Family Picnic

The ladies

The Guys

Yup. we're definitely getting older, and the sad part is I can't actually name all these people anymore :(, especially the younger ones who live in other towns. Next time I go I must study our genealogy book first! !) I don't go every year (or even every decade!) so keeping track of everyone is difficult. None-the-less it was nice to attend this year and a good way to end my summer staycation.

What else on the homefront? Well, I'm hot on the trail for all things Owly (my niece wants gender neurtal Owls for her baby things) ....

Shhhh - don't tell anyone 'cause the quilt will be a secret. The green owl fabric is actually a plasticized fabric called PUL used for making baby diapers. I don't think my niece will go for cloth diapers, so I'm thinking of using it for a diaper bag. The bottom beige Owl fabric will be the backing of the quilt and possible some other useful/fun baby accessories. The top roll of fabrics is from the kit (pattern in pic) for the baby quilt. Of course I couldn't pass up the Owl buttons (don't know how I'll use them) and missing from the pic are some cute Owl decals! I'm really into this one :)
And of course, one simply can't go fabric shopping and not buy a few fat quarters for yourself!

And yes, I did manage to get some sewing time in ..... after a few days of pondering just how I was going to do it, and whether or not to use Organza, Crinoline, or mesh .... here's the Bee wall hanging - so far ....

I still need to do some stitching in the wings for definition and of course sandwich and quilt it. So far I'm very pleased with my progress!
TTFN

Ahhhh, summer vacation :)

Remember my posting from early July - where I complained about breaking/losing some cherished vintage cake plates? Well, one of my marvelous quilt friends asked for the broken pieces. She's very crafty so I figured she would make something lovely out of the wreckage. I sure didn't expect her to make something for me, but am definitely loving it! A patio stone so I still have my cake plate :) :)

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU !

So, today is my B-day (SHHHH. a secret I tell absolutely no one) and I'm the big 60 ! YIKES! How the heck did I get to be this old!!!? I sure don't feel old. Maybe 60 is the new 40 ? My niece announced they are expecting, so I'll be a GREAT AUNT soon - OMG! How did this happen? My sister is ecstatic, she'll be a grandma. Our parents will be Great grandparents. They seem to be taking it in stride. I'm not! I'M NOT OLD ENOUGH!!!

 I'm on summer vacation and loving it. The weather has been fabulous, I've been uber busy with family business and only been in the sewing room twice! Not nearly enough time to get to all those projects I have on my summer vacation list - yeah right I don't know why I even make lists ....  Almost all my friends are retired, my retirement date is 5 years (1847 days) away! Do my retired friends make lists? and if so why? I have to admit this summer I can appreciate my friend's saying "You'll really enjoy retirement".  I could go for it anytime now, but need to pay off that car loan and mortgage, so it's back to work I go next week.
Before I forget here's a pic of the new bath. Flowered wallpaper border removed, ugly builder's beige painted over, new mirror. Mommy is happy!

TTFN

The end of Summer Staycation :(

Well, it's been busy and fun and the weather was great. I can't say it was overly relaxing, but that's ok.
I did manage to get into the sewing room and create - or at least start a few projects. I made myself a new lunch bag - oh yeah. Not my pattern - check out Pink Penquin .

I still  have a wee bit of the cupcake fabric and the brown w blue dot fabric.  I wonder what else I can make ? hmmmmm Ok, how about a quilted cozy for my travel mug using the same brown I used for the lunch bag lining.

Oh, and I finally got a wall hanging started that I've been want to make since the spring ....

As you can see I had a little trouble with the right side, and have re-sewn it to ensure the B&W stripe doesn't have that wobble in it. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the missing letters are missing for a reason, a big Bumble Bee will be appliqued in the centre as soon as I figure out how best to applique the organza wings! Stay tuned ... (pattern from American Quilter May 2013).

Much of my staycation was taken up with visiting retirement homes with the pater. It was nice to spend time with father dearest , I guess this is a chore which must be done;. Maybe we are close to a decision. It was also birthday time, so lots of family dinners, lunches and cake ! We are ending my staycation with a trip to Sarnia for the annual family picnic!

But, just in case you think it was a true staycation .... NOT! There was a road trip with some of my quilty friends. We drove down to Waterford taking the back roads and geocached along the way. In Waterford we discovered a fun cafe for lunch, spent our fortunes at their quilt shop Quilt Junction, and did some antiquing, then geocached our way home! What a terrific day!!

I can't show you what I bought as it will be a surprise in March. Suffice it to say, my only niece has announced she is expecting and would like a gender neutral Owl baby quilt. Well, I've been quilting for over 35 years (YIKES!) and I just bought my very first quilt kit !! Ok, I also bought some hexie templates, but that's not an exciting pic. Yes, I'm going to join the hexie craze - someday, if I ever get all my other projects completed. HA Ha ha!!!
That's all for now, how was your summer vacation/staycation ?
TTFN