What's happening in my world

I am trying to resume my regular sewing schedule, not always working but at least I am trying . So I do have a finish to show you ,I had given you sneak peaks a way back when and now you will get the reveal.

This little project is for our quilt guild watering can challenge , ok I will admit when this challenge was first announced I didn't think I would find any inspiration for a project but Pinterest to the rescue , love Pinterest ! This was a free stitchery pattern which I found here  and because I love color I did color my watering can with my trusty crayons , what would I do without them ;-) I also embellished on the flowers a bit  to make them stand out better and I love this little mini  and will be a  great one for my table top stand for summer. This will be on display at our quilt show in June , why not stop by and see it in person  ;-)
 I have another little project in the works for the show too , you see we are serving tea and a treat just in case you get hungry from all that viewing so.... it was decided we needed to spruce up our lunch room with some tea related quilts etc. and yesterday it came to me just what I wanted to do so here is a sneak peak as it is still very much in progress .

Actually that is a pretty good peak isn't it . Oh well to see the rest you may need to come to the show.
 As you know if you have been reading my blog , this has been a bit of a tough month for me and my sewing mojo is way down and therefore my progress in my UFO'S is suffering too but I did make progress even though it was small so I want to share that with you today.
 Here is my cottage quilt and it may be hard to see that I have actually made progress but I have made a few turns and am so close to another maybe later today if all goes well .

 Next on my list was this mini quilt which I planned on hand quilting as well , dumb idea to have two hand quilting projects going at the same time but I did make a start and once I get going this really should not take long .

Then the final item for this month was my Autumn table topper that I planned on machine quilting myself , ok I opted out of that too but it has been sent on to a machine quilter and may very well be done , I am sure it would only take her a few minutes where it would have taken my hours of frustration so I will be reporting on that once it arrives back home . I am linking up today to Carrie and to see how others faired this month be sure to hop on over and visit Carrie , she always has lovely work to see .
 Thanks for the visit on this lovely sunny Sunday ,hope all is going well in your world.
Hugs Sheila

A March update in April :-)

Ok so it is April, getting close to the end of April even but today I am sharing my update for March on my mystery quilt with Darlene ,yeah!! I have completed this round ,took me a while but it is done and I love it.

Now I need to get the April addition done before May arrives  ;-)If you are interested in joining in you can check it out here .
I took part in a wool workshop recently and loved every minute of it , Sande Gunning from River Gallery in New Brunswick joined us as instructor and hostess with a wonderful trunk show that I wished I could take home with me. There were 18 students and we learned how to make penny rugs, I am familiar with working with wool having made several penny rugs in the past but I knew I would learn something new and I really enjoyed the workshop. Would you like to see what I made , small but oh so sweet .

Don't let the photo fool you this is a mug rug size , isn't it adorable , yeah I have a thing for wool  ;-)
This morning I worked on some signature blocks for an exchange and made seven blocks which I distributed complete with my name and date ,then I worked on this BOM for  Quilt Doodle , the icon on my sidebar will take you there .

Simple block but one more thing off that list ,now I want to get the Aurifil block done . Do you think I may have too many projects on the go , nah :-)
Well I am linking up today to the Needle and Thread Network ,why not hop on over and see what others have been up to this week ,you are sure to be inspired .
Thanks for stopping by it is always a pleasure to see you .
 hugs Sheila

Some mail

It has been a while since I posted , just don't seem to have the desire but I want to get myself back into a normal routine so here goes ...A little while ago I received a wonderful package in the mail from my friend Pauline , we had decided we would exchange "Spring " postcards and this is what arrived for me.

This adorable spring postcard , some lovely swatches of fabric from Liberty of London as well as the covered buttons also from Liberty of London, how very special .Thanks so much Pauline ,I love them all .
I sent off a postcard to Pauline as well but I will keep that a secret until it arrives safe and sound.
I have been making a few postcards would you like to see?

This one is for a 1/on/1 exchange from a yahoo group ,our choice of subject so I made this little teacup complete with a real tag from a teabag from my favorite tea .
Next is this birthday card I am mailing off to my sister , I don't think she reads my blog so I think I am safe .

I was also scheduled to take part in the April Showers blog hop with Madame Samm but had to cancel when my Dad became ill so I will share my project with you now.

My first thought for April showers was the saying "April Showers bring May flowers so I created this little gal watering her flowers . The flowers are embroidered , it was a fun little project to make .
Oh back to postcards as I also had made two postcards before I went off to my parents and they didn't get mailed until I returned ,two landscape themed cards .

and this one

So that is it from me today , it feels good to be back , hope all is well in your world , thanks for stopping by .
 hugs Sheila

Thanks for your support

It is with great sadness that I share the passing of my dearest Dad on Friday April 5th . Life will never be quite the same without his presence but he filled my life with so much love and wonderful memories that I feel he will always be by my side . It was a difficult couple of days from the time he entered the hospital , he struggled so much to breathe but once they gave him medication to ease him he slept more peacefully and although we no longer heard his wonderful voice we knew that he knew we were all there . The last two hours of his life he held my Mom's hand with a grip that she was unable to let go , the nurses at one point wanted to turn him which would mean letting go so I asked them to please just leave him as I felt his time was near and I am thankful they had that bond until the end. They shared 64 years together and he told a visiting minister he would give another 64 if it were possible. My Dad was very special , he in my humble opinion lived the way we all should , showing  love , kindness and understanding to both human and his beloved horses that he so adored . He loved his family foremost and gave us encouragement and never failed to ask how my sons were doing and so happy when we shared their successes . My oldest son Robbie as he always called him , drove 1000 miles and  did a reading at the funeral on Tuesday  that touched my heart and I am sure my Dad was pleased as well . I have two sisters and one brother and we were all by his side those last two days and at the moment of his passing which was as peaceful as it could possibly be so I feel blessed to have had that chance to share in his life and his passing . He did not fear death as his faith was strong , I think the only thing he may have feared is how my Mom would do without him there as they relied on each other so much , the void for my mom is going to be great . I will do my best to spend as much time with her as possible ,as will my siblings, she is a strong person but will need some help in the next while so please continue prayers for her . Thank you all for your support and prayers during this very difficult time , it really meant so much to me and my family . God Bless and give your family members a hug and be sure to tell them you love them .
hugs and with love .
Sheila

Prayers please

I am off to my parents in a few minutes , my Dad is very low so I will be missing for a while. I would really appreciate some prayers for both my Dad and my Mom. Thanks
hugs Sheila

Plans for April

                                                       
April has arrived and I am happy to say good bye to March , it was a tough month weather wise but today is not that great either ;-)It is very much like winter today, we woke up to snow and howling cold winds , when will spring really arrive ???? So it is time to make plans for my UFO'S for April, what will I work on , well first off it looks like my Autumn Bounty will be in the line up again this month , maybe third time lucky  lol.
                                  
This will be my top priority this month , it must be finished , enough procrastinating .Wish me luck as I venture into the world of Fmq , it is not my best skill .
 Next on the list also requires some quilting but I may just hand quilt this little one.

I hate to admit it but I forget where this came from , I believe it was Temeucula quilt Co. but would have to go back and search earlier photos to find out. Anyway I love this little quilt so really would like to finish it up.Now finally on my list for this month is to make some progress on my Cottage blocks which was a BOM from Shabby Fabrics , I am sooooooooo.... slow at the quilting . Funny when I go to quilting on Tuesdays I love to hand quilt but to sit down at home and just hand quilt , well it seems like I am wasting time , silly I know but that is how I feel.  But having said that I really do want to finish this quilt so will make an effort to plunk myself down and quilt .

Not the best picture in the world but you will get the idea.
Although not yet a real UFO I am also working on my mystery quilt , a BOM with Darlene , I have to hurry to catch up before Darlene gives us the next step. I worked on that this morning and , well, it is slow going on all of those leaves but they are getting done. Two sides done and one side half done and one side waiting to be done. My stars for the corners are cut but not yet sewn so I do have my work cut out for me  but oh I do love it so far.Would you like to see how it is looking ?

I will be an expert at button hole applique when I finish these leaves haha! So do you think I have enough to keep me busy for April, I do :-)
I am linking up today to Carrie and also to the Needle and Threadnetwork for WIP Wednesday . Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and have a great day.
 hugs Sheila