Neglected ..... once again....!

I started 2014 with good intentions - blogging at least once a week.  As you have probably noticed, that fell to the wayside!  The lack of post is certainly not because I have nothing to blog about! The  quilting front continues to be productive.  I've started and finishing a few projects. Okay, starting more than I've finished, but nonetheless, my quietness is not for lack of materiel to write about.

If you want to know the truth, I'm in a quiet mood.  When I'm in that "mood phase," I shut down!  It's that overwhelming feeling I get every now and again about life in general.  There is so much I want to do .... and so little time to accomplish it all.  Perhaps I need to be more realistic about my life's "to do" list.  ;o)

A couple of weeks ago, dd and I went shopping for a prom dress on St Hubert street in Montreal.  That street is laden with history, it was the "street" to shop for the latest clothes and accessories during the 1950s - the fashion street.  Today, it is more of a "formal wear street" (prom & wedding) than for anything else.  Although I did see a shop that made custom bras and hats, something my mother would have bought as a working woman.  I was surprised we didn't find anything.  Many of the dresses were simple, nothing fancy about them ... all with an outrageous price tag!  Oh well, perhaps I have not kept up with the times.

This one was reasonably prices and I think looked wonderful .... but she found it to "puffy!"

Afterwards we took a ride in the neighborhood of my youth!  It was nostalgic!  A wonderful mother and daughter bounding time!

On the quilting front, I have started a new wool and cotton project - Words to Live By designed by Primitive Gatherings.

Don't let the half square triangles intimidate you!  It's a sinch using my "mass production" method.

I have prepped all of my blocks and managed to finish stitching the center block.

This way, I can alternate between sewing and stitching!

I decided not to write the words on the quilt!  I like it wordless!  It certainly fits my present mood! lol

Thank you for stopping by my little world in cyberspace!  Cheers!

Can it be ....?

Mud season!

A sure sign that spring is here!  I don't know about you but for me, the sun shining sure has an affect on my mood!  I feel so happy!  Sunday was gorgeous, so I spent the day outside, enjoying some rays!  What a great day!  I felt so energized!

I would like to share with you a recently completed project that is related to my last post on Sticky Fabri Solvy.

Witches Hooray by Bird Brain Designs.  I do love this quilt, being witches and all.  However, let me talk a bit about the history of this project.

This is the design that sort of sat around for a while, transitioning from spring to fall.  In the summer, my needle would gum up a bit, just enough to be a nuisance.  However, this was rectified by staying indoor and enjoying the a/c.  As the product sat around exposed, it harden and became difficult to needle.  On some places there are these small spaces between stitches.  It was difficult for me to needle through the same hole.

I haven't tested the other products similar to Sticky Fabri Solvy, but I can only imagine that these issues would be similar.  On a positive note, I have quite the developed muscles on my right middle finger! :op lol

Hey, thanks for stopping by!  Hope you are enjoying the change in seasons!  Cheers!

I'm on a roll here ....!

Brrrr.... goodness it's cold outside!  This is definitely the winters of my youth!  A great time to sit inside, fire nice and toasty and stitch the evening away!

A while back (March 2012), I wrote an entry on Sulky - Sticky Fabri-Solvy for use in transferring hand embroidery designs.

I'm still a big fan of this product and would like to share with you what I have learned from my experience in using Sticky Fabri-Solvy for the past couple of years.

If you expect it to needle as easily as a design traced on fabric, you will be disappointed.  Having said that, it is not that difficult to work with and it's benefit, especially when working with a complex embroidery design, outweighs the bit more pressure you need to push the needle.

I would like to offer the following advice:

1) This is a water soluble stabilizer and is sensitive to humidity levels.  I would suggest that you place your unused sheets in a resealable plastic bag.

2) If you have numerous blocks to hand stitch, do not prep your blocks all at once.  Stick you design once you are ready to hand stitch.  I found that the product, once the paper backing has been removed, tends to dry easily.  If it is humid (summer months) it actually makes the needle sticky.  Now that could also be from my hands being moist from the heat.  When I worked in an a/c room, I did not have that problem.

3) Once in place, it is best to complete the block as soon as possible.  I had a stitchery that sat around for a while (around 8 months) and the stabilizer became difficult to needle.  As I've mentioned in number 1, being water soluble, it is sensitive to humidity levels and actually became dry.

I would suggest you place your photocopied sheets and work in a Ziploc bag.  It creates a somewhat stable environment.

Hope this helps.  Please feel free to share you tips using this product.  Thanks for stopping by!

Gorgeous snow fall .....!

Wow, what a storm!  Brrrr ... it was cold outside!  The wood stove fire was roaring ... nice and toasty inside!

This is what greeted me this morning at Fibre Junction!

Shovel, shovel .... a path has been cleared!  I love snow!  It had been such a long time since we had a storm.

On the quilting front, I managed to put together this little quilt.  The pattern is called Santa Quartet! by Bird Brain Designs!

I like to look at this project as being ahead for the holidays! ;o)

I have so many of these hand embroidered blocks and/or quilts done.  It's finding the time to piece the top and/or machine quilt that seems to be lacking in my life.  Sometimes, okay most of the time, I just want to sit and do something mindless and hand embroidery allows me to do that.  Piecing and/or machine quilting requires thinking! lol

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Keep well!  Cheers!

C'est moi ....!

How are ya?  For those in the Northeast, are you getting ready for the snow storm headed our way?  They are predicting 12 - 16 inches of that white stuff!  That would be nice given that most of the snow has missed up, but not the cold weather!  I love snow!

I've been a busy quilter and managed to complete a few projects, one of which I will share.  It is appropriate given our weather forecast!

The pattern is called "Snow Friends" by Primitive Gatherings.  This is a wool on cotton quilt!

I had such a good time working on this quilt ... they are so happy!  So much so, that I completed the project in less than a week!  It's the machine quilting that dragged on! lol

Here is an outdoor shot!  Brrrr..... it was cold that day!

Given that Seam-a-Steam 2 Lite is no longer available, for now anyway, (at Fall Market I did speak with the Warm Company representative and they mentioned that they cannot get a supplier for the special paper that is required) I used Heat N Bond Feather Lite Fusible.  Let me tell you .... I LOVE it!  I will not go back!  It needles like butter and my Snow people's heads and what nots are well secured!  It's not stiff at all and the quilt feels great!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyber space! I have a few more finishes to show you!  Later!