What I learned last night…

Applique motifs

Now they might look like much, but each flower has about 6 pieces.  I really like the technique and will continue to practice it.  I am going to make all kinds of flowers to practice with.  The next step is to use the sewing machine and quilt around and in the flowers and that will be a process in creativity.  I  then did the leaves, but last night the teacher had an applique pressing mat that is made of teflon. I don’t have one and ordered one today , but I thought of a kitchen tool that I have, a non-stick silicone baking mat, so I tried it out and it is heat resistant.  It worked for one process but I am going to make another flower and see if  the whole process works.  Because I’m not sure if my kitchen mat has teflon in it I will be careful….I will continue to experiment.

Make do pressing mat

I am going to machine quilt my christmas wallhanging tonight and hope to finish it soon.

Still here and some progress…

…on my Christmas wall hanging:

Christmas wallhanging

The berries are handstitched and now I just have to make the santa pocket.  I’m really not liking the colours but I am going to finish it to see how it turns out.

Look at what I made this afternoon!

 

Finger pin cushion

It’s a pin cushion for your finger!  I got it from Don’t Look Now blog.  It takes exactly 15 minutes, so easy and so cute and so practical, especially for applique!  The material that it is sitting on is a 14/20 quilted piece that I have prepared for a workshop.  The piece took at least 2 hours to quilt.  I love to roll my fingers over it.  I am heading out for my first ever workshop since I got sick in August.  I am so looking forward to it. I still can’t drive but someone is taking me and I hope to learn something new.  It is a workshop for a kind of applique.

Well, off to supper and then out the door, hoping my husband doesn’t forget me!

Bay Window finished and Christmassy project started

Finished

So this step of the renovations are finished.  The next MAJOR step is the railing and stairs, more dust and debris.  The house is coming into its own for 2010.

I don’t know why, but I feel very unrelaxed and since I heard a Christmas commercial and then came upon this pattern in my sewing room reorganization:

Christmas card pockets

It’s this pattern from Suzanne’s  Art House.  I am making a Santa one and so last night I took out all my Christmas fabric and chose the colours and started cutting and then continued on this morning.  The pattern really caters to strip piecing but it is also giving me the chance to try out the Angler 2, which I bought last year and have yet to use it.  I have to make 36 diaganols on blocks…errr…double that.

Angler 2 in action

My first few were terrible but I am happy with it and it is so much easier than marking and struggling to see the stitching line .  You may notice that I put it on upside down …however it is symmetrical so I don’t think that is causing me any problems.  Of course I have to test out the new sewing arrangement and I think that I have got the perfect sewing triangle setup that is working like a charm:

Sewing triangle

Cutting to sewing to ironing or Cutting to ironing to sewing but all in a triangle with enough space not to be always bumping into everything.  Well, back to angling

Birds and Bay Windows

I keep trying to get pictures of more than one bluejay.  Here are two and here are three…

There are for sure 5 regular bluejays so far a few “mesonges”(I have to find the English word) , one woodpecker and a chipmunk.  More wildlife to come as winter starts.  Nature and creativity goes together…the simplicities of life.

As for the bay window, it is almost here.  I will post it in the next posting because right now there is just a huge hole in the wall letting all the cold air in .  All the other windows and doors have been changed and I feel like I’m living in a brand new house, light and airy! Just amazing!

Yes, it is October 22nd and it looks like December 22nd.  There is quite a bit of snow on the ground.  We waited for over an hour with the this window open; do you like the cedar?  We may cut it down…or its twin over on the other side…Sheila, does the Scot travel with chainsaw ? But it was well worth it:

Not totally finished Bay window

The man is coming back tomorrow to do the finishing.  The finishing will be similar to this:

New Patio door

Just so modern!  And here is the new door and side window:

Side door and window

And one of the windows in my sewing room:

1 sewing room window

The house has even more light than ever!

As I was getting ready for the windows I had to declutter so I moved my material which was under a window and put in a shelf in my closet….my sewing room was this way:

Decluttering

I got rid of five garbage bags of stuff….four went to the second-hand shop, and one for garbage.  I have a lot more to go but I made decisions and just stormed ahead.  My sewing room is looking less cluttered though and I’m finding a place for everything.  I don’t know about any of you who read my blog, but my problem is, that if I don’t see what I have I don’t use it.  How do we organize so that it doesn’t look cluttered!  I use baskets and then forget what is in the baskets .

In the midst of sorting I found a bag of these:

Envelopes with secret codes

Some have colours and some have numbers and here is what was in the envelopes:

100% wool

There are two kinds, Patons Beehive Tapestry Wool and Orchidee brand.  What a nice little find.  I vaguely remember where they come from, dumpster diving days …long story.

And here they are now:

New use for jar

Old crafts…

Kindergarten Story time apron

I made this at least 20 years ago!  It is the front side of an apron that I made for myself to use in my Kindergarten class.  I was a Pre K/Kindergarten teacher and I used this for Story Time.  The kids loved it!  I used to put my little notes in the pockets and if you look closely, you can see ‘L’il Mr. Greeny.’  He would come out and sit with a child who needed him; the talkative child, the sad child etc….The idea came for this apron from the backside of the apron:

Vinyl side of apron

I received this promotional apron which was perfect for messy crafts and then decided to construct the Story Time side.  I made two more of these aprons for my each of my sons’ Kindergarten teachers.  They were much appreciated by the teachers because each son chose the designs and helped with the whole creative process, even doing a bit of blanket stitch.  I remember the teachers calling my house to thank me for the apron.  I wonder if they still have them …a nice idea for our teachers of our future.

3rd Angel swap stitchery…

Stitchery roll-up

…and here is what is inside…

Inside Stitchery roll

It is called a “Supply Case” by Stacy Schlyer and it took me a while to make it because I procrastinated with the binding, always the finishings…but I am getting better.  So now I am going to prepare my package for next week and send this out to the USA.  I have already received all my nice gifts, I was so spoiled!

Some Angel finishes….finally!

2/3 Angel finishes

I think that I have a pin theme going here…but I will make up for it with my next little projects.  I finally am satisfied with the needlebook and its embroidery.  I stuffed the smaller circle on the inside with a little bit of batting and am happy with how it turned out.

needle book

The big pincushion has four different colours so I cross stitched 2 tags, “machine” and “sewing” so that these types of needles can go into a specific space.  I am pleased with the outcome but I am not to happy with the finishing underneath the cushion  so I’ll continue to snip.  Now I have to figure out what else I can make.  The material that I used for both projects comes from a bundle of “Toad-ally” squares. It is cute material.

Finally some finishes!

Watching the birds and…

Feeder happenings

Fall is so here!  I have been having a fun time feeding the bluejays and watching them coming and going to the feeder!  Sometimes there are two or three of the birds in the feeder plus little birds (don’t know the name).  You can see how the colours are changing.

I got mail!

Sew Sisters order

I order the material and it was on special. I had already ordered that Christmas material and figured I’d go back for seconds .  The blue material has all sorts of sports sayings all over it, perfect for one of my sons.  the circles are templates for applique, I have already used them and they are really useful and make PERFECT circles!  The plastic box is my introductory kit for a block of the month that I am embarking on…by Sew Sisters quilt shop…J, whenever I get to Toronto, I am going to have to check out the shop and see the full quilt .  I also ordered two small stitcheries.  Embroidery and quilting…go hand in hand!  Oh, I also invested in yet another marking pencil, ever on the quest for that perfect marking tool!

Well, I am off to put away summer clothes and make room for winter….oh and watch the birds!

More birds

New sewing lamp…

…at a decent price! I really needed a new light, actually we are trying to decide on light fixtures but by the time we make a decision Christmas will have come and gone .  I went to Walmart to check out the sewing lights or lights that work well for sewing/reading, not necessarily to match the decor.  Since I am spending so much time sewing and no adequate light near my sewing chair….here is what I found:

New light

It is a floor lamp…an OTT Light and I love it!  What is so great about it is that it is the price was a good price…or at least I think so.  I had picked out a clip-on light, thinking that I would clip it to my needlwork tray or the side table but then I looked up to the top shelf in the store (Walmart) and saw the box for this and there was a little yellow sticker and a little yellow sticker means “sale.”  It was on special from $99.99 to $40.00!  The one I had in my hand was $34.99 so that clinched the deal.  When I got to the cash register with my Master Bargain Hunter Husband, the price came up for $49.00 ….but my husband, the price watcher that he is pointed this out to the cashier and we paid $30.00 because of a law we have here in Quebec that says if they make a mistake while scanning the item then the store must take $10.00 off the price of the item….ta da!  You have to be aware of the policy in order to take advantage of it….So an OTT light for this price makes me a happy little sewer

Me sewing...

Excuse the socks and my leg! ….I really don’t like my picture taken but….notice the big magnifiers attached to my glasses?  I have a pair with my embroidery and a pair by my sewing machine, another tool to make life easier!

Still trying to finish what I've started....

See Shiela!  I am using my scissor fob!  I love it!  I am almost finished this little stitchery, due to my NEW light!

Finally!

I did the paperbag swap back in June and sent the package to my swap partner on July 20th and she received it yesterday, October 1st in Australia!  Finally!  I was so worried about it because I had spent so much time and energy on the whole swap! She loves it and I am happy that she appreciates it.

Here is the picture I took before I sent it out:

Paper bag swap

Sheila had admired my thread pincushion (reversible too) so I used her material and made her one.  And everyone can use a tissue holder, so I use more of the supplies she sent me for that.  She is a Christmas addict so I pieced the scraps together to make a funky Christmas stocking and I put a little christmas gift inside which she didn’t wait until Chrismas to open, a thimble…Canadian souvenir.  Of course I added a few other odds & sods (as my dad used to say).  This was a fun swap to do, where we had to use what our partner sent us and then send it back and I made a new friend in the process!  Thanks Sheila!

The weather here is very cold and rainy, a nice day to stay indoors and do some sewing…