Happy Halloween

Emma made this beautiful witch’s hat just for me!

Happy 21st birthday Addison

My #1 grandson turns 21 today.  Addison is brilliant, funny, sensitive and a joy to have as a grandson. He grew from a sweet child into a good man. 

When he was small I would tell Addison that Happy Halloween was the universal language for Happy Birthday Addison, we love you very much.   It still is.

Addison’s christening

Real or fake

This is our regular picnic quilt.   It is kept in the back of the car and used for naps on the side of the road, or picnics along the river.  During long drives, we find a perfect spot to lay down the quilt.  I read while he takes a power nap.  My husband is a professional napper.  He could nap in the middle of the road. 

  I bought this quilt years ago at the Sally Ann for $5.00.   It is not handmade but one of many mass produced in a China or India.  Once I discovered how little the seamstresses are paid and how horrid the working conditions, I vowed not to buy any mass produced quilts.   If this quilt did not have such good memories attached to it, I would find it a new home. To read more about how to spot a fake see http://www.hartcottagequilts.com/vintage

This little heart quilt I bought for $3.00.  To be honest I can’t tell if it is homemade or not. Regardless it is going to a very good home, my friend Win’s.   If it is hand made, it bothers me that someone would take the time and effort to quilt such a gift, to have it end up at the Sally Ann.

I’m a winner, I’m a winner

 A large parcel from the UK  arrived yesterday. Inside were a Fairtrade Quilted beach and picnic blanket, a Fairtrade beach towel and a Fairtrade kitchen towel.  I won 3rd prize in the September draw on the Sarah Smith website .  The colours are delightful, the fabric ultra soft.    Don’t just take my word for it, check out their website  and try your luck at one of the contest.  Thank you Sarah Smith.

The last time I won anything was way back in the summer of 1963.  I played bingo at the Exhibition and won a poodle lamp.  Kept that puppy until it fell apart.   Who knows maybe my luck is changing.  I’m amazed at how many web sites have contest.  Maybe I’ll quit work and become a professional blog joggers just to enter the contest.   So try your luck and let me know if you win anything.

 

 

Thank you everyone

As of this moment I have 1000 visitors to my site, thank you so much……

Now if only you stalkers  lurkers would leave comments …….Mam

Friendship quilt

When I moved from Saint John to the wilds of the Miramichi, my friends presented me with this quilt.  It is a cheater top lovingly quilted by Georgina Hayward and signed with special wishes by a bunch of women I’ve known for years.   As members of the Saint John Insurance Women’s Association, we were friends, co-workers and in some cases fellow students as we studied for our Associateships and Fellowships.

Any time I’m hospitalized this is the quilt I take with me.  The loving comments written upon this quilt always makes me feel better.  And that is the best type of medicine.

It is the thought that counts….

If you goggle “worse daughter ever” the number 5 entry is from my daughter’s web site on how she (my only daughter ) forgot my birthday.   When we visited two weeks ago she announced she did remember to buy me a birthday present back in July, and that she would load it in the truck before we left on Sunday.  Below is a picture of my birthday hostas, which apparently looked much greener back in July.  It is the thought that counts, I guess

 

Blowing in the wind

  

Yesterday was the perfect day for washing fabric.  Actually it will probably be the last good outdoors drying day.  Once the snow flies, I use an indoor drying rack.  In our house we use the dryer simply to fluff our clothes and to remove the occasional cat hair.   

This is what my $20.00 worth of fabric looks like once it is washed and folded.  Most of the pieces are at least two metres (78 inches) in length, with six pieces in excess of 4 metres.  The bottom piece is 4 metres of white wool which I’ll use as a liner.

My next quilt project is a Chinese coin quilt in shades of blue.  75 different blocks of blue fabric is what I’m planning.

 

This is the pile I purchased at Village Value in Fredericton for $4.00.  Not as impressive as the $20.00 buy but there is a few pieces of blue which will work well.

Home on the rave!

I’m back!  I’ve been away in Fredericton on yet another conference.   The best part of the stay was dinner with my grandson Addison and his wife Kaytlyn at the Diplomat.   Kaytlyn’s mom owns a lovely tea shop  Trinitea’s Cup in downtown Fredericton. Hi Lynn!

My only purchase was a bag of fabric from Value Village, to add to my meagre supply of quilting fabric (wink,wink).   On my way home, I stopped at the local used clothing store to find two oversized garbage bags full of fabric put aside  for me at a cost of $10. a bag.   I’m known to the staff as the “quilting lady”.  Of course I purchased both bags.  After I sorted and removed any fabric suitable for quilts including Laura Ashley and VIP prints, I called my friend Jennifer.  She sorted through the remaining knits, velvets, linens and fleece.   Some she took for sewing projects, the rest she took for a fellow student who is presenting a Shakespearian play as her final class project.  One tiny bag of heavy upholstrey fabric was taken to the Salvation Army. 

I refuse to pay full price for anything.  I recycle, reuse, rebuy.   The majority of our clothing comes from the local used clothing store, the Salvation Army or yard sales.   It gives me a thrill to be wearing Land’s End, Ralph Lauren, Gap, etc. knowing that I paid a fraction of the original price.  Actually it is recycling at its best.   When I’m tired of the item, it goes into the blue plastic bags I usually solely for donations to the Salvation Army.   So it annoys me to no end when other people throw items in the garbage that could be donated to the Sally Anne or the local church. 

The 93 year old gentleman at the end of our street passed away a month ago.  For the past 3 weeks his heirs have been piling the curb side high with his belongings.    I know the family can’t keep everything but at least have the decency to give his belongings to someone who could use them.   On my way to work the other morning, it did not bother me at all, to stop and retrieve two wooden chairs from the pile.

When I lived in Saint John I enjoyed Spring Clean Up week.    Unwanted items are hauled to the curb at least five days before and left to be picked over by whom wanted them.   By the time the trucks arrived on your street for pick up, you would be embarrassed if there was anything still left at the curb.

Basket weave quilt

This is a Spruce Root basket quilt I made for my Mom. The pattern is in the book Triangle Free Quilts.  I’ve made a couple of quilts for her already; whenever I want to make a practice quilt it is done with Mom in mind.    

The backing on this quilt is a vintage sheet (Mam speak for I bought the sheet at the Salvation Army).