A little change

This isn't the greatest picture and I can see I should have ironed the little peachy colored top but these items are made from crinkled seersucker , not the easiest fabric to work with ,it likes to stretch .These are for my granddaughter Sophia and I hope they fit her , she is too far away to try them on or to even know what size to make so it was guess work . It had been a while since I had done any garment sewing ,oh I did make that jumper for Nila but other than that nothing else so I am really out of practise and it is much different than making quilts .The great thing about making these this week was the fact they are spring and summer colors  and we need a little cheerfulness around here with all the snow we are dealing with.
Last night was one to be remembered , wow we had torrental rains that turned to snow when the temperatures dropped quickly so our yard is now a skating rink .The wind was nearly blizzard conditions so the snow has blown around and it is still cold out there . I do have to go get some groceries today but I am not looking forward to actually going out . Take care and have a great weekend and thanks for the visit .
hugs Sheila

One Christmas item

Today is the 25th so that means it is time to show my Christmas item for this month . I made this runner earlier this month but waited to post a picture .This pattern is by Kim van Rossum of Harbour Quilts of Nova Scotia , it is fun and easy and in this case a way to use up some scraps as well . It is now tucked away in the closet until next Christmas , perhaps as a gift although it does fit my hutch perfectly;-) Thanks to Narelle for hosting the One Christmas item a month , it sure keeps a person focused on finishing some little thing to have for the season . Have a Happy Friday and thanks for stopping by .
Sheila

The reveal !

In an earlier post I showed sneak peaks of the project I had made for the Once a Season Swap , well I just got an email from Sharon letting me know my package had arrived so I can now show you what I sent to her . First off was this table topper in fall colors with oak leaves and I added a few maple leaves since it was coming from Canada . This pattern was designed by Kim van Rossum of Harbour Quilts here in Nova Scotia .

I also made this needlecase in a fall design again with oak leaves , this pattern is one by Nancy Halvorsen of Art to Heart and is fun to make and rather cute I thought . I hope Sharon enjoys these items as much as I enjoyed making them for her .

 It is another snowy blowy day here in Nova Scotia , at least in our area , I am getting just a little tired of all the snow , no, I am really really tired of the snow .Tomorrow is suppose to be sunny maybe that will brighten my day a little more ;-) Hope you are having a super day , snowing or not .

 hugs Sheila

Tuesdays Treasures

It isn't quite Tuesday here in Nova Scotia but I will be off early in the am. so wanted to get this posted early . You see this is my treasure today , this is where I will be in the morning , in the church basement hand quilting on one of these quilts . This is truly a treasure to me each week , I absolutely love hand quilting and I also love the friendship I enjoy with the other ladies who join me each week . We start at 9:30 am and stay for lunch , I might add we eat well too , each week we take turns taking a hot meal complete with a delicious dessert and of course biscuits . I think I have gained a pound or two since I started this venture almost two years ago now. It all started when I asked these ladies to quilt a quilt for me which they did and when I returned to pick it up they suggested I join them . My reply was "Oh I don't know how to hand quilt "but they assured me that I would do fine and they have kept me so I guess I passed the test ;-0 I think I remember another blogger saying there is no greater treasure than friendship and I completely agree so today my treasure is the joy I receive each week hand quilting with my friends and helping out the church at the same time .
In these pictures you will see Joan marking the quilt before we start the stitching on our friend Diane's quilt and the second quilt is one that was made by a lady who is no longer with us but her granddaughter has asked us to quilt it so she can have it as a memory of her dear grandmother . These pictures were taken a few weeks ago so we have made some progress since this time .

To see more treasures head on over to visit with Melody at The house on the side of the Hill and thanks for stopping by .

hugs Sheila

Crazy Quilting Friday

Another teacup block this week , I do have one more of these I could use but this morning I have an idea floating around in my head and I would like your opinion .Ok here is this weeks block first ,as you can see it is not a whole lot different than last weeks or even the week before so .... my idea is this what do you think it would look like if I made these three into a runner ?Would you add sashings or butt them together with a border ?

I'm not even sure if I have anything in my stash that would look good but then this just popped into my head so I haven't had a chance yet to look .Let me know what you think , we can have a little opinion gallery ;-0 Thanks for your help . Hope you have a really super Friday or for our Australian friends a super Saturday .  Thanks to Betsy of Quilting Fiesta for hosting this weekly event , why don't you join us .
hugs Sheila

I won!

Wow I am so pleased to say I have won some wonderful books from Michelle of the Raspberry Rabbits , how lucky is that !! She has also posted a wonderful pattern today that you really would love so hop on over to visit her wonderful blog here . She also has a sweet BOM which you should check out , if you love hearts you will really love this one .
 Thanks so much Michelle I know there will be hours of drooling over the great pictures in these books .
Have a great day I know I will :-)
hugs Sheila

Tuesdays Treasures

It is Tuesday again so I want to join in with Melody of the House on the Side of the Hill for another week of fun . Today I am sharing these vintage kitchen utensils , maybe I shouldn't use the word vintage as I do remember very well using these egg beaters as we called them ,ok so I am that old ;-)  My Mom would have us beat up the eggs or the cream or even at times the frosting for cakes and we loved that job .The old rolling pins I love , some were Bill's grandmothers and others we bought at either yard sales or auctions ,I just like the look of them .

I love to collect old kitchen  utensils ,maybe as a reminder that life is much easier today than it was for our mothers or grandmothers ,aren't these biscuit cutters cute with there painted handles , these I still use occasionally as they are a perfect size . You see besides sewing I do love to cook , mostly bake and when my three sons were still at home I baked a lot but with just hubby and myself I seldom do much of that anymore and maybe that is a good thing ;-0 Have a super nice Tuesday and be sure to head on over to visit Melody and see who else is playing along . hugs Sheila

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day , hope today will be filled with love :-) Today is also a special day to me as it is my Dad's birthday , he is 91 today and he is a wonderful father who I love dearly ,wish I could be there to spend the day with him . I'm going to share a picture of my Dad and myself on my wedding day , 39 years ago , wasn't he a handsome man , still is ;-) My Dad is a quiet man except if you get him talking about horses , we grew up with harness racing horses and my Dad has a  passion for them ,he can of course no longer care for horses but he still on occasion repairs harness as well as other equipment for the horsemen . Happy Birthday Dad .

Another little treasure to share with you is this very old Valentine card ,it was one of a few old cards that I got from Bessie , most are Christmas cards , I love the illustrations on these vintage cards , it is actually a postcard . Sweet isn't it.
I will spend my day with my dear hubby that is definitely my sweetheart not only for today but for always .
Have yourself a great Valentines Day .
hugs Sheila

A little something

Last week when I made the heart runner I had cut out one too many hearts , I just didn't think this one went that well with the others so it was left out and I didn't want to waste it as this is a cute print so I thought what can I make and then I thought about all the mug rugs that are out in blogland so the idea was born and here it is for my sweetheart  .

  Now I must make use of this cute little mat so here it is all set up for my dear sweetheart to have a little snack .
Thanks for stopping by on this beautiful sunny day . Sheila

Crazy Quilting Friday

This weeks block is very similar to last weeks in that I used another tea cup for the center , I have one more of these to use so you may see one again next week , I also went to the same small drawer and it was more difficult this time to choose something that would sort of go .I added a corner of an old hankie and some more tatting from that old box I told you about but no other embellishments at this time , I am crunched for time today so it will have to wait . Thanks to Betsy of Quilting Fiesta for hosting this weekly event , why not join us you will enjoy making them ;-) The sun is shining here today although mighty cold BRRRRRR....... , have a super Friday and stay warm . Sheila

Teddy Bear Picnic

Melody of The House on the Side of the Hill is hosting a picnic for all our bear friends so today this little pair are already for the guests to arrive .These sweet little bears were both bought for the total sum of $.50 , at a local yard sale , how could I possibly leave them behind for that price and I know that Elise is really happy to play with them when she visits . She has never asked to take them home ,YET but I know that will happen eventually but for now they are enjoying their stay here . So to see some more sweet bears go on over to visit Melody and I am sure you will be glad you did. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by , the treats will be set out soon if you have a moment to stay for tea . Sheila

One lonely flower

It's One Flower Wednesday and I finally have one flower to show , it has been a while so my garden is not growing real fast but hey it is winter here ;-)To see some real lovely blooms head on over here  to visit Karen who hosts this weekly event .
I also want to tell you about two of my friends who have started blogs recently and I am sure they would love to have you come for a visit  ,first is my dear friend Dianne she is a talented lady and has some wonderful things to share so head on over here to the Redheads , I know she will be delighted to see you .Then there is my friend Lynda who I have known now for about 10 years , wow where has that time gone ,Lynda is an excellent quilter and I see now she is also a knitter so head on over here and visit  the Storybook House Quilts, she will also be delighted to see you .
Thanks for stopping by and may your garden bloom beautifully .
Sheila

One Down!!

I might be silly but I am doing a happy dance at this moment I have completed the first block of the mystery quilt , remember how I told you I don't like mystery quilts well I still don't and I will never ever do another . You see if I knew what this quilt was going to look like I probably would have changed the beige print , not that I don't like that fabric but I think it should have been a stronger color but it does go really well with the border print which is where I picked all the fabrics from ,I had planned on using the border print in the quilt but was told it was too large which is too bad as it is gorgeous .So anyway this is my block , 16" square with lots and lots of pieces and I have
'only" 19 more to go :-( .Our instructions gave us steps of quadrants to make up but first little units of lets say 40 of this one and 40 of that one and so on but I just couldn't content myself to doing it that way I needed to know how this was going to look when a block was complete to see if I liked it and yes I do , I love the blue and rose together I think that is going to be stunning and well the rest will be fine in the overall picture .What do you think??
Anyone for some snow , we have a little extra we can spare , more coming at the moment and some wind to whip it around :-) Oh well it will give me a chance to get another block done .
hugs Sheila

Tuesdays Treasures

Today I wanted to share this lovely tea set I was given by my Husbands great aunt Bessie ,this was left to me in her will along with the other dishes in this little cabinet . These dishes once belonged to Jane Cameron who is a descendant of my husband and they were purchased in Winnipeg when her husband was an engineer for the railroad in the early 1900's.They are very delicate which is why I didn't want to take them out to take the picture ,the back of the cabinet has a mirror so you can see my camera reflexion . I feel very privileged to own these dishes along with all the others in this china cabinet . Thanks to Melody of The House on the Side of the Hill  for hosting Tuesdays Treasures and to see more treasures head on over to visit here. 
I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday and thanks for stopping by. Sheila

"Be Mine"

Yesterday I decided with all the hearts that have been floating around blogland I would make myself a Heart runner .This pattern is by Kim van Rossum of Harbour Quilt Company and is a quick runner to make with fusible applique being my method of choice in this project . In the original pattern Kim has stars in each of the hearts but I preferred just hearts and since this project was a spur of the moment decision it was necessary to use what was on hand so the border is not your typical colour for Valentines Day but hey this way it can be used for more than Feb if the mood strikes me right . Since I am also REALLY looking forward to spring I added hearts with butterflies and small flowers but the truth be known they were the only reds I had that sort of matched the others in color range ;-)

The sun is finally shining again and the temperatures are moderate but more snow in the forecast for tomorrow so I will enjoy the sunshine while we have it . Hope the sun is shining where ever you are and have a nice day .Thanks for stopping by. Hugs Sheila

A finish

I have been working on a few things and did find the time to finish this runner which I am really pleased with and it is a perfect fit for my kitchen hutch  although the lighting was better here in the living room so I decided I better take the photo there .

 I am also taking part in the Once a Season Swap hosted by Cheryll and I finished that project as well so I am giving you just a sneak peak of that project even though it is a secret partner you just never know she might be lurking and I don't want to spoil the surprise totally .  I also made something else to put in but haven't taken a picture just yet . We had some snow overnight that turned to rain or freezing rain so it is a very dull dreary day . Thanks for stopping by. Sheila

Crazy Quilting Friday

I'm still tackling that drawer and I'm puzzled , I haven't added anything but it sure isn't going down either ;-) I found a few more of these tea cups so decided that made a nice focal point and pulled out some purples , yellows and greens and where ever they fit that is where they were sewn , you see there is a real science to making these blocks ;-) I did sew on some old tatting that I have , it is from an old box we bought at an auction years ago and it is so delicate and pretty that I thought it would look nice on this rather dainty block . Thanks to Betsy of Quilting Fiesta for hosting this weekly event .

It is a cold but sunny day here with only a few flurries forecast so that is a relief , I think we have enough snow for a while . Have a great day and thanks for stopping by. Hugs, Sheila

Teddie Bear Picnic

Meet Matilda , this little bear is going to join in on Melody's picnic and then she will be traveling west to become a friend for Sophia my youngest granddaughter .Last week after posting the picture of my bear it dawned on me that this would make a great softie for Sophia , safe and loveable so I prompty cut and sewed and even tea dyed the fabric for the body to give it an old look and I think Sophia will be happy to cuddle her , what do you think ? I'm a little late joining the party today as we had a major snow storm yesterday and overnight we lost power and it was just restored .You really must head on over to Melody at The House on the Side of the Hill to see how many bears are enjoying this weeks picnic and Melody has been her generous self and shared yet another free pattern .

Have yourself a wonderful day and stay warm and safe and please keep those in Queensland in your thoughts . Thanks for stopping by and do come again. Sheila

Sewing kits

As we are all aware Queensland in Australia has been hit by floods recently and now they are dealing with a cyclone which is really scary and my heart goes out to everyone in the area that is affected by such a monster of a storm. We are bracing for a snow storm but that is mild compared to what is happening and has happened in Australia .I have made three sewing kits to send over to the Gumtree Designers who have organized an appeal to help those who have lost everything . Members of our local quilt guild  as well as other quilters in our area are also making kits and I will collect them and send them off the first of next week , I am so pleased with the response and I hope our small effort will put a smile on someones face . The kit on the left was an adaptation of a pattern from Kaaren at the Painted Quilt , mine is much smaller and does not have the same pockets etc. , the second one I was trying to put a larger pincushion in the center so it could be hung over a chair , the third one is on loan at the moment to one of my friends who wanted to make some and wanted it as a guide but it is similar to these two , still trying to perfect the best storage in these kits .I hope to get at least one more made before the box is shipped out next week . I also made a matching drawstring bag for the one on the right and again if time allows I will try to get another bag made . I just added a picture of the kits I have recieved so far , but there are many more to add to this it is just  a matter of picking them up. The cute purple one in the front was made by my dear friend Dianne of RedHeads ,she is a new blogger and I know she would love to have you stop by for a visit . The others in this picture were from friends Joan , Gertie, Wilma and the donated fabrics  are from Janice as well as Wilma (no blogs).
Take care and stay safe and say a little prayer for those in Queensland .
hugs Sheila