiny hole in the fabric!

Now, working my way back, to the projects that are closest to being done...

They all are actually in the just beginning stages but some are much more 'ongoing' than others.

I am still enarmoured of the 'Many Trips Around the World" quilts and so have been working on blocks to create another quilt top to donate to my guild's charitable quilts program.   Even tho I took the time to sort through the two shoe boxes of 3.5 inch squares for just the pinks and greens, there is probably still alot of pink and green squares, so I am thinking that I will do a narrow dark green border on this and then randomly add pink and green squares to create an outside border.  This will make it a nice size quilt for a twin bed....

 

And of course I almost always have something growing with yarn and the crochet hook -- a granny square/ round motif afghan.

 

I saw, on Pinterest -- actually my cousin Judi sent me the link - an afghan made of very colourful circles surrounded by white - It has been preying on my mind now for weeks!  In fact in a previous post on this blog I complained how difficult it is to find bright clear yarn colours here in BC....  So I grabbed the opportunity to go with another cousin, Cindy down to Bellingham, WA last week and was able to pick up some brighter colours than are found around home...

 

I was thinking that I would use a cream as the background/connecting colour but now I see two blocks put together, the cream "muddies" up the brights, so I am going to change that to white, before it progresses any further...

 

Still to add to this pile of part dones are pink and red, and pink and burgundy, lavender and purple and light and dark blue.

 

 

And there are things that are barely off the "drawing board"!  Both of these projects are drawn by me on scraps of paper and are from a couple of other Blogs on the internet.  The first is a Woven Square Quilt Block - and handily it uses 3.5 inch squares and 3.5 x 6.5 inch rectangles and is on Sew Happy Geek from way back in January 2012  (click on the underlined bit and it will take you directly to a tutorial of this block)   I am just doing the Woven Squares, not the whole sampler style project, tho.

 

 

 

And the other Work in Progress is still on Paper, nothing cut and no fabrics chosen but it is one of those that will wiggle its way into my head and I will have to do at least a few blocks just to see how it works!  It too comes from a blog post more than 6 months old which is at What Comes Next and it too is a tutorial which makes it so easy to get done that much sooner since I won't have to figure out measurements, etc.  AND What Comes Next is practically my Neighbour, just west of me in New Westminster, BC!  So check out this idea and perhaps try it out for yourself!

 

 

There is just no end to what is happening around this house!

 

I would include a photo or two of the Forsythia and the Daffodils beginning to bloom here in the Fraser Valley, but my Niece in Winnipeg, Manitoba is fed up with my bragging about the beautiful weather here while the snow blows and everyones toes are getting frosty still...  Soon Winnipeg, soon the green grass and mosquito hordes will be upon you! hahaha...

 

The Afternoon Nap

I have an interesting mix of humanity and creatures in my household...  I have a very peaceful household...  Everyone seems to enjoy the company of everyone else...

Figuring out how Bloglovin Works...

Follow">http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5665503/?claim=9ffeg9z3y6u">Follow my blog with Bloglovin

As many of you know Google reader is ending at the beginning of July and even tho I have not really got into using Google Reader I thought if many of you have you might find it convenient to be able to follow my blog in the NEW BLOGLOVIN which seems to be very similar to google reader.  Anyway, just over there on the sidebar is the button to use to follow my blog, if you are so inclined...

If you have not yet registered with bloglovin, simply go to http://www.bloglovin.com and follow the prompts to register.  It is just a bit more complicated if you are a blog and want a button so others will follow you, but I found it, and so can you...  no, really it is easy...  Go take a look.

If You went to a Retail Store...

What would you pay?

For a Leather IPad case?

 

Some time ago, I bought a leather skirt at a thrift shop and took the panels apart. The skirt cost me a shocking $7! And yes it is real leather, not a man made material that imitates leather...  Now a bit of that lovely skirt, is partially remade into an ipad case.

And.

So simple to make!  I did buy a pack of Leather needles to use in the sewing machine so that was $6 but of course there was 5 needles and I can use them again and again.  I simply measured the size of the ipad and added an inch all around.  I cut the two squares of leather and then using heavy duty Heat n Bond, fused flannel squares cut to the same size as the leather for the inside 'lining'.  I then sewed around three sides, made a leather overflap and added a decorative bit of fabric on the edge, then a button to close the flap and VOILA`!!  I have a Ipad case...

Took me about 30 minutes including sewing on the button...

 

There is still alot of leather to be used from that skirt -- I'm gonna have to think up things that want to be made in leather.

FINALLY - the SB Quilt Tutorial!

just click on where it says Tutorial - Sidy Blocks Quilt...  Pictures and words to help you create Three different sizes of this quilt pattern.  Enjoy!  or if you don't see the tab just clik on this link...

http://susanbeingsnippy.blogspot.ca/p/blog-page.html

Work in Progress - And Done

I'm working on ANOTHER "many trips around the world", this one using up the pinks and greens in my TWO shoeboxes full of 3.5 inch squares... 

It can be a bit tricky to keep the colours in order and in their diagonal line, so I made up one block and tacked it on the cork board that I keep just behind my sewing space -- along with the instructions, patterns or other works in progress details so that they don't drift too far from where they need to be handy!

So far, I have got a bit of a stack of the pinks and greens and I still have alot of squares to use up -- and you do know how "one thing leads to another" -- well, I am sorting the blues and browns into piles in preparation for the next 'many trips'!  This has become quite the addictive block!

 

The unpressed stack! It grows so very quickly and once you get going the thought process is almost automatic -- tho I do have to admit, I did have to do a bit of frogstitching when I just got too far in the ZEN moment...

 

 

I think another 4 blocks will make a nice size couch throw, but there are probably enough pink and green 3.5 inch squares cut to make another 11 blocks for a good sized twin...  I guess it depends on when I get tired of looking at pink and green, eh?

 

And finally a finish on a quilt that I can't think of a name for, but my friend Helen keeps calling it an SB quilt!  Flattering and I may just leave it at that -- she has already done a few of them and I keep promising a tutorial with size variations -- later this week I hope.  Just other more pressing things in life than playing on the computer...

 

 

And of course, Walter must get his two bits into the story, so there he is inspecting my piecing and quilting.

 

Oh, by the way, you might notice that the quilt is hanging over a dresser.  Recently I had a mishap with my ironing board -- it collapsed!  Which was not unexpected actually.   A couple years back I was walking along my street and there was an old ironing board sitting by a big blue garbage bin -- being the scrounge queen that I am, I made my DH go get it and bring it home, the ironing board, not the garbage bin, that is.  There was nothing wrong with it and it worked very well this past couple of years, but I suspect there was just too many times of Walter jumping up on it and so the latch that holds up the thing gave away....  So now after that big long story, I decided to bring an unused dresser into the sewing room, which, with adding stapled padding to the top has now become my new ironing board but also allows 6 drawers of storage space underneath it! Nice!

 

Hope y'all are having an very creative week! And are you visiting the "Beat the Winter Blues" Blog Hop? Lotsa giveaways, and some very nice blogs to check out! And of course don't forget the weekly Wednesday Works in Progress link up at the Needle and Thread Network -- all Canadian Blogs

 

 

March is Crochet Month - Sunday Afternoon...

What else to do on a quiet Sunday afternoon but to crochet granny squares together, into what will soon by a child size coverlet.

 

And to do it while watching The newest episode of the Mentalist, and to run to the kitchen during commercials to make a pot of Chili for the Men when they get home from work.  (We don't get normal weekends in this house -- work is done when it is scheduled...)

Do you have a project on the go for Crochet Month?

Work in Progress -- Button Edition

Actually I am pretty much done with these buttons, just a few touch-ups -- although I kinda wonder WHY?

That is, why did I do either of these projects...

I have BUTTONS, Buttons, and more buttons!  Actually alot of them are quite old or fancy so I package them up and sell them in my ETSY store, but many are just plain ole buttons, the leftovers from sweaters and shirts and a few from coats and other ones when you buy six and you only need 4 -- you know that sort of thing...

Well, also being somewhat addicted to Pinterest, I have one of my "boards" as BUTTONS and looking through them the other day, I thought " I CAN DO THAT!" even though I really didn't need to and it took up time where I could have been vacuuming the stairs or dusting the ornaments or even washing the pots and pans, but instead I chose to play with buttons....

 

Not only buttons but a bunch of old costume jewellery that my Aunt gave me last summer -- those earrings and pendants really add bling to the buttons!

 

 

And really, do I need a reused peanut butter jar (painted on the inside with beige acrylic paint) with dozens of these things glued on?  HMMMMM....  I did have in mind that it might make a chunky vase for the occassional live flowers that find their way into my house, but then do the flowers want to compete with fake diamonds?

 

 

And then I was surfin' through some web sites and came across a quilt of 'canning' jars -- You've seen them, right? the jar shape with printed fabric with a variety of food prints or bug prints or...

And it crossed my mind why don't I do that and sew real buttons onto the jar shape... 

 

 

Does it need more buttons or not?

 

I can't seem to get a straight answer from the Quilt Inspector, Walter...

 

 

 

 

 

Work in Progress - Backlog!

Okay, time to admit there are some very old Works in Progress...

The first one is not that much of a "hidden in my closet WIP", but one that I got in a box of goodies that my Aunt sent to me about 3 years ago that was hidden in her closet for many years!  It was a single quilt block of a pattern that I had never seen before. 

It is quite a challenging design and with no instruction or pattern other than the block, I am going to have to first recreate it so that I can make copies.   The fabrics that it is made of goes WAY BACK I think to the early 1960's or 1950's.   I plan to draw this one out and make at least one new block in the coming week...  I think this would be really exciting to see done in some of those bright MODERN prints.  I may have to search out a few fat quarters from my LQS to get started on this one.

 

My second Work in Progress, is admittedly not even started yet, but it has been sitting on my work table for almost three weeks now.  It is a project for my cousin Peggy - and well, she did say there is no rush, but I don't think she meant it could wait for years -- so this one is definately inline for being worked on AND finished, hopefully by the weekend.  Making a couple of nostalgic BEATLES t-shirts into cushion covers for her Beatles themed guest room in her house...  Soon Peggy, soon, I promise!

 

 

And lastly but the largest and longest in progress is a group of blocks from, I think at least 5 years back...

 

 

I am part of an online loosely woven quilting group - we call ourselves RBQ (rather be quilting) and we have been emailing back and forth I think for close to ten years now!  And I have never met any of the ladies in person, but we have become quite intimate with our everyday lives, husband troubles, car troubles, trips to africa, and even a new baby born (quite some time ago, now)address changes and downsizing housing....  Anyway. a few years back we exchanged house blocks, my blocks have been stagnating in a basket that I uncovered the the other day when I was cleaning up the sewing room....

 

 

I am determined to get them put together before SPRING! I have in my mind a long narrow vertical orientated wall hanging, with winding applique leaves between the blocks and maybe a bit of embroidery or embellishements added as I progress with it...

 

Whew, I best get going on these!

I am linking up with a new linky party I found at I have to say.... 

and

to the Needle and Thread Network