September Adventures

Now I'm 2

 

 

 

Hard to believe it has been two years since this little guy came into the world. We Just got back from helping him celebrate.

 

 

I love this scene -- my guys at the end of  the day watching bedtime videos.

"Wheels on the Bus" seems to be the current favorite though Max doesn't seem as interested.

 



 

Managed to sneak in a bit of quilting time. This is a small quilt made from blocks from the Woolies first block exchange in, I believe, 2004 - fun to revisit these blocks. While I don't enjoy machine quilting it was an expedient way to finish a quilt and it is fun to have it ready to drape over my knees this winter. Why am I saying winter? Here it is the first day of autumn and we have snow forecast for Thursday! 

 

 

 

Travel project for trip to California

 

I have unfairly been referring to this quilt as "Little Ugly." It may actually have some potential.  Each side began as a border on another quilt that had grown too big. When I removed the borders I simply could not let all those hexagons go to waste. I unsewed each border at the halfway mark and put the two halves together to make each side of the quilt. Then I took some of the leftover 4 patch units that I had not used in the original quilt to fill in here and there where needed. I expanded the quilt by adding the flower units down the center. Since the quilt looked so dark I decided to add the scrappy border all the way around -- just a few units of that left to sew and then I will make a row of purple all the way around that will be trimmed straight. Binding will be purple to match that.

 

This has turned out to be a rather fun project to put together. I used almost every scrap of the black fabric I had and will come pretty close to using all the purple as well. It has been rather satisfying to make "a silk purse from a sow's ear." I'm looking forward to big stitch quilting it. The photograph has helped me see design possibilities for the quilting more easily but first there are 3-4 others ahead of it in the quilting cue. Oh my! I had better get busy.

 

 

 

More Travels, a Quilt and a Deer

Just got back from an 8 day camping trip at Lake Louise in Canada. Hard to choose a picture to adequately describe the area. The mountains seem vast and stark with their many glaciers and ice fields. The lakes are an incredible emerald green from the "glacial milk" and the skies quite dramatic.

 

Lake Moraine In Banff National Park, Canada

 

It seemed quite odd to have to need a passport to visit Canada since as kids we were back and forth over the border all the time. When I lived in International falls, Minnesota we went there for hockey games and shopping.  Strange too because it seemed like the bulk of the tourists were oriental rather than Canadians. 

 
Since returning home I have been trying to finish up some of the projects that have been in progress for awhile. This is Cynthia Spethman's quilt that I big stitch quilted for her. Actually I made the blocks as well. They were my "Stitcher in the Dark blocks for 2005 that I made for Cynthia. She wanted something in red and green and baskets as I recall. I took a few liberties!

 

Now she is going to long arm quilt something for me in exchange. It has been fun to revisit these blocks and I'm excited to have her quilt a quilt for me.

 

White tailed deer at the top of our yard in mid-August.

This is the first white tail we have had visit. Mostly they are mule deer. This guy seemed rather magnificent and wise.