Fall ? What Fall !

So it's September and it's supposed to be Fall weather, except we're enduring a week of heat alerts and now air quality alerts. As much as I love summer and warm weather I can do without the humidity taking us over 40 C, and certainly not air quality issues. So I've been stuck in the house for days on end, which means I'm getting some sewing done on my Canada 150 quilt blocks. Yeah !

 Blocks 55- 60. The Mounties drove me crazy as one is slightly off kilter and no matter how many times I unsewed/resewed that portion she's still slightly crooked. Maybe it's saying something ? Top left block includes the Foxes fat quarter Edith kindly let me have. I like it  - thanks Edith!!

Blocks 61- 66 not as trying as the week before TG. I'm happy with these results 

And blocks 67-72.  Right side blocks were very finicky with lots of tiny half square triangles. Took my time with these, one block per day instead of my usual 3 blocks per day. Almost half way there, yippee !!

I also made 4 of these placemats for our charity sewing (Wellsprings) trying to use up this coffee fabric. Still have some so will need to think of something else to creatively use it up.

Have finally - yes finally finished all my paper shredding YEAH ! 20 bags of shredded paper out of my house! I can retire the shredder to the basement. Doing the waiting game right now for some of my other downsizing/recycling projects. Hope to get all the extra paint out to Rona this weekend but waiting waiting waiting for the guild executive to make up their minds about my vintage quilt donation. If they don't respond soon I'll donate the lot to the Salvation Army/Men's Mission and be done with it. Also waiting on the condo's landscaping company to respond to my request to trim my Forsythias. HATE hate hate all this waiting...... GRRR. 

 On the bright side I found a good home for this coffin top portable Singer . I got it many many years ago for $5. It still works except it is missing its knee bar. One of the ladies in my guild (Jacqui VM) and her husband collect and refurbish old sewing machines. She has agreed to take it off my hands and they have the missing part! Jacqui is in touch with an organization that sends these old machines to less developed nations, so it will find a good home - yeah!
TTFN, keep cool in this hot weather

P.S. My orchid HAS flowered ! Three blooms and 2 new leafs. Yeah !!

Lost and Found

Well hello there! I've been soooooo busy these last two months cleaning, re-organizing, and collecting items to donate to Goodwill or sell to an antique dealer. I've been through every closet, drawer and cupboard in the house and it felt soooo good to have this completed. Next task was to contact that  antique/collectibles dealer to sell off my stuff. I had collected vintage linens (tablecloths and napkins), hankies, gloves, vintage purses and a couple of fur coats. I had  her business card stashed on my kitchen counter for months and months and months while I recuperated from last winter's illness and got my life gathered up. Can I find it now that I'm ready ?   NOOOOOOOOO !!!
At some point in my cleaning/re-organizing I put the card somewhere safe so I wouldn't lose it. Well we all know that the infamous "safe place" can never be found or remembered when you look for it.  Without that card some of my downsizing  is on hold. Wish me luck!!

It seems I'm losing everything these days. Went to the hairdressers for a cut and discovered the next day that one of my gold studs was missing. Bummer as I wear these everyday nonstop! So, off to the mall with my sister for a shopping spree.  This story has a happy ending as I found exactly what I was looking for as replacements for the gold studs, then treated myself by purchasing new diamonds studs. Whoohoo!






Then last night as I was trundleing off to bed I dropped one of  my pearl earrings I had been wearing.  I was just too tired to go searching for it and decided to wait until the morning for the next big search. Well didn't I luck out this morning and step right on it first thing - so another lucky FIND for me!!


Last Sunday was Decoration Day at the Watford cemetery where father is buried. Not having been able to be with him his last few days and barely remembering the funeral I felt it was important to attend. I have only been to one other decoration day, and that was with my Grandmother when I was six. I remember  wondering what dead meant and why Grandma was crying. Now years later I realize the love of her life had only been dead about 3 years. My B-I-L drove and my sister, her son and myself all attended. They had a Piper and a Trooping of the Colours from the local Legion in remembrance of those lost at Vimy Ridge. We got to see his stone marker. We chose the scroll to depict his diplomas and those he, as a teacher, helped others obtain.

While all this angst happening I have completed some sewing. Today I plan to make up some place mats using up the leftover coffee fabric from all those mug rugs I made last year.

I have completed weeks #15, 16,17 and 18 of my Canada 150 quilt -along.Still having lots of fun making these and continue to be amazed at how  difficult it is to be that accurate! I'm trying hard not to be too much of a perfectionist, but also want this one to go together well. I also don't want to repeat any fabrics too much while at the same time add in "Canada" fabrics (Maple leaves).

I made a duplicate block #50 for Rachel Zimmerman Brachman, the daughter of a former colleague of mine. I decided to make the extra block into a wee Canada 150 pillow which Walter and Linda can pass along to Rachel, who lives in California now. Here's her pillow

So that's been my last couple of weeks, good thing it's Sunday and we can all hope for a better things to come :)
TTFN