Working away on my Challenge quilt today, have the center completed and the borders are cut and ready to be added. The theme was "Once Upon a Time", so I have a fairy sitting on a branch in my garden watching other fairies, (which are invisible to all except virgins) dance. I also Put a quilt that I am making for Kelly on the frame this morning, but am still figuring out how to quilt it, I want to find something with shamrocks in it so may end up having to doodle one myself if my search is unfruitful.
And last, but not least, I am so close to being done with the cookbook. That will be a day to celebrate, when that is downloaded to disc and ready to be shipped out. One more day and I will have met the last of my movable deadlines! Instead of printing out hard copies, I am copying it to disc. That seems to be the latest way to disseminate information. Takes up less room than a hard cover book, and if you want to copy it, go for it, you have my permission!

Isn't this the cutest thing?

Did you ever take a class with a bunch of professional scrap-bookers who knew what they were doing? Did that on Saturday down at a new (to me) store, opposite Jazz-Ma-Taz on Montrose St. I think it's called Urban Trends. I think the gal running it used to work at Suki's on Granville. Well at least she had the same attitude! Part of the project (making a Vintage Photo Album) consisted of applying "Rub-ons". So you take a Popsicle stick and run it over the lettering while holding the lettering in place in the spot you want the design to be transferred to. So I'm rubbing away, thinking I will discover fire before this thing gets transferred. Turns out you have to remove the plastic from the back of the rub-on first. Since the "teacher" assumed we all knew what we were doing she neglected to tell us that. Nice to give folks a reason to laugh at one of the newbies.....moi. Oh well, been laughed at before and will be again. But it definitely gave me a reason not to patronize this store again. Hate to have to run all the way to Chilliwack to Classics on Alexander but they are most helpful there and never make you feel like a kindergartner in University...even if that is what you are. I did finish the album though and it got me back into the scrapbook room. Now I'm searching for a red album that had photos from 1986 to 88.can't find it anywhere. And all the albums are in that room, so where oh where could it be? Do any of my children know????

Did you see the moon?

I went out and sat on the driveway last night for a half-hour to watch the eclipse, and it was so exciting to see the moon emerge bright and white after the 'shadow' had passed. Held my arm up to see if it would show up, but couldn't see it with my naked eye at all, at all.

we went to the States yesterday on a little shopping trip and I found all the rulers that I have been searching for ever since the Carolina Crossroads mystery quilt challenge. so now they are neatly stored in my Omnigrid rack awaiting the next time I do hourglass blocks, or half square triangles, etc. got some really nice St. Patrick's stuff too, fabric with shamrocks AND ladybugs too, how cool is that! and socks and stickers, oh I could have spent a fortune. Just love the ABUNDANCE down there! And clerks who seem to be so happy you're a customer in their store. Strange feeling to have a smiling clerk!

And will post photos at last of my Red and Black jacket and convertible mittens while we are still in a month to celebrate the color red.
Finally...Happy Birthday to my number one grandson, james, who celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday. Congratulations James, and on your new career as a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces. Travel safely.

Tuesday, Tuesday, Can't stand that day

My brother Peter visited Mom on Family Day (a new holiday in Ontario) and sent me photos of the flowers I sent her for Valentine's day. They look so beautiful to me, and I am glad that one can order flowers long distance and the florists have a big enough heart and morals to comply with your request. Mom turned 97 last Thanksgiving and looks so sweet in these photos that I wanted to share with everyone. I wish I could have been there to give her the flowers in person. Maybe next St. Valentine's day!
I got a welcome sign for my lawn that will hold a little quilt and am making plans to get a placemat sized "flag" done for the holder. And got a head start on March by hanging up my St. Patrick's wreath and foyer quilt; was getting tired of February and the Valentine stuff, so they're packed away for another year.
And I finished my red/black jacket, but am still beading along the bound edges of it so will post that photo later. Here's the pics of Mom and her flowers.

Heritage week in Abbotsford, BC

I'm still trying to figure out the plot twist in "Scotland Road", the play we saw in Langley at Trinity Western last Wednesday evening. So if anyone reading this has any idea what the meaning of the play was, please clue me in. I overheard someone in the lobby saying, "Well, you know, Art! It is what it is" But it didn't have a satisfactory ending to me. I hate things where you have to make up your own ending, or it's left open for a sequel. Gr-r-r-r.

This week coming up is Heritage Week and Downtown Abbotsford is celebrating with all sorts of offerings. Such as: Braiding Bread; Making a Vintage Friendship Album, etc. So to celebrate, I am taking a class on how to make infant moccasins at Big Foot Moccasin. Always wanted to make my own shoes and should be able to size these up to make something for my foot too. And the vintage photo album might be an interesting thing to do too, if I have time that day.

I finished my quilted jacket for the quilt show and am starting my challenge quilt tomorrow, so that, with luck, I will have all the things done by March that I will enter in the show. Was hoping to do some journal quilts but am just not all that enthusiastic about making something that has no functional use. I guess I could alwys just stick it in an album to show that at one time I DID at least try to be artsy-fartsy. I cannot do art for art's sake, it must have a purpose to be allowed space in our home.

We got the quote on the cost of renovating the basement for a quilt studio for me, and it seems feasible, but there will be a lot of work between now and when I turn my machines on in the completed room. Almost 5 years ago, I went through everything in my sewing rooms (2 back bedrooms upstairs) and discarded over 3 garbage bags of "junk" mainly lesson plans for things I was never going to teach again, and patterns that were hopelessly out of date. Now I look at the accumulation in there and am just amazed at how little time it takes to completely overload a room. So I will have a major job of chucking out before I move downstairs. I will have to look for a gas firelace too as it can get quite chilly downstairs, and if I'm going to hang out there for 12 hours a day, I don't want to get chilblains.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Well, I give up on searching for the choice of colors for this post, pretend it's red! I will be too busy tomorrow melting chocolate to post and wanted to wish everyone a happy day. Wondering today why the Saint was dropped from the greeting.....we don't say "Happy Patrick's Day" on March 17th, so when did St. Valentine's Day become just Valentine's day???

Today I am working on my red and black jacket for the Quilt show in May. The fabric was quilted to the batting and lining on my Inspira frame, so now I have to conceal the seams' raw edges with a Hong Kong finish. It's looking rather neat, but takes so much more time than just zipping along with the serger. But I think it will be worth it in the long run......something else to take up space in my closet while I run around in the same old dorm pants (otherwise known as flannel PJs to us grannies)

I finished my Convertible mittens last night and will post that photo very soon. Since they are red, will try to get it in this post.

Little quilts and little loaves

Looks like the bunny has claimed the little purple disappearing nine patch quilt! Too bad for it has been promised to Emily along with some more diapers for her little dolly.

I think I've got the disappearing nine patch out of my system for now, and will move on to other things. I quilted the fabrics for my jacket entry in the Guild Quilt show for this May, and drafted the pattern to make it. Will post that after I get it together. I did finish my Guild Mystery quilt this week, and it's just waiting for a label. I want to photo it, then print out a black and white label for it, showing the quilt in one corner. Still working on that...if it works, that's how I will do my labels from now on. I use freezer paper, cut to 8'5" x 11" with the same size muslin ironed to the shiny side; then it goes through the printer just like real paper and you can get some really neat labels or fabric that way.

And I finally remembered to take photos of my freshly baked gluten free bread this Wednesday too. I can no longer remember what wheat bread tastes like, so this tastes as good as it looks, at least to me. Here's the recipe for the English Muffins (which I use to make hamburger buns or just sandwich buns if I'm not doing hamburgers:

DRY MIX: (in large mixer bowl)
1-1/2 c gluten free flour mix
1 t. Xanthan gum
1-1/2 t baking powder
1 t. Knox gelatin
1-1/2 t Egg Replacer
1/2 t salt
1-1/2 T sugar
2 T ground flax

WET MIX:
1 c warm water (with 1 t sugar to proof yeast (2-1/4 t) in
1 egg
3 T soft butter
1/2 t vinegar

After yeast is proofed, pour this mix into the flour mix, add egg, butter and vinegar. Beat on med speed for 3 minutes. Fill 6 English Muffin rings (which have been placed on a Pammed cookie sheet and dusted with cornmeal. Let rise for 30 minutes then bake in a 375F oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on rack. Can be stored in freezer and then toasted when needed. If you double the recipe, don't double the yeast measurement. For Christmas buns or Hot Cross Buns: add mixed peel or cherries and some nutmeg and cinnamon. Bake as usual and frost with Crosses in white icing.

I'm grateful this week:

*that Jane called from Nashville to let us know that the tornadoes that devastated the area between Nashbille and Memphis, did not harm them, except for a few trees down.
*that I can see the end of my editing on my cookbook
*that we are all coping with winter, whether it takes the form of huge dumps of snow in the Toronto area, or too much rain on the Wet Coast, or tornadoes and wild weather down South.

The photos below show the red bag inside and out finished at last! And the layout of the Mystery quilt from Carolyn of the Abbotsford Guild. The predominantly green borders sparked it up a bit from all that black in the quilt blocks. Guess that's the danger in a mystery, you never really know how it's going to evolve. But overall I am so pleased with this one (Peek-a-Bamboo) that I am cutting out the strips tomorrow for another one using a Northcott "Quest for the Cure" fabric , a large print with tulips on it, and will use a bright gold for the background and 2 other colors for the A and B fabrics (likely red and green, though there is black in the background of the tulip print, so maybe throw a bit of black on it too.
I'm still finding my way around the layout of the blog thing, so I'm trying to post the photos and then have a description underneath. but it's coming out upside down, so will try again to right that.
Tomorrow I will quilt this Bamboo quilt and then take a break from quilting for a week or so. Need to work on the recipe book for awhile.

Now that it is February, I'll switch to red ink, but only till the 14th......
Every now and then we do get a touch of winter out here, though not as severe as what they are getting in Ontario right now, it's still hard to pull on those old winter boots that have been in storage the past few years.

I finished the blocks for the "Peek-a-Bamboo" quilt today and have them laid out on the design wall to see if it plays okay. Was a bit worried that all the black in the quilt (used as the background color) would make it a very depressing quilt, but against the bamboo green it is quite stunning. Will make a great quilt for St. Patirck's Day!
In my warped little mind, I imagined that the Pandas were Koalas, and I have been calling it my "Ned Kelly" quilt..because it is almost a kelly green and that seemed to fit. Then as I was squaring up the blocks, I realized that koalas are not black and white. They sort of look like they are peeking out from the bamboo shoots, thus the name. Will photo it tomorrow when the borders are on and before I put it on the quilting frame. So glad to get this one done, now all my have-tos are done for the month and anything else I do will be a bonus. (Like maybe get that darned old cookbook on paper at last. Okay, that's my goal for the month of February 2008.