Friday, September 9, 2011

Crazy for Candles Pattern info


I have had a few quilters looking in about the candle mat the Fiona from BubzRugz had made and had on her post a week ago ( Great job Fiona I enjoyed your post and all the goodies you had made for the holidays already )
Sew here I go
I had drafted up the pattern for a class that I had taught a couple winters ago and then started to sell it in the shop that I taught in. I like to do up my own patterns sew not to get caught in the copy right with other designers ( the shop I taught in at the time did not like to get in many patterns and wanted me yo just make copies of other designers ,as this is what her guild had done. She was a small shop and did not stay open very long )
The patterns went over very well and the students loved making the mats for themselves and gifts they are easier than they look . As I tell my students " easy as making rice krispie cake...if I tell them puff wheat cake then they know that it is a little harder"( my puff wheat cake always seamed to fall apart into cocoa puffs until I started to add a few marshmallows to the syrup).
Crazy for candles ...fall


Sew now back to the patterns...... I do have them for sale  @  $10.00 Canadian plus shipping .
until October 31 I will pay the shipping If anyone is interested in the pattern.
I am hoping to make a link on my blog to my patterns but have not gotten there yet.I think I will have to have one of my kids help me with that
crazy for candles .... winter

And with the pattern I do allow what I call oops room and if you do not need it you could make one of these
A table mat / runner
I have made a few different items out of the  extra oops pieces from long runners to small place mats. It is fun to play with  the bits left over to see what you can create.
Sew do drop me a line if you are at all interested, and we'll see what we can do to get the patterns out to you. I am also working on another runner idea and will share that one soon.

 At the moment here in Canada in the prairies it has been a beautiful summer we are still having temps in the 30's c they say that they should last a few more days before it becomes seasonal here.  The farmers  in our area are having a great harvest with out a frost. The farmers in the south of the province were not so lucky as it was to wet to get the crops in from all the flooding.


I will close with a pic of my front step with my morning glories.... they are having a good year as well.


Sew until next time stay in stitches
hugs Annette

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Fall is in the air

quilting at the campsite
it's finished
Well it is getting to that time of year...... fall I am not ready for it I have been enjoying summer alot this year.
Last week was very much summer except for one tree.... in our campsite of course .... it has turned yellow and was dropping it's leaves.
just a touch of fall

the chokecherry tree
There were chokecherries to pick there as well sew of courxe I picked enough for a couple more batches of syurp, 32 pints . I think that should be enough for this year.

I did manage to work on a quilt the one day that I was alone at the camper as well as little reading .
set up on the picnic table with my feather weight
some good reading and a few new projects to try
 I got a few walks in and a few days on the beach for a swim and just some good old relaxing  . I even had a cook on some days.
Sew now it is off to work I go.
Take care out there
Stay in stitches
Annette

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Challenge 2012 for the Stitches Conference


Stitches Conference Challenge 2012

Haus of stitches featured fabric for the stitches conference challenge. The fabric comes in both blue and copper. One must have taken a class in one of the 10 years that it has been on. Then you purchase 1 meter of the challenge fabric and create anything you would like with it. It can be wall hangings tote bags large or small quilts runners etc. just as long as they can tell that the fabric is in the finished item. They will be judged at the next conference in 2012. Sew I have picked up the fabric shown and now I have to play around with a few ideas of what I would like to sew up with it. I have also picked up a couple extra pieces that are from the same line. Sew as I get started I will give you a few sneak peeks of what I am up to .
this is the challenge fabric with a center medallion the fabric is by Peggy Toole for Robert Kaufman called Jewels of India

this is some of the fabric line for Jewels of India

On Holidays

I have been on a few days off and they sure seam to be busy. We took in the induction ceremonies at the baseball hall of fame in Battleford.  We picked chokecherries on Sunday and then made jelly and syrup on Monday. We had a visit with my brother and his wife on our way back home. Then off to the city 2 days in a row with dentist appointments, and now we are at the camp grounds, I will be home Thursday and hope to get this posted and maybe grab something to work on in my down time.

 Sew far I am only working on a pair of socks for my mom. My daughter's quilt is on hold the fabric should be here in the next day or sew. I may bring it out here to work on a little, not sure if it stays windy we will not take the boat out to go fishing.

 I did get the embroidered badges made for a friend. They are just for fun. They have frogs on them this year and is the third level of life saving, sew we think. Her daughter is a life guard at the local pool in the summer. Her first year she was saving gophers, last year it was salamanders and this year she has been saving frogs and pumping the chlorine water out of their tummies. I should have been taking pictures of these sew that I would remember what I have done from year to year with them. And once again I have dropped them off and there is no picture…….sorry. It is really cute my friend makes up a certificate and presents them to her daughter. We have talked and think that they would look good in a denim quilt. Sew now we have to wait until next year to see what she will be saving for her level four badge.
Sew I did make it home of a short stop to pick up a few things out of the garden and now we will be heading back to the campground ( about 40 mins away).
stay in stitches
hugs Annette

Monday, August 15, 2011

off to Humboldt

The class I was to teach is on hold for now. Not enough students in the summer time, is our guess ,sew we will try the tote class again at a later date.
Sew now I have a free day, and a friend and  I will go for a drive to Humboldt and visit the shop to get a  few goodies and have a visit as well as we all are busy it seams in the summertime.
I may find some fabric to finish the baby quilt, might pick up the challenge fabric for the stitches conference, I will have to check and see if I need any thing more for the bras I want to sew up, and who knows what else we will find there. Next we will go to Nutter's .. the bulk/health food store .... one of the places I get some of the foods I can cook with.... gluten free...
It looks pretty good out there not too much rain with the storm   more like a thunder shower I will be watering later in the day.
With the start of a new week one can make new lists for items to get done......I still have not gotten those Christmas stockings built I just have to have them ready for the babes name as he or she is not here until Christmas time, I just want to be ready.And I should get some of my UFOs done sew that i can move them to the finished list.Sew lets just see what I get sewn this  week. I sure helps to let you know what I have been doing, sew thank you for letting me share. 
Later this week I will draw for one of my Summer daze tote patterns, just leave me a comment and tell me what fabrics you might make it out of, and be a follower. It uses 2 or 3 contrasting fabrics and one accent fabric.
left has 3 colors right has 2 colors ,plus accent flap
I will make the draw Thursday.
staying in stitches
hugs
Annette

Sunday, August 14, 2011

the weekend of fish flies

Boy Oh Boy was this the weekend of fish flies..   little flying bugs , bigger than mosquitoes , but they do not bit. they do how ever leave little green specks on everything ...campers chairs people . They were sew crazy that you could hear them all night long and only got a little quieter when the sun started to come up.You did not walk in the shad or thought the trees or you would get a mouth full of these little pests.I know our next weekend out will be spent washing things down to get there poop off of the camper and anything we had out side.
We did find on place that was not to bad with them ... out on the water

Saturday we went tubing and took our friends out ,  they came to Canada a few years back. This was the first summer that they had the chance to go tubing. they enjoyed it and will do it again .
we had a great time with them and went boating after supper .
Sunday hubby and I went out to try our hand a t fishing. We fell that there just are not any fish in that lake ... at least not for us.But then we talked to our neighbour out on the water and he gave us a hook ( a special one he said and hard to find here in Canada )to try and told us where to try as he has mapped out the areas that have worked for him. It was crazy in less than 5 minutes I had a fish on the hook and landed in the boat ... about a three pound pickerel
August 14/11 finally my fist fish on Long Lake...And I though it must have been weeds again

well that storm is still making noise out there, I forgot that I could unplug and just use battery power on the lap top sew I was still able to get this post in .
Sew now I will get off the system and curl up with a novel for a little bit before I head off to bed
Good night all
in stitches
hugs
Annette

busy week at home

Well I did manage to get some sewing done,,, for myself. I thought it was about time.
shadow box quilt queen size
I got a good start on my daughter's quilt,Now I just have to sew the sashing strips in between the rows and then a black border and then I have to wait for the last border fabric to come in the mail( ordered from Connecting threads  they have some great prices one many different products for quilting) Looks like I have some cleaning and organizing to do from this picture.
Then I started to work up a little bundle I picked up from walmart  ,   a flannel bundle just right for a baby quilt.

this is what I was able to make from the 4 -1/4 yd cuts with very little left over . This little quilt measures 48 inches square.  I did buy two thinking that they were only fat quarters , sew now I can plan to make another the same of play again and see what I can come up with.

Then I made a little buddy a couple new pencils cases for the start of grade one.... hope he likes them

Last weekend when we were camping I tried to capture a picture of the northern lights but I was not successful ... only dark night skies .
Sounds like a storm brewing out there sew I think it is best to sign off and I will add more in the morning.
stay in stitches
hugs
Annette

Sunday, August 7, 2011

weekend is over back to the grind

Well the weekend is all but over. We enjoyed sun some rain with a thunder and lighting show, northern lights and a bit of fishing ..... or just dragging a hook in the water ...sew far the only thing I have caught is weeds.... maybe next time I will get a nibble.  
It was great to see the crops are turning and the farmers will be out swathing soon , that is if they are not all ready hard at it.
 Sew now that i am home again I am busy catching up with the wash ( hanging out on the line already) and getting organized for the next week . My week off went by sew fast that I am ready to start it all over again but it is back to work in the morning as one of my co workers has some time off now.
We did get a nice visit in with some friends that have a cottage at the same lake that we camp at. They just had a new grandson, and grandma is looking for a quilt. Sew now I will have to go a figure out prices for some of the quilts I have on hand.
I do have to get back to my quilting It seams that I have put if off too long . I did get started on the quilt for our daughter and will work at it until I am ready for the border then we have to pick out something that we think will work. I also want to work on a couple baby quilts and a couple rider quilts for our son and my hubby .( rider quilts that i make are made with the Sask. Rough Rider flags that were in the boxes of beer the last couple of years they are the provincial football team)
Well I am off to hang some more laundry
have a good rest of the day
in stitches
Annette