Oops! DAY 5, 6, 7 and 8!

You got me - I missed a few days.....Day 5 (Saturday), relatively the same as the ones that came before.  I had a surprise visitor in the evening, Liz dropped by with my favorite Iced Coffee and we hung out on the patio for a bit, then she was kind enough to take me with her to Metro where we both did a bit of shopping.  It was my first outing and to be honest, knocked me out.

Day 6 (Sunday) I took this picture so you can see what I'm up against - the monster behind the door......

Believe it or not, I'd already dealt with 3 boxes before I took the picture.  This is going to be a long, tedious process but it really has to be done.  I'm going to arrange for a locker to store all the boxes, etc. once I've got them sorted and under control.  My desk is now filled with papers that have to be dealt with, ugh!  I am slowly doing just that.

Day 7 (Monday) - I was really getting a start on all the paperwork along with deciding what to prepare for my trip to Sunnybrook on Wednesday for chemo.....when, well I'm sure most of you know exactly what happened, the lights went out.  They came back on briefly for about 20 minutes but then BLACK!!!!  I did play a little on the laptop because I had shut it down to save the battery power.  Poor Jonathan was working yesterday and today.  He came home around 8:00 P.M. to change clothes, he was soaked to the bone and then had to go out on a call almost immediately.  Today he's been taking each call while two wait in line - it's been crazy!  Most of the cars had been submerged so they weren't actually battery calls.....

I made it my business, once the power came back on to get back to the paperwork as well as prepare for tomorrow.  You would think I was going on a 4 day retreat.....I have every kind of hand work possible.

First - the binding....

Second - my Farmer's Wife - the ready row!

Third - more Farmer's Wife blocks - to sew, to cut.....there are 5 in the package and one still on my table in the bedroom.

Fourth and last - my 9 Patch Exchange project - the applique, machine button hole stitched.  I need to bring the threads to the back and finish them off.....

The colouring is really off on this - it is really gorgeous!  Of course it has to do with the makeshift "design wall" (white sheet on bed) and the lighting in the room!  I really, really miss the design wall......

So, I have loads to choose from and hopefully will get a little of everything done.  We'll see.  As long as I pack all the right stuff - I should be fine.

Okay, I'm expecting a friend momentarily so I gotta go!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Almost halfway there.......

So, I've been busy!  Another 5 blocks done and I've got row 4 almost completed.  It's very exciting.  I've even gotten started on that machine applique I wanted to get done but the Farmer's Wife continues to mesmerize me......

Here's Row 4, missing only one block which was completed this pass week.  I will now be able to complete the row and add it to the quilt top.....progress is a real motivator.

Block 27 - Darting Birds (52 pieces)

Block 28 - Duck and Ducklings (29 pieces)

Block 30 - End of Day (16 pieces)

Block 33 -Farmer's Puzzle ( 27 pieces)  This is the block that completes Row 4.

Block 36 - Flower Garden Path (42 pieces)  This one is one of my favourites colourwise.

So off I go to continue this obsession.....already moving on to Row 5......

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Still obsessed!

Okay, I really have to make a list of my priorities vis a vis the "other" stuff that has to be done besides my current obsession with The Farmer's Wife.  That having been said, I continue to progress with lightening speed on these gorgeous blocks.....

I have 7 more blocks to show off which brings my total up to 49, almost halfway through the 111 blocks for this quilt....

My last group of 5 blocks is completed.  I was doing those in numerical order and completed the last 3 in that group....

Block # 19 - Checkerboard (25 pieces)

Block # 22 - Corn & Beans (44 pieces)

Block # 24 - Country Path (35 pieces)

That completed my 5 block group.  I then cut out some sashing pieces to add to my collection.  I now have 92 of 255.  Slowly the pile grows.

My next group of 5 blocks is for the next row to add to the completed quilt top,  I spent a day prepping, marking and cutting and then went crazy working on them - finished 4 yesterday and the 5th one today,  In the order that they will appear....

Block # 67 - Pine Tree (42 pieces)

Block #46 - Hill & Valley (16 pieces)

Block #88 - Star of Hope (18 pieces)

Block #98 - Waterwheel (28 pieces)

Block #68 - Postage Stamp (36 pieces)

I will now begin to construct the row adding sashing and cornerstones.  I will also add Block #11 - Broken Dishes (32 pieces) which was completed January 25, 2010, way back at the beginning of this project.  The last block on the row is number #33 which will be done in my next group of 5 blocks which still need to be prepped.

I am finding the hand piecing of these blocks very therapeutic and rewarding.  I look forward to the choosing of fabrics, the marking, the cutting and the piecing.  It takes my mind off of the daily stress and a great deal of the problems I am currently facing.  The problem is, I also have other projects and priorities that need to be addressed.  Tonight I came home and finally decided to get cracking on some of the machine work I need to do.  I was working on my 9 Patch Exchange before I got stuck into The Farmer's Wife, amongst other things.

I have found that when Jonathan is working, usually 2 days on and 2 days off, I can get a good deal of machine work done.  I need to take advantage of that time and get some of the big projects done.  Since he was working tonight I managed to get some of the machine applique done on one of my projects.  He's working again tomorrow night so I hope to continue that as well as work on Amish With A Twist.  You can see my progress on Amish at the www.cockadoodlequilts.blogspot.com.

Have a great day everyone.

Jo-Ann

On a roll....

Finally - I got my act together.....the quilt from !@#$ is done!  None too soon and with Mary's help the binding went on so I could finish the hand sewing.......

This was my customer's first quilt and she had the top done in time for the arrival of her little bundle of joy but was having trouble with the quilting.  Looks okay from the front and it's exactly what she wanted done so I'm pleased too.....

 Front of quilt

However, the back of the quilt is not what I would have wanted.  The sheet was impossible to keep from shifting.  I admit it is very soft but very difficult to work with.......

 Back of quilt - not nearly as smooth as I would have liked it.

Once that was done I moved on to my next quilting priority - 5 months of 9 patch exchange blocks!  I had an amazing assembly line going and it worked out great.  Sew 2 strips together - press - sew 3rd strip on - press - cut - sew set 1 to set 2 - press - sew sets to 3rd set - press and done!  Finished last night about 9 P.M..  

 5 months of 9 patches - 200 x 9 patches

I am so pleased that this is done!  I wish I had done this at the beginning, well actually I did, but I didn't keep going.  I can tell you that I will not be joining any more exchanges in the future.  I joined this one to make up the 10th person in a group but, in all honesty I have so many other things to do that I really find it difficult to meet these kinds of deadlines.  I was not the only one however, life happens and sometimes other things take priority.....but this is definitely a load off for me.  All of the fabrics I used came from my personal stash too!!!!  That part was nice since I don't often get a chance to dip into my own stash.

Now on to my next project - it's finishing the Urban 9 Patch for a class/store sample.  I am looking forward to getting back to doing that neat curve piecing.....

Urban 9 Patch

I also have to start working on that gorgeous Block of the Month - Amish With A Twist.  If you haven't signed up for it yet - what are you waiting for?  It's gorgeous!  I can't wait to have it done.

I actually thought that I would get started last night when I got home but I was wiped by the time I got home and didn't want to mess it up.....so then I thought I would work on my next "set" of projects today but alas, too tired!  Did get a bit of reading done and plenty of sleep - which I needed (see I said it before you did!) but again, I am disappointed that I got nothing done today!

I am looking forward to my upcoming personal retreat - the store closes Thursday March 28th at 6:00 P.M. and doesn't open again until Tuesday April 2.  4 days of rest and relaxation and nothing relaxes me more than quilting!!!!  I am so looking forward to it - might even get the laundry done and the house cleaned too!  (Secondary priorities of course!).

Hope you all have a fabulous Easter too!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann 

Idle hands....

Just so you won't think I have been idle for the past few days - I finished Block # 44 - Gentleman's Fancy on Monday night.  This is definitely one of my favourite blocks -went together very quickly.  Would consider doing a quilt of this block.....

Block #44 - Gentleman's Fancy

I started another block Monday night but have been having trouble with it and have had to take it out a few times already.  Worked diligently on it Monday night and Tuesday night but have still not finished it....

Last night I did nothing "quilty" at all.  It was a very sad day and I guess I just needed to sit back and reflect.  I have two extremely close friends, Mucie and Dov, whom I've known for over 40 years now.  We are like family - I am godmother to both of their children, Oren and Sarah Tamar and they are Jonathan's godparents.  Last Sunday at 11:15 a.m.,Dov's mother passed away.  As is our religious tradition, she was buried on Monday.  I had Mary come in to the store and I managed to get to the funeral.  Of course there were many people there whom I never see being so busy at the store, and we all parted saying we would meet again in April (Sarah's wedding day).

On Tuesday evening I received a call from Mucie telling me that Dov's father had passed at 11:17 a.m. that morning, the funeral was yesterday afternoon.  To say we were all in shock was an understatement!  Jesse and Sam were married for 68 years and spent their last days at Baycrest, Sam suffering from dymensia and Jesse needing a little extra care.  Jesse always wondered whether in the last few years if Sam knew she was there for him.  Well, I would have to say that not only did he know that she was there but that he did her the honour of allowing her to leave first so that she would not suffer his loss.  In fact, I believe that once she reached her destination, she prepared her new space and then called him to her.  They were inseparable in life and so it should be that they be inseparable in death.  They were laid to rest side by side and we can all take solace in the belief that they are joined hand in hand looking down on us, free from any pain and suffering.

As we all know this does not relieve the suffering of the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren left behind but we have been on our own for many years and will continue our day to day activities, every once in awhile wanting to share our days with our parents.  We have been blessed to be a generation whom with medical technology has had the opportunity to enjoy our parents who have lived to their 80's, 90's and beyond.

For me personally, Jesse and Sam, were the last of my "family's" elders to pass so I find this particularly sad.  When my uncle passed in August 2010 and then my mother in September of the same year I had no time to grieve.  I was busy with the store and it was just before my health issues became evident.....I will now take the time to grieve, for Jesse, for Sam, for my mother, for my uncle.  It is time! 

Tonight I will go home and hopefully go back to my quilting - it is both relaxing and soothing (although that block that I am working on is extremely frustrating - I may just put it aside for now).  I need something that is mindless.....

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann   

Too much TV......

Obviously there was way too much TV watching last night because I managed to finish another two blocks.  The funny part is that there really wasn't that much on but once I sat down to hand piece I just kept going......

I redid block # 35 - Flower Basket and with the correction, everything went together perfectly.  I am really happy with how it turned out.

Block # 35 - Flower Basket

I then started on block # 41 - Friendship Star which went very quickly.  Usually I mess this block up especially when I am sewing it by machine but everything just fell correctly into place and it came out great.....

 Block # 41 - Friendship Star

I actually pushed myself to the limit and started a third block which has two pieces left to be added before it too will be done.  After about 5 hours of sitting and piecing I had had enough and decided to finally put it down.  Will check the TV listings for tonight and see if I can't keep this moving.  I really am enjoying the relaxation of the hand work and it keeps me busy while I watch the mindless "boob tube"!

Today I continued a bit of my Urban Pods - the new one, in greens and greys.  I am really loving the way it is turning out too!

I really have to get caught up on my 9 patch blocks and start that Mystery Quilt and machine quilt my Amish Shadow quilt but I'm sure I will find some extra time somewhere (NOT)!  You know what we quilters say - Sew Many Quilts - Sew Little Time!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Phew.....

Talk about a productive evening....Last night I was like the old "energizer bunny"!  When I got home, I made a quick dinner and then got right down to work.

First I completed my September and October 9 Patch exchange blocks.....

Then I started cutting for a new store sample and worked until about 9:00 P.M. on that....you'll have to wait and see more later on that one.

At 9:00 P.M. I decided I wanted to get down to some serious TV watching - Thursday is definitely my night for TV - Grey's Anatomy, Elementary, Last Resort, Person of Interest and last but not least Scandal.  Thank heavens for time-shifting.

On Wednesday night I had used up the last of my Soft Fuse so the project I had started working on could not be completed until I brought home some Wonder Under (second choice).  I dug this up out of my stash, I had bought the kit when I was on a retreat in Pennsylvania at Critter Pattern Works back in 2001 but it really seems appropriate now and will probably segue into a machine applique class.

With the Pandas coming to the Toronto Zoo I thought the timing was good so I started making up all the applique on Wednesday night while watching TV - only had two pieces left to do last night and then needed to put on all the markings and adhere everything to backgrounds......here they are -

All ready to do the outlining with the machine......here are the individual patterns!  They are all so cute!  I marked them all and placed them and then during commercial breaks, went out to the ironing board to set them in place.  Worked out great!

All of the fabrics were included in the kit which was amazing but I think I will still be adding some of my own fabrics for the bamboo bits around the edges, also I'm not sure there is enough to do the border and I will, of course, have to find a binding and a backing....

Debbie at Critter Pattern Works has a great tutorial on her website for her machine applique method so I will practice a bit before I tackle the edgings.  It's been awhile since I did one of her patterns.....will post my progress!

Tonight is Sit & Sew - NO MACHINES ALLOWED night and it's going to be a crowd....gotta go start dinner!  I am going to try to get the last 4 blocks of my Lithia Park done and maybe work on some blanket stitching on one of my Lori Smith patterns....will post pictures later.....

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Finally....

I have a sewing center at home!!!!  Since my heart attack it's been a chore getting anything done at all.  Finally last Saturday night I steeled myself to set up the dining room table and surrounding area for mass production!!!  Okay, just kidding but I really needed someplace to set up and work....

 Sonia (my Janome) is set up for piecing

Bernie (my Bernina) is set up for quilting and my fine work

Sergio (my Janome Serger) is set up for other projects I'm working on

Tonight I finally got down to business - working on my 9 patch exchange blocks.  Need to catch up and get October's blocks done.

 

With the move going on at the store I have made a "list" of all the projects that were at the store and need to be completed.  I brought two bags home last night and got nothing done on those, nor did I add to the list with all the projects I have waiting at home to complete.  I truly do not want to know how much is here - that would be counter productive.....just overwhelming!

 

I even have a cutting area set up which is everything I need to become productive again.

I'm hoping to be able to report regularly on my progress....

 

Okay back to work -

 

Have a great day everyone!

 

Jo-Ann





One down, one to go!

I'm sure you are all wondering where I disappeared to and what I have been up to.  If you also read the Cock A Doodle Blog then you know I've been surfacing from time to time but what have I been doing.....

First - my 9 patch blocks for the 9 patch exchange which I could not resist being apart of.  I've been a quilter for 12 years and have NEVER taken part in a "block exchange" so, since we are hosting it at the store I took advantage fo the opportunity.  I'm just finishing up my blocks for July and August - I figure if I stay ahead of the game I won't have to scramble to catch up.

Another project I have been working on is one that I looked forward to doing yet also dreaded and so has been preoccupying my time.  A couple of months ago this very lovely woman came in with two "quilt tops".  Someone had made them from her trousseau linens.  Although she had done an admirable job it seemed she wasn't familiar with the wrong side and the right side of embroidery.  A number of blocks had to be turned in order that the right side of the embroidery was on the right side of the quilt.  This job was turned over to me along with putting borders on the quilt tops.  After alot of procrastinating, for fear I would ruin the quilt top, I completed one this afternoon. 

It isn't often I have time to do this at the store but in the "dog days" of summer (pretty close with this humidity...) I can usually steal a few hours to work.  With a few customer interruptions and a load of determination I was planning on completing at least one of these gorgeous tops today.....and being a part of this heirloom experience.  Once the second one is done I will help the owner choose a long arm quilter and a quilt pattern for these remarkable quilts.

All of the embroidery was hand embroidered on pillowcases by her family members and given to her and her husband as wedding gifts.  What a keepsake to have and for generations to come - a fabulous idea!  Now that I've finished the one - the second one should be a lot easier.

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Sew she grows!

The newsletter is out, classes are filling up and I still find myself short about 10 hours a day.  I had two days off this past weekend and did NOTHING!  I mean nothing!  I've been told that it was probably what I needed but still I felt guilty...with so much to do and so many projects on the go,  I really felt like I should have done something, anything, to keep up with myself.

I guess I gauge my output by my quilting which is probably not fair.  However, truth be told Rich and I managed to get quite a load of stuff out of the storage unit over the past week.  We want to give up the space and so now the boxes from the basement (from the townhouse and the last move) are finally being dealt with.  It's amazing what I've found, and to think all the stuff that was left behind.

Tuesday I worked at the store and came home to work on more boxes but I also managed to work on Lithia Park - there are 12 blocks sewn together with sashings!  It's slowly growing and since tomorrow night is "Don't bring your machine a.k.a. Applique Club" at the store I will be able to work on the last 2-1/2 blocks for the centre.  Here's what it looks like so far.....

 Lithia Park - 12 blocks and growing.....

It's  funny how when I work all day I can come home and just keep going but when I'm home for the day - I get nothing done!  At any rate I had to progress on this project in order to make room for my next project which is my 9 Patch Exchange blocks.

When I had my sewing room in the house this would not have been an issue as I just would have relocated the Lithia Park project but in the apartment I have limited space available so I really have to be more organized.  Don't get me wrong, my quilting is spread out throughout the apartment but because I share the living/dining room with Jonathan, I have to make sure I don't leave things lying around where they can be misplaced or moved.  A little frustrating but it works because I seem to move forward on projects faster.

So, I chose some fabrics for my first 4 blocks for the exchange.

 Fabrics for April (yes I'm behind) and May blocks.....

This gave me the opportunity to try out a few new products we have in the store.  When it was suggested that we host the 9 Patch Exchange, I was alerted to some great products that would insure accuracy in piecing these blocks.  So - I will try to take you through the process step by step here.

 First, a product called Cutting Edge....plastic strips that mark the underside of the ruler.

 The blocks are 3-1/2" blocks so I needed to mark the 1-1/2" on the rulers underside.

First I straighten the fabric....

 Then I butt the straightened edge along the plastic strips marked at 1-1/2" - and cut my strips.

 Fabric one, then fabric two.....

 Check out the markings, perfect 1-1/2" strips.....now we move to the sewing machine.

 The next product is called sewing edge!  (You can use a few layers of painters tape here instead)

 I take my 3-1/2" ruler and with my needle measure the 1/4" on my machine - then adhere a strip of the sewing edge tape which is about a 1/16" of an inch thick.

 You can cut these tapes but I chose to mark the machine and the table giving me a longer edge.  Then I stitched my first strip.

 Check the perfect 1/4" seam - I was thrilled!  So far, so good!

 The blocks worked out to exactly 3-1/2" - Voila - precision piecing!  To see my pinning method - look up Molly's Meadow on this blog - I give a demo there.

...and my second set of perfect 3-1/2" blocks!

I'm going to try posting this to the Cock A Doodle Quilt blog as a Tutorial Page shortly so you can refer back to it.  Hopefully I will be able to do it - I'm so not a techie!  FYI - you can use painters tape to do either of these things but I have to say I love the ease of these two products and they are both reusable and very accurate.....  

I've also been pretty busy designing quilts - a new mystery quilt for August and a Charm Square quilt as well as a quilt to use up my 9 Patch Exchange blocks.

Okay time for bed - a little reading, then some much needed sleep!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann  

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