Quilt'n Things For You

The bus is filled

2010-06-07T13:43:00.003-04:00

I think I have the bus filled now. There are a couple of spots being held for somebody right now and if she takes them then the bus is officially full. The trip should be really fun with lots to do on the bus on the way down! Vermont- here we come :)

Update: The bus is completely full- all participants are paid and I'm not waiting to hear back from anybody. It's going to be loads of fun with lots of prizes.

Trying to fill my bus to Vermont

2010-05-28T00:05:00.002-04:00

I am trying to fill the bus to Vermont.

I still need a few more people for the bus trip to the Vermont Quilt Festival on Saturday June 26th if anybody is interested in going. The trip costs only $50 for the bus plus the admission of $10. The bus will be leaving Brockville at 7am and return back to Brockville on the same day by 9pm. We will also pick up in Prescott at around 7:15am and Cornwall at about 7:50am if anybody from those areas are interested. Email me here if you are interested.

Shit!

2010-05-26T09:24:00.004-04:00

Today I locked my keys in my car and now I am waiting for someone to let me in! I am usually quite careful with my keys to make sure I never put them in my car when I am not already in it but this morning I did. I am not really a morning person so I guess my brain wasn't quite awake. I even have my key on a neck cord so that I never do what I did this morning.

This is how it happened....

I was heading to our local quilt guild applique group this morning and as I was getting in my car I noticed how filthy it was. Our driveway is gravel and there must have been some unusual traffic in the driveway this long weekend which caused the dust to collect on my car since it didn't move all weekend. I threw my purse- and my key- into the car and just as I was about to jump in....I had an idea. I decided I would quickly run water from the hose over it to remove some of the dust before everybody could see how filthy it was. My car already gets the 'looks' so I didn't need everybody to also notice how badly dirty it was too. The hose is only about 5 feet from where my car sits and just as I was turning the tap on....I heard a "peep-peep". My heart sank and this feeling of despair came over me as I thought to myself "shit- I didn't"....But I did!

I called CAA- only to find out that it expired 2 weeks ago and my father forgot to renew the membership. Luckily this happened today and not Friday because I was still in the two week grace period. Now I am sitting here waiting for the guy to show up which I was told it could be anywhere up to 1.5 hours. It's been 40 minutes and I am frustrated because now I am very late for applique. Hopefully he will get here soon and I will have a better day.

Hope everyone is having a better day then me.

Well, that wasn't too bad- the man came and he was able to get in my car in about 30 seconds! No wonder it's so easy for thieves. I will add a picture to my post later.

2010-05-25T18:38:00.004-04:00

OK...So I am trying a bit to try to do some more posting.

Yesterday I went to Warsaw to take my dog Martha to the groomers (also her breeders). When we left, Martha was quite content on wearing her big fur coat for the hot summer. I asked the groomer to give her "a show cut" which is what we usually get. We dropped her off and when we picked her up the breeder came running out to tell me Martha was 'naked'. Her fur was a bit too much of a mess and the groomer felt it best to remove it and give her a short coat for the summer.

This first picture is what Martha looked like as we were dropping her off at the groomers.

Martha had recently gotten into the river. You see, my dad was supposed to be watching her while I went out in the kayak but he didn't do a very good job! My dad also decided this week that he would forget to put away the can of varasal with paint brushed soaking in it and needless to say Martha decided to step into that too! There was also some pond scummy stuff left out too (courtesy of my father) so Martha got into that too.

With all that said....I think it's easy to understand why her fur was a "bit too messy" to simply be groomed.

This second photo is what she looked like when she got home from the groomers.

I must say that Martha is not too happy with her new hair cut and is moping around the house in disbelief! Our cats are having a hard time with the new cut too and don't recognize poor Martha anymore. Not only did Martha get an embarrassing hair cut but now she's lost her little furry friends that liked to curl up with her too :(

I decided that I would take Martha out for a swim in the river today as a way to hopefully get her spirits back up. SHE LOVED IT. We've never let her swim in the river before because of her fur and she very much enjoyed walking around in the muck and swimming in the water. I took my kayak out to be with her and we didn't go off the shore too far because I wasn't sure how she would deal with the mucky stuff on the bottom but she really liked being out there.

I think this shorter hair cut will do her some good. Her tail is funny looking because the groomer left it longer so she could still swat the flies and bugs. What I thought was going to be a 'show cut' did indeed turn out to be a show cut but I didn't think we would get the 'poodle show cut'. Oh well, I am sure it won't be long before it's long again and in the meantime she gets to enjoy her swimming lessons (and I think it maybe took off a few years too)!

Hoping everyone out there is enjoying the weather.

Vermont Quilt Festival Bus

2010-05-22T17:28:00.002-04:00

Hello....Anybody in my area that is interested in going to the Vermont Quilt Festival on Saturday June 26th, 2010 please email me. I have a bus going and it's on a first come first serve basis. This is not on Father's day weekend this year but is instead the weekend after. I have personally gone 4 times before and the show is never a disappointment. The quilts are juried in so all are wonderful. There are 'tons' of vendors carrying everything you could imagine. The bus to go is $50 per person plus the $10 (american funds) to get into the show. Cheques can be post dated to June 1st and the $10 to get in can be given to me on the bus. This is a discounted rate since we have over 25 people going. The bus will leave Brockville at 7am sharp and then then Prescott about 7:20 am. We will be going over the bridge in Cornwall so any quilters in that area can get on the bus just before the bridge. Please email me ASAP so I can know numbers. Anybody that is already going....get your frineds to come too so we can fill the bus. I will have activities on the bus to keep us busy and make the time go quickly. The bus is scheduled to return back to Brockville by 9pm on the same day. This is the link for the show if you want to read more about it.

Virtual Quilt Show

2010-05-22T13:21:00.005-04:00

I know it's been ages since I posted but I have had issues with my computer and downloading photos. I am currently working on finishing up MANY projects and will try to post photos. This week I entered one of my quilts into an online quilt show. Visitors to the site can vote for their favourite. This is my entry called Summer Flight. The category entered into was "birds and bugs". I got the pattern from a book called "pink lemonade". I really love this book- it has soooo many wonderful patterns. This quilt measures 54" x 64". The inside is pieced by machine and the outside border is completely hand embroidered with lots of butterflies, bumble bees, ladybugs, a caterpillar and even a spider among the grass. If you have a chance to visit this site to vote that would be great. Voting is from Friday until Sunday only. Winner will be announced on this holiday Monday. While you are there check out all the future (and past) categories too. Hoping everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend here in Canada- what great weather~! (was a great weekend- all of a sudden there is thunder and big rain drops :( )

Christmas Swap

2009-12-16T17:25:00.003-05:00

I belong to a great group of crafters called "A Primitive Journey Community". A link to this site is on my side bar. You have to sign up to join in the group. Sign up is free. They hosted this great Christmas exchange this year and although I am still waiting to receive my package in the mail my partner (Michele) just informed me that she has received hers so I thought I would show you what I made and sent to her. The package I sent included a handmade Annie (pattern from 'My Raggedy Dolls'), 6 handmade hang tags, 3 rag balls, 2 fat quarters (1 christmas toile- she loves toile), gingerbread bowl fillers/tarts, 1 tart cup and some cinnamon sticks and hosehips bowl fillers. (When I was reading this over it almost started sounding like a song I know....) I also included some chocolate and candy she could enjoy right away!...Now...If that mailman would just come with my package!

Open House Saturday Night

2009-12-04T12:01:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow is the open house at Long Sault Anitiques and my sister and I are ready. We have all our stock there, priced and ready to go. You can check out some of the pictures from the store and get directions by going here. Click on the photo of the poinsetta on the website for more information about the open house. The second photo on the website with all the white furniture is our other booth upstairs. I have included some additional photos which aren't on the website yet.

This is t he booth Julia and I have downstairs. Come for a visit if you can and check things out. There will be coffee and tea as well as yummy snacks and treats. If all that isn't enough we will also be doing some draws for all the visitors for door prizes donated by the 17 vendors! If you want a little closer look just click on the photos.

Grand Opening and Giveaway

2009-11-24T21:10:00.005-05:00

Blue Creek Home is having their grand opening and giveaway. Go over and check them out here for a chance to win some great prizes. Hurry...ends Drawing is Nov 25th! And the winner was...Chari at “Happy To Design”- Congratulations to Chari!

I have a booth at a craft show this weekend

2009-11-20T13:39:00.004-05:00

For anybody interested and in the area.... My sister and I will be having a booth this weekend at the Maitland Recreation Center on Sunday from 10am-4pm. Julia and I have a large selection of soy candles, soy tarts, tin tartwarmers, bowl fillers, primitive style signs and words and even an primmed up antique singer sewing machine and ironing board. We also have grubby candles, tissue boxes, primitive items, hand made hang tags, potpourri oil, a couple of vintage quilts and lots of other goodies. Come on over for a visit if you have time, we'd love to see you! These are some of the things you will see at the booth.

Blog giveaway

2009-11-20T09:19:00.003-05:00

Here's a giveaway for some really sweet little christmas mice. Go on over and leave a comment for your chance to win them! Drawing is December 1st. And the winner is...Tasha Posey. Congratulations Tasha!

blog giveaway

2009-11-18T15:04:00.004-05:00

Here's another great giveaway. Go here to enter and tell her I sent you. Drawing is the last day of November. And the winner was....Lynda G. Congrats to Lynda

blog giveaway

2009-11-18T12:03:00.005-05:00

Go here to enter another giveway for this great prim snowman. If you enter please mention you seen it here. Thanks. Drawing is the last day of November. Congrats goes out to Penny of MissPoostiesPrimitives for winning this awesome primitive snowman.

blog giveaway

2009-11-18T11:41:00.004-05:00

Blog giveaway- very cut cone hat filled with prim decor! Go here to enter. Drawing is now over. The winner was Mary Isabella and Kiley too!

It's that time of year

2009-11-18T11:31:00.006-05:00

It must be that time of year! Everyone is so generous!Here's another giveaway. If you enter please include my name in the comment so I can get another entry. Thanks. (PS. my name.. tammy from ontario, canada). Drawing on or about November 22. And the winner was...
Wendy/TheCozyYellowHouse- Congrats Wendy.

Christmas goodie basket

2009-11-18T11:03:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone...here is another drawing. Check it out here . Some great prizes! Drawing November 27th.

I won!!!

2009-11-17T19:40:00.001-05:00

I WON, I WON, I WON!!! I WON THE CONTEST BELOW FOR ALL THOSE GREAT SCRAP BOOKING SUPPLIES AND I AM SOOOOOOO EXCITED. CAN'T WAIT FOR THEM TO ARRIVE SO I CAN TRY THEM OUT.

A great contest if you like scrapbooking or paper art

2009-11-14T01:04:00.003-05:00

If you like to do paper art then take a peek at this site and enter their contest for some great supplies. If you don't like to do paper art ...visit them anyway, enter and if you win you can give it to me-- just kidding !?! (maybe not- lol)
And the winner was...ME!!! Yeah!!
I rec'd my items today in the mail (friday Nov 27) and I am just as excited...everything is wonderful in this kit and I absolutely love the little stamps and the quality of paper in this set. If you have a chance to buy one then do so because you won't be disappointed!

"Sweet Nostalgia" Giveaway

2009-09-10T11:47:00.002-04:00

If you would like to join in a free BOM stitchery you can do so by going here. Dorothy Baker will be posting a free BOM stitchery to her blog on the 15th of each month starting this September and finishing a year from now. She is also doing a give-away, so go on over and join in. Happy Stitching :0)

Another give away to tell you about

2009-08-24T08:00:00.003-04:00

If you like to scrap book go check out this site. Nilla is having a wonderful giveaway but it ends tonight so hurry if you want to be included. Update: it ends at noon today because there is a 12 hour time difference. So hurry, hurry up!

Blast from the Past!!

2009-08-20T22:07:00.028-04:00

If you : have some extra time on your hands, are bored, want to waste some time or you feel like being creative without a needle and thread in your hands then have fun with this site. Yes, I really was that old in 1960- NOT! (but at least I haven't aged a day in the 36 year span of these photos!).
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OMG was 1986 ever a bad hair year!! I am sporting at least 3 different hairdo's that my relatives still have to this day! (I wonder if they realize).
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PS. I give up on trying to get 1974 and 1978 to line up. I must have tried 50 times but everytime they post they go haywire.

Another give away to tell you about

2009-08-18T08:44:00.004-04:00

There is another giveaway to tell you about. Luxe Lanai is doing a giveaway here. Better hurry. It is being drawn today!

Update: Sorry ladies (and any gentlemen that might be looking in), this giveaway was drawn early so it's over all ready! :0(

Update on our space at the store

2009-08-17T11:59:00.002-04:00

Here are some updated views of the space my sister and I have in an antique store in Long Sault. This is where you can check for information regarding the store. My sister is the creative one and is really enjoying being part of this and I am too. Most of the items in the space do belong to my sister because I am having a hard time finding the time to get things finished even though our house is being over run by items that need my attention!

Last update on the birdies

2009-08-17T10:11:00.004-04:00

This will be the last update on the birdies. I took the top photo a few days ago. They were really getting big.

I noticed yesterday that they didn't really fit in their nest anymore. I decided I better go out today and get another photo before it was too late. They are all grown up now and I was thinking they are going to be leaving the nest soon.

As I was taking the photo and the flash went off one of the birds flew right out of the nest. I am not sure if this was it's first flight but I think they should all be gone in the next couple of days. I haven't seen that one come back yet so now there are 3 in the nest.

Another give away to tell you about

2009-08-17T08:51:00.005-04:00

Bunny over at 'The Creative Hare' is doing a giveaway to celebrate her 100th post. Go over and take a look if you have time. I hope you can take some time to look at her blog because she has some very nice ideas. This contest runs until Aug 27th.

...And then there were 6!

2009-08-16T22:32:00.006-04:00

Well, it's kinda like this...

On friday morning we had 1 cat but before I had a chance to go to bed we had 6!

My cat named Ginger gave birth to 6 babies on friday night. Sadly 1 kitten was lost so we have 5 left. We have 3 boys and 2 girls among the litter. The first kitten was black when first viewed but now we have noticed that she is black and white striped with some orange mixed in. I think she's going to be a real cutie! EVERY kitten after was orange! Some look like the mommy with some white mixed in and a couple of them seem to be predominately orange. It's too early to know if they will be short or long hair. We will be looking for some homes for them in about 8 weeks (but maybe not all of them!)

I think Ginger is going to be a good mommy now that the initial shock of the whole thing is over. At first she didn't know what to think . I guess HER mommy forgot to explain the whole "birds and bees" thing to her.

Baltimore Bunnies

2009-08-15T00:05:00.004-04:00

This is a quilt I made using a pattern called Baltimore Bunnies. The pattern for this quilt was designed by Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs. I love all of Anne's patterns and have 2 more quilts waiting for me to start. Thanks Anne for making such beautiful patterns.

This quilt is hand appliqued, machine pieced and quilted by me. There are lots of hours in this quilt and worth every minute. I absolutely love how this quilt looks. This is going to be my special Easter quilt. Don't all the bunnies look like those chocolate bunnies that we all love to eat?

This quilt won 'Viewers Choice Large Wall Hanging- Traditional' at our guilds quilt show this past June.

I was so excited to finally get this quilt finished and actually finished it the day before the show (along with my other 4 quilts I put in the show). I will post each quilt I put in the show because they are also all my 'June finishes'. I hope you enjoy this little quilt show :0)

As usual, you can click on the photo for a close-up look at all the details and quilting.

Winter Wonderland

2009-08-15T00:04:00.007-04:00

This is one of my favourite quilts (but then every quilt I do is a favourite or I wouldn't put the time into making it!). It was so fun embroidering all the snowmen and I just love the little expressions on all their faces as well as all the small details in each of the blocks. I think the "scrappy" reds set this quilt off just right. I purchased the pattern and fabric as a kit on-line from Shabby Fabrics.
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This quilt is called Winter Wonderland and it is a pattern designed by Crabapple Hill. All the embroidery is done by hand and the piecing is done by machine. This quilt is machine quilted by me.
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This quilt won 'Viewers Choice Best Christmas Decor' at our quilt show in June. You can click on the photo to see a close-up image of the details and quilting.

Coffee Time- Mystery Quilt

2009-08-15T00:03:00.013-04:00

This is a quilt I made in Kingston at the Perfect Stitch. I took the class as a 'mystery class' and am very happy with how it turned out. This quilt was shown at the Thousand Islands Quilters' Guild quilt show in June. This is also one of my 'June finishes'.
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This class was taught by Elizabeth Lake and it's an original design by her. I took this class 3 years ago and finally got it finished! What's nice about a mystery is the fact that you don't actually know what you are making until the class is almost finished and the end quilt is revealed! I have taken the (mystery) class for the past 3 years and love each of the quilts.
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This is a close up of my favourite mug of course because it has my name on it!
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The outer border is my own design because I could not find the instructions (or even a picture) for Elizabeth's quilt. This quilt is large measuring 82 1/2" x 103". This quilt is completely done by machine with machine piecing and quilting by me.
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I loved some of the coffee fabrics and continued the "coffee" theme throughout this quilt with the quilting. I did a different coffee mug in each of the large blocks and a different word representing a type or flavour of coffee in each of the setting triangles on the outside. I think the quilting sets this quilt off and makes me really want to cuddle up in front of the TV (on a cold day) and have a hot coffee!
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This is a close-up of some of the quilting.

Crazy Cats

2009-08-15T00:02:00.003-04:00

This quilt was started by me a few years ago and was a class I took at Wilton Creek Fabrics in Harrowsmith, ON.
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The patten for this quilt came from Buggy Barn and was so much fun to do with the "crazy" piecing involved. There were no precise points to match and it didn't matter if you had a perfect 1/4"! This is probably the most "out of the box" I ever get since I tend to do things in a traditional manner. This piece was liberating to work on to say the least. I find this quilt whimsical and it makes me smile.

Summer Day Sampler

2009-08-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

This is the last of the quilts that I entered into our guilds quilt show in June.
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This quilt is called "Summer Day Sampler" and is designed by Lydia Quigley of The Rabbit Factory. Lydia has a great new blog you can check out here.
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I absolutely loved making this quilt. This quilt pattern was being sold as a BOM with all the fabric at a store in the states called Calico Alley but I picked it up from them on sale at the quilt show in Pennsylvania last year as an entire kit. I think the store may now be closed because their web address is no longer.
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Once I started making the quilt, it was impossible to do it as BOM and completed the top in only 10 days. I really loved making each and every block and LOVE the finished quilt. I have many other patterns of this style and would love to get going on another one.
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What a great quilt to use as a throw during the summer (or winter when you are feeling those winter blues and need a picker-up).

People come for the pool.

2009-08-14T18:48:00.003-04:00

Although I did not get out today to swim in the pool we did have some visitors. My niece (and boyfriend), my other niece and my great-nephew came for a swim today. My son joined them. Everybody had a good time cooling down while swimming. I have included a couple pictures of my great-nephew for you to enjoy. My little nephew lives for the water and goes swimming whenever he can. It's practically impossible to get him out once he's in even when his lips are turning blue and can't stop shivering. Hope you are all having a happy day :0)

What a nice couple of days!

2009-08-14T13:22:00.004-04:00

I decided since today was so nice that I was finally going to get some photos of my quilts done so that I could show them to you. I will post all the pictures tomorrow of my 'June Finishes' but until then I will leave you with this photo.

It was brought up to me lately that maybe I should start exercising (don't say that too loudly- it's a bad word in my vocabulary!). I decided today that exercise is not something I need to do. I think all I need to do is try to take photos of my quilts on an extremely hot and somewhat windy day.

Today I was trying to take photos of my quilts from our clothesline (which is off our deck-which is currently being ripped up to be re-done). I have to watch for nails and loose boards (I've already fallen thru the deck twice!) The wind was blowing a bit and because I was trying to get as much of the quilt in the photo as possible (and therefore pinning very little at the top) the pins kept 'snapping' off. I was running up and down the deck trying to get the quilts to stay on the line and get the photo while the sun and wind were co-operating. This is more difficult then it sounds.

Anyway, to make a long story short...by the time I finished and came inside you would have thought I just ran a 10 mile marathon! I was all hot and sweaty and could not wait to get downstairs where it was cool. Maybe I'll take a swim in the pool later but I am finally cooled down now and don't feel like going out in the hot again at the moment. Besides- some work has to get finished first!

What a nice day- continued

2009-08-14T12:23:00.001-04:00

What a couple of beautiful days here at home. It was gorgeous out yesterday and it's the same again today! The weather man is calling for more of the same for the weekend- Yippee!
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Yesterday I was fortunate enough to spend a little while on the river with my son and there was not a ripple to be had. My dad called home and suggested (gave Chance permission) to take out his fishing boat for a little ride since it was so nice. I tagged along for the ride so Chance would not be alone (my father 'suggested' this too!) What a nice ride. I decided that no fancy ski boat was needed to enjoy the wind in our hair. My dad has quite a large motor on the boat and it goes pretty fast. I am not sure he was really thinking 'fishing' when he bought this motor. Anyway...here are some photos of the trip...
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This is my son when we were first taking off in the boat. Our house is behind his head on the left. You can see a glimpse of a bridge. My dad built this bridge 2 years ago for my nieces wedding. She got married in the back yard and what a pretty wedding it was with the river as the backdrop. Here Chance is enjoying some 'wind in his hair' as he decides to go a little faster.

This is a view of the Ogdensburg/ Johnstown International Bridge.

Here is the Prescott elevator where all the salt is brought in.

This is a view of the river- not a ripple to be had! What a PERFECT day.

A Morning Laugh

2009-08-14T10:49:00.002-04:00

Here is a little laugh for you all this morning. I was looking at some of my blogs I have listed under favourite blogs and I came across this post this morning. I thought I would like to share it with the rest of you so you could have a laugh this morning too. You can see it here at Abyquilt. Enjoy!

Thousand Islands Quilters' Guild Quilt Show 2009 Continued

2009-08-12T00:03:00.001-04:00

This is the 2nd quilt I'd like to share with you from our quilt guilds' show this past June. This quilt was also made by Jeannette Catchpaugh.

This quilt was taken as a class at the Perfect Stitch in Kingston last year. The quilt was designed and taught by Elizabeth Lake. Jeannette hand appliqued and machine pieced the quilt and I machine quilted it for her.

Jeannette won Viewers Choice Best Bed Quilt Pieced at our quilt show . Jeannette also had the honour of receiving the Ontario Connections Rosette for this quilt. All in all Jeannette came home with 4 Rosettes--WAY TO GO JEANNETTE! You are one talented lady with a great eye for colour.

You can't see Jeannette very good so I included another photo with her a little larger.

I included this next photo with a bit of a close up on the quilting. (If you click on the picture you will see the quilting better).

Quilt done by Dianne Fyn

2009-08-12T00:01:00.001-04:00

This is the 3rd quilt I would like to share with you and it's a prize winner as well. My frined Dianne Fyn made this quilt using the 'Rabbits Prefer Chocolate' pattern by Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs. This is one of my favourites and I can't wait to make my own. I have all the patterns and fabric ready to go (now to find the time!).

This quilt was hand appliqued and machine pieced by Dianne and machine quilted by me. Dianne even made the little wheels on the cart- aren't they adorable? I am going to have to get Dianne to show me how to do that when I get to that stage.

Dianne was unable to be there during the presentation of the Rosettes so Darlene Nelson accepted the ribbon on her behalf. Dianne received her rosette in the 'Viewers Choice Best Small Wall Hanging- Traditional' category. Way to go Dianne!

I have included a smaller picture of the quilt as well to show the quilting a bit better. As usual, you can click on the photo to make it larger. ( PS. This photo was taken before the binding was put on )

Quilt done by Rita Borger

2009-08-12T00:00:00.015-04:00

This quilt was done by my friend Rita Borger. Rita designed, hand appliqued, hand embroidered and machine pieced this quilt. The machine quilting was done by me. Rita won her rosette for this quilt in the 'Viewers Choice Large Wall Hanging- Innovative' category.

This quilt was done beautifully and I can't even imagine how long it took to do all that embroidery. Rita is a painter and it truly shows in this original quilt by her. I wish I had half the talent she does in her design! Way to go Rita!

I'm hoping that with the top picture you will be able to see all the work Rita did with her embroidery and hand applique.

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The picture directly above is Rita with her rosette and the photo on the right is a candid shot I got of Rita in Pennsylvania last year on a quilting trip. (I didn't think you could see her very good in the other photo so I included this one).

Update on the birdies

2009-08-11T14:00:00.002-04:00

Here is a picture taken this morning of the little birdies I see from my studio window. They are growing up very quickly and will be gone soon. There are 4 in the nest and the mommy bird was getting very mad at me for trying to take the photo. My son had a brilliant idea that we should remove the board above the nest to get a better shot. At the moment the deck is being re-done and all the boards have had their nails removed. It was (seemed to be) a brilliant idea until my son fell thru the deck! We should have know better since it's already happened to me twice! It only takes a step on the wrong section for it to happen and a board will flip up and your leg will be dangling thru.

Thousand Islands Quilters' Guild Quilt Show June 2009

2009-08-11T00:00:00.005-04:00

As mentioned in an earlier post back in July our quilt guild had our quilt show at the end of June. Our guild had a lot of positive comments about the display of quilts, quality of work and presentation of the show. We had lots of vendors on had to supply all our "needs" and everyone was very happy with the show in general.

I will include over the next while some photos from the show.

The first picture I wanted to share with you (above) is a picture of my friend Jeannette Catchpaugh with her prize winning quilt. This quilt was made by her and it is a pattern from Country Heirlooms out of Louisa, VA. The quilt is hand appliqued and machine pieced by Jeannette and then machine quilted by me.

Jeannette won Viewers Choice Best Bed Quilt Appliqued at our quilt show in June (2009). Jeannette also had the honour of receiving the Canadian Quilters Association Rosette for this quilt in the Viewers Choice Best Quilt Overall category. Congratulations Jeannette!

The second photo is a close-up of the applique work and some of the quilting. I had done some hearts on a quilt for Jeannette previously and she asked if I could include something similar on this quilt. We were both very happy with how it turned out. If you click on the photo you can see a better close-up image of the applique work and quilting design.

View From My Studio

2009-08-10T09:45:00.001-04:00

This is part of the view I get when I look out my window from my studio. These are baby swallows and aren't they just the cutest? I don't really care much for this species of bird but I think the babies couldn't be any cuter with their little tufts of hair on top of their heads. I enjoy watching the mommy bird come and feed them. Soon they will be all grown up and 'fly the coop'. This is just one of the things I like about summer. I will try to post some more pictures as they get older

Sad News

2009-08-08T09:31:00.004-04:00

I have just found out that a long standing member of the Thousand Islands Quilters' Guild (this is the guild guild I belong to) has just passed away. Henny Bakker was a very long standing active member of our guild who continually contributed to our guilds needs. Henny donated quilts for our silent auctions, made items for donation for our sales booths at our guild quilt show, made blocks and helped with the hand quilting on the donation quilts that went to other worthy causes in the community. She volunteered her baking skills and time to help out with our guilds quilt show as well. She was active in both the "applique group" and the "library group" with our guild and I know she is going to be very missed by many of our members. My thoughts are with her family and friends at this time. Here is a small quilt that I was lucky enough to win at one our guilds silent auction. Henny's work was impeccable and I will cherish this quilt. The back is simply signed "Henny Bakker 2003". This has been in our living room on top of one of our chairs since I bought it but I think I will now get it framed to make sure nothing can damage it. Thanks for being such a great lady Henny- we will miss you!

Blog Giveaway

2009-08-07T13:28:00.005-04:00

One of my favourite designers is being so kind to give away a $50 gift certificate for her online shopping page. Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs is the designer I am talking about and you can read about the giveaway here at the blog of "Mama Spark's World".

You can see what Anne had to say here.

2009-08-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

It's another beautiful day on the St. Lawrence River. On days like this I like to take out our new kayaks I bought this summer and enjoy a peaceful ride on the water. The river is clear and I can see the fish and even some golf balls on the bottom! My son practices golf and many of the balls end up in the river so we usually bring the ball retriever with us in case we see one or two. This is a photo of my son just outside our house next to the Ogdensburg/Johnstown International Bridge. On July 4th my dad and nieces boyfriend went out on the double kayak and Chance and I each went out on our own kayaks. We watched the 4th of July fireworks from the river being set off in about 6 different locations. We were almost to the state side and got "pulled over" by the New York State Police. They wanted to know what we were doing and where we were camping! Oh well, it makes a good story to tell.

A New Venture

2009-08-06T15:24:00.012-04:00

Recently my sister and I have started a new venture. We have rented a spot at a local antique market and are selling some stuff. My sister and I fell in love with "Shabby Chic" and "Primitive" style of furniture and love going to the flea markets, antique fairs and auctions. We are now selling some of our stuff and are finishing some of the wooden items that we have bought over the years to represent the styles mentioned above. Our items can be seen at Long Sault Antiques if you are ever in the area. The address is 16129 County Road 36, Post Road Long Sault. ON . The floor doesn't look very nice right now under our stuff but maybe when we know for sure we are going to stay there then we will do something about that. There was an ugly carpet in that area that we removed but when someone painted they only painted around the perimeter of the carpet!! (It was probably a man! LOL)

Flowers from a friends

2009-08-06T15:15:00.005-04:00

Recently I was able to have lunch with my best friend of over 30 years and she brought me this. Isn't she a sweet heart ? I had a very nice time and it was a perfect day. We sat by the pool and reminisced over old times and looked at my families very old photo albums. I (and I found out she does too) loves looking at old photographs. The clothes, backgrounds and poses are great not to mention all the old cars and other antiques in the pictures. What a lovely day. Thanks Mary for such a nice time. Happy birthday to all my July birthday friends : Cindy July 13th, Mary July 18th (and me too July 27th!).

Getting together with the girls

2009-08-06T15:05:00.003-04:00

I had a nice night the other night when for the first time in about 20 years I got to get together with my girlfriends from High School. The 4 of us were always together in high school and have not all been together since graduating some 20 years ago! (Boy, am I telling my age or what!?!). Anyway, we had a nice time catching up on each other lives and telling stories from our past. I hope it won't be another 20 years before we get to do it again.

This is the 4 of us outside Starbucks in Brockville. From l-r in the back row is me, Mary Malcomson Tessier (my best friend of over 30 years), Cindy Wagner and Tracy Symons in the front row. I don't think any of us has acually changed much in the past 20 years...maybe a few grey hairs and a little larger clothes needed but you would definately be able to recognize each of us from our high school photos.

I'm not dead!

2009-06-22T11:58:00.002-04:00

Well...Just wanted to let everyone out there in blog land know that I am not dead. I guess I am taking my button on the side to heart and hope that you will too when it says "blogging without obligation". It's been quite a while since I have been able to find a couple of minutes to even visit my own blog to write a few words. We had our quilt show this past weekend and although I haven't heard any numbers I think it was a huge success. All the quilts were beautiful, everybody I met was so nice and friendly and I heard lots of positive comments about the show. I will try to post some pictures in the next while from the show. I didn't take too many myself so I may have to wait until some are given to me. I was able to finish 5 quilts on my "projects that need my attention" list so I am pretty excited about that. I will post pictures of all my finished quilts soon. I think that brings that list down to about 25. I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. I thought it was about a month ago since I have been on but realize it's been about 2 1/2 months! Time flies when you are busy!

Although our show was this past weekend (Friday/Saturday) I even managed to go to Vermont this weekend for their annual quilt festival. My friend Sharon organized this trip - so a big thank you goes out to her for this! What a magnificent show! Lots of vendors and gorgeous quilts although I do have to admit that I did not have any time to look at the quilts since I was so busy shopping. I am relying on other peoples photos for this too. The show closed at 3pm and we didn't arrive by bus until around 11 pm and there are about 80 vendors to visit too. I made lots of purchases and have many new ideas I can't wait to put on my "things to do next list" that by the way I still have to do! Anyway, enough for now. Hope everyone out in blog land is doing well and starting to enjoy the summery weather. Cheers!

2009-04-08T10:34:00.005-04:00

This is what "not to do" with vintage cranberry glass. I always thought cranberry glass was actually that colour but I found out the hard way it is not. I picked this really cute vase up at an antique store last week and unpacked it yesterday. It was perfect before I got it. I had some hot soapy water in the sink from cleaning up some other dishes I had bought earlier and thought I would put this vase in the water to soak off the price sticker. I left it there for a while and forgot about it. When I went back hours later I found this vase with the paint all bubbled and it peeled off when I touched it. I don't know if it's because I left it for so long, because of the soap or because there was a bit of Javex in the sink. I won't make that mistake again! I like shabby chic and I am finding there is another common term used... "chippy shabby chic". I think I will still use this vase and call it my chippy shabby chic mistake! Live and Learn..I guess I learned my "something new" today.

2009-04-08T10:31:00.006-04:00

This is a close up of one of the blocks. The fancy stitching is all done with yarn and the whole quilt is 'tied'.

Auction Find

2009-04-08T10:23:00.007-04:00

I found this quilt at the auction the other night and decided I had to have it. I have always been intrigued by the crazy quilts . I have not made one yet myself and I don't own any others. This one is pieced (appliqued curved) with mainly flannels and wools with some cottons. The cotton prints look very old and I do not believe them to be reproduction. The batting is strange and I am guessing it's wool. I would not call the batting lumpy but it has thick and thin spots and the quilt is extremely heavy for it's size.

What a Nice Surprise!

2009-04-02T09:36:00.003-04:00

What a nice surprise I received yesterday. One of my regular customers and friend came to visit yesterday to drop off some projects and she brought these for me. When I asked her why she said "just cause"! Isn't that nice. Thanks, Linda (no blog). I think they brought the sunshine with them. Yesterday was miserably cold and wet and today it's sunny. She didn't know this but these are one of my favourite flowers. They are so big, beautiful and happy.

They make me smile when I look at them.

2009-03-16T20:39:00.006-04:00

Hi All...

I just thought I would post a picture of a "finish" for the month of March. I made this quilt as a fundraiser for my sons school rugby team to help them pay for their trip to Halifax in April. I will be selling tickets at a cost of $2.00 each at my quilt guild meeting this month and at Perfect Stitch in Kingston tomorrow. If anybody local is interested they can see me there or send me an email at quiltinthingsforyou@sympatico.ca .

The quilt is approx. 74" x 85" . The colours are actually a bit darker then they appear in the photo. I am happy with the quilt and would love to win it myself, although I have not bought any tickets yet!

2009-03-15T20:21:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone...

I just joined a group called rainbow swap. You can read about it here. I haven't done a block swap before and it sounds really fun. My friend Michelle told me about it. She joined before me and we are in different groups. It will be fun to see what each of us gets back. I will be doing my block in maroon and she is doing hers in dark green. What fun!

Another give away to tell you about

2009-03-15T14:25:00.004-04:00

HI ...Just a quick note to tell you that there is another great give away at This That and The Other that you don't want to miss. Go over and check it out. Contest closes March 22/09.

Canadian Comfort and Rememberance Quilts

2009-03-03T11:11:00.004-05:00

For those of you that are not aware of the very worthwhile project...Canadian Comfort and Rememberance Quilts...I am including a link for you to check it out. These are quilts that are made for the family members of lost Canadian soldiers. It seems all too common to turn on the news and hear of another soldier lost helping to keep freedom. Please check out this link and help if you can.

http://www.ccrquilts.ca/index.htm

I couldn't let today pass without mentioning my son...

2009-03-02T00:44:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone in Blogland! I couldn't go to bed without mentioning my son, Chance. Tonight at 10:38pm he officially turned 15 years old. I never realized how fast time really goes until a child of my own. Only 1 more year and he'll be driving, 3 years until he's drinking legally in Quebec (only an hours drive away!) and in 4 years he will probably be gone to go to University! He had a quiet birthday today as all our family members are gone for the weekend on seperate mini-vacations. This is a photo I took of him today with his new lizard. He's a chameleon and we named him "Auto". This will be the third Chameleon we have brought home. The first one had a bone problem, the next one had a tongue disfunction and this is our third. "Third times a charm!" (I hope). Anyway...good night for now...

And to you Chance...HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY...MOM LOVES YOU XOXO

Hello

2009-02-18T15:38:00.000-05:00

Hello. Thanks for stopping by. At the momment I don't have much here but I am working on that. I am new to this and am trying to learn about it in my limited amount of spare time. Hope to have it up and going in the next month so be sure to come back and visit.