April Showers.....bring May Flowers

Yesterday afternoon and this morning I worked in my garden clearing out dead and decaying matter, so the  plants can get some rain and sunshine.  There are signs of life every where, green shoots poking out of the soil,  crocus in bloom, the robins looking for worms and bugs and I disturbed a toad under some leaves.  It felt good to get out in the fresh air and use the new gardening gloves I received at Christmas, however, tonight those raking and lifting muscles are telling me otherwise.   A brief thunderstorm just rolled through the area, and in the weather forecast last night the "s" was spoken for later in the week. UGH....

"Seville" is sandwiched together with batting and backing and the quilting has been started. First, quilting in the ditch to stabilize it, and then must decide what to do in the larger areas in the centre of the arcs.  My Janome is still at the repair shop,so hope this delay does not mean additional problems, they advised me last week that they were really busy, hoping that is the reason.  Barbara is working just fine, and I completed the navy blue and orange block for our April quilting meeting later this month.  Also, working on my dd2 and sil's blocks, I need 404 - 4" blocks, a quarter of the way there at the present time.  Hope to  have this one and two more for each of my other children finished by Christmas.

Patricia

I blew a fuse and marmalade....

At the present time by Janome sewing machine is ill, repair man called and said I had blown a fuse, and with these new machines you can't just pop out the old fuse and put in the new one. He has to take the unit apart heat the solder to take out the blown fuse and solder the new one onto the prefabricated memory board.  A time consuming task, so that will likely cost more than the fuse.  So at the present time I am using,  a Singer Portable Genie that I recently was gifted back from my sister.   I have called this machine, Barbara, for two reasons,  one: that is my sister's name. second:  it is a Genie--- remember the TV show, "I Dream of Genie"... Barbara Eden.   She needed some tender loving care when I got her back, but now is running like a charm. 
What am I sewing?   The center portion and the only part of the Orange Peel Quilt, I plan on doing.  I have now named  this quilt, "Seville".  This type of orange tastes sour, and in my opinion is not fit for human consumption, until it is made into marmalade.  That's how I felt about this quilt.  I was tempted by it's  looks and enrolled in the classes.   However, became frustrated with the "peels" and got that sour taste, so for over a year it sat in the closet.  A month ago I decided to make marmalade and it hung on my design wall, and I changed this arc and that arc, until this week, it is being stitched together.  It will not be the best marmalade ever made, but at least I can call it completed  UFO.
Patricia

Again......

Woke this morning to snow again....grant you it wasn't much but it was snow just the same. We have beautiful blue skies and the sun is shining and even with the temp hovering around the 0*C mark it has  warmth in its rays, so goodbye to the snow.

Yesterday, we had a cold wind and light snow fell on an off all day, so I stayed in where it was warm and cozy..  Did some sewing on the blue and white blocks for a quilt which will be a gift for my dd2 and sil at Christmas, and also worked on the blocks for the Orange Peel Quilt.

I am just itching to get out in the garden and clean it up.  Some of the purple and yellow crocus are in bloom, well not today they are under the snow, but they certainly make a nice bright spot in the garden around my pond.  The robins are taking advantage of the seed in my feeders, as worms have yet to appear for their meals. Sparrows are collecting grasses and now using the bird houses, all the signs are here for Spring, even the pot holes in the road, so all we need is for the weather to co-operate.  Can you tell I am getting impatient for the nice weather?


Patricia

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