It's been a while..... yet again!

I do want to apologize for my absence, more so because of the give way that is now closed. Thank you so much for participating in a bit of fun with me. I will be drawing a name soon. So, please stay tune for the winner.

As you can all imagine, life is a little intense for me. So much is going on in terms of possible life paths and projects. The planning can pre-occupy so much of my time. Now, with that, I still have my graduate degree that I'm hoping to complete by the end of December. I'm presently studying for my last comprehensive exam. Wish me luck! ;o) Once my degree is complete, life, I presume, will be back to normal. At least I hope to get rid of this headache that I've had for the past week! Despite the busyness, I still manage to get some quilting done. It's what's keeping me sane! lol

The retreat at Wadhams was wonderful. I didn't take any pictures. There really wasn't much to photograph. We were all busy working away. Besides, some were in their pjs and I don't know that they would appreciate my posting a picture on my blog! lol It was wonderful being in a productive quilting energy.

I brought with me quite the basket! I spent a couple of weeks cleaning out my closet and finding the projects that I thought I would want to work on. Of course, I didn't work on all of them, but some. As they say, it's better to bring more than not enough.

I did get quite a bit accomplished given that I had not done much cutting before hand. It's amazing how much cutting can take up so much time! The one quilt I did cut ahead, I had forgotten my black thread for the piecing. Oh well, not a big deal! As you can see, there was plenty to work on!

I did finish this project, Charming Holiday Quilt Kit! It was a gift from Santa who, believe it or not, shops at the Fat Quarter Shop! I love Santa! lol The pattern is called Scalloped Charm by Black Cat Creations. There was enough fabric to make a smaller version, which I did. It's machine quilted and like this one, ready for the binding.

I would strongly recommend going to a quilting retreat. It's wonderful to have no distractions. Well, okay, I did visit a quilt shop called Fiber Options. I mean, how could I resist! lol The drive was beautiful. I did learn that there's an Amish community around Ogdensburg, New York. It was fun to see buggys! Anyway, the shop had such a unique collection of fabrics and a lovely decor. I would say that she was contemporary in her choices. Adjacent was a cute wool shop. Oh...... so nice to fondle. But, I won't go there, been there done that! I do NOT need another hobby! lol

That's been by life since Hollows Eve, busy, busy, busy. Thank you so much for your kindness and patience. I will attempt to have the drawing on Monday!

Hollow's Eve......!

I'll be off to my quilting retreat early morning!

Sadly I will miss the trick or treater! Stephen will do the rounds with our daughter! He's a single dad this weekend. ;o)

I love Halloween. Perhaps I'm dating myself, but the Rocky Horror Picture Show was very popular when I was a younger person. On Halloween weekend/night, certain movie theaters in Montreal would have a midnight showing. People would dress up as their favourite character. It's quite the entertainment that's difficult to put into words. It's an event that must be experienced live! Many of the groupies have seen the movie a hundred times if not more. They know the parts by heart. Myself, I can count on my fingers the number of times I've seen the movie. I've come to find out that Stephen was a Rocky Horror Picture Show groupie.

Yep, I've got proof! lol

He's probably seen the movie at least 50 times! I guess it was popular in the outskirts of New York City.

My mother in law showed up with the vest a few years back. She found it while packing to move to Massachusetts. Nice find mom! lol

You know, there's a certain comfort in knowing that my sweety chose the character Eddie over Frank-N-Furter. LOL

So, I will leave you with one of my favourite clip from the movie. It's a great party dancing song!

It's astounding, time is fleeting .....

Myself, I'll be in another dimension with quilting intentions well secluded, I quilt! With a bit of a mind flip, you're into the time slip and nothing can ever be the same.......! lol Quilting retreat here I come!

Have a Happy Halloween! BOOOO!

Time for a little give away....!

My goodness, what's happening to Autumn? It's cold up here! Brrrrrr! I waited outside with my baby for the school bus and nearly froze solid! What's up with snow and freezing weather in October? Goodness, I'm already looking forward to spring! lol

In the spirit of Halloween, my favourite holiday next to Christmas, I'm having a give away. There's something about Halloween that just brings out the kid in me! Well, okay, the kid's always out but you know what I mean! lol

Anyway, I've been plugging away on a new project that I want to share with you.

Tah... dah...... !

Now for the give away!

In order to be eligible, you have to guess the name of the pattern I'm presently working on. Hum.... should I be giving out clues....? lol

The dead line is November 3, 2008.

Another option is....

Guess what special occasion takes place on November 3.

If you answer either questions correctly or both, your name will go in a draw.

I really love this pattern. I've already picked a name for that quilt. It will be called Midnight's Silhouette.

Some of you might remember that I have a black cat named Midnight.

Here is is!

When I took my broom out to take a picture, there he appeared, all eager for a ride! lol

He's such a cutey pie! lol

For the pass week, I've been cleaning my sewing room. On Friday, I'll be leaving for a 3 (three) day quilting retreat at Wadhams in Ogdensburg, New York.

I've cleaned out my stash closet, looking for UFOs as well as kits I had purchased. I've been told that I should bring as many projects as I can. Gosh, I hope I'm packing the right stuff. I've never been to a quilting retreat, so I have no clue as to how much is too much or not enough. But, I'm sure it will be a great time.

I'm off to get my day started. So much to do! Thanks for stopping by. I do enjoy your company! Keep warm!

Something to blog about....!

At last, it is completed. Voici a new, well it's the only one I have so far, autumn accent piece...

Photo taken on my bedroom window seat! Have I mentioned how I love my new bedroom? ;o) Oh... I'm digressing.

Isn't he just the cutest? This is a pattern called Stitch-n-Stuff Cat by Threads That Bind. I bought this pattern about 3 (three) years ago and never got around to making it, that is until last Sunday. I must have contemplated making it at some point, as I had already felted the wool!

For the writings, I used Bug Glow thread. I also outlined the moon and the stars. When you turn off the light it glows! Heeeheeee!

I stuffed it with recyclables, pieces of Warm & Natural batting, dd old socks... you name it! lol The bottom has crushed walnut shells, the same stuff Darlene uses for her pincushions. The pattern called for sand, but I didn't have any! Stephen removed the sandbox when he built the barn! :o(

It took forever to stuff the body. I don't know which took more time, the applique and embroidery or the stuffing! lol

The neatest part about this cat are his button eyes. They're antique!

I love buttons! Back in, oh 1998, I won this jar of old buttons at a silent auction. I was ecstatic! The lady who placed the item told me that it did contain some very old buttons!

I've been waiting for the purfect project to use them. lol As you can see, I'm not much of a button user! lol That's okay, they look great on my shelves.

Oh... I also collect marbles. They're also in antique jars like this one and in old milk bottles. I don't use my marbles either! lol But, hey..... they look great on my selves. lol

Ya know, it's a great feeling to finish something! Speaking of finishing.....

Our new front entry way is completed and just in time, it's been cold in the North!

I'm enjoying the natural lighting and am wondering if I should make curtains for the side windows. Something to think about!

I'm off to continue cleaning my sewing room. I'll be heading off to a quilting retreat next weekend and plan on finishing lots of UFOs! Cleaning does wonders to one's creative energy! ;o)

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day everyone!

Sarah's Medallion ......!

At last, I have something quilty to write about. Today, I had a class with Froncie Quinn from Hoopla Patterns and what a great class it was!

Last night, she was the guest speaking at our guild. She is presently doing some extensive research on Florence Peto (1884-1970), a prolific quilter and quilt historian who has inducted in the Quilter’s Hall of Fame. What a fascinating lecture!

This is Froncie holding her version of the center medallion from the Sarah Johnson Quilt.

This quilt is dated 1826. Would you believe that Sarah was 14 years old when she made this quilt? Oh, and it was her fourth (4th) quilt!

In today's class, we learned how to hand piece our blocks the old fashion way with templates, pencil, scissors and a threaded needle. The beauty of this method is that it doesn't matter if you cannot cut straight, you're following a straight line in the back of your fabric!

This is my first ever hand pieced block!

I used some of the Smithsonian reproduction fabrics I had purchased many many years ago.

The block measures four (4) inches finished so you can imagine how small the pieces are! What a great way to use up scraps! lol

Here's Jennifer hard at work on her block.

It takes some time to get the hang of holding such small pieces and coordinating the needle to sew on the line.

I'm sure that with practice, I'll be quick about it.

These are the class blocks! Aren't they pretty?

It's wonderful to see the diversity in fabric choice!

Last but not least, my purchases!

Her patterns are wonderful. They include eveything you need to reproduce the quilt, minus the fabric! lol Some even have the stencils, as in the case of the Sarah Johnson Quilt, for the hand quilting design!

I certainly highly recommend Froncie Quinn as a lecture and teacher. She's fun to learn with and makes it look so easy!

So that's my day and what a great day it was! I can certainly see more hand piecing in the near future.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!