Oriental Beauty

A little happy dance going on here today , I have finished my Oriental Beauty , the popular choice was to use brown for the binding but guess what, I went against that and used the red . I always was a bit of a rebel lol!

I like the red , it helps bring out the red that is in the middle as well as in the brown fabric in the outer sections. Oriental Beauty is a pattern by Karen Neary of Nova Scotia , a very talented designer .
It will be a one of a kind , this is not my thing , as I know I have said before PP is not really my favorite thing to do but I did enjoy making this project but not enough to repeat it .
 Last week when I met Lesley at Lucy's I  fell off the wagon and bought fabric , how could I resist , so here is a sneak peak of what I am using these sweet spring fabrics for, you see this could be my giveaway, haven't decided what it will be yet but this is really cute if I do say so myself  and for all those purple lovers out there this is one you will love. My plan when I purchased these was to make a runner but I will tell you it is not a runner but they just spoke spring to me so it has a spring flavor to it .

I used the macro setting on my camera and it sure gives a nice clear picture . Thinking about macro shots I just have to share another I took but this time of my Christmas Cactus that has been kind enough to bloom for Easter , only three blossoms but oh wow they are incredibly beautiful.

 And another  ,isn't is a gorgeous color . I have another plant  that is also about to bloom but the flower is more of a deep pink where this is a salmon peachy color . I love my Christmas Cactus , I have three large plants but just two are blooming at the moment .







It is still rather cold here , quite a contrast from last week but I guess Mother Nature is going to do what she wants and there is not much we can do about it , complain , but what good will that do , right!
Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by ,it is always a pleasure to see you.
 hugs Sheila

WIP Wednesday

Another week has slipped by ,it is time for WIP Wednesday , I have some things to share but I really have not had a lot of stitching time this past week with being away for a couple of days . I have lots of things in progress , some slower than others but here is what I have been working on these past few days.

 After much frustration I finished block four of the Baskets for Temecula Quilt ,if there was a way to turn that around I found it ,however they are so darn cute aren't they . I guess there is just one more to go .

I see this picture is not all that clear , this is of course the BOM Hannah and Harrington of Raspberry Rabbits fame , I have this all set to applique , it is ironed on and the embroidery is traced out but no stitching as of yet.

Another wonderful wool project , Melody of the House on the Side of the Hill's BOM  Penny Rug , again everything is ironed on but the only thing I have stitched on this is the clapboards are all sewn ,I am so loving this project .

 Just a sneak peak here as this is in progress and if it turns out ok will be my giveaway gift during the bloghop in April , stay tuned for this one :-)
 I am also in the process of making the binding for the Oriental Beauty have that about ready to sew on so by next week that should be a finish . I am linking up today to the Needle and Thread Network , be sure to stop by and visit , it is worth seeing all the wonderful work being done . Thanks for stopping by and come again real soon.
 hugs Sheila

One Christmas Item a Month

Tomorrow is March 25 , One Christmas Item a month day and since I am going to visit my Parents I am posting a little early or just on time for our Aussies friends  .
I finished this stitchery designed by Kaaren of the Painted Quilt , I decided to make it fit my table stand although right now it is going in my Christmas box .Thanks Kaaren for your creative drawings , I love to stitch them :-)

I spent a lovely hour today at Lucy's Quilt shop where I met up with fellow blogger Lesley of the Cuddle Quilter blog . It seemed like I knew her all my life , she is a real sweetie just like she seems on her blog .She even came with a little gift for me , one of her handmade pincushions , I mean how special is this .

She had it all wrapped up in the sweet fabric with the red ribbon , I love it , thanks so much Lesley I will use it everyday . We had Sherry take our picture in the shop, Lesley on the left and myself on the right ,you probably figured that out since there are only two of us in the photo ;-) I really enjoyed our visit and hope to do it again real soon.

 Tomorrow is my Mom's birthday so I am going to surprise her with a visit , it has been a while since I was home and I know how much it will mean to her to have me there for her special day plus I am hoping my sisters and brother will also be  there . Happy Birthday Mom !!

 Thanks for stopping by and hope you are enjoying your weekend . Hugs Sheila

A sneak Peak

On April 17th I am taking part in the Spring Table Topper  Blog Hop hosted by Madamme Samm ,this will be my first time doing anything like this so wish me luck . I have two projects that are possibilities and I will decide a little closer to the time which one I will show but for now I am giving you just  a sneak peak of the one I have been working on today and I must say I love it , I mean the background fabric is perfect and that was the toughest part in this one as I wanted it too look good but not be too plain . I am also going to admit something here , I really enjoy doing minis , they are quick and you get such a feeling of satisfaction to finish something so quickly , don't you agree . Ok so here is my little sneak peak , hope it doesn't give it away too much but I just had to share ;-)

I am not quite finished but close and will finish up today and maybe think of another just incase or maybe something for a little giveaway , never did that before either so be here on April 17th . and thanks for stopping by today . Hugs Sheila

I've been tagged !

Ok so I guess I missed all the tagging going on but opened my email yesterday to discover I had been tagged by Marjorie and I guess the way this is played is I have to answer her questions then tag others so lets get to the questions first.
 1. What got you started sewing/quilting?
  I would have to say my Mom as she was always sewing when we were young.

2. How long have you been crafting?

  Ever since I was knee high to a grass hopper  .

3. Where did you travel to this year?

 The farthest I have traveled this year would just be to the Annapolis Valley , no wait I went to PEI but hey although that is another province it is just a short boat ride away , pretty sad that I have not been on any vacations to speak of .

4. What is your favorite foreign food?

  My favorite foreign food would be pizza .

5. Have you ever been to New Brunswick, Canada?

 Every year I believe on our way home from PEI .

6. What is your favorite on line fabric shop?

 I don't really have one as I am not an online shopper .

7. What TV show do you like; if any?

  That's tough , I am not a real TV fan but Seinfeld is still a favorite . They crack me up.

8. Who has been a big influence in your crafting life?

  My biggest influence in my crafting life would be my Mom and my grandmother(my Dad's Mother ) , both inspired me to sew.

9. Do you like working outside/gardening ?

 I love to garden but don't have as large a garden as I once did .

10. What is your favorite season and why?

 My favorite season would be fall , mostly because of the incredible color we enjoy but right now I am really enjoying our spring weather after a long winter :-)

11. What is the one crafty item you really want to make one day?

    I have so many projects I would like to make it would take me all day to list them but on the top of the list is to become really good at thread painting.

So now I must tag others and here are my questions for those people.
 1. Why did you start blogging?
 2.How long have you been quilting?
 3. What project have you made that you are most proud of ?
 4. What  other country have you visited and when ?
5. What is your favorite color and why?
6. Are you an animal lover and if so what is your favorite animal ?
7. Other than sewing / quilting what other craft do you love ?
 8. What is your favorite all time book ?
 9. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you most like to visit?
 10. What is your favorite comfort food ?
 11. Who influenced you most in your life?


Now for those who will be  tagged .
http://jeanettespatch.blogspot.ca
http://institchesandseams.blogspot.ca
http://terrytreasures.blogspot.ca
http://michelleridgewaydesigns1.blogspot.ca
http://maria-lifeontheblock.blogspot.ca
http://lesleythecuddlequilter.blogspot.ca
http://sunny-quiltingdreams.blogspot.ca
http://bubzrugz.blogspot.ca
http://cariboucrossingchronicles.blogspot.ca
http://theodoraquilts.blogspot.ca
http://calculatingquilter.blogspot.ca


 Have fun with this and don't feel obligated to do it but it is fun . 
 Oh an update on our auction last night , I came home a lot richer than I thought as I was not successful in winning any of the bids but quess what , we made $196 , isn't that great :-) 
 It is an incredible day here , sunny and down right hot , Mother Nature has forgotten it is March , she can be so sweet sometimes , enjoy your day I know I will,
hugs Sheila 

WIP Wednesday

I have been missing in action the past few days , just needed a little blogging break . I have been stitching however and for this weeks WIP  I have a few things to show you , first off I have made five postcards for a swap I am taking part in. Hoppy Easter ,kind of fun to make .

You may just recognize these cute little rabbits , yes that is Hannah and Harrington ,I asked Michelle for permission to use these cute little drawings for my postcards and she was kind enough to grant me permission.Thanks so much Michelle :-)

If you remember our quilt guild is having a challenge for our anniversary year , we are to make something with ten of something , it could be just ten blocks , ten colors or you get the idea ,just with ten so if you have been following me for a while you will know I chose to make ten spool blocks and add my blogname to the top and my plan is to hang this in my sewing room . Well yesterday I finished it, just need to finish sewing down the hanging sleeve and put on a label like a good girl and it will be finished ,yippppeeeee!

Our guild meeting is tonight so it will be nice to have this  for show and tell. Our quilt show is June 9th this year a little later than other years due to the fact the National Quilt show is in Halifax the week before ,I am really looking forward to both. Oh tonight we are having a brown bag auction , I know I will be coming home much poorer than when I went , it is always a lot of fun and you never know what you will come home with . If you aren't familiar with a brown bag auction ,you place something in a brown paper bag ,in this case it is hopefully quilt related or food related :-) and then the auctioneer our very talented Joan will auction off the bag giving it a little shake, rattle and roll to tempt you to bid but you are bidding blindly as know one knows what is inside only the person who owns the bag and even they would not recognize their bag lol! It is a great fund raiser and a lot of fun so why not have your guild give it a try . I'll let you know if I get any real great goodies tomorrow . 

 I am also working on a topper for the table topper frame as I am taking part in Madamme Samm's April blog hop ,the icon is on my sidebar now and I hope to make two minis if time permits so keep your eyes peeled I won't be showing you any progress on that as I don't want to spoil the surprise :-) 

I have also been working madly on my crazy patch block for Jeanette , getting there Jeanette , you will be one of the first to get yours back , I think you will be pleased .I know the rest of you have no clue what I am talking about but I am taking part in an international crazy patch swap ,we have been doing this for months now , seems like years at times and there have been times when I have been completely overwhelmed by the blocks I have received , simply gorgeous but way out of my league of skill level but I did my best and passed them on and hopefully they will be happy when they get them back. 

I am linking today to the Needle and Thread Network , be sure to stop by and see what others are doing this week and as always thanks for stopping by . hugs Sheila 

Three little baskets and a few wins

I had so much fun making the 12 Days of Christmas mini with Temecula Quilt that when they announced the little basket mini I knew I just had to join in but was swamped with other projects so kept it in the back of my mind until today .I had to make three baskets to get caught up and they are very tiny so not a lot of fabric required .I am using the leftovers from my Louisa quilt , yeah I still have a few scraps and I love these fabrics so amd making good use of them.

 Aren't they cute , they measure 4.5" so those triangles are super small .I have always loved minis so this is fun .I received this cute Easter Postcard yesterday in the mail , it was a bit of a surprise as it came from Miriam in Ireland and I wasn't expecting it to arrive so soon , I did not even start mine yet , yikes ! Maybe I should be making postcards not baskets lol!

 Isn't this adorable , just love that egg :-)
 Now I am somewhat embarrassed here as I should have posted about these a long time ago and I don't want  it to look like I did not appreciate the wonderful goodies I received as nothing could be further from the truth , I love each and everything but well I guess I am just slack and I am sorry for that .
 I won these lovely blue fabrics as well as two great patterns from Marjorie  ,thanks so much Marjorie , I will be sure to enjoy using these lovely blues :-) Marjorie does incredible hand quilting so be sure to take a visit you won't be disappointed .

I also won some thread samples from World of Charity ,I was really happy about this as I have wanted to try Aurifil threads and this is my chance . I had no idea they had so many varieties of threads .

 I also won these wonderful batiks from Quilt Inspiration , check them out they always have such great quilts to share , at the moment they have great photos of quilts on display at a show in Arizona .

I have my fabrics all washed and ready for the borders on my anniversary challenge piece and really want to sew those on but receiving that postcard has me realizing I better get myself into action and get those three cards ready and posted off so they will arrive before Easter . I am hip hopping my way to the sewing machine right now .Enjoy your day and thanks for the visit.
 hugs Sheila

On my design wall today

There were little squeals of joy last night when I tore the last strip of paper from the back of the Oriental Beauty project ,yes I have it sewn together and now I just need to think about a binding which because of all the curves will need to be cut on the bias .I am pleased and glad I pushed myself yesterday to get at this UFO .

 What color would you use for the binding ? I have enough of the brown that is used for the arc's , the gold and also the red ?
 I made a little trip to our local quilt shop today , I needed to buy fabric for the border of my spool challenge piece , Lucy's is a lovely little shop with gorgeous fabrics and Sherry and Mary were both there so I was happy as they are both great with colors and helped me decide what to use for the border treatment , this is just going to be a narrow border but I wanted to get it right and another opinion is always a good thing . I'll show you an update on that one later once I get those sewn on . Of course a couple of fat quarters found their way into my bag as well , the price was too good to pass up :-)
I also went across the street to the library since I was in town and found a few books to take out , one on bread machine recipes , I love making my own bread and since kneading is a bit of a problem for me I let the machine do that part for me and I like to try out different recipes , if anyone has a great bread machine recipe they would care to share I would love to have it. I came out to a rather stormy day , the drive home was a little tricky but I just took my time , surely this is the last of the snow ,oh right this is March , and I am in Nova Scotia , this is normal , almost forgot ;-)
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day .
 hugs Sheila

WIP Wednesday

Wednesday sure seems to roll around quickly ,here we are half way through the month already , time sure flies .Before I give an update I want to wish Roger our middle son Happy Birthday ,have a wonderful day Roger :-)
Six years ago today we also added our labradoodle Luke to our family , now that is really hard to believe as he still acts like a puppy , he travelled all the way from Saskatchewan with us and has been a huge part of our lives ever since.
Now back to my WIP , I'll share a couple of small finishes first , the I spy placemats are now completed ,even did  some FMQ using this months loops and stars , found this much easier than feathers , in fact I enjoyed it .Did I say that?

Here is a close up of those loops :-)












Then there is all this talk about Bingo cards so I just had to join in the fun with Hillybilly Handiwork and make a card,you will find all the rules and dates for the games to begin  HERE  . I did extend the length of the card so this could be used as a placemat by my grandchildren when they visit , this was a suggestion from Fiona of Bubzrugz.

I have not yet gotten my paper written with the names of each block but will get to that shortly.
I finished off the red work on another of Kaaren's Friday Freebies , I had this traced off right away but just got around to starting this the other night .Thanks to Kaaren for being so generous with her lovely designs,now I need to decide on a border for this sweet little stitchery.

Ok now it is confession time , I had to force myself to go back and work on this project this morning , it isn't that I don't like the project it is just that I really do not like PP and was not looking forward to doing more of it but since I had it all started and partly finished I put the pedal to the medal and have just one more of these sections to PP then I can sew the sections together ,whew .No big deal right :-)

Here is a preview of what this may eventually look like , I know I will still have to push myself to the finish line here folks.

 Of course it will also have the dark arc in the right hand side piece ,that is fun , well not really . Oh I know I shouldn't be complaining it will be well worth it in the end , I do love the fabrics and the finished projects I have seen were spectacular so I will focus on that and get this done , are you smiling now Anne . To be fair we had a wonderful instructor for this project , Anne did a fantastic job and gave us a few tips I had not previously used for PP which helped immensely and this morning when I started this I added a little thing of my own , I was having some trouble trying to judge how far to place my fabrics to be sure to cover all the seam allowances on both ends with the curved shape it is for me more challenging ,however I traced the outside edge of the finished project pieces on the back of the foundation paper so I could see where things had to cover easily and found this really helped , not one mistake using this method. Wish me luck with the completion of this table topper , hopefully by next week I can show you the completed top ,it may not be quilted but it is my goal to have it sewn together .
 I am also planning on having my banner completed , have it sewn together now , all applique completed but can't decide on a border fabric and seems I will have to go shopping , what a shame , sometimes you have to sacrifice when you are a quilter . Well I think I have kept you long enough , I am linking up today to the Needle and Thread network so be sure to hop on over and see what others are up to this week and thanks ever so much for stopping by.
 Hugs Sheila

SAHRR Update

The applique is completed ,I will do some free motion in the leaves but not tonight ,just happy to have it to this stage so I can think about the next border the Braid , thanks to Maria for the link to help me out with that .
I am not 100% happy with this , the acorn clusters especially but they are staying anyway .

 Onwards and upwards ! This will be idle now until I get a few other things caught up .Hope you are enjoying your weekend.
hugs Sheila

Four Down and Four to go !

A little update on my SAHRR , I have all my applique ironed on now and as my title says I have four sewn and four to go with my oak leaves , however I also have several acorns to do but at least now I am started :-)

 I plan on doing some free motion veins once these are sewn down as they don't show up all that well with this busy background they are competing against.
 I forgot to show you my Autumn BOM with Rana ,(the link is in my side bar just look for the pumpkin) I am all caught up with that now infact I may have jumped ahead a bit and have the pumpkin sewn on the cake stand , risky I know but I think I am correct and if not then  this will be my own design ;-)

 This was my first project using string blocks and I really love the effect , we have smaller string blocks to use yet , wonder what they will be used for . So far I am enjoying this little BOM and thankfully keeping up .
 It is a miserable wet and windy day here so a good day to stitch . Thanks so much for stopping by and have yourself a great day. hugs Sheila

WIP Wednesday

It is that time of week again when I link up to The Needle and Thread Network  , a blog where Canadian craft people can show what they are working on in the past week.
 I am working on lots of things but don't have a lot of progress to show you . I did finish off the Debbie Mumm quilt I posted about that earlier and yesterday I finished off this little stitchiery which was a Friday Freebie from dear Kaaren of the Painted Quilt , Kaaren is extra generous with her beautiful designs and I really enjoy stitching them . The table top frame was a Christmas gift and I really wanted something to try it out . When I finished this yesterday I decided to color in the flower and leaves with colored pencils and crayons and I like the effect .I love to color ;-)
Here is a close up of the flower.

I am also hand quilting my Henrietta Whiskers quilt on my new to me frame and so far so good .

 This was a free BOM from Bunny Hill Designs last year and so much fun to make.
 On the topic of BOM'S I completed the stitching on last month block for Shell of Raspberry Rabbits and have sewn it to the January block , another really fun one to do , check it out her link is on my sidebar and it really wouldn't take all that long to catch up , I know you will be tempted when you see this it is just so cute.

I did get some more work done on the Ten Challenge and now need to decide on borders , what color as well as how big but hope to have that finished real soon.
Along with that my SAHRR is still waiting for that applique to be sewn down , I will get to it I promise Sunny, my problem is I get sidetracked real easy like here ....

 My son told me that Sophia and Isaac love to play I spy and since I already made them an I Spy quilt I decided to make them some placemats to use , lots of small pieces to cut and sew but I think they will have fun with this . So that is my week in a nutshell , how did yours go . To see what other Canucks have been up to be sure to check out the Needle and Threadnetwork. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs Sheila

Tuesdays Treasures

It is Tuesday March 6 th ,a cold damp day here on the east coast and it is also Tuesday's Treasure time with Melody of The House on the Side of the Hill   , I contemplated for quite a while on this one today as my treasure for today is not a tangible item , you can't hold it in your hand and you can't really see it but you can sure feel it ,what could it be you might be asking , well my treasure for today is good health , without that well life is just not quite the same . March is not a good month for me most years , the weather is so changeable and storms come and go frequently which sets off joint problems so it brings to the forefront the most precious gift of good health . So to all of you I wish the very best treasure of good health .
 Since yesterday was a slow moving day for me I did some handsewing so I could sit and not stand for too long and it meant that I have a finish to show you .I am really pleased to have this UFO finally finished , it is a 2010 Debbie Mumm BOM ,I think I have that right , the poor thing has been folded for so long but now I have it all quilted by Lynda of Fiddle Stitches in Mabou CB. and I sewed on the binding yesterday so I can call this completed !!!! Little happy dance going on here .This is not the best picture , I obviously can not go outside in the snow and the lighting is not the best on a dull day like this but here goes anyway.

 I love Debbie Mumm and really enjoyed doing this BOM , I am not doing this years I have far too many BOM's already on the go so dare not add another right. Thanks so much for stopping by I really do appreciate your visits and your comments. Hugs Sheila

A few updates

I have not had a lot of time to sew lately so my progress is slow but I did manage a few small things .First off I completed the February part 2 of Melody's BOM ,I really love working on this one .

Maybe I should have used smaller buttons but I still love this . Here is a close up of the sheep and the tree.

I also got one of the yellow house blocks made and one ready to sew together .I am really enjoying making these as well , thanks to Terry for hosting this .

I also did a little of the applique on my Ten Challenge piece for the quilt guild .I thought it would be easier to to the applique before I sew the strips together , it is a bit of a slow process as these are not all that big.

I also finished off a postcard but since that is in the mail I can not show you a picture of that at the moment , maybe once it arrives ;-) 

I am not sure how many are familiar with the Quilting Gallery but each week they have different themes you can enter your quilts and they are voted on , well this week just happened to be quilted pillows so I did enter one I made a couple of years ago for a friend , I quite liked it and hope you will like it enough to vote for me , actually this week you can vote up to 5 times and that is a good thing as there are a lot of gorgeous pillows on display . Go here if you are interested in voting and if you do happen to vote for me many thanks. 

Thanks for stopping by and hope your day is filled with sunshine. hugs Sheila