The Painted Quilt

Two weeks down…

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and ONLY four more to go! Woo hoo!

I’m home for the weekend and never has home looked so good!

I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but I can assure you that no matter how badly one feels after chemo and radiation, I count my blessings each and every day because there are too, too many people who are so much worse off than I am.

How can I possibly thank you all for your support while I travel this bumpy road? A simple thank you just doesn’t seem to cut it but please know that I read each and every one of your comments…and more than once.

Whenever I’m feeling down, I turn on the computer and read through them again because your words provide me with the encouragement that I know will help see me through to the end of my treatments.

Unfortunately, I was not in the greatest of shape when Mr. Painted Quilt came to pick me up last Friday. I am hoping that this weekend will be better because so far this week, the nausea has been kept at bay for the most part.

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And just look what was waiting for me on our dining room table when I arrived home!

Mr. PQ never mentioned a word about there being packages and envelopes waiting for me and I can’t wait to see what they are and who they’re from. My excitement knows no bounds!

Frankie hasn’t left my side from the moment I walked in the door. He just about broke my heart with his outpouring of affection. Mac is never too far away either.

I tried some hand quilting and stitching last week but my heart just wasn’t in it. Since then, I’ve read three books and just started on my fourth. If that is what it takes to ‘fill the hole’, then I’ll just accept it and enjoy the written word.

As strange as it might seem, the creative juices haven’t stopped flowing.

Since Monday night…attributed perhaps to the ‘chemo fog’ which they keep on warning me about…*wink*… I’ve had a few design ideas floating around in my head which I committed to paper on Wednesday morning. If I didn’t do it right then, I knew the images would disappear as quickly as they surfaced. I didn’t think that I would be able to offer a new First Friday Freebie design until I was finished with my treatments, but I’m happy to say that I did come up with a design that I’d like to share with you.

Unfortunately I can only provide you with the line drawing and a few suggestions as to how to incorporate the design into a project but I’m sure that you’ll all be able to figure something out. And because I didn’t arrive home until just a short time ago after my 7:30 a.m. treatment and a two and a half hour drive, I’m a little late in getting it out to you this month. *wink*

So without further ado, my 25th FFF is entitled, Easter All Around.

Although Easter is not until the first weekend of April, perhaps this ‘extra’ time will allow us all enough time to complete our projects in time to enjoy them this year.

To download the PDF file which includes the line drawing and some general instructions only, please click HERE. Remember to click on the blue download button, follow the simple instructions and to wait the suggested times before proceeding to the next step.

I can’t promise you anything for next month but if another design emerges, you know that you’ll be able to find it here.

In closing, please understand that my computer time is very limited and that as much as I would like to visit and leave a comment on all of your blogs and to reply as I usually do to your individual comments, it is just too physically demanding for me to do so at this time. What I will tell you is that I miss you all more than you’ll ever know and the strength that I take from your words is immeasurable.

The 11th hour…

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has arrived.

Tomorrow, Mr. Painted Quilt will drop me off in Halifax where I will be spending the next six weeks from Monday to Friday undergoing both chemo and radiation treatments. I get to come home on weekends which will be something to look forward to during the long five days in a strange city and unfamiliar lodgings.

While waiting for January 23rd to arrive, I’ve been busy working on some small projects to take with me to wile away the hours between treatments.

This block from The Civil War Bride Quilt was prepped ages ago but I never got around to stitching the wool pieces onto the cotton background. Frankie is making sure that I have all the threads necessary to complete the stitching and he tells me that everything looks good to go.

My Pink Lemonade flimsy from Lori’s quilt-along is sandwiched and ready for hand quilting…

as is the Temecula Quilt Company’s 12 Days of Christmas.

Yesterday I went to our local library and borrowed a not-too-heavy, easy reading ‘chick’ book, just in case I become bored with stitching.

Although the last week has been a difficult one for various reasons, I still remain positive and consider myself fortunate to have been given the opportunity to fight this dreaded disease, unlike my Mom who passed away six short months after being diagnosed with cancer.

Because everyone reacts differently to these treatments, I don’t know how much time I’ll be able to spend on the computer. Having said that, I’m going to bid you all a fond adieu for the next six weeks while I take a bloggie break in order to be able to focus on confronting the cancer monsters head on.

March 2nd, the projected last day of my treatments, cannot come quickly enough. I’ll miss you all.

With much affection,

You know what they say about Nova Scotia…

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“If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes!”

And how true that is!

On Thursday evening we had a n’or easter come through that started as a blizzard with blowing snow and high winds. By Friday morning, there was a 20° temperature swing and it was a balmy 40°. The winds died down, the snow had turned to rain and by mid afternoon, all the snow had disappeared…again!

Well, it’s a bit longer than five minutes but it’s cold again and guess what? It’s snowing! But wait…it’s supposed to warm up again tomorrow!

So what does one do when it’s yukky outside?

We could curl up in our favorite chair by the fire like Frankie…

or on the sofa like Mac.

Or we could spend time in our sewing studios and play! And that’s just what I did!

I have never made a log cabin block before and when Taryn from Repro Quilt Lover posted a short tutorial on how to make a mini Court House Steps quilt, I decided that there’s no better time than the present to give it a try. After making a few changes, here’s what I came up with, in my favorite colors of red, tans and blues.

It measures 22” × 22” and I haven’t decided if it needs another small border or to leave it as is. What do you think?

A few days ago, Lori from Humble Quilts posted the second step in her Pink Lemonade quilt-along.

I’m all caught up and am anxiously awaiting step number three!

Lori just finished her Dear Jane quilt and if you’d like your heart to beat just a little bit faster, click HERE and you’ll see why.

Isn’t it gorgeous? Congratulations, Lori!

I’m sure you’re aware of the buzz all over blogland about Jeanneke’s ‘building houses from scraps’ challenge. I have always wanted to make a house-themed quilt and when I saw this, I leaped before I thought and agreed to take part in the challenge.

When I found out that the blocks finished at 3 1/2”, I almost choked!

Some of the pieces would be so tiny that they’d get lost between my fingers! I was shattered and resigned myself to the fact that it just wasn’t meant to be.

Then I began to read that some of you were paper piecing your blocks. I had heard of the term paper piecing but hadn’t the foggiest idea of how to go about it.

So what did I do?

I googled ‘You Tube’ tutorials and I watched several until it finally began to sink in.

A secret that I’ll let you in on is that I’m VERY directionally challenged…just ask Mr. Painted Quilt. Many times has he told me that I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag and you know what? He’s right!

Well it comes to pass that everything to do with paper piecing is all “bass ackwards”! *wink* Oh, woe is me!

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I knew if I ~~begged~~ asked that some kind blogger would come to my rescue and I was not disappointed! Merilyn from Quiltminstrel, and all the way from Australia, came to my rescue!

Not only did she send me the greatest hand written tutorial with charts and templates but she also included a completed sample block and a little template ruler to use when folding the paper back to trim the seam allowance.

It’s taken me a few days to muster the courage to attempt one, but this morning I decided to bite the bullet and give-it-a-go!

I’m not going to say that it was easy and I did have to rip out some seams (because of the directional thing) but I now know that I can do it and I’m pumped to make a whole lot more…definitely not 365 of them…but mini quilt size for sure!

Thank you so much, Merilyn for taking the fear out of paper piecing. Not only did you take the time to explain how, but the fact that you included a pieced sample spoke a million words to me.

Blogging friends are definitely the best!

Still having fun!

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Big hugs to all of you who took the time to say thanks for my latest First Friday Freebie! I really appreciate it!

What a strange winter it has been so far. If you recall, this was the view across the street just this past Thursday afternoon…

and here is the same view this morning.

It almost looks like spring, doesn’t it? Wishful thinking!

And here is what’s left of the snow!

In the meantime, I’ve been spending some quality time in my studio. I managed to finish my wonky pinwheels mini made from Kathie’s tutorial which you can read about here.

And here’s the back. I just love this reproduction fabric with the bees and have used it several times to back other quilts as well.

I didn’t forget to add my new label either!

This is my first finish that will go into a special bin that will house all my hand made finishes to be given as Christmas gifts this year.

Darlene of Quilting Daze is taking over the hosting of the Christmas Through The Year challenge and I decided to join in as an incentive to try to make at least one project each month that will be used for a Christmas gift. Click on the button below and you can read all about it.

Lori is hosting a quilt-along on her blog called Humble Quilts. She has reproduced an antique quilt and is providing us with the instructions so that we can make one of our own. The pace is very leisurely and if you’d like to join in, you may read about it here.

You had me at the churn dash…or shoofly blocks, Lori!!

The first step is done!

And now to tell you about my trials and tribulations with the 12 Days of Christmas mystery quilt that you see all over blogland.

I thoroughly enjoyed making the 12 little 3 1/2” blocks that make up this charming sampler. Every one went together quickly and easily and finished at a perfect 3 1/2”.

Yesterday I decided be a good girl and to follow the instructions that were provided to finish piecing the top.

I cut the sashing and border strips precisely. However, when I assembled the top, a few of the vertical 3 1/2” sashing strips did not line up with the ones below and this was the first of several incidents that started to make me crazy. I should have stopped there and regrouped but I didn’t.

You’d think by now that I would have learned to trust my inner instincts.

*sigh*

Then, to make matters worse, when I added the borders, I really had to ease them in to make them fit. Just look at how wavy they turned out! I know I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to perfection but this was just NOT ACCEPTABLE!

So I walked away from it and made lunch for Mr. Painted Quilt and myself.

I was hoping that the quilting faeries would do their thing while I was in the kitchen, away from the studio….but…

I think they must have misplaced my address because nothing had changed when I returned. Drat!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Solution? I unpicked the entire thing and redid it…with a few changes.

Using the fabric that I had cut for the borders above, I not only applied a sashing between the blocks but under them and down the entire length of the sides as well and connected them with cornerstones. This allowed each piece to nest perfectly, without any easing at all. I also increased the width of the sashing to 1 1/2” and decreased the size of the outer border to 2 1/2”.

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Now I’m a happy ~~camper~~ quilter and will finish it rather than throw it in the trash like I was going to do. I’m even going to make a second one to add to my ‘Christmas Through The Year’ container.

This Friday I go to Halifax for the final consultation with the radiation oncologist before my treatments begin on the 23rd. It’s going to be a long six weeks of treatments but I’m in it for the duration and continue to remain very positive.

Please continue to keep in in your thoughts and prayers. I gather strength from you all.

First Friday Freebie #24

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After typing the title to this post, it just dawned on me that this will be my 24th First Friday Freebie…two year’s worth! Who woulda thought?

“Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

In the lane, snow is glistening.

A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight…

Walking in a Winter Wonderland”.

Fittingly, this month’s FFF is entitled Winter Wonderland.

The photo above was taken from the deck at the front of our house at around 4:00 p.m. yesterday looking in a westerly direction across the road.

You can’t see it in this photo because the snow was falling quite heavily at the time but the ocean is just beyond.

“In the meadow we can build a snowman…

And pretend that he is Parson Brown”…

Worked in the traditional redwork style and hand quilted, this month’s FFF features a little girl building a snowman and is accompanied by her cat. What do you think, is the cat is there to keep her company or does he have something else on his mind…like dinner? *wink*

Here’s a closer look…

And the back…

And it’s Frankie approved! Remember the sneak peek of this when I showed you my new labels?

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This original, one-of-a-kind mini quilt is now available to purchase in my Etsy shop. For more information, just click HERE.

But if you’d like to make one of your own rather than buy mine ~ *wink* ~ you may download the PDF file including the photo, line drawings and instructions, by clicking HERE. Remember to click on the blue download button, follow the instructions and to wait the suggested time.

Enjoy!

Keeping Busy!

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Never a dull moment around here…well maybe in the afternoon for an hour or so when I catch a few zzzzz’s in order recharge my batteries! *wink*

I don’t know about your house but things sure seem empty around here after we packed all the Christmas stuff away.

I had moved a few things around to accommodate some of the Christmas things…

but everything is now back in place…

and Frankie’s happy again!

I love my wool cushion and even though it has an autumn theme, it stays out all year.

This is the third year that I participated in Chookyblue’s Secret Santa Christmas Swap. My partner was Sandy and these are the gifts I sent to her.

Jo was my secret Santa and here are the lovely gifts that she sent to me…

along with these two Australian quilting magazines.

I have Jo’s ornies and Christmas tree wall hanging in my studio where they’ll remain throughout the year. Thanks again, Jo…and Chooky too for hosting the swap!

With everything that’s going on in my life at the moment, I’m having a great time making mini quilts. Kathie from Inspired by Antique Quilts had a little tute on her blog the other day on how to make a ‘wonky’ pinwheel block. I decided to make this scrappy version out of some of my Civil War scraps and will start the hand quilting later today.

We’re up to day 9 on the Temecula Quilt Co. 12 Days of Christmas mystery quilt. Only two more blocks to go after today for the mystery to be revealed!

I’m making mine in pinks and chocolates from my CW stash.

And remember that this Friday is the First Friday of the month when I’ll be releasing another FFF design for you to make and enjoy.

See you then!

Label Info…etc.

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Happy New Year everyone! May all your seams be straight and a perfect 1/4”.

At the outset, please allow me to thank you all for your encouragement as well as your thoughts and prayers with respect to my health issues. I am overwhelmed by your support and can’t begin to express how much your words and comments mean to me. Each and every one of you play a huge part in keeping my spirits high.

You already know it but let me remind you one more time…you all rock!!!

Last evening, Mac and Frankie curled up in front of the fire in the kitchen as Mr. Painted Quilt and I watched the Canadians take on the Americans in the World Junior hockey tournament.

Having lived in both countries for half my life, it’s difficult for me to declare a favorite but if the truth be known, I guess the scales are tipped a little to the side of the red and white. It was a close game and the final score was Canada 3, USA 2.

There has been a lot of buzz around blogland in the last few days about the free mystery quilt called the 12 Days of Christmas offered by the Temecula Quilt Co. It started on Christmas Day and a new block is presented on each of the 12 days of Christmas.

I hemmed and hawed but yesterday I joined in and caught up by making the first seven blocks. Each one finishes at 3 1/2” and works up very quickly. It only took about an hour to cut out and piece the seven blocks. I was looking for something small and uncomplicated to sew during the holidays and this has turned out to be the perfect project.

It’s not too late to join in. Check it out by clicking on the link above and it’ll take you to the Temecula Quilt Co. blog. The eighth block will be released later today.

On my last post, I wrote about the personalized cotton twill labels that I recently purchased. Many of you asked if I would share the source.

Of course I will!

Just click HERE and you will be magically transported to MommieMadeIt’s Etsy shop. I am really pleased with the quality, service and price and they sure beat having to make my own labels!

I gave Lisa the head’s up that some of you might be stopping by and she’s ready for you. *wink*

Looking Ahead

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Christmas has come and gone for another year, much to Frankie’s chagrin. No sooner had he gotten used to all the ‘new’ Christmas-y things that invaded ‘his’ space when it was time to pack them away. *wink*

Although it wasn’t in the forecast, we had a beautiful white Christmas. It snowed almost all day on Friday, the 23rd and the entire day on Christmas Eve. Here is what it looked like out our back door just after daybreak on Christmas morning.

How many times have you said to yourself that you wish it would snow on Christmas Eve and be gone a few days later? I guess we have to be careful what we wish for, huh?

And here is the same view this morning…only five days later… at around the same time of day.

We’ve had amazingly mild temperatures for the past three or four days with lots of rain and high winds and in the blink of an eye, the snow vanished.

The grass has remained green because we haven’t had many nights to speak of where the temperature has dipped to below freezing.

Even Mac prefers the outdoors without snow because there are more places for him to sniff and explore.

This morning while Mr. Painted Quilt was at the gym, I decided to put Christmas to bed for 2011.

The antique poinsettia quilt on our bed has been replaced with this Lemoyne Star , pieced by me and quilted by my friend Nancy who is in China for the next two years because of her husband’s job. Miss you, Nancy!

Nancy did all the free motion quilting in my favorite motif…feathers! The photos really do not do justice to the quilting.

And it’s ‘Frankie-approved!”

In our other house, I always referred to our guest bedroom as ‘Emily’s room”.

Do we have a daughter named Emily?

No.

Then why Emily?

It’s a name that I’ve always loved and over the years, it just kind of evolved into a girl-child’s room. After a few changes and additions, our Nova Scotia home is also ready for Emily…or anyone else for that matter…to pay us a visit.

When I unpacked more boxes a few weeks ago, familiar treasures from Emily’s room in Ontario began to reappear.

With a few nails here and a little folding there, the transformation started to take place.

Of course I had to put my Raggedy & Friends quilt on the bed, along with Miss Ann herself.

And here she is just settling down in her new digs to read a few chapters of her favorite book…

while surrounded by familiar things that were packed away for what seemed like a lifetime.

Home at last!

For those of you who might be new to my blog or are visiting for the first time, the Raggedy & Friends quilt was a free BOM that I designed and released about a year and a half ago. The PDF files are still available to download on the right sidebar of my blog just by clicking on the individual links.

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And I really have to show you these neat labels that I ordered and received only a few days ago. They are made from 100% natural cotton twill and the quality is wonderful.

They come in a roll as shown below and are very reasonably priced.

I started to compose this post around 10 a.m. and am just finishing it now.

In the interim, our mail was delivered to our roadside box and I decided to run out to check if any of my orders had arrived. No orders but a card was left indicating that there was a parcel waiting for me to be picked up at the post office.

I ~~whined~~ asked Mr. PQ if he would drive me to the post office in town and I was thrilled to bits when I found out that the parcel was the one that Mary had posted on December 7th that we both thought had been lost in the mail. The timing couldn’t have been better.

I am writing these next words with tears rolling down my cheeks…not because of what I am about to say…but because the wording on the plaque that Mary sent says it all.

The source to my cancer has been determined and treatments will commence on the 23 of this month.

Happy Holidays!

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May the joy and spirit of Christmas last throughout the year.

From our house to yours, we wish you all…

Christmas Giveaway Winner!

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Thanks to everyone who entered my Christmas giveaway. I wish that you all could have won a copy of Joanna’s book because it is definitely one worth adding to your collection.

Mr. Random Number Generator spun the wheel just a few minutes ago…

and selected #156 who happens to be Lesley Carruthers.

Congratulations Lesley! I’ll be emailing you for your snail mail address as soon as I finish up here.

And here’s what you’ve won…

a copy ofJoanna’s “fresh vintage sewing” book, five luscious fall-themed fat quarters and maybe a surprise or two…after all, it is Christmas! *wink*

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your thoughts and prayers with respect to my health issues. The good news is that the latest PET scan has shown that the cancer has not spread but that there is some “increased uptake” in the original area. After our consultation, they immediately made an appointment for me to return to Halifax on Friday of this week to meet with an oncologist who specializes in this type of cancer in order to determine the next step.

May this Christmas be your best one ever!

Christmas Giveaway!

2011-12-18T11:40:00.001-04:00

It’s been a while since my last giveaway so in the spirit of the season, I decided that there’s no better time than now!

Earlier this week I received my latest quilting book order from Martingale Publishing and thought that it would be a good time to take inventory and make a list of all my books. If the truth be known, I couldn’t remember what I had or didn’t have and in so doing, guess what I found? A duplicate…and as ~~smarty pants~~…I mean Mr. Painted Quilt said, “Only one?” (I’ve been known to do this before with novels). I guess I really liked the book, huh?

So if you’d like to add this brand new, never-been-used copy of Joanna Figueroa’s book called, “fresh vintage sewing” to your collection, then just leave me a comment telling me so. It’s full of different projects…like pincushions…which is probably why I bought two of them…as well as quilts and other sew-y things.

Frankie thinks it’s a swell book. He just wishes that I’d stop interrupting his naps while I go around the house snapping pictures. *wink*

Oh…and to sweeten the pot, I’m going to include a bunch of fat quarters as well…and I’ll ship internationally!

You all know the drill. If you have yourself set as “do not show email address” in your blogger profile, then I won’t be able to contact you. No email address means no chance of winning. Just include your email address with your comment if you’d rather not change your settings.

My friend Mr. Randon Number Generator will spin the wheel sometime on Wednesday morning, the 21st, after which time I’ll announce the winner.

Having said that…

I took the above photo of our house last night around 8 p.m.

Your thoughts and prayers would be appreciated as we travel to Halifax tomorrow for the PET scan results.

Note: My Christmas giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered.

Stuff…

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Martingale Publishing had the most wonderful Black Friday sale where every book on their website was on sale for 50% off. Guess what I picked up at the post office today?

At least once a month they offer 40% or more off selected publications. If you’d like to receive their newsletter, you can find the link to their website HERE. I’ve made several great buys, many of which included free shipping.

Just recently I signed up for Jeanneke’s challenge called, “Building houses from scraps”. Well, I love scrappy and I also love house blocks so this to me sounded like a marriage made in heaven.

The challenge includes making one 3” finished house block a day…or any sized block for that matter…starting on the 1st of January 2012. The goal is to have enough blocks made by the end of the year for a quilt. If you’d like to read more about it or to be able to print off the free PDF pattern, please go HERE.

It was suggested that the easiest way to make the blocks was to paper piece them…something I’ve never done before. So last night I watched a couple of You Tube tutorials featuring paper piecing and a few of them suggested using the “Add-A-Quarter” ruler.

Today I purchased mine. It looks easy enough but I’ll know exactly how easy after attempting my first one.

A year ago this month we arrived in Nova Scotia. This past year presented us with many challenges but we both agree that the move was a positive one.

Can you believe that there are a few boxes that still need to be unpacked? This past week, I managed to unpack 4 more boxes with Frankie’s assistance.

Look closely at the photo below and you’ll see a pair of blue eyes peering back at you. That box still continues to provide entertainment for both Frankie and us too just watching his antics.

If you dislike brussel sprouts, then you’re probably in the majority…until now. My friend Ter’e (no blog) sent me another winning recipe which I’d like toshare with you. Done this way, you’ll be converted…really!

I purchased 2 pints (those little square boxes) of fresh brussel sprouts at the farmer’s market last Saturday.

To prepare them for this recipe, cut off the end and slice them in half lengthwise. The yukky outer leaves will fall off by themselves.

Peel about four cloves of garlic…

and slice very thinly.

Place the prepared brussel sprouts into a baking dish that is large enough to allow them to be in a single layer.

Spread the sliced garlic over the brussel sprouts…

and add freshly grated parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Of course freshly ground pepper and sea salt are better. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the top and bake in a 375F oven for about 20 minutes, stirring once, until golden-y.

When done, add more parmesan cheese and olive oil. Toss to coat and serve.

This is without a doubt the most yummy tasting brussel sprouts dish you’ll ever experience. The taste of the roasted garlic is heavenly and I think that you just might change your mind about those little cabbages forever. *wink*

On Monday of this week, I had my second PET scan. It was a very long and exhausting day and it’s taken until today to start to feel a little more like myself again. Next Monday, I meet with the chief oncologist in Halifax to discuss the results.

More Christmas Decorating

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As each day passes, I’m gaining a bit more confidence when it comes to our Christmas decorating. I found that if I introduce ‘new’ things a little at a time, then Frankie seems to accept them more readily…says I holding my breath. Here’s what little I’ve ~~gotten away with~~ accomplished over the last few days.

I added a few things to the fireplace mantel and the shelves behind it.

There was an awesome craft show this past Saturday in Annapolis Royal with some very talented artists and crafters participating. I need absolutely nothing but when I saw this doll, I just knew she had to come home with me.

I very rarely played with dolls when I was a child, preferring my box of crayons or paints but I think I’m making up for it as an adult. Her face is sculpted and the gal who painted her facial features did an incredible job.

She seems very content to watch me as I create in my studio. I think I’ll name her ‘Patience’.

When we lived in Florida, I purchased these hand carved spool Santas.

Can you spot them on the shelves of this little collectibles cupboard? I leave them out year round in my studio because after all, they are made from vintage wooden spools that once held thread. *wink*

Here’s another photo to give you some perspective as to where they reside in my studio.

Below is my Coke bottle Santa collection. Several have been gifted to special friends and family over the years and these are the ones that remain.

I designed, sculpted and painted these little guys about six or seven years ago and they are made from authentic vintage glass Coke bottles. Each one has a different theme and they are Mr. Painted Quilt’s favorite of all our Christmas decorations.

Frankie helped us make the decision to forego our big tree this year. We decided to ‘try’ just the feather tree and see what happens.

The mini poinsettias have been moved to the sideboard…

and this little seasonal vignette sits atop the pine dough box in the kitchen.

I’m hoping that there will be more to come.

First Friday Freebie #23

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Yesterday we flipped the calendar over to December and today is the First Friday of the month…already! If this is your first visit here, welcome! You’ve picked the right day to stop by because on the First Friday of every month, I release a new Freebie design for you to make and enjoy.

So in keeping with the season, allow me to present to you my Woodland Santa. This month, I decided to make a pillow out of mine.

The front…

The back…

I used a strip of seasonal cotton ribbon to add some interest…

And in keeping with the woodland theme, included some plaid wool for the borders.

To download the PDF file which includes the photo, line drawing and instructions, please click HERE. Remember to click on the blue download button, follow the prompts and wait the allotted time.

Doesn’t it look grand on the bed in our guest bedroom? Frankie approves!

And just in case you’d like to have a look, my Etsy shop is now up and running. I have some of my original FFF samples for sale and I’m hoping to list more items in the next little while. If you’d like to have a look, there’s a button on the top right sidebar which will take you directly to my shop but to make it easy, just click here or on the button below.

I hope you enjoy making this month’s FFF. It works up quickly and there’s probably enough time to make a few as gifts!

Trying to “Deck the Halls”

2011-11-27T16:55:00.001-04:00

The weekend has been a quiet one spent at home sewing, knitting, rearranging a few things and T-R-Y-I-N-G to decorate for Christmas. Read on and you’ll understand why…and it isn’t Mr. Painted Quilt’s fault either.

My vintage poinsettia quilt is now in it’s proper place…on our bed.

If you don’t recall the story behind this quilt, you can read about it here.

Just scroll down through all the blather towards the latter part of the post to find out how it wound up in our home.

The hand quilting is impeccable and the appliqué work is absolutely stunning.

As of this morning, it will remain on our bed until the holidays are over, after which time it will be stored away in my quilt cupboard until this time next year.

I am so happy that this quilt ‘found’ me!

While I was changing the bedding and quilts this morning, we decided to add a little sitting area to our bedroom as well. All we need to add is a little side table and light.

Yesterday, I gathered some fresh pine and fir boughs from the woods at the back of our property and made this little arrangement.

It was intended to be the centerpiece for our dining room table but ~~Frankenstein~~ Frankie just couldn’t get used to it there. Every time we introduce something new into our home, he becomes obsessively neurotic about it and meows incessantly.

Talk about a creature of habit!

So I decided to place the trencher that usually sits on top of the mantel on the dining room table instead and although this upset him, I think he’s finally accepted it. He’s never been on the mantel and I’m hoping that it stays that way.

I was a little concerned about the miniature live poinsettia plants but after a few loud “NO’s” he finally got the message.

It looks like I’m going to have to cut down on my decorating for this year…after all, he’s only eight months old and is still a kitten. Hopefully by next year he’ll have outgrown his neuroses.

We’re not snowbound any longer!

Here’s a picture of Mr. PQ shovelling the driveway after the storm on Thursday morning while talking to one of our neighbors.

By Saturday afternoon the temperature had risen to 60F…

and it’s almost all gone today.

The weather forecast is for mild weather over the next five days with some rain as well so I think that nary a trace of the white stuff will be with us by week’s end.

I’m making some progress on Mr. PQ’s socks…

but found that I was more interested in sewing some Christmas gifts on my Featherweight, which meant that I had to do a little reorganizing in my studio.

So I shuffled some things around…

and guess who was right there supervising and moaning the entire time?

Is there such a thing as a cat psychiatrist? I think Frankie needs some help and no, it’s not just the curiosity thing. But ya gotta love him.

So, as far as ‘decking the halls’ goes…let’s just say that things are on hold for now.

Snowbound!

2011-11-23T16:15:00.001-04:00

Guess what it’s been doing all day?

The photo above is a view out our back door to the barn in the distance and the next one is to the outbuilding where the Christmas decorations still remain.

Now wouldn’t it have been easier to bring them in when when I suggested instead of waiting until there was 6” of snow on the ground with more to come? Men!

I wasn’t brave enough to venture outside so the above photo was taken from inside our summer kitchen looking out the window in a north-easterly direction towards the other two barns. Looks like Mr. PQ will be doing some shovelling tonight.

So rather than go out to dinner as we had planned…because today is my birthday…we hunkered down indoors close to the fire…

and I baked a cake!

My friend Ter’e who lives in Florida (no blog) sent me the recipe which I’ve been dying to make.

What a mistake!

This is the most decadent pound cake that you’ll ever taste and if I’m going to put on five pounds eating it, then you all are too because here’s the recipe. I dare you to try it! *wink*

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

1-1/2 C butter, softened at room temperature

1-8oz package cream cheese, softened at room temperature

3 C sugar

6 large eggs

3 C all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp vanilla

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Do not overbeat.

Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition.

Add eggs one at a time, beating until combined.

Add vanilla.

Sift 3 C flour and salt together. Gradually add to the butter mixture, beating at a low speed just until blended after each addition.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 10” bundt pan and smooth the top of the batter to even it out.

Bake at 300F for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Simply divine…especially with a hot cup of tea.

December’s First Friday Freebie is done and I dropped off my postage stamp quilt at Donna’s yesterday to be machine quilted so here’s what I’ll be starting tonight after dinner…

A pair of heavy socks to keep Mr. PQ’s feet warm while he tramps through the snow to fetch the Christmas decorations! Hee!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.

A little of this and that…

2011-11-21T15:47:00.001-04:00

I’ve always been curious about wool felting and when one of the gals from my hooking group offered to teach me how, I jumped at the chance. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it is…and here’s my first attempt.

An old world style St. Nick holding a miniature bottle brush Christmas tree. He stands about 6” high and is currently taking up residence in a bowl of blueberries on one of the shelves in my studio. Thanks, Betty!

In my last blog entry, I posted the recipe for my Harvest Veggie Casserole and received several emails asking about rutabagas. To those ‘no-reply’ bloggers, a rutabaga is a north American-ism for the common turnip.

Mystery solved!

The order that I placed for the 2-ply, 12 wt Aurifil thread arrived on Friday so you know what I was doing all weekend…

Designing and working on next month’s First Friday Freebie! December 2nd will be here before we know it!

I can’t tell you how much I ♥ this thread!

I am also in the throes of setting up an Etsy shop. Everything is good to go, save the fact that I’m not happy with the quality of the photos I’ve taken of the items that will be for sale, some of which will be my original First Friday Freebie samples. As soon as I have some decent images to upload, I’ll announce the Grand Opening!

Just this morning, I put to bed all of my fall decorating items until next year.

How bare everything looks!

I asked Mr. Painted Quilt if he could bring in the plastic bins labeled “Christmas” from our outbuilding and all I got was the “you’ve got to be kidding” look.

I know he’ll do it…but in his own time.

And lastly, this is in response to all of you wonderful people who have made inquiries about my health.

My main focus at this time is to keep both my hands and mind occupied and to stay positive. I still tire very easily, otherwise, I feel no differently than I did a couple of months ago. My next PET scan is scheduled for the 12th of December, followed by a meeting on the 19th with the head oncologist to discuss the results.

Here’s hoping…

It’s a wrap!

2011-11-17T14:15:00.001-04:00

As of about three hours ago, the postage stamp WIP is now a flimsy! Woo hoo!

I’m absolutely thrilled with the way it turned out. Man oh man, I thought the piecing would never end but it was worth every hour spent on it. It’s what I call my six bobbin quilt because that’s how many bobbins it took to complete the top.

Next step? Call Donna to ask when I can drop it off so that she can work her longarm magic on it.

The quilt top measures 60” x 80”, a perfect size for the layered look which I just love as you can see here in the guest bedroom.

Recognize the quilt?

It’s one of the two cuddle quilts from Allie and her world-wide posse which you can read about here, just in case you missed it.

As soon as I finished piecing the quilt, the clean up of my studio began. It went from this…

to this…

in about an hour.

And while I was tidying up, I hung a few more mini quilts on the walls.

Whew! Everything is clean, neat and tidy once again…until I start on my next project which I’m hoping will be very soon.

I had some veggies left over from our shopping expedition to the Wolfville farmer’s market last Saturday and decided to use them up for dinner tonight.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

A favorite of ours is my ‘Harvest Veggie Casserole’ and this is what it looks like before adding…

the bread crumb topping.

Here it is 40 minutes later, piping hot right out of the oven.

Mr. Painted Quilt has an early meeting tonight so we’ll be eating soon.

Here’s the recipe, just in case you ♥ your veggies as much as we do.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Harvest Veggie Casserole

3-4 C diced rutabaga (fancy name for turnip)

2 C diced carrots

3-4 C diced potatoes

2-3 C squash (I used butternut)

1 large onion, chopped

5 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 C milk

1 C grated cheddar cheese

1 C bread crumbs

Butter a 3 quart casserole or baking dish.

Place the diced rutabaga, carrots and squash in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add diced potatoes and onion to the veggies, adding more water if needed to cover. Simmer covered for 15-20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Drain and allow veggies to cool slightly.

In a saucepan and over medium heat, melt 4 tbsp butter. Add the flour and stir until well blended. Stir in salt and pepper then gradually stir in the milk. Cook stirring constantly until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Combine sauce with the veggies and stir gently. Turn into the prepared baking dish.

Melt 1 tbsp butter and toss with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the veggies. Bake uncovered at 350 F for about 35-40 minutes until brown and bubbly.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

We’re having ours with fresh pork sausage links. Yummo!

Saturday Market Day

2011-11-12T15:31:00.001-04:00

Bright and early this morning, Mr. Painted Quilt, Mac and I headed sixty miles up the valley to to the Wolfville farmer’s market. Sounds like a fair distance to drive to go shopping, huh? Well let me tell you, it was well worth the trip.

Does it get any better than this?

All the veggies are locally grown in the Annapolis Valley and are certified organic. Fresh red potatoes, tomatoes, butternut squash, rutabaga, red onions, mini bella mushrooms, sweet potato and brussel sprouts…yummo!

And what about the French olive baguette? I can’t wait until dinner to dig into all this goodness. We also picked up a jar of ‘Pepper Garlic Jelly’ from the Tangled Garden booth. We were given some to sample on a cracker and it was to die for. Our mouths were still tingling fifteen minutes later!

My postage stamp quilt is progressing. Eighteen blocks are made…

with thirty more to go. I’m really liking how it is coming together, especially the ‘scrappiness’.

I also have some news to share with you regarding the 2-strand Aurifil thread that I spoke to you about in my last post.

Laura, the Etsy shop owner, emailed me to say that since my post, she has run out of the red colored thread. With any luck, she is hoping to receive more sometime next week. The thread is called 12 wt Bright Redwork #2260.

Unfortunately Etsy does not allow the product to be shown on the site unless it is in stock so you cannot see the actual red thread but you can see the other colors that are available in the line by clicking HERE.

Here’s a close up of the thread in orange. If you click on the photo you can clearly see the physical make up of the thread.

Laura told me that because of the inconvenience, she is going to offer a 10% discount to those who read this and order the redwork thread once it is back in stock. To qualify for the discount, you must enter the following code when checking out…codered10.

Good deal, huh?

Staying Busy

2011-11-10T07:04:00.001-04:00

While trying to keep my hands and mind busy between doctor appointments, I did manage some progress on my postage stamp quilt.

I completed the sub-cutting of the strips on Tuesday evening. Whew! My rotary cutter was smokin’.

Then yesterday morning I pieced together six of the forty-eight blocks that will make up this quilt.

I just love the colors in both these lines of fabric and am hoping to make a dent in the mountain of remaining strips today. It is turning out to be not so daunting a task as I initially thought it was going to be. Actually, I love piecing squares together, especially where precision is involved.

When making a cup of tea last evening, it occurred to me that I never shared with you these lovely gifts that were sent to me by Elzaan, all the way from Mauritius. Both Mr. Painted Quilt and I like our tea so the two varieties of tea and mug rug were very much appreciated. The sheep softie fit in quite nicely with the rest of my flock.

Thanks again, Elzaan and please forgive my oversight. The tea was delicious!

Candace and I have enjoyed an on line friendship almost since I first started blogging close to three years ago. Just recently she shared with us her finished Winter Wonderland quilt which you can see and drool over here.

I love all of Crabapple Hill’s designs but this one really caught my eye when I first saw it a couple of years ago. Redwork and pieced blocks…does it get any better than that?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Well look what showed up in my mail box just the other day! Not only did Candace send me the pattern but she also included some red and white fabric to get me started and the remnants of the two-strand Aurifil thread that she used for the stitching part of her quilt.

I was fascinated by the thread so I had to try it out straight away. Two strands of thread come off the spool together which eliminates the step of having to divide strands. The weight and performance of the Aurifil is divine and...

It was L-O-V-E at first stitch!

I immediately sent an email off to Candace to ask her about on line sources which she gladly shared with me.

Laura at LC’s Cottage was a pleasure to deal with and my order should be winging it’s way to me as I write this. Not only did I place an order for 2 spools of the redwork thread but I also purchased an additional two spools of the black…just in case there’s a blackwork design in the offing. *wink*

Thanks again, my friend!

Treat yourself to an early Christmas present. You won’t be disappointed!

P.S. Is anyone else having a problem getting used to the changeover to Daylight Saving Time? I am wide awake at 4 a.m. Perhaps we should have a virtual stitching party? *yawn*

Monday Musings

2011-11-07T15:04:00.001-04:00

I know I said that I would focus on smaller or mini quilts for the next little while but yesterday, these two jelly rolls finally got the better of me. I gave into temptation and started a full-sized postage stamp quilt.

Way back in March, I saw this post on Carol’s blog and ever since then, the quilting gremlins have been gnawing at my inner conscience, insisting that I make one too.

I couldn’t hold off any longer and yesterday, I pieced together sixteen strip sets, using every strip in both jelly rolls. The two I used were “Summer’s End” by Kansas Troubles and “Primitive Muslin” by Primitive Gatherings. Both compliment each other really well.

Tonight I’ll begin the sub-cutting which will probably take me forever…never mind the piecing!

To digress a little, not too long after I graduated from university, I took my first of many trips to Britain. That was back in the Dark Ages when you could do Europe and the British Isles on $5 a day. Remember that book? It was my travel bible.

Having just graduated and not having too much money, I stayed at B & B’s and ate lunch in the local pubs. It was then that I had my first taste of Cornish pasties and I can assure you, it was not my last. I can taste the pub pasties now, washed down with a half lager. Mmmmmmm.

The photo below shows how individual pasties are usually served. I took the liberty of ‘borrowing’ this photo from the internet.

I used to make individual pasties but they took forever. All the rolling and cutting of the pastry made it an all day affair. One day I got the idea to make an entire pie rather than individual ones.

I haven’t made pastie pie in a long time and when Mr. Painted Quilt asked me to make one for dinner tonight, I thought I’d share the recipe with you. It is ever so easy to make and I promise you that once you give it a taste, it’ll become a favorite in your household too.

First, I gathered all the ingredients.

While the ground beef was browning…

I chopped the onions,

potatoes

and carrots.

The ground beef was then drained.

Next, the carrots, onions and potatoes were sautéed in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil…just until the onions became translucent.

I then placed everything…including the remaining ingredients…into a large bowl…

and stirred until combined.

I then spooned the filling into two uncooked pie shells…

and covered each with the top crust.

I made two pies and froze one before cooking. These are great to have on hand just in case friends drop over unexpectedly and you need something quick and easy for lunch or dinner.

An hour later and it was done! Tonight’s dinner will be Cornish pastie pie with a side salad. Mmmmm, mmmmm good!

Here’s the recipe. Easy-peasy and oh so yummy!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Cornish Pastie Pie (makes one pie)

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tin cream of mushroom soup

1 tsp ground sage

salt and pepper to taste

2 unbaked pie crusts

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ * ~

Brown the ground beef in a skillet. While the beef is cooking, prepare the carrots, onions and potatoes. When cooked, drain the ground beef.

Sauté the vegetables in the olive oil for about five minutes or until the onions become translucent.

Transfer everything including all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.

Spoon the mixture into an unbaked pie crust then top with the second pie crust. Prick some holes into the top crust with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Bake at 350 F for one hour or until the pie crust is a golden brown.

Note: If you’d like to make two pies at the same time as I did, just double the ingredients. Also, if you’d like to add more veggies, go right ahead. I usually add more carrots and potatoes just because we both like them. Some pasties that I’ve tasted had peas in them as well but I find that they tend to get a little mushy and prefer not to add them.

I’m off to make the salad now and dinner will be good to go. Then it’s back to the studio to begin the sub-cutting of all the strips.

I’m tired just thinking of it!

First Friday Freebie #22

2011-11-04T06:05:00.001-03:00

Can you believe it’s November already? Where does the time go?

I finished this month’s First Friday Freebie this past Sunday, a couple of minutes before the lights went out. We were hit with a wicked nor’easter, the same storm that brought 12” and more of snow to the New England states. Thank goodness the moisture that we experienced was in the form of large amounts of driving rain and 65+ mph winds rather than snow. We lost power for 20 hours and that amount of time without heat or lights seemed like an eternity.

With the Holiday season just around the corner, I decided upon a seasonal design for this month’s FFF which I called Homespun Holidays.

The table topper, mini quilt or wall hanging finishes at approximately 22” square. It is stitched in the traditional redwork style and is hand quilted. It worked up relatively quickly and I think that it would make a great gift for a special friend or relative.

Here’s a closer look at the main design which features a festively adorned Canada goose perched on a quilt on top of a mantel, surrounded by a wreath of holly and berries.

I had forgotten about this Victorian toile fabric that I purchased a couple of years ago until I looked in my bin marked “Christmas fabric” and found it neatly folded with the rest of my seasonal fabrics . Doesn’t it make a perfect backing for this design?

To download the PDF file which includes the instructions, photo and line drawings, please click HERE. Remember to click on the blue download button and to follow the instructions and follow the prompts before proceeding.

Thanks for stopping by and as always…

Happy stitching!

Y’All are the greatest!

2011-10-28T12:49:00.001-03:00

I’ve landed safely back on earth after floating amongst the clouds for the past week since receiving my ‘comfort quilts’ from Allie and her world-wide posse. *wink*

They’ve certainly come in handy over the past couple of evenings when the thermometer dipped to almost freezing overnight here in paradise. My heartfelt thanks again to everyone for thinking about me during these stressful times.

The gal who delivers our mail has been busy lately. Allow me to share with you some of the many gifts that have found their way here from across the world…literally!

I received some wonderful goodies from Linda who lives in France.

Can you spot the little thimble on the shelf in my studio pictured below? I’ve tried to highlight it for you.

It is a wooden thimble with a carved replica of the chateau in the town where Linda resides. How cool is that?

Doesn’t it look right at home with the rest of my sewing memorabilia?

Also included in the package was a sachet that Linda made filled with French lavender which I hung from the door handle to the storage area under the dormer, also in my studio.

Every time I enter, the heavenly aroma of lavender fills the air.

Thank you again, Linda for your wonderful gifts.

You all seem to know me so well.

Stephanie sent me a teeny-tiny pieced log cabin key chain, a Civil War charm pack with 21/2” squares, a hexagon template from Miller’s, a well-known quilt shop in Ohio Amish country and a pattern with three hens representing Rhoda, Ruby and Roxanne…our Rhode Island Red hens…of course!

Perhaps I’ll make a mini quilt using this pattern and allow the ladies to share it in their coop over the winter. *wink*

Stephanie’s message says it all. Thanks again, my friend.

My friend Edie (no blog) and I connected quite a while ago and she too knows me very well. I was so excited when I received this package from her because I just knew it too had to be something wonderful.

I certainly was NOT disappointed!

Don’t you just love this hand made pincushion made from from the softest wool imaginable? And the pumpkin design? It doesn’t get much better than this!

You’ve made my heart sing again, Edie. ♥ ♥ ♥

When this surprise arrived, I was completely taken aback. Ady from Israel (no blog) knows that I ♥ needle cases.

The needle case was made using Indonesian batiks which are simply gorgeous. Now I just have to figure out what to make from the fabric samples that Ady included…and it has to be something special, that’s for sure!

Thanks again, Ady!

A short while ago, Kathie was giving away a copy of the “Sew Scrappy” magazine. I had searched for a copy on our local newsstands but I couldn’t find one anywhere. How fortunate was I to be chosen as the L-U-C-K-Y winner?

I already congratulated Kathie for making the cover…yep, that’s her scrappy hourglass quilt happily staring back at us…and I’ve decided that my next quilting endeavor is also going to be a scrappy hourglass quilt.

Thanks for the ‘inspiration’, Kathie. (Kathie’s blog is called, “Inspired by Antique Quilts.”)

Slowly but surely I am making progress on my ‘hit-and-miss’ hooked rug. I’ve only been working on it at our Tuesday hook-ins and haven’t worked on it at all at home.

So many projects and so little time!

I’ve always been an early riser but take a guess at what I was doing at 6:00 this morning?

Doesn’t everyone make chicken soup at that time?

By 7:37 a.m. (see the clock on the stove?), lunch was ready.

Can you guess what Mr. Painted Quilt had for breakfast?

You guessed it! (If he reads this he is going to kill me.)

But I put my foot down when it came to Stephanie’s Sour Cream Apple Squares. I told him that he had to wait at least until lunch time before diving into these.

And just to tease you a little, isn’t this Victorian Christmas toile fabric awesome? This is the back of my next FFF (First Friday Freebie) which will be released next Friday, the 4th of November.

Now that lunch and dessert are made, you know what I’ll be working on this afternoon. Next Friday will be here before we know it.

Have a wonderful day!

I was speechless…really!

2011-10-22T11:49:00.001-03:00

I can count one one hand the number of times that I've been rendered speechless, and yesterday was one of them. Allow me to explain.

A box arrived yesterday morning but I was not at home when the mail lady pulled into our driveway, so Mr. Painted Quilt signed for it. When I got home, he ‘forgot’ to tell me that a package had been delivered simply because he thought it was filled with more ~~junk~~ stuff that I had ordered and he was hungry.

When the after dinner clean up was finished, I went up to my studio and saw a large box sitting on my cutting table. My initial reaction was, "What is this? I don’t remember ordering anything.” Only after seeing the return name and address did I realize that it must be the 'surprise' Allie emailed me about last week to say that ‘something’ was on it’s way.

I asked Mr. PQ if he would carry the box downstairs for me and when I said that it was a gift from one of my blogging friends, he decided to stay to see what was inside. He likes to share in my excitement whenever I receive a RAK in the mail and I guess the size of the box got the better of his curiosity this time…mine too, if the truth be known.

Upon opening the box, this is what we found inside.

Not one but two huge wrapped parcels!

I did NOT need to be persuaded to tear into the packages.

After seeing what was inside…two quilts, a tote bag and several cards and notes…I started to sob. I explained the significance of the gifts to Mr. PQ and when I noticed the tears starting to roll down his cheeks, we both stood in the middle of the floor hugging each other and cried like babies for how long I don't know but our eyes were red and swollen when we finally stopped.

Both quilts were assembled and quilted by Allie from blocks that she collected from fellow bloggers throughout the world. They are made in my favorite colors…variations of red, ‘white’ and navy…and one quilt is slightly larger than the other.

Here is the larger, Frankie-approved one displayed on our bed…

and the smaller one on the bed in our guest bedroom.

A simple thank you just doesn't seem to cut it but that is the only sentiment I can put into words at this moment simply because even a day later, I am still so overwhelmed.

I can't begin to imagine the time and effort that Allie put into this project and I don't know how I can ever repay her kindness, thoughtfulness and sense of compassion. I am totally blown away.

Allie also included a card with a list of the names from everyone who contributed a block. I recognize many names and the others are from blogging friends I haven’t had the pleasure of communicating with as yet.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all so very much!

Through tears, Mr. PQ and I read each and every block together as well as every card. He and I have already decided that the money Allie included with the gifts will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Our winters can be cold in Canada and the quilts will come in very handy to snuggle under while stitching or reading. Because there are two of them, I even might consider sharing one with Mr. PQ ! *wink*

Once again, a simple 'thank you' seems so inadequate. These are the most heart felt gifts that I have ever received and I want you all to know that I am forever grateful and will never, ever forget what you have done.

Sunday Musings

2011-10-16T14:36:00.001-03:00

I L-O-V-E making mini or doll-sized quilts. Not only are they fun to do but the feeling of satisfaction is divine and the instant gratification is exactly what I need.

I sewed the last stitch into the binding of this mini pinwheel quilt about thirty minutes ago and just had to stage this little vignette in order to take the picture.

I used only scraps from my stash and hand quilted it. I find the rocking motion when quilting by hand very soothing and can thoroughly lose myself in the process.

The binding is also made from leftovers.

Whenever I have to bind something, I always make a little extra and save the leftovers in a jar to eventually piece together for a project that would merit a scrappy-look binding. This was one of them!

With two swaps coming up, this little guy will soon be making its home somewhere else in the world.

I picked up these potted mums at the supermarket yesterday because the color intrigued me.

I have never seen orange mums…and the centers are green! How appropriate for fall decorating.

I finally found my mini lights and decided to add them to the trencher on top of the fireplace.

Don’t you just love the subtle, gentle glow?

I L-O-V-E fall!

Thanks for stopping by!

My day(s) in the kitchen…and studio.

2011-10-10T19:01:00.001-03:00

It started on Saturday when my friend Julia (no blog) gave me these two beauties, freshly picked from her garden.

Initially, it was my intention to make a zucchini bread with one and a stuffed zucchini with the other. Unfortunately, neither was large enough for stuffing so I decided to improvise as you’ll see below.

I don’t recall where I got this recipe for zucchini bread but I can assure you, it’s yummy. If you’d like to give it a try, you can find the recipe below.

I like to gather all the ingredients first.

I shredded one of the zucchinis and found that I’ll have enough to make 6 loaves. This particular recipe makes two loaves so I took what I needed and divided the rest to freeze.

Ta da! The best tasting zucchini bread you’ll ever taste…and moist too!

Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Zucchini Bread

3 C flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3 tsp cinnamon

3 large eggs

1 C vegetable oil

2 1/4 C white sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 C grated zucchini

1 C chopped walnuts

1 C golden raisins

1. Grease and flour two 8” x 4” loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together in a bowl.

3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well. Stir in zucchini, nuts and raisins until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

4. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until tester in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool.

Note: If you use glass loaf pans as I did, it increases the cooking time by 30 minutes.

While the zucchini loaves were baking, I decided to check out some of my favorite blogs. Lo and behold, Stephanie from Loft Creations posted a recipe today for crock pot apple sauce.

I’d never heard of apple sauce made in a crock pot and after reading the directions, I decided to give it a whirl. It just so happens that I bought a basket of apples at our local farmer’s market on Saturday.

Once again, I gathered all the ingredients…

then peeled the apples…

and cored them.

I saved the peels and cores to give to Rhoda, Ruby and Roxanne…our three Rhode Island Red hens…to give them as a snack when I go out to the barn to collect their eggs.

It took about 20 minutes of prep time.

While the apples were stewing, the aroma was intoxicating.

An hour and a half later… voila! Fresh, yummy applesauce!

Guess what’s going on my toast tomorrow morning?

If you’d like the recipe, just click on the link to Stephanie’s blog highlighted in red above.

While the loaves and applesauce were cooking, I made a meat-based tomato sauce. The dish on the left has thickly sliced zucchini in the bottom topped with the sauce. I saved some of the meat mixture for the stuffed green peppers on the right and then topped them with the tomato sauce.

Dinner is ready! And for dessert…

this pumpkin pie that I made yesterday.

And just so this post is not entirely about food, believe it or not, I did manage to get some cutting and piecing done yesterday. I signed up for a mini quilt swap on Kathleen Tracy’s Small Quilt Talk board and thought that I’d get a jump start on it.

The top is done and now comes my favorite part…the hand quilting…which I’m hoping to start tomorrow.

I probably should have spent the last two days working outdoors because the skies have been blue and sunny with record temperatures in the high 70’s and low 80’s. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow…right? *wink*

First Friday Freebie #21

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After four days of rain and an unseasonal ‘nor-easter thrown in for good measure, we have our fingers crossed for blue skies and sunshine today. Although yesterday dawned bright and cool, we had to fire up our furnace and build a fire in the wood stove for the first time this season. We even had a few wet flurries of the white stuff. Yikes!

I think that autumn has officially arrived!

To celebrate the season, this month’s First Friday Freebie was designed to showcase the fading days of summer and the start of autumn…my favorite season! Watermelon, sunflowers, crows, wasps, pumpkins, birdhouses, flowers and of course the alphabet are included in this sampler.

The finished mini quilt measures approximately 21” x 19”.

To download the PDF file containing the photo, instructions and line drawings, click HERE. Please remember to click on the blue download button and wait the allotted time given in the instructions.

Enjoy and happy fall, y’all!

A productive weekend…

2011-10-03T14:19:00.001-03:00

In spite of the weather.

It was another rainy weekend here in paradise which put the start of our fall outdoor clean up on hold until the sunny, dry weather returns. But you don’t hear me complaining now, do you? *wink* In actual fact, it was a perfect weekend to stay indoors to put the finishing touches on my Civil War nine patch quilt.

Remember this? Just in case you don’t, you may read about it HERE.

I received a phone call on Thursday evening to say that my quilt was ready to be picked up.

My original plan was to send my quilt to Mary at Quilt Hollow but plans had to change because the cost of return shipping from Nova Scotia to North Carolina was astronomical. The gals from my guild recommended Donna, a local gal, who is a professional longarm quilter. Thanks for the wonderful job, Donna!

The colors of the quilt are much warmer than they appear and the photos don’t do the quilt justice because today is another day without sunshine.

I had initially planned to do a scallop or wave border but when Mr. Painted Quilt saw it, he asked me to leave it just as it is. He hardly ever voices or offers an opinion on anything that I make but this quilt really caught his eye and I couldn’t find it in my heart to override his wishes. So I went with a straight border and I’m not unhappy with the way it looks now that it’s finished.

I’ve always wanted to make a scrappy nine patch quilt and this one is even more special because each block is made by someone different who took part in the same Civil War nine patch swap that I did. Thanks again for hosting, Julie!

To take the photographs, I just laid the quilt down on our bed over our everyday quilt. When I flipped up a corner in order to show you the backing, this lump appeared. Any guesses as to ~~what~~ who it is?

Frankie, of course!

And just this morning I made and sewed on the label. The finished quilt measures 91” x 81”.

Now I can officially call it a FINISH!

More lemons…and some roses too!

2011-09-28T16:09:00.001-03:00

It’s always nice to talk about the positives rather than or before the negatives, so here I go.

Have a look at what arrived in my mail box today!

The most stunning doll quilt from Julie.

Isn’t it amazing? This is the second doll quilt that Julie has made for me and I love it just as much as the first one. We did a one-on-one swap a while back where I sent her a pair of my hand knitted socks and she sent me a gorgeous mini quilt.

Here’s the first one she sent me, hanging in my studio on the wall to the right. Gorgeous, huh?

I now have to find the perfect place for this one. Thank you so much Julie. Your gift arrived just at the right time and really brightened my day!

Because of what is going on in my life at the moment health-wise, I think that I will make only mini or doll sized quilts for the next little while. That is about where my level of concentration is at the moment, so whenever I get the urge to piece a quilt, a mini is indeed what it’s going to be!

In my last post I talked about this amazing new solid cheddar fabric but I neglected to tell you where I purchased it. I received several emails asking that exact question and I’m happy to say that I ordered it online from Sew Unique Creations. Their service is excellent and so are the products they carry. This cheddar fabric is from the new line called Centennial Solids.

Perhaps you have read about the new BOM that has been popping up around blogland. Just click on the button below and you will be magically transported to Canton Village Quilt Works where you can read all about it.

Sherri at A Quilting Life designed September’s block and here is my version made from Civil War and reproduction fabrics. Needs a little more ironing, wouldn’t you say?

Also, many of you asked where I purchased the acorn pillow pictured below that is on the love seat in our den. I found this at a country/prim shop about 8 or 10 years ago in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on one of my travel teaching assignments.

I’m certain it was made off-shore and I doubt that there’s a pattern available. It is made from wool felt and measures about 10” square. If you’d like to try your hand at making one for your own personal use from the photo, feel free to copy it to your files. Just remember that you can’t claim it as your own design though.

And now for the lemons.

I received the pathology report from the surgeon who performed my last surgery and the results came back positive again…and they still cannot locate the primary source of the cancer. I spoke with the chief medical oncologist yesterday and he has scheduled another PET scan for the 12th of December…so you can see why I’m having difficulty concentrating on anything these days. It was his suggestion to wait 3 months to see if the cancer manifests itself somewhere else in my body. Until such time as it does, they cannot treat the unknown. We also have to allow the two incisions to heal properly before the next scan.

Let me tell you that I can certainly redefine the meaning of STRESS!

Thanks so much for caring. Giant hugs to all of you.

Catch Up Sunday

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It’s a foggy, dull and overcast day here in paradise as you can see from this view from an upstairs window but I’m not complaining.

Mr. Painted Quilt is away for the day fishing with his buddies which leaves me and my ~~shadows~~ sidekicks, Frankie and Mac, alone to do as we please. I love these kind of days because it seems like I can get so much accomplished.

First on the list…clean and organize my studio. Aaahhh…so much better!

A place for everything and everything in it’s place.

Now everything is neat and tidy and I can easily see things at a glance.

Things were getting a little messy because as I’d buy new fabric or wool, I would just let it pile up on the cutting table instead of putting it away. Are you like me and just love to look at and fondle new fabric…like the ones below?

Blue shirting fabrics for a new blue and white, two-color quilt that is in the planning stages…

Along with these yummy Civil War and reproduction fabrics.

And I couldn’t resist this new solid cheddar fabric…all 5 yards of it!

I went to the farmer’s market in Annapolis Royal yesterday but because it was pouring rain, only the diehard vendors and customers were there. I bought a bushel of tomatoes along with some fresh brown mushrooms, green and red bell peppers and garlic.

I froze some of the tomatoes and the others are simmering on the stove as I write this.

Home made spaghetti sauce for dinner tonight! Are ya coming?

Did the boys help? I don’t think so!

Here’s Frankie catching some zzzzz’s on top of the warrn dryer…

And Mac’s curled up on the loveseat.

I’ve been a little remiss in telling you about some of the wonderful surprises that I’ve received in the mail recently from dear blogging friends.

Karen sent me this incredible miniature pieced heart pin which I’ve attached to my guild name tag. I just can’t imagine holding such tiny pieces, never mind sewing them. Thank you so much again, Karen.

When I opened the package from Miche’le, my heart skipped several beats.

You all know I love pin cushions and this cross stitched one has become my favorite. Of course I would never use it as a pin cushion but I keep it beside my sewing machine just to admire. More thanks and hugs to you my Kiwi friend!

The spaghetti sauce needs stirring and the dryer signal just sounded so I’d better get back to my chores.

Oh, and in the meantime, I’m diligently working on October’s FFF! (First Friday Freebie).

Fall Decorating…cont’d.

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For the most part, the downstairs decorating is done and I’d love for you to accompany me on a little tour of our home.

Let’s start with the heart of our home…the kitchen. Here is where we enter into the kitchen from the mud room at the rear of the house. We always come in through the back door and so do all our friends and guests.

The Hoosier rests between the back door and the entry to the pantry. Can you see the little tree in the yellow ware bowl on the top right and the set of vintage Halloween cookie cutters? It is so much fun to see all these things again. I didn’t decorate last fall because of packing for our move to Nova Scotia.

Even the pantry needed a little hint of fall so I added an orange berry garland along the top shelf.

Lots more stuff can be found in the eating area of the kitchen too!

The kitchen also opens into the main floor den. The living room is just beyond the stairway in the distance.

Here is where Mr. Painted Quilt and I spend a lot of time reading. The fireplace two photos down is directly opposite…

and the loveseat is to the right.

I added some chenille corn and a Japanese lantern garland to the trencher.

The dining room is just off the den.

Lots of fun fall and Halloween stuff in here.

Even the restroom has a few reminders of fall.

It can’t be fall without candy corn…in all shapes and sizes.

Wool pumpkins and a little woollen pillow…perfect!

The air outside is very fresh and cool today but the living room is bathed in sunlight.

All I need now are some freshly cut flowers from the garden and potted mums to add to the mix.

There’s still upstairs to do and that’s one of the many items on the agenda for this weekend.

I think it just might be cool enough to light the fire tonight. Are you coming over for a cup of hot chocolate or tea? The kettle is always on, you know.

Fall is in the air!

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The start to my favorite season has arrived, brought on by shorter days and cooler, crisper nights. Although the leaves have not quite started to change color, one can feel the change of seasons in the air. With autumn just beginning, so has my decorating.

I purchased some fresh gourds and pumpkins to grace our dining room table at the farmer’s market on Saturday.

The antique wheel barrow that sits on a huge rock on our front lawn is a perfect place for pumpkins.

A friend gave us some corn stalks from his garden which I fastened to the wrought iron stake marking our civic address. I think I’ll add a few pumpkins around the base to add a little more color.

These sunflowers started growing as a result of the black oiled sunflower seeds dropping to the ground as the birds were feeding. The tallest one stands over six feet high.

Our rose garden is flourishing.

They seem to prefer the cooler weather because they are laden with plump buds just waiting to burst open.

Twice yearly we have the opportunity to put out large items for trash pickup and this is the week.

The barn with the coop that houses the “ladies”…Rhoda, Ruby and Roxanne…became a storage area over the years for junk and trash by previous owners of the property. This morning Mr. Painted Quilt and I went at it…actually Mr. PQ did all the slugging and hauling because all I was capable of doing was to drive the tractor that pulled the trailer loaded with the trash to the roadside where Mr. PQ unloaded and stacked it all.

Step inside, shall we?

I know I should have taken ‘before’ photos but I only thought about it after the work was done.

Looking to the left as you enter the barn, this is what it looks like now. The junk was piled clear to the ceiling…and I’m not exaggerating. You wouldn’t believe what was in there!

This is looking to the right as you enter. The door to the coop where the ladies reside is on the left. Their feed is in the galvanized bin and the green trash bag behind it contains wood shavings to freshen up their digs.

We decided to save the upstairs clean up until the spring.

I underwent a second surgery on Wednesday of this past week. It has not been an easy time since then. Because I’ve undergone three general anaesthetics in the last three months, it has taken me longer to recover each subsequent time. Thankfully I don’t feel as ‘out of it’ today but my memory still leaves a lot to be desired. As a result of the incision, I was given strict instructions not to do anything physical for at least three weeks.

But that didn’t include shopping!

How do you like our new gourd birdhouse? Pretty cool, huh?

Mr. PQ took me to a local quilt shop where I just happened to find these Civil War reproduction fabrics in my favorite colors. A three color quilt is definitely in the planning stages.

Even Frankie approves of my choices.

It might take me a little longer than usual but I did manage to start on the interior decorating as well. Here’s a little peek.

Be sure to come back because I’ll show you the rest after I’m done.

First Friday Freebie #20

2011-09-02T06:11:00.001-03:00

At long last…another First Friday Freebie! Woo hoo!

I don’t know for how long but I’m happy to say that for as long as I’m able, I’m hoping to be back here on the First Friday of every month with a new design for you to enjoy.

To celebrate the month of September and the anticipation of autumn, this month’s FFF is called…

September Song

Click HERE to download the printable PDF file which includes a photo, instructions and line drawing. Remember to click on the blue download button and to wait the allotted time before proceeding to the next step.

Here’s a closer look…

Enjoy, have fun and as always, happy stitching!

Life is good!

2011-08-29T20:31:00.001-03:00

We left home at 8 this morning and returned 10 hours, 250 miles and 2 doctors appointments later. After meeting with the chief medical oncologist at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax this afternoon, here’s my latest news.

The results of the PET scan that I had a couple of weeks ago discovered a cancerous ‘mass’ that has deposited itself in one of my lymph nodes and has to be removed. That’s the bad news. The good news is that because the scan could still not determine the primary source of the cancer, I will not have to undergo either radiation or chemotherapy at this time.

The way it was explained to me is that cancer does not develop in the lymph nodes but ‘travels’ and settles there from a primary source located somewhere else in the body. Consequently, they cannot treat my cancer in the traditional way because they don’t know the origin. Because my case is so ‘unusual’, I will be monitored very closely by a team of oncologists and after the surgery will have to undergo additional PET scans every two months to start and then every three months after that to see if the cancer reappears.

I know that I will be traveling a road filled with uncertainty each time that I must have another PET scan, but I feel extremely confident with the decision made by the oncology team to go this route. I also know that this gift would never have been given to me had it not been for all your positive thoughts and prayers. You have no idea how grateful I am to each and every one of you. Thank you all from the very bottom of my heart.

Life is good!

My ‘baby’ brother and his Jack Russell terrier arrived last Monday and left yesterday. I had not seen them since last November, just before we moved to Nova Scotia. We spent a wonderful week together showing him the sights, eating lots of seafood which is plentiful and delicious in our neck of the woods and taking lessons from him on how to use my Blackberry. I now know how to text!

Here’s Newman enjoying the view from the rocky shoreline on Brier Island, Nova Scotia.

Both Mr. Painted Quilt and I hated to see them go…and so did Frankie and Mac who got along with Newman famously.

Have you noticed all the sunflowers?

Do you know what this Friday is?

It’s the First Friday of the month. I know it’s been a while but please come back on Friday for another FFF (First Friday Freebie).

And if you guessed that it might be about sunflowers, you guessed right!

I get by…

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With a little help from my friends.

Remember that Beatles song? Well today it really struck a chord with me.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

One of the things that I know best about myself is that patience is NOT one of my most redeeming qualities. I was feeling kind of frustrated and overwhelmed this morning and became a little teary-eyed as a result. I’m finding it so hard to deal with the unknown and the waiting is starting to play on my nerves. Forgive me for venting but I’m so anxious to move forward.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Then just when it felt like I was really going to lose it, guess what happened? The mail lady stopped at our road side mail box, opened the lid and flipped the red flag up, indicating that there was mail inside. I was debating as to whether to go out and see what bills she left or to put it off until later. Well, I’m happy that I decided to get it over with right away because I didn’t find any bills but two large envelopes addressed to me instead! I couldn’t wait to get back inside.

Paulette graciously allowed her friend Claire to host a giveaway on her blog because Claire doesn’t have a blog of her own. To make a long story short, the giveaway had to do with W-O-O-L and by now you probably all know about my love affair with wool.

Well, I didn’t win the giveaway but Claire decided to thank me for my First Friday Freebies and Raggedy & Friends BOM by gifting me with three fat quarters of wool.

Aren’t they awesome? They will be put to use very soon! Thank you so much Claire and Paulette.

I’m definitely getting by with a little help from my friends.

The second package came as a complete surprise.

Cathi and I have been blogging friends for about two years now. When I opened the envelope and found this inside…

I became all choked up and the tears really began to flow freely.

Isn’t it gorgeous? And I knew exactly where it was going as soon as I laid eyes upon it.

It was as though it was made for and always belonged on the pine bedside table in our guest bedroom. Thank you sooooooo much, Cathi. I absolutely love it!

I really am getting by with a little help from my friends.

Yesterday, I went blueberry picking at my friend Diane’s house. She and her husband moved here from Oregon five years ago and inherited 160 varieties of blueberry bushes on their property. They have been giving them a lot of TLC since then and the ‘sea of blue’ was amazing.

The soil in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia is ideal for blueberries.

In thirty minutes, I had picked 4.5 pounds of mouth-watering blueberries.

I’ve already made a blueberry pie and plan to freeze the rest because next week, Mr. Painted Quilt and I are going back to pick a whole lot more.

All we need now is a bigger freezer…and it’s being delivered next week!

Spare Bedroom Reveal

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In anticipation of my ‘baby’ brother’s arrival early next week, I’ve been working at getting our spare bedroom ready. His visit is just the motivation I needed in order to get at it and clean out what seemed to be turning into a storage room.

It’s the smallest of the four upstairs bedrooms and decorating-wise, it is still a work in progress. Believe it or not, I still have more boxes to unpack marked ‘decorating stuff’ which I’m convinced multiply during the night as we sleep.

This is what you see straight ahead as you enter the room. On the positive side, the steep dormered ceiling in this room allows for a lot of storage space under the eaves, accessible by the low cupboard on the wall to the left.

The negative side is that same feature limits the amount of usable space for the placement of furniture.

Travelling in a clock-wise direction around the room is the single bed with Frankie the terror perched on top of it, looking at what he can get into next.

The bench is home to a couple of antique quilts and one of my favorite pieces, a primitive pine cupboard that is just waiting for me to fill with all kinds of collectibles hidden away in some of those dreaded boxes.

And a little closer look at the same scene. Just to the right of this shot is the entryway into the room and back to where we started.

Yesterday and the PET scan have thankfully both come and gone and I’m just waiting for the results in order to be able to move on to whatever comes next. It seems like I’ve been treading water for quite some time now and not being the most patient person in the world, I am hoping that there will be some definitive answers soon.

In the interim and between naps, I’m keeping busy in the garden, doing a little hooking, planning my next quilt and even designing some new FFF’s (First Friday Freebies).

Thanks again for all your encouragement and support. I am truly fortunate to have you all in my life.

P.S. A little message to Barbara York…

I’d love to answer the comment that you left for me in my last post but unfortunately you came up as ‘no-reply’ which means that I have no way of contacting you.

I love Saturdays!

2011-08-13T18:07:00.001-03:00

Saturday mornings are my favorite because that is when the Annapolis Royal Farmer and Trader’s market happens. By 8 a.m. all the vendors have set up their booths and unless one arrives bright and early, it’s almost impossible to find a parking spot nearby.

A temperate climate combined with rich, fertile soil make the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia a paradise for fresh fruits and vegetables…especially at this time of year.

The first pick of both sweet corn and peaches. Coincidently, the corn is the ‘peaches and cream’ variety meaning that the kernels on the same cob are bi-colored and it’s ever so sweet.

Who can resist authentic fresh baked French bread and pastries? Not me! However today I refrained from buying any pastries because after seeing those peaches, I decided to bake instead.

Look what I brought home…fresh peaches, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, red onions, corn and tomatoes. Everything looks almost too good to eat!

Can you guess what I’m going to make for dessert from the ingredients pictured below?

Peach cobbler with about a cup of blueberries thrown in for good measure.

This is how it looked before it went into the oven…

And here it is, piping hot and just out of the oven! The aroma is to die for!

We’re going to eat light tonight…corn-on-the-cob along with a fresh tomato, red onion and cucumber salad topped with a home made vinaigrette…one of our favorite summer meals.

And if you’d like to try to make your own peach cobbler, here’s the recipe.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Peach Cobbler

1 stick (4 oz) butter, melted

1 c + 3 tbsp granulated sugar, divided

1 c all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 c milk

1 tsp vanilla

3-4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F.

Pour melted butter into a 2 qt baking dish (11” x 7” or 8” square). In a mixing bowl, combine 1 c sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to blend.

Stir in vanilla and milk until blended.

Pour batter over melted butter.

Toss peaches with remaining 3 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Arrange peach slices over batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top will be browned and the cake will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Serve warm with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Bet you can’t have just a little portion! *wink*

Once again, thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers with respect to my health issues.

All it seems like I’ve been doing lately is running from one doctor to another to try to get to the bottom of this. I have nothing but the highest regard and praise for each and every one of them. Although Nova Scotia is a small province, the health care system is second to none.

One of the doctors I met with this past week was a radiation oncologist and she has arranged for me to have a PET scan on Monday. Evidently this is a state-of-the-art technology for determining the source of cancers that either can’t be or have not been detected by other means. This involves travelling 120 miles (one way) to Halifax (again), the capital and largest city in Nova Scotia. Thank goodness Mr. Painted Quilt likes to drive!

Although my treatment options haven’t been firmly decided upon as yet, it looks as though I’m going to be in for a long, rough ride in the not-too-distant future.

Am I scared? Absolutely!

Will I beat this? Without a doubt!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…Y’all are the best!!!

A finish…finally!

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Just the flimsy but nevertheless, a finish!

I’m not a fancy person and don’t really like a lot of frou-frou, bling and glitz so this traditional nine patch quilt is right up my alley.

About a year ago, I took part in a Civil War nine patch swap hosted by Julie.

I haven’t pieced a quilt since before we moved to Nova Scotia last December, not because I haven’t wanted to but because there was so much going on in our lives…the packing, the actual move, renovations, unpacking, tons of yard work, planting, the arrival of ‘les girls’ Rhoda, Ruby and Roxanne, Frankie the terror and my health issues.

Two weeks ago and just prior to Frankie’s unexpected arrival, I decided to pick up the nine patches and get down to business. I had everything I needed in my stash so there was no excuse.

I started the initial piecing and wanted to complete the top before my biopsy surgery but we all know what happens to ‘the best laid plans’…right?

It only took two weeks but I finally finished it this morning.

I can’t tell you how good it feels. Now I know how a lion feels when set free from it’s cage!

The quilt currently measures 84” x 72”. I’m wondering if I should add another border of either 4” or 6”, simply because I was thinking about finishing the quilt with a scalloped border. What would you do?

As for Frankie? He’s everywhere! The door to my studio has to stay closed because there’s just too much for him to get into. I can’t wait for the kitten stage to be over with!

Later on this week I’ll be sending my quilt top to Mary, longarm quilter extraordinaire who resides at Quilt Hollow, to allow her to work her magic on it. I’m hoping that it’ll be back just in time to cuddle under on those cool, crisp autumn nights.

Coming for dinner?

2011-07-29T20:48:00.001-03:00

First I gathered all the ingredients.

I took a short cut and used store-bought deep dish pie shells. Because they come in pairs, I decided to make two quiches at the same time. Mr. Painted Quilt likes to eat! *wink*

Before…

And after.

Is your mouth watering yet?

I made two so there’s enough to go around. Dinner will be served shortly. I just have to make a salad and the rhubarb crisp is in the oven.

So are y’all coming?

Tomato Onion Quiche

1 unbaked pie shell
2 c shredded cheese (cheddar & mozzarella)
3 medium fresh tomatoes (thinly sliced)
1/2 onion (thinly sliced)
6 sliced mini bella mushrooms (optional)
1 t dried basil
1/4 t garlic salt
cracked pepper - to taste
2 eggs
3/4 c milk
3 T grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Sprinkle bottom of pie shell with cheeses then layer tomatoes, onions and mushrooms over cheese. Sprinkle basil, garlic salt & pepper on top. Then beat the eggs and milk together and pour over all. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes.

NOTE: The above recipe is for one quiche. If you’d like to make two as I did, just double all the ingredients.

On the medical front, I heard from my doctor late this afternoon, just after she received the biopsy results. Both came back negative. To paraphrase her words, she wasn’t sure if this was good or bad news. I was told to wait at home while she called the resident oncologist and after speaking with her and reviewing my file, she called back to tell me that she would be turning my case over to her. She (the oncologist) will be ordering additional tests from the current biopsy samples and will also be ordering a PET scan to try to determine the source of the cancer. Evidently I will be hearing from her as early as Tuesday of next week with an appointment for the scan. It’s the waiting that’s the difficult part.

And we’ve been keeping busy. Today Mr. PQ and I worked outside for about three hours cutting the grass, doing some edging and weeding the flower beds. We also planted an ornamental Japanese willow along with some hardy ground cover foliage under the maples where the grass struggles to survive.

Whenever I could fit in a few minutes, I’ve also been working on my nine patch quilt and the entire top is now pieced together. The weather forecast is calling for rain tomorrow and if that happens, I’m hoping to get the border cut and sewn on.

And now, it’s time for dinner! Are ya coming?

Just picked!

2011-07-28T10:44:00.001-03:00

From our garden and chicken coop, fresh this morning…

Not too bad for city-turned-country-folk, huh?

P.S. Still waiting for some news from the doctor’s office.

Thank goodness that’s over…

2011-07-22T13:25:00.001-03:00

Wednesday was not an easy day and I sure am happy that’s behind me.

I am so grateful to have very caring and compassionate doctors who are genuinely concerned about my well being. They have put a rush on everything and I’m hoping to have the results from the two biopsies by Wednesday of next week. Thank you all for your kind words and support. They are making my trip down this unknown road so much easier.

You guys are the best!

In my last post, I had these grandiose ideas of being able to complete the piecing of a Civil War nine patch quilt before my surgery. As you can see below, I did get a start on it…

and the rest of the nine patch and setting blocks were waiting patiently beside my machine for me to continue. However, on Sunday…

Frankie…as in Frank Sinatra…AKA 'old blue eyes’…arrived!

Everything came to a screeching halt!

Frankie is a three month old seal point Siamese kitten and he’s

E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E!

Mac is being such a sport about it and apart from a few introductory swats and hisses, they are now co-existing really well.

Then, and in anticipation of my brother coming to visit sometime in August, we decided that it was time we did something with the spare room.

Until now, it has been used as a catch-all and a place to put everything that we just hadn’t found a home for…including the last 4 boxes that are still waiting to be unpacked. *sigh*

Not only is it the smallest of the four upstairs bedrooms but because of the dormer and sloped ceiling, we decided to go with a single bed in order to be able to include some other furniture in there as well. I made the quilt on the bed a few years ago which you can read about HERE.

We picked up the bed yesterday and the decorating has only just begun.

There are still pictures to be hung, quilts to be piled on the bench, braided rugs to be scattered on the floor and a few other touches to give it a lived in feeling.

Oh, and the other distraction as to why my piecing was put on hold was because my new Bolivar wool cutter arrived! Isn’t it a beauty?

So, while the little fur baby is napping, I’m tip-toeing off to the studio to see if I can get a few more rows done.

Shhhhhhhhh!