A Good Day!

It's really nice when I have a "good" day and yesterday was a pretty good day.  I finished the binding strips for Island Chain and as soon as the batting arrives in the store I can get it layered and quilted.

I also finished my Bulletin Board that I have been working on for a few weeks.  Liz donated the red Rick Rack and I added the fabric, buttons and the painting.....now I just have to get Rich to put it up near my desk and I'm good to go!  That may take another few weeks as he's so busy right now I hardly see him.....

I had purchased this fabric, with roosters of course, a number of years ago and never knew what I was going to do with it.  It's on the bulletin board - I stapled it with some polyester batting and then put the rick rack on.  I also added some decorative buttons and then painted a few flowers on.  I had some fabric left over so I made a "babushka" for my bald head LOL!

It appears that I can work anywhere - I also cut strips for a project!  Not telling yet what it is but the book on the hassock is a clue!  This book has 50 quilts in it and it's really a fabulous book.......I have 4 more strip sets to cut and then I'll be on my way.....

Aside from some on and off stomach pain so far today I anticipate another day of "production".  We can only hope - I'm off to get some stuff done today too!  I'm excited that I can actually do this!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

I can't believe.....

....that I can keep so busy!  I used to think that there was no time to blog because I was in between home and the store all the time.  I would also blame Jonathan because he monopolized the laptop at home but now I have internet on the home PC as well and still I seem to run out of time each day....  I've been home since the 12th of May and still I can't seem to find time to fit it in?!?!  I'm thinking that I just thrive on being busy....

The first day after Chemo was a breeze and then I hit a couple of really bad ones but since last Monday I have really just been keeping busy.  Admittedly I have been doing a bit of resting up for the next "round", but I managed to finish the Island Chain top and I've surrendered the camera to Jonathan who takes much better pics.....(not so blurry)!

 I'm very proud of this one and I am planning on quilting it myself!  I have a rule of thumb now when it comes to quilting....if, in my head I have planned out the quilting of the top before I finish piecing it then it's mine to quilt, however, if I get to the end and have the borders on without that vital inspiration, off it goes to the "longarm quilter"....this one's mine!  (Note: I still have hair - lol!!!)

What have I been up to that I am so busy!?!?  Well let's see, I brought home 3 boxes of book work that needs to be done and I already had one box at home to work on.   I unloaded my stash drawers because they were sticking and now that Rich fixed them I can put it all back - I was looking for purples and yellows for a store sample that I want to make and I was frustrated because I couldn't get complete access to my fabric.

My friend Trudy came to visit yesterday and brought me some cuttings from her garden and my friend Leigh came today and helped my plant some stuff that she brought as well as what Trudy brought yesterday.  I had planned to get my planter pots out for the garden and did that yesterday and also started doing some painting of pots which is something I love doing - took me 12 boxes of stuff to find the paints so I unpacked 3 and sent some stuff upstairs to be put away as well.  The basement is still full of boxes but we're finally down 3 more!

I sorted through some projects on the go and actually started cutting out the applique for Molly's Meadow (one of the quilts on my sidebar)!  I've got Sonia (Janome) set up and am ready to make up the back of my Island Chain and maybe continue working on Molly's Meadow.  I also need to put binding on one of my completed mystery quilts that Libby quilted for me last year so I have something to do during chemo on June 1st.   I may even start a small knitting project - just for a change of pace.....

I'm the type of person who can't sit idle, I always have to be doing something or have something to do!  Whether I'm sitting watching TV or thoroughly engrossed in my quilting projects.....now I have to prioritize again because I have opened up Pandora's "boxes".....having taken a number of projects out of their hiding places!  As Elaine always says Focus, focus, focus!  So I'm going to go back to picking one for Sonia and one for Bernie and seeing if I can't get that organized and make some progress......

I am well and have had a good week but I am getting a little tired after a busy and productive day....so I think it's time to head for bed!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Who knew......

Back in December when I started this blog that it would have been named so aptly!!!!  Owning a quilt store certainly allows me the tag of Creations, plus I do have a few of those up my sleeve!  The apt part appears to be Trials & Tribulations!

I guess I kind of took the Trials & Tribulations from what I had been through in the past 2 years and thought it was appropriate, there always seems to be something going on in our lives that could constitute Trial & Tribulations.....

Having said that - I will finally update all of you on what's going on!  On Wednesday May 11th I met with my doctor (oncologist) who informed me that Terry the Tumor has a friend - we have named him Larry on the Lung (the key word here being ON!).  It seems Terry got lonely and wanted a friend to keep him company - who knew!  Well needless to say I AM NOT particularly fond of "Illegal Immigration"  and I want these "aliens" evicted!  Luckily my doctor is of the same mind so he wasted no time and I had my first Chemotherapy session Thursday May 12th! 

Libby drove in from Windsor on Wednesday night and held my hand for 9 hours while I underwent my first of three sessions!  I've been off the radar for the past few days because I've been fighting the side effects of becoming "glow in the dark", however, I AM BACK!  Well - let's just say I feel alot better than I did yesterday, the day before and definitely the day before that (DAY 1 after chemo was relatively a cake walk!).  Libby left for home this morning secure in the knowledge that I was getting "over it"!  She is my ROCK and I love her!  That having been said I have a fabulous network of friends that I can depend upon and I can only hope that I will not over tax them with all of this!

Jonathan (my son) has also been amazing and hopefully will continue to be that!  Rich of course is my other "go to guy" and I can certainly count on him for just about anything, including filling the propane tank so I could Barbeque last night - you'd think I was pregnant or something!  I had a craving and voila - it appeared!

Elaine dropped by today to drop off the fabulous quilt that the Monday girls made for me - and Jonathan couldn't resist the photo-op, besides it may be my last one with hair for awhile!

It's really a gorgeous quilt!....and I recognize so many fabrics!  FYI - it makes a fabulous signature quilt, all the girls signed it and it is from the book Scrap Basket Sensations - by Kim Brackin which should arrive in your local quilt shop (Cock A Doodle Quilts) any day now - I just ordered 12 more copies!  I'm actually going to send a copy to Kim (a copy of the photo) - I think it's so fabulous!  For some reason my feet get cold and I just cuddle up and I'm fine!  I'll be taking it with me on my next trip to the hospital too!  My security blanket for sure!

You might notice Island Chain on the side of the couch - it's finished (the top anyway)!  Yesterday I managed to change a block - not the right one, and put the borders on, thinking I had changed the right one!  I now have a little secret that goes with this quilt and you know what - I don't have to change the block anymore!!!!

Starting to tire so I will say goodnight and I promise to try to keep up with the blog as much as humanly possible!  I do plan on quilting and creating after all so you can't be expected to miss out on all that!

Thank you all for all your support and keep those cards and letters coming LOL

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Still quilting.....

Thought I would share my latest quilt........Island Chain, although I have to make a slight change to one of the blocks......

Left side, third block down - just fades into the background so I'm going to change it then put the borders on and get it quilted.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out even though I'm not particularly a batik fan.  I sure do love working with the fabric though!  The tight weave of batik is absolutely awesome.  Also this quilt from the book - Scrap Basket Sensations - is only one of many I want to do......

I want to thank you all for your support, phone calls and well wishes!  It's absolutely uplifting to know I have so many people helping me get through this!

I've got an appointment tomorrow with the doctor and will find out what the last barrage of tests showed as well as what to expect with the "hopefully" upcoming surgery.....the cancellation yesterday really threw me for a loop but mentally I've recovered and can only hope that it won't be long before I'm sitting quietly out in the garden hand piecing my Farmer's Wife!!!!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

I'm obsessed......

The flash didn't go off when I took the photo but you can still see it's getting bigger......

I am absolutely obsessed with this quilt....so much so that last night, after attending the York Heritage Quilt Guild meeting I left at the break to get back to this quilt!  I worked for about 3 hours and actually have two more rows almost ready to attach but I was so tired I was scared I'd make a mistake.

Tonight I just couldn't or maybe I should say I just wouldn't get started so as not to work long into the night again.  I need to get some sleep for a change......

I'm really enjoying the challenge of working out each row - unfortunately I may have to set it aside for the weekend - our in store retreat starts on Friday and since I am the chief cook and bottle washer I don't think I could concentrate on the complexity of this quilt at the store.....my plan is to work on my One Block Wonder and a few other projects I have at the store.....

Will take loads of pics and keep you all posted on everyone's progress!!!!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann

Progress....

I'm not sure what I was thinking!  At the house I always had two machines set up - one for quilting and one for piecing, that way I could do either!  For some reason when I moved to the townhouse I suddenly got stubborn.....(okay, not so suddenly but still!?!) and decided I had to finish one project at a time....

Look what I've accomplished since I set Sonja up again!  Saturday night I started this absolutely adorable Winnie The Pooh baby quilt - my pattern, soon to be a kit at the store!  I got the 4 patches done and the pinwheels, then I sewed the 4 patch row to the two borders, then I went to sew the pinwheel row to the border and found it was too long - RTFP (read the F------ Pattern) I had forgotten (didn't read my own pattern!) to square off the half square triangles to the size in the pattern.....

So I spent about 45 minutes searching the house for a seam ripper - not one in the house!  No where to be found.....I own a quilt store for heaven sakes, you would think I would have at least ONE seam ripper (in every room of the house!)!  I had to use my small scissor to take out the blocks and resize them!  At that point I decided to pack it in and finish the borders at the store on Sunday - which I did!

Last night we had a staff meeting - the "chicks" all went to Kathy's for dinner which was absolutely wonderful!  We spent 3 hours eating (kidding) and working out the schedule for the next two months.  I'm on an extended quilting retreat (I wish)....while I recuperate from surgery - ONLY 22 DAYS TO GO!

When I got home I prepared my Sweet and Sour Meatballs for Monday`s lunch and while it was cooking I started my next project! 

We got a book in a few weeks ago - Scrap Basket Sensations! and I grabbed one (I need to order a bunch more because we`re sold out already).... I had picked up a Bali Pop at Quilter`s Palette during the first days of their closing sale and I found the perfect project in the book - here`s the beginning of Island Chain.....  

This is a picture from the book of the quilt - this one is a real brain teaser - takes alot of concentration but I am really enjoying it (keeping my mind occupied).   I`m not sure if I`ll manage to get back to it tonight (I hope so!) because I have to soak my foot - it seems I have a piece of glass stuck in there and I really have to get it out - can`t risk a chance of infection and a cancellation of the surgery.......

Hopefully I`ll get  it out quickly and get back to Island Chain....I also have to get the binding on my Holy Snowballs so I have something to do tomorrow night at guild....I always bring some hand sewing or knitting to keep busy!

I just can`t believe how much I`ve accomplished since I set up the two machines.....so I guess my theory was not so good!  There`s just so much discipline I can take!

Okay - off to get something done!

Have a great day everyone!

Jo-Ann