And the placemats are done!

I think they turned out pretty good and fortunately the receiver thinks they are awesome! Here is the finished product:

Mr Hunter thinks this design would look great minus the soccer ball, lol, so I may make it again with just the mountains, sky and rolling green hills. I like the idea of having several different place mats for entertaining. I have two of these ones:

I originally made 4, but I gave two away. These fabrics have gold in them, and I have lots more of other fabrics with the gold so I could use them for the mountains - or not, I do not think it even matters. It will just be fun to set an eclectic table. I never entertain anyways so really - no one will see them.
Before I make more place mats, I have to get my butskey in gear and make my pattern for the table runner I showed you here.
Cheers,
Carolyn

February block for Lets Bee Together

I finally got my butt in gear and completed and sent off my February block for Lets Bee Together. Here it is:

Cheers,
Carolyn

New doggie shoes

I just have to share these adorable booties I got for Lucky. He hates wearing shoes, but for walks outside when it is this cold, they are necessary. Look how cute he is!

Cheers,
Carolyn

New Toy

I got from my bro, this wicked ruler! It was actually from Christmas, but was back ordered so I just got it. I have not had the pleasure of using it yet - but I will and rest assured, I will advise if it is worth it. I am thinking it will be though considering how much I spent on my normal one. It cost more then this one so even if this just provides a straight edge - I will be pleased. Oh, but if it does as promised! YES - I will be one happy girl!
Here is my new toy:  Oh, ha ha, ignore the jewelry pliers - they are not new, I just failed to clear the desk apparently.

This came from Pat Sloan's Web store, under Notions, then Tools. Looks like she has lots of other cool things in there. I no longer see this size of ruler listed though. I'll keep you posted on how it works. My blade is getting pretty dull so it will be a great test!
Cheers,
Carolyn

All I need is a miracle

I got not one, but two! The city must have read my blog - or they got tired of hearing complaints because they actually salted and sanded their sidewalk around my corner of the city! I am still in shock. 

What it was.

What it is now. Just look at all the cement you can see!

 So, that was miracle 1, Miracle two is that I now have not one, but two pairs of these:

You may wonder why I need snow spikes for my winter shoes now that the sidewalks are clear and how about the crazy fact that I said I am getting two?? Well, I got one pair to fit my gigantic winter boots when its super cold out, and one pair  for my runners for when it is warm and melting. 
I got my new spikes because even though the walk is cleared now, its been snowing again, and as it melts it will get major slippery again. Then there is where I have to cross the street on the side streets which are like skating rinks. Things I never thought I would have to buy or feel so excited about.
So there you have it, miracles do happen! 
Cheers,
Carolyn

Table Runner idea

I made this drawing/pattern up before Christmas - when I was playing with ideas from my MIL's table runner. In the end though, I realized I really want to make it - for me! That and I knew I had no time to get this done before we flew out to Vancouver.
I have been sitting on it, not literally, literally it is pinned on the wall behind my head where I sit at my sewing table. hee hee. I had mentioned to Staci that I hoped this pattern would change her mind about having incomplete Dresden circles.

So, what do you think? Incomplete Dresden circles. Anyone horrified at my pattern idea? I had thought I would use the 30's prints, but I think I may even get solids like my drawing. For the hexies, I am thinking of 3-4 different solid cream to mustard like colors. I may do the hexies solid and then stick with the original plan of the prints for the circles. You all will be the first to know! I could say it would be Mr. Hunter, but he just isn't into it.
Anyone else making up new patterns or have hubbies that ignore our sewing addiction? 
Cheers,
Carolyn

New Casting Call!

I changed my mind about some of the fabric for the custom place mats. No more changes allowed now, I have cut out all of my pieces. I swapped out the old green for these two brighter fabrics. I felt that the original choice was too dull and I wanted to tie in the mountain and maple leaf colors more. This Kaffe Fassett fabrics I had in my stash work perfect. The colors do not show in the picture as good as it is in real life, but hopefully you can see it enough to see the benefit of the fabric change.
Here is the original fabric choice:

 Here is what I finally decided on:

 And this was my favorite, I love how the cabbage roses looked like the setting sun and wisps of clouds. My friend I am making this for wears a lot of blue so I elected to keep the original sky. Plus it makes the mountains really stand out from the sky and Mr. Hunter voted for it. It really is best as it breaks the pattern into sections which like a good painting - is what you want. 

What do you think? Do you agree that the middle one is best? 


I mentioned doing a swap on Sunday, if you are interested in a swap, please click here to see that post.
Cheers,
Carolyn

UFO Domination number 1

Here is my first UFO Domination project - the Pet Quilt. As promised, I said I would show how it turned out so here it is:

 I had mentioned here about Steam A Seam product to attach the applique and I could not recall if that was the good stuff, or the bad stuff for quilting. IT IS THE BAD! It made the fabric extremely stiff - its still stiff after washing and machine cannot stitch through it as you can see above, I was only able to quilt part of the applique pieces. When I was attaching the pieces, I had to keep cleaning my needles off and inside the bobbin area as they were covered in glue and breaking the thread. 
The good stuff I got from my quilting mentor, it says Pellon on the instructions, but I cannot find an actual name for it. She had sold me 6 meters off a giant roll so unfortunately that is all I know. I still have some thankfully and I will see her again at the end of April. As a side note, I think the Steam A Seam is perfect for Mr. Hunter's hockey patches.

This UFO was done just in time as it has been dipping into the -30 degree Celsius at night here. I now have 5 layers on the bed, it is awesome! Mr. Hunter came to wake me up at 8:30am yesterday morning and he told me I was so warm. Well I should hope so with that many layers! 
I hope your weekends were fantastic, and your hubbies let you sleep in! =P
Cheers,
Carolyn

Buttons and storage

I love buttons, and ribbon, and pieces of lace and snaps and fabric enclosures. I love all sorts of embellishments really - I do not think I have seen one I didn't like or at least think useful in the right application.
So, when I saw these three for a dollar discontinued buttons, I was all over them!

 Then I decided I had "saved" all this money from buying discounted buttons, I deserved some new ones too!

 Whoa! New buttons!!

 Just look how lovely - I had to have them!

 And where does one put all these buttons?? In these:

 These are not your expensive organizers my friends! Hell no! I am the queen of cheap and Mr. Hunter is the king! He got these for me for Christmas (so romantic I know, ha ha ha) straight from the fishing and tackle aisle.

There is the label for you to see. They have big ones and little ones. He got me a cool tackle box that fits the smaller size x 3 containers and a top that opens. Perfect for quilting retreats! I will try to remember to take a pic for you to see it.
Now all I need is more buttons to fill them up!!
Which made me think.. ... hmm, what about a swap?? I can knit wash cloths, I can as well trade for fat quarters. Anyone want to trade? You send me some buttons or ribbon? I send you some fabric or a knitted cloth?
Let me know if anyone of you are interested in a swap! Help me fill my containers! You can send me flee market finds, discontinued items, even pulled off an old sweater! I just like buttons.
Please leave me a comment if you are in, and if you think someone else may be interested in a swap, feel free to post on your blog and send them my way! If more people want to swap, maybe we can start a flicker pool with items we are willing to trade for? Just thinking out loud now, but it could happen right?
Cheers,
Carolyn

Casting call and auditions completed!

I sent out the casting call, many fabrics stepped up to the table, and after many auditions, I have selected these lucky prints to be the stars for my custom place mats.
Meet the new stars!

Here is the original drawing - my friend has requested green to be added. As you can see from the fabrics above, I have chosen a lovely print for the bottom. It looks like I am all ready for the Family Day long weekend!
Cheers,
Carolyn

Cozy in action!

I got this picture from one of my lovely friends in Vancouver. From the package that I sent out, I am really glad that these cozies are being used!
Here it is, in action!!

It looks like a great view from her office doesn't it? Oh Lotus Land I miss you!
I thought about being a pest and asking for them to pose with their cups so I was pretty tickled pink when I received this picture without having to ask!
Hope you are all having a fantastic day!
Cheers,
Carolyn

Operation - Find the Car!!

With military precision - we managed to find my car.

Thank goodness we have had almost two weeks of off and on again melting or we never would have found it! Originally, before the melt - you couldn't even see the side mirrors.
Cheers,
Carolyn

Just some bloggy news

I am sure you have seen most of these, but I have been busy and unable to keep up with my blog reading lately. Lucky has once again done something to his eye. We went to Calgary for my brother and sister in laws house warming party - checked Lu into the kennel and when we picked him up - I could see there was another major issue. Due to his stroke almost a year ago - he cannot close his left eye and he is always hyper to the point of insanity - well okay that is an exaggeration - he does sleep sometimes. =P
Thankfully - we still had the drops from the first time (this is actually the third time now) so we started to medicate immediately. Took him to the vet yesterday and the doctor told us that our fast reacting has saved the day! He already looks better - I will spare you the details.

On to the fun stuff in bloggy land!
There is going to be a large hot mat exchange over on Cheryl's blog here. Not sure yet if it is international (she is in Australia) but I have signed up.

There is a give away for a yard of Christmas fabric on the blog One More Quilt.

Another give away is happening over on Pigtales and Quilts blog, its a sponsored give away and looks pretty good!

There is a tutorial on how to make the cutest little slippers you ever did see on Made By Rae's blog.

An of course there is a really good list of give aways over on Linda's blog, Stray Stitches. I don't know how she finds them all!

There is way more then this going on out there - but alas - my Internet time is over for today.

Cheers my friends!
Carolyn

OH, I forgot my picture!!
Here you go - Ladies - Never let your husbands do this:

This scary 70's porn star stash is hanging out on by brother's face right now. I told him I was posting this on my blog in the hopes he will do my lovely SIL a favor and shave it off!! The whole night we were there he kept twirling the ends, it was scary and hilarious all at the same time.
I still Love Ya Bro! But its time to let the stash go.

The start of a beautiful thing

I am so happy with myself! I completed that huge pet quilt, the stippling, the binding, I even was able to wash and dry it last night! The stippling is awful, but I do not care! I have never quilted anything so huge and heavy and its DONE! It was my first one so I feel I deserve a little lead way - besides I can stipple small things very well - for the most part. HA HA HA
I will get a completed picture of that quilt for you soon.


The newest project is the custom place mats I showed you here. Because the big monster was off of my table, I was able to get a start on it. So far, I have traced out the parts I will applique onto my roll of Steam-A-Seam iron on adhesive. I think that is the brand name - I will double check for you guys as it is so far the only one I have found that does not gunk up my machine. Now that I think about it, Steam-A-Seam might be the one that did make an awful mess of my machine? Oh Bother!
Anyhow, its not a huge amount of progress, but it is progress.

I also squeezed in a little project for my Vancouver friends. One of them might actually see this - Hi S.S.!! I hope they will get some use out of these coffee cozies as there is a Starbucks right outside the main floor of their office building.

Cheers,
Carolyn

The long walk home

Its nice that it stays lighter out longer - as you can see, its a wee bit slippery! This sidewalk is city property - no need to explain any further why it is like this is there?
I have discovered however that doing the moonwalk forward will allow you to slide along and not fall on your butt!
This walk has served me well until the street was re plowed yesterday and the graders pushed chunks of ice and road debris onto the walk. Now my boots catch the material and I trip - on ice. hee hee, I bet it looks hysterical! Knock on wood, I have not fallen yet, and every day is kind like an adventure. I am training for the Survivor Alaska!! ha ha ha That million is so mine!

Does the city you live in keep its walks safe?
Cheers my friends!
Carolyn 

I got my February Fabric in.

For some reason I have felt like its a week later then it really is since February 1st. I was panicking that I still didn't have my fabric for this Let's Bee Together month - but it came last night! This time with a pattern - ooh, I have never made anything from a pattern! I tend to make it up as I go along. I am looking forward to having a little structure!
Here is what I got:

The fabrics I use for the different A,B,C,D and E are requested B and C be the funky tear drop fabrics and then I have the choice for the last three. This is going to be a pretty cool project when it is all done.
Anyone interested in seeing how last months blocks turned out, you can check them out at Lets Bee Together.
Cheers,
Carolyn

Finally some luck!!

Thanks to my Canadian mug rug that I maybe kinda sorta showed off to everyone at work since Mr. Hunter doesn't really care. He pretends sometimes to appease me, but really - he doesn't care. So, I force all the people at work to look at my stuff - they don't care either, but are too nice to say no. hee hee
This has worked out awesome though as one of my friends/co-workers has requested custom place mats! YIPPEE
Here are the two sketched I did for her. She wanted something with the Canadian flag, mountains and soccer. Its for here and her daughter so girly colors are a must.

Pardon the sheen on these drawings - I sprayed too much fixative on them, but I didn't want my friend to get any color transfer on herself.
She choose the top one so I have to get to work now and make them a reality. Those little maple leafs are gonna be a challenge, but I have some ideas. We decided as well to incorporate the green areas from the bottom picture in to the plan. I think it will look awesome!
Cheers,
Carolyn

I keep breaking stuff =(

This past week and a half have been tough. I melted my brand new salt and pepper shakers:

They were in the stove since Christmas - but I just used the oven the other day. Whoops. The salt worked great for getting the spaghetti sauce stains off but that was the only silver lining on this one.

Then I made Mr Hunters square screw bit into a circle trying to help him put down the sub floor. I was like one of those losers on the World Worst Handy Man shows. I was embarrassed, but there was no denying that the bit was no longer squared. =(

Then, and I cannot believe this goes on, but none the less, then I broke my sewing machine!
My auto threader arm got caught on my gigantic stupid pet quilt! I wanted to really finish it, I had hand stitched around everything, but that was it - I didn't even bind it and the damn thing has been on our bed for months. I know- I know! Obviously I have to get it done so I can wash all the pet hair off. We have multiple layers of blankets so its not like it touches our bodies - but the hair - oh gawd the pet hair! So I decided to stop being a baby and try to stipple this monster. The bulk must have caught the arm and snapped it right off. I didn't even know it had happened. I was stitching away when suddenly the piece came into view. I am still grieving. This is going to cost me a fortune to fix, if it even can be fixed!

Not only did I bust the threader - but my stitches look like ka ka. I don't even care - I just want this thing done and off my table.

And to top it all off - my stupid boots are disintegrating! Both feet have had the laces rip though the fabric that held them in place.

 I can only pray the rest of the fabric hold until at least this winter is over!

I thought bad things were to happen in threes. Let hope mine is just a string of four and this badness can be put behind me.
I hope all of you are having great days - not breaking anything.. ...
Cheers,
Carolyn

Snow removal - before the roof collapses!

Mr Hunter went to the hardware store to get a roof rake which he did not fully believe me that they exist. I asked him to trust me, I used to sell the darn things - now go get one before the roof falls in on us.
Mr. Hunter came home somewhat empty handed, they were sold out. But he got a skookum painters pole and with an old push broom of ours, created a roof shovel! It worked awesome. It was too cold and dangerous for me to take a decent picture, but here are a couple I took through the screen door. It was like Niagara falls only with snow off the roof!

Sorry about the blurry pics - he just would not stand still for me! ha ha
Cheers,
Carolyn

Basement update

Mr. Hunter and I realized the other day that we (by we I mean us together in spirit as truly - I have been upstairs sewing) have been renovating the house for almost 2 1/2 years and have yet to leave the basement. In fact, there isn't even a finished room down there. Hopefully that changes this weekend as Mr. Hunter finally decided on a bathroom vanity and even purchased! 
Here is what the other half of the basement looks like at the moment - there used to be a fireplace here!

 Guess what we found in this fireplace? We found several windows - the previous owner actually vented the fireplace out an old window and then built a brick chimney around it outside - none of the windows are sealed in which is why we used to get frost around the insert! We also found this lovely thing shown in the photo below:

 Its a hornets nest! Yikes! Thank the heavens we opened this up in winter and not summer. I noticed there are always hornets going into the chimney - but assumed they were in the chimney - not out house!
Scary huh?

Cheers,
Carolyn

And the winner for the 60+ give away is.. .. ...

22 


Random numbers generated Feb 4 2011 at 23:18:6 by www.psychicscience.org  
Free educational resources for parapsychology, psychical research & mind magic.


That means Tiffany - you are my winner!

Tiffany said...

I follow!!

Tiffany, if you see this post before my email -send me your snail mail address so I can send you your goodies!

Thank you to everyone that entered! I really enjoyed reading all of your comments about what you are working on. Sorry I was so slow to respond to some of them. Darn cold knocked me onto my keaster!

Here is my blog picture for today:

Looks a little boring, but this my friends is the pattern for the best bib ever. My girlfriend brought into work for me Friday, a bib her mother and law sent her from New Zealand and she has used it for over two years! Sorry, I did not have my camera at work to get a pic, but this bib looked awesome! Her first baby boy is now the age of the bib and she can still use it for him. I traced it out so I too could make everlasting bibs. Of course it is not the pattern that makes it everlasting - but the material. The front is a 100% cotton print and the back is terry cloth. It has a simple binding on it which was stitched on, and then had another decorative x stitch to make it even stronger. Thats it! Easy peasy! If anyone would like a copy of this pattern, send me a comment and I will email you back to get your snail mail.

Cheers,

Carolyn

Another Vancouver shout out for awesomeness!

I must mention how great the Wedgewood Hotel was that we stayed at in downtown Vancouver. The staff there were so friendly and helpful, with that and the beautiful room, it made this the perfect place to stay. But you don't have to take my word - check out these photos (I didn't take these as soon as we walked in so any clutter you see was my doing as the place was spotless):

As you can see, there were two bathrooms, a balcony, sitting room with comfy furniture, complete with a sitting desk and bar. That bed was so comfortable. I have not been sleeping very well lately, but that night - I slept the whole way though and felt so amazing the next day! I want that bed for my house.

Have any of you ever stayed at this hotel or one of its partners around the planet?
This is the last day to enter into my give away! You have until 9pm MST tonight! Click here if you want to enter.
Cheers,
Carolyn