Birds, animals, dry skin, meeting.....

None of the things in my heading have anything to do with each other just the subjects of my post today.

The animal and bird world knows it is Spring.  The chipmunk is out of hibernation and both he/she, and a rabbit are gathering the fallen seeds from the bird feeders.  The robins are back,and yesterday a sparrow was gathering grasses for a nest.  All we need now is for the weather to co-operate.

Winter weather and the heated house are always hard on my skin, particularly on my hands they are dry and even cracked in one area.  Numerous applications of lotion give immediate relief, however, long term it seems to be useless.  Drinking lots water to keep hydrated does not seem to help either.  Do you have a lotion/cream that works for you?

How the time seem to fly by, our monthly quilting meeting is tonight, it seems just a couple of weeks ago we had our February meeting.  I am going to have a bag full for show and tell, and always enjoy seeing what other members have completed or currently working on.  The sweet treats are always good too. 

Family is getting together for Easter on Saturday this year, so I must get going and visit the grocery store for my contribution to the dinner my dd2 will be preparing for all of us.   

Patricia

Finish......finish........

The "comfort quilt" blocks that were handed in at our February meeting are now a flimsy top.  The final  stitch was made yesterday, and soon  it will be off to the quilter, when quilted my partner "D" will complete it by sewing on the binding. 

This past weekend I also finished sewing on the binding to another comfort quilt that my partner "G" and I started at a sewing day earlier in the year.

Now I have to shut this computer down get into the sewing room and put my teal and brown block together which is to be handed in on Thursday.

Patricia

Spring.!!!!!..

I changed the photo in my heading hoping it will trick me into feeling it is Spring, even though it still looks and feels like Winter outside.  The date on the calendar may be indicating Spring is here, however, as I sit here looking out my window snow is falling, again !!!.  Our first snow fell on Boxing Day and here we are March 21st. and I am @$% fed up with it!  Grant you it has not accumulated over that period of time, but it's snow just the same.

Ok, I have had my rant about the weather, and feeling much better for it. 

A couple of days ago an error was displayed on the screen on my Janome sewing machine so she is off to the doctor tomorrow.  It was actually in need of a good clean so that will be done also.  Some time ago I had my old Singer Portable Genie returned to me from my sister.  At that time I gave her a good clean and adjusted the tension and it was all ready to act as a back up.  Yesterday and today she has been sewing like a charm, as I am working on a quilt for my dd2. 

I follow a blog of a very frugal woman, and last year joined her sealed pot challenge, and have also done it  again this year.  Every bit of odd change we put in a sealed pot, each person has a goal for that money, and their pot is usually decorated to show where or what they will be doing with it.  Almost everyone in the challenge will be opening their pot in Dec.  My $'s squirrelled away last year were returned to the pot for 2013, and were going to be spending money on a bus trip to Shipshawana, U.S.  Since making that decision I have changed my mind and will hopefully use mine as spending money on a trip in September.

My pot is decorated to show where I hope to be going.........can you guess?
Patricia

P.S. I must have been excited about the destination of my next trip......because I made a spelling error.  I have since corrected the error, however, have yet to take another photo.....It should read.....DRACULA'S
Coffee Fund.

UFO finished....

Some time ago I purchased fabric for what was going to be a quilt for my guest bedroom, however, when I was reading the pattern again, ready to start cutting, I realized I did not purchase enough of one of the colours. So taking a sample of the piece needed, headed back to the quilt shop.  Under the lights in the shop the fabric matched, however, when getting it home and putting up against the previously bought fabric it was not.  Using a different pattern and fabric which was close in colour to the painted walls in my room, and the floral, blue and pink fabric which was going to be in the guest bed quilt, I started one for my room. 

Wanting the quilt to hang over the sides of the bed a bit more and go over the pillows, I made it larger than the pattern indicated by adding more blocks to the length and by adding the second border of blocks and strips of pink and blue.  The top was completed some time ago, however, other projects, Christmas and life in general got in the way of it's completion.  I am happy to now report this quilt is done.  Finished putting the binding on a couple of nights ago and now I am as snug as a bug in a rug.  Due to the lighting and the flash the colour is off a bit, it is a lot better in real life,  but you can get an idea of how it looks.  The lighter fabric within the trellis has some of the trellis colour, pale blue, pink and some grey toned flowers in it.  I like how it has turned out. 

Patricia

My last post.......

That got your attention didn't it.  No, it's not my last post, just looking at the date of my last post, which was back on February 28th.  I have been very lazy,   LAZY, I don't think so, so what have I been doing to keep me from posting?

Made five new cushion covers, re-upholstered a stool and a built in seat, hung pictures, made curtains for two small windows, painted the inside of my back door.  Spring cleaned my living room and re-arranged the photo's on the wall which make up our family tree.  Made two trips to Goodwill charity shop with "Stuff" that I no longer need, but in perfectly good condition for someone else.

Currently, sewing the binding on a UFO which recently come back from the quilter, this one is for my bed.  Pictures coming when completed.  Also, picked up a "comfort quilt" from the quilter and binding will be sewn on that one soon.

Finally, finished arranging all of the pieces for the portion of the Orange Peel Quilt I am completing.  Several members of our quilting group have completed theirs, and I must add they all look fantastic, I am only doing the centre portion, as I am not having fun with it anymore, and believe I bit off more than I could chew with this project.  It looks OK, but to get to this point I abandoned the "warm and cool" concept when placing arcs on a couple of the squares.  It's for myself, I like the way it looks, so it's a done deal, now have to sew everything together.

So, with all the other things in life that have to be done, I have not been lazy, and I have the sore muscles to prove it.

Spring is in the air, while visiting my Mum on Sunday, (it was a glorious day) we saw flocks of geese and Tundra swans flying over head, a good sign the Winter weather is loosening its grip.  There were flies and a bee also flying around, and on my return trip home "road kill",  raccoons coming our of hibernation, looking for food and not paying attention to the traffic.

That brings me up todate, back soon.

Patricia