And the beat goes on........

Remember that song by Sonny & Cher? You might be wondering why I seem to have titles relating to songs lately. Well, Stephen is presently recording/converting some of our old 33 Lps into music files/cds. No, I do not own any Sonny and Cher, but really .... who hasn't heard of the duo? lol

For those of you much too young to remember this form of music recording, well there it is, a vinyl record - 33 Lps. For the curious ones, it's Iggy Pop - Blah, Blah, Blah. Gotta love the title of that album!

One thing I've become aware, as I get older I lose track of time. When asked when a particular song was recorded, I'm usually off by more then a decade! lol Iggy Pop - 1986! Has it really been that long? The Buzzcocks, 1979! I would have probably been able to date that one by less then a decade. Only because I can associate it with a time frame, my boyfriend at the time was Lyndon. I was a closet punk in my early twenties! lol I guess I still am! ;o)

It's neat to be listening to old vinyls! Some, I had forgotten what the "hit song" was. It certainly brings back old memories! Right now I'm listening to Kate Bush - The Kick Inside, circa 1977!

While we're on the subject of "olden days" allow me to show you my ironing board. Thanks Libby for organizing a challenge!

Meet my Old Friend! This ironing board must be old. Unfortunately, I have no clue as to the date it was produced. It's completely made of wood! Metal nuts and bolts hold the pieces together.

A friend of mine, Lori, gave it to me. She had bought a home in Baie D'Urfe in the mid 90's and found this in her basement. She had no use for it, so it went home with me. I love it!

I use layers of Warm & Natural and 2 yards of fabric for the cover. I've changed the cover a few times. All I do is look in my stash for suitable fabric and voila, a new cover!

Notice the floor, it's coming apart! It was suppose to be an industrial floor. So much for that! It's not like I do wild and crazy things in my sewing room! I mean, I just roll from one sewing machine to another and at times, to my lap top. Strangely, the traffic area is fine! We'll be renovating this summer! I cannot wait to plan the layout!

I have another ironing board given to me by my mother. It belonged to my Grandmother and was probably purchased in the early 1950's. It's a standard size and quite sturdy! I don't use it much as I like my Old Friend better!

Thank you for taking the time to visit with me! I hope you are all having a wonderful day! It's still snowing here and has been since yesterday morning. Strangely, very little accumulation, 4 inches so far!

Hello it's me!

Hum..... I now have that song in my head! lol (Todd Rundgren - Hello It's Me" ) - Gotta love the Internet!

Well, not much has been going on in my quilting world. I'm still working on that Sherbert quilt. I now have only the borders to machine quilt! I'm hoping to have that done along with the binding ready to be hand sewn by Friday. Wish me luck! lol

On the hand embroidering front, I've been plugging away at the panels and patterns that were sent to me from my wonderful friends in blog land. I plan on making a quilt with the various blocks. As I sat in my yellow room watching the beautiful snow fall while hand embroidering, I thought about the various methods people employ for hand embroidery and became curious. Oh.... did I ever tell you that I really think way to much? Well, I do..... anywhoooooo

I know that some of you use stabilizer and others a thin batting etc... I need to understand why the need for something like that. I read/saw on a tutorial from Cinderberry Stitches that she uses "fuse Pelon". I have no idea what that is. I did try using a batting behind one of my blocks and I felt like I was hand quilting more than hand embroidering. Mind you the batting may have been too thick (I used Warm & Natural) but still, it gave me an idea as to how it would feel.

I look at my stitches and think that they look okay. So I'm basically questioning the advantage of using a stabilizer behind my work.

What you have here is the front and back of one of my panels.


I've included pictures of my work so that you may provide me with your opinion. If you click on the image, you will have a closer view of the work. I did not use any form of stabilizer.

I'd love it if you would let me know what method you use for your hand embroidery work and why.

When I think of stabilizers, I think of the stuff I use for machine embroidering and let me tell you, it's pretty stiff. I'd be stabbing my needle in as opposed to gently piercing my fabric.

Would you tear the stabilizer out after you finished your project? Or does the stuff wash out? I have machine embroidery stabilizer that completely washes out. No residue! Would that be a good product to use?

Thank you for taking the time to instruct me!

Raviolli squares and blah blah blah.......

I haven't been able to do much quilting this week. Not because of school, just because......

Today I will share with you my Raviolli squares. Some of you have inquired as to what they were. I'll be the first to admit, I didn't know anything about them myself. That is, until I received a stack as a gift from Sarah. All part of my Four Season Quilt Swap package.

Aren't they just delicious?

They are 5 (five) inch Batik squares. The bundle makes a total of 1 yard of various batiks. All unique!

They'll look sweet in a quilt!

I don't know if you've been following Anne Ida's trip to Australia via Rose of Threadbare, but it's certainly worth while to take a peak. And if you did not get a chance to follow Nadine in Norway via May Britt, I invite you to do so. Why am I writing about this you might ask?

My heart is just all warm and fuzzy from the love, kindness and friendship that has occured in cyberspace via Blog Land. When you look at Nadine or Anne Ida, they just radiate joy! My heart just fills with delight when I read about their travel to meet fellow bloggers. There are a lot of kind quilters out there and I have been blessed with their special friendships. I guess I'm getting all mushy! lol I don't know, I've just been thinking way to much lately! lol No, no group hugs please! lol

Yesterday I received this wonderful package from Guðrún in Iceland, who has become a dear friend.

Aren't those mitten just so sweet? The design is an old Icelandic pattern. I just love them! 100% wool, they will be warm not to mention that I'll be styling!

The card is just so pretty! The costume that the lady is wearing is an Icelandic costume that Guðrún would like to own. It's absolutly beautiful!

She included various types of Lakkris. I was hooked on Freyju Djupur Sukkulaoihjupaour Lakkris, that is until she sent Noa Lakkris sprengjur. Now I have 2 (two) addictions! lol Let me tell you, I ate a few before taking the picture! lol

Today I did make the machine quilting template for the Sherbert quilt for the setting triangles. After I get those done, the rest of the quilt should be a breeze to machine quilt.

I do hope you are all having a wonderful day! Thank you for stopping buy!

Four Season Swap and blah blah blah......

Today I did a bit of shopping and managed to remember to buy some bandaids. I've been out since Thanksgiving. Well, the good one's any way! You see, a little four (4) year old cousin of ours, Mr. Simon who is so cute and adorable, likes to use them as, I'm guessing, body art. lol So yes, a whole box was gone in a flash! They did look sweet on him! lol

One thing you ought to know about me, I like funky bandaids. I'm of the opinion that, if I have to walk around with a booboo, I might as well make a statement. Who wants a plain old bandaid? Not me!

Sadly they did not have my favourite character, Harry Potter. So I had to settle for second best, Spongebob Square pants. I love Spongebob!

Hum.... I also noticed that these do not glow in the dark. Bummer! My previous kind did. Geeez, now I wont be able to make a statement in low light! ROLF

So, I'm now prepared for future booboos! And if you don't like my bandaid, you can borrow Stephen's. He has the borring kind! lol

On the quilting front, I thought I would share with your the quilt I received from Sarah for the Winter - Four Season Quilt swap.

I just love it! So bright and cheerful. Thank you again Sarah for the delicious quilt.

The picture is a tad over exposed. Stephen bought a new camera and I'm still learning how to use it. Remember, I'm an old fashion B&W girl! ;o) She used some gorgeous batiks!

Sarah also included a tin of chocolate, which is all gone, and some ravioli Squares (batik squares). I plan on using the raviolis in a class I will be taking with the guild in March called, Stash Box. I cannot wait!

Hum.... Blogger must have fixed whatever it was that caused my inability to view photos! Yahooooo!

I'm off to do a bit of quilting! Gotta finish that Sherbert quilt!

What's going on with blogger?

Thank you so much everyone for your well wishes. I feel that my blood pressure is slowly coming back to normal, which is good. However, last night both Stephen and I had some form of food poisoning. What the heck is going on here? We cannot seem to figure out what it was. Out in the trash everything went!

Today, I decided that I was going to have patience and attempt to post what I intended to do last Wednesday. Voila, the image appears! Well, a small box with an x in it! lol Unfortunately, I cannot see the image myself. I pressed "done" and I'm hoping it is of a block from the Sherbet quilt and not an embarrassing picture of something! ROFLOL

I'm working in Html mode and the image coding looks like it's being posted twice. Those of you who can actually see what I'm doing, please let me know. When I witch to "compose" mode, I get two (2) boxes with a red X in the middle. Hum... well I deleted one!

I've been thinking of switching to typepad, but it would not solve the issue of not being able to see my friend's blogs. It truly makes it hard to post a comment if you cannot see the images!

Voici the machine quilting pattern on the Sherbet Quilt, I hope! LOL I have decided to name that quilt Cotton Candy d'Antan. I could not find a suitable English word for d'Antan which means of yesteryear or olden days. Sort of long in English, don't you think?

I'm hoping that blogger will have resolved their issues soon so that I can visit my friends on blog land. I could understand if it was only my laptop, but I get the same result on the main computer. The only blog from blogger I seem to be able to see the pictures is Melanie's from Covered Porches & Wooden Screen Doors. I wonder what she's doing that allows me to see her pictures.

I'm off to attempt to get more machine quilting done on that Cotton Candy d'Antan! Have a great day every one!

Out of hiding!

I made an attempt to publish a blog post with pictures last Wednesday, but blogger will not allow me to post images. Worse, I cannot even see images from my friend's blog never mind my own. So I'm writing a small post to let you know that I'm still here! Oh, and no spell check either.

First I want to say thank you to some wonderful people who were concerned due to my lack of posts. I have been attempting to get in the groove of lots of reading for my comprehensive exams. It could certainly be the subject of a few blog post, but I doudt that History of Christianity would make for a fun and fascinating post. Some of the readings can be so dry! Hardly a subject for a quilting adventure! ;o)

I also did a reload of my laptop. The most time consuming part about this task is actually getting my computer to the way I like it. I am a software junky and do have lots of programs to load. I have finally I buttoned up what needed to be installed, so I'm good!

On another note, I have not been at my best health wise. Aside from passing a kidney stone on Friday, my blood pressure is not doing too well. It's gone as low as 80/56, so I get light headed, dizzy etc.... Not much has been going on in the past couple of days. When I went to the Dr on Friday, I was escorted to the emergency room. What an ordeal that turned out to be! Three nurses and 5 needle stabs later, all in an attempt to get an IV access in, they finally decided to call the IV unit. She, Sonia, was able to get a vein by 2:00 p.m. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how black and blue I am from that ordeal. It all ended up being a waste! By 2:45 the emergency Dr came to see me to tell me that my stats had all returned to normal. "Oh, and did I want the IV?" She'd put in medication for my headache of 2 days and my nausiousness. My Dr had requested the IV to help flush things out and up my blood pressure at 10:00 a.m. Well, no sense filling up a valuable emergency bed if I'm okay. So I went home at 3:00 p.m. with a pressure of 107/58.

So, all that to say that I'm behind in blog reading and the sending of the prizes. So I apologize.

Yes, I'm alive and taking it easy. Don't ask me to get up quickly or do any fast movements unless you want me to spin. lol

I do hope you are all having a wonderful day. I will now leave you to attempt to finish machine quilting a quilt that I am working on.

Have a great weekend every one!

And the winner is............!

First, I want to say how much I enjoy blogging. I have met some truly wonderful people on blog land. I've also acquired quite a list of blogs that I like to stalk. Yes, I'm a stalker as Darlene would call it! lol

Anyway, I find give away to be fun! It's a wonderful opportunity to learn about new blogs and also to get those stalkers out of the wood work! ;o) lol

Unlike some people I know (I won't mention any names like Sharon) who are so organized when it comes to give away by having the package pre-made, I like to shop for the individual. LOL Well, those I know anyway. Onward to the draw!
Here's the cutting of the comments!

DD is stirring the pot. Notice how I have my cauldron out! I was not taking any chances this time. I wanted it to be legitimate and not fixed like all the other ones where I didn't win. lol

DD is reaching in to pick a name. Notice the pretty quilt underneath! A gift from a wonderful friend by the name of Darlene. That quilt means a lot to me so it's in my sewing room at all times. I have met such wonderful people on cyberspace. It's where I met my husband. Mind you, I didn't think he was so wonderful last night after the Super Bowl game. Geeezzzz...... But I digress....! lol

And the winner is!

Beth from bkstitch. And since it's my own give away I decided to pick another name, that's because I could! lol
The second winner is.........
Shelina from Shelina's Creations!
Ladies if you want to e-mail me your snail mail address, I will get your surprises in the mail.

Thank you very much for participating and allowing me to have fun. Giving is a great feeling! Frankly, I do it purely for selfish reasons! ;o)

Be well everyone!

A productive week!

I will admit, I'm pretty pleased with myself! Not only did I manage to get some school stuff done, I've also been quilting. School has started for me. Although I am not taking any classes, I do have two (2) big exams to study for. I would like to finish my degree by December 2008. I do hope to meet that deadline. I'm sort of getting tired of school at the moment! Onward to fun stuff!

The quilt pattern is called Sherbert Delight. The blocks were part of my stash of "quilts in waiting." I did blog about this a while back.

When I came to piece this quilt, I realized that my blocks were too big. I hadn't read the instructions properly and neglected to trim down the center block to a specific size. I spent the better of Thursday evening taking the last rows off to trim my block to size. Good thing there weren't many blocks! ;o)

I do like the way it turned out. I find the orange inner border a tad dark. I could not find any other fabric at the store that would work. I am making this quilt for our LQS called Loose Threads.

I will be machine quilting this project on my Domestic Sewing Machine. I do not have a lot of free time as of late to get to the longarm dealer. I did promise to have this quilt done by the middle of February. It will have a scallop border. I bought Katie's Scallop Radial Ruler and I cannot wait to give it a try. Time for a new look for my quilts! Hum..... maybe there's a tutorial opportunity!

I received my book Prairie Children and Their Quilts today! I can see why you all gave it such great reviews. I have not sat down to read it cover to cover but I have flipped through it and there are some sweet looking quilts!

I can certainly see why Libby is in the process of making many of them. They are just adorable.

I am looking forward to spending some time reading the book. As a matter of fact I think I'll make myself a latte and settle myself down to enjoy it after this blog entry! ;o)

On the blog give away front, I did get my cauldron out for the task and will be cutting the comments in a bit for the draw. I am not taking any chances this time.

If you recall what happened last year......, it was rigged! lol You can read about here!

Thank you for stopping by! I enjoy reading your comments! Have a great day everyone!