Christmas Goose

Yesterday was the day that the goose needed to get into it's Christmas attire, so I spent the afternoon in my studio sewing up a Santa suit. The orange  pumpkin suit just wasn't working for this season of green & red. The suit & hat are underlined & lined to add weight to it - not to warm the goose!  it gets quite blustery up here on the hill. The goose is made of concrete so it moving is not a problem but it does face north & will soon be coated in snow.

Hugs & Kisses #4

Block number 4 completed & number 5 started.  This is more work than I thought--in 'one flower' there is a circle(love my Mylar circle markers),followed by another smaller circle,followed by a flower, followed by another circle,  followed by another circle that has a piece of batting in it, so it looks more dimensional. And that was just one...yes, my applique skills are improving on leaves & circles :)

Christmas Card 2010

I found this in Nicholas' camera, which I'm using till I get a new charger for mine. Wow what a productive year last year was, the Bargello quilt & accent runner made from the leftovers , Waverley's heirloom Holly Hobbie stock, a Mary Englbriet elf. I'm always wanting to make more mice, maybe next year...
This photo was used as our Christmas card 2010.

Workshop Santa with Quilt

I've been busy in different directions lately. I enjoy doll making & have always wanted to make this workshop Santa. His vintage black cut glass eyes, twinkle when the light hits them & his wee nose is a wooden plug. The hair was from  Katie's rug pullout, she was going to trash it as it was just bits--how fitting for the beard. I'm using the rest for needle felting little sheep, polar bears & white highlights, as intended, somethings just happen with a pleasant outcome. I gave Santa some helpers, a pair of gnomes I knit a few winters ago, he also has a burlap bag with treats that's not in view, behind his chair. Out of sight--out of mind for Diesel, the Siberian Husky, he loves opening things! Santa's leather boots are from an old wool tweed coat's under collar & the green tweed leggings are from the underlined part of the coat that cannot be cut up for rug hooking, these fused interfaced pieces I use for wool appliqued quilts that are machine buttonholed. As one girlfriend keeps telling me--you waste nothing! Showing you can make something from nothing! One of my favourite children storybooks--Something From Nothing, a quilter's delightful read of a grandfather's love for his grandson.

Little Treaure

This was purchased in Germany for me by my husband Bill. It's so precious & detailed, I put a ruler behind it to show the scale. So Tiny, my newest little treasure.

Autumn Pillow

I was a little restless with so much applique & put together this wool acorn pillow from the Rabbit's Gift -Trio by Claire Denny. The pattern center was not enough as I enlarged the background size to accommodate my Mustang lounge pillow, so I added 4 acorns from the other pillow design. I loved the cardinal fabric so I quilted it using  painter tape as the grid guide. Everything was done on my Babylock machine, so it went together quickly. The acorn wool was my week's find, a blazer from England for 3.95, it took 1 1/2 hours to take it apart to be hot washed, the outcome was so worth it, it's beautiful fabric, the brown is from one of my favorite wool skirts that I wore in the early 80's. I was much smaller back then, if I knew then, what I know now...I would have admired my 26" waist more!

My admirer's, I just feed & walk them & they follow me everywhere ;)

It's A Pets Life

This is my grandpup Diesel, he's a beautiful 2 year old Siberian Husky & will be living with me & my pets for 6 months while Mitchell, 2nd youngest son, is attending Durham College in Toronto.Mitchell is completing his elevator licence. Diesel has been coming here since puphood & has stopped nibbling on the house now. He & Boris do their ruff housing in the house till I use my mommy voice on them & they retreat, Boris to his Moses baby basket & Diesel to a full lie down on the floor. This is his 2nd week with me & has graduated to getting comfortable on the couch!

Tommy on the couch, when Diesel's not around.

Boris in his Moses basket, swaddled with fleece blankets. Diesel gets too hot with the fireplace on & throws his body against the glass patio doors to feel the cool glass. I brush his coat every morning & every morning there's a lot of hair, his armour coat is coming in now & his colour is darkening. The shedding hair is being saved to mix with catnip to stuff Tom & Jerry some catnip toys. Pets sure make the day interesting, never a dull moment. Squirrel is getting use to him too, that rodent will be 8 years old this April. Since being in captivity 2004, I think he's one of the elders around here, the foxes really brought the squirrel population down a couple of years ago. With the cooler nights his coat is losing the reddish brown & going grey/white & he's so hungry & getting the gofer silhouette for his harsh outside winters, nestled in a huge hive of quilt batting, wool & selvages for strength to hold it all together.

Hugs & Kisses - Block 3

A kiss, see the X? this makes it only 9 more to do, corner stones & appliqued sashing. This quilt is like the 25th anniversary it's to celebrate---a lot of work, however truly worth it in the end. XOX, working on the O.

Boris Loree Rug - Is Done!

My 1st hooked rug...I'm a Hooker!! It was a real joy going to Miramichi every Thursday to learn this art, thank you ladies for all your help & suggestions to make my idea come to life.

This is the backside, I used twill tape for the binding & now will stitch it down with upholstery thread. I think I'll wait a bit before drawing up another design, so many UFO's right now. A creative mind is seldom tidy & I need to take the time to get things in order in my studio. Then I'll create!! & not even notice the mess : )

More Redwork

This was a pillow pattern given to me for my b-day this year, thank you Elizabeth,  so on my 'sit-stay' 15.5 hour car ride home I started it. It will be made into a pillow for the cottage's new screened in porch 2012. The thought of being outside on a beautiful day & not chewed apart by biting bugs! really makes me smile & the hand sewing or rug hooking or reading a good book, or just learning to play guitar, in that beautiful screened in porch. I've been to Epcot-Disneyland & the motto there is... "If you can dream it, then you can do it!" Oh so true.

Yardwork Recycling

This week I've been busy with yardwork, it's so overgrown with the hot, humid, wet summer working as a hothouse for growing. The guys cut back loads of Boston ivy, English ivy, & the grapevine, my husband saved all the grapevine as he knows I like to make vine wreaths with it, I was able to make 3 large wreaths. As I cut the climbing rose down for its winter rest, I admired the rosehips & thought how they could compliment the wreath...

I added some acorn bells & will be looking for other enhancing objects...

Maybe Tom Cat! Could not resist this photo!

I Love My Bedroom

When I was at the summer house last season, my husband painted my city house bedroom with the paint we bought but ran out of time to do. There's always that 'round to it list'! He had quite the chore, this room has a 12ft cathedral  ceiling. The rest of my area isn't organized & just had the new ceiling lights installed last weekend. It's a wonderful feeling to go to bed & during the day I just take in the feel of the colour with the sun on it.

I've chosen  a softer palette for my room with the bedding & drapes, it's inviting & oh so soothing. Thank you my sweetheart for all those weekend long distance Skye calls, it's been soooo worth it ;)