More snow!!

We've got snow!

 I is HAPPY about snow!  Well, maybe NOT ecstatic about being trapped inside winter boots for the next six months ... but snow is sure purty!  This is what greeted us on the morning of Saturday November 5th:

 One of the first things I do in the morning is open the balcony door and breathe in some outdoor air while I check out the day's weather conditions.  Miss Boots generally uses this time to check out our back yard.

"Holy Crap!  That's a LOT of white stuff!"

 That particular morning, it didn't take more than a minute for Miss Boots to decide a nice cozy warm up under a blankie was preferable to bossing around the neighbour's dog!

"GO AWAY!  I iz warming my toez under here!"

 Funny thing ... she forgot all about her cold toes as soon as I mentioned MY breakfast menu!

"BACON?  Did you say BACON???"

 November 8th ... still snowing!

 November 11th ... a brief warm pause that started a bit of melting ...

Ice crystals! 
Oh oh!
Pretty on the shrubs ...
Not so pretty on the sidewalks!

... then more snow (on top of the icy layer)!   Am I boring you with my weather report?  How about the promised report on my trip to our newly opened Fabricland?

THESE buttons = necessary trip to Fabricland

Buttons for THIS sweater ...
now complete except for sleeves.

 HOLD EVERYTHING!!!  My adopted grandaughter announced her dolly 'Patty Matty' couldn't POSSIBLY face another single moment without an appropriate winter sweater!

Life in general on pause
while I crocheted this little number ...
complete with head band!

 There!  The child momentarily satisfied.  Now ... where was I?

Oh yes!  Fabricland!  While buying buttons, I just HAPPENED to buy a little bit of fabric ...

Not sure what I'm going to create with this.
Couldn't pass up these lifelike
veggie prints, could I?

 My friend Marianne entered a draw while we were at Fabricland (did I mention I took along an accomplice?), although I was so busy fondling fabrics that I didn't even notice the draw box and entry forms!  Marianne won this ...

A colourful tote
FULL OF QUILTING GOODIES!

 Marianne doesn't quilt, so she gave the prize to me!  (Am I spoiled or what!?!?!?)

The goodies in the tote included
THIS bunch of fabrics
with a quilt pattern.

And THIS bunch of fabrics
with yet another quilt pattern.

 And a whole bunch of other little goodies.  I can't say that I care for either quilt pattern ... but LOOK AT ALL THOSE FABRIC PIECES!  The mind truly boggles!  There's enough fabric pieces there for a dozen or more creative ideas ...

My adopted grandaughter claimed this piece
for a dress for 'Patty Matty'
cuz 'Patty Matty' has aqua shoes
and 'you know it's next to impossible
to match aqua shoes, Nana!'

 Hmm.  That child isn't related to me genetically, but we sure have one thing in common ... buy those cute shoes first and THEN try to find a dress to wear with them!

Still snowing out there.  I'll leave you with one last snowy picture ...

... cuz there's something about dry rosehips
against white snow
that tickles my fancy!

"Memories" Quilt Block and A Fashion Disaster

Several of you pointed out that I didn't blog about the significance of each quilt block in my "Grateful Heart Sampler" quilt.  Very good point ... y'all are certainly observant!  To remedy that, I will begin by sharing what I wrote in my personal journal about my "Memories" block ...

Saturday, January 01, 2011

First day of a new calendar year.  It's about minus fifteen, snowing very lightly, and quiet.  Our (Miss Boots and I) big endeavour for this day has been the completion of the first block of an ambitious new quilt project called "A Grateful Heart Sampler".  The purpose of each quilt block is to symbolize something important for which we are grateful, and the patterns come from the Winter 2009/10 edition of McCall's "America Makes Quilts" magazine.

The first block is called "Memories".  The pattern author says: "memories help us look back while we live in the present.  We learn from our experiences, remembering our successes and failures.  Sometimes the simplest thing triggers a memory; a smell, a voice, a song, a photo, a dish, etc."

The first part of constructing any quilt block is choosing the fabrics for its components.  I actually chose the fabrics for this block before Christmas.  Perhaps it was the approaching holiday that spurred me to choose the four-inch "fussy cut" centre, a red fabric with tiny white snowflakes around an old-fashioned little Miss wearing a full skirt, white with snowflakes, and carrying beribboned pots of poinsettias.  Reminded me of childhood Christmas concerts.  One year, "J." wore a fancy dress with a flocked design on its wheer white over-skirt.  (I wore a practical blue plaid wool jumper.)  "J." also wore white leotards and black patent leather shoes.  (I wore beige leotards and sensible winter "rubbers" as dress shoes weren't appropriate in snow.)  Naturally, "J." pointed out each of my shortcomings.  She was actually quite cruel compared to other Sunday School age peers.  However, "J.'s" taunts and my beige leotards could not diminish the joys of the annual Christmas concert!

There was music ... oh such music!  Everyone practised and practised for weeks.  I sang solo for the first time at one of those Christmas concerts (O Little Town of Bethlehem) when I was 4 or 5.  It was a magical moment when I realized everyone was listening to me!  There was drama, right from the simple lisped, and usually coaxed and coached, lines by "L.'s" preschoolers and up to complex multi-act skits by young adults.  I wrote and directed the Christmas concert skit when I was 13.  It was about an extra Magi who never managed to get his act together in time to arrive at Bethlehem with the other Magi, and went over well with actors and audience alike.  There were also treats for every child, a brown paper bag with a Mandarin orange and a variety of nuts and hard candies.  Being a lifelong chocoholic, I didn't care much for the candies, but the nuts and oranges were a great treat!  One must remember that our one and only small-town grocery store only carried oranges and nuts briefly in season, not like today's supermarkets.

That one little fabric square certainly launched an avalanche of memories ... good, bad, funny, disappointing, triumphant, bitter ... each recollection stitched into the person I am today.  I chose another red fabric (with musical notes) and a blue fabric (with tiny cupcakes and sandwiches and pizza slices) to compliment my old-fashioned Christmas little Miss, as memories of special occasions throughout my life invariably include both music and food.

When I sorted through fabrics for one more something to complete this block, I envisioned something very plain and neutral, perhaps a subtle white-on-white print.  However, I found a blue-on-white print that reminded me of the Corelle dishes that Joe and I bought our first Christmas together and then added to over the years as we raised our family.  Stood to reason that childhood memories be bridged to my present with symbols of my young adult years and my own offspring.

The completed block is, I think, quite attractive.  With two blues, it has a rather wintery look, particularly from a distance.  The only "rule" I've set out for myself for this project is one blue something per block.  How like me, eh?  Make a rule and promptly break it!  Just call me rebel.  My Dad used to say "begin your year how you plan to spend the rest of it".  Does that mean I'm going to be rebellious all 2011?  Or just a sentimental quilter?

WE WILL NOW PAUSE THIS POST ABOUT QUILTING TO ATTEND TO A FASHION DISASTER!

My friend's young daughter, "Little Madam C." came to visit this past weekend.  At one point, I suggested she play with the doll she had left at my place while I got some Saturday chores done.  This suggestion was met with hand on hip and eye rolling and "I don't really play with dolls anymore cuz I'm like in grade one now!"  Eventually, she got so bored that she went and fetched the doll.  Much to her horror, she discovered "Patty Maty" was "totally dressed inappropriately for this weather!"  (I don't think I knew what the word "inappropriately" meant back in grade one.)

FASHION DISASTER!
Patty Maty is still wearing her Easter dress!  Tiger "L." is more APPROPRIATELY dressed for winter in his black turtleneck and black leather jacket.

And furthermore, Patty Maty has accomplished potty training since last being seen!

"REALLY!  Even my baby brother doesn't wear a diaper any more!"

So the first thing we had to address was appropriate undergarments.  We settled on a nice practical cotton cami and panties set.

Practical but pretty lingerie cuz "every girl should have pretty lingeries!"

The blue ribbons are important cuz "it's the little details that say it's good quality".  (I certainly wasn't aware of good quality when I was in grade 1 ... I got hand-me-downs and was lucky if they fit!)  Then we made a pair of REAL jeans.

Notice the top-stitching ... we're paying attention to those quality details!

And a nice long-sleeved shirt to go with the jeans.  Cuz it's like winter you know.

Patty Maty all dressed appropriately and ready for a ride to school in Tiger "L's" truck!

Since the long-sleeved shirt is for school, we had to make a "chillaxing" outfit.  (I'm darned sure I didn't know the word "chillaxing" when I was in grade 1!)  So we came up with a plain long-sleeved white teeshirt ...

The "chillaxing" teeshirt

... and dressed it up with some lace at the neckline and an appliqued satin "P" (for Patty Maty) on the front.  Of course, we had to come up with "chillaxing" pants too, which we made out of some soft and comfy flannalette.  Little Madam "C" was quite helpful with all this sewing.  Her little hands were quite adept at pinning and cutting, so we had a few basic sewing lessons, including selvage edges, fabric grain, and sewing straight seams.

Chillaxing pants pinned on flannelette.
Notice how the arrow is lined up nice and straight to the selvage edge of the fabric!

Apparently, DRESSING dolls appropriately is not the same as actually PLAYING with dolls.  However, I did notice that Patty Maty was in the kitchen later while we baked cookies, and also tucked under the quilt with Little Madam "C" at bed time!

Patty Maty in her apron, perched on the bread machine while we baked cookies.

Times for me to treasure as Little Madam will all too soon REALLY be too old to dress/play with dolls!  Hopefully, she'll remember the two of us sewing together.


Hey!  There were a couple of cars parked there last Friday!

It was fun getting to work this morning.  We had a 'little bit" of snow over the weekend!  Have a great week, y'all!

productive sewing weekend

I've been busy! Little Madam C has been bugging me for some new outfits for her dollies. She has told me at least four times that EASTER IS COMING, and her dollies MUST dress for the occasion! So here is her "Patty Matty" wearing her new Easter Sunday dress ...Little Madam C doesn't know it yet, but I sewed an identical human Easter Sunday dress for her too.

"Patty Matty" lives at my house so "my stupid poophead brother can't wreck her!" "Chrissy Sue" lives at Little Madam C's house because "my stupid poophead brother has already pulled out her hair and coloured on her with felts". Despite "Chrissy Sue's" sad disfigurement, she STILL requires wardrobe updates, so I sewed each outfit TIMES TWO. "Patty Matty", "Chrissy Sue", Little Madam C and myself are all hoping for warm weather soon so dollies can wear this sportsy little number ...... or this summer sun outfit ...It is important to note that the hat is REVERSIBLE, thereby multiplying the total number of available outfits. It is also important to note that photos of "Patty Matty" in a summer sun outfit requires posing with summer sun toys. Since we do not have summer sun toys at my house, we had to resort to bathtub toys. I'll probably never hear the end of THAT! With dollies taken care of, I was able to spend a few hours completing yet another RAGGEDY ANN AND ANDY set ...I'm sure it won't take long to find a home for these two. I wasn't sure I'd like the orange, but it's quite cheery. (PLEASE NOTE -- another February Fever project complete!)

Then I embarked on an impromptu quilting project sparked by this magazine article ...I remembered that I had some green and yellow batik prints ...... and decided they would be PERFECT for this little quilted table topper. Here's the first stages of the project, applying WONDER UNDER and ironing celtic knots to squares ...This part of the project was fiddly and time consuming ...... but once I had all the squares cut out and the celtic knots ironed on, I really liked the way the project was coming together. I love yellow in my kitchen, and could already imagine this on my kitchen table ...I chose to zig zag around the ironed-on celtic knots, and that chore took an entire evening and lots of patience.I quickly learned that I should have been a little more particular about the SPACES between the individual parts of the celtic knots. (I'm not famous for careful attention to small details or anything to do with straight lines.) However, one sore butt and a stiff neck later, all the zig zagging was complete. Here's the table topper with all the blocks sewn together, and the layers of top/batting/backing all pinned together and ready for ... machine quilting. However, that's going to have to wait until next weekend. My sore butt and stiff neck just can't take any more!

So you might be wondering WHY this burst of sewing energy? It has a lot to do with ...... my new sewing machine. I had an elderly Mason sewing machine, but have been having problems with it this past year. Every time it went for a checkup I practically got a hernia CARRYING IT downtown on the bus (VERY heavy even though it was portable). For the price of the last two trips to the shop, I could have bought 2 or 3 NEW portable sewing machines. So I told myself that the next sign of trouble and I would replace it. Which I did recently. This new machine is so light, I can practically lift it with two fingers (which will make it a joy to take to quilting classes)! At the same time, it purrs through repairing denim jeans like a hot knife through butter. And it has a ...... clear bobbin cover so I can see how much thread is left on the bobbin (no more unwelcome surprises), as well as a ...

... built in thread cutter (great because my scissors are never where I want them) on its side. The only negative thing I've found about it so far is ...

... the foot release which is clearly designed and located for a right-handed person (which I'm not). However, I'm looking forward to getting to know my new sewing machine better. Who knows ... if I keep having productive sewing weekends like this, I might take ANOTHER non-academic semester. Or even say to heck with the Master's degree!