Signs of Spring . . .

I took a lot of photos last weekend but then ran into such a busy week at work that I have not had a chance to get them posted, so here we go . . .

It is super dry around this part of Manitoba and the last time we saw even a tiny bit of rain (I think it was just a few spits) was about the 15th.  I caught this rainbow on the way home from work one day and thought our flat landscape and the pretty rainbow would be something to share.

So besides getting caught up on some of my projects last weekend, I also spent a good chunk of the weekend out in the perennial gardens trying to get things into some semblance of order.

I always make sure to cover the perennials with lots of leaves to protect them from the harsh Winter . . . unfortunately this all needs cleaned up in the Spring and it’s tough slogging to even get it to this stage.

The aching old muscles for the first part of the week were a painful reminder that maybe I had overdone my first garden project of the year . . . thank goodness time heals some of those aches.

Also discovered the rhubarb is well on it’s way to making an appearance – can’t wait for that fresh rhubarb/apple crisp . . . one of my favorites!

Doreen,  here are your little mini irises (thank you so much!) . . . need to go check on their progress this weekend – bet they’re just about ready to bloom.  They were sure cute last Spring and were one of the first bloomers after the tulips.

I hope your Spring season is shaping up to be a good one and you’re enjoying all the new found greenery that’s been hidden away for what seems like forever.  I’m heading off to the big City for five days and I’m sure I’ll be seeing quite a change in the perennials (and the weeds!) when I get back.

Oh, and by the way . . . are there any EQ users out there?  Have you heard that EQ7 is ready to be released on June 7th?!?!?!  I’ll be signing up for my upgrade very shortly – I use EQ for lots of layouts and coloring options for my quilt designs and would be lost if I tried to figure some of these things out in my head!  Head over and read about the new features at the  Electric Quilt website and see what’s new.

Have a great weekend everyone . . .

Busy, busy . . .

Last weekend I was able to make a small bit of headway with some of my projects and it feels sooooooooooo good!

First off though – there was the Friday mail which just happened to be the wonderful Martinique collection by 3 Sisters – gorgeous colors.  Another little stack of fat quarters to add to the ever growing collection that is just begging to be cut into.

I finished the last bit of sewing on the first block in the Home Sweet Home (self-imposed BOM) by Blackbird Designs – these blocks are huge.

Finally decided to use this little block for an exchange that is going on . . .  love those pumpkins - final reveal in May!

Also finally made a decision as to what fabric I was going to use for the Autumn Houses BOM (also self-imposed).  It seemed so obvious once I had made the decision.

I now have four blocks already planned out and various pieces traced and cut – I love the Bunny Hill patterns!  Also have all the Snowbound blocks from Bunny Hill at the final embroidery stage so I’m feeling pretty good about that also.

I was also able to get two PhD (see side bar) quilts spray basted and I’m ready to start quilting them.  All in all it’s been a very productive weekend and few days around this house.  Things will all come to an end this weekend – heading to the big City again for four days of convention, so other taking along some handwork or sketching materials for the evening, there won’t be much productive stuff happening.

Newsflash! - I just discovered the “Cutting Corners College” over at Riley Blake Designs and wanted to let everyone know about this fabric company – it’s new to me . . . may have been around for quite some time and I’m just now discovering it!

If you click on the Riley Blake logo at the top of the page will take you to their home page where you will also find a tab called notions that has a link to some of their free quilt patterns – also worth a look.

Also check out their fabric lines – there are some really nice collections in there that I’ll have to watch for.

Enjoy your day,

Spring has sprung!

What a wonderful sight to see when I got to work this morning!

Made for a little cheerier start to a Monday – a little yellow brightness never hurts.

Have a great week everyone,

Quilt Show Shopping Spree . . .

I love fabric shopping and what better time to participate in this wonderful past-time than at a quilt show where there is such a diverse group of shops put together for our viewing and shopping pleasure.

First off is Shirley’s Sewing Room from Moosomin – Shirley has supported my little business right from the very beginning.  I believe she was actually one of the first orders that I put together when I first started out.  As you can see with that little elevator in the photo, Shirley is still supporting me!  Thanks Shirley.

The gals at the Quilter’s Haven in Moose Jaw have also supported my business endeavors and have taken a trunk show of my quilts on the road with them in the past.  They have done the little elevator in reds and golds – thanks girls!

I was very surprised to see Hamel’s Fabrics in Manitoba as they are from Chilliwack, BC – what a drive they had!  All the vendors were very busy while we there, but this one was really, really busy with their $1.99 fat quarters for sale – and what a selection they had!  I must say that the 12 fat quarters I brought home were much appreciated in my sewing stash.  I remember when I first started designing patterns that I would go to the Hamel’s website and scour the sale pages looking for affordable fabrics to test my designs with – I certainly have placed quite a few orders with Hamel’s.  Don’t you love that pumpkin quilt on their display wall?  It’s a block of the month you know!

     

The Quilt Patch from Moose Jaw is always original and I love checking out their new designs and their use of color.  Last year I participated in their Summer Baskets BOM – I really need to get that quilted up and get displayed somewhere in the house – it turned out wonderful.

 

Here are my fat quarters that I purchased – I’m thinking some Christmas gifts are in order for these and I already have these set out with the book – sure hope I can get a few projects marked off my list this weekend so that I can start some new projects.  That list just keeps growing!

I also bought an “Eva” charm pack by Basic Grey and some 6” squares of purple and creams from The Quilt Patch – they will work into some appliqué projects quite nicely I think.

I also purchased a wedge ruler from Shirley’s Sewing Room to go with a book I had previously purchased and a Quilter’s Connection magazine at another booth.

Simply Sewing from Killarney and Kickass Country Store were also booths that I stopped at and either bought a thing or two or had a visit - (it’s only been a week or so since I stopped into Killarney and spent a few dollars).  What a lot of product these vendors brought with them to this show – it was a shopper’s heaven.  Of course there were more booths than I mentioned, but these were the one’s that were familiar to me – there were thread suppliers, a quilting system booth, and other fabric vendors that were too many to remember.

This was the first time that I have had the opportunity to attend this show and I would most definitely recommend heading out again the next time around – every year or every two years? – I’ll have to find that out.

Have a great week!

Quilt Reflections Show

Some of the Undercover Strippers hit the road bright and early on Saturday morning to head for the big City.  We had arranged quite some time ago to do a road trip for the Manitoba Quilt Reflections Show – what a fantastic idea that was!

The quilts, as you will see, were spectacular - as were the vendors.  There were vendors from Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and BC . . . if I missed someone from Alberta I’m very sorry, but I didn’t see you.

The quilt above is something that my scraps are just calling out for me to do with them . . . wouldn’t this look amazing on a bed in your house?

And so would this one!  These two quilts were huge and used every color imaginable.

And who can resist these circles of color just exploding over this entire quilt surface?  If this was hanging on my wall I don’t know if I’d notice anything going on around me . . . very intriguing.

This quilt is made using a wedge ruler and is something that I will hopefully get around to before the end of this year – I have the book and the ruler now, so there really is no excuse other than the time thing!

Not too sure if this is a Judy Neimeyer design or not, but is something very close – always spectacular.

This quilt really caught my eye as the color panels almost seem to be receding behind the white – creates an illusion of sorts, don’t you think?

 

This one was my choice for Viewer’s Choice – the quilt maker’s husband had passed away in 2008 and she collected all of his ties and some from other family members and completed this mourning quilt.  The colors and the border were wonderful – a real quilt with real meaning for the family – I like that!

 

And just in case you are saving all your half-square tiny triangles and looking for something to make with them – here’s what you need to do.  Very striking.

Of course there were many more that I can’t possibly include but they were all spectacular – great job ladies!

We had a wonderful time and a very windy trip to and from Winnipeg, but it was so worthwhile and fun.  Next post I’ll show you some of the vendors and a few of my purchases.

April Happenings . . .

First off – I love tulips!

They are so cheerful and colorful and brighten up any room . . . these are in my daughter’s kitchen - she figured that she needed flowers since she was hosting the Easter supper on the weekend.  Nice addition to the kitchen area I thought.

 

Our bathroom re-do is coming closer and closer to being finished . . . we bought the mirror and drawer/door handles on the weekend and just need to find a few minutes to get that all fixed up – love my sink and taps!

The tiling in the bathroom turned out great!  Hubby was a first-timer at this particular chore and I think he did an excellent job.  Still need to seal the grout but it’s almost there.

Now don’t spit up in your coffee - - - - - YES that is my green tub AND IT’S GOING TO LOOK FABULOUS!  I hope.  I’m now on the hunt for green accessories – candles, baskets, a couple of pictures maybe, towels, shower curtain, etc, etc, . . . anything that will have just a touch of that green that will compliment the entire room.  This tub is in such great shape . . . it’s really big and has the seat in the one corner – we would have had to take out walls to get this thing out of there and I’m still convinced that at the end of the day – IT’S GOING TO WORK!  And if it doesn’t – we’ll paint it.

 

Here is Mysty and “the other cat” out sitting on the bench watching the BBQ – at least that was what she was supposed to have been doing.  It looks like the two of them maybe had some words and now she is just a bit miffed at whatever was said.  Can you feel that cold shoulder?  What’s the saying:  “For a man to truly understand rejection, he must first be ignored by a cat”.

  

Candace also splurged and gave the cats an Emery Scratch Pad for Easter.  As you can see the box has some pretty great appeal and so does the cat nip in the one corner of the scratch pad.  Unfortunately I haven’t seen either go back to sharpen their claws on it – wonder if it works????

 

And like I said before – “I love tulips!”

Have a great week,