Sunday, March 27, 2011

Free Patterns!!!!

While unable to sleep last night I found this awesome blog http://freebiesforcrafters.blogspot.com/ for free patterns of all types.  I scored with an entire year's worth of monthly flower embroidery patterns, then I couldn't sleep because I was so busy designing a quilt around it.  Did you know that the only letterns not in at least one month's name are K, Q, W, X and Z.....I think I got that right.....I'm a bit sleep deprived at the moment.  ;>D

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Tara's 2010 Challenge

Here's a picture of Tara's 2010 Challenge quilt.  It's been finished since last July, but I finally got to see it....apparently bribing her with a baby quilt was the way to do it!  The challenge was to use the various purple, green and yellow fabrics, add at least one "critter" (the spider) and incorporate a hexagon somewhere.  I think she did a pretty good job considering those were NOT her colours!  (Nor mine, but sometimes it's good to "stretch".)

Oh Toby!


Here are 2 pictures of Toby....one holding down a pile of baby quilts....and one showing how exhausting it is fighting gravity.  ;>D

Monday, March 14, 2011

My machine there and back and there and back again

I tell you, not having my sewing machine waiting at my beck and call can make me CRANKY!!!!!  I picked it up last week from the "hospital"....worked okay for 2 days, then right back at it looping and barfing thread all over, gggggrrrrrrrr!  So today back we went down to the shop and instead of sending it off to the mechanic I got Carol, a dedicated quilter and fabricholic to have a look, a little adjust here, and change there, an explanation (gasp) and Bob's my uncle (well, actually my husband's uncle) it's back home and working fine again.  Keep your fingers crossed for me that "third time is the charm"!  Toby's happy about it too!!!!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Verdant Worlds

Finally a decent picture of the quilt "Vendant Worlds" that I made my daughter-in-law for Christmas 2010.  Her colours (greens) and my colours (blues) all wrapped up in a rather funky quilt. 

Monday, March 7, 2011

Fun Day Saturday

A spur of the moment trip up Island to check out another Seedy Saturday site turned out fantastic.  The seed site was going to cost us $16 just to enter the doors, so instead we checked out a farmers' market a couple of buildings over and found apricot jam for my husband, home made salsa for my friend, and a brand new winery & meadery for all of us!  After a relaxing lunch at a local pub, up the road we went to the Coastal Black winery & meadery for a tasting of blueberry, blackberry and raspberry wines, and 3 different varieties of mead.  I had never tried mead before and was expecting something syrupy and extremely sweet - it is made from honey after all.  But it was wonderful!!!!!  Very light and slightly sweet with fireweed honey flavour - DELICIOUS!  Here's the site if you would like to check it out.  http://www.coastalblack.ca/  On the way back home we took the "old" highway and stopped for a container of oysters (apparently some people not only eat thost things, they actually enjoy them ....shiver....) and drove by some log booms in one of the bays that were populated with huge sea lions sunning themselves - quite the sight!  And who says you have to plan things? 

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Drat - my machine is down

I have been having trouble with my sewing machine for about 4 months now - it's been barfing thread all over the back of my blocks......so just before Christmas I took it in to be serviced, and when I got it back I thought it was better......nope, it's right back to where it was and acting up even more!  BOOOOOOO!!!!!!  So now it's back in the shop again.  I can't figure it out.  It'll sew along quite nicely for a while and then just start misbehaving and from the top it looks fine, but the back is all loose and loopy, then it'll smarten up and behave again.  Doesn't seem to follow any pattern (pun intended ;>P) just comes and goes at will.....Lucky that I have my old machine as a back up while the new one's in hospital - might have gone into withdrawal otherwise!