Nautical Theme

My sister, Joan, arrived at noon from Tennessee. She had a long drive to get here. Of course, my birthday present came with her. I had posted about this Nautical Octopus Beach Bag on July 12th. and mentioned that I loved the pattern. So Joan downloaded the FREE pattern and made it for me. It was a total surprise! I love it. The colours are perfect for me. The bag also had some fat quarters and the blue fish. The fish will be going in my new garden in Nova Scotia. Thanks, Joan. You are a special sister.

We just bought a house near Bridgewater, NS - close to family and sleep-overs with our granddaughter. Gale and I will be planting bulbs in the fall. New adventures ahead!

In my back yard

I'm pretending the fish is swimming among the river weeds.

International Embroidery Day

Apparently July 30th is International Embroidery Day!! You can read more about this day HERE. See the English translation of the Manifesto HERE. Interesting, to say the least.

A few blogs have posted about this day too:

• Wild Olive 
• Needlework Society HERE,    
• Mooshie Stitch   
• Piece 'n' Peace  

So, do you have any embroidery that you will be working on today? Unfortunately, all my embroidery is packed away. I just started knitting a pair of mittens so I might find time to do some of that.  
Enjoy!!

A piece by Constance Howard, Royal School of Needlework, UK. Photo by yours truly

Packing

It's amazing the things you find when sorting and packing! Occasionally, I would hold up something and wonder  "Why did I buy this? or "What was I thinking!!" My advise to all my stitching / quilting / sewing buddies: go through your stuff every few years. Go on a sorting mission and decide what's useful and good to keep and what's ready to leave the house.

Most of my studio is packed up. I'm leaving the downstairs stuff until my sister arrives either Sunday or Monday.

Everything I pack is either in plastic totes or plastic lined cardboard packing boxes.  I'm also using a yellow duct tape to designate my 'stuff'! Each box is labeled with a list of the contents and ready to be shipped to its new home!

Just some of my sewing machine threads.

 

Almost empty!

Tuesday

My studio shelves are empty! Lots of filled boxes on the floor.

Have a look (no, not my studio) at some of my plants instead. The warm weather has been very kind to my garden. It usually takes care of itself as we don't usually be home in the summer. I will have to do some weeding this week before my sister, Joan, arrives! It will be nice to have her home again for a bit.

Cast On, Cast Off

A couple of days ago, I dropped by Cast On, Cast Off to get some yarn. They don't have a web site but they are on Face Book for those of you interested in seeing their yarns. Don't you just love the name of the shop?!!

Go HERE & HERE  for two previous posts to see some photos of the shop.

Here's what I purchased:

My sister knits lovely socks but I'm going to try my hand at mittens. I've never made mitts before but I've knit many other things so this shouldn't be a problem. Guess who gets the first pair? Someone who loves pink and purple and is 6 years old. This colour will match her purple and lime green winter jacket.

Wish me luck!

The pattern I'm using is a free one: The World's Simplest Mittens. Lots of free patterns there too.

Enjoy!!

Roses and Other Stuff

Another HOT, sunny day in St. John's! I can't believe the heat. This is the first summer we have been at home in at least 10 years. My garden is glorious. Look at the roses. This rose bush was a gift from the Cabot Quilt Guild in 2008 as a thank you for chairing the National Juried Quilt Show at Quilt Canada (CQA) here in St. John's. The link above showcases the quilts we had on display here for that show.

• Rose Quilt Designs on Craftsy 
• Stained Glass Rose Quilt    
• Pinterest HERE, 
• Floral Art Quilts   

Enjoy!

Row by Row Kit

Today was so hot - too hot for walking! This was 11:00 am when I came from physio. It went up to 31C in the afternoon.

While at Fiber Lily on Saturday, I purchased their Row by Row Kit. It will look good in my new future studio! Those row house buttons really do look great on the wall hanging.

Fish Batik

Nineteen years ago this month, I was in Pennsylvania visiting relatives and visiting as many quilt shops as I could find. I came across some fish batik fabric in a little shop. The owner had ordered it in for herself to make curtains and a quilt for her young son and it wasn't for sale. However, I did manage to get a yard of it (lucky me). It has been a favorite batik. I had enough for a table runner and two place mats.

Today, I found the same fabric here in St. John's at Fiber Lily . It had been posted on face book so I knew I had to get some as soon as we got home.

Morning Drive

I visited Avonport Discount Fabrics this morning. The Batiks are beautiful and lots of them. The rest of the fabrics are plentiful and there is fabric and notions to meet every quilter's needs. I spent some time looking at the variety of bag / tote patterns and sizing up the finished ones on display.

Talking about totes:

• Nautical Octopus Beach Tote - Free Sewing Tutorial + Applique Pattern. ( I love this one)
• Library Tote Bag 
• Have a Look at This One   
• Flying Geese Tote 
• Quilted Zipper Bag    

They have moved a few things around. The book section is down to one display instead of two and the Sashiko supplies aren't as plentiful. But don't let that stop you from visiting the store.

NO, I did not make a purchase - this time! The lady at the cash tried to entice me with chocolate. It didn't work and I walked out empty handed. I think that's a first for me.

If you are ever in the area, Avonport Discount Fabrics is a must stop for sewers and quilters!

What's New?

I just came back from a walk. Thankfully there was a bit of a breeze at times because the temperature was hovering above 27C here at my brother-in-laws house, Brooklyn, NS (near Windsor as there are two Brooklyn's in NS). The view is amazing and the internet is perfect (not like at the RV park).

My creativity has taken a bit of a holiday the last two weeks although I did attempt a little stitching on an Embroidery Guild Stitching piece. It didn't get very far!

Enjoy these links:

• 40 + Applique Patterns    
• Summer Quilts HERE,  
• Applique - Spring / Summer HERE 
• Summer Beach Scene  
• Flower Applique 
• Beach Tote (cute one)        

Explosion of Colour!

My internet connection hasn't been great these last few days.
Today is the last day of the Pop-Up Art Gallery showcasing my daughter's art pieces. She was interviewed yesterday by CKBW News. Here's the link.

Morning Walk

The weather is gorgeous! I had an early morning walk today before it got too hot. These wild roses were along the roadside.

Rose inspired work:

• Wild Rose Applique Quilt Block
• Vase of Roses 
• Roses in my Garden     

 Enjoy!
      

Happy 4th of July!!

To all my family and friends living in the USA - have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

Pop-Up Gallery in Bridgewater

My daughter, Jill, was offered a gallery space from July 1st to the 8th in Bridgewater, NS. Here's her body of work:
I do like how the paintings show on the different wall colours!

Enjoy!

Standing Rock Series is her latest body of work

Better Late Than Never . . .

Happy Canada Day (day late) to family and friends wherever you are and especially to family living in the USA and the UK.

This is my brother in his RCMP uniform and his daughter in her Armed Forces uniform.